Volume 9 Issue 1 November 2014

INTHISISSUE:

New Boys Soccer Team Finishes 7-1-2In case you didn’t know... Ch-ch-changes for the 2014-15 School Year!

BACC RAG STAFF

• NickStone,formerstudentteacherofMr.Lakhaney,isnowthe11thgradeHistoryoftheAmericasteacher!

• MsEllman,longtimeBSGEteacherretired• BSGE’suglyscaffoldingisgone,andwe

gotapaintjobofthickorangestripesaroundthebuilding.Theydon’tgoallthewayaround.

• 8thPeriodisnolongerontheBSGEschedule.

• Studentsmustbeoutoftheschoolbuild-ingby2:15p.monMondays.

• BSGEhasanewsoccerteam.• Ms.MataniandMr.Laskowskinamed

theirhealthybabygirlLeelaVaruni!(Pic-turebelow)

Photo Credit: Ms. Matani

ThenewlyestablishedBSGEBoyssoccerteamfinisheditsinauguralseasonwith7wins,1loss,and2ties.ThoughBSGE’steamwasfarlessexperiencedthanitsopponents’moreestablishedteams,BSGEoutscoreditsop-ponents49-9overthecourseoftheseason. BecausethiswasthefirstseasonplayingPSALsoccer,BSGEwasconsideredadevelopmentalteamwhichmeantthattheteamplayedafullscheduleagainstotherschoolsbutdidnotqualifyfortheplayoffsregardlessofitsrecord.Inordertomovepastdevelopmentalstatus,PSALlookstoseethatBSGE“participatesinallgames,hasproperequipment,dedication,andstronginterestfromtheschoolcommunity”accordingtoVirgeRamosandallindicationsarethatBSGEmetthosecriteriaandshouldbepromotednextyeartoaplayoffdivision. Theinabilitytoparticipateintheplayoffsthisyear,however,wasasourceoffrustrationformanyontheteam.BSGE’srecordwouldhavequalifiedthemfortheplayoffsandBSGEbeatmanyteamsthatmadeittothepostseason.EmirOmeragic’15commentedthatthiswasagreatseasonanditwasnicetofinallyhaveateambutitwas“disappointingthattherewasn’tanyplayoffs.Ifeellikewecouldhavedonewell.”BSGEdefeatedRFKHighSchool6-1initsfinalgameandRFKwentontomakeittotheBdivisionfinal. Whatmadetheseasonbittersweetforsomeofthekidswasthattheirfirstseasonontheteamwasalsotheirsenioryearofhighschool.Sixofthisyear’sstartersaregraduatingseniorswhowillnotgetachancetogototheplayoffsandwhowillbehardtoreplaceonnextyear’steambuttherearemanyenthusiastickidsreadytocontinueplaying. Therehavebeeneffortstostartaboyssoccerteamforyearsbutittookalongtimetogetalltheproperpaperworkfilledout,tomanagethePSALprocess,amongotherproblems. Balancingthedemandsofschoolalongwiththoseofthesoccerteamweredifficult.Mr.Giraldocomment-ed,“thestudentswereveryresponsible.Practicesinvolvedalotoftime.Weplayedfrom4:30-6:30andsometimesto7:00or730.Afterthattheyhavetoberesponsibletothengohomeanddotheirhomework.” OneeffectthesoccerteamhadwasbringingpeoplefromtheBSGEcommunitytogether.GoalieJeffreyLin’16commented,“Ireallylikedhowtheteamwasafamily.NotlikeotherteamI’veplayedonwherepeopleweren’taskindornice.”ThegameswerealsowerewellattendedbyBSGEstudents,family,andstaffeventhoughmanyofthegameswerefarawayfromtheschool.JosephKates’15whoattendedseveralgamescommented,“thegamesweresurprisinglyfuntowatch.”LucaCognata’16saidoneoffondestmemorieshehadofthisseasonwas“thelastgamewithalltheteachersthere.” TheteamiscoachedbyBSGEparentJohnRydingwiththehelpwithparentJosephTrottiandBSGESpanishteacherFreddyGiraldowhowillhopefullyallbeontocoachagainnextseason.

BSGE Scaffolding Comes Down

Why is it so hard to get a 7 in IB Art?

Photo Credits: Joseline Marin and Nancy Northrop

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 2

Table of ContentsPage 1

Changes in the 2014-15 School YearSoccer Season Overview

Page 2PTA Coordinator Has Her Own Advisory

Small School: Yay or Nay?

Page 3BSGE Bees Try Some Cheese

Junior Council’s Goals

Page 4Interview with Nick StoneColossal vs. Giant Squid

Page 510 Points for Gender Equality!Interview with Krystal Weiss

Page 6New Theater Club

The Fault in Our Science DepartmentRecent Cellphone Crackdown

7th Grader Annelie Hyatt’s Performance

Page 7BSGE to Stuy and Back

Hypebeasts & The Sneaker GameBSGE’s Version of School Spirit

Page 8The Giver Movie Review

CVS Cigarette Ban Update

Page 9Advice for New Bees

Is a 7 in IB Art impossible? Thoughts From the 7th Grade

Parent Coordinator Margaret Pasach Has Her Own 12th Grade Advisory

ABDULLAH SAYED ‘20

Emma KeeganFaiza TahsinMaria Ryding

Hana Memisevic Daleelah Saleh

Anokha VenugopalAnnie Cheng

Yue Zhuo

The Bacc Rag Staff

Justin HamlinMoshan Guo

Luke MaxwellGarrett TaubAshley WangVivian Yan

Mahaut BrooksSamantha Vinoya

Abdullah SayedAmit SarkerSteve Gurung

Tahmid AsmifAlice Aronov

Ergisa Xhuveli Alexandra Calpo

FEATURED STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Lydia Stetson

SENIOR EDITOR:Maya Juman

ADVISORAly Lakhaney

“BSGE’s Official Buzz”Baccalaureate School for Global Education

34-12 36th AvenueAstoria, NY 11106

Untilrecently,MargaretPasach’sonlyjobwasparentcoordinatorofBSGE.Butthisyearshehasalsotakenupthejobofhavingherownadvisory.Sheisthefirstparentcoordinatortobeassignedherownadvisory,additionallya12thgradeadvisorywhichisnotaneasytask.

WhenaskedaboutwhyMs.Pasachhasherownadvi-sory,sheexplainedthattheprevious12thgradeadvisorwasnolongeravailable,sothepositionwasgiventoher.Ms.Pasachadded,“Ididn’taskforit,necessarily,butatthesametimeIamreallyhappytobedoingit.BecauseIenjoygettingtoknowthestudents.”

Fromherexperienceasparentcoordinator,sheisalreadyaccustomedtoclarifyingconceptsandBSGEprogramstoparentsandstudents.Shesayssheenjoyshelpingstudentsandparentsalikebecauseitiswhatbothherrolesdemandofher,asparentcoordinatorandadvisor.

Furthermorehavingworkedwithherdaughteroncol-legeapplications,alreadyMs.Pasachhassomeexpe-rience.Thishelpshergiveadvicetothe12thgradestudentsinheradvisorywhoarenowgoingthroughtheprocessofapplyingtocolleges.

Ms.Pasachbelievesthatshewasgivena12thgradeclassspecificallybecausealotoftheothergradessuchasthe10thand11thgradeshavestateexamstoaccomplishbytheendoftheschoolyear,whereasthe12thgradenolongerhasanyRegentsorStateexams-onlyIBexams.Shesaysthat“someonewhohasnotbeenanadvisorbeforemayfindithardertoworkwiththesestudents,”sosheishappytobeworkingwithSeniors.

Whenaskedaboutthetransitionfromparentcoordina-tortoadvisor,Ms.Pasachexplainedthatsheisactu-ally“usedtobeinginaclassroom,butwithelementarystudents.”ShesaysthemajorchangethatMs.Pasachistryingtogetusedto,isthinkingshe“likethem[young

adults/Seniors]”.

Answeringthequestionofwhethersheprefersbeinganadvisororparentcoordinator,Ms.Pasachnoted,“Well..advisoryisonly35minuteslong...”Howevershethensaidthat“shelikesbothjobs,”anddoesnotprefereitherovertheother.Inbothjobs,sheexplainedthatshegetsto“understand”peoplebetter.Ms.Pasachsaysthatsheenjoysbeing“directlyinvolvedwithkids.”

MargaretPasachhavingherownadvisoryisoneofthemanychangesthathaveoccurredinthisnewschoolyear,butitseemsthatthischangeisdefinitelyapositiveone.

Small School: Yay or Nay?

STEVE GURUNG ‘18

EveryoneknowsthattheschoolthatBSGEisaverysmallschool,whichhasitsprosandcons.Alotofpeoplewantabiggerschoolsothattheycanhaveanauditorium,agym,andotherschoolfacilitiesinsteadofhav-ingacafeteria,gymnasium,andanauditoriumcombinedinto

one.Studentshavemixedreviewsonat-tendingasmallschoolasthisone.

Whenaskedabouttheprob-lemsofhavingasmallschool,EamonKelsall18’answered,“Thetightspacesinthehallways.Itishardtomovearoundwithallthekidsinthehallwayat

once.TherearepointsatwhichIcouldn’tevenmoveinthehall-way.”

Eamonalsoadded,“Classesshouldbereleasedbygradesothatitiseasiertomaneuverinthehallways.”

Althoughsomestudentsmightthinkthathavingasmall

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 3

BSGE Bees Try Some Cheese!

Junior Council Aims To Make Prom Tickets Free for All Students

On Wednesday, October 8th, the French Club had a very cheesy experience. Julien Garrec, a marketer for the French Cheese Board, brought various types of cheese to BSGE’s French Club. This event was organized by French teacher Mr. Rajiv to allow students to enjoy a different part of the French culture and combine it with learning the language.

Mr Garrec brought hazelnuts, dried cherries, almonds, long salted crackers, small slices of french bread, jam, and of course, a few varieties of cheese for the students to taste. Grace C’19, enjoyed being “able to taste cheese and get to learn new words in French.”

Because students were so accustomed to only hearing their French teacher speak, some students had difficulty understanding someone new. Even though Mr Rajiv speak to his students exclusively in French, several students were lost in translation when Mr. Garrec began speaking. For the first few minutes, much of the French Club members sat speechless; several eyes flit to and fro, wondering if they were the only ones trying to decipher Mr. Garrec’s low, deep French. Yet, students quickly became accustomed to Mr Garrec’s accent and mannerisms. His PowerPoint presentation, although in French, had photos that helped the more visual learners understand the love most of France has for cheese.

There were several types of cheeses at this tasteful event. There was Brie, which is a slightly chewy, white elastic cheese. It was very creamy, and very rich, so it was better in smaller quantities. Mr. Rajiv commented that the pungent brie cheese pushed much of the French club out of its comfort zone which was part of the purpose of the even-Comté, another type of cheese tasted much like cheddar cheese, and was very thick. It came in cute little cubes, which were quite filling.

However, the tasty treat that seemed to be the most popular with students was the magnificent French salted butter. It consisted of just the right amount of saltiness, creaminess, and delectable goodness. This butter was so succulent that once the slices of French bread had run out, some students felt the need to spread the butter on the almonds, just to experience another taste.

Other popular food items at the event were long salted crackers which Matthew D’19 said tasted like “the concentrated form of the scent of baking bread inside something you can taste.”

Mr. Rajiv was inspired to host this event after seeing an ad in the newspaper for a cheese tasting by the French Cheese Board. He felt “that there’s not enough gastronomy involved with the foreign language department, specifically French.” Gastronomy should not be confused with any bodily emissions, but is actually the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food. He hopes to host more events like this in the future.

When the French Cheese Board opened up in Midtown Manhattan, cheese connoisseur Julien Garrec booked a one-way flight to America. His mission was to promote cheese in the United States, and he has been doing just that for the past two years. He com-mented on how many people dislike bleu cheese for its strong flavor and smelliness. Julien felt that “cheese is a very cultural thing,” and he felt proud to share the experi-ence, because he loves when “American customers discover the richness and diversity of French cheeses.” So, next time you get a piece of cheese, remember to savor it, and let its flavors overwhelm you. Be a little cheesy.

Photo Credit:s Rajiv Mahajan

VIVIAN YAN ‘16

On Friday, September 19th, 2014, BSGE students from the graduating class of 2016 gathered in Room 300 for the first meeting of Junior Council - a student group with the aim to raise money to lower the cost of prom tickets. The group meets each Friday of the month, excluding extended holiday weekends. Each meeting will run from 2:20 to 3:30 pm and are supervised by Ms. Hunter, the 11th grade Math teacher.

Prior to the first meeting, Angelica and Beatriz B. ‘16 created a Facebook page for students who are interested in finding out more information about Junior Council. Along with the official Facebook page, e-mails and phone numbers are ways that the Junior Council has been proactively keep-ing in touch with each member. Students who are not in Junior Council but would like to be updated on upcoming fundrais-ing events and possibly contribute to future bake sales are invited to join the mailing list by contacting a council member.

Although there were already around twenty people at the first Junior Coun-cil meeting, there are also students who plan on joining later in the year, such as students in the soccer club who plan to join after their sports season is over. Gathering a balanced representation of opinions for Junior Council would help in making deci-sions that would affect the entire grade.

“At first, I thought we didn’t need that many people in Junior Council, but now I think that the more people we have partici-pating in the council, the more money we would be able to raise,” said Ms. Hunter. Getting the school involved is an important way for Junior Council to raise as much money as possible.

When brainstorming fundraiser ideas, bake sales were an obvious contender, but council members also considering yard sales. To get a better idea of how the raised money would be divided, there was a discussion on how many people actually wanted to attend prom. “The objective is to raise so much money that prom tickets can be free,” said Ms. Hunter.

And it might just be possible. The Junior Council’s first ever bake sale was a great success. People were constantly spread-ing the word that there was a bake sale during lunch. “So many people chipped in,” exclaimed Ms. Hunter. The usual convenience store soda and chips were skirted in favor of homemade, interest-ing, and diverse food. There were samosas (a type of fried Indian pastry), Chinese dumplings alongside Polish dumplings called Perogies, and homemade cake pops, cookies, and cupcakes that were not from an Entenmann’s box.

