Polymatheus 2016 Volume 4

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POLYMATHEUS Volume 4

YULA Boys High School 9760 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035 Phone: (310) 203-3180; Fax: (310) 203-3199 pfelcher@yula.org

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING FADE IN: Letter From the Adviser

Polymatheus is an academic interdisciplinary journal that incorporates work generated by assignments from the many subjects offered here at YULA and completed successfully by students. Our staff of student experts selects and edits the best of the best submissions generated by teachers in all disciplines. This year we have included a write-up of inventions from our STEM lab, projects that apply our ancient spiritual culture to our modern-day culture, critical analyses of classic literature, analyses of historical documents, fun and realistic applications of math skills, and QR codes to share other forms of media otherwise not consumable in book form-all in order to showcase the variety of work we do here at YULA. All too often this journal is confused with creative writing magazines and other types of school publications; but make no mistake, ours is an interdisciplinary publication. This year we are presenting the work of our polymaths in screenplay form, and you can read our editors’ letter to see why. You may not find short stories or poems in our journal, but you will find hypotheses, syntheses, analyses, exegeses.

We hope you will enjoy some of the most intellectual and entertaining work our boys produced this year.

MS. PAM FELCHER Adviser FADE TO BLACK.

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING

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FADE IN: Letter From the Editors Storytelling has always been a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Film represents the continuation of humanity’s storytelling tradition, permeating modern society like no other medium — particularly in Los Angeles, the heart of the movie making industry.

Like the rest of the city, Yeshiva University High Schools of Los Angeles (YULA) cannot avoid the movie culture that pervades Hollywood. The influence of the movie industry is evident in the new classes offered here: screenwriting and film.

Perhaps the student body’s proclivity for stories is also influenced by their Jewish studies curriculum. YULA engages boys in a dual-curriculum that combines general studies with traditional Jewish learning, where storytelling plays an integral role: The Sages conveyed moral teachings, history, and even law through Midrashim and Aggadot, Jewish folktales recorded by rabbis living in Israel and Babylonia roughly 1,500 years ago.

In Polymatheus, we strive to convey our school’s message and spirit through our students’ best work. This year, we chose the theme of screenwriting to tell our story. It is not the finished product; rather, the screenplay is the framework upon which every great film is built. A heavily edited screenplay represents the epitome of a work in progress, and our journal embodies YULA students’ perseverance and self-improvement. Although Polymatheus contains our students’ very best work, we do not intend to allow this publication to masquerade as the culmination of our writing

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS (CONT’D): careers. On the contrary, we aim to use Polymatheus as the framework upon which we will build the future.

Theodor Herzl was a 19th century Austrian Jewish journalist who would become the father of modern Zionism. He was a man who truly dared to dream in the face of his many detractors. In his book Altneuland, outlining his visions for a Jewish state in the land of Israel, Herzl wrote, “im tirtzu, ein zo agada” – “If you will it, it is no dream.” Polymatheus represents the strong will of strong students and teachers, all working to make our dream a reality. With Polymatheus, we tell you our story. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Editor-in-Chief Design Editor Managing Editor EYTAN MERKIN JONATHAN MIZRAHI NOAH HYMAN FADE TO BLACK.

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING

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FADE IN: The Characters The EDITOR-IN-CHIEF oversees all work done for the publication. He has final say on all matters Polymatheus, whether it be what to put into the journal, or to give insight to the design, or to edit from cover to cover.

The DESIGN EDITOR selects the publication’s theme. He creates the cover, inserts all selected works into the journal, and formats the entire publication. He works closely with the Editor-in-Chief to ensure that the finished product looks as aesthetically pleasing as possible and with the Managing Editor to help ensure that things run as smoothly as possible.

The MANAGING EDITOR supervises the editorial staff’s progress to guarantee that they meet the deadlines he and the Design Editor create.

He aids in the process of appointing students to the various editorial positions and frequently oversees the section editors’ progress and ensures accountability of all staff members.

The SECTION EDITORS seek out exceptional work from teachers and then select the best work to add to the journal. They then use their expertise in their specific subjects to edit the submitted work.

The ADVISER is the true brains behind the operation. She coordinates everything from editing to ordering pizza for meetings.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING FADE IN: Table of Contents: ENGLISH

Cruel Ozymandias: a Timed Explication - DANIEL SILVERA Deception as the Path for Destruction - SAMSON KARBEN Is It Better to Have Loved and Lost?: An Explication of Petrarchs’s Sonnet 133 - MICAH STEINBERG Reader Response Paragraph on Book 19 of The Odyssey - CALEB ARANOFF A Question of Allegiance: The Difference Between Doppelgangers - NOAH HYMAN Authoritative Antogonists Versus Experienced Experts: A Study of Irony in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales Exquisite Suffering in Petrarch’s “White Doe”

8

9 11 18 21 22

26 31

SCIENCE

34

MATH

52

The Rubin’s Tube - MR. STAVES HONORS CHEMISTRY CLASS 35 Microbes in the Gut - ARI WILLNER 36 Combustion Reactions - MR. SCHECHTER’S CHEMISTRY CLASS 39 Hand-Drawn Human Mulsculature Diagrams - MRS. BELLOMO’S ANAT. AND PHYS. CLASS 40 Genetic Testing of Breast Cancer - AVISHAI ZARIFPOUR 41 Seasonal Deadzones: Ocean Awareness - MENACHEM KORNREICH 44

Form Follows Function - MRS. BAYRAMOVA’S HONORS ALGEBRA II CLASS Flight Patterns Data Lab - NOAH HYMAN & DAVID ESAGOFF Exploring Real-World Applications of Exponential Functions JONATHAN MIZRAHI, NOAH HYMAN, & ARYEH PERLMAN Using the Law of Cosines in an Obscure Shape - JONATHAN MIZRAHI 3-D Printing a Fractal - MICAH STEINBERG & JONATHAN MIZRAHI

HISTORY Nazi Propaganda

in Los Angeles - JACK LEVKOWITZ Rise of Mass Consumerism in Western Europe - EYTAN MERKIN A Review of Perpectives on the Siege of Masada - ILAN BOCIAN Concepts of Nationalism - NOAH HYMAN Motives and Impact of Exploration - BENJAMIN TARKO Reactions of Protestants and Catholics to the Scientific Revolution JONATHAN MIZRAHI

STEM

The Multipurpose Color-Sorting Pill and Candy Dispenser EYTAN MERKIN, JACK MACKLER, & JONATHAN RUBIN Brilliant Biker - DANIEL SILVER, ARI YONATY, & ARYEH PERLMAN Automatic Whiteboard Eraser - MENDY SACKS & ARI WILLNER

JUDAIC STUDIES

The Birth of Moses - ARI YONATY The Meaning of Yachatz - ITZCHAK MAGHEN Abraham’s Life: A Graphic Representation JONATHAN MIZRAHI, BENJAMIN TARKO, ELIE ISSACS, & NOAH POMERANCE Coincidence? I Think Not: Purim’s Lessons on the Nature of Chance - EYTAN MERKIN

53 54

55 56 57T

58 59 64 67 70 73 75

78 79 81 82

83 84 87

88 89

INT. INTRODUCTIONS - MORNING

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CONTENTS (CONT’D): ART “Terra

Nova” - YULA DRAMA SOCIETY “Chameleon” Music Sheet - GIDON AMSELLEM Portrait of Igor Stravinsky Recreation - EITAN TENNENBAUM Goku - JACOB YOUNESSI Triptych - LOURIA SHRIKI Jazz Concert - YULA JAZZ EMSEMBLE Untitled #3 - ROBERT GAO Piranha - JONATHAN MIZRAHI

EPILOGUE

The Cast Colphon Acknowledgements Submission Policy

92 93 95 96 97 98 99 100 101

106

107 110 111 112

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ENGLISH SECTION:

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING

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FADE IN: DANIEL SILVERA, English 10 Honors Ms. Pamela Felcher Cruel Ozymandias: a Timed Explication Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” describes a traveller’s tale about a great stone sculpture in the middle of the desert. The traveller describes the ruins of what once was a statue of a king, but now is naught but two legs and a decrepit face lying in the sand. At the foot of the sculpture, an inscription shows that this sculpture depicts the once-great king Ozymandias. The traveller concludes his description by saying that the sculpture was completely alone in the desert.

As far as the eyes can see, sand stretches out in all directions. In looking at “Ozymandias,” we will consider Ozymandias’ face, the inscription at the base of the sculpture, and the isolated nature of the sculpture, to find that the poem warns cruel and haughty men of living their lives in isolation as a result of their cruelty.

The poem begins with a traveller describing this statue to the author in great detail: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read […]” (Shelley 2-6).

From here we see that Ozymandias was a cruel man. The sculptor depicted him with a cruel sneer and a lip twisted and wrinkled into a frown. We know the sculptor’s depiction is accurate because the poem notes how “its sculp-

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING OZYMANDIAS (CONT’D): tor well those passions read.” The sculptor clearly knew how cruel Ozymandias was and immortalized his villainy in this sculpture.

Ozymandias was haughty as well as cruel, as we see from the inscription at the foot of the sculpture, which reads “‘‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’’” (Shelley 10-11). Ozymandias speaks in the first person here, which means that he declared himself king of kings.

This shows his haughtiness – he sees himself as above even a king. In his own eyes he is so powerful that even the mighty despair when encountering him. We clearly see Ozymandias’ arrogance and conceit.

Despite Ozymandias’ supposed might, all that remains of him is a decrepit ruin of a monument. The monument isn’t in a bustling town square or near a village for people to see it and be awestruck – in fact the traveler specifically states that “‘Round the decay/ Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare/ The lone and level sands stretch far away.’”

The only thing that remains of Ozymandias is a monstrous ruin in the middle of the desert.

The word Monster comes from the root monere, which means a warning - this monstrous ruin warns haughty and cruel men like Ozymandias that they’ll end up like him: alone and destroyed, isolated in the desert.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING

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FADE IN: SAMSON KARBEN, AP Literature Mr. Logan Metz Deception as the Path for Destruction In the tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare raises the question: To what extent does deception benefit the deceiver? Throughout the play, deceptions initiated by multiple characters, such as Hamlet and King Claudius, eventually end in their own destruction. The lies and deception may initially benefit the liar, but eventually these lies lead to distrust and harm. By manipulating the information provided to others, these characters negatively change how others perceive them. Shakespeare’s evaluation of the effects of lying guides the reader to conclude that characters,whether sympathetic or unfriendly, can bear significant responsibility for their own downfall when they use deception to accomplish their goals.

Throughout the play, Claudius manipulates others in order to achieve his goals. Near the end of the play, when Hamlet announces his return, Claudius schemes to kill him in order to prevent further investigation into the murder. He speaks with Laertes, insincerely complimenting him, “your rapier most especial, / That he cried out ‘twould be a sight indeed / If one could match you” (Hamlet 4.7.111-113).

Claudius specifically compliments Laertes’ rapier fighting skills, causing Laertes to consider himself superior to Hamlet, based on the king’s remarks. Claudius specified rapier fighting since he ultimately asks, “Hamlet comes back; what would you undertake / To show yourself indeed your father’s son / More than in words?” (4.7.141-143). Hamlet killed Polonius, Laertes’ father, so by mentioning Hamlet

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING DECEPTION (CONT’D):

and Polonius in a single sentence, Claudius fuels Laertes’ rage to initiate a physical retaliation for the murder. Laertes, following the suggestion of Claudius, responds, “To cut his throat i’ th’ church” (4.7.144). Claudius now has to further shape Laertes’ rage into a form seemingly undetectable, an accident during a rapier match, saying “you may choose / A sword unbated, and in a pass of practice / Requite him for your father” (4.7.156-158).

Part of this scheme involves poison on the sharpened sword, causing certain death to anyone it wounds.

Claudius’s plan involves tricking Hamlet into entering the duel, not knowing he faces a sharpened, poisoned sword designed to kill him. Therefore, Laertes would have an easier time winning the duel, and ending any investigation into the murder of King Hamlet. Claudius therefore uses Laertes as his proxy in order to make the death of Hamlet seem like an accident, but if his plot becomes uncovered, he could blame Laertes, covering his tracks.

This manipulation eventually results in Claudius’ own death. During the duel, Laertes and Hamlet exchange blows with the poisoned blade, mortally wounding themselves. Laertes wounds Hamlet, achieving Claudius’ goal. This success is only temporary, however, since Hamlet then wounds Claudius with the poisoned sword, and then follows with additional poison, killing him more immediately.

