Classic newspaper Volume 27 Issue no. 1 by The Classic

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September 2010 Vol. 27No.1

Townsend Harris High School at Queens College

DOE partially ~~~!!?E~~ budget In response to an appeal for additional funding, the Department of Education (DOE) in August agreed to add $320,000 to Harris's budget for this school year. Though this money will help maintain supplies and programs that might otherwise have been in danger, the school still falls short of the total amount of money it requested from the DOE. Because a gap in funding still remained, Harris lost five faculty members this fall who couldn't be replaced fulltime. Since there's no official college counselor this year, Guidance Counselor Jonathan Hirsch is now also overseeing college counseling duties originally held by Antoinette Teague, the school's college counselor, who retired in June. However, the Alumni Association provided the school with money to allow Ms. Teague to come in part-time this year, to help ease the transition process in the college office. "Though this is not the best possible outcome, our work together avoided the deep cuts that were originally projected for our school," said Principal Kenneth Bonamo in an email addressed to the school community. Aside from losses in faculty, the budget cuts have not yet made much of a visible impact on the school. However, as the year progresses, their effect will become more apparent. "Right now, we don't have the money to pay teachers to come in at night or on weekends," said Ellen Fee, Assistant Principal of Organization. That means when AP season comes around, the school won't be able to fund weekend tutoring sessions, as it has in the past. Faculty members still have the enrichment time designated for clubs and tutoring, but weekends don't fall under persession spending. The future of performance events like Harrisfest and Free the Children's annual Variety Show remains up in the air. However, the administration anticipates being able to fund the school play, Science continued on Page 3

Wild weather shakes up Queens

4....14(1

f.l4'bta

Unexpected weather disaster disrupts commute for many

photo by Gabriella Niyazov

(see Page 9)

Lazio leaves campaign; simulation to be reconfigured by Tracey Wang In a recent development, Conservative candidate Rick Lazio has dropped out of the New York State race for governor. According to The New York Times, Mr. Lazio, who was running against Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican Carl Paladino, has formally withdrawn from the race as of September 27. Since the Election Simulation reflects the real political races, this means the Lazio campaign will officially be dissolved. Senior Mohammed Islam, who plays Mr. Lazio in the Election Simulation, said, in character, "It's very unfortunate that I had to withdraw from the race, but I hope my decision helps New York in the future."

In the real election, Mr. Paladino's name is expected to replace Mr. Lazio's on the ballot for the Conservative Party. Members of the Lazio campaign in the Simulation have been redistributed to the other campaigns within their Participatory Democracy class. Social Studies teacher Maureen Lonergan said that her main concern was for the students working on Mr. Lazio's campaign, saying she's "disappointed for them." Assistant Principal for Humanities, Susan Getting, said, "I think it's a shame that [Lazio] decided not to run, because it means one less candidate [in the Election Simulation]. Ms. Lonergan and Ms. Getting both agreed that a three-way race

would have been more interesting. As of now, Mohammed has; relocated to the Dan Donovan campaign for Attorney General. Mohammed said, "I was looking forward to all the activities like going to classrooms and holding fundraisers and learning more about Rick Lazio, but unfortunately, all that has to come to a sudden halt." Senior Brian Rivera, who plays Carl Paladino in the Simulation, said, in character, "The Republican Party will be more united and there will not be a split in the Republican Party [now that Lazio has withdrawn]."

To read more about the Election Simulation, turn to Page 3.

INSIDE: new teachers page4

college stats pages 6-7

MUT pageS

Harry Potter World

page 11

OPINION sound off!

September 2010

Letting in the light

Losing some of our SPARK?

In many of this building's classrooms, the window shades are tied down, obstructing any sunlight from seeping through. It's a good way to keep out distractions. After all, in the daily shuffie of lessons and notes and tests, the world outside those windows is secondary. As busy students, we have unfortunately come to internalize this shades-closed mindset. Harris students know how to derive equations, and they can identify literary allusions at the drop of a hat. But how many can carry on a conversation about what's going on in Washington right now, or in the Middle East? At The Classic, we are observers as well as reporters. As such, we have noticed that many students lack a comprehensive understanding of events in the news. When a student raises a political question in class, usually only the teacher can engage in the issue. This is understandable, to a certain extent. So much is going on right here at school that it can be difficult to step away from it all. But in our globalized society, an understanding of the issues our world faces is more important than ever. All history classes at this school culminate in an AP or a Regents exam, or both. While doing well on these exams is important, the drive for scoring well should never blindside students from getting the full · benefit of a history class: the ability to connect the past to the present. There's no point in learning history until we realize that we are a part · ·of history, too. And if we don't have a comprehensive understanding of the issues we face, then we won't be able to cast informed votes when . vve're older: The Election Simulation helps curb the problem, to some extent, by identifying and personaliZing issues in current politics. However, it's not · enough. Cuttent event.s should be an ongoing source of discussion in ::, Town~enq .ll;ams clas~rooms - muc);l more so than they are.at present. .. , - As a school newspaper, we're responsible for bringing you just that - school news. But we are only a microcosm of the real world. We want · to spar~ intere.st in the events that shape .our world, our country, our state; , 1 N.ld~I?.JP.= qeigh~orl,loo~.-=- because scoring.welLand fulfilling a quota of · " 1 ;~_eJYi<:~.n~ur~ wiJloJJIY take you so far. .. . , --·- ' That's why 'you'll see a few new features in this year's paper. In partnership with Harris's division ofAnlnesty International, we're bringing you a list of the top ten world events each month. We also have · _, ~ rep~rter who studie~ J;l,ow current jssues.in the news affect our student . ''b d "' '. ' ~ . . 0 y. We're in for ~other tough yet rewarding year. Hopefully, amidst all the work apd practices and hardcore studying, each one of us will take a ' moment to open the shades and look out the window. >

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In a time of budget cuts and economic recession, academic programs aren't the only areas of schools with inadequate funding. Due to a lack of resources, Marc Duke, SPARK counselor, now spends Mondays and Tuesdays at John ' Bowne High School. The Spark program is unable to pay the salaries of two counselors in the area, so as a money-saving measure, Mr. Duke must now serve two schools. Bowne's former SPARK counselor still works at the school, but under a different title. This arrangement is unfair to Bowne students, Harrisites and Mr. Duke. It is unreasonable to ask Mr. Duke to get to know and gain the trust of Bowne's student body of over 3000 in only two days per week. Conversely, these students cannot be expect~d to easily confide in someone they see so infrequently. If a Harrisite were to have a crisis on a Friday, he/she would be unableto speak to be Mr. Duke until W~dnesday, . almost a w~ek later. This is simply unpractil;:al. It is true that Harri_s has other counselors with whom a student can speak, but many students already have trusting relationships with Mr. Duke. Some may be disinclined to share their troubles or actions with a guidance counselor because they are involved in the college application process. This is particularly important considering that the SPARK program is specifically designed to address substance abuse in adolescents . In cases where a student's wellbeing is in jeopardy, it is important that he/she speaks to someone in order to receive help. If there is no one in the building whom the student trusts ·with such things and thus he/she does rrot tell anyofie,:his/her ·safety is compromised. Mr. Duke's presence in the building · helps to ensure that such students receives the attention he or she needs. No price can be put to students' health, and it is unfortu- · nate that both Bowne and Harris will suffer because of financial issues. The Classic urges students to write to the Chancellor and request that more funding be allocated to SPARK.

Have a response to a piece we've written, or an issue you want addressed in The Classic? Send a letter to the editor! We always welcome opinions. Email your letters to thhsclassic@gmail.com. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ~ATU:LtE EDITOR NEWS 13DITOR COPY EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR A&EEDITOR ADMINISTJUTIVH EDITOR PUBLIC EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY RDITOR ART EDITOR

:Rebecca Seidei Hayl~y Desmond ,R ttpeshi Shah Tracey Wiang Ben Horow~tz Freddy Millan Jr. Lory Martinez Frank Corazza .lCanm Rose Kii:11l Rid:lie BoOOia

ADV1SOR Carol:ine Cross PltiNCIPAL I<ennetla Bonam.o

The Cla~sic is an open forum £or the ~xpression of stu. ' · e opttnons dent vrews. Th' expressed therein should not be taken to represent those o£ the admicistration or faculty, or of the student body as a whole. ,1.

Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Me~bolilfil.e Avenue

Ftushing, NY 11367

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Writing Staff: Indira Abiskaroon, Candace Burton, Emma Court, Caroline Egan, Chandi Ghuman, Margaret Jia, Abigail Koffler, Eunice Lau, Ella Leviyeva, Genna Mastellone, Salma Mohamed, Catherine Moskos, Nicholas Lupo, Demetra Panagiotopoulos, Yuval Solomon Sports Staff: Grace Shin, Joshua Solomon Art Staff: Edward Farquharson, Alice Hung, Amy Wang Photography Staff: Indira Abiskaroon, Rebecca Chu, Nicole Godreau, Samantha Khan, Misty Kim, Demetra Panagiotopoulos, Marissa Shieh, Yuval Solomon

news On top of the world: September's Top 5 events in world news

September 20

Rally launches Election Simulation

in ~art111erslilip ~ the Amnesty lrttem£ftionol clttb Aquib YoGOoo, ,residePJt

by, Tracey Wang In the spirit of Kick-Off Rallies Uaiact Scates urge Pate&tlnian· past, this year's tsraetl peace talks start to the Election Simulation was The Obama adm:inistr.ation is trying to in no shortage of foster peace t&lks betwceen Israelis and speeches, raps, Pa:l:estiniains iifl aA effort to b:rifli setdebreak-dances, and ment to the decades o,ld confilict. Howev• even campaign "bodyguards." e:r, thare s:ee.m to be A.o auapidous starts The rally, held as both s:ides are unwiDltntiY to comproon September 22 i'Tli,se effectively. The sitldatiOifl is further during Band 7, comp:lkated by sporadk v:io~,ence from introduced all the both sides. political races in this election season. V'i rainia eKecuas flint weman in Each candidate nearly a century was allotted about a minute of speech Teresa Lewis, age 41, was e'Xecutecd by time, but not all means of a l~thal injcectiort Ofl :i).eptemcandidates chose Seniors from the Tony Avella campaign introduce their candidate, portrayeo by Frank Hoffman (left) . ber 23 by the state ofVir1inm. Lewis was to talk. Some candidates voiced major candidates ·had more time candidate · · Kirsten . Gillibrand convicted and seAtenced br her role in soru~ to spea~." . .. . . (Catherine Vi1lani) - is · iunrting their concerns in rhyme and tf:te 2002 murders of her husband and performed originalchoreography. . ~de. the · ~ cartdidates ·were . ·against '"Republican ·candi~ate stepson.l;n her defense, her attarAeys preSenior Sohail Sakk:ari said, "I giVen time to make a·speech, the··· Jbseph . DioGuardi (James sented her as mentally unstabte and dterJ thought I was in for the kick- · Special Interest' Groups were not, Acquista): · · · .. : dl'e testiMony of Matthew S:haleAberge:r, off of an eleetion, but little did due to time restraints. Derp.ocgt Eric Sclili~i~etillan who adMitted to coaxing L.ewts iiflto the I know I would be attending a . . Seni~r ~biga~l" Koffler; wh? · (Osman 131iatti)iil1.111D.mg against 1 c.:rtme in order to ca'Sl11 in om thee vit:tb:~ns' 1s campa'tgmng for tlie· New Yotk · Republican Dim Donovan (Ben talent show!'" Senior Victoria Tu said, "I . Sta~e Reptibli.~a!l ..F~rty, . said, : Horowitz) ~Or Atto,rp.~y Gener~l. life iAs11Jrance polides. Shaifeflberg.- is thought it w€nt really well." "Iwas a little· tlisapppintecl"':h'ar · - Deili6chi(' 'T6hi "' DiNapoli one of the tw'O gun.m:tm tn¥01-ved ifl the She added, "I'm glad th~ we didn't get to speak since we . (BryanMedlnajlsrtihningagainst murder anrd rs curreMfy s~g lfe wit.htiming of each candidate worked prepared [for the rally] in class. Republican Harry Wilson (David out par<»e. Lewis was the frst woman to out great although 1 wish the Ultimately, we're gbingto be able Wong) forComptrpller. bllt ~A<eQJ~ irt.the ~e eiooe. f 912. t'~~·'' • " ·~~ · :' :... -::;.::.' ~ ;..!::::,. t6snare:omp:0Hitttl':-::;:::;::: Intlh?RiliH'·<i¥'N'I:!WY6!.flfSfate 1 view at the Sp'trcH~f !lS~nate: '<D~tri6crat ''t6hY..'A.Vella Teasien aeae,Jarates lletween Chitta Interest Rally and (Fraflk · Hoffman) is running and Japaa ever maritime c:lasll I still think we can againstRepublicanFrankP,adavan play an important (Michael Harris) for 'New York's

1\ecemt tens:iOA:S· betweeA japan and Chn have eased with the reieue of the Hast remainiflC tshenmtn h:ekf by a japa11uase naNa~ vesse~ the QPtain. The coAMct b•n after a J~Da.ridme dash between the two nations. Ottma had previously cl&rrland:ed th&;t jttpaMSe ~fAil'l.el\l!t ifl~rVeA;e to have the capta~n rei:e:ased and threatened Japan with both dlipi:omadc a'Ad e:oonomi.c actions, such a-s. ceasing trade. The incident had the potential .o f explode into a majcor con:lict betweer.~ the two s1up:e r powers in Asia, but h:as been res~,ved.

· "iii

Simulation." . . Addabbo (Patrick Jeu) is running This · )'ear's ·against . Republican , Anth9ny el~ctiotis '- ' C'oflio ··~ct~B 1 'ivi~ilcttiiJ' 'f'or 'New include nine races York's '151:h'Di;th6( · ;:·,' and now without Democrat Mike Miller (Steve Hu) is running against Donna Marie Caltabiano (Angda Kim) for New York State Assembly. In the race for House of Cuonio Lupo) Representatives, Democrat Jerrold Nadler (Welles Tanzer) is running against Republican (Brian Susan Kone (Tracey Wang). for Democrat Robert Duffy State (Jason Kao) is running against Republican Greg Edwards race (Noble Thadathil) for Lieutenant for United States Governor.

MB:ss deportation ef ReMa (G·J'PS;ies)

tro• Fran11e The Fremch government faces mass op,posidon and condemnation for its deportation of the Roma (gy~y) populatioN from the country.Aker a vial:ent c:o.Akootadon between the French po1ice and the ltoma, France is forcing 40:0.,.00.0 1\oma out of the nation:. CullJa's Pidel Castre ~RBkes first ptllt• ltc speech· in yean

Former CubaA Leader

Fide~

Castro p¥e

his fii;rst pubNc speech before the Cuban

p:e,o:ple on September 3 at t'he University of HavaA:a. AMidst a crowd of IOrOOO, the former dictator warned thEtt nuchaar w:tJr is tflevitable it te:n,s;ions between the U.S.. and ~ran do not d:ecrease. Castro is among the few re•ininglea:ders from the

War. ·

Co~d

'':EJection· ··11 Districi ·iffiifri~~66iiltios~ph

Democrat Robert Duffy (Jason Kao) shows off his moves.

Budget cuts still leave gaps in fundiJ!g (continued from Page 1) Olympiad, the Robotics team, Festival of Nations, The Classic, the yearbook, and The Phoenix even though these activities often fall outside the realm of persession. The partial budget restoration followed a long stretch of letterwriting protesting the imminent cuts. After yet another year of dealing with an already tight budget, concerned students, parents, and faculty addressed

local government officials in an eliort to restore money to the system. The school anticipated that it would need an added $650,000 to hire three new teachers and to secure additional supplies. This was the figure stated in the letters, but the actual appeal to the DOE amounted to $340,000. Both Ms. Fee and Mr. Bonamo said that the Alumni Association and the ParentTeachers' Association (PTA) have

been instrumental in reducing the impact of the budget cuts. "We encourage everyone who can to donate to the PTA, said Mr. Bonamo, adding that the school is hoping to fund things like AP tutoring and the school play through the PTA. He added, "We're going to rely on them more than ever, and we need people to be as generous as they can be."