One student who attended the bake sale commented on how well-priced the food was. “A lot of things were only one dollar and usually bake sales have things that cost like a dollar twenty-five. That’s a hassle. Sometimes I don’t have change for that extra quarter.” Unlike past BSGE bake sales, Junior Council did not have to inflate its prices with the odd quarter to raise more money. Their first bake sale was such a success that close to three hundred dollars was raised.

Ms. Hunter remains optimistic that the Junior Council will continue working hard to raise money. Their next bake sale will be on Halloween during 3rd and 4th period.

Top Right Photo: Members of BSGE’s Junior Council pose for a photo after their very first meeting.

Photo Credits: Beatriz Benares 16’

Top Left Photo: BSGE tudents and French Cheese Board representative Julien Garrec pose for a photo.

Bottom Left Photo: Cheese, butter, bread, almonds and other assortments of food that were offered at the cheese tasting party.

ANOKHA VENUGOPAL ‘19

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 4

BSGE’s Staff of the Month: Nick Stone

ASHLEY WANG ‘16

Wheredidyougrowup?RighthereinNY,Manhattan.

Whatinspiredyoutobecomeateacher?IhadalotofgoodteacherswhoIad-miredasastudent.Iliketalkingabouthistory,Ilikeworkingwithkids,Ilikeworkingwithotherpeople.It’saprettygoodlineofworktobein.

Wheredidyougotocollege?Major?IwenttoBowdoinCollege.ImajoredinHistoryandconcentratedinEuropeanHistory.

WhereandwhatdidyouteachbeforeyoucametoBSGE?WellrightbeforeIcametoBSGEIwasingraduateschoolatTeacher’sCol-legeinColumbia.BeforethatIactuallytaughteverythinginanelementaryschoolforacoupleofyears.

Whyhistory?Ithinkit’safunsubjecttoteachbecausetherearealwayspointsofconnectiontopeople,soIalwaysappreciatewhenpeoplefindthingstheycanconnectwithinhistoryorthepast.Ialsothinkthatitletsusexplorewhoweareandcompelsustothinkaboutchallengingquestionsweneedtoaskourselvesascitizensorasmembersofsociety.

WesawthatyouwereastudentteacherforMr.Lakhaneylastyear,whatwouldyousayisthemostimportantthingthatyoulearnedfromhim?Mr.Lakhaneyhasbeenaprettygoodmentortome.Ithinkonethingthathe’sverygoodat,andItrytobegoodat,isthathe’sgreatatlisteningtostudentsandreallycreatingopportunitiesforkidstoexpressthemselvesandsharetheirideas.Hereallywantskidstobecom-fortablewithsharingtheirideasinclassandwitheachother,whichisimportanttomesoIlearnedalotofstrategiesfromhimtodothat.

Whathasbeenyourexperienceoftran-sitioningtoanIBschool?Sofarithasbeenaprettysmoothtransi-tion,there’sdefinitelyareallyuniqueculturehere.It’snotlikeotherschools.Onethingthat’suniqueforateacherinthisschoolisadjustingtothehighexpectationsandtherigorhereforthestudents.There’sdefinitelyalotoffocusonacademicrigor,whichisaluxury.

IBorAP?ItookAPcoursesinhighschool,butIdefinitelypreferIB.

WhatdoyouthinkofBSGEanditsstu-dentssofar?Ireallyenjoytheschoolanditsstudents,andit’saverynicecommunityhere.It’sveryclose-knitandpeopleknoweachotherverywell.OnethingthatIreallyappreciateisthatstudentsandteach-ersarereallyexcitedtobehere,andareveryhappytobeinthisschool.Everyoneseeksarealpurposeinbeinghere.

Petpeevesasateacher?Whenkidsdon’tputtheirnamesonstuff,Ialwaysgetirritatedwiththat.

Alltimefavoritemomentinhistory?Iliketotalkandteachabouttheturnofthetwentiethcentury,thelateindustrialperiod--particularlyinAmericanhis-tory.Ithinkitwasasupercoolculturalmoment.

Favoritefood?Pasta.

Favoriteseason/typeofweather?Fall.

Whathobbiesdoyouhave?Ridingmybike,reading...that’saboutallIhavetimeforrightnow.

Whatwereyoulikeasateenager?Prettystudious,alittlenerdy.IwasreallyintoartsoIspentalotoftimeworkingonthat.

FavoriteTVshow?ArrestedDevelopment.

Whatisyourzodiacsign?Scorpio.

Favoritecolor?Orange.

Firstthingyoudowhenyougethomeafteralongdayofteaching?Probablyfeedmycat.

Aw,what’sitsname?Leon,likeLeonTrotsky.

What’syourfavoriteanimal?Well,althoughIamacatowner,Iamabitmoreofadogperson.

Photo Credit: Ashley Wang 16’

Pictured above is BSGE’s new 11th grade History of the Americas teacher, Mr. Nick Stone, replacing Ms. Linda Ellman who retired last year.

Science News: Giant Squid vs. Colossal Squid - Do you know the difference?

ABDULLAH SAYED ‘20

InDecemberof2013,fishermanJohnBennetthauledinmorethenhisdinnerplatecouldfit.

Hehauledina770poundcolossalsquid--nottobeconfusedwiththegiantsquid--fromtheAntarcticOcean,stillhangingontothefishthatBennettwantedtocatch.Aftereightmonthsofbeingheldincoldstorage,thesquidwasthawedanddissectedbyaNewZealandteamofsquidexpertsonSeptember15th,2014.

Thiswasamajordiscoveryforthescientificworld,especiallysinceitisthe“onlysecondintactspecimen[ofacolossalsquid]everfound,”accordingtoFoxNews.Thefemalesquidwasalsofoundtobecarryingeggs,anexcitingaddition.

Whenaskedabouttherecentcolossalsquiddiscovery,manyBSGEstudentsweremoreknowledgableofthegiantsquidratherthanthecolossalsquid.Forexample,ThomasBreen‘20spokeabouthisex-perienceswithlearningaboutgiantsquids.

“Ihavereadalotaboutthegiantsquid,andwhenIwasyoungerIreadalotoffolk-talesaboutthegiantsquid,like

itwasthishugecreaturethatdestroyedships,andwashuge,”Breensaidwithexcite-ment.Headded,“Irememberreadingitsomewherethatspermwhalesaresometimesfoundwithscarsallovertheirbodieswithfightswithgiantsquid.”

Yetwhenaskedaboutthecolossalsquidinparticular,Breenanswered“Idonotrememberreading,orwatchinganythingonthecolossalsquid.Itseemstobeareallyvaguecreaturethatalmostnobodyknowsabout.”

Thecolossalsquidisthelargestinvertebrate,squid,andmolluskintheworld.Forthosewhoarenotsciencegeeks,mollusksarecreaturesthathavemantleswhicharepartsoftheirbodiesthatarehollowedoutandusedforprotectionandexcretion.Mostmollusksaremarineanimals,butthereareexceptionstothissuchasthelandsnail.

Oneoftheinterestingdifferencesbetweenthecolossalandgiantsquid,besidestheirsize,isthatgiantsquidshaveserratedteethsurroundingtheirtentacle’ssuckers,whilethecolossalsquidshaverazorsharphookssurroundingtheirtentacle’ssuckers.Thesehooksspinaroundgrindingupthefleshofthesquid’spredator’sandprey,anextremelypainful-soundingexperience.

Thereasonwhysofewpeopleknowaboutthecolossalsquidandaremorefamiliarwiththegiantsquidisthattherehasonlybeenarelativelyrecentdiscoveryofthecolossalsquid.Thecolossalsquidwasonlyheardofintheearly20thcentury,andevidenceofthesquid’sexistenceonlyinthe1920s.

However,actualphysicalevidenceofthecolossalsquiddidnotappearuntil2007,ameresevenyearsago.Whereasthegiantsquidwasfirstwrittenaboutandencoun-teredinthefourthcenturyB.C.byAristotle,whowrotevaguelyofacreaturethatwas“5ellslong,”anellbeingaLatinunitofmeasurement.

Buttherearesome,includingBSGESeniorSarfiChowdhury‘15,thatareknowledg-ableofthedifferencesbetweenthecolossalandgiantsquid,andareexcitedaboutthisrecentdiscovery.

Chowdhuryexplained,“Thisdiscoveryisactuallyareallybigdeal.Irememberread-ingaboutcolossalsquidswhenIwasyoungeraroundeightyearsold,butatthetimenotoneintactsquidhadbeenfound.Soit’sprettycooltohearaboutthisevent.”

Unfortunately,thecolossalsquidtodaystillremainsmuchofamysterytousbecauseofitslovefordeepArcticwaters,makingitdifficultforhumansandcolossalsquidstointeract.Butthisrecentdiscoveryhasopenedupaworldofpossibilitiesoffindingoutmoreinformationonthisfascinatingcreature.

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 5

Krystal Weiss: BSGE’s Business Administrator

MARIA RYDING ‘18

10 Points for Gender Equality!

ASHLEY WANG ‘16You may know her as the intelligent Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series or the ditzy Nicki in The Bling Ring, but for now, Emma Watson is play-ing the role of herself as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. On September 20th, 2014, Watson launched her campaign for gender equality, “HeforShe,” at the Model UN Headquarters in New York City. She delivered a speech in front of an audience of international delegates and representa-tives, specifically addressing the general population of men. Watson discussed the negative connotations of the word “femi-nist,” how supporters are often categorized as aggressive or anti-men, and the lack of male supporters towards gender equality.

Watson’s primary goal in “HeforShe” is to gain male support and involvement by opening up to the issue of men lacking the benefit of equality as well. She described the general purpose of “HeforShe” as an “opportunity to extend a formal invitation [to men]. Gender equality is [their] issue too.” In order to create the balance of gen-der equality, both women and men must be freed from gender stereotypes; as Watson puts it, “if men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.”

With a 9:11 male to female ratio, BSGE has an almost equal population of males and females. Addressing Emma Watson’s speech and its points, The Bacc Rag has decided to investigate the opinions of BSGE’s males on “HeforShe” and gender equality. One of the main points on Wat-son’s agenda is the common misconceptions associated with the feminist movement. In her speech, Watson defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” Alvaro Bermejo ‘16 defines feminism as “the equality and rights of both men and women,” which cor-relates with the general definition as well as Emma Watson’s.

However, an anonymous student defines feminism as “the movement to push for fe-male equal rights,” believing that “the very concept of feminism speaks about solely the rights of females, neglecting and often oppressing that of any other gender. The word itself solely concentrates on ‘female.’” It was after watching Emma Watson’s “HeforShe” speech that the anonymous student agreed wholeheartedly with Wat-son’s movement. Nonetheless the student remains skeptical of the general feminism movement, because “not all feminists make

the arguments that Watson makes.”

On the topic of whether or not feminism is applicable to men--as in the possibility of men identifying themselves as “femi-nists” or supporting the movement--there was a general consensus of agreement. Mr. Lakhaney believes that, “you can’t have a feminist ideology or agenda without being aware of the fact that gender is a thing, it forges certain privileges and limitations. I think everyone should be made more aware of these things, because I don’t think most men are aware of the challenges women face.”

Overall, there is variation in BSGE’s male students’ opinions on feminism. It is a highly debated topic, and we can all do ourselves a favor by educating ourselves about it. Whether you are male or female and choose to identify or not to identify as a feminist, remember it is not the word that is important, but the issue. Watson argues that although there is not a settled word that unites males and females in gender equality, the movement is a unifi-cation of both sexes; as Watson states, it is “about time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of oppos-ing ideals.” Males should not feel the need

to stray from the issue just because the word includes the root of “feminine.” It is a pressing issue involving all genders that requires immediate action and attention.

According to Watson’s predictions, if no actions towards gender equality are made in the near future it will take approxi-mately: 75-100 years before women are expected to be paid the same amount as men for the same work, 72 years before all rural African girls receive a secondary education, and 16 years for over 15.5 mil-lion girls to be subjected to child marriage. If that did not convince you to advocate for change, then keep in mind her motivation: “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Speaking of Brown Univer-sity students like Emma Watson, here are some of our BSGE and Bacc Rag alumni - Sebas-tian, Simran and Yan, hang-ing out between their classes at Brown.

Where are you from?Queens, New York.

What is your favorite thing to do in NYC?I love to do brunches with my friends, go to movies. I’ve recently gotten into mud runs, I’m going to a zombie run next week!

How would you describe your job at BSGE?My job mainly consists of assisting Ms. Johnson with operational matters and adminis-trational matters. Any other assistance, I’m usually the person that people call.

What is it like day to day as the business counselor for BSGE?I email a lot! ... I really do. A big thing I deal with is compliance, and a lot of follow ups, I make sure we follow all the rules with the DOE. I handle the bank accounts, and the incoming money from things like bake sales.

What is your overall plan to help BSGE?

I plan to help BSGE become more organized and follow all the rules.

Where did you work before this? How does it compare to BSGE?Before this I was a school aid at the Queens High School of Teaching. Its drastically different. There I worked mostly with the students with college applications. Now I mostly deal with the administration.

What’s something you find unique about BGSE and its student body?The size of the school. I’m not used to being in such a small and enclosed environment. Everyone is so nice! The administration and kids I have gotten the chance to meet are so kind.

Have you had any interesting experiences since arriving at BSGE?Honestly, every day is an interesting experience because every day I’m learning some-thing new.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about BSGE so far?I don’t have a least favorite. My most favorite is the people, faculty and students.

What was the transition like coming to BSGE?At first it was tough, I felt shell shocked. But after the first month I got my foot in and its been up hill from there. I’ve been getting more and more comfortable each day.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?I like to cook, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I also like painting…I’m not a pro but it’s fun.

Where is one place you would like to visit?Oooo! I’d like to visit Brazil. I really want to see Cristo Rey... It looks really cool.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?Hopefully, in 10 years I see myself with a masters degree in accounting and a signifi-cant amount of administration work under my belt.

Do you have any bad habits?...Junk food. I’d say that for sure.

In one word, how would you describe yourself?My first thought was weird but I don’t think I should put that...so adaptable. I’m able to take on different tasks.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?Brazil, the beaches are great. 70° all the time and the people are cool. I’d love to live there.

