Vol. 22, No. 1 Fall 2005
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asstc Townsend Harris High School at Queens College
149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
Patriot Walk honors 9/11 's faUen heroes .
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by Michelle Montgoris Despite the threat of drenching rain, the Townsend Harris/Patriot Group 5K Walk got off on the right foot October 22. Captain Alfredo Fuentes, who organized the Patriot Group shortly after his recovery from the September 11th attacks, welcomed the crowd of 350 Townsend Harris teachers, students, parents, friends, and family members of the lost September II th firefighters with a short speech. He encouraged the walkers to "talk to the firefighters" by using identification cards which had been issued. Each of these cards bore the name and face of a different firefighter who died in the attacks. "Walk a lap around the lake, look at your lanyard, and realize they once walked among us," Fuentes said.' The poncho-clad, umbrella-carry ing crowd proceeded to walk six laps around the Kissena Park lake . Among that crowd were Principal Thomas Cunningham, Assistant Principal of Organization Howard Kwait, Assistant Principal of Guidance Janet Solomon,
Guidance secretary Angela Sarmuksnis, whose brother-in-law, firefighter continued p~9
Rain did not dampen the patriotic spirit of Captain Alfredo Fuentes and volunteers as they commemorated the fallen firefighters of September II , 200 I.
Cheers fill Colden at Founders' Day celebration by Marissa Green Founders' Day brought in a roar of school spirit as the concert band, cho-
rus, special guests, alumni, and teachers lined the stage of Colden Auditorium on Friday, October 28. This day com-
Seniors get into the school spirit by singing along to the Townsend Harris version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Surive."
Harrisfest! p.3
New Staff p. 4-5
memorates Townsend Harris's re-open- physical education and academic reing and inducts freshm.en and incoming quirements with songs such as "Homesophomores into the student body with work" and "Midnight Memories." The a recitation of the Ephebic Oath. The audience was encouraged to sing along morning began with the national an- ¡ with an original remake of "I Will Surthem performed by the concert band, vive" that told the saga of a student tryfollowed by greetings from alumnus ing to get through Ms. Wanda Nix's gym and Co-President of the Alumni Asso- class. The songs were well-received by ciation David Herszenhorn and THHS- students . . "It was refreshing to be able QC Iiason Helen Gaudette. The concert to sit back and laugh at things that are band then performed pieces written by actually stressful to most of us at one alumni George Gershwin and Richard time or another," said junior lillian Rogers. Principal Thomas Cunningham Gruber . spoke, followed by alumna Rachel Throughout the ceremony, the audiRojas, a graduate of UC Berkeley and torium resounded with cheers. "There's B,oston University who currently works a lot of school spirit. I'd like to see what for the Federal Bureau oflnvestigation. they're putting in the school breakfasts," She declared that the school "is the joked Mr. Herszenhorn in reference to crown jewel of New York Schools" the traditional grade roll call of the stuwhile urging students to "have passion dent body led by Mr. Howard Kwait. "It and most of all be welcome to change" was great because we actually kn(!W to in life. cheer this time," said sophomore Bari Townsend Harris High School: The Nasworthy. Freshman Christina Nguyen continued on p.ll Musical satirized the school's typical
College Slats p. 6-7
March on Washington p. 11
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"Cafeteria food," the connotations of that phrase bring to mind t~e vision of mystery meat with a side of soggy mixed vegetables and fruit-y looking square pieces of dessert on a styrofoam tray. Cafeteria food, as known by New York City public school students, is far from appetizing and contrary to the main point of a lunch break often leaves students languid and even less prepared to learn than they had been in the morning. The fact is that what a person eats directly affects how he or she feels. The better one feels, the better one is able to concentrate and learn. With this said, it is inconceivable that a school like Townsend Harris, which places so much emphasis on physical education and intelligence, would continue to feed its students processed unhealthy poison when schools in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and California are finding ways to exchange their preexisting "heat and serve" mystery meats for organic, energizing food choices. Dr. Alan Greene, MD, professor at the Stanford University School of Medi- cine, reported on his visit to the Perspective Charter School in -Chicago, Illinois, a school that has implemented serving organic foods in its cafeteria. It now has a graduation rate of 100% even though it is in a school district that has an average rate of68%. Furthermore, teachers at Appleton and Hopkins High Schools located in Wisconsin also found that after incorporating organic food into the cafeteria menu, the violent behavior of many students subsided, and they became more responsive in the classes that followed lunch. Although Townsend Harris doesn't have problems with graduation rates or violent student behavior, it is a fact that its students feel over-stressed and extremely exhausted. This is certainly not the way an eager student should be going into class, but because of the rigorous schedule of the Townsend Harris student, many times it is out of his or her control. Introducing an organic menu into the Townsend Harris cafeteria would greatly benefit the well-being of the students ..Other schools throughout the United States, which have switched to organic foods, began serving whole wheat bread, organic milk, raw and steamed vegetables, and a larger assortmenrof fresh, rather than canned, fruit. In addition, they have also incorporated large, appetizing salad bars. Concerns with finance and student acceptance of healthy food may arise, but these schools have managed to overcome these issues. In Hopkins High School, free and reduced lunch prices are still available for those students who apply, and the Pro1)pective Charter School in Chicago, which is a low income school, is able to use a supplier called Organic Valley to provide its food. It did take students in these schools time to get adjusted to the healthy food, but people know what is good for them and what makes them feel better. Now many students say they
S·ummer assi-gnments by Rookminie Behari , When students hear the word "summer" their minds immediately recall images of the beach, vacationing in exotic places, and, most of all, no school. While most of us did venture to the beach and exotic foreign locations, there was the odd presence of spmething that shouldn't be there. I can barely place my finger on it... Oh, yes. · It was the infamous summer assignment. To suggest that summer homework ·c ompletely hindered our summer vacation would be ridiculous. However, summer is not the same if, for the last two weeks of sweet freedom, juniors are scrambling around trying to find Willa Cather's A Lo'st Lady or, the worse of the two (because of its length), Frederick Douglass' My Bondage and My Freedom, both of which were checked out of most New York City Library branches. Freshmen turned sophomores had it worse with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which they were required to read. In addition, they were instructed to write three 250 word responses to questions and a minimum of 10 journal entries. Most teachers collected the assignments, but some even quizzed their students on the novels. The latter seems much more absurd, considering that extremely studious students may have read the novel well before school started and would have to go back and refresh their memories of the contents of the novel to pass a quiz. Admittedly, having two months to complete an assignment is ample time to do so. but it took away some of the sweet summer euphoria that students long for during the school year. What's going to the beach if you have to think about reading a book later that you find absolutely no pleasure in? Or, if students were not thinking about the novel early in the vacation, they may have been unhappily reminded a few days before the start of school which could have resulted in their first pre-school all-nighter. Working over summer vacation is simultaneously studious and a little odd. Once upon a time, summer was summer with countless lazy days at the beach and endless hours with friends. However, complaining about the summer assignment is futile now that the work has been done, or, in some cases, ignored.
prefer the organic choices over the cafeteria food.
Townsend Harris-is not an average public high school. It is much smaller than most New York City high schools and contains a highly-motivated group of students who want to work to their fullest potential. Therefore it is only fair that the students are provided with the resources needed to perform these tasks. Townsend Harris is a school that supplies exceptional intellectual resources; however, the nutritional support is sorely Jacking. True, the physical education program is intense, but part of physical well ness is a good diet. As of now, the processed cafete-
Pleasant Memories by Adrianna Mateo The end of the first marking period has undoubtedly been stressful. A month's worth of global homework, two collaterals, and five impending exams have piled up on my already lengthy to-do list at a faster rate than I could tick them off. Thankfully, there are the little things in life to relieve the pressure: a furtive laugh shared between friends before running to class, getting a good grade on a test, receiving
a compliment or even saying a brief hello to a classmate (okay, homework buddy) in the corridor. At the end of Tuesday last week, I attempted to get to my locker as fast as possible without getting bludgeoned by my locker-neighbors' bags and textbooks. Of course, using a bottom locker · put me at a disadvantage: instead of going downstairs to freedom after two minutes of packing up, I had to wait until everyone above me had left. After they were gone, I opened my locker and started pulling out my books and putting them in my bag. I was about to grab my jacket when my eyes locked on a smiling group of friends he.aped together on a cobblestone sidewalk in
Jocelyn Wright
Laura Shubert
Rookminie Behari
News Editor
Feature Editor
Entertair-ment Editor
Michelle Montgoris
Muriel Leung Vivian Shibata
Alexandra Stergiou
Co·Art Editors .
front of a large clock tower. The photo, which was on the inside of my locker, was taken in Prague last July. Twenty students (including my sister and me) toured Europe with our parents and violin teachers. Of the twenty, eight of us were in the senior division: two relatively quiet, reserved boys and six (exceedingly) talkative girls. Although we went to and performed in Vienna and Budapest, Prague is the city that will forever stand out in my mind. Our little band of eight friends ate together, watched Czech television, rode the tour bus (also known as "Bobs") together:, and slept together on the same hotel floor. Our gan.g, dubbed the "senior ere~,'' went to the cobble-
News Staff: Marissa Green, Elana Gulotta, Megan Law.JV!arisa Lupo. Gloria Palma, Max Rivlin-Nadler. Lance Tomas, Lonny Zaretsky
Christopher A manna Diana Bell Co-Editors-in-Chief
Sports Editor
ria food does not qualify as a healthy meal. When students can't tell whether they are eating fish sticks or chicken fingers, it means that more than likely this lunch is not going to enhance their mental performance. Townsend Harris is one of the leading high schools in New York City that has a legacy based on the desire to make improvements. Let it be the leader in getting organic foods into the NYC public school system as soon as possible!
