The WarriorNiskayuna High School September 23, 2005 Volume 32, Issue 2

Inside this issue...

a student-run publication since 1974, now weekly

From one school to another BY JULIA NAPOLITANO

NEWS

Relief efforts in response to the horrific destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina have left many people asking what they can do to help. All the while, countless survivors await this assistance following what has been deemed the worst natural disaster in the nation’s his-tory.

Members of the Niskayuna School community now have the answer as to how they can directly contribute to these efforts. The Service Advisory Committee of Niskayuna High School has identified a fund to which to send donations: the Alief Independent School District (ISD), a public school system in Texas which recently accepted 1,576 students dis-placed from schools in Louisi-ana. Rachel Stead, a Spanish teacher at Niskayuna High School, provided the contact with Alief ISD through a friend who is employed there as a social worker.

Ed Alston, who is temporarily replacing Shelley Baldwin-Nye as head of the Committee, called the process a “two-pronged approach” after deciding that the fundraising would come both from faculty and student efforts.

“We felt this would constitute a meaningful service project,” said Alston. The Alief ISD is lo-

cated outside of Houston, Texas. Although it did not suffer direct damage as a result of the storm, the acceptance of so many new students has put added stress on an already struggling educa-tional setting. In a district where 68% of the district’s 44,619 students receive free or reduced-price lunches, people welcome Niskayuna’s offer to help with

overwhelming gratitude.“[Your] call to us,” said Susan

Castro, Alief’s District Coordi-nator of Communications and Media Relations, in a phone conversation with Alston, “was an answer to a prayer. Any help would be appreciated.”

In recent years, the Alief Educational Foundation was set up as a non-profit organiza-tion to collect donations to help students in the district. The foundation provides students of families eligible for assistance with vouchers that can be used to buy basic necessities. The money raised in Niskayuna schools will be sent directly from

the Niskayuna PTO to the Alief Educational Foundation.

Students in Alief ISD have already raised $5,000 to help the foundation in supporting many of the new students from Louisi-ana. These students, placed in one of the district’s 46 schools,

come from various places in Louisiana. Some have arrived without their immediate family; all have arrived to escape the devastation that has made living and going to school there impos-sible. Now that the families have found physical shelter, they need funds to supply them with school materials, educational support, and clothing.

Collection cans placed in the Old and New Cafeterias will re-main there until the end of Sep-tember. The cafeteria staff has offered to monitor and count the donations, while the Niskayuna PTO has offered to assist in the collection and depositing of the funds. In addition to collecting individual cash donations, the PTO is accepting checks made out to the Niskayuna PTO Hur-ricane Katrina Relief Fund from anyone who wishes to contrib-ute. A portion of the funds will go to the Red Cross; however, the bulk of the donations will go to fundraising for Alief ISD.

Alston hopes that the fund-raising will extend beyond the high school to other schools in the Niskayuna School District who wish to take part. Student

clubs, local businesses, and oth-ers interested in contributing to the Alief Educational Foundation may contact Ed Alston in the NHS Foreign Language Depart-ment. To learn more about Alief ISD, visit their website at www.alief.isd.tenet.edu.

Silver captures the freshmen experi-ence, see magazine

Student pledges against the pledge, page 4

The first ever War-rior Superfan of the week,page 8

A HELPING HAND: A student makes a donation to the hurricane relief fund in the Old Cafeteria last monday. The cans will remain there until the end of the month.

Warrior photo / Chris Nelson

2 September 23, 2005 The WarriorNews

Congratulations to the class of 2006 National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists!

Nicole BieberKaterina GrossLeslie JohnstonMatthew LawManisha Padi Michele ReitzKevin Ryan

Jeremy WolosYingchen (Josh) Xiong

The Warrior congratulates the following students for their exceptional performance on the PSAT exam.

BY LAURA ISABELLA

NEWS

Every year, Crossroads, Niskayuna High School’s yearbook club, puts together a yearbook for students and staff to en-joy. According to Editor-in-Chief Caitlin Hamilton, the yearbook’s production is well underway.

“We’re way ahead of schedule as op-posed to last year. We’re on top of things because we have such a good team,” commented Hamilton. The yearbook has a few changes in store this year, such as publication in full–color. In previous years, the yearbook was published in ei-ther all black and white or with minimal color. As in previous years, the yearbook includes a central theme. The theme is not revealed until the yearbooks are handed out at the end of the year.

Senior buddy pictures, a yearbook tra-

dition, are due by the end of the month. Students can bring a maximum of nine pictures, three pictures for five dollars, at F201 by the end of the month. Senior quotes are also due at this time.

As expected, the yearbook is a time-consuming effort. The yearbook staff uses a program strictly for yearbook design, called Elite VIsion. The yearbook is then published section-by-section by Taylor Printing.

Crossroad’s staf f includes teacher advisor Jillian Kramm, editors Sarah Hannah, Caitlin Hailton, and many more enthusiastic members. “It’s a fun club to be a part of” said senior editor Sarah Hannah. The club meets in room F201 after school.

“We hope that everyone will be pleased with the new yearbook” said Hannah.

