June, 1988

Jennifer Antoszewski, JulieChan, Suman Gupta, DanaLevine, Joanne Muntzner, SumatiNagpal , Heathe r Nash, MonicaPintado and Karl Wang wonawards given by the TownsendHarris Alumni Association. Thealumni awards were presented byHenry Shereff.

During a special presentation,Morton Lisser of the Class of 1938passed a plaque, inscribed withthe words of the Ephebic Oath, toSenior .Class President TanyaOdom, who in turn passed it toPaul Gibson , President of theClass of 1989.

The passing of the EphebicOath was followed by the Reaffir­mation of the Oath, administeredby Dana Levine. The EphebicOath was first recited by the Classof 1988, as freshmen on FoundersDay in 1984.

Guidance Counselor SheilaOrner then presented t h egraduates, who, once on stage,received , diplomas from Dr.Largmann, and Assistant Prin­cipals Bernice Horowitz andHarry Rattien. Suman Gupta's in- .spiring Valedictory address wasfollowed by the singing of theAlma Mater, written by ErvinDrake (Class of '35) and the reces­sional.

perseverance have brought you tothis point. Many paths lie aheadand each will be different. Beafraid of the unknown but do notfear it. Make a difference not onlyfor yourselves but for others.Robert Frost wrote, and I hopeyou read it in English 5, 'Tworoads diverged in a yellow woodand I, I took the one less traveledby, the one less traveled by andthat has made all the difference .' Iurge you to maintain the courageand curiosity that got us throughour journey. Thank you for yourcompany."

Dr. Largmann's address wasfollowed by a humorous and en­thusiastic Keynote speech byPhilanthropist Eugene Lang ofthe Class of '34,who ended bysaying, "Not failure but rathe rlow aim is sin."

Foreign language teacher JoyceProvenzale presented the firstgraduation awards to RobynMachada and Shanita Lawrence,who each received $4,000 scholar­ships from the United Federationof Teachers.

PTA co-president ClementineButts presented .Marc Malkin ,Veronica Hernandez and TanyaOdom with awards from theParent-Teacher Association.

Others providing greetings andwarm wishes were Mr. Kostman,Assemblywoman Mayersohn, anda representative from City Coun ­cilmember Julia Harrison's office.

Three separate musical in­terludes took place. First, theTownsend Harris Concert Bandconducted by Music teacherWalter Davis perfo rmedhighlights from "The King andI. " During the second interlude,Senior pianist Tana Stotlandplayed Tocata G Flat Minor.Finally; the Townsend HarrisLadies Chorus, directed by Mr.David Briskin, sang "Fair isRose" from "Ruddigore," and" In Stiller Nacht." The ConcertBand also performed the Proces­sional "Pomp andCircumstance," the Recessional,"Fete Triumphal," "The StarSpangled Banner" and the AlmaMater .

Principal Malcolm Largmann inhis Address to the Graduates,said, "Four years ago, I promisedyou an adventure and you had thespunk to take up the challenge.You met each challenge andhelped create a school. Ourjourney has not always been aneasy one. - Your effort and

75-40 Parsons Blvd.,Flusbing NY 11366

w!teQtlassic

- In a surprise announcement,Shulman stated that a site for thenew Townsend Harris buildingnext to the new Science Buildinghas been finalized. Money for theproject was placed in the budgetfor fiscal year 1991 and comple­tion is expected in early 1993.

Jennifer Antoszewski, in amoving salutatory address on be­ing a class of firsts, noted sadly,"This is the last first ,this class willshare together."

Greetings and congratulationswere offered by a number ofhonored guests. Queens CollegePresident Shirley Strum Kennysaid, ','I want to congratulate allof you. This is a most importantevent for us' at Queens Collegebecause it is the first graduation ofour high school. You areTownsend Harris High School atQueens College and we celebratethat connection."

Former Queens College Presi­dent Saul Cohen, who was in­strumental in the creation of thenew Townsend Harris, told thegraduates, "You have proven thatLatin and Ancient Greek and theWestinghouse Science Ta lent

' Competition are two sides of thesame coin."

Wowniltll~ ]Harris lHig~ ~(I,oor at (q)ueells QlollrgeVolume 4 No. 6

.....Graduating seniors Michael McDermott, Brad Mayer and Dionne Papino stand to recite the Ephebic Oath during the first commencement exercises of the new Townsend Harris.

NEW HARRIS GRADS REVIVE OLD TRADITIONFirst Commencement Ceremony In 46 Years

By David HerszenhomOne hundred and ninety-nine

members of the Class of 1988end­ed their high school careers, onJune 23, at the first Commence­ment Exercises of Townsend Har­ris High School in 46 years.

A packed Colden Auditorium,including Queens Borough Presi­den t C laire Shu lman,Assemblywoman Nettie Mayer­sohn , Queens High Schoolsuperintendent Samuel Kostman,keynote speaker Eugene Lang(Class of '34) and many membersof the 50th Anniversary Class of'38 looked on as the formerseniors became the first TownsendHarris graduates since 1942.

Master of Ceremonies, Assis­tant Pr incipal Malcolm Rossman,welcomed everyone and after ex­plaining about the closing of theoriginal Townsend Harris in 1942,announced emphatically, "Town­send Harris is back and we're hereto stay."

Queens Borough PresidentClaire Shulman said, "Gradua­tions are always very, very special.This ceremony has a ddedsignificance because it is the first'Townsend Harris graduation in 46years. Good things are worthwaiting for."

Principal's Message Generates Response

June 1988

.'

Jeff Smith 116

Jenn ifer Weinberg

" I feel that cheating is a veryserious problem, because it notonly keeps others from achievingtheir goals, but it also hindersthose who do the cheating. Afterall, they're not really learninganything ."

characters, but in the end, truthwould prove to be less harmfulthan the continuance of viciousrumors.

In conclusion, I'd like to statethat those accused cannot be en­

.tirely to blame. In my eyes, theyare victims rathe r than offende rs.Their actions came partly as aresult of the quality of life and en­vironment we are faced with dayto day at Townsend Harris. At theend of four years in an environ­ment like ours, I think it would bedifficult for anyone of us to liveup to the ideals laid out for us inthe Ephebic .Oath.

75-40 Parsons Blvd •• Flusbing NY 11366

Principal Dr. Malcolm Largmann

Artists: Keiko Cabanos , Check Moy, Anny Wohn , DavidNelson.

Staff: Corey Ackerman, Jackie Berler, Jonathan Boltax,Jane Cirigliano, David Fischer , Marissa Gluck, SamanthaGobler, Lorraine Holland, Melody Keilbach, Julia Kou,Ericka Landsmann , Jodi Lasoff, Ruth Lerman, Mary Me­Carthy, John Newman , Nikila Pai, Rimma Perelmuter,Tracey Revellino, Kristi Rodenbeck, Alicia Salmoni,Esther Soffer, Danielle Steinmann, Steve Sussman, TallyWeiner , Jessica Wohl.

Advisor .. ; Mrs. Sheryl Rubin

, Senior Editor-In-Chief '. . . . . . . . . . .. Heather NashEditor-In -Chief. , Renata KobettsManaging Editor David HerszenhornNews Editor Eileen GunnFeature Editors Camille Gear, Hayley ThomasSports Editor Lena JonesBusiness Editor Nanette KungSenior Editors ex officio: Dawn Cabage, Russell

'DeCastro , Michelle Gnyp, Karen Greenberger, Holly Hat­cher, Brad Mayer, Cheryl SchustackPhotographer: Scott Karp

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"No tests, no problems. "Edward O'Campo 105

In a school like ours nothing issacred and our communicationsystem is lacking. There is oftengreat confusion weekly as towhether we are having a rapiddismissal or not. Perhaps the stu­dent body was behaving like a lyn­ching mob, and admittedly, wewere wrong for that. But rumorsdo not stop as a result of a P .A.announcement. The only way tocombat rumors is by confrontingthem with facts. Truth is the solu­tion, a slap on the hand isn't.

When dealing with truth, therights of the accused have to beconsidered. They have rightswhich cannot be blatantlydisregarded . Truth may hurt their

Lisa Spardel 906

In'quiring Photograph~r"How serious do you feel the problem of academic dishonesty is in this school?"

"I don't think it is so bad, at leastamong the freshmen . One shouldexpect a little cheating among theranks."

Academic DishonestyHinders Honest Efforts

My, How We've Grown!

Townsend Harris students are chosen on the basis oftheir academic record. With this, however, comes competi­tion , a quality which often fosters the temptation towardacademic dishonesty.

All students are responsib le for their own actions, andcheating and plagiarism are dishonorable acts. It is the rareacademician, however, that has never been tempted tocheat in the pursuit of approbation of his studies. We areall potential cheaters, and those of us who do not report in­cidents of academic dishonesty are equally to blame for theprob lem. We should view such incidents as a moral corrup­tion of the student body as a whole. Even if only a few ofus are involved in incidents of dishonesty, we must all bewatchful of the temptations within ourselves.

It is important for teachers to be vigilant. If cheat ing ismade difficu lt, the temptation is lessened. This role,however, must not be turned into that of a guard in apolice state. We are merely students. Our transgressionsare often unintended and, on the whole, unpremeditated,rather hasty acts carried through on a tide of desperation.Teachers shou ld not condemn students who transgress,because such acts are thoughtless rather than malicious. Dr . Largmann,Teacher understanding may, indeed, prevent a student After listening closely to yourfrom compromising the integrity of the exam and the speech over our scho~l1's publicstudent-teacher relationship. address system, I reahzed It was

. . necessary for me to present to youAlthough respect plays a large role ' in the Issue of my opinion about what you said.

academic dishonesty, such attitudes are forced to battle the I'd like to start off by address­temptation against acts which promise a concrete grade . ing the issue of anonymous letters.High school students anxious for success should not be Throughout my high school careerasked to fight such a battle alone. Teachers should reassure at Townsend Hams, I have been

. . . . . . ' . encouraged by several teachers tostudents of their abilities while takmg preventative write anonymous letters. Theymeasures against the temptation all students feel, and provide teachers with the oppor­guidance, through such measures as a "peer rap" group, tunit y of knowing what's going onshould address the issue of academic dishonesty so that insid: a stude,nt's mind.

' . . . This can include a student'sstudents may pledge their honesty and mtegnty to , likes and dislikes abou t the waythemselves and their colleagues. the class is run and the manner in

which the lesson is taught. In thesecases, if the teacher is by somechance offended by the content ofthe letter , it cannot affect the stu­dent's relationship with him/heror the grade given to the student.

