University Neighborhood High School

UNHS Press

Home of The Panthers Volume 3 , Issue 4

February—March 2019

Inside the UNHS Press

First Ever Senior Night! ……………......…. 3

Freshmen see To Kill a Mockingbird...…… 4

Food Reviews! ……………………………. 5

Students Wow in ‘Lift Every Voice’ Show By ANNJALIE CHANDER

On February 13th, Ms. Asch and the performers of University Neighborhood High School collaborated with Abrons Art Center for a first-ever Black Histo-ry Month performance. Students and teachers were invited to attend three show times throughout the day to watch their classmates perform dance rou-tines, songs, and powerful spoken word poems. The audience was overwhelmed by the entire show and cheered on their peers before and after each amazing

act. As part of the evening, each cast member presented a “Did You Know, Did You Know?!” fact relevant to

either Black History Month, the LGBTQ community or both, and their influences to the American culture through-out the show. This left such an impact on the audience that it has now become a staple in our morning announce-ments, led by the senior class.

Students and teachers were also moved by the art displayed throughout the show and a sing-a-long of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by NAACP leader, James Weldon Johnson to end the show. A Q&A followed the show where the audience could talk to the cast members about the production and what it meant to them. Many students asked what it was like to be a part of this performance that discussed the Black Lives Matter movement. The cast was articulate in their re-

sponses, stating that they were nervous yet excited to be apart of a show like this. Senior Willow Perryman noted, “It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to highlight the injustices in our society in a creative way.” We applaud all those involved in the production, and we enthusiastically look forward to the Black His-tory Month to become an annual event at UNHS.

Andre Murph and Willow Perryman perform a duet.

Performers of “Lift Ev’ry Voice” gather together to end the show.

Freshman Samantha

Mendez performs a solo

during the show.

One of the moving group performances during the show.

We’re Bi-

Monthly

Now!

UNHS Celebrates First-Ever Chinese New Year Celebration By STEPHANIE CHEN

This past January 31st the Asian American Club led the school in our very first Chinese Lunar New Year celebration. The Chinese Club, Korean Club, SGA, Dance Team and Passport Club all assisted in honoring the holiday that would officially take place on February 5th. Prior to the show, students and teachers alike worked diligently preparing for their performances, as they knew that this would be the start of an annual event.

The show represented both traditional and modern aspects of Asian culture with the help of acts like K-Pop dance routines and traditional songs from China. The Diana Dance Company performed three beautiful traditional Chinese dances. Viewers were treated to one of the most dramatic forms of Chinese dance, which is the sleeve or ribbon dance. During this kind of dance, the dancer uses long silk sleeves to accentuate her hand and arm movements, whirling them around like banners. Then the dancers wore cheongsams, or long dresses, while performing a folk umbrella dance. Nikkii Knight recalls, “It was wonderful to see a side of dance I’ve never seen before. The dances were so elegant.”

However, the real stars of the show were our many student performers. Our own students, with Ms. Asch’s guidance, performed their own choreographed ribbon dance. Students from all grades sang a number of traditional folk and modern songs. Ms. Wang shocked the school with her rendition of the song “Under the Silver Moon,” which received a standing ovation. The Korean Club’s dance team Unit UNHS performed a medley of K-Pop songs. Mr. Cavalli, the ninth grade global teacher, noted, “It was really fun to see some students who don’t typically perform take center stage.” Amy Li, a sophomore, also commented, “The Lunar New Year show was a good way to introduce our school to our Asian pride and culture. Li

added, “People who I believed to be shy were really outgoing and shined in the performances.”

The show did not only have amazing acts but also included learning moments about different aspects of Chinese culture. During intermission, students handed out traditional red envelopes (Hóngbāo) and origami cranes to the audience as a sign of gratitude and good luck for the New Year. Students, parents and teachers excitedly opened the envelopes and enjoyed a piece of chocolate. We are thrilled that we have added this cultural event to UNHS and will look forward to it each year!

Korean Club “shoots” during the finale of Chinese New

Year. The Diana Dance Company performs a traditional umbrella dance.

Lou Chen, Rachelle

Bird, Selina Li and

Pearl Guo perform the

ribbon dance.

