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Vol. 23, No. 3 March 2007 • aS SIC

Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Science Olympiad places 16th statewide by Stephanie Pak

The Science Olympiad team came in 16th place at the Sci­ence Olympiad State Competi­tion, held at West Point on March 9 imd I 0. The team won medals in five events: Food Science, Chern Lab, Entomol­ogy, Astronomy, and Disease Detective.This .achievement followed a sweep of the re­gional competition at Grover Cleveland Hi.gh School on Feb­ruary 10.

At Regionals, ~earn I came in first, Team 12 came in sev­enth, and Team 3 came in ninth place out of a total of 44 teams and 25 high schools who par­ticipated. A reconfigured Team I advanced to the state compe­tition.

the Regional victory. "Hearing the names and

'T9wnsend Harris High School' so many times just left me speechless. I couldn't believe how incredibly we did. Finish­ing first is a tribute to the stu­dents . ft's the second time

. we've made it to States," added co-advisor Thomas Sangiorgi .

"I was so happy that I felt the moment had to be captured, so I filmed it with my camera. Then, I put it on YouTube," said junior Warren Cheng.

At regionals, 64 students re­ceived medals for placing in the top five in individu~l events and numerous other students' names were announced for placing in the top I 0.

The club was able to send a third team to Regionals since more science teachers, includ­ing Phil Jones, Jonathan Tsai, Shibing Shen, and Philip

"I was so shocked and proud .... I'm so proud that no one let anything get to them and [they) did so well," said co~ad­visor Katherine Ludvik after continued on page 10 Science teacher Thomas Sangiorgi helps juniors Warren Cheng and Erin Zeqja

prepare their award-winning projeci for the Boomilever event.

AP World results gain nationwide recognition

-....

A.P. World History teachers Chris Hackney, Aliza Sherman, Charlene Levi, Adam Stonehill, and John O'Malley enjoy their students' high acheivement along with Principal Thomas Cunningham. and Assistant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting (2nd and Jrdfiwu l~fi) .

SING! page 4

Winter Concert page 7 ·

by Benjamin Snyder sophomores for over l 0 weeks. The results for the 2006 Ad- All their hard work resulted in

vanced Placement (AP) World History examination are in, and last year's sophomores, who took the exam in May, earned the best results in the nation . Some of the high acheivers and their teachers were featured on NY I on March I 0.

the school's receiving the high­est percentage of students who passed the examination with a score. of at least three out of a possible five in all of the "large" schools, public high schools that have over 800 stu­dents, in the nation. Of the 268

The class of 2008 was the Townsend Harris students who first to take the exam after As- . took the examination, 190 re-sislant Principal of Humanities Susan Getting made AP World History mandatory for all fresh­men in 2004. She switched the

2 curriculum from Global His-o. •5' tory to AP World because " the ~ AP curriculum is more interest­] ing, more challenging and Oil

gf thought-provoking , and it en-~ courages critical thinking." ~ To meet the challenges of .g_ the AP course in the first year

the class was .offered , the AP World History teachers con­ducted review sessions for the

QC Library page 9

ceived a three , four, or five. A Daily News art icle

en ti tied "TheM agn i ficen t Seven" reported that New York City has seven area high schools that earned top AP test results in the country. Referring to Townsend Harris ' s first­place ranking in AP World His­tory, it quoted Principal Tho­mas Cunningham as saying~ "The honor was a first for the school but it won't be the last. We've got well-trained,

continued on paf!,e 3

·Pans Labyrinth page 10

2 The Classic

March 2007 · '

Dearth of AP's puts us .at disadvantage

The past year has been filled with a great deal of national controversy concerning the merits of Advanced Placement (AP) courses. A study by Harvard University found that taking science AP's did little to boost col­lege performance in the sciences. Another study by the University of Texas contradicted Harvard by concluding through a survey of nearly 25,000 students - the largest ever on the impact of AP classes on college success · - that those who had taken AP courses and used the credit to take higher­level courses did significantly better in college than those who took intro­ductory level courses. At the same time, a Wall Street Joumalarticle an­nounced that the College Board, concerned that the quality of AP courses in the classroom might be slipping, is going to start requiring AP course curricula to be submitted and approved before a course can be called AP. Recently, several high-performing school districts such as Scarsdale de­cided to eliminate AP courses altogether, according to The New York Times.

So what should we do at Townsend Harris? Compared to other schools which offer a seemingly endless array of AP courses, Harris has much more modest offerings: World History, American History, European His­tory, United States Government & Politics, Statistics, Calculus AB, Psy­chology, French, and Spanish. Unlike other schools, Harris also limits the number of AP cowses a student can take to three.

Despite the limited number of AP courses, some Harrisites manage to get extra AP credits by signing up to take the exams at other schools and studying independently. Like many students across the nation, they feel that ·scoring high on se-veral AP exams is necessary to get into the Ivy of their dreams. Students who study independently are often quite success­ful on the examination; those who took the AP Biology exam indepen-· dently had a I 00% passing rate and the average score was a 4.0.

Two years ago . Harris implemented its first mandatory AP course, World History. When the results of this experiment came iri last year, they said somethin-g -significant: Harrisites can not only handle AP courses; they can pass them with tlying colors. The phenomenal scores on AP World History demonstrate that Harrisites, even freshmen and sophomores, can handle the high demands and heavy workload of an AP course .. Then why doesn't Harris offer more AP courses? Administrators argue that Harrisites compensate for this lack of AP courses in their senior year when they h~ve the opportunity to take classes at Queens College. Furth<frmore, in a ST)1qll school like Harris, it is often diffjcultto gather enDugh interested students t~· justify running the cl~ss, a ·problem that plagued proposed AP's like AP Japanese and AP Computer Science.

Although Queens College classes may serve the same ·purpose in pre­paring students for college, the grades for these courses often do not show up on seniors' applications. Since the classes are not taken until senior

-Underused.: Queens College resources

As Harrisites, we have free access to a multimillion dollar library, readings by world-famous authors such as Orhan Pamuk and Tom Stoppard, a variety of lectures offered during the "Free"liour," as well as the opportunity to participate in all sorts of student activities, from protests of the War in Iraq to coalitions ,raising awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Where can we do all this? At Queens College.

Although we are housed on the ·QC campus, many underclassmen are unaware that as part of Harris's relationship with the college, we are allowed to use all the campus resources that QC students have access to. Perhaps most immediately useful is the multimillion dollar Rosenthal Library, which in addition to housing many more books than the Harris library, offers newspaper archives dating back over mor~ than 150 years, countless primary sources and scholarly journals, and provides students with free access to computers with internet. Through the QC library, we can also access an array of online books and scholarly journals which can be quite handy when collaterals roll around; check out our library feature on page 9 for more details.

Even less-known to underclassmen is that QC offer-s a variety of performances and programs, many of which are free with a QC ID. (That would be the card you went on a field trip with your Writing Process class to acquire.) These vary from musical P¥rforrnances by students of the Aaron Copland School of Music to a recent reading by E.L. Doctorow of an unpublished short story he just finished writing. What's coming up? Live chamber music in the acoustically perfect LeFrak Concert Hall, regular exhibits at the Queens College Art Center, lectures, performances and films at the Center for Jewish Studies, as well as other offeri~s by various organizations and groups. Check out the next Evening Reading with award-winning author Mary Gordon at 7 PM on March 27 where all you need to do is flash your ID to get inside.

Seniors,can attend a variety of presentations and workshops ~uring the "Free Hour," Queens College's lunch time, which lasts from 12:15 to 1:15 on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Sitting and listening not your thing? QC is full of opportunities for political activism, including a chapter of Amnesty International and the ~ew York_ Public Interest Research Group (NYPURG), which works "to build coaltions to support affordable, accessible, quality higher education; combat legislation that does not hold businesses and individuals accountable for their misdeeds; and register thousands of students to vote."

So instead of running to catch the bus after school one day, go explore th~ QC campus and some of the ·many fesourc.es at your displisal. lf nothing else, your newfound familiarity with the college will give you a leg-up senior year.

year, colleges cannot see a definitive measure of student performance in a college class. This is where AP scores come in. AP scores accumulated during freshman, sophomore and junior year indicate to colleges how well a student is able to handle work. One way to ensure that there will be enough interested students to run a class is to do what was done with AP World History: make the class mandatory. And although training teachers for AP courses can be costly, it will pay dividends to the students who will experience higher-ievel courses and an edge in the col­lege admissions process and college itself.

Questions? · Comments? Complaints? Wrrte to us!

When it comes down to the specifics, the Harvard study lambasting AP courses dealt only with science AP's while the University of Texas considered all APs. They found "strong evidence of benefits to students who participate in both AP courses and exams in terms of higher GPAs, credit hours earned and four-year graduation rates," according to a Washington Post article published January 29. The answer to the dilemma is clear: AP courses are the highest level courses of­fered at the high school level and they significantly help prepare students for the rigors of college. The Classic hopes that last year's sophomores' success on the AP exam will spur administrators to offer students more AP courses so that every­one can enjoy more of these benefits.