Four years in a lifetime is not a very long period of time . Yet for all ' Getting to the issue at hand, athose involved with Townsend Harris, more could not ~ave happened in teacher has every right to know ifsuch a short span. In those four years, Townsend Harns evolved from a someone has received knowledgewisp of the alumni 's dream, to a very tangible piece of reality. It grew abou t an exam in any mannerfrom a school which had only a freshman class who sat on the floors other than studying. It can also bewhile working from photostated copies of the textbooks, to a seen as a student's right to informsophisticated institution of learning. Moreover , in those years the a teacher about anyone who hasmembers of the Townsend Harris community learned the importance of 'gotten answers to a test. This stu­thinking ana lytically, serving our society, and were given !he opportuni- dent is trying to do the teacher aty to further develop themselves and to grow. As the first graduating service not a disservice.class prepares to leave Townsend Harris for the last time this June, The In more direct terms, yourClassic proudly looks back .on the growth of the school , and looks on- speech came out against thoseward to the growth that will continue tomorrow. who wrote the letter. You made it

It is said that growth canno t be measured by achievements, but sound as if that letter was a viola­achievements are a good indication of the school's accomplishments. tion' of the Ephebic Oath, rathe rAlthough we lacked the necessary lab materials and science textbooks than the actions it was fightingfour years ago, Townsend Harris had a Westinghouse finalist and three against.semi-finalists in the Science Challenge competit ion this year. The That letter was not written withoriginal issue of The Classic was also no more than a mimeographed malice. It was not written with thenewsletter, but it is now an award winning newspaper, receiving first intent to spread rumors. It wasplace awards from both the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and however, written as a means forthe Newsday School Journalism competition. And, whereas the reopen- obtaining justice for ' those whoing of the school was originally met with much opposi tion and was worked hard studying for that ex­predicted to be a failure, 42 percent of the senior class received New am. The students who wrote theYork State Regents Scholarsh ips. ' letter had every right to do so. It

Townsend Harris not only fostered an academic growth , but en- was an action that, as I saidcouraged an intellectual and emotional growth as well. The seniors' in- before, had been encouraged,teraction and affiliation with Queens College gave them the freedom to It was the 'Muckra kers "f.urther pursue topics of ~nterest ~hile giving them a sample of college perogative not to come forwardhfe. The Humani ties seminar. which was team-taught by a Queens Col- when asked to. It was not theirlege professo r and a Townsend Harris curriculum in itself, also fault that rumo rs had alreadydevelop~d the intellectual capabilities of its stu~ents by of~ering the~ spread throughout the schoolchallenging courses and programs, such as Latin and ennchment , m community. Had no one comewhich the students learned to think and learned to apply their talents . forward then that would haveAll in all, Townsend Harris encouraged the open atmosphere necessary been the end of it. But the fact isfor the intellectual and personal growth of both its students and its tha t you cannot say t heteachers. "Muckrakers" spread rumors," When the seniors finally graduate this June, they will leave knowing when it has come to pass that thethat they witnessed the birth and growth of a truly unique institut ion, letter contained tru th, if not wholeand that they themselves are leaving for better and greater than when truth. It did lead to the discoverythey first entered.the doors of Townsend Harris only four years ago. of the truth .

Bearing Ups and Downsof Staircase Rules

College Office CoachesJuniors With Success

students have a right to fresh air.How many accidents must we

have? How many people have toget sick from breathing the stag­nant air'? Why did we get new win­dow shades if the windows do notopen? I am aware that in a fewyears we will have a new building.In the meantime, I think thatsomething should be done beforethe student union starts selling ox­ygen tanks instead of candy!

Natalie LaDuca

t)

t:J

astonishing.Approximately 15 percent of

the windows in the schoo l opencorrectly. All of the others areeither locked or loose in the frame(in other words, I was afraid toopen them). One out of every twoclassrooms have no windows thatopen. Another piece of interestingdata is that the only rooms whichhave many windows that open arefaculty offices, the faculty lounge,and the library. I feel that the

~

To The Editor:I .would like to ' air out ' a few

facts about the condition of ourschool. Everyone knows ourbu ilding is not in the best ofshape. Everybody also knows theTUsh of terror when going near aclassroom window, the fear of itfalling out of the frame andmutilating your Latin book, andvarious bodily appendages. Itallied exactly how many open inthe school. The results are quite

Student Demands Breath Of Fresh Air

advisors who specialize in thisfield, the average student mightwindup going to a university veryunsuited to their needs.

The advisors have alreadybegun to help us by sendingaround weekly notices of univer­sities which have summer pro­grams. These flyers have also in­cluded the expense of the course,the length, and the deadline forregistration. They have also linedup certain colleges to come toTownsend Harris and talk abouttheir university. This is extremelyhelpful to us, for we get to talk tosomeone in person about theirschool instead of reading a pam­phlet which can only talk about somany aspects of the school.

Tracy Dennis

Keicha Bolden

school rules regardless of thesituation, but th is is really un­necessary .

Sometimes having labe led stair­cases can interfere with a studentgetting to each class. If their classisnext to the up staircase and theyare going down, they must go allthe way down the hall to reach theappropriate staircase. Th isdefinitely does not help, but in­stead it just creates problems forthe student.

The entire idea of having twostaircases creates disasters insteadof helping the student. I am surethat it was not thought to createconfusion, but that is what it ac­tually does. If this problem con­tinues to be ignored, matters will

. only get worse!

Dear Editor:In my opinion, Townsend Har­

ris has many necessary rules, buthaving an up staircase and a downstaircase is unfortunately not oneof them . Since Townsend Harris issmall compared to most highschools, students should be ab le toreach their classes in any waypossible without having to worryabout whether they are going upthe right staircase.

To The Editor:I would like to commend the

College Office for tak ing so muchtime out for the Junior class todiscuss not only prospective col­leges, but the various summer pro­grams offered at the universities aswell. The college decision is a verylong and difficult process, and Ifeel that with the help we will berecieving, it will make it all muchmore simple.

It is very easy to get caught upin the whirlwind of the collegedecision. What some don'trealize, however, is that there aremany factors involved in selectingthe right college for you. Some ex­amp les are academic standards,courses of study, location, socialactivities, etc ... Without the aid of

To have members of the schooladministration stand by staircasesto make sure that students are notgoing the wrong way is utterly.ridiculous and a waste of valuabletime. I think that they should con­centrate on the more importantthings within the school. Ofcourse students should obey

Singing the Lunch Line Blues:More Organization Needed -

Sports Board StillStands Unposted

..

SUNY/CUNYAlbanyBaruchBinghamtonBrooklynBrockportBuffaloCantonCityCobleskillCrtlandDelhiEnvironmental Sci. & ForestryCollege of Tech. at FarmingdaleFashion Institute of TechnologyFredoniaGeneseoHostosHunterJeffersonJohn JayManhattanMaritimeNew PaltzOld WestburyOneontaOswegoPurchaseQueensQueensboroughStonybrook~ork

Colleges/Universities That Have Accepted The Townsend Harris High SchoolClass Of 1988PRIVATE . Johnson C. Smith University Tulane UniversityAdelphi University Johnson & Waies College Union CollegeThe American University Lehigh University Utica CollegeUniversity of Arizona Le MoyneCollege University of VirginiaArizona State University Lincoln University Wellesley CollegeBard College University of Louisville Wesleyan UniversityBarnard College Luther College Western KentuckyBrandeis University Macalastar College Williams CollegeUniversity of Bridgeport Marist College William Smith Colleg~

Brown University University of Maryland University of WisconsmBryn Mawr College University of Massachussetts Wright State UniversityCarleton College Michigan State University Yale CollegeCazenovia College University of MichiganUniversity of Chicago Muhlenberg CollegeClarkson University NewYork UniversityClark University Northeastern UniversityColgate University . Northwestern UniversityColumbia University Northwood InstituteCoiorado State University Oral Roberts UniversityConnecticut College Pace UniversityCooper Union Pennsylvania State UniversityCornell University University of PennsylvaniaDartmouth College Polytechnic UniversityUniversity of Denver Pamona.CollegeDuke University C.W. Post CollegeDrexel University Purdue UniversityEmory-Riddle University Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteEmerson College University of RochesterEmory University Rochester Institute of Technology ,Endicott College Rutgers UniversityF lsk University St. Bonaventure UniversityFordham University St. John's UniversityFranklin & MarshallCollege Sarah Lawrence CollegeFranklin Pierce College University of ScrantonGeorge Washington University Siena CollegeHamilton College Skidmore UniversityHampton University Smith CollegeUniversity of Hartford University of South CarolinaHarvard/ Radcliffe Colleges Spelman CollegeHobart College Stanford UniversityHofstra University SwarthmoreCollegeUniversity of Illinois Syracuse Universitylona College Towson State UniversityIndiana Institute of Technology Trinity CollegeIthaca College Tufts College

Liz Cardines

spirit by attending these games.I believe that having such a

board would increase the numberof our victories . I say this becauseas a member of a team, I see thedifference in the team's moralewhen we have loyal fans to cheerfor us.

With these improvements,lunch time would be spent morepleasantly doing whatever wewant to do without wasting all thetime on line.

Susan Chew

during lunch hours is a moreorganized and convenient way toenjoy lunch without wasting timeon line. What I suggest is to getmore people to help give out lunchto the students. There should alsobe a sign put up daily to list thechoices of lunch. Finally, aseparate line should be made forsnacks and drinks that is awayfrom the lunch line to preventcrowding.

To the Editor:I would like to suggest that the

schoo l set aside a bulletin boardfor sports. This board would postfuture games , and the result ofpast games. Since this kind ofboard is not presently available,many Townsend Harris studentsare unable to show their school

Dear Editor:Lunch hours here in Townsend

Harr is can be a real dragsometimes. The lunch line is stret­ched all around to the oppositewall. People wait on line for mostof the lunch band to get theirfood. Asking what is for lunchtakes up a lot of time for studentsand teachers. Just to get milk cantake up to 15 minutes. I am sur­prised to find sometimes only oneperson working as the cashier andlunch preparers at the same time.Occasional cuts to .the front byteachers, service monitors, andsnack buyers delay the line evenfurther back. '

What we need in our school

However; they weren't able tomeet with the underclassmen whopractice at the "school duringenrichment.

Debate Benefits

Being a part of the debate teamhas helped its members in manyways. Linda Cheung sums up thefeelings of these seniors by saying:"We gained a lot more knowledgeon current, controversial issues, tothink on our feet, that there aretwo sides to every issue and tolook at both of them before form­ing an opinion, improved our oralskills, and had a lot of fun!"

•••••

..,...

•••••

•••••

something you don't believe inbecause, "You look at the topicand feel that you can't debate forthat and then you do the researchand find out the real facts.Sometimes my own opinion ischanged. It also makes you a bet­ter debater if you can arguesomething you don't believe in."

Debates such as the ones heldby the Catholic Forensic DivisionLeague take place from about9:00 in the morning to 4:00 or 6:00in the evening. This, says seniorLinda Cheung, requires 'a lot of'stamina because every time youdebate the same topic six to seventimes consecutively."

This year, in order to ac­comodate the senior debate teammembers, Mrs. Weinstein formeda debate class at the college.

•••••

Pinar Kodoma, Ivan Bilaniuk, and Jeff Cohen were gold medalist win­ners in the National Latin Exam, which was administered on March 9.

•*•••

•••••

lunel_

•••••

•••••

Esther Soffer, Carla Sommers and Rich Mednick placed first secondand third in an essay contest on affirmative action .

•••••

Alejandra Garcia won a first place award in the level four NationalSpanish Exam. Adriane Valencia came in third place and Kate Cadett ereceived an honorable mention .

Freshman Karen Lemmey's sculpture of St. Franc is of Assissi will bepart of the Fountain of Peace that the parish of St. John the Divine isbuilding in front of its cathedral in Manhattan.

•••••Freshman Susan Chiu received the haney medal that the School ArtLeague gives annually to the "Most Artistic Freshman.'''

