The Classic, Vol 39, No 1, Fall 2022

Classic editors sat down with David Banks, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, to talk about student press freedoms. The chancellor voiced strong support for student journalists.

Go behind the scenes of the S!NG 2023 production and learn about the artists, directors, and tech crew members who made this year’s student-run performance possible. THE

The Girls Varsity Soccer team won the championship game for their PSAL division in November. Read about

their success and other fall athletics victories.

CLASSIC

TOWNSEND HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL AT QUEENS COLLEGE

The price is: write New admissions policy adds writing & video requirements for class of 2027 applicants (page 2) Art by Andy Chen

Girls soccer victorious

New admissions process asks for writing samples and video message, replacing pandemic “lottery” system

By Hana Arafa, Carina Fucich, Isabel Jagsaran, and Sadeea Morshed

Beginning with the graduating class of 2027, admissions to Townsend Harris High School will be determined by a mixture of classroom grades, the submission of two writing samples, and the creation of a video. Grades have a 40% weight on the applicant’s admission and the three screening pieces each have a 20% weight on applications. These standards will replace the previous lottery system instituted at the end of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s term in order to reinstate a more selective system within the Department of Education’s (DOE) guidelines.

Before the pandemic, students were screened through a mixture of state test scores, grades, and attendance. “[This criteria] produced a select group of students who are prepared to begin learning at the pace, depth and level of the way we do it here,” said Principal Brian Condon. However, after COVID hit, the DOE added restrictions to the types of screens that high schools are permitted to implement. With this, attendance and state test scores were no longer able to factor into admissions decisions. For THHS, this led to a lottery system based on grades and the Diversity in Admissions Initiative. Parent Coordinator Jodie Lasoff said that during last year’s cycle, “We ended up having approximately 9600 students apply and the Office of Student Enrollment originally offered seats to 367 ninth graders.”

The lottery system was implemented for both the graduating classes of 2025 and 2026, with the DOE entirely deciding the process and criteria for the class of 2026.

“There was a level of dissatisfaction with students, parents, staff, and the community that this process had been changed with no authentic consultation,” said Principal Condon.

The lottery system also led to overpopulation at THHS. However, Mr. Condon said he does not believe that the new admissions pro-

cess will resolve this issue.

According to Mr. Condon, while the administration was considering what criteria could be established, they often compared THHS’s admissions process to that of Bard High School Early College, which also consists of writing two essays and creating a two minute video.

Mr. Condon said that if the DOE felt it was “good for Bard and [they] let Bard keep it, it should be good for us.”

He and a set of active parents then contacted both the DOE and the superintendent about making this change to the admissions process. “[The superintendent] was extremely responsive and extremely helpful in understanding why we want this and helping us get it,” said Mr. Condon.

While the change was inspired by Bard’s admissions process, the actual writing prompts are identical to Bard’s prompts and the video prompt is similar (but with an Ephebic Oath twist).

The first essay is a literary analysis piece written in response to a speech by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The second piece relates to STEM and asks applicants

to imagine and describe scenarios where they would apply scientific knowledge. One scenario asks students to think of what modern piece of technology they would want with them (and how they would use it) if they were ever

said they felt the process allowed them an opportunity to showcase their abilities. A second student said they considered the process unfair, particularly considering that current THHS students did not need to undergo it.

Mr. Condon said that he believes the writing/video samples are necessary because they will show a certain level of preparedness that is needed for success at THHS, noting that all students have to be ready to take courses at the college level as seniors due to the partnership THHS has with Queens College. “Three years after you walk in the door [of THHS], you go to Queens College. Whether you take the seminar or an elective, that experience is what we are aiming for.”

body.

The new admissions policy came with general encouragement from the parent community, according to Ms. Lasoff. “I don’t have a large enough data sample to be able to speak for all of our families, but from the limited amount of anecdotal evidence I have gathered, these are changes many THHS families support,” said Mrs. Lasoff.

However, some current students see the new admissions requirements in a different light.

Sophomore Chloe Kavanagh said, “Personally, I think that it’s excessive for students to write two essays and a video. I think [that] one essay is enough.”

Similarly, Freshman Sophia Lee said, “Everyone has different strengths. Some students may not be good essay writers and better at other academic work.”

Some have said that the process lends itself to academic dishonesty, allowing parents or other outside contacts to help the eighth grade applicant write stronger materials.

According to Mr. Condon, the school considered having applicants write the essays in person at THHS, but thought that the process would be too difficult for the amount of applicants who would want to apply.

Townsend Harris teachers and administrators will grade the writing samples and video samples between now and mid-January, using a set rubric and a series of model essays standardized by THHS.

The model essays show grades at each possible rubric level and will ensure consistency between graders, Mr. Condon said.

stranded on an island.

The video piece asks students to record them introducing themselves and discussing how they would contribute to the THHS community and (along the lines of the Ephebic Oath) leave it greater than they found it.

The Classic spoke to a small group of eighth grade applicants about the process. Their responses ranged in opinons. One student

Through the online MySchools account that 8th graders use to rank their high school choices, they can access the criteria for the writing/video samples and make their submissions.

A third eighth grader who spoke to The Classic said that their middle school helped them in the application by sending multiple emails to THHS about requirements and disseminating the responses to their student

He said he believes this process will be both fair and help root out any academic dishonesty that might appear: “[We] have been around long enough to know the difference between what a teenager writes and what an adult writes and we have the third verifying factor, which is the video.”

After scoring is done by the THHS faculty, the results go to the DOE to centrally rank the students and then admit them.

A humanities essay and a STEM essay are now required to get into THHS

PHOTO: RENCHHEN LAMA

“Mr. Condon said that he believes the writing/ video samples are necessary because they will show a certain level of preparedness that is needed for success at THHS.”

Students share thoughts on the new admissions process rules

By Reah Joby

This fall, Townsend Harris revealed a new admissions policy that includes two writing samples and a video prompt. This is a departure from previous admissions policies that largely involved a lottery system, and earlier systems that relied on report card grades, standardized test scores, and attendance records. With the requirements now public and available on the school’s official website, many students have been discussing it.

Below are a sampling of thoughts from the student body about the new process.

Senior Maggie Huang: I believe that the admissions policy is necessary. If I was an incoming student, I would still apply and I think that other students would too if they cared enough to want to be admitted in a challenging academic environment. This process is fair considering the fact an individual could have poor grades from middle school and can redeem themselves through the admissions process as a potential Harrisite.

Junior Olivia Wong: I think that the admissions policy is better than the admissions policy before. I would prefer to go through the lottery system to submitting in all that work. It reduces the overcrowding in this school, and gives everyone a fair chance for getting into this school based on their work.

Junior Varune Seecharan: The admissions this time was not good in my opinion because it’s a bit excessive. There would be a lot of work to go through, which brings up the question if they will even go through them all? If I was an incoming student I’d probably still apply to this school, because of the dis-

tance. I think that it’s a bit unfair to the students who don’t really have the time to submit all this work, but I do understand why they implemented it.

Sophomore Anton Rud: I think admissions should be based entirely on merit, your grades, abilities, and what you can add to the school community. It is disappointing that course grades represent only 40% of the admissions criteria, given Townsend Harris’s academic excellence. A short video clip is not proof of any academic or extracurricular achievements, and the only factors that can be used to predict success at THHS are middle school GPA, math and science state test scores, teacher recommendation letters, and humanities writing. The new admissions system is not fairer, it’s just more complicated.

Sophomore Aastha Patel: If I were an incoming student I would still apply to THHS because Townsend is a really good school and it has a lot of resources. The admission policy still values the grades that students achieved, and it is 40% which is I think pretty good. About the other parts of writing, I think it is extra work but it is worth it since THHS is humanities-based school. They need to see if incoming students are interested in it or not. This process allows students to showcase who they really are.

Freshman Yugesh Kumar: The new admissions policy seems a bit much for incoming students to do. I think that this is better than the lottery that was done, because you get in based on your personality. The hypothetical isn’t really needed, in my opinion, because it doesn’t really tell much. I think the new policy is pretty fair.

THHS welcomes prospective class of 2027 students at Open House

On November 10, Townsend Harris held an in-person open house for students interested in applying to the school.

In order to run the event, many current students volunteered to take the prospective students and their families on tours around the school, speaking on behalf of all that THHS has to offer.

All of the school’s classes, clubs, and other activities were put on display for visitors to learn more about, giving deeper insight into the experience of a Harrisite.

Coordinator of Student Activities Jaime Baranoff said, “Prospective students get such a whirlwind tour that it must be difficult for them to truly grasp how wonderful our academic, extracurricular, and athletic programs are, [as well as] our beautiful community.

“But in meeting and speaking with students, staff members, faculty, and administrators, they can at least experience how special our ‘Townsend people’ are.”

Due to health risks in the past few years, prospective students who attended virtual open houses during the pandemic were not able to get a true feel of the school community. Junior Kristin Lai said, “[The virtual open house was] definitely not as personal or intimate as in-person… It allows for you to talk to a [current]student and hear their personal experience, as well as see the school with your own eyes.”

Senior Class Advisor Blayne Gelbman said, “I think [the open house]

gives us the opportunity to shine a light, even if brief, on how well this school serves our students and that anyone admitted here is lucky to have [such an incredible] opportunity.” The open house was also beneficial for current Harrisites, tour guides said, allowing them to collaborate and work together to provide prospective students the best visit possible.

“The open house [also] reminds students of what makes our school so great and boosts school spirit,” said Kristin.

By Diana Piergrossi

“I think that it’s a bit unfair to the students who don’t really have the time to submit all this work, but I do understand why they implemented it.”

After using a lottery admissions system due to DOE policy, THHS is changing its admissions policies for next year’s freshmen.

PHOTO: KATHERINE LIAN

Many students volunteered to introduce THHS to the Class of 2027

PHOTO: JANAYA SYDNEY

Kweller Prep 2023

SAT SUMMER CAMP!