Madeleine Wright N.:ws Editor

Robert McCullagh Spurts Editor

Sumit Patel Photography Editor

Jocelyn Wright Editor-in-Chief

Marisa Lupo feature ·Editor

Faith Aronowitz Ariel Brodsky Stephanie Pak

Benjamin Snyder Editors-in-Training

Rookminie Behari Entertainment Editor

Darren Deoraj Bonnie Ng

Co-Art Editors

lisa Cowen Advisor

Principal· Mr. Thomas Cunningham

News Staff: Daniela Castillo. Marissa Green, Jacquelyn Lekhraj, Alexander Lord, Adrianna Mateo, Ramandeep Singh, Benjamin Snyder

Feature Staff: Faith Aronowitz, Heriselda Begaj, Ariel Brodsky, Cindy Chen, Jasmine Daniel, Deborah Duke, Gabriella Duke, Jessica Graf, Cristine Khan, Linda Kung, Sydney Lowe. Kate Lu, Sarah Mahmood, Stephanie Pak, Mary-Grace Papatheodorou, Darcy Rendon·, Judy Singkissoon, Devon Wright

Sports Staff: Jennifer KaJar. Maureen McCluskey. Daniel Schwartz

Artists: Mitchell B<ider, Rowena Eng, Alice Hung. Liz Kussman, Melissa Lin, Katie Sullivan

Photography Staff: Warren Cheng, Deborah Duke, Ashley Guzman, Kenneth Ho, Fatema Janna!, Hannah Kang. Christina Lam. Sunny Liu, Heather Lonks, Alexander Lord, Isabella Ocampo. Sharn1in Ra~hed, Angglelia Sutjipto

Townsend Harris High Scho<;ll at Queens College • 149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367

Tile Classic is an open forum for the expression of student views. The. opinions expressed therein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty or student body as a whole.

Recoders are invited to submit letters to the editor. Letters .should be placed in .Ms. Cowen ·s mailbox in Room 315 ore-mailed to thhsclassic@yahoo.com. The Classic reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must include name and official class. Names will be withheld upon request.

- The Classic 3 March 2007

AP World resu·lts hig~he-st _ by nation-al standards

Disgusted by Trench Foot? Just think about those AP results. World History teacher Aliza Sherman keeps on smiling as her class explores one ~f the 1~ore unpleasant facets of World War I.

continued from page 1 dedicated, passionate teachers and hardworking students who rise to the challenge:."'

When asked her reaction to the re­sults, Ms. Getting replied, "Since I was the person who decided to do this, I guess you could say I feel great. It's al­ways great seeing students receive rec­ognition fOr working hard and for a love

of learning." The AP World History teachers were

also excited about the news, praising last year's sophomores. "I thought it was ama-zing·," sa:id CharLene Levi. "Students worked hard and we benefited from that because we are now the top [school) in the country." Aliza Sherman was -also pleased with the results. "It feels great, of course," she said . "We're very proud

Waz-ed wows Intel with beetle pr9ject by Sarah Mahmood

Senior Bushra Wazed was crowned as one of 300 nationwide Intel Sci-ence Talent Search semifinalists in Janu­ary . Her project, "The Effect of Resistance to Imidacloprid on the ImmunOcompetence of Leptinotarsa decemlineata," dealt with the Colorado potato beetle's resistance to pesticides. She earned a $1 000 scholarship and Harris received an additional $1000.

"It feels really great to . be a semifinal­ist," Bush~a said. "I worked on this project for over a year, and dedicated a lot of time

to it, so becoming a semifinalist felt like a reward for all the effort I made." Bushra explained that the Colorado potato beetle "is a major agricul ­

tural pest" that her research aimed to control. She discovered that the beetle's resistance to the pesticide Imidacloprid is a genetic adaptation which de­bilitates other genes. Resistant beetles are physically weaker, have a slower

-growth rate, and are less fertile. Working with Dr. Mitchell Baker from Queens College, she performed

two different tests to measure the strength of the beetle's immune system. "I think the methods of my experiments

are probably what got me through to the · semifinalist round, " Bushra explained . Bushra's tests proved her hypothesis by pro­ducing "statistically significant results which indicate that resistant beetles may be weaker

in immunity than susceptible beetles. " :1'1< ~' .wtrn\i.J.:•; Finalists were announced on January 31 ,

and although Bushra did not make it to ·the final rounds , she joined the ranks of the four other Intel Semifinalists who attended Harris.

of our students." Adam Stonehill believes that the re­

sults were "a testament that s'tudents can handle it [the examination]." He is es­pecially pleased because the high achieving students were" I O'h grade stu­dents competing against upperclassmen who are the best and the brightest."

When junior Tinya Cheng learned that her class received the highest re­sults in the nation, she said, "I think that 's awesome. That's hot." Another junior, Caro1yn Roak , was also happy, saying that "I guess [I feel) very proud. We had very good results;· we were the best in the nation ." An anonymous jun­ior said, "Well, I wasn't surpr!sed about [the results] because we're one of the top schools in the country and we have some of the best teachers here."

Sophomores that were .interviewed had mixed feelings about the results. "I think there's a lot more pressure on the sophomore class because we have to either get 70 percent [passing rate] again or higher," said Fior Fabian. Cindy Rom said, "We're only sophomores in high school. This is a college class. There­fore, I'm pleas.antly surprised to dis­cover that THHS students are capable of overcoming an ex~remely difficult course and textbook."

According to the teachers inter- · viewed, the two main factors that led to

success were the dedication of the teach­ers and students. Ms. Getting said, "I think the fact that we do interdiscipli­nary writing across the curriculum [is the reason] . You.can't be successful on the AP World exam unless you can write ." Mr. Stonehill attributed the suc­cess to the teachers, and not only those teaching history. "It's a school-wide phenomenon," he said. - "We all con­gratulate the AP World teachers but, as a faculty, we all contributed to the re­markable results.''

For the future, Ms. ·Levi said, "we have to beat the statistics .... It just makes our job harder because we have to beat it [the bar) ourselves." Not only do the students have to excel," she continued. "So do the teachers."

When asked about the possibility of making the European History and United States History mandatory courses , Ms. Getting said, "We ' ve al­ways offered AP European History but there's not enough interest [to make it mandatory]." But, she says, "we have every intention of teaching all AP United States History" cla~ses in the future .

For those taking the examination this year, Ms. Sherman offers some guide­lin_es to ensure success. "Stick to your review schedule," she said, "attend the tutoring, but most importantly, you should enjoy AP World Hjstory.:'

J T••rt I -.J"·JI•'' rr1•• I

GarchaS essay . - .

tinpresses Supreme· Court justices

by Ariel Brodsky Rupinder Garcha, a I 01h grader, thrilled faculty and peers when she was

chosen as one of lO finalists in the sixth annual essay contest on the inde­pendence of the judiciary. Not only was Rupinder chosen as a finalist and awarded an internship with a Supreme Court justice, but she also won the grand prize - her essay was recently published in both The Jurist and The New York Law Journal , renowned 'publications dedicated to legal issues .

The prestigious contest was sponsored by the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court ·of the· State of New York. Open to public high school

. sophomores, juniors, and seniors , the competition required students to write an essay whose topic was "separate b~anches, baJanced powers ."

"I was shocked," Rupinder said. "I didn ' t expect io be number one." . On December 6, Rupinder was excused from school as she and her fam­

ily attended the awards ceremony at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York in Manhattan. Among t_he notable guests in attendance were Chief Judge Judith S. Kay~, the first woman to serve on New York State's Supreme Court, and Judge Abraham Gerges .

The internship will allow Rupinder to attend trials, conduct research with the law clerk, learn how to use a law library, become fa~iliar with legal terminology, and experience several law-related careers, including court clerk, court officer and court reporter.

"I'm really excited," Rupinder said. "The internship was the only rea~ son why I entered this contest." .

Rupinder's A.P. World; History teacher, Ali'za Sherman, was especially proud. _

"I am ecstatic," Ms. Sherman said. "Rupinder is a very hard-working student, and I have no doubt that she will reap the benefits of an internship . with a New York State Supreme Court Justice."

-

4 The Classic

March 2007 -Seniors' . 'Revolution' su~cceeds at S.ING!.

focused on four Townsend Harris stu­dents struggling to finish their col­lateral when they get locked into the school for the night. As they struggle to find an exit, the students discover thatthe school has been transformed into a jungle, and their teachers into animals.

"I liked the seniors' play the best, even though they went a little too .long," said a freshman. "The juniors had. the best concept but I didn't like their performance. The sophmen had the best singers."

"Sophmen SING! was really cute," said a junior. "Junior SING! had a really good story and Senior SING! was rea_lly funny. But overall I think the juniors should have won."

"Since Junior SING' last year went over so well, I was expecting Senior SING! this year to be good, and it was," said a sophomore. "Con­sidering how much of a wreck

0 Sophmen SING! was rumored to § have become, I was surprised be-..c :;: cause even though the plot was

cliche, they executed it well," she ~d~. , .

Seniors storm the stage on the final night of SING! They filled the auditorium with a deafening roar after their victory was announced.

by Kate Lu The seniors emerged victorious on

February 1--3 from the annual SING! performances, as they have in previous years. Sophmen accepted an invitation to participate in the borough- wide SING! competition on March 23, .and juniors have also accepted their invita­tion to participate in citywide SING!

This year's theme was "Musicol­ogy," which called for plots based on song lyrics and song titles. For their SING! performance, the seniors chose "Revolution" by the Beatles, which was set in St. Andrew's High School. Sci­ence teacht::r Philip Porzio appeared as Jimmy the Ace Master, while English teacher Peter Wamsteker pl.ayed a Com­munist revolutionary. In the perfor­mance, the students,_oppressed by strict

teachers, fight for change and freedom, led by one boy aptly named Moses . Though the teachers plot to put down the revolt, they are swept up by the en­thusiasm of their pupils and are put to shame when the headmaster is arrested .

The sophmen chese Billy Joel's "Up-. town Girl" for their SING! production, . which centered around ~endall "Won­

der Bread" Morie , a wealthy girl who runs away from home after her father refuses to buy her a Dolce & Gabbana bag. Her adventures in the city reunite · her with an old friend, and lead her to reconsider her lush life . Latin teacher Jonathan Owens appeared as Filthy Phil, whom Kendall "meets during her jour­ney.