Shakespeare’s aim is to lead us to understand that it is because of, not despite, Claudius’ efforts to hide his involvement in killing Hamlet, that Claudius eventually fails to survive. Having discovered during their

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING

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DECEPTION (CONT’D): duel that his rapier skills were not as fine as his king’s adulation, Laertes exposes the king’s role, revealing the truth so harmful to Claudius’ plan, saying “The King, the King’s to blame” (5.2.351). Laertes’ revelation of the lie leads to the unraveling of Claudius’s plot. Hamlet, the intended victim of Claudius’ schemes, kills Claudius using the very sword and poison intended to kill Hamlet. Without these instruments, Hamlet would have waited for the right time on his own, but since Claudius initiated this scheme, he hastened his own demise. With this downfall, Shakespeare reveals that lies eventually fail and harm the liar.

Hamlet himself also manipulates the people around him to achieve his goals. One such deception is his professed madness, used as a tool to disguise his intentions and deflect suspicion while he investigates his father’s murder. Before analyzing the consequences of Hamlet’s deceptions, one must first establish that Hamlet’s madness is actual deception.

Hamlet first hints to this strategy immediately following his conversation with the ghost of his father. Hamlet instructs Horatio and Marcellus to insist that “you know aught of me - this do swear” (1.5.201). Hamlet instructs them to deny knowledge that either they or Hamlet saw the ghost, covering his tracks from Claudius and his allies. As the son of the recently deceased King, Hamlet would be suspected if any investigation into the death of the king were to be initiated. By telling Horatio and Marcellus to keep quiet, he hints that the reason for his madness is to disguise his revenge mission.

After assuming the guise of madness,

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING DECEPTION (CONT’D): Hamlet then uses deception to further manipulate Polonius. During their first interaction, when Polonius asks him if he recognizes him, Hamlet responds, “You are a fishmonger” (2.2.190).

Acting insane, Hamlet manipulates Polonius’ self-importance. Polonius assumes that he is important enough that everyone knows who he is, and that not knowing him is a sign of madness.

“He knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger,” Polonius says, concluding “He is far gone” (2.2.205-206).

Hamlet only deceives Polonius partially, leading to a counter-deception. Polonius realizes that Hamlet has a sense of purpose behind his madness, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t” (2.2.223-224). This sets Polonius’s plans in motion to eavesdrop on Hamlet, in order to uncover the source of Hamlet’s madness. Polonius’s deceptive hiding behind Hamlet’s tapestries then results in Polonius’s own death. Again, Shakespeare intends for the reader to understand that Polonius’s devious plans contributed to his own premature demise.

Similarly, Hamlet’s deception of madness also hurts Hamlet himself, in the scenes with Polonius’s daughter Ophelia. This woman could have ended up as Hamlet’s wife, but instead her rejections by the “mad” Hamlet, and the loss of her father, directly lead to her own madness. Only at her grave does Hamlet declare his love, mourning that “Forty thousand brothers / Could not with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum” (5.1.285-287). Yet Shakespeare makes Hamlet’s role in her transformation clearly understood, causing the reader to realize that Hamlet’s own deception led to this tragedy, offsetting the reader’s sympathy.

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING

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DECEPTION (CONT’D): Hamlet’s clever ploy to or to organize a play in order to reveal the guilt of Claudius is another deception that proves counterproductive. Following the arrival of the players to the castle, Hamlet instructs them to put on a play where, as he explains to Horatio, “One scene of it comes near the circumstance / Which I have told thee of my father’s death” (3.2.81-82). Hamlet organizes this play to determine the ghost’s trustworthiness, concluding “If his occulted guilt / Do not itself unkennel in one speech, / It is a damned ghost that we have seen, / And my imaginations are as foul / As Vulcan’s stithy” (3.2.85-89).

Hamlet explains to Horatio how Claudius’s guilt should cause a noticeable reaction during this act, and that any change will validate the ghost’s story and Hamlet’s sanity.

By mimicking the scene of the actual murder as closely as possible, Hamlet attempts to generate the largest reaction from Claudius. Hamlet also commands Horatio that when that specific act arrives in the play, he should “Observe mine uncle” (3.2.85). Hamlet instructs Horatio to observe Claudius’ bodily reactions while “mine eyes will rivet to his face, / And, after, we will both our judgments join / In censure of his seeming” (3.2.90-92).

Hamlet’s plot to reveal the King’s guilt comes to fruition when the king rushes out of the play immediately following the death of the player king by poison. Hamlet remarks “What, frighted with false fire?” (3.2.292). By leaving the play with such a strong reaction, Claudius reveals to Hamlet that this scene causes too much pain to his conscience. This scene must have been strikingly reminiscent of the real murder in order to warrant the king

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING DECEPTION (CONT’D): to leave the play mid-performance. Hamlet concludes that Claudius did indeed murder King Hamlet, and did so through poison in the ear.

By confirming his own guilt, Claudius verifies the ghost and strengthens Hamlet’s resolve in continuing with his revenge.

However, it is because of Hamlet’s success in manipulating those around him that his plan starts to unravel. Claudius realizes Hamlet’s plan following the play, stating “I like him not, nor stands it safe with us / To let his madness range” (3.3.1-2). Before the play, the King accepted Hamlet, and considered him “the cheer and comfort of our eye, / Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son” (1.2.120-121). Now that Hamlet oversteps his boundaries, probing the king’s inner conscience, Claudius cannot accept Hamlet anymore.

Claudius feels frightened, since he knows Hamlet recognizes his reaction as guilt. Now Claudius dislikes Hamlet, but blames Hamlet’s madness as the source of his dislike. Claudius directs this anger at the very deception used

by Hamlet to disguise his investigation, undermining Hamlet’s success and directly leading to his eventual death. The reader understands that both of Hamlet’s ruses -- the feigned madness and the play -- inspire attention and anger from Claudius.

The deaths of Hamlet and Claudius can be traced directly back to deceptions generated by the characters themselves. Furthermore, the deaths of Ophelia and Laertes can be traced back to deceptions by their allies: Hamlet and Claudius. Ultimately, their deceptions do not prove beneficial, and by linking the conse-

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DECEPTION (CONT’D): quences of their lies to their downfalls, Shakespeare uses Hamlet as the tool with which to reveal the dark truths of deception.

Works Cited: Shakespeare, Hamlet. Eds. William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012. Print.

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INT. ENGLISH - MORNING FADE IN: MICAH STEINBERG, English 10 Honors Ms. Pamela Felcher Is It Better to Have Loved and Lost?: An Explication of Petrarch’s Sonnet 133 Written in the fourteenth century, Petrarch’s magnum opus, the Canzoniere, innovated and revolutionized Renaissance poetry; Michael Spiller describes the Canzoniere in his book on the development of the sonnet as, “the glass of fashion and the mould of form for European sonneteers from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century” (Spiller 1). Having created the format by which sonnets were crafted for centuries to come, Petrarch’s Canzoniere, Latin for “song book,” contains 366 poems, 317 of which are sonnets, which confess to and describe his deep feelings for his unrequited love Laura. His 133rd sonnet specifically addresses the despair that accompanies this unrequited love. He expresses this longing through the use of strong imagery that he develops throughout the poem’s four stanzas and fourteen lines. In looking at Sonnet 133 of Petrarch’s Canzoniere, we will examine his initial imagery and his explanation and application of it to his relationship with Laura, the object of his love, in order to find that love overwhelms Petrarch, yet due to its being unfulfilled, love has caused him the sensation of hopelessness.

Petrarch begins Sonnet 133 by providing four comparisons that depict his feelings of desperation at the hands of love. He writes, “Love’s made me like a target for his arrows, / like snow in sun, like wax within a fire, / and like the mist in wind” (Petrarch 1-3).

Petrarch personifies love as a force consciously acting against him and compares his involve-

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SONNET 133 EXPLICATION (CONT’D): ment with it, through the use of similes, to a target for arrows, snow into a target for arrows, snow in sunlight, wax in fire and mist in wind. These images connote that love pierces and enters him, surrounds and overwhelms him, softens and consumes him and belittles and disperses him, respectively. Although these comparisons have many different connotations, there is one that they all share: his inevitable end, looming in the near future. Petrarch conveys a feeling of helplessness through his use of strong imagery in Sonnet 133.

Throughout the rest of the poem, Petrarch applies the imagery he constructs to his love for Laura and reveals that it’s the fact that his love is unreturned that anguishes him.

Petrarch gives context to his previous comparisons: From out your eyes there came the mortal blow against which time and place are of no use; […]

Your thoughts are arrows and your face a sun, desire, fire: with these arms all at once Love pierces me, he dazzles and he melts me; (5-11) He explains that the “mortal blow” that he feels doesn’t come only from his love for her, but rather he specifically describes it coming from “out of her eyes,” which represent her beauty and her indifferent view of him.

Petrarch attributes the earlier image of arrows, sun, and fire to her thoughts, face, and desirability.

Personified love is described to be using these elements, and lures him in with her desirability while she simultaneously rejects him with her apparent disinterested thoughts, seen through her face. Thus love

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING SONNET 133 EXPLICATION (CONT’D): inflicts the distress mentioned at the start of the poem by the poem by “piercing,” “dazzling” and “melting” the lover. We see that it is the one-way attraction that causes Petrarch to suffer.

Petrarch concludes the sonnet by further describing his pain, “And your angelic singing and your words / with your sweet breath which I cannot resist / compose the aura before which my life flees” (12-14). He describes her as perfect as an angel with an implied metaphor, “angelic singing,” and as desirable with the synesthetic description of her “breath” as “sweet.” Paradoxically, he remarks that this positive and irresistible “aura” of hers has the ultimate negative impact on him as “the aura before which his life flees.” His sonnet ends, depicting the inner turmoil that he experiences over her. When the imagery that he builds at the start of the poem is put into context about his relationship with Laura, we find his “exquisite suffering” to be the product of his unrequited love.

In conclusion, Petrarch expresses his immense love for Laura, Sonnet 133 of the Canzoniere emphasizes the unresolved nature of his emotional state. The very love that sustains him is what kills him.

Works Cited Spiller, Michael R.G.. The Development of the Sonnet. London: Routledge, 1992. Print.

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FADE IN: CALEB ARANOFF, English 9 Ms. Pamela Felcher Reader Response Paragraph on Book 19 of The Odyssey Odysseus, a Greek King, travels back from the epic battle of Troy, and after many endured hardships, he finally arrives at his homeland Ithaca. After Odysseus arrives, he wants to test the people in his palace in order to see whether they are still loyal to him, or whether they have given their loyalty to the suitors, princes who desire to marry Odysseus’ wife Penelope. With the help of the goddess Athena, he disguises himself as a beggar. When Odysseus comes to the royal palace, Penelope asks to speak with him later that night to see whether he knows about the whereabouts of her husband. As he speaks with her, she tells him about the plan she conspired in order to delay her marriage with one of the suitors.

She explains that the suitors found out about the plan: “They forced me. / And now I cannot escape a marriage, nor can I contrive / a deft way out” (Homer 19. 175-177). This passage reveals dramatic irony, which reveals the similarities between Odysseus and his wife.

Odysseus in the battle of Troy always had a guileful plan when the Greek forces needed it most. So too does Penelope when she tells a “stranger” the guileful plan she used when the house of Odysseus needs it most. Interestingly enough, one might have thought that when trickery is present in a husband and wife relationship, the relationship may not last. To the contrary, Odysseus and Penelope show that trickery can actually help a relationship, if used for the right reasons.

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INT. ENGLISH - MORNING FADE IN: NOAH HYMAN, English 10 Honors Ms. Pamela Felcher A Question of Allegiance: The Difference Between Doppelgängers A demon named Grendel terrorizes Hrothgar’s kingdom and wreaks havoc upon his society. Grendel’s infamy spreads far around the world until it reaches the Geat King Hygelac.

The news sparks a declaration from Beowulf, a warrior in the kingdom of Hygelac, who announces his desire to fight the demon on Danish lands. Beowulf embarks on a journey bound for kingdom of Hrothgar and arrives with the choicest fighters along side him. Since his appearance and articulation impress the guard, Beowulf is immediately allowed an audience with King Hrothgar himself. The dire situation the king finds himself in forces him to endorse Beowulf’s fight against Grendel, and the war between Beowulf and Grendel begins. In looking at Beowulf, we will consider Grendel and Beowulf’s completely different relationship with God. We will find that Beowulf and Grendel are doppelgangers because they are similar in strength and power, but they pledge their allegiance and loyalty to different sources: Beowulf pledges his to God; Grendel, to himself.