._i<S, '?,.._

news

Four new'teachers join faculty

':l'he Classic September 2010

Three alumni, one Stuyvesant grad return to high school

... v

Yan returns to alma mater to teach favorite subject

by Rebecca Seidel When Katie Yan was in high school, English was her favorite subject. Now, sitting with her grade book in the Humanities office, she is right at home. Ms. Yan, who is joining the staff as an English teacher this year, graduated from Harris in 2002. In addition to teaching freshman Writing Process and English classes, she coaches the fencing team after school. Things have come full-circle for Ms. Yan, who was on the fencing team during her years as a Harrisite. "It's interesting to see it from another

perspective," she noted. Before coming back to Harris, Ms. Yan taught at a middle school as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program. She's looking forward to working with high school-age students, _she said, because "you can actually carry on a conversation with them." Ms. Yan fondly remembers her years as a Harris student. "It's a great experience, or else I wouldn't be here now," she remarked. Debra Michlewitz, · retired English teacher and fencing.coach, was one of Ms. Yan's high school teachers. Now they're colleagues, and Ms. Michlewitz is showing her the ropes of coaching. "She was a wonderful student," Ms. Michlewitz recalled. An avid reader, Ms. Yan is a big fan oflove stories. "They're real page turners," she said. Within the genre, she recommended The Time Turners Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. - Ms. Yan also really enjoys decorating and crafts, and she loves to bake. In the teaching world, she hoping to be up to the challenge of Harris's rigorous curriculum. "I don't want to add any stress" to students' lives," she assured, adding, "I'm looking forward to a successful year."

Former Harris band member returns as music teacher by Frank Corazza - ma

Part of the Harris graduating class of 2005, new Music Theory teacher Michael Mucha cites his high school music teacher, Peter Lustig, as his inspiration for working in the music field. Mr. Mucha studied music at Queens College and student taught at Frank Sinatra High School. He observed here [Harris] for 100 hours before becoming a teacher. On the side, he offers private guitar, bass, and beginning woodwinds lessons in Queens. Currently, he is pursing his masters in History. · As a Harrisite, Mr. Mucha had Wanda Nix and Keith Hanson for Physical Education. "After having Ms. Nix for one week of gym, I transferred out [of the class] and I thought it might have just saved my life," he said. His school interests included participating ·in the Battle of the Bands and took Jazz Band as an elective. Mr. Mucha doesn't think Harris has changed much · since his days as a student. He said, "The students are very ambitious, and you can't find

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these kinds of students anywhere else." The only difference for him is that now he can officially call all the teachers by their first names. "The environment [at Harris] here has changed for the better ... and there is still the same dedicated staff," he said. Mr. Mucha enjoys writing, listening, and teaching his music to others. As a "rocker at heart," he lists his favorite artists as The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

Renais-sance man realizes goal of teaching at Harris by Hayley Desmond "I think I'm a living embodiment of what [the administration] wants from students who go here," said Edward Gruszecki, new physics instructor. Apart from physics and education, he al~o holds degrees in history, philosophy and classics . "I have a lot of interests, but I don't have time for many of them

anymore," he added. When he isnft teaching, Mr. Gruszecki takes care ~of his toddler and writes music reviews. He once directed and starred in an independent film about his own life . His other interests include· Greek mythology and vegetarianism. He joked, "All I do in my free time is physics." Mr. Gruszecki is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School. He student-taught at Harris years ago, but began working at a high school on Long Island afterward, as there were no positions available at Harris when he started teaching. He has worked at Queens College, his alma mater, for seven years, and currently teaches astronomy and physics there. "Every year in the parking lot Ms. Brustein and I would see each other, and I would ask if there were any openings," Mr. Gruzsecki recalled, saying he was drawn to the school by its good reputation. "It's where I always wanted to be ."

Oberlander comes back to teach next generation by Frank Corazza Sipping from her Senior Prom mug, Sarah Oberlander enters the Biology classroom as a teacher this time instead of a student. Ms. Oberlander, who said she "felt right at home here [at Harris]," is a member of the graduating class of 2006. This is Ms. Oberlander's first job as a Biology teacher after graduating from Macaulay Honors College at Queens College. She has been a Teacher's Assistant at Harris, as well as at Forest Hills High School and Russell S Junior High School. .-Ms. Oberlander's transition into the Harris community was very smooth since she "already knew most of the teachers and felt very welcome." During her years as a student here, some of her teachers were Shi Bing Shen for Biology, Keith Hanson and Wanda Nix for Physical Education, Adel Kadamani for Chemistry, and Philip Jones for Physics. She says that her freshmen Biology students are "very smart and interested in their studies." Ms. Oberlander's passion for biology

stemmed from her interest in knowing more about nature. "It makes me feel comfortable knowing about how everything works in my surroundings," she said. Ms. Oberlander also enJoys "working out all the time and running." However, on Thursday nights, you won't find her exercising or grading Biology papers. Instead, she'll be tuning in to see the next new episode of Jersey Shore on MTV.

news

New SU Board anticipates successful year

New Vice President to become voice of the student body

Humanitarian becomes Student Union President by Lory Martinez

As Aquib Yacoob takes the helm as Student Union president this year, he says he has ambitions to make this the "best year Harris has ever had." His new SU position entails everything from overseeing the student body government and running the SU board to leading Senate meetings and voicing student concerns at Consultative Council meetings. "It feels great to be president. I'm honored to represent the students of Townsend Harris." Aquib added that the Ephebic Oath, "the message behind Harris

and the reason the school even exists," really means a lot to him. Even with a slew of extracurricular activities (he is also the president of Amnesty International, a SING! Commissioner, a member of the Ephebic Oath team and a senior council member), Aquib believes he will not .be fazed by all the work that comes his way. "I have great time management [skills] and though I work well under pressure, I do my work when I get it . You could say I procrastinate from procrastinating," Aquib said. He has ideas in mind for the coming year, one of which includes having "Townsend kids become more socially aware of the world around them," he said. He added, "There's so much going on in the world outside Townsend Harris. Unfortunately, a lot of students are unaware of what's; - ... . going on. The SU encourages students to look at history in the making." <"

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Secretary takes new office with notebook at the ready by Rupeshi Shah Junior Heidi Chang's responsibility as Student Union Secretary is to take down the most important details that are touched upon at the meetings. She ran for the position because she wanted to be a part of student government while also doing something she was good at. She says, "It ended up that I was good at taking notes, so why not run for secretary?" Heidi believes this year will be

r I

The Cl8jsic September 2b10

by Rupeshi Shah As Student Union Vice President, senior Karina Hernandez acts as the voice of Harris. She will be making the morning announcements as well as representing the members of the consultative council, executive board, and Coordinator of Student Activities (COSA) meetings. "Getting involved, staying after school to organize events, running around, performing errands ... this all excites me," Karina explained. "Plus, I'm definitely a talker!" This year, Karina hopes to make the student body more enthusiastic about school events. She suggests that students attend more sports events to suppott their classmates. She wants students to get involved in school-wide programs like Festival of Nations, the Winter Carnival, and SING! Karina also hopes to make the underclassman feel more comfortable at school. Being ,part of the clas& of 2011, ~he wants to make this year memorable for every senior and Harrisite. Karina says she "enjoys speaking to parents and prospec~ive studeJJts, advo?ati;ng f<;>~ t.urre,tl~ ~ne;s 1 ~peaking to them and making sure they h~ve a say in what goes. on behind closed doors." Because this is Karina's second

Math enthusiast becomes Treasurer

tough especially because of budget concerns but she's hoping to work with the rest of the board to hold as many activities desired by students as possible. She also wants to raise awareness about what's going on around school. "A lot of people complain about things that haven't been properly explained to them!" she says, "Like the SmartBoards and TV sthey are all being bought not from the school budget but from grants." Heidi would like the student to try to be more patient the board members. "We make some decisions that make everyone happy but sure we're doing it for the greater good,' she said. Heidi also would like ::students "to find out the right by Tracey Wang Calculator in hand, senior Philip about the things Kim is .ready to tackle his new job as re unhappy with instead of SU Treasurer. He is currently enrolled :SIJicading wrong gossip around in AP Calculus BC, and his passion for math led him to run for the position last year - as well as his desire to "put [his] memoers. She explains, "I have love for math to good use by serving notebook all ready for this the school." As SU Treasurer, Philip Is year, and I can't wait to .fill it up with Townsend Harris High School news."

year hol<lmg a schooi-wi<le position, she says she will try to take on as many tasks as possible, including making sure clubs are running and .helping other executive board members complete their duties. Karina believes that peing Vice President "is just JUY way of honoring the Ephebic Oath (~or now, at least!)" Karina c.ites this year's board member.s as one ,of the mctin re~sons s!1~ E~n for ?:P~si't!~~~路路;,;n- tht;'Jie'Ci;ti~~ board again. She said, !:They.' re extremely helpful and by the end of the year, we're all like a bunch of family members."

responsible for managing and accounting all club budgets. Philip said, "The most challenging part of my job is taking record of every single club in this school. It's definitely a lot of work to contact all the club presidents and leaders." While his job may be very difficult, Philip said that it's rewarding to see people "of similar interests and talents路 come together as a club and really do what they love together." He added, "Students can help me by simply joining a club or continuing to be active participants of a club (or clubs). A lot of work is done to keep extra-curriculars alive in this school and students should really take advantage of what is offered them."