What is Lunar New Year? By KELLY ESPINO

On February 5th, schools were closed for Lunar New Year, but what is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year is not only Chinese New Year. It is celebrated by many Asian countries around the world. This holiday is known as Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Seollal, Tibetan Losar, and Spring Festival. The celebration is based on the lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon; therefore, the dates of the celebration vary between January 21 and February 20. These festivals last from the first new moon of the lunar calendar to the first full moon, which is 15 days later. Customs of the New Year include the “sweeping of the grounds,” during which hous-es are thoroughly cleaned to remove any bad luck lingering. Traditionally, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are reserved for family celebrations, including religious ceremonies honoring ancestors. Family members also re-ceive red envelopes containing small amounts of money. Dances and fireworks are prevalent throughout the holi-days, culminating in the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of the New Year’s celebrations. On this night colorful lanterns light up the houses, and traditional foods such as yuanxiao (sticky rice balls that sym-bolize family unity), fagao (prosperity cake), and yusheng (raw fish and vegetable salad) are served.

Kicking Off March with 1st Annual Senior Night By SOMAIYA ATKER

On Friday, March 1st, UNHS held its first ever Sen-ior Night to celebrate the countdown to graduation for the class of 2019. The idea for Senior Night began when Mr. Willie and a team of seniors sat down weeks before to dis-cuss how the school could provide more events for the sen-iors to make their last year at UNHS one to remember. At Senior Night, seniors were greeted with “Class of 2019” sunglasses and a pink carpet where they grabbed props for the photo booth, along with popcorn and snacks for the rest of the festivities to come. The night was jam-packed with activities, from karaoke with Ms. Lopez to “Escape the Room” with Ms. Loccisano and Ms. Hazizaj. Seniors occu-pied Mr. Moulder’s room and Mr. Viteri’s room for an in-tense Wii Dance Off and a Super Smash Bros. tournament (that lasted for four hours!). Seniors were encouraged to dress up for the event in their best pajamas; even the teachers and Mr. Willie joined in on the fun. The success of Senior Night solidified that this will become a fantastic new tradition here at UNHS, and we thank Mr. Willie for giving us this op-portunity to make long-lasting memories of our last year in high school!

Posing at the end of the pink carpet: [Bottom] Raylis

Sosa, Anyah Smith, Jonathan Flores, Rasheed Reid,

[Top] Karla Zambrano, Randy Bautista, Reydania

Munoz, Willow Perryman, Jahki Lewis, Nandini Wil-

liams, Charles Fields, and Nzinga Stewart.

It’s teachers versus students in an intense

game of Taboo in the library.

Mr. Wohlers,

Destiny Bolton,

Brynae Reid,

Amber Wil-

liams, and

Shanice Keitt

all pose at the

photo booth

with their

“Class of 2019”

shades.

UNHS Celebrates 2nd Annual ‘Pi Day’ Pie-Off By UDEME UDOM

After an overwhelmingly positive response from last year, the Pi Day Pie-Off has returned this year. The National Honor Society gladly hosted this fundraiser again for which students pay to pie their teachers in the face during their lunch periods on March 14th (better known at “Pi Day”). National Honor

Society members proudly raised $200 last year, and this year they raised over $250. Students from the National Honor Society, fueled with this de-sire to surpass last year’s total, carried jars during their lunch periods for two weeks to collect dona-tions from students, teachers, and UNHS staff members. Like last year, the objective of the fund-raiser was for each teacher (who actually volun-teered to participate!) who raised $3.14 in their jar to be awarded a pie in the face. Mr. Moulder, the National Honor Society’s advisor, also shared this year’s experience of Pi Day when he said, “This year was more enjoyable because I got pied both lunch periods since I knew both the seniors and juniors.” Mr. Moulder mentioned that the freshmen were a little worried about pieing their teachers in the face, but they were put at ease very quickly and enjoyed the fun. Seniors also shared their sadness because this will be their last Pi Day experi-ence, but they are grateful for their teachers sacrificing their faces to amuse them, giving them a memorable high school experience. Faith Disch, a new senior to

UNHS, expressed her excitement and gratitude by stating that the “day was so much fun.” Thank you NHS and Mr. Moulder for giving us another messy Pi Day to remember.