The introductions of Beowulf and Grendel are ordered in a particular way to reveal the opposite nature of the characters: Grendel’s attributes are shown first and only later does his speak about his lineage, while Beowulf gives a lengthy speech about his ancestors and only then mentions his own name and accolades. When the shaper first mentions Grendel, he threatens Hrothgar’s kingdom with an alliteration describing Grendel as “a powerful demon, a prowler” (86). The shaper presents

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A Question of Allegiance (CONT’D): Grendel as a formidable character and does not repress any of Grendel’s impressiveness. The alliteration stresses his dominance, as if the shaper is boasting for him, Grendel was the name of this grim demon […] he had dwelt for a- time in misery among banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the- creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts (102, 104-107).

The shaper first and foremost mentions Grendel and only later acknowledges Grendel’s descending from the first murderer, Cain. Beowulf’s introduction comes from a completely different angle. When the watchman questions him about his name and motives upon landing on the Danish coast, Beowulf launches into a speech describing his lineage and his allegiance. Beowulf declares, “we belong by birth to the Geat people/ and we owe-allegiance to Lord Hygelac” (260-261). Only much later does Beowulf introduce himself by name. Here, the shaper vaunts Beowulf’s accolades and accomplishments in a way similar to his presentation of Grendel. While each has a clear relationship to God, one negative and one positive, and they match each other in strength, the clear difference between the doppelgängers is their values and dedication. Grendel puts himself first and talks about his lineage second, the exact opposite is true with Beowulf. Both characters are similar in their pride, which also reveals them as doppelgangers. However, their pride in different forms of loyalty and belief paints them as opposite figures.

Each of the doppelgänger’s relationship with God falls on the opposite sides of the spectrum. Grendel looks at God as a scapegoat

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING A Question of Allegiance (CONT’D): for everything while Beowulf views God as divine help. In Grendel’s case, God is always viewed in the negative and as the opposition.

In the first description of Grendel’s beliefs, the shaper says, It- harrowed [Grendel] […] how the almighty had made the earth […]

He set the sun- and the moon to be earth’s lamplight, lanterns for men (87, 92-95).

The implied metaphor in the last lines here compares the sun and the moon to lanterns. The lanterns connote light and a divine presence as God is commonly referred to as a “light” to humans. Therefore, the sun and the moon represent God, which is the reason for Grendel’s sporadic outcries at the heavens and his movement in darkness. Grendel is later referred to as a “Death-Shadow” (160). The kenning shows, in essence, Grendel’s mission. A shadow requires something to be obstructing the light, which is exactly what Grendel attempts to accomplish. Blocking the light signifies blocking the sun, or God. Eliminating God from the lives of Hrothgar’s people becomes a key mission for Grendel. Beowulf, however, takes the complete opposite approach on God. After Beowulf completes a task, he attributes his success to God and thanks him for his help.

After arriving in Danish lands following the journey from the land of the Geats, Beowulf ‘s ship passed “sunlit cliffs” and “thanked God/ for that easy crossing on- a calm sea” (222, 227-228). The sunlit cliffs represent God’s presence in Beowulf’s journey, in contrast to his absence in Grendel’s fight. In addition, the shaper specifically describes the sea as ‘calm’ to contrast the open ocean to the ensuing clamor. In his formal introduction to the Danish coastguard, Beowulf says that he

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A Question of Allegiance (CONT’D): and his men “come in good faith to find your lord” (267). Clearly, Beowulf values faith and his beliefs and attributes his accomplishments to the heavens. The sun, or God, again makes an appearance in Beowulf’s journey as Beowulf and his men were walking to meet Hrothgar and “their mail-shirts glinted” (321). No matter where Beowulf goes, God will always come with him. Through the descriptions of Grendel and Beowulf’s relationship with the light of God, we can see the clear elements of the doppelganger relationship.

Grendel and Beowulf’s actions and beliefs make them perfect doppelgängers because in strength and purpose they are similar, butl in their relationship to God, so different. Despite characters operating in parallel ways, it is important to look at their loyalty and allegiance to determine whether they are truly representative of one another. Throughout the text, we will see the recurring conflict between similar actions rooted in different morals. The fact that Beowulf and Grendel are doppelgängers makes them bound to meet, but the difference in values ensures a battle between the two that one will have to lose.

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INT. ENGLISH - MORNING FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, English 10 Honors Ms. Pamela Felcher Authoritative Antagonists Versus Experienced Experts: A Study of Irony in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales Authority is the power to influence others, especially because of one’s commanding manner or one’s recognized knowledge about something. Geoffrey Chaucer, in his Canterbury Tales, often discussed the notion and true nature of authority. The characters that voice the numerous stories in his book are ironically strange representatives for the messages they convey: an inelegant knight explaining the ideas and significance of chivalry; a five-time divorcee explaining woman’s true relationship desires and the proper way in which spouses should behave in order to sustain a marriage; an unkempt, dishonest pardoner preaching against his own practice. Specifically in these tales – “The Knight’s Tale,” “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” and “The Pardoner’s Tale” – Chaucer refutes a common idea of the time: the ability to influence stems from authority or position rather than from experience. Rather, in his opinion, experience, whether in a positive or negative sense, is what influences and dictates one’s actions. A fancy title, on the other hand, is just a name.

The knight, in relaying his tales of Palamon and Arcite, two ancient chivalric cousins, to his pilgrim counterparts often uses child-like rhymes in the recitation of the story of the cousins’ failed sense of chivalry. Palamon and Arcite fight to the death for the opportunity to marry Emily, their mutual courtly love. However, as a fatal blow is dealt to Arcite, he displays the utmost levels

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IRONY IN CHAUCER (CONT’D): of chivalric behavior, dying with supreme honor. As the knight describes the last moments of Arcite’s life, he shifts his tone to a more serious, solemn one, somehow weaving complex rhymes and utilizing a large vocabulary. It seems ironic for a knight to attempt to teach the pilgrims the ways of the Code of Chivalry by citing a case where it is only displayed after a string of un-noble acts. Said difficulty of his seemingly unfitting model of chivalry is resolved by Theseus, a character within the tale, in his speech after the death of Arcite: “’Ther needeth non auctoritee t’allegge, / For it is preved by experience’” (2142-2143).

As Theseus, a greatly respected and authoritative figure, dictates, experience – rather than authority – is what can truly influence.

Furthermore, as Theseus speaks in attempts to appease the people, he speaks not from a position of authority; rather, he speaks from experience, calling back upon his past to apply them to his current problems. Applying Theseus’ knowledge, the knight brings up his example to show that, although Arcite showed a lack of gentilesse throughout the story, on his deathbed, he proved that he, in fact, was experienced on the matter. Even if one does not outwardly display his experience, it does not mean that it is non-existent. The knight specifically chose to bring in the account of Arcite to influence the pilgrims through Arcite’s experience.

In the Prologue for “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” the scarlet-clad Wife, a five-time widdow, attempts to explain to the pilgrims the true desire of women and how to keep a strong, healthy marital relationship. One might argue that the Wife is not the proper spokesperson for such a matter, given her lack of modesty,

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING IRONY IN CHAUCER (CONT’D): and that it is ironic that she would attempt to teach on such topics. The Wife, however, would promptly disagree, as, in her Prologue, she says, “Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, is right ynough for me” (117). She ironically often quotes biblical text just to argue with it. However, when she finds a biblical passage with which she agrees, such as the commandment to produce offspring, she was not afraid to attest: “that gentil text I can wel understonde” (134). As a woman living in a patriarchal society, she often asserted her dominance to past husbands -- tearing a page out of a book about beating bad wives, for example. In her years, she has concluded that authority means nothing, as is signified by the ripping of the page, and that experience is truly the attribute that reigns supreme. From her point of view, there is no better person to teach about sex and marriage than one who has faced the ups, downs, and intricacies on five individual instances.

The pardoner, a monetarily successful preacher, openly explains to a pilgrim-comprised audience that he is consumed by avarice and is driven to preach by hunger for money.

In fact, the pardoner himself even says in his prologue that he would take any form of currency or sustenance “Al were it yeven of the povrest page, / Or of the povret widwe in a village, / Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne” (121-123). With immense irony, the pardoner claims that his “theme” is that the love of money is the root of all evil, although he openly admits to his audience that he only gives sermons to swindle or con his subjects out of money. He explains, however, that his immorality does not stop his listeners from performing good deeds, as though he

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IRONY IN CHAUCER (CONT’D): “be gilty in that sinne, / Yet can [he] maken other folk to twinne / from avarice, and sore to repente” (101-103). According to the pardoner’s views, just because one might prove immoral, he is still experienced in the niceties of his transgression. Logically, since he knows a vast amount on the subject, he possesses the ability to teach others.

Some of Chaucer’s sources expressed similar thoughts on the topic of experience over authority. In Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy, Philosophy explains to a disheartened Boethius that he should remember his past in order to give him a sense of thankfulness and joy. Similarly, in Book II, Philosophy underscores the significance of experience, saying that there is always something that even “who experience it not know nothing of, but which makes the sufferer wince. Besides, the more favored a man is by Fortune, the more fastidiously sensitive is he; and, unless all things answer to his whim, he is overwhelmed by the most trifling misfortunes, because utterly unschooled in adversity. So petty are the trifles which rob the most fortunate of perfect happiness!” (Boethius 2. 276).

Boethius, adding to Chaucer’s ideas, explains that, although difficult, one must utilize and exploit his past fortunes to learn from them and propel himself forward in future endeavors, so as to not dwell in the past. Not only can experience be used for authoritative purposes, but to further one’s own mental awareness and self-confidence.

Works Cited Boethius, Anicius, The Consolation of Philos-

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ophy. New York: Penguin Books, 1998.

Print.

Chaucer, Geoffrey, The Canterbury Tales. New York: Bantam Classics, 2006. Print FADE TO BLACK.

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FADE IN: EYTAN MERKIN English 10 Honors Ms. Pamela Felcher Exquisite Suffering in Petrarch’s “White Doe” “The White Doe” describes Francesco Petrarch’s encounter with an alluring white doe in an emerald glade. Petrarch follows the doe for hours, spurred on by her unattainable beauty, but eventually loses sight of her. At the surface level, the poem seems like a simple fantasy tale. However, if we delve deeper into the overarching allegorical nature of the poem, the paradoxical nature of Petrarch’s pursuit of the doe, and the metaphors used in the conclusion of the poem, we can discern a profound message: the most powerful and dangerous form of desire arises from the quest for the unattainable.

The profound allegorical nature of Petrarch’s encounter with the doe is hinted at from the first lines of the poem. Petrarch begins, with a tone of awe, “A pure-white doe in an emerald glade / Appeared to me, with two antlers of gold” (1-2). Petrarch writes that the doe “appeared” to him, not that it walked into the glade. This word choice connotes magic and mystery, thereby implying that the entire poem is a vision or dream. Furthermore, by telling us that the doe appeared only “to me,” Petrarch hints that his vision is not simply a flight of fantasy; rather, it is an allegory that contains a message of a personal nature. Additionally, Petrarch describes the doe with the phrase “pure-white” to connote perfection and flawlessness. The doe’s antlers are also metaphorically compared to gold, connoting rarity and preciousness. Additionally, the doe is described as appearing under a

INT. ENGLISH - MORNING EXQUISITE SUFFERING (CONT’D): “laurel’s shade.” The laurel in this line is used in conjunction with its status in Greek mythology as a symbol for the unattainable.

All these metaphors combine to reveal the heart of the allegory: Petrarch is writing from the point of view of a man on a futile quest for the unattainable, represented by the white doe.

The continuation of the poem reveals the paradoxical effect the unattainable has on desire. Petrarch writes, “Her sigh was so suavely merciless / That I left work to follow her at leisure” (4-5). At first glance, this sentence seems illogical. Why would the doe’s sigh cause Petrarch to follow her? Instead, we must analyze the figurative meaning behind this sentence. The word “sigh” here is used as a symbol for the doe’s unattainable aspects.

Because the “sigh” is itself just a breath, it connotes intangibility and transience. Petrarch tells us through this metaphor that the doe’s ephemerality and inaccessibility enticed him to follow her. Paradoxically, it is precisely the doe’s unattainable nature that makes her desirable. This idea can be described by the phrase “exquisite suffering.”