June 28, 2023 - August 10, 2023

College Entrance Exam Prep for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th Graders

Students can join the summer after 9 th , 10 th , or 11 th grade

Class 1: Practice Test 1 (Wednesday, June 28 )

Class 2: Reading Review (Thursday, June 29 )

No Classes: Monday, July 3

No Classes: Tuesday, July 4

Class 3: Math Review (Wednesday, July 5 )

Class 4: Grammar Review (Thursday, July 6)

Class 5: Practice Test 2 (Monday, July 10 )

Class 6: Reading Review (Tuesday, July 11)

Class 7: Math Review (Wednesday, July 12 )

Class 8: Grammar Review (Thursday, July 13 )

Class 9: Practice Test 3 (Monday, July 17 )

Class 10: Reading Review (Tuesday, July 18 )

Class 11: Math Review (Wednesday, July 19 )

Class 12: Grammar Review (Thursday, July 20)

Class 13: Practice Test 4 (Monday, July 24)

Class 14: Reading Review (Tuesday, July 25)

Class 15: Math Review (Wednesday, July 26)

Class 16: Grammar Review (Thur, July 27)

Class 17: Practice Test 5 (Monday, July 31 )

Class 18: Reading Review (Tues, August 1)

Class 19: Math Review (Wed, August 2)

Class 20: Grammar Review (Thur, August 3)

Class 21: Practice Test 6 (Monday, August 7)

Class 22: Reading Review (Tues, August 8)

Class 23: Math Review (Wed, August 9)

Class 24: Grammar Review (Thur, August 10)

Harrisites talk Spirit Week

By Defne Kaygisiz

Last week, Harrisites spent the days leading up to Founders’ Day participating in a series of themed days designed to encourage school spirit. With Halloween on a Monday, the week began with lots of costumes and ended, as is tradition, with the formal dress students wear to attend the Founders’ Day ceremony in Colden Auditorium.

Jaime Baranoff, Coordinator of Student Activities and Social Studies teacher, announced this year’s themes. Monday was Halloween/costume day, Tuesday was twin day, Wednesday was country vs country club day, and Thursday was pajama day (changed from the initial plan of “Adam Sandler day”).

Student Union members played a key role in proposing and selecting the themes for each day.

“We created a suggestion form, shared it with our senators, and filed through their submissions,” Junior Class President Hellen Oliveira said. “We looked for the most recurring suggestions and chose those as this week’s themes.”

SU Vice President (and Editor-in-Chief of The Classic) Kate Estevez said, “It’s always tough to make days for Spirit Week because we want to be original while making sure everyone enjoys the days.”

Senior Class President (and Classic Features editor) Benjamin Babayev was most excited by the ad-

dition of “country vs. country club day,” which encouraged students to dress either in outfits straight out of a Western or those seen for a day at an upscale club.

“It is a new theme we have never done before,” Benjamin said. Nonetheless, he said twin day remains his favorite “because [he is] a twin.”

Students shared their thoughts on the creative outfits their peers came dressed in.

“You got to see everyone in their spooky outfits on Halloween,” senior Nicole Chen said. “More than that, it was a day we could relax and wear what we want without any societal constraints or anyone looking at us weirdly and making us feel out of place.”

“I put a lot of effort into my outfit and spent a lot of time making it perfect,” sophomore Vee Shupty said.

“I even painted my shoes and shirt. I loved seeing all the costumes. I especially love ridiculous ones. Some guy was dressed as a shark — those inflatables from Amazon — and I loved it.”

Discussing pajama day, junior Prisye Johnson said, “You just get to wear what you are comfortable with in school. Also, a lot of people are unintentionally matching and that’s really fun to see. The only hard part is staying awake.”

“I can never pick a favorite Spirit Week day,” sophomore Justin Chin said. “I am excited to see all of them play out in their unique ways.”

Perhaps the only costumes to go beyond Spirit Week were those worn throughout the week and into today by Election Simulation candidates, who campaigned in character throughout the final week and held their candidates debate on Wednesday. With Spirit Week ending last Friday, voting for the Simulation is now going on, bringing two Townsend Harris traditions to a close for the fall semester.

By Nilla Wahab

After a PupilPath data breach that impacted 800,000 students from more than 560 schools in early 2022, the NYC Department of Education banned the system’s use in city public schools at the end of the last school year. Days before

ever seem to be up and fully functional… I’m hoping this is all temporary and the system improves in the coming months.”

English teacher Christine Duffy said that the gradebook lacks key features. “It doesn’t

nus credit).

Teachers can change the weight of those assignments (and the grading categories they appear in). However, according to Ms. Duffy, other features common in online gradebooks like setting up custom

parent facing information to support student learning.”

Parent Coordinator Ms. Lasoff said that another feature is the security in the system, providing students with the ability to “set up security questions and create a PIN #” for their accounts in the situation that their password expires.

In its beta stages, the new gradebook was developed using input from more than 500 schools, including Townsend Harris, and has undergone demo testing with a number of teachers and principals throughout New York City since March.

ing, however, I’m unaware whether all teachers were provided with the opportunity… The asynchronous training on Infohub was released September 8th so teachers are slowly learning as they go along.”

Although use of this new program, released in late August, is not mandatory, schools still need to undergo a process selecting new gradebooks to ensure security standards are met. Assistant Principal of Organization Ellen Fee said, “We won’t be able to purchase a separate gradebook system unless the DOE checks its privacy capabilities.”

the start of this school year, the DOE launched its own online gradebook system and made it available for teachers to begin learning how to navigate it.

The system is free for schools to use, but so far, Townsend Harris teachers have not had much praise for it.

“It really does suck right now,” Physical Education teacher Jamal Bermudez said. “The new system is clunky, difficult to navigate, [and] doesn’t

have the ability to alter points for assignments or change weights outside of a few limited options,” she said.

In other words, because the system requires schools to set a grading scale for the whole scale, it then requires every assignment to be put in according to that scale, so a homework, a quiz, and a test, each must be input out of 100 points (and cannot exceed 100 points if a teacher wants to offer bo-

marks like “missing” or “excused” for assignments, are unavailable.

According to the DOE’s website, the new system will ensure that parents and students have to navigate between fewer online information systems.

The new software includes attendance and messaging in addition to the gradebook, which the DOE website describes as a “true one stop for

Teachers received emails in August consisting of instructions on how to operate the new product. They were also invited to live remote sessions for information in the absence of formal in-person training sessions at their schools. Ms. Duffy said, “The trainings are pointless when the product isn’t functional.”

Ms. Lasoff added, “There was a technology summit in August where teachers were able to participate in live train-

This, alongside the fact that this gradebook is free of cost, may make the product a regular feature in the lives of students and teachers.

As of now, teachers have access to the gradebook but students and families cannot yet see their grades online.

According to a DOE FAQ shared with teachers and administrators, families and students “will be able to view their assignments and assignmentlevel grades” starting on October 17.

After PupilPath ban, DOE released its own gradebook platform; here’s what teachers are saying about it

Seniors won the hallway decorating contest this year

PHOTO: ERICA LEE

“The new system is clunky, difficult to navigate, [and] doesn’t ever seem to be up and fully functional… I’m hoping this is all temporary and the system improves in the coming months,” said Physical Education teacher Jamal Bermudez.

At student press event, NYC Chancellor voices support for student journalists

and curricula

By Kate Estevez and Janna Habibulla

During a roundtable event held last week at Tweed Courthouse, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks took questions from student journalists across the city. In response to questions from The Classic about the elimination of a Nebraska high school journalism program and a wave of restrictions being imposed on subject matter in classrooms across the country, the chancellor expressed support for the rights of student journalists.

Last spring, a high school newspaper located in Grand Island, Nebraska was shut down after students published an issue featuring three pieces on LGBTQ+ topics. The closing of the paper at Northwest High School, after 54 years of publication, made headlines across the country at a time when numerous states are proposing and passing legislation largely on how LGBTQ+ and race-related topics can be taught in schools.

“I stand for freedom of expression for student journalists here and all across the country,” Chancellor Banks said when asked by The Classic about the Nebraska High School paper. “Education should always be about hearing varying points of views whether you agree with [them] or disagree with [them]. You may not be supportive of the LGBTQ community in your own personal space…but to say we can’t even have a series where we’re talking about those issues is completely wrong.”

In an hour-long discussion with student journalists from schools across the city such as Midwood High School, The Clinton School, and The Urban Assembly for Media Studies, the chancellor repeatedly voiced support for the rights of student journalists and denounced the censorship of student newspapers. Seated alongside multiple students in a Tweed conference room, he spoke fondly of his own experiences feeling valued for his voice as a student government leader at

Hillcrest High School. He also emphasized the importance of student voice from a principal’s perspective, reminiscing about changes he made based on student suggestions during his time as principal of the Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx.

Regarding student journalism, Chancellor Banks said that administrators should not intervene in student reporting unless that reporting were to shut down a class or impede another student’s ability to get an education.

“There should not be decisions that are made that violate your constitutional rights,” he said, noting that student newspapers often play an important role by finding stories that raise awareness about problematic issues within a school. Articles that are “very critical of the school administration” do not provide administrators with a legitimate reason to stop students from expressing their voices, he said.

Student journalists at the Northwest High School Viking Saga newspaper were told in April 2022 that they were required to use student names given at birth in articles. In June, the journalists of the Viking Saga published three articles related to LGBTQ+ topics: an opinion piece on Florida’s socalled “Don’t Say Gay” bill, an opinion piece called “Science of Gender,” and an article on the history of Pride month. The front page also featured two rainbows. The district shut down the school newspaper after the publication of this issue.

Zach Mader, vice president of the Northwest Public Schools board in Nebraska, told The Grand Island Independent, that “there have been talks of doing away with our news if we were not going to be able to control content that we saw [as] inappropriate.” Mr. Madar also explained the apparent reason for the Saga’s demise: “The very last issue that came out this year, there was… a little bit of hostility amongst some. There were editorials that were essentially, I guess what I would say, LGBTQ.”

Superintendent of Northwest Public Schools Jeffrey Edwards did not return a request for comment from The Classic.

“Unfortunately you’re seeing a lot of that across America,” Chancellor Banks said at the student roundtable, referring to school districts deciding that certain topics should be kept out of schools. “And so I feel challenged in this time and space. I feel like in many ways we’re kind of going backwards as a nation on issues. But the only way forward is for young people to continue to push.”