'1, - I

coll~estatistics ~~~~~~~~~

The Classic September 2010

Class of 2010 college adm ~

Colleg_e

g> .....

;~ .3~ ~

~ cJ.~ ~~ cJ.~

ci.

:a; j-!.

CIJ

DICKINSON

DREXEL

DUKE

5 1 1 1 1 4 2

10 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

8 7

6 1

1 85 680 760 82.3 640 650 0 92.9 640 690 95.4 680 680

CUNY- QUEENS (HONORS)

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

1 88.1 570 590

ART INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON

0 85.1 610 660

CUNY-YORK

BABSON COLLEGE

0 85.7 740 600

CUNY KINGSBOROUGH CC

BABSON [EA]

' AMHERST

jBARD BARNARD

0 94.8 700 670

4 92.5 700 590

CUNY - LAGUARDIA CC

CUNY - QUEENS (MACAULAY)

CUNY MANHATIAN CC CUNY QUEENSBOROUGH CC

650 650

' BARNARD [ED)

CUNY- QUEENS

CUNY - STATENISLAND

82.8 570 640

88.8 630 610

DARTMOUTH

,BENTLEY

0 85.7 740 600

lBENTLEY [EA]

BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC

BOSTON COLLEGE

26 10

2 88.4 650 730 94.6 560 700

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

51 33

3 82.6 640 610

560 550

ELMIRA COLLEGE

680 760

EMERSON

ECKERD COLLEGE ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE

BRANDEIS

3 85.7 740 600

BROWN

0 96.4 740 740 94.9 740 600

BROWN [ED]

1 95.1 800 700 94.3 720 730

EUGENE LANG

BRYANT UNIVERSITY

0 85.3 620 620

FAIRFIELD

BRYN MAWR

2 86.5 650 650

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY

89.2 590 670

EMORY

FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY FLORIDA STATE

CABRINI COLLEGE

0 95.8 670 740

CARNEGIE MELLON

3 91.3 700 720 93.9 660 690

CASE WESTERN RESERVE U

1 91.5 540 640

FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL

CATHOLIC UN IV OPAMERtC.A:

0 88.9 630 640

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE

CLARK UNIVERSITY

0 88.9 630 640

GEORGETOWN [EA)

CLEMSON

1 0

0 89.9 630 700 0

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

COLBY

1 1

590 520

GRINNELL COLLEGE

COLGATE

730 640

HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF HOLY CROSS

COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE

0 81.5 630 550

COLORADO STATE

0 94.4 800 700

COLUMBIA

93 740 760 96.4 740 740

COLUMBIA [ED]

93.3 680 700

COOPER UNION

0 91.5 640 800 92.2 700 700

INDIANA UNIVERSITY [EA]

COOPER UNION [ED]

1 1

1 94.2 710 780 92.5 670 790 94.3 720 730 0

ITHACA

CORNELL (A&S)

3 27

CORNELL (AGRILIFE)

94.5 680 670

JOHNSON AND WALES

CORNELL (ARCHITECTURE)

83.8 510 510

KENYON

CORNELL (ENGINEERING)

92.5 670 790

LAFAYETIE

CORNELL (HE)

92.8 740 640

CORNELL (ILR)

94.9 740 600 90 700 610 90.1 760 800

94.4 800 700

85.9 680 610

FORDHAM FORDHAM [EA]

GEORGETOWN

HARVARD HAVERFORD HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA HOFSTRA [EA] HOWARD UNIVERSITY

JOHNS HOPKINS -

LASALLE U LEHIGH LEHIGH [ED]

CORNELL [ED]

CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA

1 85.1 610 660

LIU - C.W. POST

CUNY-BARUCH

34 24

8 80.6 540 700 84.1 580 540

LOYOLA - MARYLAND

CUNY - BARUCH(HONORS)

CUNY- BARUCH (MACAULAY)

CUNY- HUNTER

22 8 1 0 17 15 5 3 4 1 48 45 5 5 25 4 19 2 4 3 91 74

CUNY- HUNTER (MACAULAY)

71 23

94.9 73.9 71.3 14 87.6

CUNY- HUNTER (MACAULAY) [ED]

2 94.4 630 770

CUNY- BARUCH (MACAULAY) [ED) CUNY- BROOKLYN CUNY - BROOKLYN (MACAULAY) CUNY- BROOKLYN BA/MD CUNY -CITY CUNY - CITY (HONORS) CUNY- CITY (MACAULAY) CUNY- CITY SOPHIE DAVIS CUNY - CITY TECH

6 85.4 590 0 1 77.7 600 0 94.1 800 0 94.9 710 11 80.1 580

2 1 0 2 14

91.4 660 96.4 730

MANHATIAN COLLEGE

620 94.6 560 700 85.4 620 570 570 78.8 450 470 620 88.9 630 770 93.1 590 590 78.8 450 650 780 93 660 720 95.8 670

LIU - BROOKLYN

LOYOLA UN IV [EA]

5 87.2 640 680

640 740 470

650 530 530 650 630 91 650 600 670 610 94.5 680 670

6 4

1 1 1 0 2 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 57 48 4 1 15 7

4 1 5 1 3 1 3 3 2 1 2 2 16 1 2 1 1 1 18 15 2 2 1 1 1 1 6 6 10 3 2 2 1 0 2 0 1 1 3 2 1 1 5 5 5 5 1 0 1 1 5 4

84.9 82.7 93.6 , 85.1 85.4

540 580

95.8 630 710 730

600 690 630 94.9 710 770 92.9 590 740 580 630 I I 800 700 610 690 560 670 92.8 740 640 650 640 610 650

89.2 94.4 0 89.7 600 0 92.7 670 0 88 670 3 82.5 580 2 85.9 680 0 91.2 640 1 87.7 670 0 94.7 680 1 86.2 650 1 89.9 630 1 91 720 0 94.4 800 1 93.8 800 0 88.4 600 0 92.7 670 2 81.5 700 0 86.7 500 0 82.6 580

540 710 710 680 610 660 650 800 640 700 750 700 650 650 710 610 630 620

580 610

95.1 800 700 94.4 800 700 1 94.6 560 700 1

96.4 730 780 1

77.5 590 520 '

4 1 1

1 1 3 2

1 1 2 0

MOREHOUSE

3 2 1

0 0 1

0 86.2 650 Mo 94.4 800 0 90.2 620 620 0 86.5 650 650 1 93.7 720 640 94 730 92.2 710 0 92.9 590 0 91.5 640 0 0 78.3 510 600

MT. HOLYOKE

0 87.7 670 650

MT. ST. VINCENT

0 77.7 600 570

MASSACHUSETIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY MCGILL MERCY MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE MIT(SLOAN) MIT[EA]

0 90.1 640 670 0 82 590 520 2 88.4 600 650 92.9 590 740 0 85.1 610 660 0 87.7 670 650 0 0 78.1 540 470 1 89.2 590 670 1 90.7 710 650 0 81 590 480 0 73.9 530 530 0 0 87.7 670 650 0 87.6 660 720 87.5 410 630 2 86.7 500 630 0 91.8 650 700

4 1 2

MARIST

MIT

690 740

(fJ

DARTMOUTH [ED]

CUNY- LEHMAN

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

~ ci.~ ~& ci.~

cii

0 76 520 0 71.1 560 0 2 89.6 630 1 91 650

1 87.9 670 730 1 85.1 610 690

ALFRED UNIVERSITY

:a;

t-!