Petrarch receives a perverse sense of satisfaction from the futility of his quest for the unattainable.

The power and danger of exquisite suffering is elaborated on in the line, “Like the miser who, looking for his treasure, / Sweetens with that delight his bitterness” (6-7).

Petrarch uses this extended simile to compare his futile pursuit of the unattainable to a miser’s searching for treasure. The delight the miser feels is not in the treasure itself, but in the search for treasure. So too is Pe-

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EXQUISITE SUFFERING (CONT’D): trarch’s infatuation with the doe rooted not in the doe itself, but in the perverse joy he feels in his futile yearning for the doe. Furthermore, with the word “sweetens,” Petrarch utilizes an implied metaphor to compare the delight the miser feels while searching for treasure to honey or sugar. This metaphor, in conjunction with the epic simile that equates the miser’s search to Petrarch’s quest for the unattainable, implies the idea that one can become addicted to such a quest. Petrarch expounds upon the dangers of an unobtainable goal in the closing lines of the poem, “My weary eyes were not sated to see, / When I fell into the stream and she was gone” (1314). He uses this last section of the allegory to compare the result of a quest for the unattainable to a man so engrossed by his futile pursuit that he loses the way and falls into a stream. Petrarch’s poem, which begins by describing the power of the allure of the unattainable, ends with a warning as to the dangers involved in being absorbed in desire for an unreachable goal.

The message of “The White Doe” is unmistakably frightening. Petrarch, through an allegorical tale of a pure-white doe in an emerald glade, metaphorically describes the allure of the quest for the unattainable, and then warns us of the dangers of such a quest.

This message is powerful and easily applicable to our lives. It is easy to get caught up in a goal we can never reach -- be it fame, fortune, or something else. One might even feel a perverse satisfaction from the futility of such a goal, even if we can easily lose the way and fall into the stream.

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SCIENCE SECTION:

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FADE IN: MR. STAVES’ HONORS CHEMISTRY CLASS The Rubin’s Tube Though the Rubin’s Tube, pictured below, is no longer utilized as a tool for scientific advancement, it has been adopted as a demonstration tool for physics education. Invented by Heinrich Rubens in 1905, a Rubin’s Tube gives a visual representation of both standing and oscillating sound waves. A speaker or frequency generator at one end of the tube sends sound waves throughout the tube and displaces the propane gas inside forcing it through the perforated top. Dependent upon the frequency, the propane can be displaced upwards in different patterns displayed by the fire burning on top of the tube. While the Rubin’s Tube is a primitive and imprecise form of measuring and displaying sound waves, our physics teacher, Mr. Cody Staves, finds that it’s a useful tool for getting high-school students excited and interested in physics and science as a whole.

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INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING FADE IN: ARI WILLNER, Biology 9 Honors Mrs. Vickie Bellomo PROMPT: Write a response to a relevant article on a scientific current event.

Article Response: Microbes in the Gut Summary of the article’s main idea: Stroke is the biggest cause of disability and death in the world. A study published by Nature Medicine may help lower the severity rate of this common brain disorder. After a person has a stroke, the immune system fights the effects with inflammatory responses by regulatory T cells and gamma delta T cells. The regulatory T cells are beneficial to the brain in its recuperation, but the gamma delta T cells are the ones that cause the most damage post facto. A group of researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College found that in mice, if one changes the microbial balance in the gut, it could cause the gamma delta T cell count to go down, thus causing less stroke severity. This is a big step forward in the hunt for a medication for stroke prevention.

Question author is trying to answer: What does the gut have to do with your brain?

Instruments and equipment used: Any equipment necessary was used in doing fecal transplants in mice, which may include tweezers, microscopes, amongst other things. Additionally, different types of antibiotics were used to lower the microbial balance in the gut. A computer was also likely utilized to input data.

Course-relevant terms found in article:

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MICROBES IN THE GUT (CONT’D): 1. Stroke: a brain disorder where oxygen is blocked off from part of the brain, causing brain cells to die and jobs done by that part of the brain to slacken. The article talks about a possible solution to the many deaths caused by stroke.

2. Microbial balance: The balance of microorganisms in the body at any given point in time. The article hopes to look at the microbial balance in the gut to help lessen stroke severity.

3. Regulatory T Cells: Also known as Suppressor T Cells, these types of T cells help stop the immune response after a disease in the body. The researchers want to increase the number of these in the body in order to help stop the immune response to stroke.

4. Gamma Delta T Cells: A type of T Cell, which mostly is stored in the gut. It secretes cytokine when fending off a disease, which causes a bad inflammatory response to strokes.

5. Ischemic Stroke: The most common type of stroke caused by a blood clot in an artery supplying blood to the brain. The researchers caused the mice to have an ischemic stroke to test the microbial balances in their guts.

How illustrations, diagrams, or charts contributed to the understanding of the article: An image at the beginning of the article shows a micro-graph of cells in necrosis due to a stroke. This picture helps the reader understand the effects of stroke on the human brain.

Follow up work suggested by author: The search is far from over. In order to put this discovery into action, scientists need to further know several things: the connection between the gut and the brain, which exact bac-

INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING MICROBES IN THE GUT (CONT’D): teria in the gut cause the gamma delta T cells to die. They must test the human gut to see if encouraging of the microbial balance can help humans.

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FADE IN: MR. SCHECHTER’S CHEMISTRY CLASS Combustion Reactions Mr. Shechter, a chemistry teacher at YULA Boys High School, in the picture below is demonstrating a combustion reaction, one of the 5 types of chemical reactions. By placing isopropyl alcohol in an empty water jug and swirled the jug he created an alcohol vapor in the water jug.

A lit match was dropped into the jug, igniting the vapor inside. By creating a sudden influx of carbon dioxide and pure water, the reaction produced a loud bang audible throughout the room.

Methane gas was mixed with soapy water to form the methane bubbles. The student below, sophomore Eli Isaacs, was instructed to place his hand in water, as a protective measure, before scooping a handful of the methane bubbles from the top of the solution. The methane bubbles were then ignited, creating a temporary fire to burst from his hands.

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INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING FADE IN: MRS. BELLOMO’S ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY CLASS Hand-Drawn Human Musculature Diagrams An important and core component of successful learning is memory. Coloring reinforces one’s attention and memory performance.

Therefore, to master the location of the muscles in the muscular system, YULA’s anatomy and physiology class drew a life sized diagram of the posterior and anterior muscular chain. This was a cross curriculum assignment in which Mr. Arenas, the art teacher and director of our innovation lab, visited the class to discuss the most effective way to create the drawings. The class was split up into six groups, three working on the posterior and three on the anterior. Our teachers voted on which were the best in terms of accuracy as well as aesthetic appearance.

The two best diagrams produced from this educational campaign are shown in the pictures below.

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FADE IN: AVISHAI ZARIFPOUR, AP Biology Mrs. Vickie Bellomo Genetic Testing of Breast Cancer Genetic testing finds genetic differences and mutations in the sequencing of human DNA. It can be used to identify dangerous health risks and even help discover new medicines which can treat the symptoms. There are many kinds of genetic testing including diagnostic, prenatal, newborn, and carrier testing.

In my research, I decided to investigate how the test for hereditary breast cancer is conducted and how precise these tests are. In addition to my research, I defend the ASHG’s recent position statement on pediatric genetic testing, explaining the truth and reason behind it.

Hereditary Breast Cancer develops in the tissue of glands or ducts, which begins with the formation of a lump that spreads through the breast. Most of the women who get the cancer often do not get it through an inherited mutation. The two main genes associated with the cancer are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Anyone who has the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation has an increased chance of getting the cancer.

The genetic testing is recommended for everyone although it is especially encouraged for those whom are known to have gene mutations in their family trees and personal histories.

The testing involves a few steps. The first step is to get a family pedigree and to see if there are any patterns of breast cancer in the family. Then, there is a blood test which is used to see if the breast cancer gene exists in the person’s body. According to Am Genet’s research, “The average cumulative risks in BRCA1-mutation carriers by age 70 years were

INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING GENETIC TESTING OF BREAST CANCER (CONT’D): 65% (95% confidence interval 44%-78%) for breast cancer and 39% (18%-54%) for ovarian cancer.

The corresponding estimates for BRCA2 were 45% (31%-56%) and 11% (2.4%-19%).” If the person has the specific mutated gene, the whole family is at risk of having that mutation and are recommended to test for the gene as well.

There are several possible results to the test. One may be found to have no mutation at all, an unrelated mutation, or a mutation that is connected to the cancer. Having the mutation doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the cancer and not having the mutation doesn’t put you out of risk. If one has the mutation, they are at an increased risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer. A negative test result means that a mutated gene was not found while a positive result means that the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation was identified in the body of that person. According to the Department of Medicine at University of Washington’s research, “based on expert opinion concerning presumptive benefit, early breast cancer and ovarian cancer screening are recommended for individuals with BRCA1 mutations and early breast cancer screening for those with BRCA2 mutations.” Although there are numerous benefits with respects to genetic testing for breast cancer, the results are not a telltale sign for the subject. In other words, although one may receive a negative outcome from the test, she still may develop cancer. Likewise, if one received a positive outcome, there is still a 20% chance that the subject will not develop cancer.

The ASHG’s recent position statement on pediatric genetic testing states that “Adolescents should be encouraged to defer predic-

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GENETIC TESTING OF BREAST CANCER (CONT’D): tive or predispositional testing for adult-onset conditions until adulthood because of the complexity of the potential impact of the information at formative life stages”. I agree with ASHG’s opinion, as the genetic testing is a very complex process and the results may vary during the different life stages of the patient. Once the adolescents reach adulthood, the results from the genetic testing are much more accurate and precise.

Hereditary breast cancer is a prime example of a cancer that does not present symptoms until adulthood. Thousands of women have taken the test to check for this dangerous gene, and thousands continue to do so. Even though these tests aren’t incredibly precise, those who are at higher risks of having the gene are often recommended to take the test, as it could be a matter of life and death for the patient.

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INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING FADE IN: MENACHEM KORNREICH, Honors Biology Mrs. Vickie Bellomo Seasonal Dead Zones: Ocean Awareness One of the leading causes of ocean pollution and the endangering of commercial and recreational fisheries is the runoff pollution that increases the area of the seasonal oxygendepleted “dead zones,” known scientifically as hypoxia. Because of the decreased oxygen supply, only limited marine life can survive in the “dead zones.” The main cause of these “dead zones” is the runoff from overfertilized farm lands that brings an overabundance of nutrients into the ocean. While the nutrients are beneficial in the short term, in the long term, after waste products are produced and bacteria consume the waste products, the end result is a loss of oxygen in the lower levels of the ocean. The nutrient enriched runoff also causes problems in inland streams and waterways, such as the creation of poisonous cyanobacteria. While a permanent solution has yet to be found, there are actions that individuals can do to reduce the problem.

The dead zones occur at deeper levels below the surface, where the waste from seasonal algal blooms accumulates. In the dead zones, at river mouths (such as the Mississippi River delta), the upper oxygen-rich and lower oxygen-depleted layers cannot mix, because they are at the barrier between freshwater and saltwater. Fall and winter winds stir up the water restoring the balance until the next year (“The Dead Zone”).

Contrary to popular belief, the root cause of the increase of dead zones is not from direct water pollution, such as sewage

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SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): dumps and chemical waste, but rather fromnonpoint sources. Nonpoint sources generally result from runoff water, rainfall, snowmelt, drainage, and seepage from sewage and water treatment. Nonpoint sources are more diverse and diffuse than point sources. The main nonpoint source pollution is that caused by rainfall and snowmelt moving over and thru the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up natural and humanmade pollutants, especially fertilizer, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal and ground waters.

Causes of nonpoint source pollution include an overuse of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides that are not absorbed in the ground. Other major sources include oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production and sediment from construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks. Salt from irrigation and abandoned mines, bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems, and dams and water treatment are also causes of nonpoint sources of pollution (“What is Nonpoint Source?”).

The nitrates from fertilizers, which are needed to make plants grow, then create the “dead zones” in their path (Biello). Once the nutrients reach the ocean, they cause an increase in Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton produce oxygen, but the dead zones are caused by the effects of overproduction. The nutrients cause an overabundance of food, which actually causes a temporary spike in all aquatic wildlife.

However, this in turn causes a spike in the amount of dead lower rungs of the food chain, and the waste products of the higher rungs of the food chain. These corpses and waste prod-

INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): ucts accumulate on the bottom of the ocean (or Gulf). At that point, there is a spike in the bacteria which feed off these waste products, and it is this interaction that depletes the oxygen from the water (“The Dead Zone”).