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 6

The Fault in Our Science Department

JUSTIN HAMLIN ’17

AsmanyBSGEstudentsknow,ourschoolissmall.Oneresultofthisisthatoursci-encedepartment,whilestillverygood,doesn’thaveeverythingitcouldhaveif thiswerealargerschool.Specifically,wehavenophysicsclassandnoHLscienceclasses.IntheIBprogram,HLstandsfor“higherlevel,”asopposedtoSL,whichstandsfor“standardlevel.”WhilebothareIBcourses,andthereforequiteadvancedbyneces-sity,HLclassesrequiremorehoursofclassandstudysubjectsingreaterdepththanSLclassescan.

ManyBSGEstudentsareveryannoyedatthesefeaturesthatoursciencedepartmentdoesnothave.Havingnophysicsclasscanputusatadisadvantagewhenstudentstrytodecideiftheyshouldstayhereorgotoadifferentschoolfor9thgrade,andthenagainwhenstudentscompeteforcollegespotswithpeoplefromotherschools.EmilyCosta’17saidthatshethinksthat“physicsisaveryimportantsubjectforaschooltohave,anditwouldbegreatforBSGE.When8thgradersdecideonahighschool,thelackofaphysicsdepartmentmaycausestudentstofavorotherschools.”LeeanaJohnston’17explainedthatmanypeoplewhochoosetostaydespitetheseproblemsregrettheirchoice,because“therearemanystudentsthatapplytoMITbutnooneevergetsinbecausenoneofthemhavetakenthesestandard,basiccoursesandthatputsthematadisadvantage.Thisschoolissupposedtoopenupyouroptionsandallowyoutogetintobetterschools,butthefactthatwearenotofferedthoseclassestakesthisaway.”Foraschoollikeours,whichattractspeoplewhoarecapableofget-tingintouniversitiessuchasMIT,thisisahugeproblem.

Noteverystudentseesthisasamajorproblem,however.TalikaBasantani’18saidthatinheropinionthelackingsciencedepartmentdoesnotmattersomuch,because“InBSGE,wetakemoresemestersofhighschoolclassesthananyotherclasses.Forexample,takingtensemestersofhighschoolmathinsteadofsixoreight.”Sheaddedthatnothaving“HLchem/bioisn’tthatmuchofaproblembecausebiologyandchemistryareprovidedatourschoolsoweatleasthavesomeknowledgeaboutthat.”Tosomepeople,theadvantagesofgoingtothisschoolandparticipatingintheIBprogramfaroutweighthedisadvantagesofasciencedepartmentthatlacksphysicsandHLscience.StudentsatBSGEhavealsobeenabletogetintotopcollegesanduni-versitiesdespitenothavingtakenPhysics.BSGEstudentshavebeenadmittedtoYale,Brown,Columbia,Stanfordamongothergreatschools.

TheBSGEadministrationandparentsrecognizethatthedisadvantagesBSGEstudentsfacebecauseofthesedeficienciesarereal,andtheyaresomethingtobeconcernedabout.MargaretPasach,theparentcoordinator,explainedthattherearethoughtaboutaddressingtheseissues,buttheyhavenotcometoanythingyet.TherearethoughtsofpartneringwithCollegeNow,asummerprogramprovider,thoughitisquitepossiblethatthatgoesnowhere.Inaddition,therearethoughtsofintroducingmathHLclasses,thoughthosearealongwayfrombeingplansaswell.BSGEbeingasmallschoolmeansthatwecannothaveeverything,butwecantryveryhardtohaveeverythingwecan.

BSGE’S Recent Cellphone Crackdown

FAIZA TAHSIN ‘19

Aseachschoolyearpasses,restrictionsontechnologyuseinschoolbecomemoreandmorestrict.AccordingtoVirgeRamos,BSGE’sCom-munityAssociate,thelimitsontheusageofcellphones,iPods,headphones,ear-phones,etcdoesnotdependontheschoolitselfbutrathertheNewYorkCitychancel-lor.Inanageinwhichpeoplecannotsurvivewithoutcheckingtheircellphonesev-eryfewminutes,manyBSGEstudentsfeelthatnotbeingabletousedevicesduring

lunchisannoyingandunfair.Theyalsobelievethatthisseriouscellphonecrackdown,theruleofhavingnocellphonesorheadphonesinsight,doesnotmakeanysense.

AccordingtoDilawarKhan’17,“notbeingabletouseourphonesduringlunchismessedup.”Khanadds,“Buthavingtherulechangedforthisyeariswhatsucksthemost.”Howeveraccordingtothecityguidelines,teachersandstaffmembersareal-lowedtohavetheirphonesoutincaseofanemergency.(Althoughthat’snotalwaysthecase.)

Deviceslikee-readersandtabletsusedtoreadaren’ttechnicallybanned,butarenotpermittedif theyhaveacamera.AccordingtoVirge,havinganelectronicdeviceisn’tallowedbecausestudentswerecomplainingtheywerebeingphotographedandvid-eotapedwithoutconsent.Overall,itisnotBSGE’sdecisiontohavesuchstricttechnol-ogyrestrictions,sostudentsshouldstopwastingtheirtimetryingtoblameitonBSGE.

BSGE’s New Theater ClubMAYA JUMAN ‘16

IBDramaticArtsiskickingoffitsfirstyearof theaterproduction.Thegroup, found-ed last spring by Ergisa Xhuveli ‘16 andHanako Montgomery ‘16, is organizing“TheAbsurdValueofEverything,”anad-aptationofOscarWilde’splay“LadyWin-dermere’sFan.”AuditionswereheldafterschoolonOctober1st,2ndand3rd, andthe two Juniors plan to begin rehearsalssoon.TheplayistentativelyscheduledforMayorJune,atArrowCommunityCenter.

IBDramaticArts(abbreviatedasIBDramaor IBD)was foundedby two juniorspas-sionate about theater and the arts. “Weboth love theater, show tunes, dance, ev-erythingtheatrical,”Ergisaexplained.“WewantedtocreatethisopportunityforBSGEstudents.” The two students have beenrunningafter-schooltheatersessionssincelast June, which encouraged participantstogetmorecomfortablewithperformingin front of an audience and improvising.“We want it to be a student-run theatergroup, so students are able to contributetheirideas,”Hanakosaid.

“LadyWindermere’sFan,”asatiricaldra-masetinVictoriansociety,centersaroundawomanwhosuspectsthatherhusbandisbeingunfaithful.Aseriesofdramaticandsurprisingeventsunfold,withalargecastofcharactersandmanycomedicmoments.

The two juniorsbelieve that theplay is agood candidate for everyone to enjoy, al-though they modified the script slightlyin severaldifferentways tomake itmoremodern.“TheVictorianeralanguagewastoo complex,” Hanako explained. Addi-tionally,theBSGEproductionhasbeenre-named“TheAbsurdValueofEverything”afteralineintheplay.

Someofthemajorthemesintheplayhavealsobeenmodernized.“A lotof themainconflictintheplayisPuritanismvsCathol-icism,” Ergisa said. “But since that’s notreally relevant to today’s timeperiod,we

madeitmoreofaconflictbetweenmateri-alismandidealism.”

AlthoughfoundedandmanagedbyErgisaandHanako, IBDrama isgrateful for thehelpithasreceivedfromtheBSGEfacultyandthestudentcommunity.“Oursupervi-sor,Ms.Clarkson-Farrell,knowsalotabouttheater,”Hanakosaid.Ms.Schwarzhasof-feredtolendartstudiospacetothedramaclub for constructing sets andprops. Theclubplanstoraisemoneyforcostumes,buttheywould“lovetohaveBSGEstudentart-istshelpoutwithcostumesandmakeup,”saysErgisa.Participatingintheproductionorhelpingwithsets,costumesandmakeupwouldcountasCreativityand/orServicehoursforCAS.

The next steps for the theater club afterauditionsandcastingarefundraising,con-structingsets,buyingcostumes,andfinallyrehearsals. The club currently meets onWednesdays during eighth period, but astheproductionapproachesrehearsalswilllikelybe twoor three timesaweek. “Wewantittobeaseriousproductionthatweareallproudtobeapartof,”thepassion-ate Junior, Ergisa said. As for their othergoalsforthisschoolyear,themainoneis“tohave fun,”according toHanako.“Wewanttomaketheentireschoolrealizethattheaterisfun,butalsosomethingwetakeveryseriously,”sheadded.Ergisaagreed.

7th Grader Annelie Hyatt Performs Spoken Word Poetry

MR. LAKHANEY

BSGE7thgradeAnnelieHyattperformedherspokenwordpoemtitled,TheIm-maturityDissection,atarecenteventatWritopia’sSpokenWordattheNuyoricanPoetsCafe.AnneliewrotethispoemaspartofaprogramsheattendsatWritopiaLabswhereshehasbeendevelopingherwritingforthepastcoupleofyears.

Anneliesaysthatshewasalwaysintowritingandthentwoorthreeyearsagohermomhelpedherfindthisprogram.AtWritopia“thereareinstructorswhoarepublishedauthorsinliterarymaga-zinesandnewspaperswhocometoteachkidswholikewritingonceaweek”An-nelieexplains.

Eachweekthekidsgetto”sitoncomfycouchesandchromebookcomputersandatthestartoftheworkshopyoudosomegamesoranswersomepromptsandthengetintowritingandattheendyougettoshareoutyourstoriesandgetfeedback.”Thepoemfeaturedinthevideotookheroneortwodaystowriteandthengotrevised.

Sinceshestartedwiththeprogramshehaswrittenaround20differentstoriesandpoems.Shewouldrecommendthisprogramtootherstudentswholiketowrite.

Inadditiontowritingandperforming,AnnelieinternsatWritopiaandworkswithsomeoftheyoungerkidsontheirwritingbutsometimesshegetsembarrassedbe-cause,assheexplains,“someofthem[theyoungerkidssheworkswith]aretallerthanmesotheythinkI’moneoftheyoungerstudents.It’sreallyembarrassing.”

EventuallyAnneliehopestogatherallofherwrittenworksandpublishthem.

November 2014 BSGE’s OfficialBuzz Page 7

BSGE’s Own Version of School Spirit

EMMA KEEGAN 18

Asweallknow,BSGEcontainsalackofschoolspirit.Someofusdon’tevenknowwhattheschoolcolorsare(they’reblueandwhite,bytheway).Manyofusdocareaboutthisandthinkthatitdoesnegativelyaffectsourattitudestowardsschool.

Accordingtostudies,schoolspiritcreatesapositiverelationshipbetweenteachersandstudents.Positiveschoolspiritcreatesanoverallsenseofwellbeingthroughouttheschoolcommunityaswell.Ithasevenbeenproventoincreasemotivationtodobetterinschool.Childrenthatinhabitedschoolswithagreatsenseofschoolspirithadagreatersenseofbelongingthanthosewhodidnot.Italsodemonstratespridewithinandoutsidetheschool.Schoolspiritcanbedemonstratedthroughschoolapparel,schoolcolors,orevenjusthavingtraditionsthatarepracticed.

SoisschoolspiritreallythatvitaltoBSGEstudents?Despitethestatistics,somepeopleareveryunconcernedaboutourlackofspirit.KaiS.‘19commented,“Ireallydon’tmindthatourschoolhadalackofschoolspiritaslongasIgetmyeducation!”

OtherstudentsfeelthatschoolspiritissomethingBSGEreallyneedstoimproveon.StephieI.‘18offeredherideasonwaysBSGEcouldencourageschoolspirit.“IthinkthatweshouldmakeaBSGEcheersquad!”Stephieexplained,“Itwouldbeagoodwaytoencourageourteamstowinandoverallmakeuspeppier!”Shealsoadded,“Wecouldsellourownapparelwiththeschoolnameandlogoonitsincethathasnotreallybeenavailabletous.Throughthat,wecanrepresentourschoolinsideandout!”

However,someoftheolderstudentsthinkthatBSGE’slevelofspiritissufficient.FrancescaT.15’said,“ThemoretimeyouspendinBSGE,thecloserpeoplegettoeachother.Forexampleduringarecentboy’ssoccergame,alotoftheSeniorscamepre-paredtosupporttheteam.AlsothestruggleofIBreallybringspeopleintheschooltogetherandforcesustohaveschoolspirit.”

ItseemsthatalthoughBSGEdoesnothavethestereotypicalschoolspiritfoundinotherhighschoolswithmassivesportsteams,cheersquadsandpeprallies,studentsfindtheirownversionofschoolspiritbycreatingcloserrelationshipswiththeirclassmatesandteachers.ItisBSGE’stightknitcommunitythatservesasthegreatestformofschoolspirit.

BSGE to Stuy and BackALICE ARONOV `18

The Beginner’s Guide: Hype-Beasts & The Sneaker Game

LUKE MAXWELL ‘18

BuyingandSellingKicksNYC:thego-toFacebookpageforallsneakerheads,hypebeastsandothershoeenthusiastsaroundNewYorkCity.Tostart,ahypebeastissomeonewhobuysandcollectssneak-ersforthesolepurposeofimpressingothers.Butahypebeasts’muchcov-eteditemsdonotstopatsneakers,butalsoex-tendtoGuccibelts,TrueReligionjeansandbrandnamet-shirts.Ontheotherhand,Sneakerhead,amorecommonterm,isdefinedassomeonewhobuys,sells,collectsandadmiresonlysneakers.

Thebasicprocedureofbuyingapairofsneakersstartswiththeobvious:findingthesneakeryouwanttobuy.YoungNewYorkersscrollthroughthisFacebookpage,amassedwithphotosofYeezys,Nikes,NewBalanceandotherbrands,untiltheyfindapairofshoestheylike.Youthenpostyourbidonthepairinthecom-mentsofthepicture.Atthatpoint,youwaitforthesellertonegotiateameetuptimeandplace,mostcommonlyattheQueensCenterMall(QCM).Ulti-

mately,itisagreatwayforalltheshoe-loversaroundNYCtotradesneakerseasily.

Thesimplebutrevolu-tionarysystemofbuyingandsellingsneakersisnotlimitedtoNYCbutisusedbysneakerheadsaroundthecountry.TherearebranchesinDetroit,NewJersey,LongIslandaswellasanyotherareaswithadensepopulationofpeopledeterminedtoeasilybuyandselltheirshoes.