Photography Editor
Feature Staff: Faith Aronowitz, Cindy Chen, Tiffany Cheng, Annie Choi, Shruti Karnawat, · Sangsoo Kim, Veronica Kim, Linda Kung, Kate Lu. Adriana Mateo, Julita Mienko, Stephanie Pak, Mary-Grace Papatheodorou, Jennifer Park, Darcy Rendon, Priti Shah, Nisha Sipgh, Judy SingKissoon, Anita Sonawane, Elizabeth Striapko, Samia Ullah, Christine Whang, Janet Whang, Devon Wright, Madeleine Wright Sports Staff: Maureen McCluskey, Robert McCullagh, Alex Rush, Lance Tomas, Nathlie Stephens, Wendy Yan Artists: Mitchell Bader, Darren Deoraj, Rowena Eng, Kinberly Lo, Bonnie Ng
Richard Cappuccio , Advisor
Kimberly Quon · Business Editor
Principal · Mr. Thomas Cunningham
Photography Staff: Warren Cheng, Anita Guzman, Natalia Guzman, Kenneth Ho, Hannah Kang, Sunny Liu, Sumit Patel, Angglelia S.utjipto, Raksha Thapa, Priscilla Tran Business Staff: Janet Hwang
stone-paved square with its towering clocktower for lunch for five con.secutive days. The charming shops and buildings along the crooked alleys soon endeared themselves to us; the golden clock's twelve resonant gongs announcing noon became a welcoming gesture to sit, chat, and eat at one of the sidewalk cafes. This past Tuesday, I sighed, unhooked my jacket, and nudged the locker-dCJor shut with my fingertips. My arm was halfway through one coat sleeve when I realized the door was hanging ajar; I pushed it closed with my free hand until 1 heard the latch click just once and reverberate through the empty hallway.
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149·11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367
The Clauic is an open forum for the expression of student views. The opinions expressed therein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty or student body as a whole. Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be placed in Mr. Cappuccio's mailbox in Room 315 or e'mailed to thhsclassic@yahoo.com. The Classic reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must include name and official class : Names will be withheld upon request.
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Blood drive breaks record Dems dominate Stinulation
Senior Bryan Arcos puts on a serious face as he gives blood on October 25 at the first of two blood drives this year.
by Rookminie Behari and Tiffany Yu formed comical skits to help students Democrat Fernando Ferrer unseated understand candidates' platforms. "The Republican mayoral incumbent Michael skits were all unique and interesting, Bloomberg with nearly 70% of the vote which kept people's attention and helped in the 2005 Election Simulation. Also, · them focus on the issues presented," said Independent Andrew Rasiej beat out senior Ana-Maria Bonner from the incumbent Betsey Gotbaum in the race Landlord's Association. for Public Advocte. The special interest rally was folFive candidates, including City lowed by the debates on October 27. Council Members James Gennaro, Sara Each candidate gave an opening speech Gonzales, Melinda Katz, and Helen and then fielded questions from the stuSears, and Comptroller William C. Th- dents and the media. The media panel ompson, ran unopposed. included Jennifer Kaufman from the V 1/ The Simulation offically began with 2ew, Christopher Amanna from The the Kickoff Rally held in the courtyard Simulator, JJ Hazel from NBC News, on September 22. All of the candidates and radio personalities D.J Bob, DJ and special interest groups were present Power, and the Raging Asian from Team and each gave a short speech to intro- Awesome. One spectator felt that the rally "was duce themselves. Special interest groups played a large pretty good. Most of the things they role in the Simulation. These organiza- talked abut they already spoke about tions had various concerns and sup- through the radio, commercials, and at pprted candidates who addressed these the special interest rally. Overall, it was concerns. At the Special Interest Group a good presentation, and they were Rally; held on October 12, they per- pretty well prepared."
donated blood before to give blood in a safe environment is one of the best ways to accomplish this. Senior Shannon Conlisk; a first-time donator, gave a pint of blood without much complication. "I just wanted to help save lives," she said. When asked if she would donate blood again, she answered, "Definitely." Some of the many criteria for donors include a minimum age of 16 and a weight of at least II 0 pounds. Nurses also questioned participants about their sexual and medical history. These extensive criteria meant that eleven of the sixty-seven potential donors were unable to participate . . In one case, senior Ann Mathews was~ not allowed to do-I nate blood after blood tests administered on the day of the blood drive revealed :::J 0 low hemoglobin levels. ,, ·~ Although she and Mr. Stonehill "i v; were both pleased with the success of e the blood drive, Gloria expressed her ~>< frustration that many students were un:;;:"' >. willing to participate without some sort ..0 0 of compensation. "A lot of people didn't · 0 -g_ want to do it at first until I told them they could get out of class," she exSeniors Shrey Surrana, Vincent Virgintino, Nestor Serrano, and Joshua Budhu cross-dress for their presentation at the October 12 Special Interest Group Rally. plained.
by Annie Choi and Jocelyn Wright Fifty-six pints of blood were gathered at the first of this year's two planned blood drives. Coordinator of Student Activities Adam Stonehill and senior Gloria Palma organized the blood drive in collaboration with the New York Blood Center. The blood drive, which took place on October 25, boasts the greatest participation so far, with a total of sixty seven students and teachers who signed up to give blood. Overall, the blood drive went smoothly, and all but two donors gave blood without complications. These two donors experienced nausea and faintness. ·Mr. Stonehill was pleased that the drive was a positive experience but was concerned that some donors suffered from bruising from the needles. "I felt the nurses had not been attentive enough," he said. Mr. Stonehill also stressed the importance of the blood drive because of the shortage of blood in blood centers. "The most important thing behind the blood drive is for students to become lifelong donors," he said, adding that encouraging people who have never
Harrisfest showcases musicians' skills by Rookminie Behari Rapping to·the Super Mario Brothers' theme song kicked off Harris fest
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2005. Harrisfest annually showcases the musical talent of Harrisites and their various band members. "I thought Harrisfest was a tremendous success," said Latin teacher Andrew Hagerty. "It was better attended and better received." Junior Mitchell Bader added, "It was very well run this year." The event was hosted by seniors Max Rivlin-Nadler, Lesley Sarran, Jennifer Hickey, and Caitlin Ryan. "Max did a great job," continued Bader, referring to Max's improvisational songs during act changes. Waistina, a band with lead guitarist. junior Anthony DiBenedetto, drew fans . from the1r seats to gather around the stage during their performance. The crowd's constant chanting of"Waistina" brought the group out for an encore with rap group Kronik Kredential, featuring juniors Hannibal Banks and Kashif Coppin, later in the show. Other highlights of the show in. eluded Urban Beatz, the rap group that
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opened Harrisfest, and Hero for a Day, featuring juniors Mike Andronico and Mitchell Bader. Senior Lara Torgovnik added her voice to the show, performing three original songs with Micheal Finkelstein on guitar. Silbia Han also garnered fans when she sang and played three of her own songs on guitar Kronik Kredential performed two original pieces and teamed up with Waistina for P. Diddy's "Bad Boys for Life." Seniors Max Rivlin-Nadler and Elisabeth Ponsot played "Landlocked Blues" by Bright Eyes and were followed by United Nations, featuring seniors Daniel Kim, Joey Rodriguez, David Chiu, Noel Jacob, and Foster Wang. "I was really proud of all the bands," said Mr. Hagerty. "It takes a lot of courage to get on stage and perform, and it takes a lot of time to perfect it." DiBenedetto added enthusiastically, "We'll be back!"