''I'm not going to lie and say it was always great," said Sophmen SING! di-

rector Samantha Kendall about her experience working with SING! "Truthfully there is a lot going on that a director needs to worry about. However, I can say it was worth all the work I put into it. Seeing all of our hard work actually become ~ performance was amazing. Al­though there were small problems h~re and there, I think overall it was a great experience for everyone in-vo lved ." § - . E

· Junior SING! based their play on ~ "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns c.;, 'N Roses . The performance featured ~ Latin teacher Andrew Hagerty , ;, chemistry .teacher Thomas ~ Sangiorgi, and French teacher .g,

. Mariet D'Souza, who played teach- · "What

ers inhabiting the jungle. The plot tutu as a ballet instructor in Senior SING!

·Really goodJ guest dance ticket sales exceed expectations by Sydney Lowe

Valentine's Day came early this year­three days early to be exact. The senior­sponsored Valentine's Day Guest Dance took place on Friday, February 9 in the gymnasium from 6 to 9 PM, spreading some pre-holiday cheer. Each Harrisite could invite one high school~aged guest, just as long as the guest wore sneakers.

Attendance was higher than last year, and , according to Senior Advisor Charlene Levi, the days spent planning the dance paid off "The turnout was re­ally good this year," she said. "The Humanities department really helped out by promoting citizenship incentives to the students, and apparently there were lots of freshmen ."

"I come to every dance ," said sopho­more Tatiana Palwec. "I like contribut­ing to the senior class because I know that in two years I'll need the help of

underclassmen, and besides, I like to get my freak on," she said, laughing. She wishes, however, that "more students were willing to come."

"Due to a small turnout and music that wasn't to my liking, the Valentine's Dance was definitely not as much fun as it could have bee~ ," said sophomore Jasmine Daniel. Many of those who bought tickets did not attend ..

Sophomore Ayanna Francis felt that " the dance did not live up to its expec­tations. The DJ wasn't aniazing and the crowd was pretty weak , but it was still an easy going environment to chill."

Although there are no more dances this year, Ms. Levi asserts that improve­ments can be made fo r next year. She says, "Events need to be spaced out bet­ter. Everything has been back to back! We want to plan events that students are able to actually go to ."

All proceeds from the Valentine 's of 2007, while any leftevers will go to Day Guest Dance go to the seniorclass next year's senior class.

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Party time! Students show up and get down ai this year'S Valentine's Day guest dance.

- The Classic 5 March 2007

Poetry reading. attendees are far from _'Heartbroken' by Jocelyn Wright

"Heartbroken" may have been the theme of the. Phoenix's second poetry reading held on February 16 in the li­brary, but the works read exhibited a wider range of topics. The well-attended reading was "a big success financially," according to advisor Robert Babstock.

Students and staff shared favorite poems as well as original work of their own, or, in some cases, each other. En­glish teacher Peter Wamsteker read Mr. Babstock's poem, "Era of Good Feelc ings." Some students shared poems in different languages. Sophomore Katherina Bel ram read a poem in Span-

. ish and a junior read one in ancient Greek.

Senior Amanda Baker especially liked a poem read by sophomore Ryan Urquidi because he was "very into it and. very theatrical."

Junior Ellie Philips sang some of her own songs and another student per­formed a song on the guitar. Mr. Babstock described this as "perfor-

mance poetry" which is "as legitimate as any other form of poetry."

"My favorite part was the musical performances," said sophomore Jordano Sanchez.

"I thought the poetry reading was good because people were able to ex­press their feelings through poetry," said sophomore Johanna Sanders.

Sophomore Michelle Hulewicz agreed but felt that "they still need to provide more seating," since students pack into the library and many are obliged to stand or sit on the floor.

·§. "Each [poetry reading] has its own

;.,;,;;_;;.;;:::;, ~ kind of personality. This one had an en­

English teacher Robert Babstock and senior Louis Vega present a poem in English and Spanish at the poetry reading.

;.§ tertaining kind of rhythm. All the per-'-'

gjJ formances were entertaining and kept ~ the audience enthralled," said Mr. £ Babstock. "It was great seeing students 0

] exercising their First Amendment rights. o.. I'm glad to see that we have those kind

of protections and that our skirts don't get tied up in knots like in some school districts in other parts of the state," he added.

FTC funds foundation new school in Sri Lanka "

There ·were a few glitches during the night. During Jamie Rivera's perfor­mance, the curtain broke, forcing the show to go to an early intermission, but this allowed the hosts to amuse the au-. dier.~ce .w~th their humorous i.mpr.ovisa-tions ·on stage: · · -.. - - ' ---~ · ·- -

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"To the left to the left ... okay are you ready for 'the real song?" jokes senior Michael Andronico before starting his rendition of "Turnpike Gates" by Lifetime.

by Linda Kung Snow clouds hanging overhead did

not dampen the spirits of parents, rela­tives, friends, and teachers who filled the auditorium for the fourth annual Free the Children Variety Snow on Tuesday, February !3. Attendees had high expec­tations for the show, which was hosted by · seniors Michael Bye and Lance To-mas and displayed student talents from singing to acting.

"It went well overall despite the weather, but we didn't make as much as we wanted," said Caroline French, the president of Free the Children. Nev­ertheless, the club raised .$1700, more than expected. It's still a long way from the $6000 that needs to be raised, but the club remains optimistic knowing

that this is a long-term goal. In recent years, Free the Ch_ildren has

raised $5000 to build a school in Sierra Leone, Africa as well as an additional $5050 to supply the school with educa­tional materials. Continuing this hu­manitarian tradition, the club set a new goal this year to build a school in the tsunami -stricken Ampara district of Sri Lanka.

The show began with a bang as the Tenth Band Jazz Ensemble played three lively pieces. Several musicians returned for solo pertp rmances ahd received · cheers and applause from the audience.

Singing was a big part of the night as performers belted out self-written or covers songs. Stephanie Lugaro sang "Dreaming of You" by Selena while jun-

iors Silbia Han 'and Jamie Rivera sang their own songs, such <lS "Peach" and "Tangible Reality." Sen'ior Michael Andronico sang "Turnpike Gates" by. Lifetime and seniors Adelle Platon, Fariz Meraza and Martin Leung per­formed "Abstract Medley."

Hip-hop was also a part of the show when Kronik Kredentials came o~t, giv­ing the audience original songs such as "Mirror, Mirror" and "Lois Lane." The audience was also treate'd to a preview of the upcoming spring musical West Side Story. Joe Spitaleri as Tony and Melanie Sovern as Maria crooned the famous duet 'Tonight" to the audience . There was also a piano solo from Joanna Menillo. The night ended with the band Waistina singing four popular songs.

The turnout was lower than in previ­ous years, when the Variety Show was usually held _on a Friday night. Selling the tickets was the hardest task for club

. members. During a club meeting, mem­bers pointed out that students were un­willing to buy tickets because of the day and the price, since many students had already forked over $10 for SING' tick­ets. However, knowing that the show was for a worthy cause, some students made small donations. Snowwarnings were also put into effect that day and the club t:elt the show needed .more ad­vertising because many students were unaware of it.

"Sun's gonna rise ... " Senior Hannibal Banks raps with Kronik Kredentials.

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:::~ L_______ ------ ~-,-- -TDF provides six free Broadway performances by Faith Aronowitz

The lights dim. You settle into your seat. The audience hushes. The orchestra strikes up. The curtain rises and the show begins. Imagine you had the opportunity to attend· six live theater perfor­mances for free. Carolyn Aquino, John Costello, Jahnesha Huertas, Jose Pulido, Vanessa Ng, Precious Sipin, · Anita Sonawane., and Pranita .Sookai received this oppor­tunity from the The­ater Development Fund (TDF) Open Doors Program.

In September, the program presented eight students inter­ested in learning about and ex-

periencing live theater with scholarships. The program, founded in 1998 by Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein, serves to introduce theater to high school students. Open Doors matches

small groups of students with distinguished theater profes­sionals, who become their mentors. At the conclusion of each perfor- · mance, these mentors con­duct a seminar in which the

students a·re able to discuss their personal reactions to the perfor­mance. English teacher Richard

. Cappuccio works as the liaison

between the students and TDF. Robert Longbottom, Broad­

way director and · choreogra­pher, serves as the mentor for the Townsend Harris students . According to Mr. Cappuccio, Mr. Longbottom, who runs the seminar, has seen the plays be­fore and develops ways to encourge high school students to see the shows. Students' re­actions are assessed in two ways : through active discussion in the seminar and through a journal in which the students document their reactions to the show. Jahnesha Huertas, junior, said, "My favorite part is the seminar. .. .It allows the true ef­fect of-the play to sink in, and I Tealize all tbe things that I didn't during the play.''

So far, the group has seen Spring Awakening and The

Apple Tree and plans to see A Chorus Line . In addition , they plan to travel to Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center to see Carnival, a production that Mr. Longbottom is in . Mr. Cappuccio says the program gives students "the opportunity to see different types of theater and to be able to discuss it im­mediately afterwards." When

. he sees people leave a theater, one of the first things they do is take out a cell phone and start talking, he says. This program is "pioneering the concept that you could actually talk to the

. people who were at the theater with you and maybe get a lot more out of it that way."

When asked why she de­cided to become a TDF scholar, Jahnesha replied, "I never saw a Broadway play and very of-

ten the cost is quite high to do so. Also, as an aspiring actress, I thought it was a great net­working tool to meet people in that field." Similarly, Precious . Sipin said, "I love performing and since I want to be involved in theater somehow in the fu­ture, I wanted to study and learn more about Broadway shows. I like to interpret them as well."

With the Open Doors Pro­gram, TDF is trying to promote theater to a younger audience, trying to fill those seats with New Yorkers. The program's premise is that tlteatergoing is the birthright of every New Yorker.