Yearbook to change

BY ELIZABETH HELD

NEWS

Saturday evening brought excellent weather for the one hundred-sixty participants in the annual Niskayuna DARE Run. The run began thirteen years ago and originally had a course that included GE Circle. A few years ago the starting place for the annual 5K run was moved to the High School and has remained there ever since. The two main goals of the DARE Run are to encourage a healthy lifestyle and to foster a feeling of community through out Niskayuna. The annual 5K offers something parents and children can do together and enjoy. The participation fee helps sponsor DARE activities throughout the year such as Fifth grade ice skating and Eighth grade DARE graduation. For the past nine years the coordinators of this event have been Officer Gary Connor, Tom Constantine and Jennifer Assini.

Though the 2005 DARE Run brought fewer participants than past runs, none-theless, organizers weren’t concerned: the group that they had was full of enthusiastic participants. Lack of participation has been explained by the Field Hockey team spend-ing the day in Kingston, a Cross Country meet in the morning and a marathon taking place in New Hampshire. The weather was a concern throughout the afternoon, but the festivities went on without a glitch at 5:30. After the 5K a mile fun run and chicken barbeque took place. The night closed with a spectacular firework display sponsored by Metro Ford.

DARE run once again a successOverall organizers are very pleased with

the outcome of the night. Run Committee volunteer Deirdre Young said: “The whole point is bringing together the community, and we did that.” Not only did High School students run in the 5K, but many served as marshals on the race course. The Cross Country team particularly impressed Young,

“Although many did not run the race, lots of them volunteered. It was great!” Young stated. The annual race proved to be a great success and organizers are already looking forward to next year’s festivities. “Everyone had such a great time. It’s so nice when the community can come together for something like this,” summarized Young.

Warrior photo / Chris NelsonON YOUR MARK: The 160 participants of this year’s annual 5K DARE run wait to begin the race this past Saturday. The annual event included a run, a dinner barbeque, and a fireworks show.

3September 23, 2005The Warrior News

NHS: IN NEED OF RENOVATION?BY JULIETTE PRICE

NEWS

On September 12, the Board of Education for Niskayuna Central School District held a meeting to discuss facilities plan for Niskayuna High School. The board has discussed the many repairs and additions that NHS will undergo in the coming months and years.

Enrollment of students at NHS is on the rise, and to make room for new students the board has decided to have new additional classrooms and plans to enlarge existing classrooms to meet State minimums.

To maximize the amount of money received from the State, NHS will expand its course offerings and create flexible space for innovative teaching.

The board also plans to step up student and staff safety. An Access Control System, including card readers for staff badges, will be put in place. It is intended to prevent intruders from entering the building and/or entering certain rooms. A metal detector will also be provided for use in one the entrances. Entry doors will also be surveyed by a closed circuit camera system.

Concerning the building itself, the board plans to allocate funds to weatherproof the building’s exterior. Site management will also include the expansion of parking lots, the replacement of entry walks, the restora-tion curbs and the improvement of storm water management. The board will also try to improve appearance and upgrade physical education and athletic facilities.

The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system will also be replaced, reducing maintenance and operating costs, as well as improving air quality, and temperature regulation.

Plumbing will also be upgraded to improve student and staff safety and reduce maintenance and operation costs.

Exterior lighting, power upgrades and sound system upgrades will also be made.

The board will also integrate technology including a district wide phone system, enhanced LAN (local area network), presentation capabilities, and media-on-demand. The board will also fund interior upgrades including casework replacement, floor and wall finishes, ceilings and lighting. These changes will hopefully create a warm, bright, and welcoming environ-ment.

Handicap accessibility to many rooms, stages, and toilets will also be improved.

The total master plan calls for $108 million (as quoted by the Gazette earlier this week) worth of upgrades and renovations, which, if approved, will be implemented in the near future. This past Monday, September 19, the School Board met to attempt to decide a final proposal to send to the voters, but at time of printing, the results were unavailable.

READY FOR REPAIR: Scenes all too familiar to the high schooler are receiving attention now in attempts to form by the school board to rennovate high school facilities.

Warrior photos / Chris Nelson

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the school community, and can be delivered toWarrior staff or sent via

email to: thewarrioropinion@gmail.com. The Warrior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and content.

Signed opinion articles express the opinions of their creators. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus of the paper’s edito-rial board, consisting of the Opinion section and the Editors-in-

Chief.

The op-ed pages are a forum for students’ opinions and ideas.

The WarriorNiskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY, 12309

http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/nhs/warriorEditors-in-Chief:Julia NapolitanoJeremy WolosNews:Evan Ballan, EditorIan Davis, EditorJuliette Price, EditorKaterina Gross, Asst.Laura Isabella, Asst.Joanne Qiao, Asst.

Opinion:Leanne Merrill, EditorJosh Xiong, EditorLeo Brown, Asst.Steph Kaylor, Asst.Entertainment:Sarita Upadhyay, EditorTim Vo, EditorAdam Evans, Asst.

Sports:Caitlin Horgan, EditorGavin Labate, EditorJoyce Dadekian, Asst.Josh Kovler, Asst.Magazine:Jean Qiao, EditorAlex Rivadeneira, EditorLyndsi Holmes, Asst.Emily Payton, Asst.Rachel Naparstek, Asst.

Additional Staff:Eric Zhou, Copy EditorSteve Chao, Distribution ManagerChris Nelson, Graphics ManagerErik Donhowe, Business ManagerMichael LaJeunesse, Web ManagerAdvisors:James EdgarRussell McDowell

For a one-year subscription to The Warrior, please send a check for $25.00 to: The Warrior Attn: Subscriptions, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309.