3 5 0 2 1

3 1

ADELPHI [EA]

~ ~~

3 5 7 2

3 1

(I)

2 76 520 540 73.9 530 530 0 71.1 560 580 0 81.5 700 610 1 76.6 510 580 77.5 590 520 1 91.2 650 650 0 1 83.1 540 580 I 1 71.1 560 580 76.6 510 580 0 73.9 530 530

5 71.7 600 570

(i)

8 6 4 39 32 2 2 4 0 1 1 9 8 3 3

CUNY- JOHN JAY

18 18

ADELPHI

College

700

640 760 740 800

~~~~~~~~~~-ooll~es~tisti~

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College

~ 11

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

51 33 6 6 7 0 1 0

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY [EA] NORTHWESTERN NOTRE DAME NOTRE DAME [EA] NYU (A&S) NYU (A&S) [ED] NYU (GALLATIN) NYU (LIBERAL STUDIES) NYU (NURSING) NYU (SPORTS MNGMNT) NYU (STEINHARDT) NYU (STERN) NYU (TISCH) NYU POLYTECH OHIO STATE OXFORD COLLEGE AT EMORY UNIVERSITY OXFORD UNIVERSITY-ST. EDMUND HALL PACE - MANHATIAN [EA] PACE-MANHATIAN PACE-PLEASANTVILLE PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGE PENN STATE -ALTOONA PENN STATE- UNIVERSITY PARK PENN STATE- WILKES-BARRE POMONA PRATI PRINCETON PURDUE UNIVERSITY QUINNIPIAC RENSSELAER RENSSELAER [ED] RICE ROCHESTER INST. OF TECHNOLOGY RUTGERS SANTA CLARA SARAH LAWRENCE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS SETON HALL SIENA SKIDMORE SMITH COLLEGE ST. BONAVENTURE ST. FRANCIS ST. JOHN'S ST. JOHN'S (PHARMACY) ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY STANFORD STANFORD UNIVERSITY [ED] SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY SUNY -ALBANY SUNY- ALBANY [EA] SUNY- ALFRED STATE SUNY- BINGHAMTON SUNY- BROCKPORT SUNY - BUFFALO SUNY- CORTLAND SUNY -DELHI SUNY- FARMINGDALE SUNY -FIT SUNY- GENESEO SUNY- NEW PALTZ [EA] SUNY- NEW PALTZ SUNY- OLD WESTBURY SUNY.- ONEONTA SUNY- ONEONTA [EA] SUNY- OSWEGO

1 0 63 30 1 0 1 1 12 12 2 2 1 0 3 1 14 5 5 2 18 18 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 17 17 1 1 1 1 2 2 15 10 2 2 1 4 18 1 5 8 1 1 4 9 1 1 3 1 3 5 1 1 1 104

0 3 0 1 2 5 0 0 4 8 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 104

~ ~~

"* .3

0 20 25 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 0 24 18 2 2 5 4 1 1 8 7 1 1 2

~ ci.~

ci.

cii

~ <( Ul

2 78.4 510 530 4 82.2 610 610 84.5 500 530 1 82.6 640 610 () 91.5 640 800 0 91.3 740 710 0 94.6 560 700 7 85.4 590 620 90.7 630 670 0 82.6 640 610 1 94.4 800 700

College

gj ~- ~

TRINITY TUFTS

0 0 89.3 640 2 88.4 650 1 91.2 650 7 83.7 580 1 96 710 0 92.8 740

TULANE

0 1 81 6 76 0 94.1 0 85.1

590 520 660 610

640 85.4 560 670 730 94.6 560 700 650 89.2 650 640 630 790 640 94.4 800 700 480 540 670 660 730

0 89.8 640 0 84.9 690 630 1 78.3 510 600 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

580 650 650 560 510 640 700 640 710 590 430

800 700 560 660 740 740 530 580 570 670

590 630 680 690

540 89 610 640 660 620 660 600 650 94.9 710 770 650 640 770

92.9 590 ,740 94.3 690 620 670 660 680 580 540

SWARTHMORE SWARTHMORE [ED] SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY TEMPLE

2 2 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY 1 UNION COLLEGE 5 UNIVERISITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA 2 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (BERKELEY) 3 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (LOS ANGELES) 3

TULANE [EA]

710 730 88.4 640 700 760 600 580 91.1 580 640 81.6 530 590

0 2 80.6 540 700 83 0 88.1 600 700 81.6 0 87.6 580 600 0 80.1 580 590 Q 77 6 80.9 660 730 89.1 0 87.4 700 650

580 610 530 590

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

1 14 11 3 2 1 1

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT [EA] UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD UNIVERSITY OF IOWA UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

4 1 0 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 4 2 5

1 1 1 22

2 0 1 0 1

1 UNIVERSITY OF PITISBURGH 1 UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 6 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCES IN PHILADELPHIA 3 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA (COLUMBIA) 1 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA 1 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 7 UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA 1 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT 5 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 3 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 2 VANDERBILT 1 VASSAR 13 VILLANOVA 6

0 1 4 3 1 1 3 1 3 0 1 0 4 1

VILLANOVA [EA]

VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC

WELLESLEY [ED]

.3 1 4 7 1

1 3 0 0 3 1

WESLEYAN

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

1 1 5 1 25 2

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA (CHAPEL HILL) UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA [ED]

WASHINGTON AND LEE WELLESLEY

WILLIAM & MARY

YORK COLLEGE OF PENNSYLVANIA

630

1 1 6 .3

1 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETIS (AMHERST) [EA] 1 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETIS (BOSTON) 1 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 8 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI [EA] 3 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 6 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN [EA] 2

1 82.3 640 650 0 76 520 540 3 81.6 530 590 80.6 540 700 0 87.4 700 650 87.5 410

5 1 1

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETIS (AMHERST)

WASHINGTON U IN ST. LOUIS

510 540 500 620

2 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 2 1

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

UNIVERSITY OF MJ\RYLAND [EA)

82.3 87.4 89.3 94.9 82 520 69.9 490 82.6 580 620

92.7 80.9 85 87.6 76.4

SUNY- STONY BROOK [EA]

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

94.4 88.2 590 420 83.7 96.4 9(j 710 790 84.9 690 550 81.6 85.3 620 620 83.7 84.3 91.2 87.6 660 720 84.1 87.8 92.2 83.7 78.3

710 750

SUNY-PURCHASE SUNY- STONY BROOK

WILLIAMS COLLEGE WILLIAMS COLLEGE [ED] YALE

5 1 0 2 1 1 1

5 90.6 610 690 0 91.3 630 710

SUNY- PLATISBURGH

'he Clysic September to 10

2 2 1 79.6 6 4 0 82 128 104 26 80.9 1 1 1 76.4 13 3 1 92.5 1 1 1 92.2 19 8 0 83.6 5 4 2 82.6 1 1 1 88.4

0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 17 16 16 7 1 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 42 35 2 3 3 0 1 1 1 133 83 15 2

iii

N.Y. INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

This information on Harris's college acceptances in 2010 can be of assistance where to apply. to those wondering ~

~ t&

600 590 660 540 700 650 600 580

570 520 94.1 730 87.6 580 590 94.3 620 660 87.5 620 78.1 640 700 700 590 96.4 590 670 680 760 89.9 600 670 570 600 93

0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

92.5 89.2 85 87.1 88.7 91.6 94.3 94.3 91.2 94.4

0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

91 720 750 89.2 650 640 88.9 89.9, ~D:i ·70Q ' 91.5 540 640 85 680 760 87.1 800 630 88 670 710 83.8 87.9 670 730 91 680 710 90.1 640 670 88 80 520 570 93.1 93 740 760 95.8

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~ ii.

f-! <(

CIJ

670 760 670 610 720 730 410 630 540 470 730 780 630 700

650 650 640 89.8 640 730 620 95 730 750 620 690 91.3 740 71(') 700 1 80.6 540 700 89.8 630 650 1 87.6 670 610 0 87.6 590 600 0 84.7 600 680 81.6 530 590 0 89.8 640 730 78.1 540 470 0 0 90 720 670 710 690 690 670 800

\'!1

80.6 84.7 87.1 78.1 92.7 94.3 82.7 87.1

540 600 600 540 670 690 580 800

0 0 1 0 0 1 82.8 630 0 1 92.5 700 Q 92.9 680 0 91.2 740 0 87.9 670

700 680 670 470 7,10

620 96 630 630 82.5 90.6 460 92.8 590 92.9 710 80.9 670 85.9

690 770 '\\ t•'ll

11\"\

540 510

670 710 640 ,680 680 710

720 650

710 790 580 680 700 670 740 640 680 710 660 730 680 610

730

0 87.6 670 610 0 3 89.7 600 540 0 93 740 760 1 91.3 700 720 90.4 760 680 0 94.4 800 700 0 89.1 610 640 0 93.8 800 650 96.4 730 780 1 92.9 670 610 1 96.4 740 740 97.7 750 800 0 88.4 530 590

\I -:-

8...... · The Classic .

September 2010