Spirit Week shakes up weekly grind by Samia Ullah and Laura Schubert Comfortable Pajama Day, unifying Color Day, and blast-fromthe-past Retro Day once again created an out of the ordinary week for students during this year's annual Spirit Week. In addition two new events, White Tshirt Day and the first annual Pep Rally, were added to the week's festivities. Each day of the week incmporated a new way for students to escape their mundane schedule and display their school spirit. Spirit week kicked off on Continued on p. 9
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New staff mem~er~ settle intO/ Townsend Harr1s l1fe ·
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n who . B'o;chool ln She had previous!.' taughhiolatinOceonside Queens. .Mtddle , · h school .is t Fmncis Lewis Htgh Sc Hams. T ip!iOed.'' retired last d'by ISC teacht' ng in Long Island ·an presse a d upon her arnvalrespec at tful , polite, and selfShe was tm d the students are very .cademic yea' an · d s Lt'u is excited · " snhew e sat'd · really well-run,Man by the · . d States at the age · she explame · seet · ·ng students China learn, and came to the Umte 1 "I love " gh, espec ially begenern · · b ·in Fujian, . · ,ating as tou .' . h , adopted Ms. Liu wru\omthe experience of settled into hfe m e of 8. She descn es e barrier, butshe . 11 . ball and · laymg · "gomg cause of the languag . · sports ' especially vo. eyout with country. · . Ms. Liu enJOYS P f d g'eat pleasure m In he< free likes kamke ond m s ice-skating. a 'sit and talk."
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By Mar1ssa ~reen . . . . ._ . You ha,., JUst began wo,lnngm a fo,etgn butldmg wtth a whole W . a student body. wtth whom you are not acquamted. new-. staff and htle papers, you happen to glance up at a clock and see that tl tS hme to change bands. All of a ,sQddon loud opern : mhsk streams thmugh the loudspeak« and fills the a;,, and Teresa · Pi"khillo, a self-proclaimed operu love<, foridl y recalled. this as one of he< fi'st memories, since she began wo,king as Principal Thorn" Cunmngham's new sec<etary.
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"I Wa.< startled by the operu playing during'the chariging of the bands. I enjoyed it so much that I neru-ly sta<ted singing," Ms. Pizzichillo said. M,. Cunningham, who immediately spotted Ms. Pi"ichillo's fenoo, fo, opem, said, "Ms . Pi"ichillo has a passion opem.between I am waiting to hea< he< rendition of some of the songsfo' played classes." Ms. Pizzichillo is no stmngei to secretru-ial responsibilities. Prior to joining the Townsend Harris staff this year, she worked ., a secretary fo, 24 ye<US, 14 which she spent with tbe Department of Education at Springfield Gardens High School. "When to Townsend Harris H' h S Ihfou.nd I out that ,. I was assigned . tg c oo, my foe mgs were btttmweet. l was sad about leaving all the wondetful friends I had made during my 14 yea,sat Sp<ingfield Ga<dens High School, but I Was excited about joining the Townsend Harris High chool family " In response to the uniqueness of he< patoticulac secreta<ial position in the school, Ms. Pizzichillo responded humbly, "I believe the entire sec<eta<ial staff cont,ibutes equally to the
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Prior to Ms. Pizzichillo, Ms. Lauraine Goldfe(n held the position as Principal Cunningham's secretary. Ms. Pizzichillo was able to meet Ms. Goldfein and said, "Ms. Goldfein was kind enough to come in during my first week and show me the ropes. She ran an efficient, organized office, and I hope to follow in her footsteps." "Everyone here at Townsend Harris High School seems friendly and helpful. When I first arrived, they made me feel inost welcome. Mr. Cunningham could not be nicer as he is patient, kind and respectful," year herei Ms. Pizzichillo stated on her first impressions for her first
Madeleine Wright There is a new social worker at the guidance office on · Wednesdays to offer assistance to those with prob ~ . · · !ems at home or ih ' school. Christine Fischer, a: warm, _s,o f t- spoken . woman who ·specializes in helping others, joined the . _ Townsend Harris staff this year. Whet~er you ' re falliirg · behind in class or your social life is in . 0 ;; shambles, Ms Fischer is here to help students 'find a solution once a week, every week. · ~· Ms. Fischer c,liscov~rec,l the ~areer qf ~ocial work in an unusual way: riursing school. ,;!originally ~ started out in a nursing program:. We visited other.nursjng agencies on occasion, ·and when 1 saw the . £0 . work being done. there; .I became interested in helping people in a different way "~emotionally, .· . • . . . . ]0. rathe~; than physically. I became more and ~ore interested in it, so I switched my major to social . . . ' . ' . ,~ · work," she explained: · ', ' . . . . · B~rn and raised in Brookly~, New 'York, Ms Fischer grew up in a very safe neighborhood where . everybody knew each oth~r..She said, "When I was. growing up, nobody even had to .lock .their doors." After graduating from Adelphi University with aMaster's Di,!gree, Ms. Fisher lat~r received her PhD in Social Work from NYU .Ms Fischer said, "I have passion for leading a constructive life and making tht< world a better place, or making .some sort of positive change, whether it's in someone else's life; my life; · or for someone in my family." Ms Fischer has a son, a daughter, four brothers, and three sisters. Althoughshe enjoys social work, Ms. Fisher also loves animals and has three dogs.of her own. In fact, she says, "If 1 could have two careers, it would be this one [a s9cial worker] and a veterinarian." .
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Jonathan Owens
Jaime Byrne · Lance Tomas "I really love learning and I re-· ally enjoy history," announced American History and Participatory Democracy teacher Jamie Byrne, who is pleased to be joining the Humanities Department this year. "It's the best school-amazing faculty, motivated students. It is truly a great place to teach and learn," she said. Ms. Byrne's 1011' and ll'h grade history teacher inspired her to become a teacher by leading her to appreciate :: and love history more, especially ""c American History. "I think it's im"'>< :<";;., portant to study our nation's past in .D order to underst~nd our present and ~ help us prepare for our future," she .<: 0. explained. After completing high school, Ms. Byrne received her BA in economics from Bucknell Univeristy and her MS in Social Studies Education at Hofstra Univerby Diana Bell Wearing an olive green dress shirt and tie tucked into black jeans, sity. This is Ms. Byrne's first high school teaching job, and she's happy to have Latin teacher Jonathan Owens leaned into the black leather computer it. "I enjoy working with young people and feel that as a teacher, I can make a difference," she said. chair and recounted his experiences growing up in a college town and his passion for teaching. "I just came from Ph illy where I attended grad school and was a TA at Brynn Mawr," he said. Before that be attended JeffZahn the University of North Carolina at Greensborough and majored in preby Jocelyn Wright ana Darcy law and history, and minored in political science and classics. Mr. Owens Rendon almost went to law school but decided against it. "Teaching the classics New places are nothing out of the is more interesting," he explained. ordinary for Jeff Zahn, who joined Mr. Owens's passion tor teaching stems from his horrible exthe faculty this year as librarian: In periences with a Latin teacher in high school. "I had the worst Latin addition to teaching at several colteacher, the stereotypical old lady who would shout 'Make it singular! leges, Mr. Zahn has traveled extenMake it plural!'" His old Latin class played a major role in his decision sively through most of North and to become a classical languages teacher. South America, as well as countries Of his own teaching style, Mr. Owens said, "I like trying to in northern Africa, eastern Europe, make it more comfortable in the classroom. Latin is difficult; but the and Asia. Mr. Zahn began travelpayoff is good." ing with the goal of learning SpanCurrently Mr. Owens teaches Latin l classes. Next term he He attended a Spanish language ish·. will be teaching Latin 2, and would not object to a few Greek classes. school in Mexico and has continued "The students here are motivated. They're awesome," he said. to travel to keep up with the lanAs a hobby, Mr. Owens enjoys collecting records. Not only do guage. they sound better, but "they look cooler on your bookshelf," he said. Travel is "just another area of interest" for Mr. Zahn, who said, "I try to keep as many interests as possible outside of the job area." Another of his interests is architecture, and he has observed architectural sites in Peru, Gloria Brown · Equador, and Argentina. He has also examined styles from old Europe that by Megan Faith Law were brought to colonial America. Mr. Zahn has studied building at the ShelWith a thirst to exter Building Institute and learned the theory behind why people build certain plore and learn new ways. things Gloria Brown In addition to studying the methods and theory of ardiitecture, Mr. Zahn began the school year has put his knowledge to work by building a house in Saugertis "from scratch" as a new school aide. on a wooded plot. "I went from that to a completed house," he explained, Ms. Brawn acadding that the only help he had was that of his wife at the time, his threecepted this position year-old son, and "the occasional relative or two." The house is a passive because our school solar timber-frame house, meaning that it has solar panels that collect enpossesses a prestiergy from the sun but don't redistribute it. This method of solar energy is gious reputation and a much cheaper and easier to use to keep a house warm. well-mannered stuMr. Zahri became interested in solar energy between the energy crises dent body. She has because people were concerned about efficient construction and energy previously worked in usage. This knowledge might come in handy again for Mr. Zahn, who the transcripts office said, "With energy prices going up, solar energy might be undergoing a at Springfield Garrevival." dens High School. As for his reasons for choosing the career of a librarian, Mr. Zahn says, Currently Ms. "There are many ways to ch0se a career. There are commercial and per·Brown works in the sonal rewards; it depends on what you want out of life. If you want money, Assistant Principal's you can have money by investing time into a company, or you could have office, in the Mathematics depar-tment, and at the switchboard. job satisfaction without the reward of money, but the job satisfaction is Ms. Brown describes her impression of Townsend Harris as "a great enough a reward. Then you're doing it for yourself." Mr. Zahn believes school where students work hard, learn and take value of their education." in having a satisfying career as it allows him to do what he loves at work She adds, "The faculty and student body [make1 it a pleasant place to come and do what he loves during free time. to work every day. Everyone works together, and everyone makes you feel Mr. Zahn is happy to be joining the Townsend Harris family, saying very comfortable and yery professional." In addition to helping out the he appreciates the community atmosphere. "Everything is very differadministration, Ms. Brown passes this advice onto the students, "Do your ent," he says. "Students do what they're supposed to here. They're best, strive for success, and learn all you can because education is the key very goal driven. It wasn't like this in any of the other high schools I to life." have taught at. It's nice to see people who want to learn."