The chancellor referred to widespread news of recent bans on books and curriculum in numerous states as “deeply problematic.”

In an interview with The Classic, Hillary Davis, Advocacy and Organizing Director of the Student Press Law Center, said, “Nebraska is not an isolated case, not by any means. Censorship has been a problem in schools across the country for now almost 35 years, ever since the Hazelwood decision of 1988. We have always seen this subjective censorship that is based entirely on the concerns and whims of an administrator.”

The 1988 Hazelwood Supreme Court case upheld a decision by administrators at a Missouri high school to censor two stories from a student newspaper and has set the standard for administrative oversight of school publications ever since.

According to the decision, administrators can exercise “editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored [publications] so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.”

What counts as a “legitimate pedagogical concern” has been interpreted in numerous ways, and as result, 16 states have since passed legislation to clarify the 1988 standard and explicitly protect students’ First Amendment rights.

Though the chancellor voiced support for New York City journalists, New York is not one of these 16 states.

THHS Japan Bowl winners earn trip to Japan, meet with princess of the Japanese Imperial Family

By JK Rajjo

In April 2022, THHS alumni Daniel Song, Monica Yang, and Betty Guo, Class of 2022, competed in this year’s Japan Bowl and placed second as a level four team, the most difficult level of the competition. In June, according to Japanese teacher Mariko Sato, the THHS level four team received an invitation for a fully funded trip to Japan through the Japanese government’s Kakehashi (Bridge) Program.

Offered for the team’s success at Japan Bowl, the program provided the alumni with a weeklong itinerary of cultural experiences around the Tokyo metropolitan area and other prefectures of Japan this past summer. During the trip, the group met with Princess Takamado, a member of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Daniel said, “We got up very early every day to prepare ourselves for breakfast and the day ahead. My favorite places were those that involved lots of nature — [such as] Kenroku-en garden (one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan) and Shirakawa-Go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On our trips, we also made a few ‘courtesy calls’ to many important figures in Japan,” he continued. “Most notably, we met with Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado, who was such a pleasure to speak to. I was also able to try many Japanese snacks and sweets, ranging from a blueberry cheesecake ice-cream I got from a vending machine in Kanagawa Prefecture, to an exclusive pastry served by private chefs to the Imperial Family.”

“I loved shopping in Akihabara and Harajuku, since the places were so big and there were so many things to explore. I also loved going to the Meiji Shrine, Kanazawa Castle, and Shirakawa-go.

“The scenery was extremely beautiful and I would love to go back again. We had delicious Japanese cuisine for every meal and all of them were so good that after coming back to America, the food here seems bland in comparison,” said Monica.

Betty said, “My favorite experience was going to Kenroku-en. Kenroku-en is known as one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, and even though I knew of this before I entered the garden, the scenery still greatly surpassed my expectations. I was able to learn a lot of new things from the trip [and they] broadened my perspective of the world even more.”

Dr. Mariko Sato-Berger, coach of the Japan Bowl team and Japanese teacher, felt proud of Daniel, Monica, and Betty’s accomplishments in the Japan Bowl saying, “They all worked extremely hard for the Japan Bowl in the past three years. They deserve to experience Japan first-hand after learning so much about it.”

Daniel said, “I used to think that I would get easily bored outside of cities, but this trip has taught me otherwise. I was able to experience places that existed outside of the usual tourist destinations, like those in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Sapporo… I was very moved. I had a newfound appreciation for the site beyond what I could get from just reading about it on Wikipedia. In fact, it [were] these smaller areas that are my favorite parts of my trip.”

“There wasn’t any day during my one-week trip that was typical. Every day was different and full of new experiences,” said Monica.

amidst nationwide clashes over book banning, censorship,

Senior Janna Habibulla (left) interviews Chancellor Banks at a roundtable PHOTO: BRIAN SWEENEY

A look behind the scenes at the S!NG 2023 show

The Semores proved victorious this year, ensuring that the Class of 2023 has won two years in a row. In the months leading up to S!NG’s November performances, both teams worked hard to make sure that the shows were each as professional as possible. Here are two articles The Classic published that looked behind the scenes at the production of this year’s S!NG.

Backdrop artists discuss their craft

By Jasmyn Pillay, Thaseena Anjum, Sophia Aponte, Mariam Ahmed, Amina Asad

ones that made it all possible. I really don’t think that I have it in me to think up something as brilliant as they did.”

Junior Christina Watkins said, “the directors were literally awesome even though they were super stressed out.”

“

Last month’s S!NG performances resulted with a victory for the Semores once all the votes were tallied. The results reflect the work of not just the actors and directors but that of choreographers, musicians, writers, and more. One department that always stands out, however, is the art department, which is charged with bringing visuals in the script to life and producing an enormous painted backdrop for each respective show.

The original brainstorming process was pretty smooth sailing, especially because there were only five of us. We just read through the script and gave each other any ideas that came to mind.”

This year, the Semores decided to switch up their color palette from last year. “When we were reading the script, we were getting a lot of Tangled vibes for the backdrop, so there were a lot of purples and yellows. Our backdrop last year was very dark and dull because of our show theme, so this year we wanted to use more vibrant, fun colors,” said Zoe.

The Freshiors worked to bring the mythical Mount Olympus from their plot to life.

The directors of the art department of the Freshior team included juniors Alyssa Shim, Anna Sokol and Jackie Singhnani. Seniors Mary Kirk, Zoe Chen, Emily Li, Stacey Chen and Estella Chan were the Semore art directors.

Alyssa said, “The brainstorming process was kind of hectic, to be honest. The ideas came to mind pretty easily, I think, but it was just a matter of hearing each other and just compromising.” She said that the directors simply wanted to “make sure the vision [of the overall directors] was being brought to life.”

For the Semores’ side, Zoe said, “The original brainstorming process was pretty smooth sailing, especially because there were only five of us. We just read through the script and gave each other any ideas that came to mind.”

Sophomore Apurbo Haider said, “the art directors came up with a design that us crew members helped bring to life.” To be honest [coming up with the designs] was more of the Directors’ thing. They were the

“The backdrop was supposed to resemble Olympus with a plethora of buildings adorning the mountains behind it,” Alyssa said.

Each of the artists had their personal favorites from the backdrops. Alyssa loved “seeing the underworld river of Styx flat come to life.” For Apurbo, one particular scene stood out: “Definitely the backdrops in Siobhan’s home. [There] was so much detail and I love the eery, dark magician feel it gives off. Perfect for the character.”

Junior Tasneem Rahman said “I really enjoyed having that creative freedom to design and paint different kinds of houses that fit the theme.”

Zoe added that she was always amazed by how the smallest details could make the biggest difference and noted “how it all slowly, but surely came together.” Mary said, “The small details were so much fun. I saw real growth and talent within the art department this year, and it’s just so evident when you look closely at our backdrop.”

Many S!NG art department members commented that the burnout was getting real by re-

Robyn of the Semores becoming the Prince of Wales.

ferring to the last week before the opening show as ‘hell week.’

“Hell week was truly, well, HELL week. I struggled with keeping my academics afloat while being consistent with coming to S!NG,” Sophomore Shamonti Shamim said.

“Hell Week was just the worst,” said Apurbo. “For performers, they could simply do their work in between scenes when they weren’t on stage. But for us, [art members], we were constantly working on touching things up and adding details to our pieces. There wasn’t much time to get school work done.”

Managing S!NG and school has always been a struggle for students but many students described the final result as rewarding. Christina said, “[I] loved how everyone worked together to make such beautiful art even [though] everyone [was] stressed.” Zoe said, “Because we are all seniors, we also have college applications to do, so a lot of us had to take breaks, especially when the [early decision] and [early action] deadlines came up. A lot of us also had our QC elective classes after school, so it was hard for all of us to be there for the S!NG [meetings].”

Both teams’ art departments shared how much being a part of the S!NG community means to them. Alyssa said, “I am really thankful for them and without them, there would be no art.” Mary shared how much she “appreciates the recognition [the art department] got from other departments because [they’ve] worked really hard to get this done.”

All photos by Chayti Biswas, Steven Jara, Erica Lee, Katherine Lian, Kaiden Martin, and Lucas Parris. Top right: One of the supervisors (left) and one of the overall directors (right) of the Freshiors. Middle left: The climax of the Semores performance where the King (left) confronts Blanche (right). Middle right: Hermes introducing Zeus in the Freshiors show. Bottom left: The opening dance of the Semores. Bottom right: Oliver of the Freshiors in the Underworld.

2023 S!NG overall directors look back at their productions

By Farah Rahimzada

As S!NG 2023 came to a close with the Semores announced as the winners on Saturday, November 19th, the fruits of countless hours spent by the hundreds of students who have honed their performances over the past few months were finally showcased. Bringing it all together were the overall directors for each team, who spoke to The Classic about their experiences working on their respective shows.

Over the summer, the Semores overalls met nearly every day for two to three hours to prepare the script and other materials for the

biggest one for us as overalls [was] pouring the necessary time into the production.”

“There are a number of tasks that one wouldn’t even think of when imagining our directorial duties, such as ordering costumes or planning fundraisers,” Elliot said. “Fortunately, many of our other directors graciously take over duties for some of those.”

The other Semores overall director, Kristen Song, said, “We worked with around the same cast of actors for these two years, and they truly amaze me with how much they’ve grown. As passionate as they were since the beginning of our journey,

Rachel Chan, one of the overall directors for the Freshiors, said, “I believe that S!NG developed a way for me to broaden my perspectives on developing a story. The contrasting opinions from the people around us showed me that there was more than one way to portray a particular line, mood, or action to elevate it, [such as] lighting and music.”

Highlighting a sometimes forgotten yet key group in the production, Rachel said, “In particular, I truly appreciate how THHS Tech Crew helped us through our scenes as they provided suggestions for what we wanted to describe. The lights available in the school aren’t the most high-tech, but their help showed us what was possible to isolate our characters for certain scenes.”