9th Grade English Classes See To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway By STEPHANIE CHEN

On March 13th, 47 freshmen were treated to see the dramatization of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, presented at the Shubert Theatre on Broad-way. To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the beloved novel by Harper Lee, is cen-tered on the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. While the play has some key differences from the novel, the basic plot remains the same. Atticus Finch, an attorney, hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man unjustly accused of rape. Aaron Sorkin, the playwright, attempts to update the book into modern times. One way this is done is by creating scenes that did not exist in the novel. Calpurnia, the Finches’ maid, and Tom Robinson, the accused, play a larger role in the play. Calpurnia especially takes the spotlight, bringing an emo-tional cry for rapid change in response to Atticus’s general optimistic thinking. Iman Khan, a freshman in attendance, noted, “I knew the book was about racial tension. I didn’t realize just how emotional that was. It was difficult to watch sometimes.” After the performance, there was a Q&A where students could ask questions of the actors and crew. Samantha Mendez, a student in attendance, asked the cast, “How does it feel to portray this story— that has such an emo-tional and historical connection?” Jeff Daniels, who plays Atticus Finch, said, “It’s emotionally draining but there is no other group of people I would rather do this with.” In classes before and after the performance, students discussed the deeper themes and connected them to the present day. Harper Lee wrote the brilliant line, “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Mockingbirds are those who are mistreated and vulnerable in society. There are many “mockingbirds” in America today, and it is our job to speak and out and fight injustice when we see it. Seeing To Kill a Mockingbird reminded us of that.

9th graders patiently waiting for

TKaM to start.

Mr. Kornfeld embraces his pie

from senior Charles Fields.

Principal Willie gets his inaugural

pie from senior JonJon Shi.

Oskar’s Reading Nook By OSKAR RZUCIDLO

Murder on The Orient Express by Agatha Christie This mystery novel, written in 1934, is a “must read” for mystery fans. With amazing plot twists and great characters, this book is a masterpiece. Since this book was adapted into a movie in 2017, the story has gained popularity. The novel is about a crime committed on a train trapped in snow with 15 suspects.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Welcome to a dystopian future where books are the enemy of the people and technology has advanced. Published in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 is set in 1999 and goes into how the world would look if books were being burned and knowledge destroyed. With the book’s an emphasis on propaganda and censorship, the reader gets a perspective of how people saw the future and the problems that may come with the progression of society.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare City of Bones is the first book in the series Mortal Instruments. In it is a fantasy filled world with magic and de-mons that will glue you to the book. The story is about Clary Fray, the Shadowhunters, and secrets to be uncov-ered. The reader digs deep into the story meeting dynamic characters and mythical monsters. The action, adven-ture, and romance on every page ensures that you won’t be able to put it down.

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff This is a heartwarming story of a teenager taking care of a poor family with a single mother. The story is written in a poetic format and is relatable to lots of teens. This short book is a good read if you like feel-good stories.

Food Reviews

Yaya Tea, located at 51 Chrystie Street, is a small yet welcoming bubble tea shop not too far from school. Yaya is known for their delicious (and cheap) bubble tea and onigiri. Our favorite part of this excursion is seeing the variety of Japanese snacks this place has to offer!

Location: Quality :

Ost Café on Grand Street serves as a quaint (and a little expensive) coffee shop around the corner from UNHS. Whether you’re in the mood for an iced coffee, espresso, or flaky croissant, this place has it. Teachers rave about getting the opportunity to head over to Ost for their caffeine fix.

Location: Quality:

Loho Deli at 204 Clinton Street offers a large menu at a decent pr ice. The big hit is the “Dr. Jimmy Juice” (aka “Green Juice”) that is refreshing and has a kick of ginger to keep your day go-ing. While this deli might be a little bit of a walk, it is certainly worth it whether you’re in the mood for a sandwich or one of the many smoothies they offer. Just make sure you say hello to Jimmy at the front!

Location: Quality:

Want to write a review for the UNHS Press? Submit your review to us at

unhspress@gmail.com!

WAY TO GO,

LADY PANTHERS!!!

Congratulations to our varsity girls’ softball team, who has begun the season on a 4-0 tear !