As stated above, the depleted oxygen levels cannot be restored because of the freshwatersaltwater barrier, thus resulting in the dead zones.

Ecologist Patrick Mulholland (Biello) reports that streams and other waterways are losing their ability to filter excess nitrates from fertilizers and sewage. He experimented by releasing an unusual isotope of Nitrogen to track its course through different streams. He found that the streams continue to absorb nitrate, but absorb a smaller fraction as overall nitrate input increases which leads to hypoxia downstream.

Bacteria can remove the nitrates, but can only eliminate at most 43% of the nitrates.

The rest of stream pollution was algae, which may also come from de-nitrification, but it is unknown how much.

Therefore, a significant portion reaches the sea. At the sea, algae and other microorganisms take in Nitrogen, bloom, die and suck up the Oxygen, creating the dead zones. Dead zones have been observed to appear seasonally in various river mouths, such as the Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, where lifeless waters can cover over 7700 square miles during the summer.

Since most of the nitrates come from fertilizes, there is concern that increased. demand for biofuel from crops such as corn will worsen this problem. Current predictions are

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SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): severe with some predicting that the nitrogen pollution from the Mississippi River basin will increase 34%, making it impossible to reduce the New Jersey size dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (Biello).

Runoff pollution is harmful to inland waters as well. Eutrophication is a leading cause of impairment of many freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems in the world and is characterized by excessive plant and algal growth due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth factors needed for photosynthesis (Schindler), such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrient fertilizers. It occurs naturally as lakes age and fill with sediment, but runoff pollution has accelerated the rate and extent of eutrophication from the flow of nutrients into aquatic ecosystems (Chislock et al.).

The consequence of the excess of nutrients is the creation of dense blooms of disgusting, foul smelling phytoplankton that reduce water clarity and harm water quality.

Algal blooms limit and thus reduce growth and cause the death of other aquatic plants. The lack of light also impairs the success of predators to catch prey. The high rate of photosynthesis depletes inorganic carbon, which raises pH levels during the day, and blinds organisms that depend on chemosensory abilities. When the algal blooms die, the microbial decomposition severely depletes the oxygen creating hypoxic or anoxic dead zones (Chislock et al.).

Some algal blooms also produce toxins that degrade water quality, harm water life, and including the destruction of economically

INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): important fisheries, and cause public health risks. Toxigenic cyanobacteria flourish under the conditions created by nitrate release and eutrophication. Poisoning from cyanobacteria has been cited as the cause of death of domestic animals, wildlife, and even humans. A vicious cycle ensues, because cyanobacteria are a poor source of food for zooplankton, thus reducing their ability to control algal blooms (Chislock et al.). *** According to the Scientific American, at present there are no good solutions. Their current proposed solution, which is for Americans to stop eating meat, thereby freeing up corn used as livestock feed for other uses, is unrealistic (Biello).

There have been several attempts to control the release of nutrients, but despite numerous federal, state, and local laws, eutrophication and cyanobacteria are still prevalent, and the dead zones are increasing. The legislation is not effective, because, as mentioned above, the main source of the pollution that results in dead zones comes from nonpoint sources, not direct dumping. Also, even if the new input of nutrients is reduced, reduction of overall nutrients is difficult to achieve because water sources continue to internally load nutrients from sediment (Chislock et al.).

The Nature article listed a survey of some of the attempted solutions by water managers. However, the solutions are costly, of limited effect, and do not address the root cause. Some have tried to divert the excess

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SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): nutrients to other places, which is clearly a good solution, but difficult to find alternate locations that will not in turn run off to the ocean. Others tried altering the nutrient ratios to decrease the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, but the nutrients are still there and this can be costly and difficult to monitor (Chislock et al.).

Physical mixing via turbulence (that is, simulating what the fall and winter winds achieve) can help bring up lower levels to be exposed to the light, and allows oxygen to flow to the lower levels, but this is costly and requires energy. Shading water bodies with opaque liners is expensive and has side effect of reducing light for other plants. Another solution is to apply potent algaecides and herbicides which are effective at reducing algal blooms, but they are expensive to apply and pose risks to humans, livestock, and wildlife.

Biomanipulation involves the removal of secondary consumers and is a suggested solution which allows the dominance of the generalist grazers to control phytoplankton. It has minimal to no side effects, but is costly, and its effect is only short-lived.

The Nature Conservancy lists a few things you can do to prevent dead zones such as: Using environmentally friendly landscaping that requires less fertilizer and native plants.

Leaving grass clippings on the lawn or starting a compost pile to reduce the amount of waste. Conserving water at home to reduce the amount of runoff and the amount of water that needs to be treated by sewage treatment or a septic tank. Using safe, nontoxic alternatives

INT. SCIENCE - MID-MORNING SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): for cleaning and controlling pests. Taking household chemicals to a recycling center.

Washing one’s car on a grassy area to allow the ground to filter the water naturally. Emptying the bucket of soapy water down the sink, not in the street (“Journey with Nature”).

A solution that is surprisingly not discussed in the other articles is is to educate farmers not to overfertilize their fields, which is both costeffective for them and can dramatically reduce non point sources of ocean pollution.

Works Cited Biello, David “Fertilizer Runoff Overwhelms Streams and Rivers - Creating Vast ‘Dead Zones.’”” Scientific American. March 14 2008: n. pag Web. 30 May 2016.

Chislock, M. F., Doster, E., Zitomer, R. A. & Wilson, A. E. “Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and Controls in Aquatic Ecosystems.” Nature Education Knowledge.

2013: 4(4):10. Web. 30 May 2016.

Schindler, D. W. “Recent advances in the understanding and management of eutrophication. Limnology and Oceanography” 51, 356363 (2006).

“Journey with Nature Gulf Hypoxia.” Nature Conservancy, n.d. Web. 30 May 2016 “The Dead Zone.” NOAA, 4 May 2009. Web. Vid-. eo. 30 May 2015.

“What is Nonpoint Source?” EPA, n.d. Web. 30

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SEASONAL DEAD ZONES (CONT’D): May 2016.

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MATH SECTION:

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FADE IN: MRS. BAYRAMOVA’S HONORS ALGEBRA II CLASS Form Follows Function The Algebra II curriculum focuses on the graphing of functions and the utilization of their trends in order to manipulate them. The Honors Algebra II and Precalculus classes demonstrated their understanding of the subject by developing graphs that resemble letters, enabling them to spell complete words. Pictured below are the students’ calculators displaying their final product: the word “MATH.” They used polynomial functions to graph the “M” and “H,” an absolute value function for the “A,” and a rational function for the “T.” FADE TO BLACK.

EXT. MATHEMATICS - MIDDAY FADE IN: NOAH HYMAN & DAVID ESAGOFF, Honors Algebra II Mrs. Layla Bayramova Flight Patterns Data Lab Pairs of students found and compared the distances and estimated flight times of ten different flights departing from Atlanta. The students were required to graph the data and derive its equation using their scientific calculators. Each pair made a web page that laid out the process. The pictures below are from one of the groups. The students found that they could use the following equation to find the distance and duration of any flight: (Y1.95) = (0.002)(X-595), where Y is the time and X is the distance.

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FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, NOAH HYMAN, & ARYEH PERLMAN Honors Algebra II Mrs. Layla Bayramova Exploring Real-World Applications of Exponential Functions Groups of students grew mold on pieces of bread while measuring the amount of mold on the bread once a day. Once the bread was covered in mold, the students used their data to create exponential functions that modeled the growth rate of the mold. The hands-on project was a great opportunity for the students to demonstrate their proficiency in algebraic functions, while also showing them the practical applications of the mathematical concepts they learn in the class.

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EXT. MATHEMATICS - MIDDAY FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, Honors Algebra II Mrs. Layla Bayramova Using the Law of Cosines in an Obscure Shape

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FADE IN: MICAH STEINBERG & JONATHAN MIZRAHI, Honors Algebra II Mrs. Layla Bayramova 3-D Printing a Fractal Fractals are shapes with fractional dimensions, meaning that they contain an infinite, recurring pattern. After learning about fractals, two students decided to use one of YULA’s 3-D printers in order to print a portion of one. They chose a pyramidal fractal based on the famous Sierpinski triangle fractal.

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HISTORY SECTION:

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FADE IN: JACK LEFKOWITZ, AP US History Dr. Paul Soifer Nazi Propaganda in Los Angeles In the 1930s and 1940s a number of organizations in the United States used propaganda to promote an anti-Semitic pro-Nazi message. The exhibit, “In Our Own Backyard: Resisting Nazi Propaganda in Southern California,” chronicles the pro-Nazi propaganda period from 1933 to 1945 in Los Angeles and the response of the Los Angeles Jewish community to these groups. The digital exhibit includes propaganda in the form of books, pamphlets, flyers, newspapers, letters, radio shows, movies, rallies and picnics. During this time, pro-Nazi and fascist organizations propagated an anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews as dishonest, materialistic, unpatriotic and powerful.

In response, the Los Angeles Jewish community infiltrated these organizations with undercover spies, disseminated negative information about these groups, boycotted German goods and circulated a message of Jewish patriotism.

Pro-Nazi organizations in the United States used propaganda to misinform the American public and promote racial stereotypes.

The German American Bund, an organization with close ties to Hitler, promoted a pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic message. The organization highlighted negative stereotypical ‘Jewish characteristics’ by portraying on the cover of the magazine Die Juden a photo of a Jew crudely eating food while sitting on the floor. Jews were often characterized as materialistic and power hungry. False information about Jews was disseminated in order to create fear of Jewish power. In the German booklet, Germany’s Battle for Western Culture, statistics regarding

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON NAZI PROPAGANDA (CONT’D): Jewish domination of Germany and the world were falsified and distorted. In addition, a front page article of American Gentile newspaper published in Los Angeles accused the Jews of being unpatriotic and having a spy system in every city and town in the United States.

Bundists spread the idea that Jews were dishonest and immoral. A brochure illustration from The Conspirators stated the Jews were the cause of high taxes, starvation and death. The cartoon urged non-Jews to “break Jew control.”

The Bunds held highly publicized rallies, picnics and parties in order to promote their nationalistic pro-Nazi message and create fear of Jewish domination. One flier advertised a “giant pro-American rally” that would expose the real enemies of the United States.

Fascist movements in Los Angeles also promoted a pro-Nazi anti-Semitic message by spreading fear and suspicion through disinformation. Native fascist organizations had an anti-Semitic platform and promoted gentile dominance. A flier printed by the American National Party in Los Angeles proclaimed “Buy Gentile! Employ Gentiles! Vote Gentile!” Fascist Henry Allen and Bund members posted it in public places throughout Los Angeles County.

The Ku Klux Klan, The Militant Christian Patriots, The Silver Shirts and Father Coughlin’s Christian Front espoused Nazi, Fascist and anti-Semitic ideology. The Aryan Book Store in Los Angeles sold Nazi propaganda and appealed to anti-communist sentiments. In one advertisement the store stated their mission to enlighten patriotic Americans about the “Jewish Communist menace.”

In 1933, in response to the increasing anti-Semitism of the Bund group, forty Los An-

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NAZI PROPAGANDA (CONT’D): geles Jewish community leaders formed the Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee. The Committee’s strategy was to carry on surveillance and expose pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic groups.

Operatives were planted in fascist groups and reported back with information on membership and activities. An R-3 spy report of German House activities detailed Bund plans to disseminate pro-Nazi information and other details such as plans to practice shooting. The report reveals the spy was an active member of the organization. The operatives became involved in the organizations and used whatever lawful means necessary to put the fascist organizations out of business. Another spy report of the Opening Day Ceremonies for the Berlin Olympiad stated that the American German Bund was represented in part by an agent working for the Community Relations Committee. The Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee spied on the American Warriors, Ku, Klux Klan and National Copperheads and promoted a boycott of German goods.

Pamphlets and booklets were dispersed by the Jewish community to combat anti-Semitic propaganda. “What to Do When the Rabble-Rouser Comes to Town” was distributed to Jewish communities to warn people against saying things which stirred up controversy with anti-Semitics, thus giving them press coverage. A colorful comic stating “There are no master races” was circulated to answer the pro-Nazi message. A poster advertising the book “Under Cover” promises to reveal how Axis agents are plotting to destroy the United States. In response to anti-Semitic and unpatriotic accusations, the Anti-defamation League published a brochure listing individuals with the last name “Cohen” who had fought for the United States.