“We worked with around the same cast of actors for these two years, and they truly amaze me with how much they’ve grown. As passionate as they were since the beginning of our journey, they’ve only improved with each rehearsal and grown comfortable on the stage.”

fall. Once rehearsal season began, their time after school was fully occupied by the production. Semores overall director (and Classic Editorin-Chief) Elliot Heath said, “Kristen [Song] and I [faced] a number of challenges as directors. I think the

they’ve only improved with each rehearsal and grown comfortable on the stage.”

On the opposing team, the Freshiors have three overall directors and reported facing similar challenges to the Semores.

“I believe that being a part of S!NG positively influenced my experience at THHS,” said Freshiors overall director Franxalier Causapin. “As a transferee, I didn’t know anyone during my sophomore year, but being a part of S!NG made it so much easier for me to make friends and adjust to THHS.”

The other Freshiors director, Mikolas Taveras, said, “As for how I became an overall director, that mystery is left with our predecessors, since they appointed us [to]

the job. I took the role because, in all honesty, I love S!NG and the community it creates, and when given the opportunity to create something magical with [this community], I jumped at it.”

In their speech proceeding the Saturday night show, Elliot and Kristen announced that their succeeding overall directors, who will lead the Freshiors team as juniors next year, will be sophomores Katie Chan and Joshua Chung. Rachel, Franxalier, and Mikolas will continue on and become next year’s Semore directors.

The pictures on these two pages are all from S!NG 2023. These photos were taken by Chayti Biswas, Steven Jara, Erica Lee, Katherine Lian, Kaiden Martin, and Lucas Parris. On this page, pictured below, The Semores winning S!NG 2023. On the page opposite: Top right: The contemporary lift of the Freshiors. Middle right: The members of the tech crew. Bottom right: The dance battle of the Semores.

The tech crew that makes key S!NG moments possible

By Emma Lee

Last month, S!NG concluded with the traditional revelation of the winning team by way of the screen at the center of the stage.

It is, however, the work of Townsend Harris High School’s Tech Crew that makes this cherished moment possible.

On the balcony in the back of the auditorium, a team of students has everything ready to go to ensure the winner is released in dramatic fashion.

This is the culmination of months of work by not just the students performing in S!NG but the Tech Crew itself that helps make each show possible.

The Classic spoke to the members of this team to learn more about how they get S!NG ready for audiences and what other projects they support throughout the year.

Senior Brian Judge is the president of the Tech Crew. He oversees the departments of sound, stage lighting, and projection. Brian said that while he’s in charge of the team, he’s interested in lighting most of all.

“I do help out more with stage lighting as it’s one of my stronger fields,” he said.

The lighting tech members help directors write cues and make sure spotlight and lighting cues go smoothly.

If the president works most with lighting, the Tech Crew’s Vice President, Junior Abby Chang, is all about sound.

In the sound department, members mic up actors, make sure everyone is heard, make sure there isn’t feedback, and play sound effects.

“There are a lot of components to tech,” Abby said. “It requires a lot of work and time to make sure everything goes smoothly. I always try my hardest to make everything perfect.”

As for that dramatic moment when the S!NG winners are revealed, there’s more to it than might meet the eye. The members of the Tech Crew are among the first in the school to be notified of the winners.

During S!NG 2020, there was an unfortunate event where the winner was accidentally revealed before the countdown, spoiling the surprise.

To avoid such a mishap again, the crew creates two countdown videos, one that leads to a Semore victory and one that leads to a Freshior victory and they make sure to run the winning video only.

Since that system worked so well previously, they did it again this year.

Once told which team won, they get the video ready and put it on standby until the time is right, giving them one of the most important jobs in this production.

Although members of Tech Crew said they enjoy their job, there are many challenges members face during performances and shows.

Sophomore Kyle Zheng said, “The hardest part of Tech Crew is the amount of work that we have to do to keep up with everyone’s needs. Sometimes at the start of rehearsal it’s pure chaos, trying to get everyone mic’d up and making sure everything is in place. The actual work isn’t too hard depending on what you do, so it’s mostly us trying to keep up with everything that’s the hardest.”

Brian said, “I think the hardest part in the Tech Crew is staying very late after school. For the [last] few weeks [of S!NG], we have stayed back late to cater to both teams for S!NG. Now, for me personally, I’m used to staying back late because I have been doing it since my Freshman year when I first joined Tech, and I did it during my Junior year as well. However, this year, we have stayed back late on more days, come in on Saturdays, and have come in on off days/holidays as well.”

Beyond S!NG, the Tech Crew works at FON, the spring musical, concerts, movie nights, award ceremonies, Keeper’s Day, senior meetings, Key Club meetings, Election Sim debates, and more.

When at these events, turning one’s attention from the stage back to the balcony a familiar sight will usually reveal a familiar sight: members of the tech crew hard at work making what’s on the stage possible.

OPINION: Team gym should be reinstated

Upon receiving programs for the 2022-2023 school year, many student-athletes were puzzled to find that team gym was no longer part of their schedule. In previous years, upperclassmen at Townsend Harris who partook in three PSAL sports across each season of the school year were able to enroll in “team gym.” Since these students were at a sport each day after school, they had a free band during the school day when they would normally be in a physical education class. Unsurprisingly, the removal of team gym has recently sparked significant controversy among the student athlete community.

Between frequent practices and lengthy physically exerting competitions, participating in a PSAL sport is profoundly taxing on a student’s time. Senior Natalia Ramlogan, a three-sport athlete, said “Being on a sports team year-round is especially demanding. Last year team gym allowed me to get all of my work done and destress before practice. This year it would’ve helped me even more because I have so much school work, like college applications and [the] election simulation.” Taking away team gym has eliminated important free time from athletes’ already hectic schedules.

Senior Aissatou Lam, a member of the Girls Volleyball team, said “A free [band] instead of physical education would be very beneficial because it would give me more time to focus on my Queens College classes or catch up on any studying or classwork.”

Team gym allowed student athletes to devote more time not only to academics, but also to other commitments such as clubs, internships, and jobs.

Junior Anila Tinaj, who is part of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team, said that

“Athletes are working out and doing their sport for over two hours a day. Three-sport athletes 100 percent deserve team gym due to their dedication and hard work to three separate teams. Many of them get home late because of their sport and a free period would help them get ahead on work and study so that they have less of a burden when they get home.”

Throughout my freshman and sophomore years, I was looking forward to the prospect of having team gym and free time in my schedule.

At the beginning of junior year, it was disheartening to see that not only was there no team gym, but I would also have to take a zero band PE class due to lack of availability in my schedule. Going to school early and returning home late due to sports practices every day is draining and leaves little time for completing homework.

Having team gym would both help alleviate stress for athletes and make programming easier for students and administrators.

The empty slot on students’ schedules would give students more freedom to take desired classes without the burden of a zero band class.

The SU 2022-2023 FAQ Document states that team gym would not be administered this year because “PE is an important activity every day during school. Research shows that two components, good nutrition and physical acti-

vity before, during, and after the school day, are strongly correlated with positive student outcomes.” But undoubtedly, student athletes are already sufficiently exercising every day.

A multitude of THHS athletes play club sports in addition to PSAL sports, and the additional hours spent exercising can be physically taxing. Track athlete Emma Cheng said that “team gym would have served as a way to ensure student athletes weren’t overexerting themselves when participating in sports, which can be physically and mentally stressful. Excessive physical activity can lead to injury as well.”

Team gym was also discontinued due to the high number of physical education teachers.

According to Assistant Principal Ellen Fee, “Team Gym started as a class when we lost one of our PE teachers (about ten years ago) to retirement and had fewer PE classes…we now have 7 full-time PE teachers and

By Audrey Lin

therefore increased the number of PE classes available for students.” However, despite the increased availability of PE classes to students, gym classes remain overcrowded, with most bands accommodating three gym classes that must be divided across different parts of the THHS campus.

With winter inching closer, the outdoor track will no longer be an option for classes that may need to fit scores of students in the available indoor space.

Playing sports year-round is difficult to manage as a student, so considering that these athletes are already getting ample exercise daily, it would be greatly more convenient to have a free period rather than an unnecessary physical education class.

Even though team gym was taken away for logistical reasons, it should be reinstituted to relieve stress on athletes and enable them to thrive academically, mentally, and physically.

By

On Tuesday, August 12, the Department of Education (DOE) revealed its new plans regarding COVID guidelines and health protocols for the upcoming school year.

The daily health screenings that staff and students had to fill out before entering the building are no longer required.

While masks are “strongly recommended to be worn indoors,” according to the DOE, they will only be necessary for individuals who return to the building six days after testing positive until the tenth day.

The vaccination requirements for students who participate in “high-risk extracurricular activities, including high-risk PSAL sports” will still be mandated for any school visitors and DOE employees.

All school buildings will continue to be cleaned regularly and air purifiers will be placed in every classroom to ensure safety and ventilation.

Students will also no longer be able to receive random in-school PCR testing. Instead, schools will offer at-home test kits to those who may have been exposed to COVID in school and tho-

se showing symptoms.

An additional four tests per month will be given to each staff and student to utilize at home.

Student Opinions:

Ayoub Ayoub, Sophomore:

“A lot of people consider COVID to be over, which I partly agree with. Personally, I don’t wear masks unless I am in a high-risk area or a high-population area, which I think should be somewhat implemented in schools.

The health screening was always useless.

I think [these changes will help to] progress our school year into a more normal high school experience, which is what I think the majority of [students] want.”

Jazlyn Lyric Febles, Freshman:

“I agree with the DOE [protocol changes] because unless COVID gets atrocious, with everyone’s vaccines I don’t see why there’s a problem with not having to wear a mask.

I think it’s great we will have the choice.”

Hailey Phuntsok, Sophomore:

“The DOE making masks optional is great because you can choose whether or not you want to wear one but I personally feel like it would be better to have masks mandatory just to be safe.

The health screening was a great

way to check if it was safe for someone to be in the building but it did take quite a while to get inside the school, so no longer [requiring] it may be more efficient.”

Rabtah Jinan, Junior:

“I think we eventually needed a way to shift back to not wearing masks and I just wish there would be more transparency and a requirement for masks in the case of new COVID surges. With the DOE taking off mask mandates and shortening quarantine time, I think the vaccines are needed to lessen the spread of COVID [when participating in high-risk extracurriculars].”