Ac.cording to Wendy Wa~serstein, "Theatre is a very personal experience that grows in meaning and depth when sha~ed with others."

Good turnout.makes Wt'nter Carnival a 'success' by Heriselda Begaj

Drawing more people than it did last year with a variety of booths that catered to sttJdents, faculty, and guests, the Winter Carnival held on January 22 earned $2,154.

Coordinator fo r Student Ac­tivities Adam Stonehill, who helped organize the Winter Car­nival, was pr6ud of this year's success, which he credits to the · school club liaison Anita Sonawane. The large turnout was especially important to him , as he believes that an event is "only as good as the number of people that shows up."

Anita also felt that the Win­ter Carnival was a great suc­cess, filled with energy and ex­citement. She says that this was partialiy due to the fact that most students did not have fi­nals around the date that it was scheduled. She also credits "the presidents and captains of the clubs" whose booths drew so many people.

The opinions of students who attended the Winter Car­nival varied from class to class. Freshmen Warren Cheng and Angie Dylgjerifelt that it didn't live up to their expectations. Warren thought that the atmo­sphere was too loud, and that there was a lack of organiza­tion : Angie agreed , adding , "It was not as fun as I expected, and there was a lack of direc­tion." She expected more tra­ditional carnival activities, such as sack races and pie throwing.

Sophomore Johanna Sand­ers disagreed." I liked the large variety of ~ooths and the over­all turnout of people, which made the event very exciting," she said. Some cited booths such as that of the Sophomore Grade Leaders as their favorite due to the aesthetically pleas­ing way in which they were pre­sented . Others hoped to see more teachers involved in the booths in the future, as well as more hands-on activities .

Juniors Daniella Silva and Sunny Liu thought that the event had a great turnout and that everyone seemed to be hav­ing a great time , despite the overcrowding. Others were up­set that fish were given out as prizes. They felt that most of them would die because their new owners were not provide~ with the necessary equipment needed to care for the animals.

Although Mr. Stonchill did feel that this year's Winter Car­nival went well, he hopes to see an even larger turnout in the coming years, as well as more video booths. He also hopes to elim inate the shortage of food, and wants at least one booth next year that offers enough re­freshments.

Anita, though, heard no complaints. ''I' m so thankful to be part of this process," she said, "and hopefully in the years to come, people will run for and later embrace the posi­tion of Club Liaison."

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Made to order: sophomore Jennifer Liu folds up an origami turtle for freshman Kellyn McCarthy to support the Key Club at this year's Winter Carnival.

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HIV/AIDS Day spreads information and awarness by Faith Aronowitz and Stephanie Pak

Peer educators ·brought awareness of the AIDS epi­demic to classes on HIVIAIDS Day, January 23, while educa­tors from the Love Heals orga­nization spoke at assemblies.

Discussions covered myths ·and fact s about HIV I AIDS and precautionary measures against contracting the virus. ·

Two presenters from Love Heals, Asia and Bobby, shared their first-hand accounts of their experience with HIVIAIDS .

· Asia described the difficulties

of living with AIDS , while Bobby gave general supple­mentary information about the virus.According to the presen­tation, two teenagers contract AIDS every hour. ·

"I never imagined that I would .get the HIV virus. You have no idea, what it's like , your immune system being so weak that you tan die from a simple cold," Asia said.

They also held a question and answer session with stu­dents afterwards.

The peer educators enjoyed teaching their fellow students

more about HIVIAIDS. "Having groups of students

of various grades made the pre­sentation more interesting. Teachrng ninth and eleventh grade were two completely dif­ferent experiences" said one peer educator.

Sacha Per~aud, a junior and new peer educator, said, "It was good to see people asking ques­tions. The fact that some teach­ers let the students do other things during our lessons like having their books open or let­ting them do other work was disrespectful. The majority of

the teachers were cooperative and even participated. Ms. Shen helped and worked with us, tell­ing her own stories to make stu­dents even more interested."

Peer educators received training at Long Island Jewish North Shore Hospital (LIJNSH) well before HIV I AIDS Day. They learned how to teach engaging lessons that simultaneously taught students about HIVIAIDS.

"The LIJNSH was Im­pressed with the seriousness, respect, attention, and maturity of our presenters," said Mark

Duke, SPARK counselor. The freshmen received les­

sons frorr\ the HIV I AIDS cur­riculum taught by the Depart­ment of Education. Other grades participated in skits and discus5ed HIVIAIDS in a work­shop setting.

Health and physical educa­tion teacher Keith Hanson greatly praised the peer educa­tors, saying, "All educators are motivated and have pride in their work . They have a great · level of professionalism in their job."

reporting by Darcy Rendon

. The Classic 7 : March 2007 -

Long- awaited Winter Concert rocks campus center by Ariel Brodsky

Despite rumors that recent audito­rium renovations would cancel the win­ter concert, the longcdelayed event was held about a month later than planned on January II, at the Kupferberg Cen-. ter for the Visual and Performing Arts on the Queens College campus.

Although the auditorium was deemed unfit to host the concert, the efforts of Assistant Principal of Lan­guages Other than English Lisa Mars and alumni enabled the CQncert to be held at the new location.

"It's a tradition and a part of the stu­dents' final grade," said Ms. Mars, who confirmed that cancelling the concert was '_'not an option." Although 12 trips back and forth were made to transport the necessary equipment, the location of the Kupferberg Center, which is better known to the Harris community by its former name, Colden Center, "made it doable," she said, and the school was "fortun;te" that it was available.

"I was glad that we had a concert," said Peter Lustig, director of the inter­mediate, Tenth Ba1-1d, and concert bands. "I would've been very disappointed if it had been cancell.ed. I appreciate all the work that Ms. Mars did to get Colden for us. I also want to thank the alumni."

"I think all the performances were excellent," he continued·. "I was particu­larly impressed by the intermediate band playing at Colden for the first time. They played their pieces perfectly."

In fact , it was the intermediate band 's first public performance, which proved somewhat intimidating.

" It was really nerve-wracking," said Jessica Blanca, a sophomore in the in­termediat~ band. "But once you got into the music, it was really fun."

It was also the first performance for. freshmen music students."It was excit­ing to perform as a student of Townsend Harris for the first time ," said Alyssa Alicino, a freshman in the chorus. "When the concert was postponed, all the girls were disappointed because we

had all been looking forward to the con­cert, but we realized that it benefited us by allowing us more time to prepare. Overall, it was a memorable, unforget­table experience that we all enjoyed."

Although the concert was held on a Thursday night, Ms. Mars was "ecstatic about the audience turnout." One school brought a music class to the concert on a field trip. Ms . Mars received an e-mail

·from a visiting assistant principal of music who claimed no other concert he had attended could compare· to that of Townsend Harris.

Performances varied from Pirates of the Caribbean by the intermediate band to"Seasons of Love" by the chorus to "Greensleeves" by the Chamber En­semble to a Ray Charles medley by the concert band. Senior Mary-Grace Papatheodorou performed a ballet solo to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker.

The Tenth Band performed many solos. "I wanted to be able to improvise and tell my story while relating to my audience," noted se nior Jonathan Vazcones, who displayed his skills dur­ing the song "Tiger of San Pedro." ''I'm not sure if everyone understood my story, but the point is that they were able

·to listen to me, and that's what [impro­visation] is all about."

and instruments." Mary-Grace, who has been dancing

.for 12 years, added, "I was really ex­cited about performing the "Sugar Plum Fairy" piece, especially since it would be the first time that ballet would be a part of the winter concert at Townsend!"

Ms. Mars was "blown away" by the Chamber Ensemble's "attention to .de-tail" in tne Canon in D Remix by Pachelbel, which she cited as her favor­ite piece. She also ·commended the cho­rus as "absolutely professional." · .

The concert included the traditional "The Twelve Days of Townsend" per­formed by both faculty and students, although it received differing reactions .

"I was really nervous," said junior Jamie Rivera, a member of the cham­ber ensemble, "but 'The Twelve Days of Townsend' at the end made me feel so much better. I guess it just reminded me of how proud I am to be a part of the THHS family."

"I didn't like 'The Twelve Days of Townsend' because it's the same every

"Overall , I was very happy with how it turned out," said Mariko Sato, direc­tor of the Chamber Ensemble. 'This is the first year that the chamber ensemble was offered , so it allowed for different types of performances. I was nervous because there wasn't a lot of rehearsal time, but in general it went very welL"

Audience members and faculty were ~J equally impressed."My favorite perfor- '§'f mance was Pirates of the Caribbean by VJ

the intermediate band," said junior Caroline Raak._ "Mr. Lustig, Dr. Sato, and Ms. McKinley did an excellent job."

year. Something new has to be made up," said junior Christine Go lea, a mem­ber of the concert band.

Although the comedic song was sup­posed to end the concert, senior Michael Bye decided to direct the concert band in one last song- a spontaneous finale of Bohemian Rhapsody that glued audi­ence members to their seats . Ms. Mars praised the unexpected conclusion as "very surprising and very well done," and Christine Go lea "loved the reaction of the remaining audience ... it was re­ally fun ."

As for playing at the campus again, music teachers hope otherwise. "I would much rather have the concert at Townsend Harris," Mr. Lustig said. "It took a lot of work to get the equipment to Colden, set it up, and get it back."

D..r. Sato also believes that holding the concert in the Harris auditorium would have been easier, but it "tested our abil­ity to go outside and put on a concert that involved such technicalities. Now, we're more confident about traveling ."

Sophomore Reena Sam~ a member of the chamber enserrible, especially en­joyed the ballet by Mary-Grace , which "was a refreshing change from the songs

Chorus members bring "Seasons of Love" to the Kuperferg Center while the auditorium was being repaired .