KohenRahman‘18,whoenjoysshoesaswellastradingthem,sumshimselfupasashoeenthusiastof6outof10.Hesays,“IknowmyshoesandIhavealotofpairsofshoes.Idonotbuyoffofpeopleorhaveshoesthatcostlike250dollars,butIlikesneakers.”Rahmanadded,“Iseemanyofthe[BuyingandSelling:NYC]postsinmynewsfeedonFacebook.Iguessdon’tnormallytradeshoes,butihavesoldshoestomyfriendsbefore,withoutthepage.Ienjoybuyingshoes,butImostlybuynewshoesfromstores,andnotusedshoes.IlikesellingshoesbecauseIlovehowIcangetpeopleto

paymeforapairofusedshoes.”

However,thesneakerbusi-nessdoesnotstopatthesimplesaleofusedshoes.Therearemorecommit-tedSneakerheadswhomaycampoutsideofstoresoranxiouslystareatawebsiteuntiltheclockturns12,anddashingmadlytobuythehottestpairofsneakers.Butthesesneakersaren’tforthem.Whatoftenoc-cursisthatthesesneak-erswillbecomesold-outbecauseoftheirpopular-ity.Sothen,hypebeastswhoareeagertowearthecoolestclotheswillpayextraordinaryamountsfortheseshoes.

RahmansharesthisfeelingwithmanyyoungNewYorkerswhoalsopartici-pateintheSneakertradinggame.Hedescribestheprocessofsellingshoesas,“basicallyyouadvertise a shoe or something that you want to sell. Then when you complete the post, people comment giving you offers.” Often times, sneaker sellers will comment “Bump” on their posts, which stands for “Bump Up My Post” and means exactly that. The more comments on a photo,

IwouldbeafooltosaythatStuyvesantHighSchoolisawfulandterribleanddisgusting.ForthoseofyouwhoplanontakingtheSHSAT,it’sagoodideatotakeit.It’sapersonaldecision.PutStuyasyourfirstchoice.Getsomeoptions.Driveyourselfnutsoverthoseoptions.ButIwenttoStuyvesantandIreturnedandhavereasons,ofcourse,soI’mgoingtoofferaninsidelookintothathugebuild-ingthatisdubbedthe‘besthighschoolinNYC.’Iamsomewhatqualifiedtowrite,becauseIspentthreeweekslearningwithinitswalls.

Stuyvesanthasanamazingbuildingandlocation,andanavalancheofdifferentcourses,clubsandsports.Iwasprom-isedthesethingsuponenteringandtobehonest,Iwasinnowaydisappointed.InthefirstweekIencounteredflyersontheescalator,thestepsonthebridgeandthedoorofmyhistoryclassroomthatadvertisedModelUN,Speech,CongressandDebateandareallycoolRedCrossmeetinginthelibrarythatIneverreallygottogoto,alongwithamillionmore-extracurricularactivitiesthatIreallywantedtoattendbutcouldn’t(duetomyotherengagementswithModelUNandtheLincoln-DouglasDebateteam).ShortlybeforeIleftStuyvesantIalsohadameetingwithmyguidancecounselor,oneofmaybetwentyinthedepartment,inasmallgroup.Theirviewoncol-legeastoundedme,aswellasscaredmealittle.Theircollegeprocessinvolvescompilingindividualteacherrecom-mendationsintooneguidancecounselorrecommendation,pullingtogetherfilesofextracurricularsandcommunityservicehours,andthehugeexcelsheetofcollegeacceptancesforeachcollege,withthelowestaveragesacceptedandthehigh-estaveragesrejectedandthepushtotaketheSATsubjecttestsassoonasyoucompletetheclass.Everyonewassoontopofthings.IneverconcernedmyselfwithcollegeandIprobablycouldn’ttellyouthefirstthingaboutwhatcollegeswantedbuttheykneweverythingandgavemeacomprehensiveoverviewofwhatIneededtoknowinonecompact41minutelunchperiod.

Ithinksomethingdidn’tfitbetweenStuyandIfromtheverystart,butIhadleftBSGEpromisingmyselfthatnomatterwhat,IwouldfindawaytomakeitworkandnevergiveuponStuy.SomeonehadtoldmebeforeIleftthatIwasn’tgoingtodowelltherebecauseIwasAliceandIdemandedadifferentatmospherethanthelearningenvironmentinStuyvesant.SincethiswasapersonIrespected,IwasveryhurtandIfelttheneedtoprovethemwrong.Ipromisedmyselfthatif anythingeverwentbadIwouldjustcope,pickupabookandstartreading,ridethesubwaytothelaststop.SoIputonahappyfaceandwalkedintothedoorsofthebridge.

Thefirstthingthathitmewasthattheydidn’tteachinthewayIwasusedtooreveninawaythatwaseffective.Myschedulewaspackedwithten41minuteclasseswithunenthusiasticteachersstuff-inginformationintoourheads.Instantly

IgotlostinPhysicsclassandfoundmy-selfdozingoffinsteadoftakinginanyinformation.InmostclassesIstoppedraisingmyhandbecauseIdidn’tknowwhatwasgoingon.Intheclasseswhereitwascleartome-Iwasn’tallowedtoraisemyhand.Thencametheemptiness.ImadefriendsatStuy,somethatIstilltalktotoday,butnonewerereallymine.InoticedadifferencebetweenstudentswhocamefromnormalschoolstoStuyandthestudentswhoformerlygracedthehallsofBSGEandHunterandtransferredtoStuy.MostofthekidswhocamefromregularschoolsfeltthatStuywasheavenandcouldcopewithanythingitthrewatthembecausetheywerenotawarethatsomethingcouldbebetter.ButmylunchgroupsolelyconsistedofthosewhohadtransferredfromBSGEandHunter,andwefeltthegap.Weunderstoodwhatitmeanttobetaughtbygoodteachersandhavetimetoprocesswhatwelearned.Wehadsomethingtocompareittoand-asVivienoncebroughtup-somethingtoreturnto.ButIfrequentlyskippedlunch,whichwasofcourseratherbeautifulsinceweateinoneofStuy’ssurroundingparks,becauseIwasafraidofslackinginmyclasses.Icouldn’tstudyinfrontofmyfriends,andsoIhungoutinthelibrary,checkingouttextbooksinordertocompletehomework,orjustreading.TheirlibrarywashugeandIlovedit.ItwastheonlyplaceinthebuildingwhereIcouldaccesstheInternetandreadtonoend.Butitwasatemporaryescape,justlikethehour-longsubwayridesthatIcouldusetocontrolrunawaythoughtsandtiredness.

ThedayIdecidedthatitreallywasn’tworthmytimetobeinaschoolIdidn’tlikeinordertosavemyprideandmyimagewasadayIhadleftaftereighthperiodinsteadofwaitingformyfriendsorgoingtothemodelUNmeetingthatevening.Itwasallabittoomuch.TheideathatnoonegaveadamnaboutmeatStuy,andthattherewerepeoplewhohadcaredthatIhadabandonedatBSGEwascatchinguptome.InsteadofsittingontheEtrainthatday,Isatdownonthe1andtransferredatTimesSquaretotheN.Ifeltlikebeingaloneandlonginglystar-ingatthedoorwouldcureallthefeels.ButthedoorwasopenedandIrealizedthatitreallywasn’tworthittotorturemyselfif myhomewouldtakemeback.OnethingledtoanotherandnowI’mhereatBSGE.

Idon’tknowifitwasagoodchoice.ThereisthepossibilitythatStuywouldlandmeinabettercollege.IknowImessedupwithalotofmyfriendsbeforeIleft,andtheBSGEIwaslongingforisdifferentnow.ButIalsoknowthatthiswasmydecision.Idon’tregretit,becauseinrealityitwasthefirstindependentdecisionImadeastandfor.IcamebackfromStuyvesantwithanewoutlookonlifeandschool,andthoseofyouwhowanttobethatStuykid-go.Youwilldowellif youtry.Butif you’veneverdreamedofbeingthatkindofkid,don’tgo.Don’tpushtomakeyourselfuncom-fortablebecauseofwhatotherpeoplethink.

Left: Photos

Examples of sneakers that hypebeasts greatly desire.

TheGiverbyLoisLowrywasrecentlyturnedintoamovie.ReleasedonAugust15th,itrevolvesaroundaboywholivesinafuturisticblack-and-whiteworldwheretheideaof‘sameness’iscreatedtoeliminateconflict.Everythingiscontrolled,fromemotions,toweather,tomemories,thereforepreventingpeoplefrommakingbaddecisionsandcausingwarandotherdiffi-culties.Therefore,mostpeopleareunawareofharm-fuleventsandactions,sincethememoriesofthepastwereerasedfromthemindsofeveryoneexceptforoneperson,whoseresponsibilityistotransferthosememo-riestothenextpersonchosentoreceivethem.Jonas,“TheReceiver,”waschosentoacceptthememories.Throughoutthemovie,helearnsmanythingsthatstunhim,thingsheneverthoughtpossibleinapeacefulbutartificialsociety.Thefilm,starringBrentonThwaitesasJonas,andJeffBridgesastheGiver,basicallyfollowsthemainplotofthebook,thoughafewthingsaretweaked.Theactors,eventhoughtheyareolderthantheyweresupposedtobe,didagoodjobofportrayingthepersonalitiesoftheoriginalcharacters,Thwaitesasaboyabsorbingalotofshockinginformation,andBridgesasawisemanwhohasexperiencesbeyondone’simagination,sufferingfromthepainoflossandknowledge.Themovieandbookwerebothexceptional,however,somedetailsaddedortakenawaymadethebookslightlybetter.Fansofthebookweresomewhatdisappointedinthemovie,butmostagreethatitwasbeautifulinitsownway.Inboththebookandthemovie,Jonashadtwofriends,AsherandFiona.Thememorieshereceivesarebasicallythesame.However,inthemovie,theworldisblackandwhiteandascarontheirwristdeterminedwhetherornotthepersonwasaReceiver,whileinthebook,thereiscolorandtheeyecolordeterminedwhetherornotthepersonwasaReceiver.Thischangewasokay;itmadetheidentityofthe“Receiver,”hisorherexperiences,andtheendingmoreobviousbutitsomewhatremovedthesenseofdifference,seeingasascaronthewristcanbeeasilyhiddenwithalong-sleevedshirtorjacket,butadifferenteyecolorisbasicallyimpossibletohide.Inadditiontothis,whenChelseaMejia‘19wasaskedaboutthischange,shereplied,“Itwasquiteconfusingatthebeginningbecausethereasonforthereasonfortheblackandwhiteworldwasn’texplained.”Onemajorchangethatnegativelyaffecttheplotwasthattherewasnoexplicitromancewhatsoeverinthebook,justtheimplicationthatJonashadacrushonhisfriend,Fiona.Butinthemovie,JonasandFionakissandFionahelpedJonasintheend.“Iunderstandwhythedirectorsmight’veaddedabitofromance,”Fran-cescaTan‘15,said.“Teenromancemoviesareabletoattractmoreaudiencesintoday’ssociety.However,itdidn’treallyfollowthe‘theme’ofthebook.”Inadditiontoincreasingsales,thedirectormight’veaddedromancetoincreasetheimpactofthefinalscene,but,asFranc-escasaid,itruinedtheimageofaction,seeingastherewasn’tmuchtobeginwith.Thebooknevermentionedthebarrierbetweentheartificialworldandtherealworldasaphysicalbeing,butinthemovie,thereisanactualportal-likeobjectthatJonaswalksthrough.Also,whenJonascrossesthebarrier,theeffectonthesocietyisnotreallyexplained,butinthemovie,youseecolorsfloodingbackintothesociety,andpeoplefinallyawakeningastheirmemoriescameback.ThiswasnotabadchangesinceitclarifiestheboundarybetweenthetwocommunitiesandshowsthehugeimpactJonas’crossingofthebarrierhad.TheGiverbyLoisLowrywasrecentlyturnedintoamovie.ReleasedonAugust15th,itrevolvesaroundaboywholivesinafuturisticblack-and-whiteworldwheretheideaof‘sameness’iscreatedtoeliminateconflict.Everythingiscontrolled,fromemotions,toweather,tomemories,thereforepreventingpeoplefrommak-ingbaddecisionsandcausingwarandotherdifficul-ties.Therefore,mostpeopleareunawareofharmfuleventsandactions,sincethememoriesofthepastwereerasedfromthemindsofeveryoneexceptforoneperson,whoseresponsibilityistotransferthosememo-riestothenextpersonchosentoreceivethem.Jonas,“TheReceiver,”waschosentoacceptthememories.Throughoutthemovie,helearnsmanythingsthatstunhim,thingsheneverthoughtpossibleinapeacefulbutartificialsociety.

OnFebruary5,2014,CVSmadeabigmovebydecidingtostopsellingtobaccoproductsassoonasOctober1,2014.Themainproductthateveryoneisfussingaboutiscigarettes.Beingalargechainofretailstores,CVSistak-

ingawaythesupplyofcigarettesformanyindividuals.Forsomesmokers,thismeansthatitistimetofindanewsourceforcigarettes.Forothersmokers,itmeansthatitistimetoquit.

Bytakingawaycigarettes,CVSisencouragingAmericanstoendtheiraddictionstosmoking.Morethan480,000deathsinAmericaarecausedbysmokingeveryyear.Thereducedamountofcigarettesbeingsoldcouldleadtoagreatdecreaseintheamountofsmokers.Bymakingthisbigmove,CVSisalsoencouragingotherretailerstostopsellingtobaccoproductstohelpsavelives.Littlebylittle,if retailersstoppedsellingcigarettes,smoking-relateddeathswoulddecrease,permanently.

Recently,therehavebeenadvertisementssuggestingthatotherdrugstorechainsshouldfollowsuit.NonehaveannouncedanychangesintheirsalesyetbesidesCVS,butthisissuretoaffectthesalesofcigarettesgreatly.Thisstepforwardcouldnotonlyencourageotherretail-ersfromsellingtobaccoproducts,butalsodiscouragesmokersfromsmoking.

Smokingcancausemanyseriousillnessesandcanin-creaseaperson’schanceofgettingmanyotherdiseases.Onemainillnessapersoncangetbysmokingislungcancer.Smokingcancauselungcancerbecausethetobaccointhecigarettecontainsmorethan70differentchemicalsthatcancausecancer.Whenthechemicalsenteryourbody,theycandamageyourDNAandpreventyourcellsfrombeingabletocontroltheamountoftimestheymultiply.