Abhijot Saini, Senior:

“As we’re slowly recovering from this pandemic, I think it’s really important that we don’t rush anything. I think it’s crucial to make everyone in our community feel comfortable, whether that be with or without wearing masks.

I don’t believe that we should totally move on from the COVID-19 protocols because it’s important that we still keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.”

A roundup of opinions on new COVID guidelines instituted by the DOE

Bridgette Jeonarine, Audrey Lin, and Ewa Stasiewicz

“I think we eventually needed a way to shift back to not wearing masks and I just wish there would be more transparency and a requirement for masks in the case of new COVID surges.”

Team gym stopped being offered to students who play sports all year long.

PHOTO: CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

OPINION

At last, a new school year begins without a battle over safety protocols

EST.

1984

MANAGING EDITORS

Hana Arafa, Carina Fucich, Isabel Jagsaran, Katherine Lian, and Sadeea Morshed

On the morning of September 8, Townsend Harris students approached the building hoping for a smooth first day of school.

The flocks of Harrisites streamed in through the front doors, scanning the atrium for the board containing their official class before filing into the auditorium or cafeteria.

With noticeably fewer masks and no health screening checks in sight, this was a different first day of school: a fairly normal one.

Last September, following nearly 18 months of quarantine and remote learning, Harrisites finally returned to school fully in person.

A long line snaked around the building as students anxiously refreshed their phone browsers to get their health screenings working.

The mandatory questionnaire, a brief array of questions concerning COVID-19 symptoms, vaccine status, and possible exposure, was required for all individuals to enter the school building.

As the year progressed, screenshots of health screenings on one’s camera roll became a defining staple of the year.

Face coverings, worn by every individual when mandated and still most when made optional months later, just contributed to the surreal atmosphere of the post-COVID school system.

In March 2020, then-Mayor Bill De Blasio closed public schools for a session of remote learning that was supposed to last four weeks

but slowly became indefinite as coronavirus cases rose at alarming rates.

This four-week period upgraded to a shutdown of all NYC DOE schools for the school year.

Educators were required to stick with online learning, a foreign form of teaching to which both faculty and students had to adjust.

dents were met with mandatory health screenings, vaccination status issues, social distancing measures, and mask guidelines.

Questions also began to arise around PSAL and high-contact extracurricular activities like S!NG, programs that later instituted vaccine mandates for participating students under DOE policy.

“

The journey to finally leave COVID-19 behind us has not been particularly linear, and it’s clearly not over. Community members are still testing positive all too regularly. Lives are still being interrupted, and unfortunately, cut short across the country. However, for the time being, it is comforting to see a shift in discourse at the start of this school year.”

Earlier this month, students arrived at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, and the primary concerns students had were schedule uncertainties, zero band changes, the possible addition of a 10th band, and PE Class outcries over the loss of team gym.

In other words, regular school issues.

The journey to finally leave COVID-19 behind us has not been particularly linear, and it’s clearly not over. Community members are still testing positive all too regularly.

Lives are still being interrupted, and unfortunately, cut short across the country.

Copy Team: Jackie Chen (Copy Chief), Allen Babakhanov, Michael Babayev, Matthew Cantor, Daffny Cardoso, Anonnya Debi, Bridgette Jeonarine, Maria Mattei, JK Rajjo, Queenie Sze, Chloe Samuel Szeto, Sophia Sookram, Shayra Shoshi

We welcome letters to the editor. Townsend Harris High School 149-11 Melbourne Avenue Flushing, NY 11367 thhsclassic@gmail.com

The Classic reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and concision.

The Classic 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 of the student body as a whole.

The following year (2020-2021) began with chaos.

The DOE attempted to institute a hybrid learning system, balancing both in-person and online schooling that was introduced, but with little success.

After it became clear that the teaching requirements would impact the THHS program, less than 10% of the student body signed up.

When the 2021-2022 school year finally began in-person stu-

However, for the time being, it is comforting to see a shift in discourse at the start of this school year.

Students with frequent program changes and concerns about their PE classes might have felt this was a hectic start to the semester, but this kind of messiness is a welcome one compared to previous years and it’s very reassuring knowing that as a community, we are working towards overcoming these challenges and returning to some semblance of normalcy.

A thermometer for defunct Covid-19 procedures remains in the lobby.

PHOTO: AUDREY CHOU

For Banned Books Week, THHS Librarian sets up read in, urges students to get library cards

By Reem Nasrallah

With Banned Books Week beginning this week, the Townsend Harris library is planning to raise awareness about censorship and the importance of reading in various ways throughout the week. In addition to daily announcements and library activities throughout the week, on Wednesday, all students and teachers will pause during an extended third band for a “read in,” where they will read whatever they choose to read independently.

To encourage students to read both this week and throughout the school year, on Monday, September 12, Librarian Arlene Laverde sent out an email informing students that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. People who live, work, or go to school in New York City are eligible for a free library card in Queens Public, Brooklyn Public, and New York Public Libraries. Ms. Laverde released a video explaining the process to sign up for a library card and encouraged students to take the opportunity to do so.

“Students in New York City don’t realize how lucky they are to have access to all three [library] systems,” said Ms. Laverde. “With a public library card, you can access hundreds of databases [for research needs]…thousands of books, electronic books, and audiobooks.”

Despite the large amount of resources available to Library Card Holders, the act of physically going to the library to borrow and return books, or signing up for a library card, is unappealing to some people. Ms. Laverde said, “Even if you don’t want to walk into a library…[you can get an] e-card. You fill out the form online… you get your library card, set your pin, and now you have access to all the databases, movies, and music.”

In a letter to all students and parents announcing the reading period, Ms. Laverde wrote, “Research has shown a direct correlation between academic success and reading, and it’s clear that when we read more we learn more. Beyond that, however, I believe that building a culture of reading and teaching students to make daily time for personal reading just makes lives better.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A look at the new Graphic Design course

By Alessandra Diaz

At Townsend Harris High School, students weigh their career prospects in a wide variety of disciplines, and the elective course offerings are often their guides to success. For many, the graphic design course, which debuted last year, allows artistically minded students to explore their options in an increasingly digital world. The class is held in the art room, room 511, and fosters opportunities for digital creativity.

Art teacher Melissa Nakos said, “[Graphic design] is a beginner course for freshmen, but there are other grades in there. We cover the elements of art and the principles of design; units consist of working with color, working with value, and incorporating that with physical artwork, but then translating it to digital.” In her opinion, the class enriches the art program offerings at THHS because “it gives students an opportunity to see how to work with materials that are not the traditional materials […]. It lets them use their skills in technology to put their ideas into a digital format.”

Junior Tiffany Agbonwaneten said that she was “excited about learning the ins and outs of digital art materials and how to use them to their full capacity. I decided to choose this class because I practice

mostly digital art so it was an opportunity to further my skill set in that area.”

Senior Blessing Ogunsola looks forward to mastering the Adobe programs, saying “I hope aspects of Photoshop will be covered.” Other students also agree that navigating the quintessential digital arts platform is something they hope to learn. Part of the work that comes with taking this class involves learning how to use various platforms popular in the graphic design industry, such

as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Using these platforms is not only beneficial for prospective art and design students, said Ms. Nakos, but for any student entering into a digital world.

“Unless you’re planning on going straight to surgery,” Ms. Nakos says, “these skills are helpful.” Bringing the subject to the world outside the classroom, Ms. Nakos discussed the practical and more tangible manifestations of graphic design. “Everything is gra -

Students share their favorite fall flavors

By Emily Cantos

During the fall months, pumpkin spice prime time arrived. The season gives way to flavors ranging from iconic fall staples to ones more niche but equally as tasty. As expected, Harrisites are raving about their most loved and anticipated eats this fall season.

Pumpkin Spice

The pumpkin spice latte craze seems to be never ending, as it is one of the few flavors that companies like Starbucks and Dunkin bring back every fall. French teacher Caroline Lopera said, “First of all, I like pumpkin even though it’s sweet and I don’t typically like sweets. It means that fall, my favorite season, is here.”

Pumpkin spice is quite popular in its pie form. Sophomore Yzabel Pusing said, “[Pumpkin pie] is like the perfect blend of creamy and crunchy.” Be-

ing able to bite into something and get instant nostalgia is one of the many powers food has over us. Junior Liam Trimble said, “I really like pumpkin pie, it reminds me of fall and October specifically.”

Apple Apple, another famous fall flavor, comes in a range of treats. Freshman Olivia Baik said, “Apple pie is very ‘cinnamon-y’, it reminds me of fall and apple picking.” Like its competitor, pumpkin spice, apples are also enjoyed in many different forms, including apple pie, applesauce, and caramel apples. Sophomore Azeezat Yusuf

said, “Caramel apples in particular are what I would eat at the carnival each fall. They are so good.”

Chai (Lattes)

Chai lattes have quickly become more popular due to their versatility and lightly sweet taste. Junior Nicholas Ackerman said, “I first tried a chai latte last

phic design. Graphic design is problem solving. When you think about the speed bump, it was a solution to a problem. People were speeding, so they put a speed bump which forced people to slow down. The idea of a speed bump was created as a graphic design element and then submitted to a government agency,” she said. “It’s not just photoshopping something funny in the back of a picture. It’s also a lot about problem solving.”

Junior Sandra Sandoval agrees that there are a myriad of different applications of graphic design and the skills that come with it that exist outside the borders of the “field of art.”

She said, “I want to go into marketing/advertising and an important aspect of that is graphic design and being able to create campaigns online. Therefore, I felt that graphic design was more beneficial for my resume and career.”

Tiffany said, “I think this class does enrich my experience as an artist. Art is like any other skill: it requires practice and this class offers a great opportunity for practicing digital art.

fall and it really added to the cozy vibe that fall has. This year Dunkin added a ‘Pumpkin Cold Foam Chai’ and that really felt like everything good about fall wrapped into one.”

Be sure to test out these Harrisite approved foods next time you’re looking for an autumnal aliment.

Students share thoughts on the new graphic design course.