Lunchtime recital fills lobby with music ·and holiday ·cheer Ensemble enchants Valentines

by Heriselda Begaj by Alexander Lord

Songs resonated through the second floor hallway as the Chamber Ensemble and Music Theory classes performed in the lobby on December 14. Approxi­mately I 00 students and faculty mem­bers attended the recitals during fifth, sixth, and seventh bands in the lobby.

Lisa Mars, Assistant Principal of Art and Music, said that the location "opened it up to everybody." She com­mented on both the enthusiasm of the musicians and the audience, saying '"Exciting' is not even the correct ad­jective."

The Music Theory class of 38 fresh­men and one junior performed publicly for the first time with rounds on the key­board. They played pieces including Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," the theme from Titanic, and "Frere Jacques. " Mariko Sato, who teaches and conducts

the class , recalled that many of her stu­dents had only started playing 12 weeks prior to the performance. She said that the success of the group "took a lot of musicianship, and I'm very proud they learned that skill."

Some teachers brought their classes down to the lobby to attend the recital. Senior Kim Ng, who came with her So­cial Science Research class to hear the Chamber Ensemble, described the per­formance as "bea~tiful," and added that "the performers were very talented."

Junior Adrianna Mateo, the soloist of Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerto "Win­ter," said it was " really great seeing the turnout." She and Dr. Sato both ex­pressed wishes for another open perfor­mance in the future . Ms. Mars said that the performances wer~ "truly inspiring" and added that it "breaks up the mo-

. notony of the day."

Valentine's Day was marked by more than lots of red, lots of pink, candy, and kisses. During lunch bands, the Chamber Ensemble performed a variety of holi­day-themed requests. Organized by Dr. Mariko Sato with the help of senior Adelle Platon, the performances enchanted students with a variety of songs , including Celine Dian's, My Heart Will Go On.

Sophomores Johanna Sanders and Erica Hess felt that the performances were "very soothing." Johanna "greatly enjoyed the concert. I think it's wonderful that students and faculty in this school take the time to plan events such as these that we can all enjoy," she said. Erica was also happy because the performances of­fered a retreat from the chaos that was taking place that week.

Those who performed were also pleased. "I had a lo"t of fun doing it. It was nice for us to do something on that day," said sophomore Patrycja Klimek. "I also felt that there was better organization this time around and the performers have had a chance to become more advanced," she added. Sophomore Jeffrey Wong also en­joyed taking part in the performance but felt that tpe lunch bands were too short and on account of that, some of the performances had to be cut down.

Adelle believes that the concerts are a great way for students to showcase their musical talents . 'The fact that the audience is so small and supportive makes a big difference because anyone can just go up there and give a great performance with­out fear," she said. "It touched my heart when a friend of mine couldn't hit a single note, but the audience kept cheering him on as if he didn ' t mess up at all. Only in a high school like Townsend Harris could you find so much love!" she added.

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8 The Classic

. MarGh 2Q07 -Zhang zings closer to presidential sCholarship

by Madeleine Wright A chancy to meet the President of the

United States is not one tharmost high school students are likely to have. But this year, senior Fan Zhang might receive . this honor if he is named a Presidential Scholar.

Fan is one of 2,600students who were selected from a pool of nearly 2.8 mil­lion high school seniors for candidateship in the 2007 Presidential. Scholars Program. The program is, ac­cording to the US Department of Edu­cation, "one of the highest honors be­stowed upon graduating high school se-

· After Fan sends his application, a "distinguished panel of educators" will determine if he will be selected as one of 500 semifinalists in early April. The panel will re.view "the students' essays, self-assessments, descriptions of acti vi­ties, school recommendations, and high school transcripts" to help make the de­CISIOn.

If Fan makes it to the semifinals, the final decision on whether he will become a Presidential Scholar will be made by a commission of 32 citizens appointed by Preside.nt Bush. One male and female finalist will be cho-

niors." sen from each state for a total of 100 The same source indicated that the Presidential Scholars. The U.S. De-

candidates 'for the Presidential Scholars · Program are chosen based on "their ex-

' ceptionalperformance on either the Col­lege Board SAT or the ACT assessment." On his SAT, Fan scored a perfect 800 on both the math and reading sections. He also took five AP tests and received a top score of five on all of them. Addi­tionally, over the past four years, Fan has taken so many SAT Su.bject Tests that he has lost count, although he knows he has taken more than eight.

partment of Education will announce the names in May.

If Fan's name is among them, he will be invited to Washington, D.C. for several days to meet the President and his elected .representatives andre­ceive his Presidential Scholars medal­lion.

"It's rewarding to be noted for my academic achievements," commented Fan. He said that when he first told his parents about the candidateship,

Art Show displays talent by Linda Kung

The lobby morphed into a mini-gal­ler.-,: oLpai.-Rt~gs, drawings, and photo­graphs on January 8 for the first of the Art Club's semi-annual art shows. En­titled "Townsend Harris on Ice," it also included many works outside the theme.

There was an extensive display of a variety .of different art sty)es at the show from acrylic to marker to the classic pen­cil and pen.

Although all Art Club members were required w contribute a piece for either the winter or spring show, not all pieces were created by Art Club members. Margherita Wischerth submitted a pho­tograph by Kirsten Guelly. Other pieces included Estella Yu.'s Moulin Rouge, a sculpture called Snowflake by Eleni Gitas, origami from Stephanie Hung and a photomontage called ."Potty Mouth" by Annette Paciorek.

Snacking on an array of refreshments , • students, mostly underclassmen, rotated around the display cases admiring their

classmates' talents. " I really liked the crayons!" said

sophomore Ang;gJ Sutjipto referrin'g to a bas-relief piece entitled "Color My World" by Evelyn Lee .

Preparation fqr the Art Show was an extensive operation that started in Sep~ tember. After a month of collecting art, the club members '8pent several days at­taching the work to display boards and carefully labeling each piece. "Ringing. up artwork is an art Itself," said co-presi­dent Joseph Lin.

Cl'Jntrary to tradition, this year's Art . Club is comprised of more uncjerclass­men than seniors, but to co-president Nancy Lin, that just makes it better. "It's so good to have this," she said, gestur­ing to the art.

_Club advisor Stu Yellin couldn't have been more pleased as he walked around answering students' questions.

''I'm always proud of our students and how much effort they put in ," he said.

Got art? Sophomores Matthew Waton and Vincent Martinez admire their

classmates' talents.

·,

they "provided some backhanded com- A political conservative, Fan offered pliments and were ve~y demure about this opportunistic advice to future high it, but inside they were happy." ' school seniors who might be eligible for

· When asked if he there were one per- this program: "If you want to be a Presi­son he would like to thank for his dential Scholar, turn Republican, be­achieving the candidateship, he replied cause Bush appoints the members of the "God, for blessing me with my intelli- panel. But when Hitary Clinton wins the gence." presidency in 2008, turn Democrat."

... "Fantastic!" Fan strikes a. typical pose as he thinks of meeting President Bush.

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Arista-honors achievers, celebrates stellar service by Faith Aronowitz

New Arista inductees and already enrolled former Arista members paraded down the aisles of the Kupferberg Center for the Visual and Performing Arts at the an­nual Arista Induction Wednesday evening, November 29. A semiformal occasion, the Arista Induction serves to honor students who go above and beyond their re­quirements as students and as citizens. At the ceremony they were recognized by their teachers, parents, and peers for their academic excellence, leadership quali­ties, exemplary character, and commitment to the community.

Markrete Krikorian, former Vice President and thin:! year Arista member said, "To me, Arista represents the spirit of Townsend Harris. We give to others, excel in academics, and abide by the rules ." She added, "Arista is also evidence of our fulfillment of the Ephebic Oath: We do not merely pledge to 'leave our city no less but rather greater than we found it,' but we actually do."

Seniors Marni Dangellia and Kevin Liang performed piano pieces , entitled Escenas Romanticas by Enrique Granados and Take Five by Dave Brubeck, re­spectively. Junior Jamie Rieveria performed 'Ripple Effects,' an original compo­

. sition. "The best part of the Arista Induction is always the performances. The stu· dents are able to showcase their talents and honor their peers," said Adam Stonehill, Arista Advisor.

The candle lighting ceremony was the traditional highlight of the event, in which each Arista board member lit one candle to represent the criteria for membership: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Vice President Adiba Anam, who . addressed the criterion of leadership, said that "being a part of Arista ,means to embody the characteristics of knowledge, scholarship , leadership, service, and character. You need to gain these attributes through perseverance, determination, academics , and community service."

Following the candle lighting ceremony, the former-executive board of Arista presented t-he new and returning members with pins (first and third years) and certificates (second year) to ac'knowledge their achievement. Each member as­cended the steps to the stage, walking across while their names were called by a former board member.

"Being a first year Arista member, it's really special because it motivates me to keep working hard to be inducted again next year," explained junior Judy Sirykissoon. According to Mr. Stonehill, recognition is important becaus·e it "cre­ates a desire to continue positive behavior." He added, "If you are not recognized for your accomplishments, you will not feel fulfilled and satisfied." .

The requirements for Arista include a minimum average of90%, no major Dean's record, and a minimum of 50 hours of community service per year.

Next year, Mr. Stonehill hopes "to give the ceremony more pizzazz." He felt that the only downside to this year's induction was the low turnout of parents and guests.