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What schools are right for you? Colleg by Jocelyn Wright College admissions driving you crazy? Not sure where to apply this year or next? The table below tells you everything you need to know about where last year's seniors were headed and ·
should give you some ideas. The first column shows the total number of applicants, followed by the total number accepted in the second column. The lowest average, SAT Verqal, and SAT Math scores for the students
accepted are .also given. The highest average, SAT Verbal, and SAT Math scores rejected are also included. CUNY and SUNY were the most popular destinations last year, with SUNY Stone Brook and SUNY
Binghamton both having approximately I 00 applicants, almost all of which were accepted. Closer to home, NYU and Fordham drew a large number of applicants, a majority of which were accepted. Massachusetts colleges at-
d Adelphi AlbanvColl. 01 Pharmacv . umvers.lY . ~"-· Amencan Amhersl Amherst [ED1 Arizona Babson COIIeQe Barnard Barnard rED] Sennlnaton Boston COIIeQe Boston Colleae tEAl Boston UniversitY
state u.
Bowdoin Brandeis Brandeis [ED} SA Bl'own Bl'own [EDI
,-
ifi
I
.-
.
740 670 660
4
2
1 1 1
·0 1 1
29
6
91
2
2
1
1
28
12
90.6 90.8 86.2 93.5 86.2
640 550 650 610 690 700 690 700 760 650 660 640 710 720 660 640
600
78 89.4
2
1
70
43
1
0
11 1 10 4
7 1 2 1
90 88.2 96.2 94.7
630 570 BOO 710
640 610 750 670 670 780 600 690 510 550 720 650 690
1
93.1
640
1 1 4 1 3 1 4 1
95.8 90.3 . 86.4 81.8 87.1 87.6 89.6 86.4
700 720 630 650 600 750 690 630
1
1
.93.2
640
seo
6 39 1 .5 8
0 7 1 2 2
1
1
4 1
740 550 670 710 740 710 640
800 590 740 700 780 700 650
20
1 1 0 4
95 90.5 93 93.4 96 93.4 89.3
710
2
2
93.5 90.2 91.3 94 95 94.1 90.3 90.1 79.!l
720 690 620 710 690 710 670 860 640
2. 5 2 6 4 10 14 42
Euqene Lana Everareen State Fliiffleld Florida lntematlonal Florlda State Fordham Fordham lEAl George Washlngon University IEDI Georae Washlnaton UniversitY Georaetown Georgetown lEAl Georala Institute afTechnoloav Goucher ' • "
-
-
-
~
;, •
3 25 7 10 23 22 39 7 4 20 43 1 3 7 2 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 3 2 4 1 1 1 1 35 3 3 15 14 . 2 1 • " 1
1. . 2 2
2 2 10 37 2 25 5 2 18 14 35 7 4 10 43 1 3 2 2 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 3 2 3 1 1 1 0 32 3 3 9 2 1 1 1
91.9
630
94.3 · 870
1
Em~
~
600 600 630 720
2 1 8 1 3 1 8 1
'Emerson
1
83 87.3 87 8 · 90.3
Bucknell University Carleton Colteae Carnegie Melton Clark- Atlanta Clark UniversitY Colby
CUNY· Brooktvn BAIMO !CUNY! CUNY- Brooklyn fCUNYI CUNY - C:itv CHONORSl fCUNYI CUNY - CitY Soli hie Davis !CUNY! CUNY- Citv fCUNYI CUNY- Hunter CHONORSHCUNYI CUNY· Hunter [CUNY! CUNY,Jolm.Ja)fCUNYI CUNY • Lehman CUNY! CUNY· Queens HONORSHCUNY'J CUNY- Queens CUNY! CUNY • Staten Island !CUNY] CUNY· York !CUNYl Dartmou111 DePauw SA Dickinson SA Drew SA Drexel Duke SA Duke !ED} Earlham ColleQe iEmbrv-Riddle Aeronautical
t
21 3 4
IBrvn Mawr
Cdaate COIIeae of Holv Cross reo ~es~e ot New Rochelle ColleQe of William and Mary Columbia Columbia SA Columbia (ED) Coooer Unton ICoooer Union !EDl ComeU - Architecture Cornell - Architecture SA _ Comelt-HoteiAdmin Cornell A&S COrnell A&S SA COrnell Aarllife Cornell Eng COrnell HE CorneiiiLR Cornell (EO] CUNY· Baruch CHONORSHCUNYI CUNY· Baruch [CUNY!
I
21 3 4
670 680 690 740 700 680 680 670
93.4
530 680 870 660 770 750 580 760
660 780 780 620 780 690 590 650
650 700
690
93.2 93.1 90.5
610 640 620
710 670 540
96.49
730
730
91.9
630
650
95.4 92.8
710 600
740 740
92
770
650
91.2
610
680
91.7
600
670
Ithaca
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JaeKwert School of Animation Johns Hopkins SA
Johns Hookins Johnson and Wales Lehigh
96.1 96.9
730 740
730 670
93.4
932
680 690
720 710
90.9
600
650
912 96
610 720
680
91.2
770
650
91.6 91.4 95.1 93.1 77.6
710 700 710 620 600
720 750 660 710 800
91.1
630
620
92.8 93.2 83.5 95.1 83.5
580
600 660 560 540 560
95
96.1
80.6
•
680
640 510 560 510
690
700
730
730
750
3
1 1 12 5 1
35 4 1 1 1
6 1 1.
8 3 3
2 9
LIU • C.W. Post LOvOia- MaiVIand
3
4
2
Macalester Manhattan Colleae Marist
2 1 1
Marvmount
2
Massachusetts Colleoe of Pharmacv McGill Mercer Michigan State Middlebury Colleoe Moravian Mt. St. Marv Mt. St. VinCent N.Y. Institute of Technoloclv NEW COLL OF FLORIDA fAOLLJ Newbury Northeastern Northwestern NYU SA NYU A&S) NYU A&S)IEDl NYU Gen. Studies) NYU Steinhardt) NYU Stem) NYU :Tisch) Oberlin IEDl Pace - Manhattan lEAl Pace-Manhattan Parsons School of Desian Paul Smith Penn State • Berks Penn State - Erie Penn State • Harrlsbura Penn State • University Park Penn State- Altoona .Penn State-Hazleton Penn State • Wilkes-Barre !Pitzer Pofvtechnic Pra« Pra«IEAI Princeton Ouinnipiac
4 9
1
3 2 1 1 3
6 1 • 1, 23 I
2 1 86 10
8 7 10 1
1 2 12 1 1
1 1
5
9 2 1
1 1
6
1 1 2 1
610
78 77.5
640 620
550 590
92.8 93.5 91.2
800 710 770
740 720 650
' '
1 1
Letiiall IEDl Ll U - BI"'Okkvn M.LT~fEAI
92.8 800 740 80.7 590 600 89.4 690 630 91.3 680 620 76.7 510 515 88.4 710 630 79.9 670 640 78.7 510 515 80 600 620 90.1 660 620 76.7 510 515 64.6 630 640 80.7 590 600 95.8 700 780 84.7 650 570 84.7 650 570 84.7 650 570 66.9 · 600 650 62 610 620 95 690 660 88.7 690 670 89.8 710 540 88.7 780 660 ~~ 680 620 84.3 700 780 90.8 780 650 92.3 700 630 79.4 640 560 84 87 88.1 90.1 96 96.7 91 90.8
600
GoucherTEAi Grinnell Collecie Hatncshire ColleOe HamPionU. Hartwick Harvard Harvard [EAJ Haverford Hofstra Hofstra [EA1 Howard Unlversitv ;Howard UniversitY lEAf ·Indiana University
I~
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;Randolph Macon (WC) Rensselaer !Rhode Island School of Oesian 'Rochester lilst. Of Tecimoloav Rutgers Autaers lEAl Sacred Heart Universitv Sarah Lawrence School of Visual Arts Skidmore Skidmore lED} .