PHOTO: MAGGIE HUANG

ART: VIVIAN CHEN

How Harrisites Celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival

By Queenie Sze

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, families gather to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival (中秋节), a joyous occasion where individuals reunite to worship the full moon and the harvest season. Also known as the Mooncake festival, this festival is a holiday that is celebrated globally, especially in East Asian countries. This year, The Classic dived into learning more about the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on September 10 this year, through the perspectives and experiences of Harrisites.

Junior Joy Zheng described the holiday as “a day signifying love and the strength of family,” after sharing a story about the moon goddess Chang E, who fell in love with a human and was banished to the sky because their love was forbidden.

“After the gods considered how miserable she was, they allowed her to visit him once a year, [marking the day as the] Mid-Autumn festival,” Joy said. This legendary tale was passed down from one generation to the next, and is still being taught in Chinese educational institutions today.

Junior Rachel Chan compared

how the holiday is celebrated in China versus how it’s celebrated currently in New York. She said that while Queens is a diverse place where you are likely to see members of East Asian communities preparing for the festival on the streets, it’s much bigger in China: “In China, since practically everyone understands what the festival represents, it feels like a national holiday comparable to Christmas.”

Senior Annie Lei also described how celebration practices differ in the two regions. “Along with having family dinners together [in China], celebrating the festival [includes] activities, such as moon-viewing and releasing lanterns in the sky. There are also many in China who still celebrate the holiday with traditional homemade mooncakes. This is in contrast to what we see in America, where buying mooncakes from your local bakery or Asian supermarket is more convenient than making them by hand.”

Annie also described why mooncakes are specifically purchased as gifts and eaten during the Mid-Autumn festival by stating, “The festival [is not] the same with[out] mooncakes. The rich and salty yolk in the center balances the sweetness of the lo-

tus filling around it. With the yolk representing the fullest and brightest moon of the year, sharing a slice of moon cake with family signifies the togetherness and warmth of your loved ones. It goes perfectly with a warm cup of jasmine tea on an autumn night.”

In the past few years, Harrisites have celebrated the holiday differently because of the safety restrictions that were implemented due to the pandemic. Annie said she celebrated the holiday more privately in recent years: “[After my primary relatives] have a well-prepared dinner together, [we] light incense and pray to the moon for its blessings. When we

Harrisites flock to Harry Styles concerts at MSG

By Isabella Zapata Singer-songwriter

Styles has quickly topped the charts and has become one of the most popular and listened to artists.

He released 3 studio albums in the past five years and has just recently played a lead role in the movie Don’t Worry Darling, acting alongside actress Florence Pugh.

Styles began his tour, Love On Tour, last year, performing songs from his second studio album Fine Line throughout the United States.

He then flew over to Europe and South America, repeatedly selling out stadiums, and eventually arrived at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

Harry Styles proceeded to fill Madison Square Garden fifteen

times in a row, each time in a new outfit and playing tracks from both his second and third studio albums: Fine Line and Harry’s House.

He also included One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” and his unreleased song “Medicine.”

Senior Amber Spolansky said, “I saw Harry Styles last Halloween and two times this summer. The feeling you have even before the concerts starts is indescribable. Everyone there is so kind, and the energy is unmatched.”

Whether he’s showcasing his latest outfit or carrying around a boa, fans have gone repeatedly to hear him sing.

Sophomore Madison Donenfeld said, “Harry at Madison Square Garden was a great experience. I thought that the fact

that one of my favorite artists had fifteen concerts in my city was really special. Harry is an insane performer.

Even if someone’s not a huge fan of his, I recommend they see him at some point.”

When it comes to Styles’s choices of clothing, as his whole tour had been styled by Gucci, sophomore Tristin Hall said, “his outfits are very expressive and he shows that his creativity is not only in music but in fashion and clothes, in which he has become a trendsetter.”

Madison said, “It was a routine for me and my friends: every night we would check what he was wearing.”

Each night the concerts were elevated by the polka dots, sequins, tracksuits, and zig zags

pray, we also set a chicken, mooncakes, and a bowl of fruits on the table as offerings.”

Rachel said, “We celebrate it with our close family relatives, which [include] my aunt and uncle. We live only ten minutes away from each other, so it is quite easy to organize celebrations this way. I absolutely love going to my uncle’s house to get hit with wafts of delicious food ready to be eaten.”

Joy said that she was able to feel a stronger connection with distant relatives and value her family more due to the holiday. “During the mid-autumn festival [every year], distant family mem-

bers from different states would travel to New York to celebrate with us. I was also introduced to a new cousin recently. I get to reunite with all my family members, and it celebrates the fortitude and significance of family. We also have traditional dishes that include dumplings, purple rice, homemade desserts, [and more].”

For junior Camille Lin, her family’s celebration of the Mid-Autumn festival incorporates other forms of traditional dishes: “[During 中秋节] , we usually eat traditional dishes, such as crab and duck…many also eat snails during this holiday.”

Styles arrived in.

Sophomore Denise Chan, who also attended a show over the summer, talked about Styles as a performer.

She said, “Harry has a charm that makes him this charismatic individual that somehow manages to get the entire crowd to dance and sing their hearts out. As an artist, I definitely enjoy his music but there’s so much more about him.”

For those who couldn’t attend or were unable to purchase tickets, social media was able to provide clips of every note-worthy moment from each concert.

Freshman Kinza Hafeez said, “The TikToks and reels of concert clips showcase Harry’s concert and take people who weren’t able to go live on a sort of virtual concert, so they can still enjoy what they missed.”

Harry

Students share their favorite moments from the Mid-Autumn Festival.

ART: ANNIE PARK

Many Harrisites watched Styles live at his concerts.

ART: VERONICA KUZMA

“I absolutely love going to my uncle’s house to get hit with wafts of delicious food ready to be eaten.”

Do blue light glasses really work?

By Carolina Corcuera

In the past decade, the presence of artificial blue light in the daily lives of students has increased substantially. Every class involves the use of a light emitting diode (LED) device in some shape or form, raising concerns over the impact of blue light on students’ optical health and sleep schedules. To remedy this, many individuals have adopted anti-blue light lenses, which have yet to be proven fully effective by scientific studies.

The users of these lenses, however, herald their efficacy. “When I’m looking at a screen, using blue light glasses gets rid of my eye strain,” said sophomore Renchhen Lama.

Blue light is a color in the visible light spectrum with low wavelength and high energy. Our main source of blue light is the sun, and it also radiates from computers, phones, TVs, and fluorescent and LED light bulbs.

To explain the issue with excessive blue light, we must first explain the role it is supposed to play in influencing our bodily functions. In natural doses, blue light is beneficial; it keeps you awake, alert, and positive during the day. It also regulates our bodies’ circadian rhythm, or our natural wake and sleep cycle. Exposure to it suppresses the release of melatonin, a hormone that makes us drowsy, resulting in our urges to wake up at sunrise and sleep at sunset.

The use of blue light sources past

sunset is known to significantly delay our circadian rhythm by preventing the release of melatonin. One study showed that using an E-Reader within the hours before bed correlated with worse sleep quality and less morning alertness.

“Looking at my phone before bed makes it hard to fall asleep, and I end up staying awake a little longer,” said junior Julia Chang.

A disturbance of our circadian rhythms can increase the risk of several health adversities, including diabetes 2, premature death, cardiovascular dysfunction, cancer, metabolic syndrome, immune dysregulation, reproductive problems, learning deficits and mood disorders. These mood disorders include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

Another concern is the effect of blue light on our eyes.Many worry that it could possibly cause retinal damage and macular degeneration—however, the gravity of this issue is over exaggerated. Though there is evidence that constantly looking at powerful blue light sources is dangerous (i.e. the sun or military grade flashlights), looking at screens generally isn’t. The brightness of a screen or fluorescent lightbulb is not strong enough to pose a real threat to our vision, as it is not nearly as bright as the sun. Ultimately, there is insufficient evidence when it comes to any sort of correlation between blue light and vision damage.

Students have expressed short-term experiences of eye strain, dry eye and headaches associated with prolonged screen time sessions; junior Sophia Jiang said, “Working on a computer for a long time hurts my eyes.” Some say that blue light is the reason, however, there is insufficient evidence for that connection, too. Studies show that exposure to blue light emitting devices doesn’t have a notable effect on our eyes. Instead, focusing causes us not to blink, which is the main cause of most of our troubles. Still, some individuals suffer from light sensitivity, so that may be the source of their migraines.

When it comes to the purchase of blue light glasses, studies have shown

Introducing the Gaming Club

By Carolina Corcuera

Without a doubt, gaming is one of the most commonly enjoyed pastimes of our generation. Nearly every Harrisite is a fan of a game, whether it be Valorant, Genshin Impact or Candy Crush—for a school so saturated with gamers, it seemed odd that Townsend Harris lacked a gaming club for as long as it did.

Like many others, Seniors Emily Prasad and Brian Hsu were surprised when they arrived at that fact their freshman year. “We’ve always played games throughout middle school, and starting high school, we had not found a place where people could participate in it together,” said Emily. “We were inspired by all the other schools [who] had gaming clubs, and even esports teams, which made us wonder why we don’t have one as well.”

Last spring, the pair were successfully able to pass club applications to start their own gaming club. They’ve also confirmed that they’ll be joining EZ Esports, a non-profit esports league for New York

City high schools. Students will be able to compete in a variety of gaming tournaments with other high schoolers, just like in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL); games such as League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, or Tetris, will serve as platforms for the competitions. Spectators–who may include parents, friends, teachers, and even scouts–are able to watch live broadcasts “of the highest quality,” their site claims.

As previously stated, EZ Esports reveals a pathway for aspiring gamers to be discovered by scouts, which may lead to athletic scholarships or invitations to professional teams. Nowadays, 175 colleges and universities in the U.S. offer athletic scholarships to progamers.

Their focus won’t simply be on playing games, however.

“During our in-person meetings, we plan to have discussions about issues in the gaming industry, such as [gamer stereotypes], the underrepresentation of women, and how we can combat them as

a community,” Emily said. “We also plan to dive into the appeal of games; [for example,] the psychology behind modern games, mobile vs. desktop games, [and] the history of online games.”