Poll particip,a nts undecided over propio sed Islamic center byEmmaCoun The debate over the 'Ground Zero Mosque' rages on, but 1:0'Wllsemd Hatris studeDts are hargely undeciaed about the issue. The Classic repticate<i a survey done by Quil1J!liipiac Umvel!sity on New York City voters' rfipon.ses to the b:tt"tl<lmg of the Islamic cttl1lurnl eemer dublwed tfle '.Mosque at Ooound Ze.Fo.' A few students had rather passio11ate eo'.tlm'lents on both sines of the iss:ue. One student compare« bEttldmg tke Islamic ovtmral cmer two blocks away fi:om Gl'oud Zero to "pouriJJl;g salt on an open wound.'~ Another smdwt, this 0ae in support of the proposal, sai:d that the brouh~a "reveals the big,o:try and haiFed of Americans.'·' Despi:te lle strengfh..oftltese o}HnioJ!ls, most Harris smde.nts (44% &f the randomly selected 1Oth, 11th and 12th gra<ilers) were undecided or ambivalent about the c:ultmal center, while the Quirmipiac survey of N:ew Yock Ci'ty voters f<>und omy 17% ambivalent. Of Harris stuaents surveyed, 24% were opposed to the @uilding of the center, compared to 52% of New York City voters. More people at Townseru:l feit th'Cy had a very good (12%) or fairly good(48%)un:clerstanding of Islam than did New York City voters, who polled at 10% and 42% respectively. The biggest difference in the results was in response to the question "Do you personaliy know someone who is a Muslim'?'' An overwhelming 91 o/o of Towt1send Harris students surveyed say they know a .Muslim, while just 56% of New York City voters said they did. The ofticil'!-1 name for the 'Mos€J.u:e at Ground Zero' is l ParkS r..·The 'o.nizers of Park.51 plan for it to be a C'Uilhal center, which wo:uld serve the whole connnltnity, much like a YMCA. As of this moment, the plan for the culmral center remains a pla111. The organizers haven't raised etaough money to build it. No general consensus emerges from student comments on this issll:e. One smdeHt in favor of the proposed center :n:oted "it is ironic that our country was built Olil a desire for religious freedom and ignorance is pulling us away from that." Another student in favor pointed out '"'it's not as ifthey were btri;ldmg it at the site [of Groud Zero]." A junior girl stated that ''people have a misconception that all Muslims are terrorists.'' Many students on the other side of the isS'Iife felt that a difference exists between constitutional rights a.nd sensitivity to the issue. A male junior said "You can do a lot of things under the 1st Amendment; does not mean you should.'' Not to mention the many people who thoug:ht the center should be built elsewhere; one junior said, '''building (a mosque] right next to Ground Zero is just obnoxious." Some students also noted ''b:ui:lding the mosque woul-G be a.n insult to the families of9/11 victims.'' And one person opposed to the mosque said, "They lost the right to freedom of expression on Sept. 11, 2001.'' There are many impassioned opinions out there on the 'Ground Zero Mosque,' but the debate does not seem to have reached Townsend Harris &tudents. Many students even wrote "Don't care'' on their surveys. The reason for this is up for specuJ:ation.

Today, I asked for a program change. Everything on my program did change. Everything except what I wanted. MLIT. Today, I brought home my textbooks. My back will never be straight again. MLIT. , Today is the first day of school. Today is the last day of sleep. MLIT. Today, I ran for the first time ... since June. MLIT. Today, I broke a record. Most referrals received on the first day of class. MLIT. Today, I walked into school, totally prepared for the first day of class. The first thing I hear? "Where' s your ID?" MLIT.

Send in your MLITs to thhsclassic@g'mail.com. -· 't

Interested in joining the staff of The Classic? Look for our signs around the school, and send us an email!

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______________________________________________ news

Wild weather tears down tr~es;ber 2010 plows through Queens College 1

At around 5:15 pm on September 16, the sky began to tum green. People commutil},g-h.ome from school noticed the strange level of humidity in the ;::::-:::=:·=====-~-~ air, but not even meteorologists could predict that two tof_!"l:C!_clQ~s ~fl a macrobUrs'fwould touch down on Queens and Brooklyn.: killing one-per~-og ~;l.eaving behind a path of destruction on some blocks, while barely touduiiiothers. Students and faculty faced a treacherous commute the nextme...--rning, the Queens College campus shut down for the day, and everyone-had a story to tell. : i

The -Classfc ··

--.......____

-----~~--=--===--c-

·~

macroburst (n)- an intense gust of wind com-ing down from a storm t-hat is typically more than 2 miles long. The one in that ls~arted in Middle Village and ended up in Forest Hills was misnamed a "microburst" by the: National We~~ber Service, until it was learned -:::::-----==----hat it was 2 Y2 miles long. "The sky was changing colors ... I heard a tree fall down and it felt like the world was coming to an end ... It was like going through a jungle trying to get to school. I had to duck under, jump over and crawl thmugh several trees."

-Kevin Page, sophomore

"This morning [September 17], I was stuck on the Q64.with Ms. Ezquerra for a long time. The bus had to take a detour. I missed ----- most of first band; it was tragic. I was unable to give my AP Latin class the fuii experience. They'II never :recover.''

~ ·-

-Jonathan Owens,- Latin

teache~

"I checked online and of course, Mayor Bloomberg said that he expectea all power outages to be resored by the morning, and schools to be opened. As usual. If they were closed, it would have made my year."

-Nicole Kandinova, junior "I don't think it was a smart decision [for school to be open]. There were trees and branches everywhere, especially on the roads, and it was just too dangerous."

-Kayla Rivera, sophomore

"Volleyball tryouts probably saved m . . . tornado hit. Good thing I didn't 1 y hfe, I was m the gym when the ground and there was [some] fl eda_ve ~arly. I saw trees crashing onto the 00 mg m the lobby." .

-Trina Cheng, freshman "I left track practice at 5-ish, and I was on the Ql2. The bus started shaking, we stopped, and one car hit us. We smelled smoke in the back, and it was an electric wire on fire. Everyone was panicking, but then we started moving."

-Grace Shin, senior

The Queens College tennis bubble was destroyed during the storm. photo by Indira Abiskaroon

"I am a tree bugger. It really hurts me to see the effects ofthe storm."

-Maria Assante, gym teacher

"I was mid-paragraph on a page-long assignment that I had not saved. My house lost power and I lost all my work. I was very upset at this."

-Dimitri Theofanis, sophomore

10 The Classic September 2010

A E tzr tSlell r t te

Inception invadeS . ' mtn " ds viewers tli l'l1JJ.e1 J,t

Comic book world comes alive by Freddy Millan Jr. insanity surrounding the characters. The plot of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is not new The visual effects combine the colorful graphics of in cinema. It goes like this: a boy likes a girl, but the comic books and the vivid animation of video games. girl won't give him the time of day, so the boy tries The movie relies on knowledge of those cultures. to impress her However, the well-choreographed and intense through feats of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World fights with the evil exes, along with the . quick strength, which Directed by Edgar Wright humor, are still very satisfying to those unfamiliar prove his love. One with them. Universal Studios might think that All of the characters are interesting, funny, Rated PG-13 this rather ge;neric well-acted, and complex, each one having a back plot has been done story and reasons behind his or her actions. Even to death, but, as this movie shows, nothing is as simple in moments where they don't speak, you will find the as it seems. characters displaying emotion and death. For example, The story, based on the six-voh1,me comic series by watch the other members of Sex Bob-Omb while they Bryan Lee O'Malley, follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael are in the background of some scenes. The only way to Cera), a Canadian slacker whose band, Sex Bob-Omb, describe it is that they are acting as the leads in their is looking for its big break at a battle of the bands own separate movies, creating unrelated subplots of competition. Scott, who is in his early 10s, is dating their own. 17-year-old high school student Knives Chau (Ellen · The ohly character who may rub viewers the Wong), even though all of his friends tell him that it's · wrong way: is, ironically enough, Scott himself. Some a bad idea to do so. may question some of his actions and choices, but it is Scott enjoys the simplicity of the relationship, and important to keep in mind that a theme of this movie is he and Knives truly seem to be kindred spirits. However, that mistakes aren't always necessarily disastrous. all of this changes when he meets the mysterious Special mention should go to Ellen Wong for Ramona Flowers (Mary . Elizabeth Winstead) at a making Knives, who could have come off as annoying party. He immediately falls in love, almost · and vengeful, a very likeable and sympathetic completely losi.ng interest in his band and character. in Knives as a result. · Scott Pilgrim vs. the The problem is that Ramona World is a salute to the couldn't care less about Scott. nerd and geek world that even those not familiar with it can enjoy. The film's hilarious script, order to date her, he amazing visuals, relatable characters, and great fight " must fir§t. defeat 'h~r seven evh scenes more than make up for its rather slow start. exes in battles Scott Pilgrim even warrants repeat to the death. What follows viewings - even if only to see which of the is a small background gags you didn't catch funny, fast-paced, and the first time. action-packed romp, as attempts to conquer all of the exes and win Ramona's heart. Scott Pilgrim's strongest suits are its script . and visuals. The dialogue somehow manages to seem realistic despite the