•••••

The Senior class received a cumulative amount of over $1,500, 000 incollege scholarships and funds .

The mock trial team won five consecutive matches this season tobecome one of the top four teams in the city.

• •••••

Townsend Harris won the Thomas Edison School Humanitarian awardon May 24, for the extent of community service that its students per-formed. .

WFAN radio interviewed freshman Rena Moss about her borough-widewinning essay, "I Want to be the First Woman Yankee" which shewrote in a contest that the Yankees and Rigoletto sponsored.

•••••

Amnesty International is planning marches for the protection ofchildren's rights at various embassies next term that may each include asmany as 5,000 students from all over the city.

•••••

COSA Myron Moskowitz has collected over $1,700 in pledges from theMarch of Dimes Walk-a-thon.

Faria Parei ra was one of two students from Queens totravel to Knox­ville for the International Science and Engineering fair where both theISEF and the American Association of Microbiology awarded her se­cond place awa rds.

Scott Karp, David Herzenhorn and Mrs. SherylRubin attended a dinner onJune 15 honoring the recipients of this year's Long Island ScholasticPress Association awards. The Classic received two first place awardsfor feature writing and photography , a second place award in newswriting, and a third place award in lay-out at a ceremony at C.W. Poston May 18.

1beCiassk

Continued Problem

Coin Toss

In actual competition, a coin istossed to decide which view eachteam takes. Everyone competingmust be ready to argue eitherpoint of view.

According to Suman Gupta, itis even better to have to argue for

The team's only problem hasbeen in the Math/Science round."Except for Math and Science, wehave very good team chemistry,"joked Freshman Nuri Kodaman.Coach Russo said, "We have con­tinued problems in Math andScience . " Ivan expla ined,"Hopefully now the Math andScience players have gained ex­prience. It's a big problem. If wecould just tie in the Math/Scienceround, that would be amazing."

Regardless of any problems, the Jean-Jacque Newman was a finalist in the National French Exam, whichborough champs enjoy what they was given on March 12.do and are excited about doing itagain next year. 'It was a lot offun, it's like Jeopardy, just like agame show, sometimes it's nerve­wracking," explained Pinar. "Wedid well, but we can still do bet- Uglicio, "The Ugly One" finished first in the first annual Quantam Catter. I look forward to next year. roach-a-thon. All roaches completed the 20 inch track with Slo-rnoMaybe we can win the whole- finishing last.thing," enthused Nuri. CoachRusso is also excited, "We have agood team in place for the Falland we'll work hard."

protect society."When debating, senior Teresa

Lazar finds that "the hardest partare the cross-examinationsbecause you really don't knowwhat to expect and you have toboth think fast, and effectivelymake your point in a short periodof time."

Disappointment

The encouraging victory over,Stuyvesant was followed by threedisappointing defeats . In theBronx, Truman High Schoolhanded Harris its first loss of theyear, '64-62. The second defeatfollowed one week later, this timeit was Tottenvill~ winning by 14points at Queens College. Finally.Harris was elimianted by adevastating 20 point loss, 80-60, atthe hands of Midwood HighSchool in Brooklyn.

Earlier in the season, bothjunior Michelle Carino and seniorLinda Cheung qualified to com­pete in the State competition inAlbany. Michelle Carino placedsecond in the Intermediate Divi­sion.

Suman Gupta, Sean Gralton,Hyun-Su Yi arid the alternate Lin­da Cheung were Quarterfinalistsin the citywide Lincoln-Douglastournament. The team won $400debating the topic, "Is mandatorydrug testing justified in order to

Although she did not place in thiscompetition, which was also spon­sored by the Catholic ForensicLeague, she' won two out of herfour debates.

' .

State Competition

•

Flawless Season

Rebutting To The Top:

Debate Team Gains National Recognition

National Debates

~ (., . - .' .. ~ . . . -

By Melody KeilbachThe Harris debate team, super­

vised by Mrs. Rhoda Weinstein,has come a long way since its in­ception four years ago, ending itsseason with senior Suman Guptacompeting in the National DebateTournament in New Orleans.

, Members of Y.E.S., Youth for an Educated Society, have petitionedS local representatives in hope of gaining their support on the minimum; wage legislation.

____ ______ ________.aAcademic Olympians Irim Nacir, Richard Cheung, Kevin Kim, Sujal Barucho and Vadim Rubinstein concen­trate on their opponents' response.

The three playoff victoriesfollowed a flawless regular seasonin which the team finished with sixwins and no losses. In the tourna­ment for the city championship,Harris was elimianted with threelosses but not before defeatingdefending champion, StuyvesantHigh School.

Coach Richard Russo stated,"We did as well as we did lastyear. We're the borough champs!We make no apologies toanybody." Team member, IvanBilaniuk explained, "I think wedid really well and hopefully wecan continue our success."

Page 4

As a result of coming in firstplace in a Brooklyn/QueensCatholic Forensic Division Leaguedebate on "If mandatory AIDStesting is more important thanpersonal privacy rights," Sumanqualified for the Nationals, whichwas on the value of the originalframers of the Constitution.

Brain Team Continues Champ Traditionby David Herszenhorn The match against Stuyvesant,

For the second year in a row, played at the Board of Education.the Townsend Harris Academic in Brooklyn, proved to be theOlympics team has won the year 's most exciting event.Queens Borough championship. Sophomore, Pinar Kodaman,The Academic Olymians defeated said, "They were so sure theyBayside, Francis Lewis and John would win. During the intermis­Adams High Schools in a sudden sion they were partying and wedeath round robin tournament to . came back to win it." Ivan recall­win the borough and earn a ed, "It came down to the lastchance at the city title. question, during the omnibus

round, it was a sports question,we answered it and just squeakedby. " The final score in that matchwas 73-72.

Jane 1988 The Classic

Incoming Freshmen mingle at the 1988 Townsend Harris freshmen orientation, May 31.

Consultative CouncilChannels Ideas

For Better Or For Worse:New Policy Molds Student Body

Mr. Roseeman advocates theuse of the interview since in an in­terview "we could find whichstudents were truly committed tothe type of program TownsendHarris had to offer."

Mrs . Horowitz feels that thenew policy put both the schooland the poten tial students to adisadvantage. " The schoo l loststudents who might have had aspecial quality to add to ourschoo l. The students also lust outsince those whom might havetaken because of their specialqualities were not. "

Whether or not Townsend Har ­ris will have to continue with thispolicy remains to be seen. Mr.Boulanger elucidates that "We areasking that the policy be revoked .However, for the ' foreseeablefuture we will have to exist underthese circumstances."

on such techniques as criticalthinking, art iculation of thoughts,ability to question facts and ideas,and creativity." Mrs. Horowitzalso notes that " Townsend Harristeachers had to revise their ap­proach to teaching the studentsthese important skills that theyhadn't used before. "

The policy was first mandatedin order to prevent discriminationamong candidates for admission.However, many seem to feel thatthis new policy creates a differenttype of discrimination. Mr.Boulanger feels that it might havebeen discrimina tory against thosewho may have "shinedin an inter­view and showed great potential.'Students who did not have a 90average but had a uniquecharacter' were admitted throughthe old system.

Assistant Principal BerniceHorowitz thinks tha t while thestudents are still extremely bright,they are lacking certin skills re­quired of a Townsend Harris stu­dent. The students' previousschool had not put an "emphasis

By Alicia SalmoniLast year. Townsend Harris im­

plemented a new admissionspolicy for incoming freshmen, inwhich faculty members choosestudents only by research of pastachievement, extra courses, andattendance, instead of the essayand interv iew process.

Mr. Arthur Boulanger believesthat this process has been

, beneficial in that it allows for agreater "uniformity within thegrade," but he adds, " We desiremore of a diversity" in the typesof students chosen for the school.

the process of passing rules withinthe school. "

Sophomore J. David Rosza en­joys taking part in decisions thatdirectly affect him. He relates, "Ifeel a certain amount of prestigebecause I am able to have a say inmatters involving both the schooland myself."

Faculty members also believethat the meetings play an impor­tant role in the school. LibrarianValerie Billy says that the Councilis a "forum for students to comeand discuss their concerns." Shefeels that these meetings increasecooperation among the membersof the school population .

Guidance Counselor SheilaOrner describes the atmosphere atmeetings as being "comfortableand open" with the students ver­balizing their views inteligently.

Although it has accomplis hedmuch durin g its four years of ex­istence, the Counsu ltative Council e­does have its flaws. One of the::!most pressing problems, Dr . ,~

Largmann believes, is the need for til" cont inuit y of core members."The Council would like parentsand seniors to have a mo re activepart icipation in the meetings andac t ivit ies . Dr . Lar g ma n n

, elaborates on this by saying that" the Council should represent alarger const ituency of the schooland student participation shouldbe expanded."

One of the Council's goals nowis to spread the knowledge of itsexistence throughout the school.Mr. Moskowitz hopes that " moreof a cross-section of the schoolwill be involved in the futu re. Thisway, the Council can be morerepresentative of the student. body

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By Jane Ciriglianoand Alicia Salmoni

A Consultative Council is re­quired in all New York Cityschools to serve as a catalyst in thechanneling of ideas amongstudents, administration, teachersand community. Holding monthlymeetings, the Council encouragesstudents to voice their op inions onmatters concerning them.

Each school is allowed tochoose the manner in which theCouncil is conducted. Accordingto COSA Myron Moskowitz, afaculty member of the Council,the format in which it is run is"unique to every school."

Dr. Largmann believes that thepurpose of the Council is to " ad- ,vise the principal on certainissues." As an advisory body , ithas been very successful in in­troducing many school activities.The rescheduling of midterms,and the planning of the JuniorProm are only a few of its manyachievements .

At recent meetings, discussionswere held , concern ing a schoolmascot, the March of DimesWalk-A -Thon and the BlackWorld Rodeo.

Students , faculty- and parentsare expec ted to attend themeetings. A chairman presidesover the meetings, introducingmatters on the agenda . The posi­tion of chairman is a rota ting one,where the members of the Counciltake turns in executing the duty.

The student members of theCouncil feel that being involved isan enriching experience. JuniorNicole Elias, a third -year member ,comments that her extensive par ­ticipation is "educating me about

Discussing Precautions:

Issues of Academic Dishonesty Disturb Harris 'Community..

By Renata KobettsRecent incidents of academic

dishonesty have caused discussionamong Townsend Harris HighSchool administrators , facu ltymembers, and students over theprecau tions which should be takenin a selective school ' wherestudents are highly motivated andgrade-conscious.

Dr. La rgm a nn addressed'several of the issues at hand in aschoo l-wide speech over the publicaddress system on May 2. "Thereare those who give only tokenrespect to the Ephebic Oath, " hesaid. "Although such students arethe exception among our studentbody, all of us are respo nsible for 'what goes on in our school."

The principal, while explainingthat those who knowingly allowacademic dishonesty to tak e placeare just as guilty as those who ac­tively engage in such acts, express­ed concern regarding "rumormongers," those who promote" blanket accusations withoutwitnesses" and those who writeanonymous notes. "When you ac­cuse, you had better have thefacts, not the rumo r, " he explain­ed. Dr. Largmann again stressedthe responsibility all studen ts musttake. "In a democracy, it is youupon whom we rely to maintainhigh standards ." In closing, heurged students to " be honest andkind to one another."