- The Classic 9 March 2007

Collateral due? These resources mig.ht help by Benjamin Snyder books." Others said they simply check

Hectic days have tlown by filled the THHS library for books first. with homework and tests . But wait, Alumna Danielle Lord '0 I, a what happened to that collateral due graduate student in the School of Monday? It seems like in all of the Library and Information Studies at chaos , you forgot' It's your first time . Queen·s College who works at the lookingattheassignmentsheetandyou Queens College library as an just realize that regular internet sources Information Assistant , said, "I help are simply not allowed . How will you anyone who comes 'into the library with ever be able to find all of that in forma- a question; they don ' t necessarily have tion? to be a Queens College student. It is

The solution to your problem is, of especially enjoyable for me to help course , the library. You may first turn THHS ·students because I remember to the THHS library, which, according being in their shoes not too long ago." to school librarian Jef- According to Ms. fr ey Zahn, students Lord , Harrisites can use to fini sh· class as- acce ss all the signrnents and use the electronic databases c omputers. For ex- available through the ample, textbooks for library from home. many classes are avail- "THHS· students can able for all students. The books at the li­brary are chosen by teachers who feel they will come to good use. But, "For a lot of their collateral assign­ments, when they need primary sources," students turn to the Queens College Library which, as he said, "has tens of thousands of more books" and more "esoteric works in their original

· languages." The QC library, he added, "has a lot more space and a lot more money."

Many are aware that Harris students have a.ccess to all kinds of QC re­sources , most notably the Benjamin S.

. Rosenthal Library. Just because they ha ve th e

opportunity to use this library doesn ' t mean students fully take advantage of it In fact , they say that they turn to other resources to get their research done such as the internet, when allowed, or other libraries closer to their homes .

Sophomore Deep Patel doesn ' t use the Queens College Library "because I live near the main library in Queens, Centra l Library, and it has a lot more

access resources from off-campus by using the 14-digit barcode on the back of their Queens College ID

cards," she explained. According to a handout about home usage of the databases , titled "Off Campus Access to QC & CUNY Library Resources," which can be found on the Queens College Library site, "There are two different methods that QC users can use to access online resources from off­campus. The Proxy Service allows QC users to log in to the Library's website to access all QC resources (including CUNY resource~) ."

With the handout in hand and access to a computer, this reporter followed the· instructions on the handout t~at read , " Login to CUNY's E.- Journals & Reference Databases with the library barcode" [see side-bar]. As Ms. Lord said, the Queens College I.Ds, have a 14- digit barcode which can be entered on thi~ site. Upon entering the digits , a page came up with databases oh many topics, including J-!ealth and Science, General Reference , Business,

Humanities, and even a website that offers E­

So~me ·Useful S,ites Books, full texts online, called netlibrary.com.

Qaeen:s College Databases <http:llibraries.cuny.edulresource>

Queeas Borough Public Library <http://www.queenslibrary.org/>

Beflj:amin S. Rosenthal Library <http://qcpaeges.qc.cuny.eduiLibrary>

Sites on the Queeh:s Cotleg~, Databa,ses - Project Muse - Lexis Nexis - NetLibrary: An E-Books Website -The Oxford Reference OnLine

A few notable resources that may come in handy are Lexis-Nexis, an academic data page that allows users to search for articles pertaining to a wide array of subjects instantly ; The Oxford Reference Online, another large database covering many topics from art to law to mythology and folklore; and even archives of The New York Times . Because Harris is Humanities­based, one resource called Project Muse might be helpful as well. According to their overview of the site, "Project MUSE is a unique collab-oration betwee n libraries and publi s hers providing

'O·n the other side of the de:s.k' by AlexanderlJArd

Althougll DanieUe Lord graduated from Townsend Harris Rip School in 2001, she s1lfll works Grt cotlaterals an:d sees the sc·hool daily. ·She is now · employed by tbe Queens College Ubrary as an ln,formation Assistant and attends classes in the Gradoate School of Library and Information Studies. "Returning to the campus felt like I was coming home after a l<~>ng absence," Danielle said.

As an Enfoanation Assistant, Daniel-le works at: the reference desk an• swering q.oestions and h~ing patrons locate 11esources~ "l've come across many Townsend students," Dan1elle said. "They are easily recognizable by their ID canils." She said that many of the students who approach her have questions about their collateral assignments and where to find materials to help them. "I remember when I used to resea11ch my papers in the li'brary," she said, "and now I'm on the other side of the desk."

Danietle rememt>ers her experiences at Townsend fondly, recolle.oting her JSieers and fomter teachers. "The exterior ofThwnsend stilUooks the same/' Daniene noted. "'t's diifrettlt forme to imagine a whole new crop oiHarrisites roaming the ludiw~s." Danie11e does have.a personal connection not onJy to the school i't$el£, but to a partictl'lar student .inside. Slle stated, ''My brother, Alexander, is currently a senior in Townsend and is writing this articl-e!''

As a student in Townsend Harris, Daniene part.Wipated in many exttaeur­ricular ac~ vities. She led the Girl's Val'Sity Bowling Tham to the quarterfinals her senior yea11, receiving the MYP awar.d. Danie:Ue also performed .in ·two musical productions, Guys and Dolls and Pippin, both directed by English teacher Judy Blechman. One of Danielle's ••favorite activities was writing for The Classic ... She recalled ~t.· •·oP.e of my most -memoi'ablt ev.ents on Tlie Classic was when Ms. Cowen· took aiew of. us. [rePQrters] .onto.the Qieens Collesci~pus to;hear lm1aey'. ClintOn : ~Peak· •· :Mri; ClintOn came to the·ca:mpus m tb.e faf4 ol2000 as part of her Senate campaign ... lt was Stt\!b a. great ex~nce to meet a real senatorial eandidare·, wh:ite tile Election Sil:nuhu.i~was pr~gressmg," she said

Danierte feeJ:s:that she has ••taJten a Lot of what I learned iti high sch.oncl to heart and ha'Ve incorporated it into my life." Due to the writing skills she learned from the rigorous courses in the Humaniues and four years on The Classic, Danielle chose a career in Ubrary Science after her graduation from Hofstt:a University in 2005 ... It was while I was a student in high school that I learned that I was inteFested in literature and m wrtting, '' she said. "The high academ~c stand~ds prepared me so well for cohge and for graduate school. I can never flan'k Townsend enough.'·'

'"When I l:ook at Townsend Harris :H:igh $eho~l~ I see where I started, and I realize how much it has.sbaped me into the person I have become." Danielle said. She looks forwa11d to complet-ing the program in Library Science, and intends to parsue a ca11eer as an academic librarian, Meanwhile, she will continue to keep a close eye on her alma mater. ''I stiiil see the school every day," she said. "I even still see the track," she added, "but I don't need to run around i.t anymore."

100% full-telt't , affordable and user­friendly online access to over 300 high quality humanities, arts, and social sciences journals from 60 scholarly publishers ." Private access to these databases can be very expensive but to the QC community and THHS students it is free .

Even if an assignment does not allow the use of the internet for sources, the information found on Lexis-Nexis, for example , is taken from print texts such as newspapers . In many cases these articles will be acceptable for use, despite being on th.e internet. However, always check with your teacher to make sure.

Along with the QC library, which is only minutes away, there are dozens of Queens Branch Libraries that offer not just information , but programs and community service opportunities fo r. teenagers . For example, sophomore Divya Suri explained that " there's a reading session where I've volunteered by reading to children ages 5-l 0" at the

Glen Oaks branch in Queens . Although , Di vya said "it wasn't for community service" credit, there are plenty of these opportunities at your local library: On the Queens Library Website (see sidebar), there is a section devoted solely to teens . There, topics are listed including ways to get. community service , such as becoming a tutor or working as a page.; research information including contact numbers to ask-a­librarian , and even a link to a primary source site; there is a Teen Life section covering everything from hea lth and sexuality to religion and hotlines ; and basic library ser-vices such as local branch information.

The library, be it the Benjamin S. Rqsenthal library, the Townsend Harris library or the branch near you, has opportunities that can help in getting those last few community service hours , a place to use a comp.uter and finish homework, or that last minute research

. for that collateral you completely forgot to do .

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1 0 The Classic

March 2007

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Pan's Labyrinth en·ch·a·nts with Spa.nish le·ge·nd by Daniela Castillo

It's a period film' It's a horror tlick' It's a children's fairytale! No, it's just Guillermo del Toro , professed comic book geek and bloody mayhem instiga­tor, tackling an old school Spanish leg­end in Pan's Labyrinth. Mr. del Toro. subverts the scream fest pop horror genre, and exchanges it with a world of muted terror where reality and fantasy are both the bad guys and one is left with nowhere to escape. Hey, if a fairytale movie from a Blade II director sounds sketchy, so would a Stanley Kubrick version of Alice in Wonderland. But by the same token, it would have been hor­rifying and terrific to. watch and Pan's Labyrinth is this and more.

Mr. del Toro 's last stab at wonder­fully eerie horror was with Devil 's Back­bone (200 I), which was essentially a ghost story about a boys' orphanage in World War II, but he hadn't achieved that disturbing contrast of war and its consequences with the transition into adulthood, and so the war concept was left lingering over ou! heads. But in

Pan 's Labyrinth, innocence is pers~mi­fied by a book-laden Ofelia, played by actress Ivana Baquero with elegance and maturity amidst the madness. After the death of her father, Ofelia travels to Madrid's post-Civil War countryside with her pregnant mother, Carmen, played by Ariadna Gil. Here, they stay with the father of the baby, fascist Cap­tain Vidal, played by Sergi Lopez, whose troops are on the lookout for a nearby group of rebels. And when Lopez steps on screen, we have. no qualms about Ofelia despising him~ his squinty, beady eyes and menacing grin all make for a pristine villain presence. Unfortu­nately, his own insecurities and cold, brutal ways keep him from realizing that there is a traitor right beneath his nose - his lead servant, Mercedes , who is played by Maribel Verdu with a fearless­ness imd perseverance to rival his own.

Meanwhile, Ofelia does what she knows best: she delves into the books that allow her to distance herself from a world that despite all its material com­forts, seems anything but comfortable.

However, the world that she retreats into is as dark as the events happening out­side, where point blank shootings and tortures m:e the everyday norm .