····-
1
9 2 6 8 1 1 5 1 6 1
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7
The Classic
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I
e adnlissions statistics help you decide tracted many students, with several applications to Boston University, Boston College, Brown, and Amherst. Other students were not satisfied with getting a few states away from home and ap~ plied to colleges in Florida, California,
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94.74 95.4
1
82
85 79.4 81.8 91.7 86.4
1 1
1 6
9
87.6 91.3 92.8 78 84.3 86.7 n.5
4
83.2
3
86.2
1 1 4 ~
3 1
J
~
630
4
5 ' 1
3
77.5 87.3 87.2 90.•6 86.6
740 800 710 740 600 740 640 640
~ j
1
3 ~
6 1
~ 1
16 1 ~ 1 ~ 41
4
~
96 96.2
720
660
800
750
82.2
540
540
600 560
650 510 600 670 630 690 620 650 660 620 800 740
640 550 160 730 760 680 620 590 630 700 610 560
-·-
93.1
640
670
82.5
630
500
94.8
660 760
800 670
800
84.2
630
640
8 6 3 0 1
620 600
670 590 670
610 660 650
570 650
85 85
85 84.3 88.7 78 85.9
700 710
620 680 570
95.1 91.2
560 610
540
580
81.7
93.5
710 720
93.2 87.6
650 610
630 710 650
91 85
720 630
600 660 660 640 680
94.6 84.7 84.6
720 630
1
89.4 82
' 9 5 2 1 1
-83.3
640 600 540 540 670 560 570
83.3 92.2
670
600 560
800
670
83
1
93.4
86.5
630
660
7
600 660
590
.66()
590
1 1
87.8 90.8 84.7 87.3 91.6 90.1
2
90.1
1
87.6 85.9
1
87.6
650
90.9
600
650
95.8 - 700
780
680
1
2
90.8
760
710 700 660
630
I
92.8
800
7401
670 600 680 600
680 680
660 620
84.8
600
490
89
740
680
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620 650
- 660
640
610 590
. 3
2
1
f
3
3 73 2 0 1
76 2 4 1 2 98 4
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72
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3
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42 1 1 2 5 14 1 21
38
3
3
9 4 2 2 6 105 35 3
7 4 2 2 8
1 1 2
4
13 1
20
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1
9 1
96 35 3 1 2 4
86.5 81.8
630 650
82.2
540
77.5 83.7
620 570
96.8 83
760 560 600 490 650 640 630
77.6 86.1 84.7 79.2 90.4 84.7 84.6 87.2 85.9 90.5 79.4 79.4 83.2 78 78 78
80 82 82 81.7
95 88:7 91 87.6 92.1 92.6 93.5
840 840 840 690 620 620 550 740 780 650 750 660 710 710
88
690 690
2 1 15 5 27 4 20
1 1 12 2 2 18 1 2
1
1
7 10
8
88.8 78 92.1 86.2 88.7 87 89.4 90.3 92.6 92.5 86.2 88.9 92.3 88.8 88.8
2
1 1
1 1 1 0
j
0
4 2 2 2 1 2 2
4
1
3
'
1 0 2 1 1
1
1
1
10 1 2 1
2
1 1 1 1
4
1 1 1 1 1 0
1
4 1 11
0 1 2 1 5
1
1
1
'.~.;
6
1
1
1
0
1
6
1 0
1
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1
87 85.4
550
580
94.5
720
710
92.5
570
640
78 86.1
.6 40 420
550 590
96.2 87.8
560
600
540 630
81.7
550
sao
81.7
550
580
66.1
420
590
96 90.9 94
740 600 690
740 650 670
94.5 92.6 86.6 86.6 93.1
720 710 570 570 640
710 710 650 650 670
85.9
520 - 550
590
1
1
92.1 92.2 89.8 87.4
85.3
660
550 640 640 630
2
1
620
840
1
4
620
660
660
5
1
1
92.6
630 610
11
2 3
660 510 540 590
740 670 800 ' 660 570 '550 720 590 640 660
1 1 1 1 0 0 3 1 1 9
.
560 670
0 93.2
620
680
660 590 630 640
86.4
0 6 0
U ol Florida U of Georgia U of Hartford U of Illinois _U of Marvtand Uof Mass UofMiami U of Mtchiaan U of No. Carolina @ Chaoel Hill U of PennsYlvania U of Pennsvlvania lEO] U of Plttsburoh U of Rochester U of Rochester [EDf U of So. California U of So. Carolina UofTexas U of Texas @ Austin U of !he Sciences in Phtla U'OfVermont U of Virillnia U of Wisconsin U. of the Arts Union · Vanderbilt Vassar SA Vassar VIllanova SA Villanova Villanova tEAl Wabash Waoner Wake Forest Warren Wilson Washinaton U in St. Louis Washir\alon U in St. LouisiED] Welles lev Wens Wesleyan Western New England Williams SA Williams WPIJEAl Yale Yale(EAJ --·-~ -!-·'" - York CoJieO€ of Pa •
560
540
8
730
630 600
640
740 800
540
2 6
720
83.2 93
660
92. 6 87.1 90.1 92.6 90.3 86.5
82.2
__1 _
730
690 670 640 550
600
I 1
680
560 550 560 550 560 550 600 630
640
2 12 ~ 1 1
93.4
650
96.1
~ 0
650
760
650 510 630 660
0 2
Smith I Spelman St. Francis St. Joon's St. Joseoh Stanford Stanford lEAl SUNY - Alfred State ISUNYl SUNY • Sinohamton fSUNYl SUNY· Bin!:lfiamton[SUNY!TEAJ SUNY- Brockport !SUNY! SUNY - Buffalo [SUNY! !SUNY· Cortland ISUNYl 'SUNY • Delhi ISUNYl :SUNY • Ehvir. Forestrv ISUNYl iSUNY- FIT ISUN'\'1 SUNY - Geneseo-ISUNYl SUNY -lnst. Of TediiSUNYl SUNY • New Paltz ISUNYl SUNY • Old Westburv ISUNYl SUNY - Oneonta [SUNYl SUNY· Osweoo ISUNVi SUNY • Platts ISUNYl SUNY • Potsdam [SUNY1 SUNY • Purchase fSUNYl SUNY • Stonv Brook ISUNYl SUNY-Albany {SUNY! SUNY·Aibanv ISUNYIIEAI Swarthmore S\ll'aOOse Tufts Tulane Tulane lEAl U of California Be!kelevl U of California LA) U of California San Oieaol U of California Santa Barbaral Uof Chicaoo U of Cnt. Flol"ida U of Colorado UofConn
660
96
87.2
J
660
0 0
11
!
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~
91.6
,
tor in college admissions, grades and SAT scores aren't the only thing colleges look at. Other factors they consider are essays, teacher recommendations, personal interviews, and extra-curriculars.
~
l 630
86.5 81.8 86.5
Columbia, Brown, arid Dartmouth all accepted some of the applicants, while Yale and Princeton rejected all applicants. Both Harvard and Brown took some applicants for early decision. Although they are an important fac-
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86.5
Colorado, and Texas. Several students also applied and were accepted to Me Gill Univesity. Some hopefuls applied to ivy League colleges Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown.
-
660 650
sao
690
840 660 670 690 660 650 720 650 730 520 650 600 690 690
620 590
560 560 570 550 550 . 550
820 630 630
580 690 660 710
720 620 710 720
6® 620 860 690 520 580 550 620 560 670 760 610 600 760 760 610 710 880 580 580
690 630
78
640
550
80
690
820
81.8
650
510
79.4 89.6
560
96.7
640 700 690 740
78 91.7
640 600
550 670
86.6
570
650 ;
92..1 85.7
630 700
650
84.7 96.9
660 740
590 670
92.8 - 800 86.4 630
740 690
94
690
670
92.3
700
630
86.4
630
690
88.8
750 580 720
;
660
86.4 90.8 94.4 89 90.3 96 88.8 91 .7 91.4 88.2 84.6
630 690 660 590 ' 690 660 740 • 880 720 600 740 740 690 580 600 670 too 750 570 610 630 640
84.7
650
570 96.8
760
740
·94 95.1 84.6 90.3 89.1 90.2
760 710 630 720 640 670
670 660 640
88.9
650
710
600
94.4
690
669
93.4
880
690
87
660
760
95
740 700
690 780
670 690
9.5.8 83.7
510
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The Classic Fall2005
Sophomore explores Japanese culture by Cindy Chen Jose Pulido, a proud Colombian sophomore student from Townsend Harris, was selected among thousands nationwide from YFU (Youths for Understanding) to go visit a host family in Japan where he was expected to learn and experience everyday Japanese life. This program which was offered to all secondary language · learners in this school is committed to let students experience the world as exchange students. YFU helps students in their second language class go to th~ country for as little money as possible. A student that wants to be a part of the youth program has to fill out a complex application which needs to include a picture of him or herself and a major essay. Five additional minor essays are also part of the selection process. Letters of recommendation from teachers are also needed, and the host family is expected to receive a letter from the applicant that includes information about him or herself and his or her expectations of their country. Thousands of people register and apply for the opportunity to be in a part of the pro-
gram. It is considered a great honor to be accepted. Jose was one of the few in our school who met the requirements.