4 September 23, 2005 The WarriorOpinion

BY JAMES HERRINGTON

OPINION

To pledge, or not to pledge— that is the question.

Again. As many people know, Michael New-

dow, an atheist attorney and doctor, brought a case against Elk Grove School District in Sacramento, California, in 2000 for violating the separation of church and state by forcing his daughter to state the Pledge of Allegiance. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which dropped the case because Mr. Newdow was not the child’s legal guardian.

Now, Mr. Newdow is bringing a smiliar case back— except this time he will be presenting the case as the legal repre-sentative of three families with the same concern.

Of course, since many Americans seem to think that the pledge has been around since the days of the Founding Fathers and has remained unaltered since the 1800’s, a history lesson is in store. The Pledge was originally written by, of all people, a 19th century Baptist socialist minister, designed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ crossing of the Atlantic. Since then there have been only two changes; the changing of “to my Flag” to “to the Flag of the United States of America,” edited in the 1920s to “remove confusion” for immigrants, enforcing the jingoism al-ready in the Pledge. Then, however, there was the now-infamous law, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, which in-serted “under God” into the pledge in 1954. This was, of course, politically untouchable; 1954 was the height of McCarthyist American policy. Repub-licans were using McCarthy’s hearings to accuse Democrats of being soft on Communism, and the “under God” ad-dition to the pledge was seen to distin-

guish America from the communists, who were purportedly “godless.” Quite ironically, this case is coming when Republicans are once again using an issue of national security for political gain, calling Democrats “soft on terror,” and, yet again, we perceive that we need something to set us apart from people considered “godless.”

While these two words are undoubt-edly a breach of the separation of church and state, it is the far lesser of the two evils. All of this talk about the Pledge is dancing around the true question o f w h y w e h a v e

young children recite a pledge that they

typically do not under-s t a n d . T h i n k b a c k to when y o u w e r e

i n first

grade. Did you know what the pledge meant? For that matter, how many teachers actually get their kids to say the pledge in elementary school? The fact that the Pledge contains the words “un-der God” is less important than the fact that it instills empty patriotism. That kind of patriotism, the same kind that makes people spit out such hackneyed phrases as “America: you’ve got to love it or leave it,” or that made people put

flags on their gas-guzzling SUVs after 9/11 to show loyalty to America. That kind of patriotism is the kind that causes people who don’t know their Senators names or even what the Senate is in the first place, to be defensive whenever someone criticizes the government, because this is “their country.”

True patriotism is questioning the government. Patriotism is not repeat-ing phrases, swearing allegiance to a colored cloth, or a mindless following of the government— except in totali-tarian dictatorships. In a democracy, thinking and asking questions of the government defines patriotism: if no one asked questions of the government, then there would be no America to pledge allegiance to.

Aside from the question of patriotism, why should we interrupt the beginning of the day with this pointless, jingoistic mumbo-jumbo? Especially in elementary schools, where it is hard to get children to sit still for ten minutes. The last thing needed for teachers is having to lose their children’s attention to something that they most likely care about in no way at all. Of all people, this president should rid us of the pledge. After all, isn’t he the “education president?”

But I digress. Most of you in the high school probably do not care about the pledge, and have not said it for a long time, except for those of you who call yourself “patriotic” (for those people: see above). So, how will this affect you? If you are not Christian, then I would think you should care about the fact that the pledge assumes that all of America is “under God” – a Christian God, that is. And no, I do not believe that the “God” in the Pledge can be taken to mean anything other than a Christian God; nothing spon-sored by a Catholic lobbyist group can be considered to include other religions.

Warrior art / Courtney VanNordern

Student questions pledge purpose

5September 23, 2005The Warrior Opinion

Upperclassmen give freshmen advice

BY JEREMY WOLOS

OPINION COLUMN

If you’re a junior or senior, you’ve spent some time in a high school

United States history class. Even if you’re an underclassman, you probably remember plenty from seventh and eighth grades. In any case, you probably know about the few events in our nation’s past that totally changed the course of American history.

So, what were those events? The Pearl Harbor attacks, the stock market crash, the Civil War– any self-respect-ing student knows something about them. Personally, I always used to wonder what it would have been like to live through a period of such national unrest.

Most students currently in the high school were born sometime between 1988 and 1991, and it’s certainly true that our elementary school lives lacked any future-altering history. There was a 42-day war in 1991, and a 1999 impeachment scandal had little conse-quence on a president who was almost done with his second term.

In 2000, though, as the nation was

captivated by an election controversy in Florida, the fluff news we had been ac-customed to receiving suddenly started to gain depth. That election was decided by the Supreme Court, the first time such action had occurred.

Then, less than a year later, the events of September 11, 2001, which were so far outside of our realm of expe-rience that they were almost difficult to understand, happened.

The aftermath of those attacks, as led by the Supreme Court- appointed president, is now unfolding before our eyes. We just don’t know what we’re seeing. We see our soldiers fighting a war we don’t understand, against a people we don’t understand, and the people we’re fighting don’t even seem to know what’s going on.

Someday, when the Iraq War gets sorted out, the event will take up a big chunk of our history textbooks. At the very least, it will be seen as a failed attempt at creating a new world order through an ambiguous War on Terror.