Smokingcanalsobeabigharmtopregnantwomen.Smokingcancausethebabytobebornunhealthyorsadly,notbebornatall.Smokingcanharmalmosteverysinglepartofyourbody,eachindifferentways.Byquit-tingsmoking,youcouldsaveyourselffromthepainofdamagingyourbodybeforeitistoolate.

Althoughsmokingisratherunhealthyforyou,therehasbeenarecentinterestinelectroniccigarettes.CVSdidnothaveastatementonsellinge-cigarettes,andwaswaitingfortheFDAguidelinetobereleasedbeforedecidingwhetherornottosellsuchproducts.Asofnow,CVShasextendedthebantoe-cigarettes.Thereisnosolidproofthate-cigarettesareanyhealthier,oranyworsethannormalcigarettes,buttheydoaffectthepeoplearoundthemalotless.

Arecentupdatefromthecompanyhasrevealedthattheywillnolongerbemarketingelectroniccigarettes.InBostonandSanFrancisco,therewasa13%decreaseintobaccopurchases.Nothavingasuppliercausedpeopletojuststopbuyingcigarettesinsteadoffindinganewsupplier.

Besidesthebenefitofhelpingsmokersquit,CVShadanalternatereasonfortheirdecision.CVS’sCEO,LarryMerlo,andPharmacyPresident,HeleneFoulkesbothhadparentswhodiedprematurelyduetolungcancer,onediseasewhichcanbecausedbysmoking.Foulkesalsohadreceivedstoriesofhowquittingsmokingwassodifficultforthem.Shedecidedthatthecompanyshouldmakeiteasierforthesecustomers,solesspeoplewillhavetosuffertheconsequences.

CVS’sdecisiontostopsellingcigaretteswasabigdeci-sion,butintheend,theywerestillabletodoit.Thiscausedmanypeopletoquestionthatif CVSwasabletobancigarettes,whycan’totherstoresbanthemaswell?OneofCVS’sbiggestrivals,Walgreens,releasedastate-menttowhyitwouldbeuselessforthemtostopsellingcigarettesandtobaccoproducts.AccordingtoWalgreens,only4%oftobaccosalescomefromretailpharmacies,soitwouldn’tcauseasignificantdecreaseinthenumberofsmokersintheUSA.OthersstatethatWalgreenshasseveralfinancialproblemsandneedstheextramoneytohelpkeeptheirbranchesopen.

Smokingcancausemanyseriousillnessesandcanin-creaseaperson’schanceofgettingmanyotherdiseases.Onemainillnessapersoncangetbysmokingislungcancer.Smokingcancauselungcancerbecausethe

tobaccointhecigarettecontainsmorethan70differentchemicalsthatcancausecancer.Whenthechemicalsenteryourbody,theycandamageyourDNAandpreventyourcellsfrombeingabletocontroltheamountoftimestheymultiply.

Smokingcanalsobeabigharmtopregnantwomen.Smokingcancausethebabytobebornunhealthyorsadly,notbebornatall.Smokingcanharmalmosteverysinglepartofyourbody,eachindifferentways.Byquit-tingsmoking,youcouldsaveyourselffromthepainofdamagingyourbodybeforeitistoolate.

Althoughsmokingisratherunhealthyforyou,therehasbeenarecentinterestinelectroniccigarettes.CVSdidnothaveastatementonsellinge-cigarettes,andwaswaitingfortheFDAguidelinetobereleasedbeforedecidingwhetherornottosellsuchproducts.Asofnow,CVShasextendedthebantoe-cigarettes.Thereisnosolidproofthate-cigarettesareanyhealthier,oranyworsethannormalcigarettes,buttheydoaffectthepeoplearoundthemalotless.

Arecentupdatefromthecompanyhasrevealedthattheywillnolongerbemarketingelectroniccigarettes.InBostonandSanFrancisco,therewasa13%decreaseintobaccopurchases.Nothavingasuppliercausedpeopletojuststopbuyingcigarettesinsteadoffindinganewsupplier.

Besidesthebenefitofhelpingsmokersquit,CVShadanalternatereasonfortheirdecision.CVS’sCEO,LarryMerlo,andPharmacyPresident,HeleneFoulkesbothhadparentswhodiedprematurelyduetolungcancer,onediseasewhichcanbecausedbysmoking.Foulkesalsohadreceivedstoriesofhowquittingsmokingwassodifficultforthem.Shedecidedthatthecompanyshouldmakeiteasierforthesecustomers,solesspeoplewillhavetosuffertheconsequences.

CVS’sdecisiontostopsellingcigaretteswasabigdeci-sion,butintheend,theywerestillabletodoit.Thiscausedmanypeopletoquestionthatif CVSwasabletobancigarettes,whycan’totherstoresbanthemaswell?OneofCVS’sbiggestrivals,Walgreens,releasedastate-menttowhyitwouldbeuselessforthemtostopsellingcigarettesandtobaccoproducts.AccordingtoWalgreens,only4%oftobaccosalescomefromretailpharmacies,soitwouldn’tcauseasignificantdecreaseinthenumberofsmokersintheUSA.OthersstatethatWalgreenshasseveralfinancialproblemsandneedstheextramoneytohelpkeeptheirbranchesopen.

CVS’decisiontobansmokingwascertainlyanadmirableone.WithsucharecentfocusonlifethreateningdiseaseslikeEbola,peopletendtoforgetthatthegreatestliferisksarecausedbythebadhabitswedoeveryday.

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 8

Update on CVS’ Cigarette Ban SAMANTHA VINOYA’18 & ANNIE CHENG’18

The Giver: Movie Review

ERGISA XHUVELI ‘16

Top Photo: Campaign Image for CVS Against Cigarettes

Bottom Photo: Poster for the original novel, “The Giver” which was adapted into a movie. The film came into American the-aters on August 15, 2014 and starred Brandon Thwaites as Jonas and Jeff Bridges as The Giver.

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 9

Why Is It So Hard to Get A 7 In IB Art?

HANA MEMISEVIC ‘18

GoingintotheIBMiddleYearsProgramisverystressfulforBSGEstudents,especiallyknowinghowharditistogeta7inmanyclasses.Classesonlygetharderastheyearsgoonanditfrightensmanystudentsthatnoonehasevergottena7inHigherLevel(HL)IBArt.Onlythehardest-workingstudentsreceive6sintheclass.IBArtisacollegecoursethatBSGEoffersinhighschoolandnotmanypeoplearenaturallycapableofcompletingacollege-levelartclass.Eventhosewhoaretalentedinthefieldofartcanfinditchallenging,sincealotofwritingandresearchisinvolvedintheclass.“It’sallaboutfiguringoutwhatyouwanttomakeartabout,whichisaverydifficultquestiontoaskyourself,”Ms.Schwarzexplained.Oneofthemanyreasonswhyat-taininga7issodifficultisbecausethechangeintheclassstructurecanbeoverwhelming.TheartclassesthattakenbeforeIBArtarepreparationsfortheclass.InIBArt,youhavelimitationsandguidelinesbutnodirec-tives.Althoughthisfreedommayseemlikeagoodthing,itcomeswithchallenges.“Thereisnothingscarierthannotknowingwhatyouhavetodo,”Ms.Schwarzadded.

Lackofexposuretotheartscanalsoaffectthegradesthatstudentsreceiveinart.Artisnotnearlyasappreci-atedinAmericancultureasscienceandmathematicsare,socomingintothiscourseisafairlynewexperi-ence.TherearealsootherIBcoursesthatBSGEstudentsaretaking,whichrequireanequalamountoftimeandeffortputintothem.Findingthebalancebetweentheseclassesisimportantandmeansthatyourfullattentioncannotbeturnedtogettinga7inart,butinsteadonpassingeveryclass.Justbecausenoonehasevergottena7inIBArtbeforedoesnotmeanitwillneverhap-pen.BothMs.SchwarzandMr.Sheridanarepositiveitwillhappensoon.Itisalearningexperienceforthemtoo,astheyentertheir4thyearofteachingatBSGE.Theyhavepickedupnewandmoreefficientteachingtechniquesthatcanhelpstudentsobtaina7.Thegrad-ingformatforIBArthasalsochanged;insteadofthelayoutbeingentirelycomposedof60%studioartworkand40%research,planninganddocumentation,athirdcomponentisbeingadded:“comparativeartanalysis.”Previously,if youdidverywellinonepartofthecoursebutdidnotdowellintheother,yourgradewoulddramaticallydecrease.Withthethirdcomponentthereisabetterspreadofgradesanditiseasiertokeepyourgradeup.

SomeadvicefromMr.SheridanandMs.Schwarzistotakerisks.Dotheunexpectedandseewhatyou’recapableof.Don’tbeaperfectionistanddon’tholdyourselfuptoprofessionalstandardsbecauseastimegoesonyouwillgetbetter.If youaretooself-criticalyouwillonlymakeyourselfdoworse.If youthinkyoudidsomethingwrongorwanttoimprove,askforhelpbecauseyoucan’tlearnif youneverask.

Funny Teachers & Kind Seniors: Thoughts From the 7th Grade

AMIT SARKER ‘20

Whatisitliketobea7thgraderinBSGE?HowhasyourtransitionbeentoBSGE?

Daniel:Itfeelsverygreattobea7thgraderatBSGE.Ifeelverygoodabouttheswitchformanyreasons.Ifeelthatforone,theenvironmentisalotbetterthanitwasinmyoldschool.Everyonehereisalotnicerthanthepeopleinmyoldschool.AnotherreasonIfeelcomfort-ableaboutthisswitchisbecausetheworkherewillgivemeachallenge,whichisareallynicechangefrommyoldschool.

WhatisthebestthingaboutBSGE?Theworst?

Daniel:Sofar,theonethingthatIfoundbestatBSGEishownicetheenvironmentis.Everyonehereiskindandsupportive.TheworstthingsofaristhatIhavebeenfeel-ingalotofpressurewithalltheworkandtests.

DoyouthinkyoufeeladjustedintotheBSGEenviron-ment?WhatdoyouthinkthatcanbechangedaboutBSGEtomakeitabetterschool?

Murtaza:IthinkifeeladjustedintotheBSGEenviron-mentsinceIcanmanagetimebetter.IthinkthatwouldmakeBSGEabetterschoolisallowingstudentstousecellphonesduringlunch.Butthethingis,thatdoesn’treallyaffectthelearningprocesshereatBSGE.

HowdoyoufeelabouttheteachersinBSGE?Aretheybetterorworsethanyouroldteachers?Why?

Elio:TheteachersatBSGEareprettycool.Theyarekindandhelpmelearnmuchbetterthanmyoldteachers.TheyhelpmewhenIstrugglewithsomethingandtheyarejustfunnyingeneral.

Howhaveyouadjustedtoaschoolthatgoestill12thgrade?

Elio:Yeah,alotofthingshavechangedbecausetheschoolgoesupto12thgrade.There’sawiderrangeofstudentsthatdifferentiateinage.But,most12thgrad-ersareactuallymuchkinderthanIthoughttheywouldbe.Theenvironmentinthisschoolmakesyoufeelbetteraboutyourself.

Advice For New Bees! 1.Appreciateseventhgrade.

Appreciateyourteachers,appreci-ateMusic,appreciatetheamountofhomeworkyouget.Beforeyouknowit,timewillfly,it’llbeJune26thandyou’llbelookingbackandwonderingwheretheyearwent.

2.LEARNTIMEMANAGEMENTSKILLS

Thisisprobablythemostimportantthingyou’llneedinBSGE,andjustlifeingeneral.Takethetimetofigureyourselfout.Areyouthetypeofpersonwhoprocrastinatesandworksbestunderpressure?If so,congratu-lations,youareapartofthevastma-jority.Thesadtruthis,eventhoughwemightbegiventwoweekstocompleteanassignment,about90%ofuswillendupwaitinguntil7:00pmthenightbeforetostartworkingontheessayandactuallyprintingouttheessayduringlunch.( Justaskanyoftheteachers.Orstudentsinoldergrades.Orvisitthecollegeoffice/librarythedayanassignmentisdue).Thiswillresultinatleastonementalbreakdown,andalotofunnecessarystress.

Myadvicetoyouis:figureoutsomewaytoputpressureonyourself,insteadofwaitingfortheactualpressureofanimminentduedate.Onethingthatworksformeistimingmyself.Also,theSelf-ControlAppforMacsandProductivityOwlforWin-dowsallowyoutoblockcertainweb-sites(suchasYouTubeandFacebook)forachosenamountoftimesothatyoucan’tprocrastinatebysurfingtheInternet.

Tobecompletelyhonest,though,procrastinationisinevitable.If youprocrastinate(andyouwill),takeadvantageoftheprintersintheIBoffice(room105),Collegeoffice(room114),andthelibrary(room205).Eithertrytogettoschoolearlyandprintthen,ortakeadvantageofthefactthatwedon’thaverecessandworkonstuffduringlunch.Also,thereisalovelybluecouchinthecollegeoffice.Takenapsonitduringlunch.

3.Gethelpfromteacherswhenyouneedit.

If youhaveatestcomingupandthereareafewconceptsyoudon’tunderstand,doyourselfafavorandgotoeighthperiodif youcan.Askquestions.Makesureyou’reconfidentwithallthematerialthatwillshowuponthetest.Also,withwritingessays(andthisgoesbacktothewholetimemanagementthing),if you’reabletoavoidleavingyouressayuntilthelastminute,askyourteachersif they’rewillingtolookoverapartofyouressayandgiveyoufeedbackonit(seventhgrad-ers-youguyswouldaskeitherMr.AndersonorMr.Lakhaney,bothofwhomwillusuallylookoveryoures-sayswhenyouask).Trytochoosethesectionofyouressaythatyouthinkisthebest-thatwayyouhaveageneralideaofwhattherestofyouressayshouldlooklike.Makesureyouhavespecificquestionstoasktheteachersabouthowtoimprove.

4.Befriendpeopleinoldergrades.

Everyonefromeighththroughtwelfthgrademayseemgiganticandscarytoyou,butIpromiseyouwe’renot.We’veallbeenthroughseventhgradealready,andalthoughwemightnotremembereverysinglethingfromseventhgrade,chancesarewecanofferyouadvice.Also,youcanalwaysuseustoanswerques-tionsyouhaveabouthomework.(Incaseyou’resittingherethinking,“becomingfriendswithpeopleinoldergradessoundsgreat,buthowexactlyarewesupposedtoaccom-plishthat….?”,here’show:walkuptousandsayhi.That’sit.Themajor-ityofusarefairlyfriendly;wedon’tbite,Ipromise).