Nonetheless, this dark land where Ofelia treads is still fascinating to look at. Mr. del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro got their inspir(\tion from old Spanish paintings, and the ef­fect is mesmerizing. Ofelia is led into a labyrinth by fairies that are less like Tinker Bell and more like tiny, freaky elves. Here she is greeted by a half-goat, half-man creature, with vine-like arms, named Pan, played by Doug Jones, who then informs her that she "is not born of man" - she is the princess of an under­ground kingdom. In order to claim her title, she must complete a series of tasks. In the scheme of things, the challenges , like the world outside, have little to do with a sense of accomplishment. In­stead, they are a means to escape the current circumstances.

What follows is, to say the least, cin­ematically grimmer and a more gothic version of the film Harry Potter and the

Prisoner of Az.kaban. You know, the one that was grown up , not just all wiggley piggley, aba kadabra, with the raging hormones and Gary Oldman. But the color scheme, dark hues of navy and forest green, are very a Ia Potter. The berserk creatures, though, are another matter. Enter the ruddiest and biggest tree toad ever, and a sagging, decom~ posing, pale old man, also played by Jones, who holds his eyes in his hands and eats fairies like Slim Jims. Even J.K Row ling with her Dickinson-like twists and drama, cannot beat the intricate an9 engaging plot that uses the very vicious and very real events that take place.

It's hard to imagine that Mr. del Taro's brash comic book style can trans­late so beautifully into delicate and deeply frightful storytelling. It fills you with chilling despair at first, and mel­ancholic optimism by the end . Pan's Labyrinth is a movie of emotional and cinematic depth , where one scene leads into a mental state more heartfelt than the last. Mr. del Toro toned it down and the result is nothing less than magical.

'Citizen Cope 5'· southern _roots create eclectic sound by Jacquelyn Lekhraj

' Although many have heard his songs such as "Son's gonna rise in a mile" fea­

: tured on popular TV shows like -Dne Tree Hill, few are familiar with the mu­sician responsible for such tracks. Citi­zen Cope, born Clarence Greenwood, has recently released his third album, entitled Every Waking Moment, which could very possibly earn him the main­stream recognition he deserves.

Cope created his eclectic sound from the various places he lived during his childhood, including towns in Texas , Mississippi and Washington D.C. In his early twenties , he began recording

demos and distributing them to various record labels in D.C. His music could not be classified to a specific genre be­cause it is a mix of R&B, folk, hip hop, and soul music . After signing with a couple of unsuccessful record labels, Cope moved to Brooklyn , NY and signed with RCA. There he released his album The Clarence Greenwood Re­cordings in 20.04 and Every Waking Moment in September of 2006.

Citizen Cope's latest single off Ev­ery Waking ·Moment is "Back Tqgether." . In it , he discusses his own inner con­tlict, "S tuck in the middle of a vendetta between me and myself" The song tells

of the temptations he experiences and of his feeling that he has lost himself, until he sees his reflection in the mirror and is reunited with his former self: ''I'm staring in the mirror and it 's been so long since I've. seen you, my friend."

A second track of his album , which relates to current social issues in New York, is "Friendly Fire." The song tells a story of someone who was shot but "he was innocent today" and the shoot­ers "got na answer/ [for] why they left him for dead." A parallel cqn be drawn between this song and the recent police

· shootings that have taken place in the city. The violence of the story pervades

Sc-ience Olympiad victorious at states

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It's a celebration! Science teachers Thomas Sangiorgi and Phillip Jones join senior Melissa Tsang to tak_e a trophy.

... continued fromprige 1 Porzio , were able to assist students in theirrespective events .

Although the Science Olympiad club was created only three years ago, the teams have advanced to the States level twice. This year marked the first time that a team came in first place and that the Harris teams were leading the top I 0 ranks.

"Las t year, we wef(t to States as a result of g_ualifying circumstances .... This year, we ' re leading the city to States ," explained Mr. Sangiorgi.

The Science Olympiad is a national competition. High school teams begin competing at Regionals , and the top I 0 high schools are selected to be repre­sented at the States competitions. Then, the qualifiers from the States Competi­tions compete at the final Nationals leveL The competitio_ns offer 25 events where students work in pairs. Events vary and range from hands-on activities with ro­bots to tests administered on such subjects as entomology and astronomy. Stu-dents often compete in two , three, or even four events. .

"The whole experience of Science Olympiad is just exciting and fun ," said freshman Rachel Mayo.

"My friends wo uld not stop talking about Sci ence Olympiad s ince freshman year. I really didn ' t understand what the big deal was but I decided to join this year. The Regional Competition was just an amazing experience, and I just un ­derstand now why tny friends wouldn't stop talking about how great SciOly is.," added senior Anita Sonawane.

"Our team is well prepared and just doing better," said senior M arsha Sukach . Science Olympiad is the largest club in the school with a recorci number of

over I 00 members . ,·r 1 ' , ' t

the music with a fast tempo sound cre­ated by Cope's pitch, the haunting voices of background singers and the beat of the drums.

Citizen Cope does not fail to include tracks concerning the brig-hter side of life . In the softer ballad "Somehow," he expresses having found love: "' Cause you believe me somehow/ you're sec­ond to none/ you 've got my love." With his sultry voice and sensual lyrics, this track is guaranteed to be a hit single.

Incorporating a diversity of sound and lyrics concerning a variety of sub-. ject matters , Citizen Cope has created a unique record worth listening to.

Join us for the

THHS/ Patriot G.roup 5k Walk and Barbeque

When: Saturday, April 21 at 9:30 AM Where: THHS

Ask Ms. Rizzutto for more information.

- The Classic 1 ·1 March 2007

Swimming, with the Turtles Maga·l ie· Li.lavois

by Sharisse Grimes As Magalie Lilavois approached her

final lap, she sneaked a glarice at her op­ponent, realizing that they were neck­and-neck. She hastily made a flip turn and swam toward the end of the lane. Moving as fast as her body would allow her to go, she reached the touchpad, ex­hausted but confident. However, as she ascended from the pool she was in­formed that she had lost by .4 of a-sec­ond . .Magalie, although disappointed, shook the hand of her opponent and smiled at her coach while mouthing the words to her team, "I'll . get her next time."

Magalie, a junior, has been swim­ming since she was seven years old . She was motivated to learn because she wanted to be like her older sisters who swam on their school team. Magalie continued swimll"!ing throughout her el­ementary school years, but it wasn't until she was 13 that she "really started applying hers.elt' ' and became engaged in what she calls "hardcore competitive swimmmg.~

Since then Magalie has been swim­ming six days a week at the Cross Is­land YMCA. Last y_c;:ar, she. participated in YMCA nationals for two individual relays. She won the first and came close to winning her second, only losing by .4 of a second . This year she hopes that she will make it to YMCA nationals again so that she can :'gain experience swimming in individual events and re­lays ." Her specialty in these relays is the 50-yard freestyle .

Magalie also volunteers with a pro­gram called "learned to swim," helping teach mentally challenged children ages 6-12.

Magalie sa;~s that working with the . mentally ill has "strengthened her pa­tience" and that she "has learned as much from her students as they have learned from her." Magalie teaches them how to swim and in turn they teach her serenity.

Upon entering high school , Magalie joined the Townsend Harris Swim team . During her three years on the team, the Turtles have won three borough and two city championships. She says being a member of the Turtles for three years has created a bond between her and her teammates.

Besides swimming, Magalie enjoys jumping double dutch, and spending quality time with her family and friends. However, Magalie says that "between school and swimming," she "barely has any time." Time is now especially tight since she lias been attending SAT prep classes.

Although Magalie has a passion for swimming, she says that it is "hard to go professional in such a ~qmpetitive sport." Thus, if she does not "make it into the pros," Magalie's backup plan is to take the steps needed to become a forensic scientist.. Thus, she says, she would be able to "help protect her com-muhity." · •

In addition to a career, Magalie also wants to follow in her mother's footsteps and get married in her native country,

.Paula Guzman by Marisa Lupo

Paula Guzman, one of the dedicated swimmers who led the Turtles to two straight city championships, has been a competitive swimmer since she was only six years old . As a member of two swim teams, the Turtles and the Flushing Flyers, Paula has had to sacrifice some of her other interests in order to excel at the sport she loves. Despite the daily practices, however, Paula doesn't have any regrets.

At two years old, Paula's parents enrolled her in her first swimming lesson. Since then, the sport has been a huge part of her life. She says, "I continued to swim because I loved to swim. When I was little , I also

. skated and painted, but I loved to swim the most. It does take a lot of time away from my work, but after so many years of doing it I have learned to manage my time."

The time Paula spends with her teams is fun not only because of the sport, but also because of the people. "The most enjoyable part of swim­ming on the Flyers and for the Turtles is being part of a team. Both teams, especially the Turtles, are very close, like a family," she said. Paula also intends to compete in college, and possibly even profession­ally. However, she recognizes "that is a very high level of swimming that is very difficult to achieve, so only time will really tell."

Paula, whose favorite classes are science and history, intends to take more of these courses in college in case her professional swimming career doesn't work out. However, she is still unsure as to whether or not she wants to turn either of these in~erests into a career. .,

In regards to the Turtles' recent success, Paula said, "It feels great to know that I helped my team gain the city championship, but I know that it was a combined effort and that every swimmer is essential to the team ."

reporting by Adrianna Mateo

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Haiti . Like her mother, she also wants to raise a large family of four or five . Her lifelong dream is to move to Haiti after she retires. , .

Magalie says that with whatever ca- · reer path she chooses to follow, the most important thing in life is to "enjoy what

she is doing and to always be happy." Therefore, she believes that "persistence is key," for she has worked hard to achieve her goals in swimming and says that if she "~pplies this to all aspects of her life," she will continue to be suc­cessful.