She added that the club will also be covering several aspects of game development, “including elements, assets, scenes, camera movement.” For students openly exploring career paths, examining the gaming world’s backstage would be quite worthwhile. With the continuous expansion of gaming technology, the video game industry is the largest and fastest growing entertainment industry, according to Statista. The demand for talented developers, designers and writers is ever increasing.

Not many adults see gaming as a valuable extracurricular activity; it is not something that most parents encourage their children to pursue, like physical sports or music. At first glance, it may seem that what someone does online has no effect on the real world.

Yet, gaming can very well de-

that they can help with sleep quality and quantity, but have not yet proved impactful towards optical health, which was a main draw for students in the market.

Despite being sold by legitimate ophthalmologists, there has not yet been a consensus on their effectiveness. Even so, there is no harm in wearing them, if they seem to work for you. To successfully prevent eye strain, experts suggest to sit about 25 inches away from the screen, use eye drops, and practice the 20-20-20 rule: look away from the screen every 20 minutes at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. For those with light sensitivity, FL-41 lenses are the better choice.

velop one’s brain by pushing them to overcome challenges. Scientific studies have indicated benefits to electronic gaming, including improved visualization, memory, reaction time, and various other skills based on the type of game. Furthermore, it offers opportunities to interact and bond with others by providing a common interest. Multiplayer games foster teamwork skills and character development.

Not only are video games enjoyable, they are rather fruitful, and it’s perhaps something worth joining the gaming club for.

Emily said, “We have biweekly meetings on Tuesdays and alternate between in-person and online meetings. We hold in person meetings in room 514, after school, and online meetings on Discord around 6-7 (time is TBD this year).”

Blue light glasses are very popular amongst students and seem to work for many.

PHOTO: PIXABAY

Blue light glasses are very popular amongst students and seem to work for many.

PHOTO: PIXABAY

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Harrisites share their experiences from the Sophie Davis mentorship program

By Shayra Shoshi

Although Townsend Harris High School is known for its humanities focus, numerous students want to take part in STEM programs and pursue STEM careers. This summer, several Harrisites explored their interests by participating in various medical internships and opportunities, including the Sophie Davis Health Professions Mentorship (HPMP) at CUNY School of Medicine. In total, seven THHS students enrolled in this year’s program—five juniors and two seniors.

HPMP shows students what it is like to work as a medical student and health professional. It is suited for students who plan to one day join the medical field, like Junior Iyad Elbouani and Senior Pierre Marbid.

Iyad, a first year HPMP student, said, “From what I knew, this program would provide insight into different aspects of the medical field as well as help [develop my] individual and collaborative skills in solving medical issues.”

Pierre, a second year HPMP student, said, “Growing up with my mother, who is a respiratory therapist, as well as with many of my aunts and uncles who are registered nurses, I have always been passionate about the medical field and aspire to become a doctor in the future.”

The program spans two consecutive years and starts in junior year. Within each term, students take 4-week summer classes in July and oncea-month Saturday classes

throughout the academic year.

The summer portion of both years in the program consists of a group presentation with mentors, though the content of the presentations varies.

According to Iyad, during the first year’s summer session, students presented a “community health based project,” and, according to Pierre, in the second year students presented “a research presentation on any medical topic.”

The monthly Saturday sessions consist of various activities, projects, and lectures.

Pierre said that they are usually about “different organ systems, clinical cases, healthcare professions, and the college admissions process.”

Along with informational features on college admissions, Saturday sessions also offer standardized test preparation. Pierre said, “we have done prep for the SAT/ACT, conducted mock interviews, listened to a panel of healthcare professionals of different specialties, gained knowledge and advice for admission into the Sophie Davis BS/MD program, and many more useful activities.”

The participants describe the Sophie Davis Health Professions Mentorship as a positive, productive, and worthwhile experience.

Iyad said, “Not only did I learn [new] things about the medical field… but I connected with some medical students who can guide me in the future.”

Pierre said that his decision to join the program, “has proven itself to be both extremely rewarding and invaluable.”

Insect invaders: The spotted lanternfly

By Carolina Corcuera and Chiara Chen

If you look in the corners of the Townsend Harris courtyard, you’re likely to see numerous blotches colored bright red and pale brown squashed into the cement. These are the smeared corpses of the spotted lanternfly. To some, it might be a revolting and macabre sight, but the killing of this creature is necessary. Perhaps you’ve even encountered a few, dead or alive, congregating in your own neighborhoods. Suddenly common in New York City, the lanternfly can be found practically everywhere in the Northeastern United States.

First seen in Pennsylvania eight years ago, the invasive pests are thought to have been stowed away on a stone shipment in 2012 from China. Because they are not good flyers, lanternflies have adapted by hitchhiking on cars, clothes, and a variety of other flat surfaces to spread all over the East Coast, being an invasive species. There are a few natural predators in the areas where they’re present, such as praying mantises, garden spiders and chickens; still, these species are not nearly enough to combat the rapid reproduction rate of the lanternfly.

“I saw one when I was hiking back in 2019, but I didn’t know what it was, so I didn’t kill it,” Sophomore Ava Pusing said. “Now, I’ve been seeing them much more often in the city. My friends and I have been making an effort to kill them; we’ve gotten six so far.”

Although the small insects may seem harmless, or even beautiful, they are extremely damaging to the agricultural industry and local ecology. Lanternflies feed on a wide variety of fruit plants and trees,

putting the grape, orchard, and logging industries all at risk. They may not directly kill these plants, but they do make them far weaker, resulting in smaller yields and visible health declines. Even further, the honeydew that lanternflies secrete can host black fungi, inviting stinging bugs and leaving a sooty mold wherever they visit. They won’t hurt humans, but they have been known to be a terrible nuisance to us by climbing up our shirts, accumulating on our belongings, and joining us en masse indoors.

According to a story from The Washington Post, a slew of them began attacking the author at a restaurant, landing all over him and diving into his drink. In Allentown, Pennsylvania, near where they first appeared, lanternflies have covered entire trees and patios in their honeydew, which drips down on the people sitting below.

Now, occurrences like these are beginning to happen even at THHS.

“The first time I saw a lanternfly was when it landed on my friend’s hair,” Junior Judy Liang said. “I don’t like how there’s so much goo when you squish them.”

“In the courtyard, one of them flew onto me,” added Junior Shranaya Kumar. “There was also a whole swarm of them on the track, so I got scared and ran away instead of killing them.”

“They seem very disgusting,” added senior Kylie Chiang.

At about one inch long, it is apparent that they can grow bothersome in large numbers. The adults are rather obvious, with large, beige wings and distinct black spots.

Underneath is a layer of blood orange, with more spots and a white band.

In November, we’ll see them disappear momentarily, as it’ll

be the end of this generation’s life cycle. However, groups of 30 to 60 eggs will be lying in wait; they are small, placed in neat rows, and covered in a fluid similar in color and consistency to mud.

Once the winter storms cease around April, they will make their debut as nymphs, now entirely black with white spots. As they have yet to grow wings, they’ll be found climbing up bushes and trees.

From then to July, they’ll experience four instars, or stages of development, where they’ll change color to black and red with white spots. Their length during the nymph stage is 1/8 to 1/2 inch. Soon after, they’ll become the adults we all know and hate once more.

The USDA strongly urges everyone to help deplete lanternfly populations by keeping a lookout for honeydew, the aforementioned “sooty mold,” and a fermented smell coming from oozing plants.

These are all signals that a lanternfly has visited that area and is lurking nearby.

It is also helpful to check smooth surfaces for mud-like egg masses. If you happen to find an egg mass, it should be placed in a Ziploc bag with hand sanitizer and disposed of appropriately.

Lanternflies should be promptly killed and reported if found outside of quarantine areas.

The USDA instructs people to take a picture of the bug, egg mass, or infestation and include a reference, such as a coin or pen; then note the address, GPS coordinates and intersecting roads. Email the information to spottedlanternfly@agriculture. ny.gov once you are finished. If you’re going through a quarantine area, thoroughly examine all your things to check for any stowaways.

The spotted lantern fly, an invasive species, is now found outside the THHS building.

PHOTO: MINHAZ HASA

Students took part in a medical training summer opportunity.

PHOTO: PIXABAY

By Madeline Cannon

The Girls Varsity Soccer Team started their season with a 4-1 win against Middle College High School. Since then, the team has remained undefeated with a 7-0 record. The captains for this season are seniors Amelia Ferrell, Natalia Ramlogan, and Irene Skandalakis.

When asked about their experience with the team throughout high school, Irene (who is a producer for The Classic Critic) said, “I joined the team my sophomore year during quarantine, so our season took place throughout the Spring of 2021. I think that our team easily grew close since school was completely online and for some of us going to practices took up most of our time going out. Even with our first year back in person, the girls I met from the soccer team became and stayed my closest friends.”

Becoming a captain of a sports team comes with various responsibilities and expectations. Natalia said, “It feels fulfilling to be captain because I want to do right by my teammates. Being captain involves communication on the field, being a leader to my teammates, and setting a good example, but I also do things like help new players

learn the game, encourage them to do their best, and take care of other things like fundraising.”

With new players joining the team for this season, the new captains reflected on team bonding efforts at the start of their season. Amelia (a multimedia editor for The Classic) said, “We’ve gotten a lot of new players since last year, and it’s been super fun for the team dynamic. This year, we have a lot of Friday games, so we’ll go out to eat after school before our games, which has helped us become a lot closer.”

Natalia also said, “This season, our team really feels tight-knit. We have great chemistry on and off the field, even with players who are new to the team.”

“The captains make the team like a family,” said Junior Ioanna Giannopoulou.

Freshman Sophia Lee said that the captains not only improved her soccer experience, but also helped her transition to a new school. “The captains were very welcoming, gave me advice, and helped me meet new people,” said Sophia.

Junior Jacqueline Lowenhaupt said, “I think that the captains are doing a great job. They are very encouraging and give good tips.

Each of the new captains also reflected on their hopes for this season. Amelia said, “I hope to go all the way, especially with our 12-0-1 record from last season. I think we can definitely win the Queens division, so I’m super excited to see how the playoffs play out.”