Dr. Leonard Gappelberg, who

was recently involved in an inci­dent of academic dishonesty,stated, " I never felt the kind oftensions I feel here in regard tostudents. They feed on theirgrades-like , man needs oxygen.Their identities ... their sense ofperson are tied into grades .. ."

Although sti ll respect ingstudents , Dr. Gappelberg nownumbers and counts test papers.Mrs. Bernice Horowitz, AssistantPrincipal Humanities, feels thatsuch "preventat ive medicine" isimportant so that students are not"tempted."

Mrs. Horowitz expressed theneed for " student leadership" andbelieves that anonymous notes

"smack too much of the McCar­thy era ." She advocates a studentspeaking to a teacher and re­questing that his or her name bewithheld. Dr. Largmann firmlystates , "Everyone has the right tobe faced by his accuser."

" It's every teache r's respon­sibility to be vigilant, " he said," An anonymous note might beused to tip a teacher off to watchmore closely but I would not acton it ."

Both Mrs. Horowitz and Dr.Gap pelberg mentioned the impor- ,tance of the role of guidance in

-helping students to cope withtemptations which might lead todishones ty. Dr. Gappelberg feels

the competi tive natur e of Town­send Harris might lead to increas­ed incid ence o f academicdishonesty , while Mrs. Horowitzis unsu re.

The issue of academic dishones ­ty was addressed in a cabinetmeeting, as well as at a facultymeeting recently. Mrs. Horowitzcited the careful plans for the June1988 Regents Examinations, in­cluding the seating of stude nts inalternate rows of the same roomfor the biology and history tests.Dr . Gappelberg has suggested aguidance-sponsored "Peer Rap"in which students can confront themoral and ethical conflict s involv­ed in academic dishonesty .

Historic Battle

Prej udice At Home,

They were on their way to meetRussian troops in what peoplepredicted would be a battle fo r thehistory books. They ran out of gasand headquarters , perhaps wan­ting to let a white tank battalion.take credit fo r the victory , deniedthei r request for more . A few bud­dies stole 30,000 gallons for theyand they were ab le to proceed intoa "glorious" battle in Austria.

" The Russians weren't like us.They were a ragtag army," he nar­rated, describing how some woreAmerican and even Germanuniforms , or a combination of alldifferent ones. They were a roughgroup, "but we drank with them ,got to know them." -

They befriended people in theGerman towns they liberated also ,often receiving a warmer recep­tion than they would back home.The people had never seen blackskin before . When they firstclimbed out of the tanks the peo­ple scattered into their houses,afraid.

The children were the first toventure out, then the adults Me­Connell tells them with a reminis­cent smile , "they turned ourhands over and looked; black onone side, white on the other. Theydidn't know what to make of it. "Friendships were made . Panthersthat visited Germany long afterthe war was over, ran into Ger­man farmers who rememberedthem fondly.

Not even victory could convincepeople back "home" to put asidetheir bigotries. Blacks couldn'tbury their dead in militarygravesites in the South and manyof them still lay in unadorned bat­tlefield graves in Europe .

"Their blood was red, but thecolor of their skin affected themall their lives," summed uphistory teacher Dr. Leonard Gap­pelburg.

Despite blood and victory, pre­jud ices st ill shadowed th emthroughout Europe. The normalfight ing conditions were three'weeks in the field with oneweekend off. At one point the ywent 183 straight days withoutreprieve; no rest, no showers,nothing, bu t guns and German s.

They had a casualty rate of 50percent . Their tanks dwin dledfro m 75 to seven before Pattonacknowledged their ab ilities and'sent in replacements to be trainedon the field.

Racial Injustices

June 1988,

Black Panther StrikesAgainst 'War Prejudices

. By Eileen Gu nnGeneral George Patton sent the

Black Panthers into Wor ld War IIwith a reminder that the eyes o ftheir nation and their people weregoing to be on them . " Don't letthem down, " he told them, "anddamn it , don 't let me dow n. "

What he neglected to tell th is'" all-black tan k battalion , the firstgone in the U.S. Army, was that

their life expectancy as a unit waseight to 12 days, there would beno replacements, and he didn't ex­pect any of them to return homealive .

This was one anecdote relat edby George McConnell when hespoke at Harr is about the pre­judices Ame rica subjected himand his comrades to while theyfought for her in World Wa r II.

The name Black Panthers wasoriginally meant to be pejorativehe explained, but the 761st bat­talion rose above this and much .else to put forth some of the mos toutstanding soldiers in the war .

In 1978, President Jimm yCarter awarded them thePresidential Unit Citation for"extraordinary heroism in battle"that Congress had denied them sixtimes previously . ,

Denial of this honor was only asmall part of the injustices Me­Connell faced from the momenthe enlisted.

Training took place below whathe calls, " the Cotton Curtain," inTennessee. Not even the armyuniform -was impermeable to theanti-black sentiment of the south.

Jackie Robinson, a fellow Pan­ther, was court-martialled whenhe refused to sit in the back o f abus and a high ranking officer hadto remove him from his chosenseat. He was given an honorabledischarge on account of a "badleg. "

.!ii "Anyone who's seen Jackie<r, Robinson steal bases knows thatg he had no bad leg," McConnelli:' chuckled.~

The Classic

because it made just ordinarythings so difficult." Janna Siegelalso shared her experiences whilewearing the chains. "It was sopainful. In some remote way I feltlike I cou ld almost relate to howthe prisoners feel. I feel verychanged. "

Many people did not unders­tand why such an event was run byTownsend Harris since it is such asmall student body. A .I. chapterpresident Jennifer Appell explain­ed, "You need to get every aspectof society involved no matter howsmall or young . Everyone makes adifference." Principal MalcolmLargmann added to that, "That'swhat our school is all about. Thefact that it came out of their owninit iati ve shows that we havestudents who are on the road tobecoming humanists."

" I feel very good," statedfaculty advisor Odile Garcia."This is something we should alldo . Human rights are ignored alltoo often. "

about the terrible conditions andviolations of human rights thepeople of South Africa and allover the world" suffer. He feelsmany people can learn from hisexperiences. "It helps people who

-haveri't been through what we'vebeen through to understand whatgoes on everyday," he explained ." It is especially important for theyoung people because they are theones who are going to changethings ."

Besides receiving attention fromthe press , Mr. Mark Monson, arepresentative from CongressmanGary Ackerman's office attended ."It takes help from everyone," hestated, " and we are very glad toadd a couple of hundred voices tothe campaign."

To help publicize the rally,several A.I. members wentthrough school the day beforewearing chains. Chain bearerJohanna Lasker related, "It mademe feel a little more in touch withwhat the prisoners went through

Amnesty Activists Rally For RightsAmnesty Internat ional mem bers listen to other activists at the Human Rights rally on Ma y 12.

' New Student Gov ernment officials. L. to r. Jessica Harris Senior Treasurer; Rodea lannou Senior Liasion, Their. expected 1.2-daybattleJin Pak, Recording Secretary, Kelly Apostolidis, Senior Secretary, Duncan Faherty, Vice President, He idi turned m~o a campaign throughMoon, Senior Vice President, Abby Miller , Treasurer, Paul Gibson , Senior President , Alec Pollak, Senior SIX co~ntn~s . T~ey broke throughLiasio n Laura J oseph President - the Siegfried Ime allowing the" , . , S S h I fourth armored divis ion to passLeaders Core erves C 00 through France and liberate Ger-

- many.By Dan ielle Steinmann every other Thursday in room 221 Core because I missed taking part "Things were different over

One of the students in room 221 before school. "We work in con - in school activities," says one there , we became friends (with theat 7:30 a .m . on a Thursday may junction with the leadership class member , Abby Miller. " I think white soldiers) ... I have a lot ofbe president one day. Another and the student senate," says everything that has to do with the admiration for the white infan­might be senato r, or governor. Duncan . school is fun and I love to be in- trymen that marched beside us."The y are all members of Leader 's At meetings, the future leaders valved . Now there's more you can Their fortitude in battle wonCore, the newest Student Union help to plan activities and discus s do with this group. The leadership them the mutual respect of theorganization for tomorrow' s student concerns. " The election class can concentrate on leader- white 'sold iers around them andmovers and shakers . committees for mas cot s were ship while we can make the school they helped each other out ,. " Leader's Core is an organiza- started in Leader's Core," says more worthwhile, " she adds. although he admits with a grin

non of s.tudents who have had the Duncan. Students also sold ticket s , . that they helped the northernleadership class before , or who are , to the dances . Leade~ sCore , IS yet another whites out more readily than theinterested in leadership, and wish , "There was a need to keep kids way for interested students to get southern ones .to continue serving our school ," who were in the leadership class involved in Townsend Harris.describes C.O.S.A . M yr o n informed and active in the school Any alumnus of the leadership At the beginning, all the 01'-Moskowitz. ," We .-~e t people to because they wanted to be," says class can join . The only require- ficers were white. As they advanc- Through it' all and after , Mc-stay in touch ," adds Duncan Mr. Moskowitz . ment is a genuine interest in ed through the war , the Panthers Connell was able to maintain aFaherty, the current chairman of leadership. Getting involved in slowly moved up through the positive perspective, "We haveLeader's Core. "Once I left Student Leader- high school can often lead to ranks, with Colonel Ivan "Court- our problems, but we can resolve

Leader's Core, 'a mixture of ship, it seemed like I wasn't in- higher things, perhaps even the Martial Slim" Harrison reaching our. problems. .. our America ... is- .~fII -" .. ..._•• ' ., "'. .... • '( •• It .. .. ~. ,_. 'fl _'- ~••-•. ,. • • v . ... . -. ~ ..J 4. ... ' ~lf" ' • . . . ... .. ··0 · - .. .. • ,. - ... , II - ~ • • t ti ti- ' tit •• ~ ' I: .. • • • "L. ' • ,t... #·4o·····d· '1- ": • ~ .. ,st=nl s • rmm -au- grades-; • meets- . votv'eu'anymore-. I join=Leaaer's . -presl ency~ . . • ~ - - • . .,. '. - e Ig est fan" 'among tnem .v' - . nnprovmg every ay: .•• • •

By Jes sica Woh lCr ies of " Human Rights Now"

and the words to "Blowin' in theWind" by Bob Dylan were heardin front of Townsend Harr is HighSchool on May 12, as part of anAmnesty International rally forhuman rights .

The rally was led by AmnestyInternational in an effort to in­form the community of thehuman rights violations that occuron a dai ly basis around the world .

The rally' was part of the" Human Rights Now" campaign,the largest campaign organized byAmnesty International. It is aworldwide effort to make knownthe principles of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rightsadopted by the U.N. in 1948. Theorganization hopes to establish aglobal family, that would granthuman rights to everyoneregardless of race, sex or religion.

Former prisoner of consciencefrom South Africa, SonnyVenketrathnan spoke at the rally

~ - June 1988 The Classic

witt QLlasstcWown.afttll Hnrrtn ]Hig~ § rl1ool at WuCtilIl Qlollcgt

Page 7

SUMMER SPECTACULAR

,

4 Page Pull-Out Magazine Section

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The CllISSic June 1988,

operators still allow people to us'these rides." Claudia claims thashe has seen these safety violation,at such amusement parks as GreaAdventure and The EnchanterForest in upstate New York .