tempo"rary Japanese family included a host mother, father, little brother, and an older sister. While away from home, he
very con:tfortable an•mnd them . They were great!" In Japan Pulido attended a nearby school as a regular stu-
Kawaguchi-Ko . Kendo is a type of Japanese martial art which includes fencing with bamboo sticks. "It was the most intense and most extreme sport there is," he said, "but it is also a passionate sport that shapes the mind and body. I loved it!': In Japan Pulido experienced · much of the Japanese customs that are not common in the United States. Customs such as taking off.the shoes when entering the house, or bowing to strangers when · saying hello were strange and different from those in America. Other customs include saying· "Itadakimasu'' before a meal and "gochsosamadeshita" after a meal. Things that bothered 0 Pulido were simple .things such :s! ,.,~ as toilet troubles and meeting new friends . ....,0"' .....0 The language barrier be>o Pulido and his host famtween ~ ~ didn't affect much of daily ily 0 u life. Pulido, who has finished 0 _g his first year of Japanese with c.. Sato Sensei, had learned many Peace in the Far East. Sophomore Jose Pulido bonds with the Japanese students he met during the YFU of the basics. The host family exchange program. also knew English. There were He was invited to live in was made as comfortable as dent: he followed all regula- things that they didn't underYokohama, Japan with a select possible. He commented on the tions and was treated no differ- stand, but hand signals and picgroup of people that were to act family and said, "They were ently from other students. One tures filled in the gaps. VIsit www.yfu-usa.org for more · as his family while he was very welcoming. They were so of the most memorable things away from America. His new friendly and so polite that I felt wa~ Kendo training in information about the YFU program.
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Retired science teacher Octile Garcia helps to restore her creation on Help Harold Day.
• En r,oU tQ'ctay in push:H~'S$ ad'mh1t$tration ·take day, evenJn:g or weeke<atl d:asses • Graduate in as littte as 1,8 m,o,ntiYs • Finatl:C:lB!t aid for ·tho·se wha ""quallf~ • Ca·re'er serviees asslstan·.~e
CALL US TODAY:
1-888-210-8612 NY LOCATIONS: BETHPAGE· PATCHOGUE· QUEENS V'/WVV. 8 R IARCLI FfE. ED U r·m,;•""' '""1 <J.,,,e.,a,a,:.1ciloiy oitfers ty io<J::oll .
by Christopher Am~mna ropod. New crushed metal cans Harold has been at were affixed to Harold's Townsend Harris for 8 years chicken wire-wrapped wooden · and he has no intention of frame. graduating anytime soon. No, Harold had fallen into disrehe is not a student, but the pair after he was placed in stormetal dinosaur that resides in age during the construction of the schooJ'.s lobby. Thanks to the Wall of Fame in the lobby the efforts of for~er science in 2003. He was later relocated teacher Odile Garcia and a to the courtyard outside of the group of current and former student dining hall. This twoTownsend Harris students, year-long journey left Harold Harold will remain a fixture warped, rusted, and missing at the school for years to many of his scales. The goal of come. Help Harold Day was to return - Saturday October 15 was him to his former glory. designated Help Harold Day Since Ms. Garcia and her and i·nvolved the restoration Students for the Preservation of - - of' the' ·scnoot'S favorite s~1:1-= - . the earth- c1uo crea(e<I1farofd-
in 199.4, she was the only person who knew how to repair him properly.· Principal Thomas Cunningham contacted Ms. Garcia for her help. 'The principal asked me, 'How do you fix it?"' Ms. Garcia recalled. The Harold that currently resides in the lobby is actually the school's second Harold . The first was made in 1994 because SPE wanted to recycle the Very Fine Juice cans sold in the school, which did not have deposits on them. Harold I was destroyed in 1997 when a group of students threw him ~ . -- _, ~ - - - contfnuea ·on~p:rf
-
The Classic
9
· Fall .2005
Spi.rit Week highlights up too much time to put something [an outfit] together." Spirit Week culminated on Friday with the annual Founders' Day, a day that celebrates the history of Townsend Harris. Students enjoyed the performances by many of the school's sports teams at the Pep Rally. Junior Christina Lam shared her impressions of the new event, stating, "We finally
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Senior Elisabeth Mead lends a hand in decoratating the third floor with blue dolphins.
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continued from p. 3 Monday with Color Day, where each grade dresses in their designated color. Freshmen wore orange, the sophomore~ wore pink, the juniors wore r~d, . and the seniors wore blue. Tuesday welcomed Pajama Day in which many students participated due to its simplicity and comfortable appeal. A first time event on Wednesday was White T-shirt Day, when students wore white apparel and were encouraged to write something creative on their shirts. Retro Day, a day to dress from the past, followed that Thursday but resulted in low participation. Junior Katelyn McFadden commented on Retro Day, admitting, "There is not much you can do and it takes Freshmen Deborah Duke and Ashley Guzman celebrate the '80s on Retro Day.
Juniors Saira Panchwani, Daniel . . Schwartz and Iliana Suarez fe~toon the. fourth floor with red ballons.
got to show some team spirit." On the contrary, White T-shirt Day was not as success-. ful. A sophomore stated, "It was a new experience, and a lot of us were unsure about it; it . was kind of a lousy topic ~Many people did not like it." Senior Erika Matos recalled the events of spirit week, saying, "I was incredibly put off by the lack of participation by the underclassmen. Pajama Day was the best but I don't think it was publicized enough."
firehouse, located on Utopia Parkway, were present. "This is a great cause-," commended firefighter Charlie McGroary. Firefighter Mike Brennan added, ''As the saying goes, 'Never forget."' Widows and family members were also present. Maryann and Corinne O'Rourke, wife· and daughter, respectively, of(irefighterThomas O'Rourke, Darlene Rail, wife of Edward Rall, and · Andrea Lund, wife of Peter Lund, were pre.sent to pay tribute their loved ones. ''I started out in front, and you could see how far back [the cro~d] went,"
Patriot Walk continued from p. 1 Peter Nel:son, perished on 9111, Coordinator of Student Affairs Adam StonehiU, English teac"hers Robert Babstock, Raquel Chung, lisa Cowen, Helen Rizzuto, and Georgette Wallace, retired staff, PTA presidents, and several Townsend Harris alumni. In addition to the Townsend Harris family, members of the Engine 299, Ladder Company 152
Mrs. Rail observed. The walk was organized and run largely by various committees of students under the su- · pervision of Ms . Rizzuto, with important contributions from Assistant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting, Athletic Director and Dean Wanda Nix, Ms. Wallace, and several other faculty members. Beginning in May, students of all ' four grades worked tirelessly on endless details and technicalities such as finding sponsors, obtaining the names of Walking with purpose, Sophomores Emifsa Trotman and Chelisse Headly participkte at the Patriot Walk. the . 343 lost firefighters, creat- . ing the I:P cards, generating publicity, tain Fuentes organized the .Patriot and sorting through the, names of par- Group. ''This is schooL with very dedicated students." ' ~ ticiP.ants. 'Tm a .little overwJ:ielmed bY, the ~ . . ~t was an effo~, they s~y, that paid 2 bff m the end."I dtdn't reahze there was . turnout,·' ' said Captain Fuentes. "We ~ · so much involved," admitted junior Jes- . really·aidn't d0.much- the kids did sica Graf. '~However I was very sur~ it all.. It's heartwarming that young I .-, , '0 prised to find kids my own age had so adults take the:initiative in remem:- , . 5' much knowledge about organizing bering my, brothers." , ~ something like this,, ·a nd, seeing it a:ll At the ptospect of tumin.g •thil9/ come together is very satisfying. It was 11. Remembrance Walk into ~n an7· .g_ aU worth it." nual event, Fuentes continued 1 "If "This was amazing," gushed Lieu- we refine a.few details, I could eastenant Jerry Reilly, who a:long with Cap- ily see it three times as big.'~
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Kevin Par'k (a non-Th:Wnsend Harris student) and Freshmen William jo 8l;ld Michael Chan enjoy taking part in the Oct?ber 22
walk.