5.GoogleDrivewillbecomeyourbestfriend.

Seriously.GoogleDriveisamaz-ing.Youprobablywon’treceivethedetailsforyourBSGEaccountuntilsecondsemesterwhenyouhaveTechnology,butyourusernameis:TheyearyougraduateYourlastnam-

eYourfirstinitial(forexample,mineis19salehd).YourpasswordisyourstudentID.If youhavequestionsyoucanalwaysaskShantanu,who’sintheroomrightacrossfromMr.Me-han.OrjustaskMr.Mehan.Oranyofyourotherteachers,forthatmat-ter.Theyshouldallbeabletohelp.

Basically,GoogleDrivewillallowyoutohaveaccesstoallofyourdocu-mentsforschoolquickly.Everythingwillbeinoneplace,andeasilyacces-sible,insteadofhavingsomestuffonyourflashdrive,somestuffonyourcomputerathome,etc.

6.Trynottogetcaughtupindrama.

Astheyearprogressesandyouallgetcomfortablearoundeachother,social“drama”willstarttoappear.Thevastmajorityofdramawon’tbeworthit.Focusonyourhomework,makingfriendsandhavingfun.Youwillsaveyourselfprecioustime,energyandbrainspace.

7.Don’tplacetoomuchimportanceongrades.

AsI’msuremostofyourteach-erswilltellyou(orhavealreadytoldyou),gradesarenotsomethingthatyoushouldstressabout.Thisisagentlereminderthata5hereisequivalenttoa6or7inotherpublicschools.Youaretakingcoursesthatotherpeoplearetakinginhighschool.It’sokaytofeelstressedout;infact,it’scompletelynormal.Butdon’texpecttostartgettinggreatgradesimmediately;it’lltakeawhileforyoutoadjust.

8.Useyourlocker!!!

Thinkofyourlockerasagodsentgift.Literally.Yourlockerwillmakeyourlifesomucheasierif youuseit.Forexample,insteadofhavingtocarryyour“A”and“B”daybind-ersbackandfortheveryday,youcanuseatake-homefoldertoholdallthesheetsthatyouwouldneedfromyourbinders,andthenleaveyour

**ContinuedonPage10

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Volunteers Host Successful 9th Grade Open House

ERGISA XHUVELI ‘16

Wednesday,October8thwasthedayofthe9thgradeopenhouseatBSGE.Ofcourseyoualreadyknewthis,becauseitwasundoubtedlymarkedintheplannersofeveryBSGEstudentasthemostimpor-tantdayofthismonth.TherewasameetingafterschoolinthelibraryabouttheneworganizationofBSGE’smosttalkedaboutnightoftheyear.Blanknametagstickerswerehandedout,andstudentsscreamed,“PASSTHESHARPIE”intheconferenceroomastheyea-gerlyscrawledthingslike“Askmeaboutsoftball!”ontheirnametags.Thisyear,collegecounselorPeterWilsonandparentcoordinatorMargaretPasachweretheoneswhoralliedupthevolunteers,andgavetheminstructionsfortheevent.Thetagsdisplayedthenamesofstudents,afeatureofBSGEtheywereknowledgableabout,andasecondlanguagewhichtheykepthiddenformomentslikethesewhentheworldmostneededtheirbilingualskills.Armedwithbro-chures,nametags,andafter-schoolsnacksfromthedeli,thevolunteersmadetheirwaytothecafeteriatogettheirroomassignments.Allthestudentsexcitedlyrushedtosigntheirnamesinthesameroomsastheirfriends,andsoontheywerewalkingupthestairsingroups.However,theSeniors,asBSGEroyalty,hadtheprestigiousjobofwelcominghopefulBSGEapplicantsandtheirparentsinthelobby.AsAnthonyMendieta‘16elegantlysaid“Quotethis.Ilikehowitsounds,‘thosewalkingoutwelcomedthosewalkingin.’”LMSifyoucried.Tothesurpriseofmany,vari-ousBSGEstudentswereexcitedtomakeBSGElookitsbest.Chairsweretakendownandpushedinproperly.Textbookswerelinedupneatlyincorners.Whiteboardswereerased,andpromptswerefreshlywrittenontheboardsinbrightExpo,sothatparentsknewwhatkindofquestionstoask.Thewhiteboardscontainedlonglistsofafterschoolactivities,thenamesofvolunteers,anddifferentBSGEtermspeoplemightwantclarifica-tionon.“Cafegymatorium?”LuisSilva‘16,aveteranopenhousevolunteer,discussedwhathaschangedsince2010whenhefirstvolunteeredforthemiddleschoolopenhouse.“Therearealotofclubstomentiontoparentsnow,”Luissaid,gesturingtotheboardfullofactivities.“BackwhenIwasinseventhgradetherewereonlyafew.”Whenaskedabouttheotherdif-

ferencesintheorganizationofOpenHouseNight,helookedatthepicturesoffarmanimalshehaddrawnontheboardandproudlyansweredthatthenighthadbecomemore“dependentonstudents.”HewentontoexplainhowwehavemorefreedominhowwepresentBSGE.Luisleftthedrawingsupduringtheseminar-stylemeetingswithparentsandprospectivestudents.ManyoftheyoungprospectivestudentsseemedmoreateaseinthepresenceofLuis’schildlikeartwork,andtheparentsseemedimpressedwiththematurityandcomposureshownbythevolunteersthoroughlyanswer-inganyquestionthrownatthem.Parentswouldstandandleavetheroomwithafriendlywave,justasthreemorefamilieswouldwalkthroughdoorwiththeirownqueries.Somefamiliesseemedtobeveryfrustratedbythelargevol-umeofapplicants,andthesmallnumberofavailableseatsforninthgradersatBSGE.BSGEvolunteershandledthesequestionswiththegraceofyoungpeoplewhohaveonmultipleoccasionsconjuredupperfect800wordessaysinonlytwohours.AstheclockswithinBSGEtickedonasalways--fiveminutesaheadofnormalpeopletime--thenumberofparentsbegantodwindle.Inresponse,volunteerssteppeduptheirgame.Studentswalkeduptoparentsandshy8thgraders,ges-turingtowardstheirnametagsortothepromptsontheboard.Manyofthestudentswhospokeasecondlanguage,mostcommonlySpan-ish,feltthatthenametagswereagreatidea.Theyallowedparentswhofeltmorecomfortablespeak-ingalanguageotherthanEnglishtoaskquestionsaboutBSGE,theIBprogram,andtheinfamousboys’basketballteam.Astheclockstruck7:30pm,Ms.Johnson’svoicecouldbeheardovertheloudspeakerannounc-ingtheendofthemostglamor-ousnightoftheyear.VolunteersslowlypeeledoffnametagsandputthechairsbackupforThurs-daymorning.Groanssignifyingtherealizationofhomeworkthathasyettobecompletedfilledtheclassroomsaslightswereclickedoff.BSGEstudentsbideachotherfarewellandmadetheirwaytotheirbus/subwaystationsandthecoolkidshoppedintotheirparents’minivans.Everyonewenthomewithfeelingsofsympathyforthoseadorablyfrightened8thgraders,someofwhomwehopetoseenextSeptember.

Humor or Assault? Sam Pepper Scandal

EMMA KEEGAN ‘18

InearlySeptemberof2014,famousYouTubestarSamPepperpostedanalleged“prankvideo”onhischannelof2.4millionsubscribers.ThevideofeaturedPeppergrabbingthebehindsofseem-inglyrandomandunsuspectingwomenonthestreetsofLosAngeles.Thevideowasmetwithimmediateoutrage.ViewersclaimedthatPepper’sactionswereconsideredactsofsexualharass-mentandthatitviolatedYouTube’spolicyonsexualcontent.Withinhoursofthevideobeingposted,“#reportsampepper”becameaworldwidetrendonTwitter.

ThevideowassoonremovedfromYouTube.Alittlewhileafterthefirstvideo,Pepperthenpost-edanothervideoofthesameconcept.However,inthisvideoafemalewasdisplayedgrabbingthebehindsofvariousmales.Therewasanevenbig-geruproaroverthisvideo,especiallyafterPepperwasconsciousofthepreviousvideo’sbacklash.Peoplerespondedwithcommentssuchas,“...goodtoknowhe’sanequalopportunitycreep”.

Pepperexplainedthathewasusingthisasasocialexperiment.Hewantedtoseepeople’sreactionstosexualharassmenttowardswomenversussexualharassmenttowardsmen.Pepperclaimedthatthevideo’sintentionwastoshedlightonthefactthatsexualassaulthappensequallytobothmenandwomen.

Soonafter,Pepperpostedavideothatdisplayedhimreceivingpermissionfromeachgirlinthevideo,beforeheinitiatedtheprank.TheBritishinternetcelebrityensuredhisviewersthattheywereoverreactingandthattheentirevideowasstaged.Hewasonlytryingtomakeapoint.

Despitethis,PepperiscurrentlybannedfromVidCon,anonlinevideoconventionandvariousotherconventionsaswell.Viewersarealsocut-tingofftheirassociationwithPepper,confirmingthattheyarenolongeraffiliatedwithhimandhischannel.

Afterthevideo’snegativeresponse,Pepper’sreallifeissuesbegantocatchuptohim.AccordingtowebsitesuchasBuzzFeedandGawker,therehavebeenvariousrapeaccusationsbeingputforthtowardsPepper,bytheYouTubecommu-nity.Manygirlsareclaimingthatheluredthemintohisapartmentandrapedthem.ButnowafterthisrecentuproaroverPepper’svideo,theserapevictimsbecameinspiredtospeakoutabouttheirincidentswithPepper.

AlthoughPepperstatesthathecreatedthevideotoprovethatpeoplereactmoretowomenbeingassaultedthantheydotomenbeingassaulted,hedidnotexactlygettheresultstoprovethat.BSGEstudentshadvaryingopinionsonthematter.

BSGEFreshmanNicoleS.18’commented,“If hehadtoldthegirlswhathewasgoingtodobeforehediditIthinkthatitwasafairthingtodoandthevideoshouldnothavebeenremoved.”Nicoleisoneofthemanypeoplewhofoundtheprankchildishlyinnocent,apopularresponse.Sheadded,“Iactuallyfoundthegirls’reactionsquitefunnyandeventhoughitwasahorribleconcept,itwasprettyfunny!”

However,otherBSGEstudentsdisagreed.“Ithinkthatwhathedidwasacrimetowomen,”anotherFreshman,GabiP18’proclaimed.Gabiexplained,“Althoughpeoplemaythinkthatitisfunny,itreallypromotesthiskindofbehavior.Ontheinternetitlookslikeajoke,butwhenitactuallyhappensithurtsthevictim.”

ThelatestupdateoftheSamPepperscandalwasonOctober3rd,2014whenhepostedastate-mentonhisTwitteraccount.ItstatedthatPepperhasnotbeenarrestedorcontactedbyanylawenforcementagency,andthathedeniesallac-cusationsagainsthim.Stillthescandalcontinues,raisingawarenesstotheissueofsexualassaultacrosstheworld.

Advice for New Bees! (Continued)bindersinyourlocker.Itmayseemannoying,butyourbackandshoulderswillthankyouforitlater.Also,putyourcoatinyourlockerinsteadofcarryingitaroundduringtheschooldayinthewinter.If youreallydon’tfeellikeusingyourlockerandyouplanonleavingitemptyforthemajorityoftheschoolyear,bekindanddonateittoajunior(theyhavetosharelockers).

9.Joinclubs.

Althoughwemaynothaveanexcessiveamountofextra-cur-ricularactivitiesincomparisontoothermiddle/highschools,wedoofferquiteafewclubs(MOUSEsquad,Mathclub,Frenchclub,Yogaclub,Zumbaclub,DECA/businessclub,Filmclub,Dramaclub,andofcourseourveryownBaccRagnewspa-perteam).It’simportanttohaveabalancebetweenschool/home-workandsocialactivities.

10.Bepolite,staytotheright.

Pleasedonotblockhallways.It’scommonknowledgethatthehallwaysareincrediblysmall,andpeopleblockingthemreallydoesn’thelp.Everyonejustwantstogettoclass.Keepmovingandeveryonewillavoidlateness,thuspreventingstudents(es-peciallyupperclassmen!)fromgettingirritated.

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 10

PhotototheRight:“DigiTourtweetedastate-mentaboutYouTubeprankchannelstwodaysafterPep-per’sfakehandvideowasuploaded.”-BuzzFeedNews

PhotototheLeft:ControversialYouTubeStar,SamPepper

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 11

The Bacc Rag’s Comics Corner Title: Gentlemen Prefer Nerds

Series: Earth Lab Author: Mahaut Brooks ’16

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 12

Opinion Piece: Dear Media, We Can Do More Than Take Selfies

hardtogettheattentionofourgeneration?

Selfieisanewshowstar-ringKarenGillan,aformeractoronBritain’sDoctorWho,whoportraysElizaDooley,atwenty-some-thingwiththeworldofsocialmediadominatingherlife.

ManyshowslikeSelfieareattemptingtogainawideraudiencebyrelatingtoyoungpeopleaswell.Itseemsthatmarketersworkingfortheseshowsbelievethatinordertogetteenstowatchtheirmaterial,therehastobereferencestosocialmediawithinthescript.Whyareteenagersalwaysseenastechnology-obsessed,narcissisticpeople?InananarticlefromtheBritishnewssite,TheIndepen-dent,JonathanBirdwell,headofthecitizenshipprogramatDemosandauthorofthereport,com-mented:“Peoplethinkofteenagersasapathetic,lazyandself-centered,withasenseofentitlement;that’sthedominantnegativestereotype.”Birdwellbringstolightthefactthatthemediatendstohighlightteens’“darksides”ratherthantheirachievements.BSGE8thgrader,AndreaV.‘19agreeswiththisview,sayingthatthemediatendstopaintteenagersas“irre-sponsibleadolescentswhodon’tknowbetterthantomakethewrongchoices.”Sheisoneofthemanyyoungpeoplewhoopposes

thesefalseportrayals.