Despite the dangers at furparks, people are drawn to thesepleasure palaces. Perhaps it is thehuge crowds that enable par]owners to afford to cut cornersfor as long as there is summerthese parks will' be jammed wittpaying customers .

The 10 Most ~yable Videos(based on a .survey of 100 Town­send Harris students)1. Dirty Dancing

''2. The Breakfas t Club3..Top Gun '

,4. Stand By Me "5. Ferris Beuller's Day Off6. The Outsiders7. Raiders of the Lost Ark8. Sixteen Candles9. Beyerly Hills Cop10. Grease '

Oz" were all mentioned morethan once .

There are also those people who.think that buying films serves nopurpose. These studen ts feel thlttthe inconvenience 'found in thevideo-rental world is mild com­pared to the high price of casset­tes. Rajiv Saxena summed it up bysaying, "I just don't understandwhy someone would buy a videofor $80 when they can see thisame one for two." \0

Although it is not a pressingcontroversy, there is still somequestion as to whether or notvideos are worth purchasing:Some are content with renting.Most, however, feel that there are

f certain films which never losetheirwatchability, By being selec­tive, one can come up with a worJthwhile personal video library. Itseems that there is finally.a curefor the video-rental blues.

--AND no body men tionedhooking up two VCRs and tap ingcopies of rented 'movies from.video .stores. Hehaeh ,

safe if the regulations were enforc­ed." She related an incident inwhich she was on a ride called" The Buckaneer" at a travellingamusement park in FlushingMeadow Park. Nella rode in a carwhose safety belt was broken andwas capable of causing her inju ry. 'Fortunately, she was unharmed.A similar scenario was experienc­ed by sophomore Claudia Bob.She said, " I have seen faultyequipment including broken headprotectors and seat belts , and the

Tapes TerminateSummer Doldrums

By Corey AckermanOver the past 10 years, VCRs

(videocassette recorders) havebecome increasingly popular .Now, millions of people take partin the weekly ceremony of goingto their local video-rental store,picking out there favorite newrelease, and heading home for anevening of prime entertainment.All too often however, video­viewers must ' settle for their se­cond , third, and fourth-choicetape, because the film they really

, wanted has already been rented.An alternative to this

frustrating rental process is topurchase videotapes, at pricesranging from $24.95 to $79.95.Unless you plan to watch the filmmore than once or twice, this isquite an inconvenience. Howevercertain films can be watched againand again without becoming bor ­ing. These films, with good sus­taining power, are worth theirhigh cost.

Recently, 100 Townsend Harrisstudents were surveyed on theirvideo habits. They were asked ifthey would ever consider buyingvideos, and if so, which ones.

Many students feel that movies' are worth owning on tape . Accor­ding to Erika Colby, "Rentingmovies is a pain. If you like a film,you should definitely buy it.", Eddie Murphy movies surfacedfrequently in the survey, as did theteenage fairy tales of John Hughesand the adventure films of StevenSpielberg. One surprise in theresults was the popularity ofclassic musicals. "My Fair Lady ,""The Sound of Music," "MaryPoppins" -and .~ ' J;he Wizard of

.~ ~~ ~

if the passenger is careful. "Freshman Tracy Westcarr believesthat "today's amusement parksare more dangerous, so passengersmust take the necessary precau­tions ." Sophomore Shari Gruber,skeptical about the safety atamusement parks said that "bet­ween the lack of supervision, thehuge crowds, and the dangerousenvironment, there is a greatpotential for accidents."

Junior Nella Teplitsky believesthat "amusement parks would be

Teen Clubs

go to regular club nights'. Theyclaim that the people are moremature and that they have a bettertime. there . Sophomore LoriGoldstein believes that "discos area lot of fun, but I don't like teennights. It's a kiddie conventionand I can't deal with it. Theonlytrouble is that you need a fake 10to get in and the bouncers are star­ting to really crack down on fakeIDs." "Avanti is really cool,"commented Nisha Chau han, "ex­cept for when it's teen night. Allthe guys there are too immature."

Since it is the end of the schoolyear and summer is on the way,clubs will be holding more andmore teen nights. Paled's hostedone on May 29th and willcont inuehaving them each week during thesummer. The admission price isonly $12 without an invitation and$10 with, for an exciting night ofgreat music and fun. MelissaNeuner likes Paled's because "It'snot that much to get in andeverybody dances. "It's reallycrowded and they get a lot of goodgroups to perform there." Avanti,on the other hand, has not set adefinite date for its next teennight , but admitted that it will behaving one soon . Whether it isteen night or not, clubs aredefinitely a favorite place forteenagers of today to spend

weekend nights.to ,

The TunnelRecently, several teens explored

The Tunnel , which is a club inManhattan. A few TownsendHarris students attended and hada fantastic time. "It was amazing,the best time I ever had at a club .The bathrooms were unisex and Imet a lot of guys there . There werea lot of different types of people,which is really great," enthusedDiana Ortiz.

Not everybody, however, is asfond of teen nights as Ping, Elishaand Diana are. The biggest com­plaint was the overcrowding. AsFaith Garbow itz put it, "I usuallyhave a good time, except when theplace is too crowded . Then it's toohot and that makes it really hardto dance." Jennifer Steinbergagreed with Faith that she doesnot really enjoy herself when it iscrowded because she "enjoys go­ing crazy on the dance floor andyou can't do that when you' re sur­rounded by a mob of people."Susan Chew, on the other hand,doesn 't like teen nights at all, evenif they are not crowded. "I don'tthink that it's worth going [to] atthis age," Susan commented."Everyone there is usually olderand I don't think the guys thereare the greatest boys to be with ."

Some studen ts here at Town­send Harris i¥n~re teen,nights ~nd

of great excitement. She addedanother reason to go to clubs ­"It's a good place to meet a lot ofgood-looking guys."

t w"( ~

Pleasurable Or Potentially Dangerous?Amusement Parks Spark Student Concern

By Jane Cirigliano were first invented, passengers"Summer vacation is a time for ribs and collarbones were broken

long days at the beach, camping frequently, and some were evenout, traveling to exotic places, and knocked unconscious. Today, thejust plain relaxing . Another proponents of amusement parkfavorite pasttime is waiting on safety believe that the highly'seemingly endless lines - to buy technological roller coasters andamusement park tickets, that is. other types of rides make it veryEager to revel in diversion, park- unlikely that anyone will be harm­goers slap down their money in ex- ed. Still, thre are the sporadicchange for a few hours of stories of negligent parkpleasure , but will the unwelcomed operators, weak or broken safetydoor prize be death? devices, faulty machinery, and a

Recently, amusement . parks ' death "waiting in the wings."have been proving themselves to Milton Berger, manager ofbe potentially dangerous , rather public relations at Astrolandthan pleasurable. According to Amusement Park in Brooklyn,the U.S. Comsuner Safety Corn- asserted that his amusement parkmission, 71 people were killed by has an " impeccable safetyamusement rides in the U.S. bet- record," explaining that rides areween 1973 and 1985. Twenty of inspected daily, and all cars arethese deaths were caused by roller carefully emptied and locked fromcoaster accidents . Injuries linked the . outside . Safety devices areto fun parks are on the rise in the buih into all rides, and are main­U.S. From 1980 to 1985, the in- tained for the passenger's protec­jury count rose by 4,220 - from tion. Mr. Milton also added that3,550 to 7,770, reports the ,como, Astroland's operators are verymission. Despite the ghastly death award and extremely safety -con­of eight teenagers in a haunted scious."house fire at New Jersey's Six Teenagers make up a largeFlags Corp. 's Great Adventure, percentage of the amusement parkand the more recent 1987fata l ac- goers. They express conflictingcident there in which a 15-year-old beliefs about amusement parkgirl lost her life, amusement park safety . Freshman Michael Det­owners think that their parks are wailer declared that "the safety -atmuch safer than they ever were. amusement parks is up to the

When the roller coaster rides passenger. There is no real danger

Teens Exp lore Dance Club Excitement

Teen Clubs

By Tracey RevellinoA favorite teen activity is danc­

ing. Almost everyone enjoys mov­ing his or her body to some sort ofcrazy beat, whether it ' s disco, newwave, heavy metal, or punk rock.A new trend for teens these days isgoing to night-elubs such as Pal­ed's on Queens Boulevard, andAvanti on Bell Boulevard inBayside. Not only do people get todance the night away at theseclubs, but they also get to meet dif- 'ferent types of people and have agreat time.

Usually, clubs only let in peoplewho are "18-and-over," but nowsome feature "teen nights,"where they allow teenagers to goin and party. Paled's, for exam­ple, admits " 15 and over" on itsteen nights, while Avanti admitsteens" 18-lind-under. " Avanti on­ly serves soda on these nights, butPaled's has a special bar in theback for those 21 andover.

Moststudents in this school goto club teen nights and have agreat time. Sophomore Ping Leepraised, "It's fun and exciting. Iget rid of a lot of stress andpressure by dancing. In thisschool, because of the amount ofschoolwork we receive, it's nice togo to clubs to relax and enjoyyourselLIt helps me to get readyto ' go 'back to school onMonday."

Elisha Sorensen also shares the.opinion-that clubs can be a place

• June 1988

~

The Classic Page 9

Fresh Foods Fascinate Dieters

Cool Delights Create Spice

By Marissa GluckFor months before summer,

millions again begin their annualattempt to challenge nature, defygravity, and shed unsightly andunwanted pounds. Through thelong winter months -and brightspring days the battle rages. But inthe summer, many hold a tem­porary cease-fire, 'and enjoy thefoods of summer.

Most people, when thinking ofsummer food, conjure up a pic­ture of watermelon. However, theextent of favorite summer foodsreach far beyond this mouth­watering fruit. For many, sum­mertime picnics and barbecues area weekly ritual. . "Every week wehave a barbecue or my family goesto one;" says freshman TracyWestcarr. "We also have lots ofpicnics at Sunken Meadow Park."

-Exotic Barbeques

Despite popular belief,barbecues are not just subject tohamburgers and hotdogs. Shish 'kabobs are becoming increasinglycommon with barbecued fish suchas halibut and shrimp beingprepared more often.

In the intense summer heat,though, working is an extremelyunpleasant prospect. Many preferfoods like fruit, ice cream,sherbet, jello and even cold soup.Explains Happi Li, "In the sum­mer, I enjoy eating anything thatcools me off." Harriet Vam-

vouris, also a freshman, prefers to"drink a lot of water in the sum­mertime." In the summer, when 'the temperature is generally high,a greater water loss is endured.When this occurs, it is vital toreplenish the body with liquids.Dehydration is a frequent summermalady but a proper diet and li­quids are essential in relieving theproblem.

Frozen Fruit

Many foods that are normallyeaten all-year-roundare frozen inthe summer. People freeze fruit,juice and chocolate in their ownfreezer and nibble on them as acool snack.

Other favorites are pasta saladand vegetable salads. They arelight, easy to prepare andnutritious. Pasta primavera hasrecently become a popular dishdue in part to its simplicity andnutritional value. Pasta is rich incarbohydrates and provides extraenergy.