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The Classic
'· ~~ 10 Social scientists exam1i1e 'Quality ofLife~ Fall2005
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by Maria Wojakowski Three students were announced winners of last year's Quality of Life Contest. Kimberly Manis '05 was named a finalist, and seniors Alexandra Stergiou and Razeen Zaman were semifinalists. Quality of Life is a city-wide contest open to high school students. The participants had to choose a problem or known is·sue and devise a feasible solution. Their research was documented in a fifteen page paper. This year 1500 papers were submitted, of which 12 semi-finalists were chosen. The semifinalists then presented a memorized script to a panel of judges with the goal of convincing the judges of their arguments. Semi-finalistAiexandra Stergiou recalled that this component of the contest "is espe·cially challenging because students must appeal to the emotions of the judges, just as a lawyer would with a jury." From the 12 semi-finalists, four finalists are then chosen to receive scholarships. Mr. Franco Scardino, who has been teaching Social Science Research for three years, said that the Quality of Life Contest not only allows students to do "really sound scientific research and recommend a solution," but also "requires students to take civic action." Given the students' abilities, Mr. Scardino added, "It is not surprising that we had finalists. The surprise was that we had three finalists."
"Program in a Box" Class of 2005 alumna Kimberly Manis claimed one of the four scholarship grand prizes for her project, titled "Study Mathematics for Careers that Counf' which she. conducted under her mentor, Toija Riggins fromThe Girl Scouts. "It has been proven that there is no physical difference between boys and girls when it comes to math, but studies show that girls begin to loose interest starting in middle school and continuing through college. I created a 'program in a box' curriculum for middle school students which I piloted at the Specialized High School Institute, the after school program in Townsend Harris. I found that 93% of girls changed their attitude about math after my lesson." Kim describes her "program in a box" curriculum as "a 45 minute lesson which dispels gender based math myths, introduces amazing career oppor-
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Senior Alexandra Stergiou, who conducted in-depth research on the work of caregivers for dementia patients and senior Razeen Zamann, who studied the infestation of bedbugs in New York City, were semifinalists in this year's Quality of Life Competition. tunities involving math," and "showcases successful female role models in these careers." She added that the most enjoyable aspect of her research was "the fact that I was able to reach over 200 students and possibly affect their futures." Winning one of the top prizes, a $17,500 scholarship, was also a great experience. "I was so excited about winning. There were a lot of amazing projects that I was competing against so I really wasn't sure where I stood." Kim's efforts do not end with the completion of the contest and her time at Townsend Harris. She will attend Columbia University's School of Engineering in the fall and has received an Implementation Grant from Youth Venture which, she says, "allows me to create boxes to be distributed at the National Council of Mathematics Teachers Regional Conference in Hartford, ' CT where I have been invited to speak in October."
don't use available community based services. They think their stress is unique. Services ·such as support groups can greatly help them . Through my research, I found that support groups must utilize different means of advocacy to make themselves appear more accessible to dementia caregivers of all races and creeds. I found there is a great disparity between dementia caregivers of ethnic descent and support groups."
Researching Bedbugs
Razeen f:aman did her research on bedbugs, a worldwide problem. "Forty-three states in America have bedbugs. It's absolutely crazy. Other countries such as Canada and England have also seen an increase." However, for her project, Razeen focused on solving the problem in her own city'. Her project was titled "Combating the Eradiation of Bedbugs .in New York City" and was performed under the mentorship of Mr. Richard Support for Dementia Cooper, entomologist and techCaregivers Semi-finalists Alexandra nical director of Cooper Pest Stergiou and Razeen Zaman Solutions. "There is a dramatic inwere equally excited about their crease in the infestation of bedvictories and passionate about bugs in New York City. I found their research. Alexandra this out by reading the New worked on her project, "ImYork Daily News. The reason proving Awareness of Support I was so interested was that I Groups for Caregivers of Defound my own community, mentia Patients" under her mentors Dr. Steve Albert, who Jackson Heights, was heavily studies the effects of neurologi- · infested by it. What I tested out cal diseases at the Sergievsky was whether the low level of Neurological Center at Colum- awareness was· causing infesbia University, and Dr. Sunnie tation levels to rise. One in four Kenowsky-Irving, a clinical in- people that I surveyed have structor at the NYU Medical · bedbugs, but only 17% believe that there is a bedbug infestaCenter. tion in NYC. What is happen"Many dementia caregivers '' ·
ing to the rest of the people, if they do not believe it? If you want something done, you first have to be willing to voice your complaints no matter how embarrassing it gets. This is the least people owe themselyes." Both Alexandra and Razeen enjoyed their research. "It was gratifying to talk to others about my topic and discover it is an issue significant to them and their family," said Alexandra. Razeen added, "I am glad that I did my best to help my community and help people realize that it is okay to have · bedbugs, and it shouldn't be something you are ashamed of. Having bedbugs DOES NOT mean you're dirty. There's simply a big infesta. tion in NYC, and you can do your part in reducing levels of infestation by reporting that you have bedbugs - that is if you have bedbugs. The actual field research I did, distributing and analyzing 172 surveys, was difficult and time consuming. but it was always worth it." What motivates a young activist to not only do the research, but to also continue it for next year's Intel contest? "It's really interesting to research. They [the bedbugs] are so creepy when you read about them. It's not like regular roaches or mice. These insects are actually in bed with you, and that is nasty," Razeen concluded.
Plans for the Future For their semi-finalist finish, Alexandra and Razeen both received silver iPods. "I never have the latest technology so this is great!" said Razeen . "I hope iPods never go out of style so that I could have the latest thing out." Alexandra said with a smile, "I can't get enough of my iPod!" The student winners are not the only ones with plans for the upcoming year. Mr. Scardino is also thinking ahead. After all, it is not easy to prepare students for such a challenging competition. According to Mr. Scardino, students "find a local community issue of interest, ranging from infrastructure to public policy issues." He then guides them through the "research process: developing a hypothesis and testing it, and actually coming up with a solution. They learn how to structure interviews and do surveys." Students also learn Excel and Stastistical Package for the Social Sciences.
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Day eontinued from p.l remarked, "I actually thought we diW a good job screaming for our grade" but added that "the seniors of eourse did the best.'' Founders' Day is not just a. day for new st<Udents but is additi.onally a day that is monurttental to rhe senior class. ''There's semething very final about it, the way that every year each class moves farther and farther back in the auditorium. This year we tit~ erally hit a w~l1. There's nowhere to go fro:m •ere. It was nke to know that coUege i-s coming up-. but it was also a little bit scary," explained senior Allison Simo~ky. ••1 thought Founders' Day went quite well this year. I don't think I've ever seen so much spirit at Founders' Day, and the speakers were excellent as we11," she added.
Upcoming Events 11/29 Arista Induction
6:30-8:30 PM
1213 SATI & II
1217 Marking Period Ends
12/9 Guest Dance 6:30-9:00 PM
12112 Art Show
1:45-4:00 PM.
12114 Report Cards Distributed
12115 Winter Concert 7~00-9:30 PM
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The Classic
11
Fall2005
March on Washington demands end to war. by Priti Shah Over 500,000 anti-war protestors filled the streets of Washington, D.C. on September 24 to participate in an antiwar march · organized by the group United for Peace and Justice. The organization planned the event to advocate the end cif the war in Iraq and the return of US troops. Several Townsend Harris students, a majority of them seriiors, and faculty joined the anti-war march.
Students and staff, along with Queens College students and other antiwar groups, boarded buses that left from Brooklyn and Manhattan. At the rally Townsend Harris· marched with New York City's Professional Staff Congress (PSC) - CUNY. PSC's main issue was education, and many of the marchers carried signs calling for "Money for education, not war!" PSC assembled at the headquarters
of the AFL-CIO before heading to Constitution Avenue, located between the White House and Washington Monument, where the march began. As they marched, protestors chanted anti-war slogans while holding posters and signs denouncing the Bush presidency and members of the cabinet. One of the most moving posters showed pictures of sold iers who died while serving in Iraq. The g march ended around 5PM , at which ~ time the Townsend Harris students ~ and faculty boarded the buses for & their four-hour ride home. Students were very moved by 0 ~ their experience . . Senior Karin ~ Firoza said, "The Washington march was radically different for ~ me because I've never been on a -a march before." When asked if she Seniors SaFah Oberlander, Jackie Dinas, and Melani Friedman take a stand at would attend future anti-war rallies, the March for Peace. Karin enthusiastically replied, 0)
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"Definitely." Senior Sangsoo Kim described the march as a "once in a lifetime experience." English teacher Robert Babstock also felt the march was meaningful but was disappointed by the lack of media coverage. "It was sad.,to see this gathering of what must have been a quarter to a third of a million people largely ignored by the press. If there is a liberal media in this country, they did not make their presence felt this day."