Then, a few weeks ago, a hurricane destroyed 80 percent of what might

be the nation’s most historically and economically vital port city, exposing cavernous poverty that should not exist in America. So, now we have a $300 billion rebuilding job, an $89 billion war no one quite has a grasp on, sociologists are screaming “end poverty” while the

administration screams “end extremism,” and our stratified system of oil dependency seems more

ready to collapse every day.While I may be seventeen and un-

doubtedly more naïve than I realize, doesn’t it seem like this type of unrest is pretty unusual? Could we be on the verge of a shift in our nation’s course? And, most importantly, why doesn’t anyone seem upset about this?

There are a few possibilities. One would be that, as humans, we tend to trust that our present state of unrest will soon return to the normalcy we’re comfortable with. No high school kid wants to think that the country will be much different a few years down the road than it is now. It’s quite possible that things won’t change much at all, but I just feel like the situations in Iraq, New Orleans, and elsewhere

are getting worse every day, with implications that affect all of us.

Another possible place of blame for our apathy, as cliché as it may be, is the media. Coverage of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina left noth-ing at all to the imagination. We saw so much of what went on in both circumstances that it almost doesn’t seem real. A passage from the Islamic text “Tribulations of Good and Bad” discusses the human “fear of the unseen.” In Manhattan and New Orleans, everything was seen, and we feel less fear.

What if the same shot of a Kami-kaze pilot crashing into Pearl Harbor had been constantly replayed on 24-hour cable news? Would the resulting panic have been the same? Perhaps not.

We don’t appear destined for a world war, and a second Great Depression seems unlikely as well. Maybe all this instability around us will simply pass, or maybe some huge change is looming on the horizon. There’s nothing specific we can do to prepare for an uncertain future except to watch carefully as history unfolds around us.

BY LEO BROWN AND ALEX GOLDBERG

OPINION

Let us extend our congratulations to the class of 2009 on your graduation from middle school. You have finally arrived; your new life has begun.

Some of you may be feeling lost, confused…or even lonely. These feelings are normal. We advise that you accept them as part of a transformation from the cocoon of middle school to the butterfly that is high school.

As high school juniors, we have experienced this metamorphosis, and we feel that we are qualified to offer some words of wisdom. First and foremost, hallway procedures should be explained. Walking on the right side of the hallway is the only right side to be walking on. An easy way to remember this is as follows: right side = right. The left side, is, well, left, but it’s also dead wrong. This brings us to another subject: telling your left from your right…well, we’ll leave that one for another day.

So, if you thought we were done telling you how to behave in the hallways, you thought wrong. There is one technique that we have learned in our years that has helped us navigate the halls more freely. This method can be employed while pass-ing through Crossroads, which is often clogged by people who gather to discuss the latest events and

the biggest news. First of all, it should be considered that nothing is

important enough to justify loitering in the said area. Whatever it is, it’s probably not that pressing. However, the problem persists, and so we have a solution for those who have places to be and deadlines to meet. If you are walking down the hallway and you notice that there is a crowd of people obstructing your path, several things should be done.

First, make it clear that you will stop under no cir-cumstances. If you channel your emotions correctly, the group will probably panic and scatter. This is the best-case scenario, enabling you to navigate the hallways freely. However, you won’t always be this lucky. If they don’t disperse immediately, just look straight forward, avoid eye contact, and maintain long, powerful strides.

If you don’t succeed in dissolving the group by brute force, we recommend sticking to this simple dialogue as a last resort:

You: Hello. Will you move, please?Group (in unison): I guess so. Although this is probably the most reliable meth-

od, it should be avoided for obvious reasons. As you might have gathered from this article,

navigating the hallways is the most vital aspect of your voyage through high school. However, there

are other nuggets of knowledge that we shall bestow upon you.

If someone disagrees with you, let him or her think that they’re right. You will know in your heart that they are not. Arguing with someone oviously wrong is a waste of your valuable time and energy. Also, there is a slim chance that you are, in fact, wrong, and then you would just look stupid.

We have one final nugget for you to carry with you in your adventures. It will help you to establish relationships that could last a lifetime. If you are in need of a friend, the quickest way to find one is to make subtly negative comments about things. We will provide you with some tested and proven suggestions:

“I wish I had a different teacher.”“So what’s the deal with all of these rules?”“I’m so misunderstood.” By sticking to these key phrases, you will become

popular in no time.We wish you well in your endeavors, and we

hope that our advice will stay with you until at least the end of freshman year.

National future remains uncertain

JEREMIAD

ALL OPINIONS expressed on the op-ed pages represent the individual viewpoints of their authors. The content does not necessarily represent the views of The Warrior, the high school, the school district, or the Board of Education.

6 September 23, 2005 The WarriorEntertainment

BY DIANE COLLINS

ENTERTAINMENT

Rating: B+ Imagine your video game-play-

ing, ten-year-old brother, who is both innocent and blissfully ignorant of girls, as a middle-aged man. Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) is that guy– a perfectly content 40 year-old virgin who still gets around with a bicycle and collects sealed action figures.

When a few of Andy’s coworkers

from the Smart Tech outlet learn that he’s still a virgin, they take it upon themselves to “help him out.” Soon, Andy is forced to trade in his video games and geeky lifestyle for porn and episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. Through all the excitement, he asks out a woman he really cares about. However, much to the dismay of his friends, the two make a no-sex pact.