Vegetable salads are also anideal meal in the summer.Although there are several varia­tions of it, a tossed green salad isquintessential. However, there aremany other delicious salads thatare quick and easy to prepare suchas Caesar Salad, Hong KongGarden Salad and Guacamole.There are also many exoticvegetables to be used in differentsalads such as dandelion greens,

watercress and leeks. Many saladsinclude chicken, crabmeat, shrimpand cheese. .

Although relatively unheard of,cold soups are receiving praise andpreference. Though not easy toprepare, the result is often worth ,the work. Most cold soups such asvichysoisse (potato soup) andgaspacho (tomato soup) containmany vegetables, usually pureedand served with cream.

Most associate the word"salad" with vegetables despitethe fact that tropical fruits makedelicious salads too. Here is a

, recipe for one:

TropicalPapaya Salad

1 papaya2 kiwi fruit1 banana16 strawberries

Sauce:V2 ripe banana8 strawberries, hulled1 tablespoon, honey1 tablespoon, lemon juice

Cut papaya in half. Scoop outseeds; peel. Cut papaya in halflengthwise into thick slices. Peelbanana and cut into thick slices.Hull and slice strawberries. Ar­range fruit in four banana splitdishes. Place all ingredients forsauce in blender. Blend untilsmooth. Pour some sauce overeach papaya salad; pass aroundextra sauce. Serves four.

By Niki PaiSummer is coming and, along

with summer comes beaches, sun­tans and ice cream. Almosteveryone feels like Angie Lam Tu,who said, "I love all ice creams ."Unfortunately, not only is icecream a delectable treat, it is a fat­tening one.

What if one is on a diet, andmust say no to their favorite treat?No need to say no any longer. Onealternative to ice cream is Light &Lively ice milk; it has half thecalories of regular ice cream andcan be found in most super-

-markets in many different flavors.Favorite fruits now come frozen

as well. FrozFruit is the latest low­calorie rage and comes in almostall fruit flavors. It can be found inmost health food stores and insome supermarkets. Sorry, nochocolate, but don't worry. ArtinAsadourian feels "FrozFruittastes good!"

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Some people in this world donot care for milk or are allergic toit, and have had to say no to icecream. Not any longer; tofutti,the newest dairy substitute, comesin all common flavors like vanillaand chocolate and can be found inmost health food stores, somesupermarkets and delis.

If ice milk, frozfruit or tofuttiaren't appealing to one's palate,Baskin Robbins and most super­markets offer sherbert; a 'crossbetween frozfruit and slush, it issoft and usually comes in manyfruit flavors.

All those dieters out there,don't despair, summer will be funagain with all the new summer icecream substitutes. Dieters shouldhave fun experimenting this sum­mer. After all, as Kia Thompsonbelieves, "lee cream revitalizes thesoul, it cleanses the mind andgives one a new outlook on life."

Sunbathers Beware: Sun Sparks Summer AilmentsBy Anny Wohn

The first things to go are thepants' and the shorts, at least forthose people who are eagerlyawaiting summer. Summer meansbare legs and uncovered arms,sandy beaches, sparkling pools,relaxing vacations ... and summerailments.

"I love to lie in the sun, basical­ly to tan," exclaims Diana Ortiz .'Medical studies show that ex­posure to the sun can be damag­ing. Summer ailments include skincancer, sunburn, and eye damage.Why then are beaches and parks

covered with sunbathers?"Skin cancer is caused by altera­

tions and abnormalities in skincells due to overexposure to thesun's ultraviolet rays, even thoughthe ozone layer filters some of thesun's rays, protection 'is providedby lotions, creams and ointments,,easily accessible in nearby stores .Or course, the best solution is notto be exposed to the sun at all, butthis is highly unlikely.

Some people like CarynDunleavy "burn easily with even alittle exposure." Sunburn is an in­flammation of the skin caused by

exposure to the sun's rays. It ispossible'to get a sunburn even oncloudy days since the sun's raysfilter through the clouds. This canbe prevented by gradual exposureto the sun and it is treated as anyother burn.

Sunstroke is the name for theconditions resulting fromoverheating the body. It resultsfrom the breakdown of.the body'sheat regulation mechanisms. Highbody temperatures, the result of asunstroke, may cause brain .damage. Sometimes, it can lead toa coma or even death.

Eye damage can occur as in­tense light enters the eye. Con­trary to popular belief, darkglasses do not protect eyes. Thedarkness causes "the pupils to

' d ila te , allowing even moreultraviolet rays to enter.Sunglasses, specifically recom­mended for UV protection, willlessen the damage ..

Even with all the knownmedical facts, there are still thosewho love to tan. Diana Ortiz"doesn't care because if [I] don'tdie of skin cancer," she'll die ofsome other cancer. Others are

very cautious. Abby Miller likes totan but "doesn't have the patienceto lie on the sand for more thanfive minutes."

With summer comes the tan,the beaches, and the danger. Eachperson must be responsible for 'his/her own health. "Skin cancerruns in my family," states CarynDunleavy, who takes precautionswhile tanning. Diana Ortiz claimsthat one advantage exists in tann­ing. "You don't have to 'wearmakeup when you tan!" Perhapsit is all a' matter of one's personal

.priorities.

Fun Under The Sun: Summer Calendar '88By Scott Karp

When ' summer comes along,students who have worked hardall year find themselves with somuch free time they don't knowwhat to do. The - following is acalendar of events to look forwardto this summer.

DanceNew York City Ballet: All­

Balanchine program, June 25, 8p.m. All-Robbins program, June26, 7 p.m. State Theater (212)870-5570.

Pina Bausch/Tanztheater Wup­pertal: American premieres of twoearly Bausch ballets, "Viktor,"June 27, 7 p .m. and ."Carnations," July 5, 8 p.m.Opera House, Brooklyn Academyof Music (718) 636-4100.

Dance Theater of Harlem:World premiere of Arthur Mit-

chell's "John Henry." June 28,7:30 p.m. City Center (212)246-8989.

Royal Spanish National Ballet:The company's Flamenco wingwill perform "Medea." July 11, 8p.m., Metropolitan Opera House(212) 362-6000.

Nation Ballet of Canada: NewYork premiere of RobertDesrosier's "Blue Snake." July18, 8 p.m., Metropolitan OperaHouse (212) 362-6000.

MoviesJuly

"Arthur on the Rocks." BudYorkin's sequel to "Arthur"reunites Dudley Moore, LizaMinelli and Sir John Gielgud.

"Chronicle 0 f a Deat I)Foretold." A mystery that ex­plores the -social structure of a

small South American 'communi-. ty, based on the novel by GabrielGarcia Marquez. With RupertEverett, Anthony Delon, andOrnella Muti,

"Married to the Mob." Thewidow of a mafiahitman falls foran FBI agent in JonathanDemme's comedy. With MatthewModine, Michelle Pfeiffer, JoanCusack and Dean Stockwell.

"Moment of Truth." BenKingsley, Helen Mirren andCharles Dance are throwntogether on an Aegean island dur­ing the decline of the OttomanEmpire.

Theater"Brothers and Sisters."

American premiere of LeningradMaly Dramatic Theater's seven­hour adaptation of a Fyodor

Abramov trilogy, ' in Russian,Directed by Lev Dodin. June 16,Belasco (239-6200).

"The Monkey King Goes Under 'The Sea." Performed by Yin­chuan Beijing Opera Troupe.June 16. Triplex, ManhattanCommunity College (723-2482).

"Juno and the Paycock .' SeanO'Casey's playas performed byDublin's Gate Theater. WithDonal McCann. June 17(307-2707).

"Much Ado About Nothing."Free Shakespeare in the Parkbegins. With Kevin Kline andBlythe Danner . June 24,Delacorte (861-7277).

"Road." British playwright JimCartwright examines the lives ofimpoverished Lancashireresidents. Late June, Mitzi E.Newhouse (239-6200):

Music

Tanglewood: Tite annualfestival in Lenox, Mass. opensJune 30. The season includes afour-day gala for Leonard Berns­tein's 70th birthday. 307-7171.

"Rigoletto.' A new productionof Verdi's opera, with FaithEsham as Gilda. July 9,8 p.m. Ci­ty Opera, State Theater. 870-5570.

Placido in the Park: PlacidoDomingo, with full orchestra, in aprogram of 2Oth-century songs.July 11,8 p.m., Great Lawn, Cen­tral Park. 472-1490.

Mostly Mozart Festival: Thisannual festival, now in its 22ndyear, will feature performances byFrederica van Stade, JamesGalway, Vladimir Feltsman andothers. Opens July 12, AveryFisher Hall. 874-2424.

Page 10 The Classic June 1988.

Hot Season Sports Hot Looks

Short skirts continue to be seen in the hot summer months. .An Open MindSo, when shopping this sum ­

mer, have the new looks in mind,keep some old favorites, but mostimportantly, dress in a way thatreflects personal style.

in the fall and will continuethrough the summer," sayssophomore Anny Wohn.

Another old favor ite that willbe seen are cut o ff jeans .Freshman Ilyssa Goldfarb andDalia Lacks described the newway to wear these class ics ."Rolled-up about knee length .. .with patches.. . [along] with crop­ped t-shirts," they described .

Although the fa shionmagazines and designers prescribewhat to wear, the overridingthought for the 80's is to wearwhat feels comfortable. It is im­portant not to con form if onedoesn't like the style. " I' m sorryto say, but I'm afraid that thefluo rescent ugly green is comingback , especially in bathing suits.Also floral patterns. I personallywill not wear them," stated a con­fident Abby Miller .

It is also important to open themind to new ideas. "Well, I'vebeen making skirts out of my box­er shorts, but I don't know whatanyone else is doing," addedjunior Janna Siegal.

Shieman sees what people are buy­ing. ·" 1 would say plaid shorts ,large pastel, black or whitet-shirts, any snea kers witho utsocks, and light cotton button­down shirts are going to bepopular," he commented.

Girls like this casual style aswell. " I like to wear plaid jamsand a t-shirt , Something comfor­table," says Jennifer Steinberg.• However, don 't go digging outthose old jams from last year."Really colorful trop ical colo rswill be out," warns Erica Hay. JinPak adds, " Ja ms [will be in again]but not with all the colors . Solidones ."

Another look that will bepopular is the "nautical" or" sailor " look. Esprit also showsmany outfits in this style. Thelook pairs navy and white, and ac­cents with red. Sailor tops withloose pants and shorts, orminiskir ts will be seen on and offyachts this season.

The logical look for the hotseason, if you agree with SeraCongi is, "Not much." "Peopleare going to be wearing less ofeverything," says Student Unionpresident Alec Pollack. More skinwill definitely be seen under crop­ped tops and tanks, and the old.favor ite, the miniskirt. "Moreminiskirts will be seen. It started

-'..

This seems to be the choice lookfor guys this summer.

Working at The Gap, a clothingchain known for its popularstyles, sophomore Michael

Bermuda (long, baggy) shorts, apolo shirt [and] those really bigbaggy t-shir ts, " he says. But whatabout the feet? "Topsiders,sometimes with socks," he says.

By Danielle SteinmannSchool is over and the sun is

blazing. Summer has begun, andwith it the summe r fashionseason. What styles is the warmweather bringing? This summe r'sfashion·forecast is diverse and col­orful, with many old favoritesreturning.

This will be the summer of thesport s motif. " In this summer willbe the 'biker' look, " saidsophomore Jill Grathwohl. Thisincludes long, tight, black shortsand bright neon tank tops withbicycle-style designs on them .