Senior class mixer devoid-of controversy by Rookminie Behari Compared to last year's controversy, this year's senior-sponsored mixer went off without a hitch. "It went very smoothly," said Assistant Principal Susan Getting. "There were none of the problems from last year." Attendees munched on cookies and snacks and jammed to a variety of music played by a new DJ. "I think the seniers did a good job of pulling things together. I was happy they had enough water and. snacks," said junior Lina Li. "I think the Mixer was better put together by this year's seniors, with the freedom of the dress code and the improvement of the music. The environment was just more fun than last year's mixer," added junior Monique East. . As is often the case, attendance was well below expectations. "It was definitely lower," said Ms. Getting. "It could be because it was Thursday. It was the Of\IY day we could get, and many stu-
Fixing Harold continued from p. 8 off the second floor balceny into the courtyard as a prirnk. The newer <me was created after that incident. Freshmen Vivian L.o and Maryam Azman volunteered their ,time to help restore Harold. Although their .initia:l motive for helping was .t he 5 hours df commun·ity service they would re• ceive, they grew to appreciate the work that they did: "We never saw
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dents had homework to do and team meets to attend." She also added that the "Student Dance Behavior Code," which specified the proper behavior for students at dances, may have "made students think twice" before coming. "Last year was an unfortunate experience all around," she said, "but I don't think the level of concern on the part of the staff was any different; this year's kids were just behaving better." Some students thought elements of the mixer, such as the music, could have been improved. "The music was good for the most part, [but] they should play some of the students' requests," said a freshman. Severai students complained about the music not being diverse enough and asked to hear more rock, punk, and alternative music. "Not ev- • ery student in the school likes rap, techno, or Hispanic music. That's all
the~ play. !he.y need more of a balance," advrsed a JUmor.
A group of seniors howls at their class-sponsored Mixer.
him before a)ld didn't know the story behind him, but it's. pretty cool to get to fix him up,'' Viv~an explained. Vaness.a Melchi9ri ('97)., who ~elped build Harold eight years ago, joined last month's effort after Ms. Garcia contacted her. "I got an ~-marl from· her out of the blue. I decided to help because Ms. Garcia is so ·dedicated and I will always be ldyal to her," she said. Ms. Garcia was happy to !lee stu~ dents lending a hand. ''I think it's won~ derful tlilat kids came out tQda:y to help," she said. She also commented on the sig-
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the unity pi' the sehool and what we stan9 for giving back to ~he c'Ommu· nity,'~ M.s. Garcia said.
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Boys dash to ·sixth JV Hawks Ace Division place in city champs By Lance Tomas seniors Shrey Surana (48th), Following an impressive efand Jon Pantano (58th) were fort in the Queens Borough eighth and ninth; respectively, Championships on October 18 among Queens runners with in which the freshmen runners their times of 18 minutes and won the borough title, the Boys 49 seconds and 19 minues and Cross Country team placed 12'h five seconds. Freshman Christopher Guerrero (85'h in the in the Varsity race and sixth in the Junior Varsity race at the city, 16'h in Queens), turned in City Championships on No- · a performance of 19 minutes vember 12. and 37 seconds. In the Junior Varsity race, . Senior Nestor Serrano placed 26'h in the city with a sophomore Alyas Hamid time of 18 minutes and 24 secplaced 22n" in the city, second onds for the required 3.1 miles, among runners from Queens, which also put him fifth among with a time of 20 minutes and runners from Queens. Fellow .six seconds
by Nathlie Stephens The Girls' Junior Varsity Volleyball team completed their most successful season since 2002 with a 2-1 win against John Bowne on November 14. The win gave them a 7-1 overall record, tying them for the division title with Francis Lewis. Sophomore Sasha Gomez had five service points, while
fellow sophomores Christine Ng, Dianne Dula, Marygrace Castro, Vanessa Ng, and Vivian Lee and freshman Jane Whang tied with three service points apiece. There was an early change for the team in the beginning of the season. Mara Cohen claimed the coaching duties from former coach Robin Figelman, who stepped down to
Varsity effort falls short ofplayoffs "The effort was good, but they suffered early on from a lack of confidence," Nix said. "[However] everyone really pulled together. Annie [Kim] and Hee
Loss stops boys' hopes at the goal . how each other works," he by Nathlie Stephens After an undefeated 9-0-2 said. "Also, we know each record placed them at the top other outside of soccer. We're of the Queens B iii division, the more of a team that way." · '~After spending the previBoys' Varsity Soccer team's ous year as a team, they supseason came to an abrupt end port each other more," said secon November 4 with a 2-1 first ond year coach Raymond round playoff loss to Campus Adamkiewicz. "Ttley learned Magnet. Despite their quick elimina-
to capitalize on and improve
upon each other's weaknesses." Senior Andreas Kalpaxis also credits Adamkiewicz with pushing the team beyond limits. "It was because of good coaching that we were able to be successsful," Kalpaxis said. "It was working really hard in the areas where we struggled." The statistics show that work. Senior Peter Sterbenz finished the regular season fifth in Queens with 14 goals and sev-. enth in Queens for total points with 33. Senior goalie Max Rivlin Nadler was seventh in the Queens B iii divi: sion with a .75 goals v against average ~c (GAA), while junior i5 David Bournas-Ney £ placed tenth in the di:~-i~jj ~ vision with a 1.125 ~· · · " '8. GAA. Kalpaxis tied Senior Bryan Arcos and junior for eighth in Queens George Morales practice their moves. with eight assists.
tion from the playoffs, the season. was still a success for a team that was only in their second year of existence. With ten out of the 21 active players be~ ing seniors, and eight of those seniors being starters, much of this success can be attributed to this veteran leadership and experience, says senior Michael Cass Antony. "We've already played together for a year and we know
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more any~ thing else." ~ Co-cap~ tains Kim and Min certainly did Senior Hee Young Min jumps high for a spike during a regular season game. lead by example. Min by Nathlie Stephens placed seventh in the Queens With a 2-1 loss to Benjamin X vii division for both blocks Cardozo High School on No- (3) and kills (27). She also vember 4, the Girls' Varsity Volplaced IJ'h with 40 service leyball team ended their 4-6 seapoints and 14'h with 11 aces. son without qualifying for the · Kim placed fifth in the division playoffs for the.first time in over with 28 assists. four years. Senior Marion Fellow seniors Yoshie Hsueh contributed 10 service Otomo and Anjie Zheng also points and senior co-captain contributed greatly, with Hee Young Min added 12 digs Otomo placing fifth in the diand eight service points in the vision with 59 service points and Zheng placing 13'h with loss. Coach Wanda Nix says the 37. Despite their losing record, losing record and the overall struggles of the season were due the girls' attitude remained to a feeling of intimidation af- positive. "Having heart is the most ter the loss of nine seniors from last year's roster. important thing," Kim said.
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spend more time with her family. The change proved beneficial to .the team, as new work ethics and practice habits seem to have motivated the girls in the end. "[Cohen] is a really great coach," said Christine Ng. "She teaches us little by little and before you know it, you have become SQ much better than when you started."
Fencers foiled by Alex Rush After advancing to the second round of the playoffs, the fencing team's season came to an end on November 7 with a 5.53.5 loss to Bronx Science. The A squad of seniors John Kromidas and Erika Matos suffered a 40 Joss to Science's A squad, but senior Donna Mordente and junior Marcus Ng compensated fer their loss with a 3-0 win. The decisive match came as S.clence'·s C squad defeated the Hawks' C squad of senior Eleanor Fallon and juniors Amy Peng and Christina Lam, 1.5-0.5. H0wever, the season will not end just yet for four select individuals. Kromidas, Matos, Mordente, and Ng will be participating in the City Individual Championships on November 20. Mordente and Ng, who made up the B St)'uad for much of the season, proved instrumental to the success of the team. Often, they contributed a win when the A squad ran into tough times, leading to a C match and giving the team another chance to win.
Michelle Mont!foris contrib~ted to all sports articles.
Girls head full speed into state championships by Maureen McCluskey team, although they will not be . As if placing second in the competing at the State ChamCity Championships on No: · pionships, placed third in the vember 12 was not en.ough; the city as well. Girls Varsity Cross Country At the City Championships team will try their hand at the on November 12, junior · State Federation meet on No- DevotiaMoore ran a time of20 vember 19. The Junior Varsity minutes and 17 seconds for 3.1
miles in the Varsity race, giving her sole possession of first place and the title of city champion. Freshman Lorena Russi finished 30 seconds after· Moore, taking third place. The success of the team so far this year can be attributed to
minor changes implemented in the scheduling of meets. Coach Timothy Connor arranged for more non-league races in order to give the girls more practice and experience for the PSALscheduled meets. The girls placed third in both the Mayor's
Cup and the Eastern States races, both of which were nonleague races. "The team is much more together this year," said junior Susan Wasserman. "There is a certain feeling on the team that was missing last year."