The story line jolts in unpre-dictable directions all the way to

the end. The solid personality of each character and hu-morous scenarios they face make for a great film. Though The 40 Year-Old Virgin is quite a suggestive flick, it still holds good morals– save it for someone you really care about. SCREAMING MATCH: Main character Andy argues

with his coworker about his virginity.

Death Cab makes successful Plans

Image courtesy yahoo.com

Cinema sparkles with box office hits

BY JULIETTE PRICE ENTERTAINMENT

Death Cab For Cutie, a four piece indie-pop band from Seattle, has already released four albums to date, which together have established the group as an alternative band for listeners of all ages and tastes. Death Cab has recently left their small record label Barsuk for the multi-national record label Atlantic. Plans, released August 30, was the band’s first CD on their new record label.

Ben Gibbard, songwriter and vocal-ist of the group, is also a member of the popular band The Postal Service. Gibbard’s slow, moving guitar lines and soothing voice have been heard in many places, including on television’s The O.C. Death Cab’s music has been traditionally as cute and fuzzy as a teddy bear, with lyrics reminding a listener of ‘the good old days’; yet their newest release seems to change that image quite a bit, making it an interesting summer release.

While other Death Cab CDs feel full of hope and happiness with a few painful memories, Plans is a look forward into the future, albeit not in the happiest vein. Some might say Plans shows that Gibbard’s optimism is running low.

Songs on this CD deal with death and heart-break in a whole new dark way.

The climax of the CD seems to come from the ninth track entitled “What Sarah Said” in which Gibbard openly proclaims that “love is watching someone die.” Songs on the CD are set in places such as a hospital ICU, less

nostalgic than they were on Death Cab’s last album Transatlanticism.

Though Plans seems to deal with tougher issues, the music does not feel particularly heavy. The music in Plans actually feels in-toxicating and tense, constantly hooking the listener.

While some may feel that Death Cab is trying too hard to show the world their wisdom, I find the CD calming and somewhat comforting. The songs which deal with death still feel as breezy as old Death Cab songs.

Another aspect of Gibbard’s music which provides comfort and relaxes the listener is the natural feel of the record-ing. While attentively listening, one can hear Gibbard’s breathing and his fingers traveling over his guitar strings. This brings an innocence and accessibility to the music which modern technology edits out of most performances.

For those who have never heard Death Cab for Cutie, this album may seem sub par for a band’s major-label debut. But for Death Cab lovers everywhere, this is another great album full of songs to enjoy and explore.

Death Cab for Cutie’s Plans offers something for everyone, old fans and

NEW PLANS: Death Cab For Cutie has come out with a new album which has redefined their image with a less optimistic sound.

Image courtesy amazon.com

BY JULIA SCHNELL

ENTERTAINMENT

Rating: A+In a village in Kenya, the activist

wife of a British diplomat discovers a dark secret: prescription drug companies are testing lethal rem-edies on impoverished children and their families. When she is killed under mysterious circum-stances, her husband retraces her work in uncovering the murder of a “dispensable people.”

Based on the novel by John le Carre, The Constant Gardener is the sort of movie that has some-thing for every type of viewer. Romantics will enjoy the relation-ship between the diplomat (Ralph Fiennes) and his wife, Tessa (Ra-chel Weisz), which develops in the form of the diplomat’s memories after Tessa’s death. Action and suspense fans will appreciate the fatal conflict between the diplomat and the drug companies’ goons,

and for those people who only find documentaries appealing, the breathtaking shots taken flying over the rusty, scorched deserts of central Africa will be enough to make you happy you came. The film does not feel the need to gloss over the gory images and heartbreaking aftermath of the companies’ uncaring destruction. If they had not put this in, the view-ers would not be left so apathetic to the cause. These scenes make your heart go out to the victims of this silent slaughter. The film also inspired a desire to join the diplomat in his quest for justice.

While other movies might have thrown the accusations aside, focusing entirely on the romance between the main characters, The Constant Gardener creates a believable, if not true, act of genocide while still remaining a good, thrilling movie.

THE FORTY YEAR-OLD VIRGIN THE CONSTANT GARDENER

7September 23, 2005The Warrior Sports

Varsity coaches receive prestigious

Warrior photo/ Chris Nelson

BY CAITLIN HORGAN

SPORTS

On June 20, 2005, four varsity coaches were honored for reaching the 100 wins mark and their dedication. All four coaches are well-known instructors at the high school, which include John Furey for baseball, Mike Stone for girls and boys swimming, Todd Templeton for ice hockey and Mike Vorgang for boys lacrosse.

The Niskayuna Board of Education invited the leaders in their game to a board meeting held at Van Antwerp middle school at 7 p.m. The leaders received plaques for their 100 wins. Superintendent Kevin Baughman said, “These coaches have devoted countless hours to helping their student athletes develop and grow, and it is an honor to recognize them publicly,” as quoted by the Niskayuna Board of Education.

Furey was recognized for his 25 years of ser-vice while also receiving an award for 100 wins in baseball. He has coached the Silver Warriors baseball team for 10 years. “It was nice to be recognized, Furey shared. In addition to having an impact on his team, Furey is a positive physi-cal education instructor who gets his students working hard whether it’s in the gym, outside, or in the weight room.”