Another sport that will behonored this summer is golf.Esprit is a popular brand forjun iors. Their summer collectionshows golf and country clubsportswear. The May issue of"Seventeen" magazine dedicatedfour pages to this club style . "It's ..not whether you win or lose - it's iEhow you look when you play the '~ i@Jgame ." The right look for guys Ot%land girls is long shorts and poloshirts. Girls can also dress up inshort "tennis" skirts paired withover-the-knee socks in white.

Dave Sung plans to seek thisnew look when he shops for hissummer clothes. "I might buy

Sporty Looks

Hats Top Summer Style .

·Utbr Qtlassit;,-;-,0;0;•••" / ••••••••; , ••••, '" v.·.·,.·.·'N .,.· · ·••.·..""·.· ·.·.!o:.:.·.·~.· .

moaun.rub' JIani. Jllg" &d,oolat (furms GIollrgr

'•••••.••••••••, •••••••••••••..••..••••.••••,'•••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••;.; ;.•••••;••:;•••.·;· ·.·;·.o;,y.« v. v ·:,.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.· :, .

75-40 Parsons Blvd •• Flushing NY 11366

Section Editors: Camille Gear and HayleyThomas

Staff: Corey Ackerman, Jane Cirigliano,Marissa Gluck, Scott Karp, Mikile Pai,Danielle Steinmann, Jessica Wohl, AnnieWohn.

THE CLASSIC WISHES

ALL A HEALTHY SUMMER. . .-Exotic Hats

Now that the hat trend hasstarted rolling there seems to beno way to stop it. So why not jointhe crowd. Listen to AzizaFishman, "Yo! Sport the Hat!"

People's reasons for wearinghats are as varied as the hatsthemselves . 'The best thing iswhen your hat matches your out­fit," explained Michelle Schiano .Natalie LaDuca remembers the For many people the more ex-words of her grandm?the.r, "Ha~~ otic t~e hat the better . "I ado~c •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••are really what make an outfit. hats WIth feathers and roses," said • . •Many people had more practical Alex Whitten, "hats can change a • •reasons. "I think hats are great if person." Jodi Shapiro also admit .. WINDSOR SUMMER SCHOOL •you forget to was~ your hair," ted, "I like any hat that is out of t Grades 6-.12 tstated James Rubm. Jon Isler the ordinary, because lam out of. for ADVANCING or REPEATING or ENRICHMENT •agrees, "hats hide a messy the ordinary." t (Regents Examinations Available) •hairstyle." Although many different styles • English . Mathematics Science t

Not everyone is hooked on hats . of hat now exist. many people still. Spanish Social Studies French •"I hate hats," commented Lucia prefer the traditional baseball cap.. Reading SAT Math & Verbal Typing •Grillo, "they give you hat hair." Jill Grathwohl explained wh . "I. E.S,L. Computers Phys. Ed. •Other people find hats discomfor- :can wear them backwards o{ for- t Preparation for Admission to Specialized High Schools tting. "When you wear a hat, it wards and they still look alright. " .. DRIVER EDUCATION •feels like you are balancing Mik..e Schieman gave a different t WINDSOR SCHOOL . tsomething on your head," said reason, "they hide the right parts. 136-23 Sanford Ave., at Mam St. • .Diana Ortiz. "I hate hats," stated . of your hair, they have a brim to • Flushing, N.Y. 11355 •math teacher Harry Ratien, "they hide the sun and they come in a t Telephone: 718·359·8300 tmake .your head -,'.t:r~Qire . "_ J million different colors." .••••••••••••••••••••••••••"!"••••••••••

Reasons For Hats, . '.- "

The 1980's started to change thetrend and once again put hats inthe limelight. "Hats are comingback!" said David Sung , "and allmy friends are wearing them."

The New Trend

By Jessica WohlFor years fashionable teens

carefully put together their out­fits, making sure each accessorywas perfect. After all their workthey hoped a .good haircut wouldcomplete the look. This is nolonger true. This is the year of thehat.

Throughout history, hats werealways considered very important. .A proper man or woman neverleft the house without a hat. Thenin the 1960's, hats lost favor.Many hat lovers don't understandthis trend. "Why don't men wearhats as often as they used to?"asked histoiry teacher BarthJ(eller.

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Page 11

and its wonderful reputation. But,miraculously, the indestructableMr. Bossman returned to tell hisattempted murderess, "Maybeyour son will get into TownsendHarris next year."

This year 's SING! was wonder­fully funny and impressed the en­tire audience.

"SING! was very creative andimaginative," said Elizabeth Ng."There was great effort con­tributed by all the students. It wasa wonderful presentation!"

Ms. Silver (Lisa Feintuch ); Mr.Baldwin (Elliot Roman), wasdeeply in love with her. Mr. Ja­questo (August Haberstock) andMiss Hatfield (Aimee Majoros)are being blackmailed. DetectivesPitter and Patter, played by CoryGingold and Erika Colby, werealso aboard to add to the excite­ment.

The performance ended withthe supposed murder of Mr.Bossman by a Stuyvesant stalwarttrying to destroy Townsend Harris

The Classic

M:ich-;n~ ' Heller, Beth Rosenberg and Anita Zieba have "the time of their lives" while performing in the4th Annual Townsend Harris SING.After a short intermission the

Crimson team appeared , led byFlorie Watson . They had a verydifferent idea for their singpresentation. Entitled "Mysteryon the High Seas" their theme wasmurder and mystery aboard a lux­ury liner. Curiously enough manyof the passengers stronglyresembled our own TownsendHarris teachers .

The passengers included Mr.Bossman (Eugene Harding), adetested individual loved only by

Horror Scene '

The Gold performance endedwith the "Horror Scene," whereJennifer Williams, a devotedwitch, had met with a fate worsethan death. She had become aJAP! Her two witch sisters,Kristin Iglesias and Anna Tar­nopolski, in an effort to free theirsister from Japness, mistakinglyturned her into a punk, played byChevanniese Smith. Feeling leftout the two witches tore off theirhats, becoming punks themselves!

awoke all her work was done andoff to the party she went ! EveryTownsend Harris student shouldbe so lucky.

The amusing Super Peoplescene appeared to be the crowdfavori te . The super people,Largman, Blackman, Goodman,Eyeman, Baldman , and Roseman,described each of the ir per­sonalities with a word. Ambition ,domination, confusion, and flirta­tion, respectively, were the exac­ting adjections .

" I think SING ! is a goodchance for students to get revengeon teachers. I really enjoyed it,"said Aisha Jameel .

Super People

The SING ! presentation beganwith the Gold team, led by KristinIglesias. Six actors and actresses,playing six very different in­dividuals had one important goal:to write a SING! Their variousideas came out in five hilariousskits.

"It was extremely funny! ," saidJustine Eisenstein.

In the Cinderella scene, Denise,played by Beth Rosenberg,couldn't go to . the party becauseof her heavy Townsend Harrisworkload. In a dream sequenceMadame Def'arge, Medusa,Napo lean, and Julius Caesar allappeared to Denise and helped herto remember their importance andplace in history. When Denise

Profess ionalProduction

.By Mary McarthyGood laughs , fin e

choreography; and superb actingcharacterized the fourth annualSING! presentation. The , after­noon of May 25 and the eveningof May 26 gave the students ofTownsend Harris the opportunityto demonstrate their various ar­tistic, literary, acting , and singingtalents for both their peers andtheir parents. The entire perfor­mance was written, directed,designed, and acted by thestudents. "It was all very profes­sional," applauded Ailin Chen . :"I really enjoyed everything theyhad to offer."

June 1988

Audience Doesn't Need .Rambo IIIBy Corey Ackerman

Sylvester Stallone recently tookpart in a 55 million dollar businessdeal with Tri-Star Pictures. It iscalled RAMBO III, and is the sec­ond sequel to his mildly successfulFIRST BLOOD. Of course, thistitle is a misnomer, since it should 'really be called FIRST BLOODIII. It seems old Sly didn 't wantanyone to miss the connectionbetween this film and itsblockbuster prequel, RAMBO. ,This third installment, directed byPeter Macdonald, is sure to fulfillits seemingly only purpose. Thatof providing a major source of in­come for its investors.

The film opens with Jon Rambo ,(Stallone) residing at a monasteryin Thailand. Here, he earns his

keep by performing various ser­vices to benefit the community.However, it is just a matter ofminutes before our hero is back tohis old self. This time, Ramboloads up his stock of heavy ar­tillary, oils up his biceps, andheads to the deserts ofAfghanistan. He must rescue hisold friend Colonel Troutman(Richard Crenna), and the entirepopu lation of Afghanistan, fromthe clutches of the big bad Rus­sians.

RAMBO III has hardly anyredeeming qualities at all. Likemany sequels the story isunoriginal, with contriveddialogue like "I'm your worstnightmare' 'taking the place ofRAMBO's "I'm coming to get

you." Many of the film's situa­tions are ridiculous as well. At onepoint, Rambo uses gunpowderand a match to cauterize a gunwound through his own stomach.Of course, the pain from this isnot great enough to stop him fromcompleting his one man battle.With luck like this, the concept ofsuspense never enters into this pic­ture. .Everyone knows right fromthe start, exactly how the film willturn out.

Poor Entertainment

It is obvious that RAMBO IIIwas not made to win any OscarAwards . Rather, it was meant toprovide a low form of entertain­ment for people who wish to root

for a hero. Thus, it is understan­dable that RAMBO III is enjoyedby much of its audience. It isunderstandable, but sad.

The ideas of RAMBO III pre­sent some disturbing insight intoour society. The film is based en­tirely on violence, with each scenedepending solely on the presenceof either gunfire or blood . The sadpart is, that this is precisely whythe RAMBO series has enjoyed somuch success. The public has beenbombarded with so much violenceon television and elsewhere, thatnow they need even more to feelthat they have been entertainedand gotten their money's worth.There must be some hidden desirefor aggression in each person thatattracts them to these films. Now,

as a result, this aggression is grow­ing. Hopefully it will be keptunder control.

There is still one question left asto the political morals of RAMBOIII. By presenting the Com­munists as heartless and cruel, hasStallone finally made public thebrutal holocaust which has beengoing on in Europe for years? Or,more realistically, has he createdmore propaganda, to nourishAmerica's already slanted view ofRussia? Either way, he was too 'late. At least a week before thisfilm's release date, Gorbachevhad ' already agreed to leave theAfghanistan for good.

Well Sly, it seems Afghanistanneeded your Rambo, even lessthan the audience did .

Spring Concert Provides Fine Performance

Wonderful Treat

A wonderful treat for the even­ing were two independently­organized student performances.The D.D. Dancers performed to"Do You Love M'e," with spirited

Go Marching in."They were followed by the

Townsend Harris High SchoolWomen's Chorus, directed by Mr.David Briskin. Their"A Night Atthe Opera" theme came off wellwith excerpts from various operasand operettas . Their voicespainted vivid scenes of fairies androsebuds, andthe soloists were ex­cellent.

By Mary McCarthyGood tunes, magical voices,

and excellent conducting markedthe second annual Spring Concertat Townsend Harris. The eveningof May 19 was a fine one for theartists of the school to exhibittheir various talents in the areas ofmusic and dance.