by Tra'Cey Wang In case you haven't noticed, Inception, like Regina George from Mean Girls, has garnered a lot of attention and speculation. Inception. How do I even begin t(') describe Inception? Inception is flawless. It's the summer's biggest blockbuster. I hear it had a budget of 160 million dollars. I hear the director, Christopher Nolan, took ten years writing the screenplay. One time, it premiered around the .world, and critics said it was really good. One time, it gave me a headache .. .it was awesome! Directed, written, and produced by Christopher Nolan, this high-stakes Inception thriller, mystery, Christopher Nolan and mind~hender Warner Brothers has rede:ffined the Rated PG-13 idea of a summer action flick. Hold off the mindless violence and "macho lingo'' found in most action :Hlmi; add intricate dream sequences., a talented cast, and intel}i;gent dialogue, and you'll get Inception. The entire plot is to.o complex to describe, and evcen ifl tried, I wouldn't be able to. Here's the gist of it: the protagollist, Cobb (Leonarao DiCaJ1lrio), makes his living as an extractor: he enters into pe(')ple 's stl'bconse.ious thlioll'gh their Glreams and s·teals v:aluable inf(}fillation. Hi:red by a oompetilll;g btl'sinessman (Ken Watanabe), Cobb and his team, comprised of Arthur (Jose~h Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page), and Eames (Tom Hardy), attem;pt to place a thought into tile son of wealthy businessman's (Cillian M'llrphy) mind. Even thoogh d!l:e movie has enoJ~~t.gh car chases ana i.ghts to win ov~ those t:ftirteen-year~old boys in the audience, human emotion is really what .is at the core of tl\is :ftlm. Cobb battles with his past with his deceased wife., Mal (Marion Coti,II·ard), and has to race his l'Olle ill her death. Nolan has made a smart, thriiling, ana comp:lex :H·lm taat warrants rep.eated viewings. The dream sequences are a feast for the eyes. Entire stre.e t blocks are contorted and massive buildings fo·lcl like Lego pieces. While its two hour and twenty-eight minute rymtim.e may be daunting, it's worth it. Go watch this movie. If anything, y(')u'll finally knQw what people have been debating about these past few months. Maybe you can. tell me what happens at the end.

T~~dl!~! 5 later, st~:fu~to~!. 1.~:L,,~!?si~c~re T~}~,~~~ti~t~te~F.o Few film studios have aresum~ as consistently amazing as Pixar. Each movie always seems better than the last, and just when it seems the movies can't get any better, they release their next film. Toy Story 3 is no exception. Toy Story 3 marks the end of the Toy Story trilogy. The first two installments follow sentient toys that go on adventures when their owner is not around. This installment, however, instead deals with what happens when a child outgrows his toys. The story stars cowboy Woody, space ranger Buzz Lightyear, cowgirl Jessie, and a lively cast of toys as they try to cope with their feelings of uselessness when their owner, Andy, is getting ready to head off to college. Due to a misunderstanding, all of toys except Woody, whom Andy plans to take to college with him, think that Andy is going to throw them away. To avoid

look

a seemingly utopian society for toys run by a stuffed back at the original Toy Story and see how far Pixar bear named Lotso. However, all is not as it seems in the has come. Every location is extremely detailed, bright, daycare, and the toys soon realize that they must return and colorful. Many seemingly unimportant characters home to Andy before it's too late. or items later come back and affect the story. No scene This is easily the darkest of the three Toy Story is ever wasted or pointless. movies. The toys' heartbreak and sense of abandonment In the last act, the toys face real peril, and their are not sugar-coated. There is still humor throughout, stoic resignation and determination to face the worst but the movie does To Stor 3 togeth~r is more courageous and stirring than not shy away from D. t d ~ L YU k .t h many an inspirational speech. Even the end does more solemn tones. tree e Y ee n ri c not resort to the cliche Disney happy ending, but During its comedic Disney-Pixar settles on a much more bittersweet note. In short, moments, this Rated G the movies have grown up along with Andy, the movie is hilarious. toys' owner. The jokes in this film are still fresh and original, Only Pixar could make you feel for and relate so showing no signs of becoming a tired franchise. Toy much to toys. Story 3 is very good at making you laugh right before it tugs on your heartstrings.

路~

---------------feature

The Food Chronicles

Journey #1: the ultimate NYC pancake tour

September 2010

by Joshua Solomon One long summer day, I perfected the art of pushing my plate forward- the universal sign for "I'm full." I accomplished this by simply samplin,g the best pancakes in New York City. A friend and I journeyed to the top three pancake-serving restaurants, all in one overly satisfying day. These three places were the ever homey and quaint Upper West Side Sarabeth's West, the hustling and bustling hotspot of Bubby's Pie Company in TriBeCa, and Lower East Side's Clinton St. Baking Company. The adventure started all the way uptown at Sarabeth's West. The restaurant and company, renowned for their jams, also make light and fluffy pancakes, providing ideal superb taste without being overly filling. With friendly service as good as the pancakes to come, our visit was just underway. Our choice was the lemon ricotta pancakes with fresh blueberries and strawberries. This summery pancake had a creamy, luscious, melt-inyour-mouth taste from the ricotta cheese coupled with simply amazing, warm maple syrup. Bubby's Pie Company, located near the First Precinct, is definitely the area's place to go. The decorum yells, "This is where you should be eating," and with farm-grown food, who knows, maybe it will yell at you too. The thick and fluffy pancakes we chose to devour - I mean, attempt to devour - were the special of the day: sourdough wild Maine blueberry pancakes. They were served to us by a friendly but slightly slow waitress, but we were in no rush. Our planners had one thing listed for the day: "PANCAKES." The pancakes arrived in a stack piled 3 high, each the width of a dinner plate. They poured out with blueberries from within the pancakes, a sight to behold: These pancakes, best to be eaten during the winter when craving a hardy meal, started to make us feel like the pancakes themselves: stuffed. After leaving Bubby's and getting off the train, we walked at least 10 blocks while passing and smelling wellknown favorites like Katz's Delicatessen. Although this helped the w~lk to be enjoyable, at times it felt like it was more difficult than Ms. Nix's gym class. But the pain was worth it as arrived at Clinton St. Baking Company. ' ~r Luckily, we did not have to join a queue of the rumored length, but rather one of the lengths of a Katz's sandwiches: much shorter. We took our time 路as we sat down in the famed restaurant that had a greasy-spoon feel, mixed with some class. Our waitress, again in no rush, took our order. We made our final decision of the day to pick the banana walnut pancakes with maple butter. Clinton St., in the same style as Bubby's had delectable bananas within the pancakes. While. ~e_.bananas._ we.re_ce.rtawly better .than. the fruit you may get in the cafeteria, the maple butter was above any comparison to school food. It was the best taste I had all day. Clinton St. had just the right pancakes for me: perfectly-made, traditional, fluffy pancakes that I would not pass up even for an hour wait on a cold wintery day. If we could survive a tornado in order to go to school the next day, without a doubt we could wait an hour for the restaurant voted as having the "Best Pancakes" by New York Magazine. The day would have not been complete without dessert, so I bought a muffin at Clinton St. to end my day of gorging on the best pancakes in New York City.

a napkin from Bubby's, just one of the three pancake sites of the day.

Harry Potter World enchants summer visitors by Hayley Desmond 路 just little magical trinkets to be found "Felix felicis" is a phrase that may everywhere." trigger automatic adjective-declension The bulk of the park is Hogsmeade in the minds of many Harrisites, Village, where visitors can shop at stores but outside of a Latin textbook, it is trimmed with fake snow. Honeydukes, most likely to be found in Universal the candy store, sells chocolate frogs Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans, Potter. The potion, which gives the user amongst other treats. Even muggles temporary luck, is one of many details can find shrunken heads, screaming yofrom J.K. Rowling's best-selling series yos and extendable ears for purchase at Zonko's Joke Shop. brought to life in the theme park. Since its opening this past June, At Olivander's, a shopkeeper /',I' played by a the park has drawn , JiTom snitches to magiprofessional hoards of visitors from I I t th . t multiple countries, c.a P an s~ er~ are JUS actor performs including several httle magical trinkets to be for groups of twenty to Harris students. found everywhere." "An awes0me -Jeffrey Young, junior thirty people part of Harry Potter at a time. A single audience world is the amount of little things you can find," said member is selt~cted to be chosen by a Jeffrey Young, junior. "Ranging from wand. Several mismatched wands are snitches to magical plants, there are first tried, resulting in various magical