Maureen M-cCluskey by Jessica Graf

Maureen Me Cluskey knows water. For nearly 14 years she has proven- her­self insi-de the pool, ana is now ready to dive into college and adult life .

Maureen began swimming at age 4. "It started as just a fun activity," she ex­plained, "but became more competitive as I got older." She recently completed her fourth season as a Turtle; she was a co-captain and led the team to its sec­ond consecutive New York City Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) cham­pionship. The Turtles found the Bronx Science team difficult, but their strong performance brought home the title. At the November meet, Maureen anchored her teammates in a PSAL record-break­ing 200-yard freestyle relay.

"It was amazing to win the champi­onships," she said. "We won last year, and that was great, but it was more spe­cial this year, being a senior. We had so much team spirit. I would have been so disappointed to lose, especially after last year's victory."

Being a part of the record-breaking relay is one of Maureen's many accom­plishments. She was named the Turtles ' Rookie of the Year as a freshman, and was given the Most Valuable Player

award as a junior. Maureen has been on the All-City team for two years, and

· placed in the PSAL state competitions . She qualified for the YMCA national competition with her out-of-school team , the Flushing Flyers.

This year, the PSAL honored Maureen with the Heisman Wingate award, which is given to a scholar ath­lete in each league sport. "That is prob­ably the highlight of my swimming ca­reer, because I was cl)osen out of all the female swimmers in the city," "she said. "It's a great honor and achievement."

Maureen's accomplishments have not come without a price. '~There are timeswhen I wonder why I'm working so hard," she said. "Somedays, I wake up in the morning to go to a practice, stay in school all day, and go to another practice after school, only to come home at eight o'clock and do homework. I'm busy swimming, even on the weekends, so I sometimes have to cancel my so­cial plans, which is always disappoint­ing." The schedule has also taken its toll on her health. Two years ago, after months of unexplained fatigue and weakness, Maureen's doctor diagnosed her with Celiac's disease, an allergy to gluten that affects the digestive system . .

"I was upset when I found out that I had Celiac 's," she said. "I had been fine for my whole life, but the doctors explained that the disease lies dormant until brought out by extreme stress. I knew that my schoolwork and swimming schedule werecontributing to it, and I considered slowing down . But this has been part of my life forever- I can't imagine not doing it." Fortunately, Maureen's doctors were able to put her on a strict, mainly organic diet that pre­vents the symptoms of Celiac's disease. She is feeling better, and her general per­formance has improved .

· Though it ' s a big com,mitment, Maureen plans to continue swimming in college. "I'm considering several different schools, including Franklin and Marshall, Holy Cross, and Marist, which has an intense Division I swim pro­gram,'' she explained. "I haven't de­cided if I want to compete at that level, but it's an option." Maureen also hopes to pursue a pre-medical degree . Her plans seerri overwhelming, but she is confident in her ability to handle every­thing. "When I think about college, I'm glad I stuck with swimming," she said. "I think it structures me, and keeps me

·from procrastinating or wasting time. I

am able to get things done quickly be­cause I know I have to."

Maureen also views swimming as a way to build friendships . "Many of my c lose friends are swimmers," s~ ex­plained. "Being on a team makes you closet, because you spend so much time together. But my friends also under­stand what it 's like to do what I do, be­cause most of them are in the same

· boat.'·' Maureen hopes that swimming in college will make the transition a bit easier. "When you start at college, you don't know many people," she said. I think being on the swim team will be a good way to make friends with a group of girls that I'll see all the time."

Swimming occupies a .lot of Maureen's time, but she still manages to lead a normal teenage life. "I like to hang out with my friends and go shop­ping," she said. "I like stores like American Eagle, and my favorite res­taurant is Outback Steakhouse - they have a gluten-_free menu!" Maureen also enjoys running, making cards, and scrapbooking. She is a member of the school's concert band, and plays the baritone horn. In the summer, she spends a lot-of time at the beach, where, naturally, she is a lifeguard .

)o )i ...

12 The Classic '

March 2007 ---~~-~.----~~~~~~----~----------·~ ·-- -Boys' basketball teant bounced froiTI city playoff~

struggled_ to keep up with East New York. The Hawks fought all the way back to 48-41 with just over a minute remaining and then a miraculous mistake helped the Hawks win the game. Number 14 of East New York received an inbound pass following that basket and acci­dentally laid it into his own bas­ket, giving the Hawks a lead

. which they would not relin­. quish . In a gymnasium flill of Harrisites mockingly chanting

. "Four-teen! . Four-teen," Malhame, Jones and senior

"' tf Admir Deljanin all hit free r3 throws in the final minute to -~ help the Hawks soar to the next <(

. '0 round.

Sophomore Sheldon Jones drives for the Hawks in a playoff game against the ENY Family Academy.

by Robert McCullagh allowed to play in the -games. Hawks were able to squeak by The Boys' Basketball team Shargal, who was a co-captain in the prior round, though not

suffer~d a season-ending loss to and starting player for the team, without a struggle. In his ab­the Taft Educational Campus i"n was kicked off the squad just sence the team was led by se­t he Bronx on March 6 by a before the playoffs because he nior center Mike Malhame, score of 63-61 in the second had accumulated too many de- who had 16 points to go along round of the citywide "B" divi- merits. Despite a steady stream with 14 rebounds in that game, sion playoffs. The Hawks, with of attempts to get Shargal ?ack and sophomores Sheldon the loss , finished a very strong on the roster in time for the Jones, the team's leading scorer ~~;ls.on in .their first year at the opening round match with the in that contest with 18 points as "B" level on a controversial East New York Family Acad- well with 7 assists and 7 re­note. emy on February 27, the school bounds, and Ryan Van Winckle,

~ · That, however, was as far as 5 they would go. Despite double-a ~ doubles from Jones (21 points, ] 10 assists), Van Winckle (17 0.

points, I I rebounds) and Mal~ame (I 8 points·, I 0 re­

. bounds), the Hawks once again found themselves playing catch-up, and did not get a miracle to save them this time, losing 63-61 after Taft evaded foul attempts in the final sec­onds after Malhame scored his final basket for the Hawks to cut the score tci two.

Two separate senior players would not budge and the Hawks who had 12 points and 14 re- ~ said the team would have "deti- were forced to play on without bounds.

Though they were unable to go as far as they might have liked in the playoffs, the Hawks had a very successful season. Jones;in his second season with the Hawks, averaged nearly 20 points per game in both the

nitely" beaten Taft had senior a leading contributor. - Though those three had point guard Eran Shargal been Even without Shargal, the quite a game, the team

regular season and the playoffs. Van Winckle s"tepped up tre­mendously in the playoffs, av­eraging 14 points and 12 re­bounds. The pair should form a strong nucleus for next sea­son.

The three senior starters, Shargal, Malhame and co-cap­tain Kostas Sanidas : also chipped in strong years to lead the team to its best season in three years. Shargal averaged an impressive I 6 points, 7 re­bounds and 7 assists and served as a team leader throughout the year, even continuing to iead the team in stretches during the playoffs while not being per­mitted to play. Malhame aver­aged I 0 points and 14 rebounds during the regular season as well as 17 points and 12 re-

. bounds in the playoffs, provid­ing a strong force for the inside game. Sanidas was one of only two seniors wbo played three years for the Hawks, the other being Anthony Scaria. Though the PSAL does not track defen­sive stats, Sanidas was the team's shut-down defender and provided many important steals to go along with a dependable offensive game throughout the year. Fellow seniors Deljanin,

. Jacob Schnee, Sean Doerfler, Neal De Luna and Julian Felder also contributed to the Hawks, coached by Frank DeNunzio, in their final season playing bas­ketball at Townsend Harris.

Juniors row, row, row their boats for city crew tealll by Stephanie Pak

Crew is often stereo.typed as a sport for the preppy, rich, up­per class in Long Island or up­state New York, but four stu­dents )}KJUdly prove this stereo­type to be incorrect. Juniors Bianca Edirisinghe, Deanna Kokotos, Diandra Torres and Kalliope Damalas are all mem­bers of Row New York .

Row New York is the only city crew team in New York. The novice and varsity coaches, Anna Brock and Previn Chandraratna, visit schools _ev­ery year to encourage students to join . Practices are demand­ing, lasting from two to three hours from Monday to Satur­day. Row New York also pro­vides academic help for partici­pants. Students can receive tu­toring and advice on the college admissions process. Everything is free . Team members are only expected to give their dedica­tion and best efforts at every practice.

All four girls first heard about Row New York through school visits from the two

coaches. Edirisinghe and Torres were first to join in sophomore year after successfully passing the try-outs.

"I've come to love the sport and I commit to it I 00 percent," said Edirisinghe.

"Joining crew is probably the best decision I've made. It not only gets you in the best shape of your life but it also al­lows you to create lifelong friendships ," Damalas said.

Three of the girls are row­ers, with Kokotos being the lone exception as a coxswain, the "leader" of the boat, who encourages the team and makes calls during races.

"Being out on the water and learning to motivate and coach your team is an amazing feel­ing," said Kokotos.

The girls participate in vari­ous races with other prestigious crew teams from Long Island and upstate New York. The team has made a name for it-. self in the national crew com­munity, winning more r_<1ces each year. For the girls, the races are nerve-wracking and a

test of strength, but whether or not they win, they are satisfied that they have done their best. If they do win, the experience

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is just all the sweeter. All four girls recommend

that others join the team and they plan to continue crew in

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the future. "There are no limits as to

how fast you can go," Edirisinghe said.

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The Row New York varsity team races last year with juniors Bianca Edirisinghe and Diandra Torres doing their best to help the team win. Fellow juniors Deanna Kokotos and Kalliope Damalas also row for the program on the junior varisty team.