The pool aqueduct director, Mike Stone, was

also recognized for developing his swimmers into strong competitors and grasping 100 wins. “It was kind of nice they took the time to give us plaques,” Stone commented.

“[It was] a nice reward to receive,” stated Templeton. In 1991, Templeton started out as the assistant coach to the hockey team but three years later became head coach. Advanc-ing all the way to the first round of sectionals last season, Templeton is ready to lead the team for another good season. It will be a new challenges this upcoming season because the league is different. “Coaching wins is only as good as the team you have,” and he went on to finish, “[it was] a tribute to the players and how hard they work.”

Leading the lacrosse team all the way to state finals, Vorgang was also present at the board meeting to receive his award. Lacrosse was adapted to Niskayuna 12 years ago. This is considered a very short time compared to other New York schools and across the country. The Warriors were the first Section II team to reach state finals. On top of that great accomplishment, the team won twenty-two games back to back. “With the season we had last year, receiving the award for 100 wins was a great honor. [The award] was because

of the kids and how hard they work”Niskayuna coaches have made a difference

not only within the athletic program, but also among their players. Hopefully, these four coaches will be apart of Niskayuna sports for many more years to come. Their tremendous efforts for the sports program are greatly appreciated.

THREE SUCCESSFUL COACHES: (From left to right) Coaches Mike Stone, Mike Vorgang, and Todd Templeton hold plaques commemorating over 100 career coaching victories and a dedica-tion to their teams.

Photo courtesy Niskayuna Spotlight

Girls swimming off to perfect startBY JOYCE DADEKIAN AND JOSH KOVLER

SPORTS

Diving off the blocks to a successful start, the girls swim team has swum its way, under the guidance coaches Mike Stone and Kelly Caravan, to a 2-0 record. With decisive wins against Guilderville (96 to 81) and Saratoga Springs, (102 to 92) the team has established itself as a strong force in Section II.

Led by captains Shannon Archer, Lisa Cucolo and Heidi Judd, the team has witnessed some impressive ef-forts. Although it is early in the season the team has proven it has swimmers capable of competing with the best in

ONE ENTHUSIASTIC ATHLETE: Senior Steph Cogen pauses from a busy workout at practice. The girls swim team has achieved impressive wins in recent weeks.

the state. Made up with a strong core of seniors, the team recognizes they’re in their prime which has motivated them to practice hard for a strong finish. Coach Mike Stone comments, “Over half the team is seniors so next year we won’t be as strong, but younger swimmers will step up.”

The team has incredible depth claming wins in both short sprint races as well as grueling distance events. Seniors Shannon Archer and Heidi Judd have led the team to distance victories, while seniors Maria Prendergast, Lisa Cucolo, juniors Allison Montanye Joanna Ferreri and sophomore Karoline Hart have excelled in the short events.

This past Saturday at the Owego Invitational the Warriors witnessed their teammates thrive under pres-sure, as the 200 meter freestyle relay team of Maria Prendergast, Lisa Cucolo, Shannon Archer, and Allison Montanye crushed their opponents with their time of 1:41.93, giving them a third place ranking in New York, and a first place ranking in the section. To qualify for States the team would have

only needed 1:42.30. The diving team, led by Carolyn

Dartt, Krysten Riley, and Samantha Legere, also have fared well this sea-son with the assistance of their new diving coach Kelly Caravan who has helped them to compete at a higher level. Senior diver Carolyn Dartt is already optimistic about her season stating, “A bunch of the swimmers and divers have already broken per-sonal records. I know a lot of divers have beaten their top scores, and we have a diving coach this year for the first time since I’ve been on the team which has really helped. It’s still early on so it should be fun to watch us progress.” So far, Samantha Legere has put together a solid performance placing her eleventh in the state with a score of 182.2.

Coach Stone comments on his goals for the team this season, ““They’re doing well this season. We want to qualify as many people for Sectionals. Last year we had nine, which made us the most represented team in the section.”

The team ended last year with an

astounding7-1 Sectional record, with their only loss to Shenendehowa. They will face off, this time hoping for more favorable results, again on the second to last dual meet of the season. They’re hoping for support at the meet to help them achieve a victory and maintain an undefeated record. They also aim to reclaim their title as Sectional champions, as they earned two years ago. With the team looking stronger then ever, this appears to be a very realistic goal.

However, despite these great indi-vidual performances the team would be nothing without its undeniable unity. According to Stephanie Cogen “most of [the team] has been together for a long time and team spirit is strong this year.” Coach Michael Stone adds, “The team really seems to be together [this year].”

This weekend the Warriors hope to do well at the Long Island Invitational, which will be a good opportunity for the girls to get more experience competing against great athletes from multiple states. Good luck to the Niskayuna girls swimming and diving team!

8 September 23, 2005 The WarriorSports

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First ever Warrior Superfan: Dan FureyBY GAVIN LABATE

SPORTS

Dan Furey didn’t need to read the arti-cle published b y J o y c e D a d e k i a n in The War-rior from last week which called for in-creased fan support at school sports events. If any-thing, Furey could have written that

article, for his dedication to supporting the various teams at the high school has earned him the title of being the first ever Warrior Superfan.