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON NAZI PROPAGANDA (CONT’D): The Los Angeles Jewish Community Committee created the News Research Service to expose pro-Nazi groups. The newsletter was based on the Committee’s research and intelligence reports. Readership of the newsletter included an important group of writers, organizations and journalists who alerted the public about the threat of pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic groups. Citizens of Los Angeles produced radio shows, pamphlets, comic strips and films to fight discrimination.

The Hollywood film industry used movies to portray the Bundists and Fascists as both corrupt and menacing. Films such as “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” and “The Great Dictator” relayed an anti-fascist message. The Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, an organization comprised of Hollywood celebrities, fought fascism by reaching out to the American public. The Anti-Nazi News alerted the public about local, national, and international Nazi activities.

The Fascist and Bundist movements attacked the heavily Jewish movie industry.

Fascists claimed there was a Jewish monopoly that shut out non-Jewish actors, producers and technicians from employment. They also claimed that the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League forced members to support Communist activities. A propaganda sticker titled “How A Star Is Born” urged people to boycott motion pictures starring any member of the Pro-Communist Hollywood Anti-Nazi League and to destroy the Jewish monopoly of the motion picture industry. A flyer also implored readers to boycott theaters showing movies featuring “Jews or Jew lovers.”

The CSUN (California State University,

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NAZI PROPAGANDA (CONT’D): confusing time during the 1930s and 1940s inLos Angeles. The anti-Semitism propaganda was powerful, inaccurate and frightening. The Los Angeles Jewish community attempted to combat the propaganda and promote tolerance however it was difficult to fight the untruthful allegations and accusations.

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INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON FADE IN: EYTAN MERKIN, AP European History Mr. Gregory Zlotin PROMPT: Evaluate the causes of and reactions to increased consumerism in Western Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Rise of Mass Consumerism in Western Europe A massive increase in consumerism was one of the most important and widespread phenomena of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most people’s consumption was very limited. However, by the late 19th century, middle and upper class Europeans suddenly could purchase a wide variety of goods. This change was made possible by improvements in standards of living, the factory system, population growth, and expanded transportation systems.

Mass consumerism had a substantial effect on European society. Enormous department stores were built throughout Europe, offering consumers endless varieties of goods. From some perspectives, such as that of Queen Victoria of England, these stores embodied the prosperity and wealth of the times. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary on the day of the opening of the Great 1851 Exhibition that the day was “one of the greatest and most glorious” of her life. Indeed, mass consumerism and the advent of department stores created a new culture of shopping for leisure. Gustav Stresemann, a German politician in the earliest 20th century, noted that the elegant women of Germany were often found shopping in the crowds and market places. Socialite Henrietta Thornhill, a British woman, wrote in her diary

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RISE OF CONSUMERISM (CONT’D): about a shopping excursion with her friend that lasted the entire day, but failed to result in her finding what she wanted. The mass consumerism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries both reflected and perpetuated an improvement of standard of living and prosperity for the upper classes.

Nonetheless, some contemporary writers observed that consumerism was not all good, especially for the lower classes. Sophie von la Roche, a German novelist in the late 18th century, wrote that the abundance of choice allowed by department stores was enough to make one greedy. A similar sentiment was expressed by the German academic E. Suchsland, who wrote that the enticing goods of the chain stores and bazaars common to the times often led to immorality and greed, “[making] many a vain and over-dressed woman a thief.� Other observers believed that consumerism had far worse effects than instilling greed in the population. Karl Marx, for example, wrote that consumerism furthered the gap between the upper and lower classes, allowing the accumulation of capital into a few hands.

All told, the phenomenon of mass consumerism had a positive effect on the European economies. As Emile Levasseur, the 20th century French economist wrote in his On Parisian Department Stores, department stores could sell their goods more cheaply than small businesses. This was because department stores bought their goods at the lowest prices due to their large orders, and were in a position to profit from bargains. Furthermore, department stores did not necessarily have an adverse effect on small businesses. Leo Colze, the 20th century German writer, noticed in 1908 that

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON RISE OF CONSUMERISM (CONT’D): modern, better-quality specialty shops arose wherever there were department stores. These stores adopted the best qualities of department stores and packed them into smaller businesses. Those that were too weak to keep up with the department stores simply left the area. Mass consumerism can be seen from many different angles: It was seen as the embodiment of wealth and prosperity by some, a harbinger of greed by others, the epitome of class inequality by Marxists, and an economic boon by economists. However, what cannot be disputed is the large role consumerism had in the shaping of our society.

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FADE IN: ILAN BOCIAN, Global History & Geography I Dr. Paul Soifer A Review of Perspectives on the Siege of Masada After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the aim of the Romans was to eradicate the last of the Jewish rebels in the region surrounding Jerusalem. The most recalcitrant of the Jewish rebels were those living in the fortress-palace built by King Herod atop the cliff known as Masada. Instead of facing enslavement upon capture by the Romans, the rebels decided to commit mass suicide, an act that has been glorified to this day as one of consummate Jewish heroism.

Most of us are acquainted with the well-described archaeological findings situated atop Masada, and it is from these findings that we have constructed the Jewish perspective on the story of the Masada siege. However, in an article dated November 17, 2015, by Robin Ngo, entitled The Masada Siege: The Roman Assault on Herod’s Desert Fortress, the work of Gwyn Davies (published in the July/August 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review) illuminates the Roman perspective of the siege.

General Flavius Silva led the military unit known as Legio X Fretensis to begin the operation against the remaining rebels atop Masada.

On-site archaeological research at the base of Masada revealed the Roman’s military strategy specific to the difficult terrain of this area and the steep incline of the mountain. The archaeological findings include a 2.5 mile circumvallation wall (defensive barrier around a castle or city) surrounding the fortress, fifteen towers mounted with cat-

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON MASADA SIEGE (CONT’D): apults positioned along the circumvallation wall, the Roman assault ramp leading up the mountain, and ball-shaped stone projectiles that were found within the desert fortress. Josephus’ historical account combined with this archaeological evidence regarding the siege grant historians fertile ground to reconstruct the military installations and strategies thought to have been employed by the Romans.

Josephus supplements our archaeological findings with his personal historical account of the siege. The Romans set up a wall around the fortress to keep any Jews from trying to escape.

Josephus describes the assault ramp and its purpose: to lead the Romans up the mountain, and to be a means of transportation for the battering ram and the crew carrying it to the rebels’ wall. In fact, Josephus is most probably correct in his observations because the rebels’ ruptured wall can be found directly above the top of the ramp even nowadays.

The article by Robin Ngo opens by stating that the Romans “waged both literal and psychological warfare” against the Jews atop Masada.

The massive and sophisticated array of structures and weaponry amassed disproportionately against a relatively small group of virtually defenseless Jews suggests that, more than a military or territorial imperative, there was a psychological obsession on the part of the Romans to subjugate every last Jew. In this sense, one could say that the Romans lost the psychological battle the moment that they discovered that, in a stunningdisplay of mass heroism and courage, the Jews had handed their souls to God before the mighty Romans at long last reached the top of Masada.

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MASADA SIEGE (CONT’D): FADE TO BLACK.

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON FADE IN: NOAH HYMAN, AP European History Mr. Gregory Zlotin Concepts of Nationalism The modern concept of a nation begins to develop in the 19th century. A nation is defined by the culture it possesses and in the war-driven 18th and 19th centuries, cultures began to clash under a single empire. At the time, countries had their own philosophies of a multicultural empire, and each leader ruled accordingly. Each country’s view shaped the world over the next century with the differing nationalistic attitudes of their people.

As early as the mid-1700s, people began to develop opinions on the attempts to unite different kinds of people under one ruler. Johann Gottfried von Herder touches on the danger of this in her piece Materials for the Philosophy of the History of Mankind. Herder recognizes that a natural state exists in which people are untied amongst themselves because of their character. Herder expresses her opinion that by expanding their rule to more territory, thereby ruling over different civilizations, countries destroy the natural society set by nature. By saying this, Herder condemns all of the empires of her time for taking away the character of individual civilizations in attempt to become a greater empire.

However, many beliefs of the time come in sharp contrast to that of Johann Gottfried von Herder. As seen in Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, some argue that uniting different cultures can be justified as long as they rally around a certain cause. In the painting, we see Liberty holding a French flag and leading the charge of the French army with

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CONCEPTS OF NATIONALISM (CONT’D): the troops rallying behind her. Clearly, the French mentality was to unite under the flag of the nation. Through this practice, differences in culture could be placed aside and would be replaced by the flag. This belief is the start of the modern view of nationalism in that the flag is supreme and everything else is worth giving up in the service of it.

Despite uniting for the sake of the country, natives still differentiated between themselves and foreigners. This alienation of immigrants is represented in a female workers’ petition to the French government of 1848 in which they highlight the issue of foreign workers and request their jobs to be restored.

The phenomenon is evident in modern times with many countries struggling with immigration. So this problem represented the continuation of the development of the modern nation-state and inspired the movement for the inferior treatment of foreigners in favor of natives. This treatment created a feeling of unity among the natives, which would impact the world greatly over the next century. Many people feared the immigration would divide citizens with of a lack of communication because of differing languages and interests. Such fears were shared

by Bozena Nemcova, a Czech nationalist female writer, who warned of the influx of foreigners. She claimed that in the future, kids will speak a different language than their fathers and that they would not bond because of the cultural difference brought about by the newcomers. Nemcova writes that the lack of communication would lead to the downfall downfall of the Czech’s. We see this again in a speech by a German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, in which he dictates that Germany will only go to war if the entire nation backs the effort.

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON CONCEPTS OF NATIONALISM (CONT’D): Before the nationalistic movement, leaders would act on their own without input from the nation. At this point, however, the chancellor expresses that the feeling of the nation reigns supreme and only with their support will anything be accomplished. It is clearly important to Germany to retain the support of their people and to keep them rallying around the country.

Although many countries feared expansion for the reasons stated, some, like Great Britain, continued to capture more territory despite the cultural differences. In fact, Brit’s mocked other countries’ nationalistic attitudes and made sure to establish the British dominance. The British attitude of a total disregard for a country’s nationalistic views manifested itself in the colonization of Africa. Britain forced these countries to pay tribute to them instead of their country.

Ironically, the failure of the Africans to unite as one forces caused them to unite under a different flag—that of Britain. Contrary to many other countries, Britain ignored the cultural differences between different nations and united them under British rule.

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FADE IN: BENJAMIN TARKO, AP European History Mr. Gregory Zlotin Motives and Impact of Exploration The 15th century was a time of great discovery. A new continent had been discovered, the second largest on the Earth, and for a set of diverse reasons everybody was interested.

Some were drawn to the precious metals, others by the fertile land, and the result was thousands of people flocked to the new world.

These people brought with them their culture and religion. In many cases the foreigners tried to enslave the natives and inflict their own beliefs on them. The 15th century was not only a time of exploration; it was a time of tumult.

A majority of the population of Europe did found it acceptable to conquer, murder and enslave the natives of the new world. Many were willing to be brutal for the financial gain, but even those who were considered righteous at the time participated. The Pope deemed the natives enemies of Christ, and ordered them enslaved or vanquished. This allowed for the Europeans to take advantage of the natives with a clear conscience. Whether for financial gain or religious reasons, the Europeans were compelled to thoroughly dominate the natives.

Another large percentage of Europeans sympathized with the natives. They heard descriptions of the brutality they endured and felt bad for them. They heard tales of huge numbers of the natives being wiped out by European diseases, and them being slaughtered in war and being forced into enslavement. These people understood that although the natives were different they were still human. Every

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON MOTIVES AND IMPACT OF EXPLORATION (CONT’D): man. Every historical event had a diverse set of reactions, and the age of exploration is no exception. Some felt it dominating the natives was the right thing to do, others did it out of monetary gain, and others still completely opposed it. Like all history we can only try to comprehend the pressures of the time.

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FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, AP European History Mr. Gregory Zlotin Reactions of Protestants and Catholics to the Scientific Revolution The 16th century brought about an age of scientific revolution across Europe, in which people began to challenge and question the contemporary accepted truths about nature and the universe. Inspired by Renaissance Humanism among other factors, these scientists altered human understanding of the universe as a whole, much to the chagrin of the Church and its devout followers. The Church, in an attempt to stifle and suppress such academic and contrarian flourishes, blacklisted several writers and works.

Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, proposed a new model of the solar system that caused a great stir in the astrological and religious fields. In his new heliocentric model, he posited that the Earth, along with all of the other planetary bodies in the solar system, orbit around the sun in perfect circle. His theory directly contradicted the previously accepted geocentric model, which suggested that all celestial bodies in the universe orbit the Earth. On his theory, Copernicus wrote in the foreword of his On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which was dedicated to Pope Paul III, that he acknowledged the impending and inevitable rejections of his ideas from pious citizens.

Perhaps surprisingly, John Calvin, religious leader of the Calvinist movement, suggested that astronomy, although it may conflict with fundamental religious understanding, is actually quite useful and “pleasant.� Calvin goes on to commend the continuation of the studying

INT. HISTORY - AFTERNOON REACTIONS (CONT’D):

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of such topics. It was not entirely uncommon for religious – or ex-religious – people to show support or even add ideas to scientific fields. Ex-Dominican monk and philosopher Giordano Bruno postulated, upon refuting Aristotle, that celestial objects are actually free-floating in space, and direction is all relative to the viewer’s position in said space.

Not many people showed such candidness to the revisions of the basic scientific belief system, however. Martin Luther, for example, a religious reformer like Calvin, greatly disliked the idea of contradicting such notions.

Unlike Calvin, he called Copernicus a “fool” for contradicting the word of the Bible with his heliocentric system. Likewise, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine wrote in a letter that the literal interpretation of scriptures suggested that the universe was geocentric. He stresses that it is, in fact, prohibited to oppose the text, as was frequently done by the time’s revolutionaries. Similarly, in a large step to counteract the influx of new ideas from the Scientific Revolution, Pope Paul V interjected in his Decree of General Congregation of the Index, that the Church would begin to censor authors until “corrected.” Not all authors were this lucky, though, as he would often simply ban undesired works altogether. Pope Alexander VII issued a similar prohibition decades later, condemning works that claim heliocentric systems. As if the Church’s banning of scientific theories was not drastic enough, they began to prosecute scientists who went against the Church’s ideas. Such an event is depicted in French painter Joseph Nicolas Robert-Fleury’s Galileo Before the Holy Office.

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Although the Church arguably overstepped its boundaries in order to control the content being published during this time, they had no idea that their efforts actually served as a fuel for some scientists and authors to find the real, unadulterated truth, as they could clearly see how the corrupt Church had convoluted the field of science. At a certain point, there was not much the Church could do but accept the change in ideas brought about by this age of unprecedented series of scientific discoveries.

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STEM SECTION:

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FADE IN: EYTAN MERKIN, JACK MACKLER, & JONATHAN RUBIN, STEM Mr. Alec Gomez The Multipurpose Color-Sorting Pill and Candy Dispenser An Arduino-powered device, the dispenser is made of almost entirely 3D-printed parts that efficiently and effectively identifies the color of candy or medication by way of a color sensor, which then uses motors to quickly sort the items into designated bins according to their color.

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INT. STEM - NIGHT FADE IN: MICAH STEINBERG, NOAH HYMAN, DANIEL BLUMENSTRAUCH, JACOB GOTTESMAN, STEM Mr. Alec Gomez Knock, Knock This device, powered by an Arduino board, unlocks a locked door with a programmed secret knock.

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FADE IN: DANIEL SILVERA, ARI YONATY, ARYEH PERLMAN, STEM Mr. Alec Gomez Brilliant Biker This apparatus is a LED automated lane changer made for bikers who enjoy biking on the road. The LED’s are attached to the jacket which then is worn by the biker when biking. When changing lanes or streets, he puts his blinkers on so the drivers behind him are aware.

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INT. STEM - NIGHT FADE IN: MENDY SACKS & ARI WILLNER Automatic Whiteboard Eraser This invention, an automated whiteboard eraser, erases a board with the click of a button. A chain is mounted on top of the whiteboard and attached to it is an eraser. As the conveyor belt moves in circular motion, the eraser is carried across the board thus erasing everything.

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JUDAIC STUDIES SECTION:

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET FADE IN: ARI YONATY, Tanakh Masters Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom The Birth of Moses The birth of Moses, found in Exodus 2:110, contains many textual difficulties, on which commentators take interesting steps to answer and overcome. The text begins the chapter with an interestingly vague opening: A man from the tribe of Levi went to marry a woman of the same tribe (Exodus 2:1). Why does the text need to use the extra word “went”? Can the verse not be more concise and say that a man from Levi married a woman from Levi? Commentators take different approaches to answer this question. Rashi (Rav Shlomo Itzchaki, 11th12th century, France) mentions that the seemingly extra word “Va’Yelech” - “went” teaches us that the man, who we later learn is Moses’ father, Amram, went account of his daughter, Miriam’s advice. Amram was a spiritual leader of the Jews at the time. Since Pharaoh decreed that the Jewish boys be killed, he divorced his wife, Yocheved. He set an example and many other Jews divorced their wives as well. Miriam, however saw the flaw in his actions. She said, “Your decree is worse than that of Pharaoh. While his decree, having the boys thrown into the Nile River, only affects boys, yours, not getting married, affects girls as well.”

This, according to Rashi, convinced Amram to remarry his wife, and the word “went” was added to the Tanach to remind us of the spur that led to this action. The Rambam (R’ Moshe ben Maimon, 12th-13th century, Spain-Egypt) answers the question in the same way and proves it from Tractate Sotah.

The married couple then have a son and, then the Tanakh, a “good” son. There are sev-

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The Birth of Moses (CONT’D): eral views on what is meant when the mother says that her child is “good.” According to Rashi, the son was “good” because upon birth, he showered his house with light. The Sforno (R’ Ovadia Sforno, 11th-12th century, Italy) says that the child was good in terms of appearance– it was a physical goodness. The Ibn Ezra, (R’ Avraham Ibn Ezra, 11th-12th century, France) comments that the child was exceptionally good in several moral behaviors in comparison to other children at the time.

Despite the different approaches to answer the meaning of the word, each one is valid and one may view it in the way he deems fit.

Pharaoh’s decree commanding all boys be thrown in the river was devastating, and an almost certain death for the boy tossed in.

After three months, the mother places the child in a floating waterproof basket by the riverbed (Exodus 2:3). The child’s sister is standing from afar, and when she sees that the daughter of Pharaoh is in need of a Jewish woman to nurse the child, she approaches the daughter of the Pharaoh. Why does she need a nursing woman from the Jews? The reason we may find in the context. Since their kids were being thrown into the river, Jewish mothers had a lot of milk to exude. Rashi says that the child, when trying to be nursed, would not accept milk from the Egyptians, therefore she required a Jewish woman. The Sforno writes that the milk would be “in tune” with the child, because it is only correct for the child to receive milk from a Jew of the same “blood.” The Malbim introduces more obvious answer: an Egyptian would be bound to kill the child if she found out that it was a Jew! Difficulties in Tanakh are always answered

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET The Birth of Moses (CONT’D): in numerous ways, but we do not necessarily have to decide which answer is correct. According to Jewish philosophy, all answers are correct if something new can be learned from each one.

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FADE IN: ITZCHAK MAGHEN, Advanced Talmud Rabbi Arye Sufrin The Meaning of Yachatz When the Haggadah, the Passover guidebook, reaches Yachatz, the part of the meal where a piece of Matzah is ceremonially split, it does not seem to elaborate on what Yachatz means compared to the other steps in the Haggadah. Most Haggadahs tells one to break the Matzah into two pieces, place the smaller half between the two other complete Matzahs, and hide the larger piece (called the Afikoman).

After the process of breaking the Matzah, most people continue with the meal. However, the breaking of the Matzah in half comes to teach us something: Once, we break the Matzah into two pieces, we cannot entirely put it back together; it will remain broken forever. When one finds themselves broken into two pieces – whether it be spiritually, emotionally, or physically — one can admit that most of the broken pieces will be fixed, but that some of our pieces will be eternally broken. Being broken is an important part of human nature.

If one feels whole and thinks that they are amazing at everything, there is no space left in that individual to help them grow. When we comes to the realization that they are a broken “piece,” that we need the others around us to continue, and that we cannot do everything by ourselves, it allows for miracles to take place. Therefore, when one reaches Yachatz, they can admit that there are broken “pieces” in themselves that we will never be able to put back together without God’s help. The Matzah reminds us that we are broken and that we need God’s help to fix ourselves.

FADE TO BLACK.

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET

FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, BENJAMIN TARKO, ELI ISAACS, & NOAH POMERANCE, Tanakh Masters Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom PROMPT: Pictographically show the linear development of Abraham’s life, as well as the importance of each character in his story.

Abraham’s Life: A Graphic Representation

FADE TO BLACK.

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET

89.

FADE IN: EYTAN MERKIN Kol Hanearim (student-run Judaic journal) Coincidence? I Think Not: Purim’s Lessons on the Nature of Chance It is the classic Purim trivia question: How many times is G-d’s name mentioned in Megillat Esther Esther? The answer, famously, is zero. At a superficial level, the story of Purim seems to be a series of coincidences without any Divine guidance. The salvation of the Jews from Haman’s decree begins with a sleepless king who stumbles upon a random section of his royal chronicles. As luck would have it, that random section recounted the story of Mordekhai, the Jew who had saved the king from assassination. When king Achashverosh wants advice as to how he should reward Mordekhai, Haman happens to be standing out in the courtyard, waiting to ask the king for permission to hang Mordekhai. Even more significantly, the holiday commemorating these events is known as Purim, named after the lots that Haman used to arbitrarily decide the date for the annihilation of the Jews. Indeed, the theme of Purim seems to be one purely of coincidence and luck.

The ties between the story of Purim and its apparent theme of coincidence run deeper than Megillat Esther Esther. Haman is recognized as a descendant of Amalek, the nation that clashed with the Jews in the desert after the Exodus. That encounter is described in Parshat Zachor, which is read the Shabbat preceding Purim. Parshat Zachor commands us nevetr to forget “Asher Karcha Ba’Derech Va’Yezanev Be’Cha kol Ha’Nechshalim Aachareicha Ve’Atah Aayef Ve’Yageah,” “How [Amalek] happened upon you on the way, and cut off all

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET Coincidence? I Think Not (CONT’D):

the stragglers at the rear when you were weary and weak” (Deuteronomy 25:18). Rashi notes there that the word “Karcha” is related to the word “Mikreh,” meaning “coincidence.”

The Amalekite attack was shocking because it was sudden and unplanned. Our enemies simply chanced upon the stragglers when they were weak and weary. Once again, we find the theme of coincidence in relation to Purim.

Despite the apparent motif of chance and happenstance on the surface of Megillat Esther Esther, one can find the Divine guidance in the story of Purim if one looks deeper. The Talmud in Hullin 113B grants special significance to the name “Esther,” teaching that it is derived from the verse that says, “Ve’Anochi, Haster Estir Panai Ba’Yom Ha’Hu,” “And I will surely hide my face on that day” (Deuteronomy 31:18).

From here we can derive that G-d was behind the events of Purim, through the hands of Esther and the other characters in the Megillah.

Mordekhai himself is aware of G-d’s guiding role. While convincing Esther to go beseech Achashverosh to save the Jews, Mordekhai says: Ki Im Hacharesh Tacharishi Ba’Et Ha’Zot, Revach Ve’Hatzala Ya’amod La’Yehudim Mi’ Makom Acher […] U’Mi Yodeah Im La’Et Ka’Zot Higaat Le’Malchut” “For if you hold your peace at this time, salvation will come to the Jews from another place, and who knows whether it is for this moment that you became queen (Esther 4:14).

Mordekhai clearly perceives that the sequence of coincidences that guided Esther’s ascension to the throne was in fact directed by a higher power. Mordkchai hints that he believes this higher power to be G-d by using the word “Makom,” which means “place,” but is often used as one of G-d’s names.

EXT. JUDAIC STUDIES - SUNSET

91.

Coincidence? I Think Not (CONT’D): Haman and his Amalekite progenitors represent an ideology of chance in which all events are random and meaningless. This is why they were first to attack us after the miracles of God had crushed Egypt, probably the most flourishing civilization at the time.

Such an ideology denies any true purpose or meaning to our lives besides for mindless self-gratification. On the other hand, the Jewish people represent the opposite ideology. We believe that the world has purpose and meaning, and every individual is created in the image of God. When God is not obviously present in our daily lives, however, it is far too easy to sink into the Amalekite ideology. Sometimes it seems that we have no inherent purpose, that our lives are simply strings of coincidences. Every Purim, we read Megillat Esther Esther as a reminder that no matter how pointless or random life seems, God is always behind the scenes, pulling the strings. Everything happens for a reason, even if we cannot readily see it in the moment. This Purim, let us take the wake up call to heart and remember that God is always watching over us, even if He does so in a hidden fashion.