Irene said, “I am really happy with our team this season as I think we have been coming together more as we have played more games.”

PHOTO: ANNA BOGONIS

The winter games begin

By Jaica Derecho and Jenny Ren

As the fall sports season is coming to an end, the winter sports season has just begun. Over the past two weeks, the Girls Table Tennis, Girls Indoor Track, Boys Indoor Track, and Wrestling teams have begun competing in their respective divisons. Multiple players were asked about their experience being on the team and their goals for the future.

With the commencement of the winter season, the Girls Table Tennis team currently has a 1-1 record.

Jenney Huang, who won the first singles match 3-0 against John Bowne, commented on her experience playing table tennis for the team.

She said, “Practices and games are very fun and good experiences. We learn a lot from each other.” She expressed that her goals for this season “include self-improvement in terms of skill level, making playoffs, and having everyone improve.”

Meshva Patel from the first doubles match, said, “Coach Lau is active with the team with communication, support, practice, and teaching on skills to improve. He incorporates everyone into the community, making the start of our season really fun and inviting.”

As for the Boys Indoor Track team, one of the captains, Al-

ex Yauri, said, “Considering we got new runners this year, it was rough at first. Slowly, they’re adjusting to the new environment and preparing for the big meets. Once they get the hang of it, I’m sure they’ll rank higher. As for previous runners, it is clear that we’ve improved throughout the summer and fall. I’m excited to see how our relay

more explosive and short distances.

“We have a lot of time to improve…but we are starting off very strong. I’m also very proud of the girls because many have been setting personal records.”

Janna Pasig, a first-year member of the team, discussed the camaraderie that the girls’ indoor track team had developed.

She said, “The teamwork chemistry is amazing because everyone is supportive and optimistic. In terms of practice, it’s enjoyable and requires so much time and energy, but it’s all worth it.”

The Wrestling team had their first match of the season on Tuesday. They faced East Harlem Pride and lost 42-37.

Varsity Basketball teams both kick off season with a string of commanding wins

By Tawfiq Ahmed, Zakki Suhu, and George Jong

The varsity basketball teams have kept up their winning streaks this week, with the boys team maintaining an 8-0 record and the girls holding a 6-0 record for the season.

On December 15, the girls team were dominant over the winless Queens High School of Teaching 6021 while the boys team cruised to victory against Queens Metropolitan High School, 66-47.

winning ways against Maspeth next Monday, a game that will decide the first spot in the division, leading to one of these teams losing their undefeated record.

The girls team has been similarly triumphant. In addition to their victory over Queens HS of Teaching yesterday, they have won multiple games against Springfield Gardens, Hillcrest, John Adams, and Benjamin N. Cardozo High School.

teams will go.”

Prior to the season just starting, Nathaniel White, a player on the track team, said, “Our teamwork has gotten better, there were no mistakes made with baton exchanges during the last meet. I think the team overall did well since we still have newer runners adjusting to how meets work.”

Senior Anusha Ramjanam, a captain of the Girls Indoor Track team, mentioned, “Indoor track just started, so we are transitioning from long distances to

Senior Justin Linzan, a captain of the wrestling team, praised the players, saying, “It’s a strong team with potential, and we’re having a lot of fun too, which is always good.”

After the loss against East Harlem Pride, Aradhna Da Silva, a player on the team, said, “So far, practices are going really well. They are super fun, and I’ve been learning so much. It’s a very hard sport, but the team has been practicing a lot, and there are a lot of great players. So far we have only had one match, which we lost but not by much. I can see that the season will be really good because of our practices and attitudes towards this season.”

The boys team has had multiple blowout victories throughout these past few games, giving them a perfect start to the season. Sophomore Andrew Leonard, the leading scorer of the past game with 28 points, along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, had this to say after the win: “The season has been going very well as we are undefeated 8 games in. Playing good teams is always a challenge but we have done a great job on defense.”

Although undefeated, THHS is competing against Maspeth High School for the number one seed, as they both have an 8-0 record. The boys hope to sustain their

Sophomore Loise Arcega said, “Our season is starting off strong as we are currently 6-0 and at the top of our division. The competition hasn’t really been challenging for us because most of us have played on a team before going to high school and or have played during the off season. It’s very rare for this, especially in our division, so we’ve been doing especially well this year. I hope for more wins to come, and we should be getting pretty far into this season as long as we don’t let up and always play hard.” The girls team is currently holding the first seed and are the only undefeated team in their division so far this season.

The newly renovated Queens College track has been in use this school year after a hiatus during the pandemic.

PHOTO: RYAN YOUNG

Many of these articles are excerpted. Read the full versions online

“Indoor track just started, so we are transitioning from long distances to more explosive and short distances. We have a lot of time to improve…but we are starting off very strong. I’m also very proud of the girls because many have been setting personal records.”

“We’ve been doing especially well this year. I hope for more wins to come, and we should be getting pretty far into this season as long as we don’t let up.”

Girls Soccer wins it all, Boys Badminton has a championship rematch, and Girls Volleyball makes it

to the quarter finals

By Eva Jane Hannon

This fall season, Girls Varsity Volleyball, Boys Badminton, and Girls Varsity Soccer all finished at the top of their division. Boys Badminton made it to the City Championships for the second year in a row, Girls Volleyball made it to quarter finals, and Girls Varsity Soccer won the city championships at Randall’s Island last Friday.

Athletic director Lauren Caiaccia said, “I am very proud of the performance of all our fall teams. We have 12 competing programs in the fall semester. They started back in August and some teams [were] still going…in the middle of November.”

The captains of each of these three teams shared their thoughts on the season.

Senior Natalia Ramlogan, one of the captains of Girls Varsity Soccer, said, “The season went really well for our team. We were undefeated and we worked really hard to be first seed in the playoffs. One challenge we faced in the playoffs was playing teams we’ve never seen before. We didn’t know what to expect, but ultimately our team is full of strong players, so we were able to triumph over any contender in the playoffs.”

Prior to their championship win, Ms. Caiaccia was confident that they’d be victorious. “They have improved with each successive game and really look like they are poised to take home the championship,” she said. Junior Kelly Gildea, one of the captains of the volleyball team (and a Classic editor), said “The season’s been going really well. …We’ve gone to more tournaments and faced better competition, which has been a great challenge. But we’ve persevered and built such a strong

team culture these past few months.”

Ms. Caiaccia discussed the progress of the girls volleyball team. “[The] team got ranked fifth in the city this year. After coming off a season of rebuilding, Coach Hannif, who was a new coach to the girls varsity team, implemented an excellent coaching philosophy that worked well with our program and they are shining right now. So I look forward to seeing their progress.”

This past Wednesday, the girls varsity volleyball team lost their quarter final game against Metropolitan High School. Junior Gabby Renzi, a player on the team said, “This has been a really successful season and I’m proud of the team for making it so far. We’re going to miss our seniors so much, and I’m proud of us for getting division champs. There are teams that are going to be better than you, but as long as you play your best you should be proud of yourself.”

Senior Sean Zhou, captain of the badminton team, said, “This season has been intense but we’ve always entered each game with such a strong passion and we’ve continued to excel. We definitely started the season with some uncertainties, many amazing players graduated last year, opening up 4 of the 7 starter spots.” The badminton team once again made it to the City Championship match, which they won last year against Stuyvesant High School. This year featured a rematch between the two teams, and this time, Stuyvesant took home the title.

“[It is] a tremendous accomplishment to be a city finalist,” Ms. Caiaccia said of the badminton team. “They were put in a position to defend their city championship title, which is tremendous.”

The captains also shared the teams’ secrets to excelling in the playoffs. Kelly said, “I think that our team made it to the playoffs because of our strong team chemistry and our work ethic. We’re always willing to try new things or come in for another practice and our coach is always there to help us out and lead us through a tough game.”

Sean also praised his team’s chemistry and unity as a key to their success.

“While we didn’t win the City Champion title this year,” he said, “we saw such a large level of growth with our newer players, and I’m excited to see

what they will achieve later.”

Natalia believes that the outstanding championship win of Girls Varsity Soccer results from the team’s overall hard work, dedication and solid team chemistry. She said, “We all supported each other when someone got hurt, and we were able to pick each other back up. We wouldn’t have made it this far without our hard work and our positive attitudes.”

“We are very proud of the effort and hard work and everything that goes into getting those teams off the ground,” Ms. Caiaccia said, adding that none of these achievements would be possible “without our excellent coaching staff, dedicated professionals, and our student-athletes who really make all of us look good.”

Vax requirement lifted for high-risk activities

By Eva Jane Hannon, Emma Lee, and Ana Ramlagan

In September, Eric Adams announced students attending NYC public schools would no longer be required to have the COVID-19 vaccination to participate in high-risk activities such as sports and extracurricular music and theater programs.

Athletic director Lauren Caiaccia said she believes that lifting the vaccine mandate will “provide an opportunity for those individuals who had a reason or were unable to get the vaccine to have the same opportunities to participate in sports as everybody else.”

She said that no parents or community members have approached her to express concerns regarding this decision. “I feel comfortable with the vaccine-mandate [being] lifted as I am

vaccinated and still take safe precautions when necessary,” said Senior Aissatou Lam, who plays for both the varsity volleyball and basketball teams.

“Everyone has to make their own choices,” Ms. Caiaccia said. “We have been dealing with COVID-19 since 2020 and at this stage of the game, people have to make informed decisions about [getting] the vaccine, no vaccine, booster shot, no booster shot. Everyone has to make their own choice.”

This change comes as other COVID-related changes were made at the start of the school year, including the lifting of a requirement for all students to fill out health screening questionnaires as a condition for entering school buildings.

However, THHS students continue to regularly receive at-home COVID tests from the school to screen themselves for the virus.

The Girls Varsity Soccer team won the championship game in November. PHOTO COURTESY OF PSAL

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rules have shifted. Though there has never been a full mandate for students to get vaccinated, there was one for certain activities.

PHOTO: ERICA LEE

“Everyone has has to make their own choices,” Ms. Caiaccia said.