With last week marking the first full week of school, it also meant that Furey, a junior, had a busy week of after school activities. Monday was the boy’s volleyball game against Shaker, while Tuesday found him on the sidelines of the boy’s soccer game, also against Shaker. Wednesday was yet another volleyball game while Thursday was spent watching the girls volleyball team in their win over Averill Park. Finally, Furey’s week ended with the girl’s soccer game against Mohonasen. Naturally, Furey should have spent the weekend resting and devoting his time to other activities after a long week of 11-hour days at the high school. But rest? How could he possibly do so when there were still games being played. In-stead, he completed his sixth consecutive day of sporting events, spending Saturday afternoon at the boy’s soccer game in the 2-0 rout of Columbia.

When asked how he manages to fit all of these events into a schedule which is often burdened by homework, Furey responded, “After school I usually get a good workout in then head to the gym or the fields to catch the game. I work on my homework as soon as I get home.”

The first week of school clearly did not serve as Furey’s emergence as one of the most dedicated supporters in the entire school. Long before he attended a daily after school sports event, his loyalty lied in The Reservation, the large student group that supports the Niskayuna-Schenectady Varsity Hockey team, the Mohawks. On cold Friday nights from November to February, Furey constantly occupied the upper level bleachers at the Schenectady County Rec-reational Facility, or any local rink where the Mohawks were playing. There, he and close friend John Dutcher emerged as two of the biggest and boldest supporters in the junior class. While he said he doesn’t prefer the Mohawks games over any other sport, Furey did mention that it’s hard to beat the environment in that rink, “No other sports fan base in the Suburban Council can compare to The Rez so it’s tough for other school sports to compete with the fans they get, but I enjoy all the games.”

While he will have to wait patiently for the Mohawks to begin their season when they face-off against South Glens Falls on the first of December, most teams are less than halfway through their fall schedule, leaving him and the rest of the student body with plenty of time to catch some games. For Furey, some of the biggest matches of the year come any time Nisky meets up with rival Shenendehowa. “I always look forward to Shen games in any sport so the boys soccer game and the Mohawks game are going to be exciting. I enjoy any Nisky sports games as long as I am there with some friends being loud and supporting our team.” Furey concluded with an announcement for everyone and anyone to get out there and yell saying, “I know from a players perspective that I love to play in front of a crowd. It’s a great feeling so whenever you can, get out and support our teams.”

Only two and a half weeks into school, there are still hundreds of sporting events for Furey and the rest of the student body to attend this year. With a virtually perfect attendance record for this year’s events as well as a stellar commitment to supporting his school last year, Furey has been named the first ever Warrior Superfan, a title that is soon to be coveted by students all across Niskayuna.

Footballvs. Columbia 35-7 W

Girls Soccervs. Burnt Hills/ Ballston Lake 2-1 Wvs. Mohonasen 1-0 W

Boys Soccervs. Shaker 4-0 Wvs. Columbia 2-0 W

Boys Volleyballvs. Shaker 3-1 Wvs. Shenendehowa 3-2 Wvs. Burnt Hills/ Ballston Lake 3-0 L

Girls Volleyballvs. Averill Park 3-0 W

Field Hockey vs. Bethlehem 2-1 Wvs. Kingston PP

Golfvs. Columbia L vs. Shenendehowa L vs. Bethlehem Lvs. Guilderland L

Girls Tennisvs. Emma Willard 5-4 Lvs. Guilderland 5.5-3.5 Wvs. Averill Park PP

Boys Cross Countryvs. Burnt Hills 28-27 Wvs. Bethlehem 30-24 L

Girls Cross Countryvs. Bethlehem 22-36 Lvs. Burnt Hills 23-34 L

Girls Swimmingvs. Guilderville Wvs. Saratoga W

DAN THE FAN: Superfan Dan Furey poses proudly after being named the first ever Warrior Superfan.

Warrior photo/ Gavin Labate

Do you know a some-one who should be a superfan?

E-mail The Warrior Sports at thewarriorsports@gmail.com to recommend yourself or a peer to be a Warrior Superfan. Please include a brief description of why this person should be a superfan.

Volume 8, Issue 1 September 23, 2005

Silver

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

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The Warrior Magazine

Alex Rivadeneira& Jean Qiaowith Emily Payton, Lindsi Hol-mes, & Rachel Naparstek

The Warrior Magazine September 23, 2005

Dear Readers,

Welcome to an all new year at Silver: The Warrior Magazine. With new beginnings, as always, comes a new class of freshmen. More specifi-cally, the class of 2009.

Fo r be t t e r. . . o r f o r worse, the future of our high school is in their hands. Therefore, we felt it necessary to dedicate the first issue of Silver to them.

In this issue we exam-ine the freshmen per-spective and their initial impressions on our high school community. We hope that this provides some insight into their character and experience here.