Whatmanyseemtoignoreisthatteenagersarequitecapableofdoingmorethantextingandtakingselfies.Forexample,inSeptemberof2014itwasdiscoveredthatsixteen-yearoldTurk-ishstudent,Elif Bilgin,cameupwithherownchemicalprocesstoturnbananasintonon-decayingbioplastic.Thisisanamaz-ingaccomplishmentthatseemstobeoverlookedbythemedia.OnecanseethisthroughasimplesearchonGoogle.Whensearchingtheterm“teen-ageaccomplishments,”only1,160,000resultsshowup.Yetwhentypingin“teenagerselfie”,instead13,400,000resultscomeup.What’swronghere?

Butthesenegativeconnota-tionstoyoungpeopledonotstopatselfies.Teenag-ersarealsoseenasrowdypartyanimalswhopriori-tizedrinking,partyingandbeingmischievous.Whenlookingatthesongtitleslistedunder“TeenPop!”inSpotifyplaylists,selec-tionsthatcomeupare“LifeoftheParty”,Don’tSayGoodnight”,“WeOwntheNight”andmanymorelikethis.Thesesongsaresup-posedtocapturewhat“ourgeneration”issupposedtodo.

Thentherearethesongsthatgooutoftheirwaytoexpressthemediaagebyusingpopulartermsfromsocialmedia.Themusic

videoforthesong,“I’mReady”,byAJR,revolvesaroundusingvariousme-diaplatformslikeTumblrandTwittertosharethetalentoftheband.Itcanbeseenfromthesong’slyricssuchas“We’llarrivebe-hindahash-tagsign”thatthemusicindustryistryingtoohardtocatertoyoungpeoplethroughreferencestosocialmediatrends.Anothersongthatdoesthisis“#Selfie”byTheChain-smokersinwhichthelyricsaresupposedtobelongtothemouthofasuperficialyounggirlobsessedwithpartying,lookingcoolandtakingphotosofherself.Anevenmoreextremeversionofusingsocialnetwork-ingtermsinamelodyisthesong“#Everything”byFarYoung.Inthefirstfourlines,fivehashtagsareusedasaformoflyrics.Itseemsthatthenegativedepictionsofteensinpopcultureandthemediaisendless.

So,shouldlessattentionbefocusedonteenagers’ste-reotypicalbadhabits,andmoreofwhotheyactuallyare?Manyteenagersmayactdifferentonlinefromhowtheyactinperson.BSGE9thgraderSarahM.’18putsitwell:“...wedon’tgettoknowwhotheyreallyare.”Perhapsif therewasmoreofanefforttotapintothereallivesoftheteensoftheworld,themediawouldn’tbesokeenonincludingahashtagineverysentence.

ANOKHA VENUGOPAL ‘19

What’s a 5SOS?SAMANTHA VINOYA ‘18

5SecondsofSummer,otherwiseknownas5SOS(pronouncedfive-sauce)beganasagroupofboyspostingcoverstosongsonYouTube,buthasnowrisenupmusicchartsaroundtheworld.Formedin2011inSydney,theAustralianpop-rock/“punkrock”bandhascomeoutofnowhere,winning7ofthe23awardstheywerenominatedforandperformingattwomajorawardsshows.Theband’sTwitteraccounthasreached4.66millionfollowersandisalreadystartingtheirninthtour,“RockOutWithYourSocksOut”onMay4,2015.

Thegroupconsistsoffourmembers:leadvocalistandguitaristLukeHemmings,bassistCalumHood,drummerAshtonIrwin,andotherguitaristMichaelClifford.Butwhatseemstobecatchingpeople’seyesmorethantheband,istheirfandom.YoumayhaveseenmembersofthisfandomonTwitter,Facebook,Instagramfeeds,post-ingphotosandstatusesfilledwithexclamationpointsandheartemojis.

Anoriginalmemberofthisfandom,JanielleDumapit’19,spokeabouthowshefirstheardoftheband.Janiellehad“firstsawtheircoversonYouTubeinreallylate2011orearly2012and[she]wasinstantlyhooked.”

5SecondsofSummerdidn’tknowityet,butitsfan-basewasabouttogrowfromafewhundredpeopletoafewmillionpeople.Thisisallbecauseofthewell-knownboyband,OneDirection.TheboysofOneDirectiondiscovered5SOS’YouTubecov-ersandinstantlyfellinlovewiththem.

OnceJaniellefoundoutaboutthis,shewantedeveryonetoknowthatshelistenedtothem“BEFOREitwasmainstream.”OneDirectioninvited5SOStojointhemin2013fortheir“TakeMeHome”Tour.5SOSwasecstaticandacceptedtheinvitation.Thetwobandsformedanunbreakablebondand5SOSendedupjoiningOneDirectionontheir2014“WhereWeAre”Tour.

Sadly,wheretherearefanstherearehaters.ManypeopleinBSGEaren’ttoohappyabout5SOS’ssuddenrisetofame.AJuniorwhopreferredtoremainanonymouscommented,“Ialwaysseepostsabout5SecondsofSummeronmyFacebookNewsFeed,andIdon’tunderstandthehype.Theyarejustanotherannoyingboybandthatgrewfamousfortheirlooks.”

Anotherstudent,DerekChu‘15,explainedhisfeelingsontheband.“I’mkindofannoyedaboutthehypearound5SecondsofSummerandwithjustboybandsingeneral.Most“fangirls”seemtolikeartistslikeOneDirectionandJustinBieberonthefactthattheyareattractivelookingratherthenthequalityoftheirmusic.”

Derekfurtherexplainedhisdistasteforthefandomparticularly,saying,“Itisespe-ciallyannoyingwhentheypostabouttherespectiveartistonInstagrameveryweekastheirdaily#mcm.Ihaveneverlistenedtoa5SecondofSummersongsoIcannotsaythesameaboutthem,howeverthehypearoundthemisverysimilaranditmakesmenotwanttotrytheirmusic.”

ManystudentswouldstronglyagreewithDerek,andofcoursetherearethosewhocompletelydisagree.However,therearestilltheneutralpeople.The“neutrals”arepeoplewhodon’tnecessarilyhate5SOS,buttheydon’tthinktheyarethebestbandever.OneoftheneutralpeopleisGabiProstko‘18.Shewouldn’tnecessarilycallher-selfa“bigfan,”butshedoes“likeafewoftheirsongs.”AccordingtoGabi,the5SOSfandomis“relativelynice”becauseitseemsliketheyare“acceptingofnewpeople,andtheyaren’tannoyinglikealotofotherrandoms[directioners].”

TherearelotsofpeoplelikeGabiwhoaren’twillingtocall5SOSthebestbandever,buttheyhavealikingfor5SOS’music.Themixtureoffans,haters,andsemi-fansmake5SOSthebandthattheyarenow.

Acontroversial5SOStopiciswhetherornot5SOSisa“boyband.”Accordingtothemajorityofthe5SOSfamily,5SOSisnowherenearbeingaboyband.Yes,theyareabandconsistingofonlyboys,butthereismoretothedefinitionofaboyband.Boybandsarethoughttobebandsinwhichboysjustsingmusicanddon’tplayinstru-ments.Allthemembersof5SOSplaytheirowninstrumentsandtheycomposealloftheirmusic.Theydowritesongswithothersingersandmusic-relatedprofessionalssuchasAlexGaskarthfromAllTimeLowandJohnFeldmann.

AccordingtoHanaMemisevic’18,“No,[shedoes]notconsiderthemaboybandbecausetheyplaytheirowninstrumentsandthatgoesagainstthedefinitionofaboyband.”Janiellehasaslightlydifferentopinioninthesensethatsheagreesthattheyareabandmadeupofallboys,buttheyarenotaboyband.Toher,theyarenotaboybandbecause“5SOSplaytheirowninstrumentsevenonstageandthosestereotypicalboybandsareassociatedwithcheesydancemovesandbubblegumpopmusic.”

Hopefullybynowyouknowexactlywho5SOSis.No,I’mnottalkingabout5sauces;I’mtalkingabout5SecondsofSummer.If you’realreadya5SOSfan,Ihopeyouenjoyed“fan-girling”aboutthisarticle.BeforeyouturnthepageIhaveonelastques-tion:Areyoureadyforthe5SOSrevolution?

THE BUZZWhat are your goals for this year?

“I want to get 100 community service hours doing things that I care about.” - Jay Schleyer ‘17

“To pass, you know. Do my homework and stuff. Pretty much that.” - Peter ‘19

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 13

The Story Behind BSGE’s Scaffolding

MAYA JUMAN ‘16

StudentsarrivingatschoolonMonday,October20thweresurprisedandhappytofindthatthescaffoldingaroundBSGE’sexteriorhadbeenremovedaftermonthsofconstruction.IthadbeenerectedearlierthisyearinMay,inordertoallowconstruc-tionworkerstofixwaterleakageproblemsdeepinsidethebuilding’swalls.BSGEhadbeenshowingsignsofwaterdamageformonths,if notyears,beforeconstructionbegan.Eveninsideclassrooms,paintnearwindowspeeledawaytorevealwallsandceilingsdamagedbyrainleakingintothebuilding.

Theconstructionworkershadalotofworktodo,startingwiththeveryexteriorofthebuilding.“Thestuccowasbad,”DarnellMurrayJr.,BSGE’scustodian,explained.Beneaththisouterlayer,therewereseriouswaterproblemsreachingdeepintotheentirestructure.Oncetheseissueshadbeenaddressedandtherepaircomplete,thebuildingwasthenpainted.However,theworkisnotcompleteyet.Thebuildingexte-riorisclearlynotfullypainted,but“everythingabovethefirstfloorisdone,”whichmeansthatnoscaffoldingwillberequiredtofinishthejob.

Sofar,theconstructiondoneonthebuildinghaspaidoff.“We’vehadalotofrainthisyear,andsofar,noproblems,”Darnellsaid.Despitetheworkthatneedstobedone,therearealreadyvisibleimprovementsinsidethebuilding.Thedamageinclassroomsonwallsandceilingshasbeenfixedandpaintedover.Studentsarehappyabouttheconstructionandtheremovalofthescaffolding.Duringthemonthsofconstructionlatelastyearandearlythisyear,constructionworkerswalkingbyout-sidethewindowswereacommonsightduringclass.Withthescaffoldingdown,thelightinclassroomsisalotbrighter,andthesidewalkoutsidetheschoolisexposedtothesunlightforthefirsttimeinmonths.

Life Saver:Interview with Nurse Mireille Desarme

FAIZA TAHSIN ‘18

Whatisyourculturalbackground?IwasborninHaiti.

Whataresomeofyourhobbies?Iliketoreadandtravel.

Whatlanguagesdoyouspeak?IspeakCreole,FrenchandEnglish.

Howdidyoubecomeanurse?IattendedLongIslandUniversityBrook-lynCampus.

Didyoualwayswanttobeanursegrow-ingup?Asayounggirlinmycountry,anursewouldvisitmyhouse.Sincethen,Ihavealwayshadthedesiretopursuethiscareer.

Whatisthebestpartofbeinganurse?ThebestpartofbeinganurseistoseepeoplegetbetterandhealthyafterIhavetakencareofthem.

Whatistheworstpartofbeinganurse?Previouslyworkinginahospital,unfor-tunatelyIhavebeenawitnesstodeath;tomethisistheworstpartofbeinganurse.

Whataresomeactivitiesyoudooutsideofschool?

Ilovetogotomyhouseofworship.

HowdoyoulikeworkinginBSGE?ThestaffislikeabigfamilyandIenjoyhelpingstudents.

Whatissomethinguniqueaboutthestu-dentbody,howhasitcomparedtootherschoolsyou’vebeento?Workingwithhighschoolstudentsismorerewardingtomethanotherstu-dents.

Whydidyoubecomeanurse?Ibecameanursetoprovidecareforthosewhoaresickandunwell.

Favoritefood?Ilikeseafood.

Teaorcoffee?Iprefertea.

Favoriteplacetoeat?MyfavoriteplacetoeatisBernardin,lo-catedinManhattan,whichisanexquisiteseafoodandFrenchrestaurant.

Do you want photos of you and your friends in this year’s BSGE Yearbook?

Email photos to yearbook@bsge.org and purchase the book at the end of the year!

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 14

No More 8th Period: Here’s Why.

ANNIE CHENG ‘18

BSGE’s2014-15schoolyearbeganatasurprisingnotewhennewscirculatedthattherewasnomore8thperiod.Forthefirsttimeinyears,studentshavetoleavethebuildingby2:20p.m.onMondays.However,studentsarestillfreetoengageinafterschoolactivitiesonTuesdays,Wednesdays,ThursdaysandFridays,inwhichtheschoolclosesat4p.m.ThereasonbehindthisschedulechangeistheUFTcontractualagreement,otherwiseknownastheTeacher’sContract.Thecontractisbasedontheagreementbetweentheteachers’unionandtheDepartmentofEducationandsaysthatMondaysaresetasideforteacherprofessionaldevelopmentandTuesdaysarefor“parentengagement”and“otherprofessionalwork”forteachers.

TeachershavetheoptionofmeetingofstudentsonTuesdaysthoughitisnotpartofthescheduleforallteachers.FollowingthisfromWednesdaystoFridays,theschoolwillbeopenforafterschoolactivitiessuchasZumba,Yoga,MouseSquad,theBaccRagandotherclubs.(WiththeexceptionofHelpingHandswhichwillcontinuetoholdmeetingsonMondays)

TeacherswhostayafterschoolfromWednesdaytoFridaytoworkwithstudentsonafterschoolactivitiescanbecompensatedbytheschoolorthePTA.

BSGE’sguidancecounselor,TimothyDavid-Lang,commentedabouttherecentsched-ulechange.“Fortheschoolcommunity,8thperiodhasbeenaveryvaluableresourceforseveralyears,”hesays.Mr.David-Langadded,“We’regoingtohavetofindanalternatewaytomeettheneedsofstudents,teachersandfamiliesnowthatwenolongerhaveit.”

Thisnewschedulehasproventobeanissueforavarietyofotherreasons.Nowstudentsareforcedtoparticipateinfeweractivities,consideringmanydifferentclubmeetingswillbeheldatthesametime.Forexample,bandpracticeisheldatthesametimeasyogaclub.Theschedulechangehasalsoimpactedstudents’abilitytocom-pleteCommunity&Servicehours,forcingstudentstolookelsewhereforactivities.ManyafterschoolclubsprovidestudentswithCAShours,howeverif twoofclubsareonthesameday,studentscanbedeprivedofhours.