FADE TO BLACK.

ART & MUSIC SECTION:

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

93.

FADE IN: “TERRA NOVA”, YULA Drama Society On the weekend of May 19th, the YULA Drama Society performed their much-anticipated production of “Terra Nova”: the true story of the British expedition to the South Pole.

Written by Ted Tally, the play chronicles the British team’s failure to reach the South Pole before the Norwegians. It also deals with the British leader’s, Captain Robert Scott’s, slow descent into madness because of this failure. Throughout the play, Captain Robert Scott (played by sophomore Daniel Silvera) is tormented by hallucinations of his son, Peter (played by sophomore Nataniel Sawadayi). Images of the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (played by sophomore Eytan Merkin) both torment and inspire him. Scott’s mental state and the difficulty of his team’s mission catalyzed their steady, eventual demise. To make matters worse, Scott’s crew also experienced fatal injuries as well as the threat of impending insanity.

After four months of rigorous rehearsal -- both in and outside of school -- and painstaking set design, the play was finally released and enjoyed by all who came to see it, thereby marking another succesful play directed by fan-favorite Ouriel Hazzan. Of course, the loyal and dedicated work of the backstage members must also be acknowledged.

The backstage staff comprised Itzchak Maghen, Shawn Partovi, Yaakov Assis, Jonathan Hassid, and David Kahen.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING TERRA NOVA (CONT’D):

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

95.

FADE IN: GIDON AMSELLEM, Music Mr. Sam Glaser “Chameleon” Music Sheet Gidon, a jazz music fanatic, arranged the music sheet for the Head Hunter’s 1973 hit song “Chameleon.” The song was originally written by Herbie Hancock; Gidon just assembled the sheet. As the file is too large to feature in the publication, the QR code, once scanned, will direct the reader to a MediaFire page from where he or she can download the full PDF. FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING FADE IN: EITAN TENNENBAUM, Fine Arts Mr. Ian Arenas Portrait of Igor Stravinsky Recreation One pivotal lesson in Mr. Arenas’ art class is the idea that one can and should learn from others’ art. In line with this notion, he gave the class an assignment in which they were required to recreate Picasso’s upside-down drawing of Igor Stravinsky by paying close attention to lines, angles, and shapes in the drawing, thereby stimulating the “right-side” of the brain.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

97.

FADE IN: JACOB YOUNESSI, Art II Mr. Ian Arenas Goku Upon rediscovering the popular anime Dragon Ball Z, a childhood favorite of his, Jacob was determined to create some images of his favorite character Goku, one of which was inked on paper, and the other painted on the art-room wall.

FADE TO BLACK:

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING FADE IN: LOURIA SHRIKI, Photography Triptych A Triptych is defined as a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together.

Often, they challenge the viewer to appreciate the connection of objects that would normally never seem to have a relation. Often, specific motifs run throughout the series of images; in this case, themes of flight and rotating blades run throughout.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

99.

FADE IN: YULA JAZZ ENSEMBLE, Annual Performance Mr. Sam Glaser & Mr. Logan Metz Jazz Concert In the YULA Jazz Ensemble students from all grades play every instrument from saxophones to drums to keyboards. Their weekly gatherings ultimately serve to prepare them to perform at the end of the school-year for teachers, students, and parents from all over the community. To see the group play “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard, scan the QR code below.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING FADE IN: ROBERT GAO, Fine Arts Mr. Ian Arenas Untitled #3 As an advanced art student, Robert experimented with acrylic painting and created this California landscape.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

101.

FADE IN: JONATHAN MIZRAHI, Screenwriting Mr. Robert Avrech Piranha For the first time, YULA created a screenwriting class this year, open to any sophomores, juniors, or seniors. The class not only enhanced the students’ innate love and appreciation for film, but it taught them how to write works of their own. The first few pages of one screenplay are featured.

The story follows a college graduate student and a few companions as their safari vacation to the Amazon goes horribly wrong. If you would like to continue reading, you can view the PDF by scanning the QR code below.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING PIRANHA (CONT’D): EXT. AMAZON RIVER - DAY The shot is hazy. A silhouette of a motorboat accelerates through a river to the sound of incoherent screams. CUT TO BLACK. EXT. WATER - DAY THE SCREAMS persist as the frame fills with a shot of a fish. It slowly speeds up, weaving through coral and sea plants. Then, SNAP! It chomps on some fish food. The screams transition into the sound of a SCHOOL BELL: INT. LECTURE HALL - DAY ANGELA, early twenties, marine-biology major graduate student drops fish food pellets into a fish tank. Students file out of the room.

EXT. UNIVERSITY STEPS - DAY Angela descends the steps, textbook in hand.

INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT ENTRANCE - DAY The walls are covered with posters, diagrams, and cross-sections of marine animals. A book shelf is lined with biology textbooks and models.

The room is extremely clean and neat, besides for her desk, which is scattered with papers and books. She plops her text book down as she enters. A piranha is prominently displayed on the front cover.

INT. APARTEMENT BATHROOM - DAY Angela holds a ’positive’ pregnancy test in

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

103.

PIRANHA (CONT’D): her quivering hand. Conflicted, she nervously cleans it off, washes her hands, and rushes out of the bathroom.

INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT ENTRANCE - DAY Angela slips the pregnancy test in her pocket.

She pulls out her phone, dials a number, grabs her suitcase, and walks out the door. She reopens the door, grabs her book, and runs out again.

INT. ANGELA’S CAR - DAY She pulls up in front of a gray, run-of-themill office building. DERRICK, 26-year-old actuary and Angela’s boyfriend, exits. He enters Angela’s car, planting a kiss on her cheek.

ANGELA This is gonna be nice. We’ve been waiting a long time for this.

An awkward pause is interrupted by Derrick’s nervous laugh. He awkwardly interjects: DERRICK Uh--we needa stop at Lloyd’s shop first.

A surprised look shoots across her face -- she can’t believe her ears.

ANGELA What? We only have two tickets.

DERRICK I bought him an extra one.

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING PIRANHA (CONT’D): ANGELA You bought him one?

DERRICK He said he’ll pay me back.

ANGELA (sarcastically) Oh, like he usually does?

Angela pulls up to a run-down pawn shop. Derrick dials up his phone and LLOYD, the shop’s owner, late twenties, ecstatically runs outside. He hops into the car.

Derrick greets him with a smile, Angela rolls her eyes with a scoff.

LLOYD (takes a bite out of some BEEF JERKY) Yo, Derrick, you’ll never believe what happened today...

INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - SUNSET Angela, Derrick, and Lloyd are sitting. Angela reads a magazine, while Derrick and Lloyd converse: LLOYD ...yeah, man, it was hard to take off so much time from work, y’know business has been boomin’.

DERRICK Really? I mean, it was pretty empty when we drove up today?

Lloyd looks nervous. It’s apparent that he’s lying, but Derrick dismisses it. Derrick and

INT. ART & MUSIC - EVENING

105.

PIRANHA (CONT’D): Angela exchange looks.

LLOYD Oh, well-uh-that’s because, y’know, I had to... I gotta go take a leak (he examines the beef jerky in hand) Here, hold this.

Lloyd hands Derrick the bag, stands up, and walks away. Derrick closes the bag of jerky and puts it in his pocket. Derrick and Angela exchange looks.

INT. PLANE - NIGHT Angela and Lloyd begin to argue as they sit on the taxiing plane. Derrick sits in between them, trying to sleep, acting as an ineffective partition.

ANGELA ...You’re just useless.

LLOYD Useless? What’s that supposed to mean?

ANGELA You’re broke, you run a barely functional pawn shop, and you’re the most irresponsible person I know.

LLOYD Hey, I’m just saving up. I want to be able to pay back my debt all at one time.

(SCAN THE QR CODE TO CONTINUE) FADE TO BLACK.

EPILOGUE:

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT

107.

FADE IN: The Cast EYTAN MERKIN, a sophomore in his second year of editing for Polymatheus, is excited to be the Editor-in-Chief of this year’s issue of the publication. When not leading editing committees on interdisciplinary academic journals, Eytan enjoys playing basketball, participating in Model UN, humorously editing Wikipedia pages, and reading, as well as generally living his life as a reasonably-well adjusted member of society.

JONATHAN MIZRAHI, this year’s Design Editor, is in his second year contributing to the publication. He also co-manages the publication along with Noah Hyman. In his somewhat limited free-time, Jonathan likes to play guitar, draw (often digitally), and write and watch films. Needless to say, he was eager to design the journal with an all-too-familiar screenplay motif.

NOAH HYMAN, a sophomore serving as Managing Editor, is in his second year participating in Polymatheus. He is thrilled to see his dreams for the publication come to fruition once again this year. He has enjoyed working with Ms. Felcher, Eytan Merkin, Jonathan Mizrahi, and the other members of the staff in creating this fantastic product. *** DANIEL SILVERA, a sophomore at YULA is Section Editor of English for Polymatheus. This is his second year as part of Polymatheus, being section editor of Art last year. Daniel is very excited to be part of the staff again.

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT THE CAST (CONT’D): JACK MACKLER, Science Section Editor, is a sophomore at YULA. Polymatheus is a great opportunity for Jack not only to explore the ins and outs of publishing a journal, but also to explore the different fields and ideas that are being published.

ARYEH PERLMAN, a sophomore at YULA, is the co-editor of the science section of the publication. Although this is his first year at the school, he was eager to join Polymatheus to stimulate his passion for English and Science.

MICAH STEINBERG, a 10th grader at YULA, has always had a passion for the STEM subjects and is grateful for the opportunity to be the Math Section Editor this year.

BENJAMIN TARKO, History Section Editor, is a sophomore at YULA. His interests include history, literature, medicine, engineering, and baseball. Polymatheus serves as a way to use and express his knowledge and creativity, regarding these subjects, as well as to collaborate with other students.

JONATHAN HAY, a sophomore, is honored to be STEM Section Editor for this year’s Polymatheus. His hobbies include golf, basketball, and video editing for his NBA-themed Instagram account, @NastyDunks101.

GIDON AMSELLEM, a sophomore, is the Judaic Studies Section Editor. He plays lead saxophone/clarinet in the YULA Jazz Ensemble and also is managing editor for Likutei Ohr, the school’s weekly Torah pamphlet.

JACOB GOTTESMAN, a sophomore, is the Art Section Editor. He is part of the Israel Advocacy

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT

109.

THE CAST (CONT’D): Club, Mock Trial, and Model UN. This is Jacob’s first year at YULA, as well as his first year on the Polymatheus staff.

MENDY SACKS, a freshman, is an Assistant English Section Editor. He is ecstatic to partake in the editing process for the Polymatheus publication.

ILAN BOCIAN, a freshman, is an Assistant STEM editor. He is thrilled to be part of this award-winning journal.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT FADE IN: Colophon Technical Details: - Typeface: Courier Regular - Paper Stock: 70 lb offset Equipment: - Computer - Computer InDesign - Graphics

Hardware: Apple MacBook Air Software: Adobe Photoshop CC; Adobe CC Tablet: Wacom Intous Pro

Printing: - Number of copies printed: 200 - Printing Agency: LA Print & Digital Center, Beverly Hills FADE TO BLACK.

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT

111.

FADE IN: Acknowledgements Publishing Polymatheus requires the hard work of numerous individuals. We’d like to thank all of our editors, writers, and teachers for their dedication. We must also thank YULA Boys High School, in particular our Head of School, Rabbi Dov Emerson, and our entire administration.

We’d also like to give special thanks to our Faculty Adviser, Ms. Pam Felcher and to our Design Adviser, Mr. Ian Arenas. Without their efforts and vision this project would have been impossible.

Finally, we’d like to thank Mr. Ryan Hyman, YULA’s Director of Institutional Advancement, for his confidence and support throughout the publishing process.

-The Editors FADE TO BLACK.

INT. EPILOGUE - NIGHT FADE IN: Submission Policy Though Polymatheus is a journal of student work, students do not submit their work directly. Instead, throughout the year, teachers in every subject submit to our editorial staff the best student work they receive in each of their classes. Our Section Editors then use their expertise in their subjects to select and edit the most compelling pieces for publication.

THE END.