- The Editors

@Silver

A fresh perspective on things

by Chelsea StoneMAGAZINE

There was a time when, for me, coming to school was an event. Every morning I put substantial time and effort into choosing an outfit for the day, I spent roughly half an hour in front of the mirror, and even ran a brush through my hair - every day. Now I’m lucky if I change out of what I wore to bed before I get to school, but the vague memory of a time before I was stricken with apathy still lingers, faint as it may be. That time, so long ago, is historically referred

to as the freshman year of high school. After enduring three years of the semi-conscious state that was

my middle school experience, coming to high school was a culture shock. I was initially o v e r w h e l m e d by the amount of freedom I possessed. Forty minutes for

lunch, and I could sit...anywhere I

wanted? No a s s i g n e d

s e a t s ? And no coerced clean up with disgusting sponges? The very idea was mind-blowing. With all my free

time I didn’t know what to do with myself. Everything about high school just seemed bigger. The building, the teachers, the upperclassmen, even the desks, which I quickly learned were actually a death trap – if you have the misfortune of sitting at a desk with an armrest and drop your pencil over the side, you have to either get up and walk around the other side of the desk to get it or tip your entire desk over trying to reach for it. I was intimidated, definitely, but excited all the same. I had finally made it to high school, the four defining years of adolescence, and I had it all laid out in front of me. Every new experience was an eye opener – your first dance as a

by Dan StoneMAGAZINE

High School: to each of us it means something different. As the sum-mer came to a close, my fellow freshmen and I hoped for the best while w e p r e p a r e d for the worst. Schedules were compared count-less times between friends, maps were checked, advice was given by older broth-ers and sisters, and again and again, the Class of 2009 was asked, “Are you exc i ted fo r H i gh School?”

No matter what the expectat ions, most of my classmates have tran-sitioned very smoothly,

staying al ive and, for the most part, sane. High School is definitely quite a

c h a n g e , with its early

mornings, vast amounts of people, and what feels like an eternity of class-es. On the other hand,

the independence is great and the cafeteria food beats the socks off of that of the Middle School’s (Though I do admit that I miss being able to roll up my food and use it as a rubber ball).

My classmates and I still haven’t grown ac-customed to the different niches and quirks of the school, but we’ve come pretty far since the first day. We’ve got most of our school supplies, not as many freshmen can be found wandering the halls with a bewildered expression on their face (now they walk around muttering to themselves while frantically trying to finish homework), and

(continued on last page of Magazine, ITS A)

(continued on last page of Magazine, CHELSEA)

A Silver Family Affaira dSenior recalls the good old days

Warrior art / Alex Rivadeneira

The Warrior Magazine September 23, 2005Silver

Freshmen Perspectives on the High School

7.8

Food tastiness

Silver decided to poll the freshmen on their basic perception of life here at Niskayuna High School. Poll categories included food quality, perception of block scheduling, navigation in the hallways, interaction with upper classmen, class difficulty, and their experience with the media center, and computer labs. The categories were rated on a 1-10 scale, 10 being the “best” score and 1 being the “worst.” 122 freshmen were polled in randomly selected homerooms.

Upperclassmen friendliness7.3

Thoughts on block schedules6.9

6.1

Overall, the freshmen seem to be fairly pleased with the quality of food served up here at the high school. Most will agree that it’s quite a dramatic step up from middle school

Upperclassmen received an average friendliness rating from the freshmen. Perhaps there is some minor tension between the groups in the hallways.

Media center and computer labs

It appears as if some freshmen still need time to adjust to the 80-minute blocks. Compared to 45 minute periods in middle school, these blocks understandably may seem a little long.

Ease of hall navigation

This lower rating could have resulted from the lack of time the freshmen have had in the school. Many seem to not know the location of these facilites therefore unable to utilize

5.8

Because of the immense size of this new class, the hallways are often congested with people, making it difficult for people to walk in between classes.

Warrior art / Alex Rivadeneira

first eighty-minute block, and your first taste of decent cafeteria food. The best part about being a freshman though, by far, was the tide of new people you meet. Suddenly the student population has tripled and you have an art class with upperclassmen and kids who went to the other m i d d l e s c h o o l . It’s a great year to make some of the best f r i e n d s you’ll ever have. At some p o i n t ,

The Warrior Magazine September 23, 2005Silver

Guide to the Halls for freshmen

(continued from first page of Magazine, SENIOR)

C h e l s e a r e m e m -bers her freshman year

STOP AND GO: As shown in the poll on the previous page, many freshmen are finding the hallways extremely congested. Senior Julia Schnell gives navigational advice to the new class.

Freshmen Class Advisors

Mrs. Houghton teaches English 10 R and 10 H. She is the current freshmen class advisor along with collegue Ms. Rizzo.

Diagramed by Julia SchnellMAGAZINE

Feel free to cut this out of the paper and keep it as a handy reference when walking in the hallway:

I t ’s a f re shman wor ld(continued from first page of

Magazine, A FRESH)

F

Ms. Rizzo teaches English 9 R, 10M, and 10 H. This is her second year at Niskayuna. She formerly coached speech and debate.

nearly all of us are walk-ing on the right side of the hall. We owe a thanks to the sophomores, juniors, seniors, and all of the teachers that helped us learn these more basic rules (though not always in the gentlest way pos-sible): Thank you all.

And so, we’re well on our way to becoming real High Schoolers. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but I for one am excited to be here. Of course, in another week or so, that will have worn off and I’ll be waiting for summer again. Until then, enjoy yourselves!

however, the fascination wears out, and although you felt overwhelmed with free time to begin with, study halls become burdensome, and before you know it, you’re an upperclassmen complaining about the lack of l e n i e n c y in the hall m o n i t o r s . As sophs,

j u n i o r s a n d seniors, although we all look back on some fond memories, we can verify that as much as you have as a freshman, it only gets better from here on out.

Dan Stone

Chelsea Stone / Images courtesy the Stones

Warrior photo / Ben Hayashi, Lyndsi Holmes