“Somepeoplearehappywiththisschedulechange,consideringthatnowtheywon’tbeassignedto8thperiodforspecificclasses,”saysJoshuaVaiman’15,SenioratBSGE.Hecontinued,“Itisalsoadisadvantagetostudentswhoreallyneedthehelp,andalsotoSeniorsapplyingtocollegeswhowon’thaveasmuchtimetoreviseessayswithourcollegeadviser,PeterWilson.”

Theschoolwillcontinuetobecreativeinofferinghelptostudentsafterschool,andmakingBSGEanenvironmentinwhichstudentswillfeelwelcometoparticipateinclubsandactivities.

Ebola in NYC: How BSGE Gets Involved

TAHMID ASMIF ‘18 & LYDIA STETSON ‘15

OnOctober23rd,2014itwasan-nouncedthatemergencyroomdoctorCraigSpencer,33,whoreturnedtoNewYorkCityaftertreatingEbolapatientsinWestAfrica,wastestedpositivefortheEbolavirus.ThisisthefirstcaseofEbolainNYCandthefourthcaseintheUnitedStates.

Unsurprisingly,NewYorkersreactedwithgreatfearafterhearingnewsthatSpencertraveledtoTheGutterbowlingalleyinWilliamsburg,TheMeatballShoprestaurantinChelsea,Manhattan’sHigh-lineParkandtooktheA,Land1trainafterdevelopingsymptomsforthevirus.DespiteevidenceshowingthatEbolaisnotanairbornevirus,manyresidentsofNewYork,includingBSGEstudents,havebecomeextremelycautiousofcontactwithpeoplewhomaybeill.

ButitisnotonlyNewYorkerswhohavetakenextremeprecautionsafterthere-centEbolaoutbreak.NewYorkGovernorAndrewCuomoandNewJerseygovernorChrisChristieimposedapolicyonFriday,October24thstatingthatallhealthcareworkersreturningfromWestAfricaaftertreatingEbolapatientsshouldbeputitinamandatory21-dayquarantine.

WhilesomepraisetheactionsoftheseGovernors,othersfeelthatCuomoandChristieshouldhaveconsultedthecityfirstbeforemakingsucharashdecision.AprimeexampleofthisdisapprovalisnurseKaciHickoxwhowasquarantinedforthreedaysinNewJerseyfromFriday,October24thafterreturningfromSierraLeonetotreatEbolapatients.Despitetest-ingnegativetwiceforEbola,HickoxwasconfineduntilOctober27th.

ThenurseandmanyothersweredeeplyoffendedbyChristie’sactions.Shecom-mentedinaninterviewwithBBC,““IamnotgoingtositaroundandbebulliedaroundbypoliticiansandbeforcedtostayinmyhomewhenIamnotarisktotheAmericanpublic.”

ThefederalCentersforDiseaseandCon-trolandPreventioninAtlanta,Georgiawerealsoupsetwiththedecision.Ac-cordingtooneoftheCenter’sofficials,thispolicyiscompromisingbecauseitdiscouragesAmericannursesandphysi-cianstogotocountriesaffectedwithEbolatohelpout.

ForthosewhoareunfamiliarwiththeEb-olavirus,alsoknownastheEbolahaem-orrhagicfever,itisasevere,oftenfatalillnessthatwasfirstdiscoveredin1976inZaire,whichisnowtheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongo.AsofOctober19th,2014theEbolavirushastakenthelivesof4,877people,accordingtoCNN,withLiberiabeingthehardestcountryhitwith2,705deathsand4,665cases.

Scientistshypothesizethatthediseasewasderivedfromfruitbatsandistransmit-tedthroughdirectcontactofbodyfluidssuchasblood,saliva,sweat,feces,vomitandsemen.Manypeopledonotfeelthesymptomsofthevirusuntilonetotwoweeksaftertheyhavebeeninfectedwithit.Ebolastartsoffwithaminorheadacheorfeversimilartotheflubutworsensastimepasses.Itcanleadtothepointwhereapersonisinternallyandexternallybleedingandhastroublebreathing.

Sofar,accordingtotheWorldHealthOrganizationthereisnospecifictreat-mentorvaccineforEbola,andthefatalityratecanreachupto90%.ThisiswhereBSGEcomesintohelpraisemoneysothatresearcherscouldfindapossiblecurefortheEbolavirus.

Mr.Anderson’s7thgradeadvisorycol-lected$400intotalbyjustgoingaroundBSGEandaskingfordonations.Theadvi-sorysentthemoneytotheDirectReliefFoundation.

WhenaskedwhyitisimportantthatBSGEstudentsraisemoneytofindacureforEbola,Mr.Andersonsaid,“It’simportantbecauseweallliveinthisworldtogether.WehavetohelppeopleinWestAfricabecausewearefortunateenoughtohavealotofmedicalequip-mentandattentionthatcanbeofferedtoothers.”Heexplained,“JustbecauseEbolamaynotbeasbigofanissueasitisin,sayLiberia,doesnotmeanit’snotourproblem.”

AccordingtoMr.Anderson,theseWestAfricancountriesaffectedbyEboladonothaveasgreatmedicalfacilitiesastheUS,soeveryone,includingBSGEstudentscanhelpbydonatingmoney.Mr.Andersonadded,“It’spartoftheIBstatementtocareaboutthecommunity.It’sgoodtoaf-fectchangeevenif it’sinsmallamounts,becauseourmissionistohelpothers.”

It’stimeforthesuntosleepAndthemoontoriseupdeliberatelyWithoutmakinganysoundsorpeeps.Intheskyweseeabrightlittlemoon

Thatiscomingupslowlybutverysoon.ThereoncewaspsychoticguyWithhisdeceitfulnature

Wascarryingabookbag,saidthenewspaper.

HewaswalkinginthewoodsAnditwasverydark

IwonderwhathewasdoingProbablyscreaming

ThemoonislikealoyalstarShiningoverhead,alwayspresentif notalwaysseen.

ThemoonisaspaleassnowWithitsmanycrevicesacrossthefloor

Themoonhasmanybenefits,Withthelightitshines

CreatingasenseofpeaceandtranquilitySeenbythenakedeye.

ThepsychoticguywasrunningfastAwayfromhispast

Hedidn’twanttomakeanymoremistakesJustwhenhesaidthat,hefellintoalake.

A Poem for Thought“The Psychotic Guy”

TAHMID ASMIF ‘18

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 15

Catching Up with Sophomores on Their Personal ProjectsBSGEisstartingits13thyearoftheMiddleYearsProgram(MYP)forsophomoresbybeginningthepersonalprojectprocess.ThepersonalprojectisanimportantpartoftheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganization’sMYPbecauseitrequiresthestudenttouseskillslearnedfromthe7ththrough10thgrades.Itencouragesthestudenttoexploretheirowninterestsandcreativityundercertainguidelines.

10thgradershavetochoosetheirownGuidingQuestionandAreaofInteractionwhileexploringtheproject.Duringthemonthsbeforetenthgrade,partofthesum-merassignmentwastocomeupwiththeinitialpersonalprojecttopicandexplorethetopicthroughresearchattheMid-ManhattanLibrary.Notonlyisthisprojectself-directed,italsohelpspreparestudentsfortheIBprogramandExtendedEssayin11thand12thgrade.Studentsarerequiredtocreateaproduct,whetheritisabook,asculpture,afilm,oranyotherculminatingpieceofwork.

Duringtheprocess,theykeepaprocessjournaltorecordtheirplansandactionsfortheproject,andtheyalsowriteaprojectreportthatdescribestheprocesstheyun-derwent.Themajorityofthepersonalprojectworkiscompletedindependentlyandoutsideofschool,exceptfortimeswhenstudentsneedtodiscusstheirprojectwiththeiradvisorsandsupervisors,usuallyduringadvisoryorofficehours.Afterfinishingandsubmittingtheirprojects,the10thgradersarerequiredtopresenttheirproj-ectsto7th,8th,and9thgradersinordertohelpthestudentspreparefortheirownpersonalprojects.Belowareafewinterviewsfromsomeselectedsophomoresontheirpersonalprojects.

1)SAKINAALIWhatisyourpersonalprojecttopic?Mypersonalprojectisaboutmemorizingthe206bonesofthehumanbody.

Howareyougoingtodisplayyourproject?Iamgoingtocreateapapermacheskeletonfrommemoryandthenusemanycul-turesoftheworldandtheirarttodecoratetheskeleton.

Whydidyouchoosethistopic?Iaminterestedinbothartandscienceandwanttoconnectthemtogetherthroughthepersonalproject.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethebestpartofthisproject?IthinkpartofitisbecauseI’minterestedinthetopicandalsothatitwillbequiteeasytodocumenttheprocessinmyprocessjournal.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethehardestpartofthisproject?ThememorizingpartandalsowhenIwilldotheworkanddivideitup.Ialsodon’tknowhowIwillconnectmemorizingtheboneswithmakingadecorativeskeleton.

Whatbenefitsdoyouhopewillcomefromexploringthistopic?IwillhavethebonesallmemorizedifIdecidetoapproachscienceorbiologyassomethingIwanttoexploreinthefutureformycareer.

2)KYRARICHARDSONWhatisyourpersonalprojecttopic?Mypersonalprojectisaboutfashion/beautyjournalism.

Howareyougoingtodisplayyourproject?Iamgoingtomakeawebsitewithtutorialsandeditorials.

Whydidyouchoosethistopic?IhavealwaysLOVEDcreativewriting,andIhaverecentlybecomeextremelyinterest-edinfashionandcosmetology,soIfiguredthatIwouldcombinetwoofmyfavoritethingsintooneproject.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethebestpartofthisproject?Iwouldsaythebestpartisthesatisfactionofknowingthateventually,IwillcreatesomethingthatIneverimaginedIwould’vebeenabletodoin10thgrade.Ifeelthatafterresearchingandreallyunderstandingthecomponentstofashionjournalism,itwillbesomethingthatIwanttocontinuedoingfortherestofmylife.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethehardestpartofthisproject?Rightnow,gatheringmythoughtsandactuallystartingtheprojectisthehardestpartforme.I’mstillkindofintimidatedbythewholethoughtofthisprojectandhowmanydifferentaspectstherearetoit.Actuallybeginningitwillbeabigstepforme,butonceIdo,IthinkI’llbefine.

Whatbenefitsdoyouhopewillcomefromexploringthistopic?IknowthatIreallywantacareerinthisfieldinthefuture,soIthinkthatthiswillpreparemeforthat.Also,IwillbespendingalotoftimeworkingwithandlearningaboutatopicthatIlove,sothatisabenefitinitself.

5) Sahat MahmudWhat is your personal project topic? I want to inform others about the effects of bullying.

How are you going to display your project? I want to make a film on bullying.

Why did you choose this topic? I believe there are many people out there who don’t have a life like ours that are un-known to us. I want to notify more people that such people are out there and that we should take steps to prevent them from being bullied and to keep ourselves from bully-ing others/get bullied.

What do you think will be the best part of this project? I decided to do my project in a very own production film that I’d create myself. I was excited to create another video as it was hobby I had since I was younger.

What do you think will be the hardest part of this project? The personal project is a difficult assignment which requires the student to have full background knowledge and a good amount of prior knowledge about their topic. I believe the hardest part will be to get all my research and knowledge about this project covered.

What benefits do you hope will come from exploring this topic? I will be able to further educate students and teachers at BSGE with the health and social education issues in our environment.

3)RYANZHUOWhatisyourpersonalprojecttopic?Iplanondoingsomethinginvolvinganatomy/sculpture/engineering.

Howareyougoingtodisplayyourproject?Mycurrentideaistomakeakidneythatcoulddistillsaltwatersimilartohowanor-malkidneyfiltersblood.

Whydidyouchoosethistopic?Forthepersonalproject,IwanttodosomethingthatinvolvesthreeofthefavoritethingsIliketodoandlearnabout,soIcombinedanatomy,artandengineering.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethebestpartofthisproject?ThebestpartaboutthisprojectisthefactthatIwillbelearningalotaboutthetopicasIprogressthroughit.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethehardestpartofthisproject?Thehardestpartaboutmyprospectivetopicwouldbethemechanismbehindrepli-catingnormalkidneyfunction.I’vebeentoyingwiththeideaofcompressingasolarstill(devicethatshipwreckedpeopleusetopurifysaltwater)sothatmanycouldfitintomykidneymodel,butinthatcaseIwouldneedaheatsourcetoevaporatethewater.That’swhereI’mroadblocked.If anyonehasanidea,heorsheshouldtotallyemailmeattheryanzhuo@gmail.com.

Whatbenefitsdoyouhopewillcomefromexploringthistopic?IwillbeabletoexplorethethingsthatIaminterestedininmuchdeeperdepththanI’veeverimagined.

4)JOSEPHFALLAITWhatisyourpersonalprojecttopic?MypersonalprojectisbasedonJungianpsychology.

Howareyougoingtodisplayyourproject?Iwanttowriteanovellaonthetopic.

Whydidyouchoosethistopic?I’vereallyenjoyedwritingfiction,andBSGEdoesn’treallyoffermanyopportunitiesforustodothat.I’malsoprettyinterestedinpsychology,andIthoughtthatJungianpsychologycouldofferforareallyinterestingstory.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethebestpartofthisproject?Watchingotherpeoplepresenttheirpersonalprojectswillbewaymoremeaningfulnowthatwepersonallyknowjusthowmuchworkhastogointothem.

Whatdoyouthinkwillbethehardestpartofthisproject?Developingagoodworkethicfortheproject.

Whatbenefitsdoyouhopewillcomefromexploringthistopic?I’lllearnhowtowriteasomewhatlongerstory,andwillalsoknowmuchmoreaboutJungianpsychologybydoingso.Inotherwords,it’llmakelearningaboutitmorefunthansimplyreadingpageafterpage.

Do you need CAS or Com-munity & Service hours, and like to write?

Join The Bacc Rag Staff! Meetings are Wednesday after school in Room 304. Walk-ins are welcome! x-

November 2014 BSGE’s Official Buzz Page 16

Recap of Fall 14’ Spirit WeekMismatched Monday! Tired Tuesday

Toon Thursday

Color War Wednesday

Freaky Friday - Halloween!