misfires, until Olivandermakes the right Potter and the Forbidden Journey," match. This mimics Harry's experience is complete with animated, speaking at the wand shop in the first book of the imagesofthemaincharacters,portrayed series. by the actors from the Harry Potter films, Other stores (,, ' . a Quidditch match, in Hogsmeade Lwould recommend gomg and Dementors. include the Owl a year or two from now, "For the ForbiddenJourney, Post, Filch's when it isn't as crowded." of -Katherine Dominguez, junior the park's biggest Emporium Confiscated attraction, I waited Goods and the Three Broomsticks Inn, 120 minutes in 100+ degree weather. a restaurant serving authentic Harry Halfway through, I nearly fainted, and Potter cuisine, such as pumpkin juice. I witnessed some people collapsing as "A highlight was obviously well," Aleks said. "I would recommend going a butterbeer, which was absolutely wonderful and delicious and everything year or two from now, when it isn't a Harry Potter fan dreams of," noted as crowded," commented 路 Katherine senior Aleks Kus. Dominguez, junior, "so that you can In addition to Hogsmeade, the enjoy more of the park without having Wizarding World of Harry Potter to deal with the hassle of overcrowded contains three rides, with one taking stores and outrageously long lines with passengers through Hogwarts. The very aggressive tourists who haven't virtual tour of the castle, called "Harry even read the books."

The Classic September 2010

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What to expet!t?

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Hawks lace up for Cross-Country season -

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Fall team ca.pta.ins offe·r seas-on p·review Karina Jlain and Emma Ctlurt, Girls' Swimming ·Our geal fer 0ur team is to give Fran~

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cis Lewis and tough competiti0n for the Queens

Bay~de

Ch~ionsmps

and to compete ·'(.. ( ' for City ChamJjliJl on!Wps. We have a lot of work to otto• teac'hlng some of the girls elements they .. 'h ') ···.·

wi:H need in races, rl!tnrlding endurance ,and strength and strategizing for our :meets. We'll ails0 be snre to ha¥e a ton of fun. Ge Turtles.!

by Joshua Solomon The race is on for the Queens Borough Championship for the Boys' Cross Country team. The season officially began on September 21 when the boys' team ran their first meet of the year. They are already focused on winning it all. The cross-country team showed its potential its first, fast paced meet. Both the varsity and the freshmen ran well, showcasing veteran experience and new talent. During the first race of the season Shoaib led the team with a time of 19:52 in the varsity Sk (3.1 miles). Along with his team mates, senior Muhammad Shoaib won an award and set a new personal

record. He· said, "We good team and we have Queens Championships." Senior Emmanuel Daring also finished in the in top 20 for varsity. "I was nervous to see the talent on our team and on the other teams, but for our first meet I was really impressed with the team," Daring said. In the freshmen division, Jack Yuan and Christopher Hu finished fourth and fifth respectively, out of a field of 13. Most of the team hopes to succeed this year by coming together as one cohesive group in this typically solo sport. "It's not how well I run but it's how well the team does," Daring said

finished. Among the meets where the team unity will be important is Queens Frosh/Soph Championships, where the freshmen hope to win many medals. The sophomores will try to defend their Queens Frosh title from last year, this time in the sophomore division. The varsity will be led by Captain Justin Lee and a group of seniors who will run at the Queens Borough Championship at Cunningham Park, October 26, shortly after school. They will be facing public high schools from across Queens, such as rival Francis Lewis. Shoaib commented, "To succeed and enjoy the season, we will all have to work together."

Hawks attack with offensive pressure and ·precise passing by Benjamin Horowitz The boys' Varsity Soccer team won a landslide victory against Richmond Hill on September 20. The team experienced a major change this season when five year coach, Raymond Adamkiewicz stepped down and Matthew Curiale took over as head coach. Coach Curiale has been a youth soccer coach for years and is very positive about the Hawks this year. "It has been a smooth transition because Mr. A has been very helpful to me. We are doing well with our record at 2-2 right now," he said. The Hawks battled one of their division rivals, The Richmond Hill Lions on September 20. Coming off a tough 3-1 loss to Grover Cleveland, the Hawks were determined to make a statement against Richmond Hill. Throughout the game the Hawks executed a confident offensive attack and played tough defense. The constant pressure overpowered Richmond Hill and the Hawks won an impressive 8-0 route. "I think it was the best game that we have played in my four years on the team so far. We played well as a team both offensively and defensively," noted team captain Edward Caraccioli. Senior Edwin Rosendo got the Hawks offense started with a goal within the game's first ten minutes. Caraccioli followed with three goals in a row, kicking two precise shots and executing a header to c0mplete his first hat trick as a Hawk. With a 4-0 lead, the Hawks refused to turn down the pressure. Rosendo scored his second goal of the game and then senior George Surilias scored for the second time this season. "It was the first time we played a consistent game, we passed well and that will be a key to our success," said Surilias. Junior Jason King scored the next Hawk's goal. As the Richmond Hill goalie moved out of position to field the ball,

King slid in and connected for the goal from a difficult comer angle. King hasn't had much playing time the past two seasons but he stepped up and used his speed to capitalize on scoring opportunities in limited action. After scoring his first goal as a Hawk, King added another goal late in the game. Captain Nicholas Lupo had 4 assists in the game and has been a major piece of the team's offense and defense this year. "We defuitely came together as a team. The ball moved much better on offense and our movement off the ball was great. Defensively, communication played a big role in the game and we had much more support in the back of the group. When all the individuals on the team get their jobs done, great things happen for us," Lupo said. The Hawks have a strong group of senior leaders as well as skilled underclassmen who showed that they can make big contributions. Coach Curiale was very pleased with the team's aggressive play on both sides of the ball. After the game Curiale commented, "Our last game was a monumental stepping stone and I am looking forward to more victories like that. The goal is to make the playoffs and go as far as we possibly can while remaining positive throughout the season." ~ames

to watch:

1017I lO Girls Varsity Soccer vs Forest Hills @Kissena Park 10/12/10-10/13/10 Queens Frosh/Soph Champs (Boys and birls Track) 10115/10 Boys Varsity Fencing vs Benjamin Cardozo @TilliS 110/20/10 Boys Varsity Soccer vs HS For Arts and Business@ flushing Meadow 11/1/10 Girls Varsity Swimming vs Bayside @Bayside Pool

Ellie Wu, Kerry M~Enerney, and Jamie Abatemarco, Girls' Track All of our new runners and our returning girls of course are showing a lot of spirit and dedication at practice! Add that to the fact that we ha:ve two of the best coaches around and that the team pushes each other, we think it will be a successful season without a doubt. De:fi;niteiy anxious to see how everyone wll!l do at the fin«l Cross Country meet, city ohattlps. Fingers crossed tor a trip to state cluunpionships! photo by L}'le Weston

photos courtesy of Karina H'ain af!d Emma Court Sean Casey, Boys' F1tneing I want to have

aBNat!ional Rating before the enlil of the season. We lost a let ()f

I, seniors last

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year so it witt "' be tough in the beginning and everyone is gomg to l:utve

to step tl]) and be good cGm,ettti0:t:s. We ar:e g..oing to have t.o work hard at every practice :in order t0 have a successful season.. ph:o:to by Benjamin Ht>ro.witz

'Caroline Egan and Joon Bee Aum, '·G irls' Volleyball This year w-e are red.:f w0:rking on defense. Last yea:r, we made i't to the sooond round of

·the playofJis ana w-e really want to get there and do well again. 13'1 nature, vofleybd is ;a team sport, ana we need to succeed as one ,unit. We

faoeoome Hally good teams in

t0D0zo last year we want t0 make sure te @eat them this year.

photo by L.ylf! Weston

Welles 'l'an1:.er, Bo-ys' Bowling The team looks pronrls~ :ing this year 11.\lad:my because everyone &om ltaSt year is returning for this season. (ltaSt year..·s team did'n 't have an.y seniens). We weullil ltk<e to ma!ke the playoffs,, wniG'h is well wi.t111n tlle realm 0f possibiliicy. .P~rsonall:y, I att1 hoping to ,erform at a high level during every U1atoh t() g:ive onr teatn the best chl,mee to win . photo courtesy ofWefles Tan-zer ''fYler Jlieks, Girls' Bowling I am looking forward to a challenging seas<im and to grow as a teatr~.. Last year we made i~t to the city quarterfinals, and we hope to go even fat'ther this year. Go Hawks.!

rmoro ov LV.te wesr-o