. "We all put in a lot of hardwork and it really paid off," saidFrances Luke, of the intermediateband .

After only 10 months together,the intermediate band made an ex-ceptional appearance at their first' ....;. _concert performance at TownsendHarris. They put on a good showfor the audience with music fromboth Mozart and Beethoven and ahand-clapping "When The Saints

and energetic moves, while Salvoof Shells, Townsend Harris'talented rock group, played andsang "(Sittin' On The) Dock ofthe Bay." Both groups entertain­ed the audience to the point of a

.standing ovation."I thought the entire evening

was great ," said Grace Chan,chorus member and one of thenight's soloists.

The concert band, a conductedby Mr. Walter Davis, impressedthe audience with classical andtraditional tunes followed by "aspot of rock ,"

Cynthia Wong, a stage bandflutist remarked, "It was a smallroom, but it worked out great.There is no word that describesthe concert. Since the musicians of

the intermediate band just started,I was amazed at how well theyplayed ."

It is true that space was a pro­blem and certain acts were hard tosee from the back of theauditorium, but as one of themembers of the audience washeard to say, "Everyone was sopolite. No one got up to see betterand blocked your view or pushedthrough the crowded areas, caus­ing'problems."

Remarkable Act

One remarkable a<;,t was theflute and guitar duo of

"Memory," from Cats. After anenthusiastic response to "I HeardIt Through the Grapevine," bythe concert band, the- crowd grewsilent for the performance byKathleen O'Leary and BrianSulkow.

" T he concert was well­coordinated. And everyone put inso much effort," applauded Cyn­thia Correa. "They all showed agreat deal of talent," addedFrances Luke.

The evening ended with a spec­tacular 'performance by the stageband , playing "Walk Like AnEgyptian" and "Hey Jude." .

"My mother loved it, l, saidCynthia. " And my father really.enjoyed himself. It was amemorable night. "

"'11 TheCiassie June 1988

possibly finish school in Equador.Their system is designed so that in10th grade, you choose your voca- ­tion and follow that through the12th grade. The university systemis different, too. In the UnitedStates, there 's a college for justabout every student. In Equador ,there's a special test you' have topass and then there's preparatoryschool you have to attend. I wasalso really upset at the thought ofnot being able to share my senioryear with my friends." Xavier didan internship for the first termand thu s was not taking regularclasses.

While Xavier was waiting thingsout in Equador, people , backhome hadn't fprgott enabout him.This really C raised his spirit. "Iheard from my parents every twodays. They weren 't that worriedabout me, so I felt as if 1 didn'thave to worry as much. '1 alsowrot e to Ms. Blechman frequentlyand arranged my enro llment atQueens College in the case that I'dbe back home soon."

Finally, Xavier's grandmother,a former teacher with military andpolitical connections, was able toarrange for he r grandson'srelease. When Xavier found outhe was leaving Equador, he "wasexcited, but sad ' to leave at thesame time. I couldn't wait to seeeveryone again . It was kind ofironic that here I was finally goingto what 1 considered 'home, ' yet Iwas actually leaving the countrythat is my natural 'home.'''

Xavier's rust school experienceupon getting back was seeingeveryone boarding the buses toleave on their senior. trip. " I feltreally left out, but soon I becamecomfortable with everyone again.I plan to keep in touch with myfriends from Equador though,and visit again soon."

After returning from sabbaticalXavier had to take a total of sixTownsend Harris courses, in­cluding two gyms, to make up forlost time. He has not had the op­portunity yet this year to take ad­vantage of the Queens Collegeprogram. He can't be absent forthe rest of the term. Was the fourmonth vacation worth it, Xavier'[ ."I'll answer that during my eighto'clock in the morning gym classthe day after prom," Xavierretorted.

Recreation

Xavier ExperiencesEquadorian Adventure

So Xavier played tennis, swamand enjoyed the beautiful beachesof Manta, the small town in whichhe was staying with his grand­mother. Meanwhile, back atgovernment headquarters, it wasdecided that Xavier Mendozawould not be granted a release.Finally, Xavier decided the ap­propriate moment to panic had ar­rived.

"I went crazy! I hated the feel­ing of being helpless so I went todifferent military posts to seewhat I could possibly do. My firstthought: was that I couldn't

by Cheryl Schustack"Be's stuck there!" Did you

hear? He's getting drafted!""He'll never be able to get out

'again ." "He's a general in the ar­my by now." "No, he's just play-

'g. ing a longgame of tennis."" m"m~<o.,,"._....~~ These are only some of the

. . [more interesting rumors that; could be overheard between any

:,-;, two Harris students in the past~ four months. What was all the~ talk about? Townsend Harris-e senio r Xavier · Mendoza had

nothing more in mind that a 20day vacation to Equador, hishomelan d; over Christmas vaca­tion. He left on December 15,1987, with his parents and hissister . Xavier returned to theUnited States of America fourmonths later on April 28, 1988.

"I couldn't be released fromEqu ador because the law theredemand s that you register forcitizenship in October of your18th year. Since I was just visiting,I didn't register. Also, I' m not acitizen of the United States, buthave a Green Card to live, workand study there. Without thecitizenship papers in Equador,though, the authorities wouldn'tlet me leave the country." Panic,distress and desperation devouredXavier when he heard the news,right?

"I wasn't very upset at all. I wastold the ' government wou ldstraighten everything out soonand I'd be going home within twoweeks. My parents and sister wentback to the United States and thenI had to admit, the thought of afew extra days of vacation wasn'texactly the worst thing in theworld."

Role Model

Just as it served as a stepping­stone for developing connectionsand valuable personal relation­ships, Townsend Harris aidedMrs. Rubin in growing as well.

"I think that as the studentbody grew, all the teachers grew,and I grew intellectually andcreatively," reflected Mrs. Rubin."I learned so many things fromDr. Largmann and Mrs .Horowitz, and I learned manythings from working with thewonderful members ofthe Englishdepartment. "

Both the faculty and studentbody gained a great deal fromtheir interactions with Mrs. Rubinas well, and although she will notbe physically present at TownsendHarris next 'year, a trace of herwill remain with the students andin the classrooms.

"She is a very strong role modelfor both students and teachers.She will definitely be rememberedfor her creativity and her ability toinspire students," remarked Mrs.Horowitz. "She has a distinct per­sona which is very colorful andfull of pizazz."

So this June, when the members.of the first graduating class ofTownsend Harris reflect on theteachers who inspired them, theirgrowth, and their friendships asthey embark on a new journey fill­ed with challenges and changes,they will not be alone . In fact theywill be joined by one of the in­dividuals who helped pave theirroad only four short years ago .

is the newspaper, and it 's noteven my accomplishment, it's theaccomplishment of the newspaperstaff of starting from nothing,"commented Mrs. Rubin. " Themost difficult part in leaving, isleaving the newspaper staff."

The decision to leave the schoolafter becoming so involved withthe newspaper and being anoriginal faculty member, was noteasy.

" I love the students and Ihelped to found the school. It 'svery hard leaving something thatyou helped to create," she said."I'll also miss the friends that I'vemade, the students, especially 'those with whom I've workedmost closely with on thenewspaper staff, and the connec­tion with the college."

The Classic, the studentnewspaper founded by Mrs.Rubin and the first graduatingclass, was one of the newchallenges that she overcame suc­cessfully. Despite the fact that shedid not have any previous ex­perience with high schoolnewspapers, Mrs . Rubin took onthe responsibility of being an ad­viser and produced an award win­ning publication.

"She is one of those people whovery seldom says no to a project.Although she never did .anewspaper before, she learned allabout it and produced a paper ofquality," said Dr. Largmann."The quality of the newspaper isthe legacy that she can be proudof. She created the standard forthe students of future years- tofollow."

English Coordinator and Classic Advisor Sheryl Rubin.

Bon Voyage:Rubin Joins Oceanside Crew

By Heather NashThe end of the schoo l-year will

nark the start of a new beginningfor English Coordinator andClassic advisor Sheryl Rubin, whowill take over as chairman of theEnglish department at OceansideH.S. next September.

Mrs. Rubin, who originallycame to Townsend Harris fromLafayette H.S. four years ago asone of the founding members ofthe faculty, will leave her positionas English Coordinator in order tosupervise the English departmentat Oceanside, a larger schoolwhich offers a wider variety ofprograms.

As coordinator at TownsendHarris, .Mrs . Rubin observedclasses with Assistant Principal,Supervision Bernice Horowitz,and Dr. Largmann, in addition totaking charge of conferences, con­tests, book distribution, and at­tending meetings concerning theEnglish department .

"The very idea of sharing ideaswas very important. We were notafraid to disagree nor were weafraid to agree," commented Mrs.Horowitz on working closely withMrs. Rubin. "There was a greatdeal of mutual respect andunderstanding between us."

"As Coordinator,' she grew inher skills of supervision and in herability to quickly identify ways tosuggest improvements," remark­ed Principal Malcolm Largmann."She's also grown in her ability tocreate courses of study and in herability to try new methods whenintroduced to them."

"My proudest accomplishment

...

\_.:-

Leaving For Sabbatical:

Schwartz Bids SADD Farewell <.

By Ericka LandsmannLeaning forward with dancing,

familiar brown eyes, the healthteacher flashes her customarysmile. The soft pink of her sweatercompliments rosy cheeks andflowery pearls; the warmth that isEllen Schwartz radiates as shespeaks.

. "I enjoy the challenge herebecause my students are so brightand well-informed and I am ableto expand the curiculum to in­c1ude lessons that involve deeper,critical thinking. I enjoy the in­tellectual challenge that studentsprovide for one another and formyself to make the classstimulating ." ... . . . ..

Mrs. Schwartz will have to in­terrupt this enjoyment, as nextyear she will be on sabbatical.Having taught at two otherschools, Lafayette High Schooland Clara Barton High School,both in Brooklyn, she has relishedteaching health and family livingfor two years at Townsend Harris.

The time off wiiI not be all funand games for the active tennisand bowling coach who must ad­mit, "I will miss my teams." Sheplans to attend a SUNY school inthe fall term. Among othercourses she will be taking first aid,nutrition, tennis and family living.Advising S.A.D.D. and Harristeams will be sorely missed, but '

Mrs. Schwartz hopes to take backsome of the material she learns tothe classroom upon her return.

"I hope to take what I've learn­ed to add some electives to thecuriculum, like first aid and nutri­tion. "

Mrs. Schwartz has interruptedher career once before for eightyears, while raising her children.One of the advantages of the sab­batical will be a chance to go "col­lege hunting" with her daughter,Rebecca, who will graduate in '89.Mrs. Schwartz will, of course, at­tend-the Townsend Harris gradua­tion of the same year.

" I shall probably actually missthe aft er-school activities .I'm in-

volved in more than anythingelse." As a coach, she admitswitnesses the gradual improve­ment of players has become athrilling reward for her efforts.Those students who contribute tothis, she will especially miss.

As enrichment weavers busilycast their spells upon theirthreads, Mrs. Schwartz glancesthoughtfully about the room . Her ~brown eyes seem a little sad . One =of her final concerns, solving the ~problem of finding anew advisor ~for S.A.D.D. meetings next year, 1is typical of the health teacher's .sthoughts. The natural glow of her i.fire shall be missed while it is dim-med, but it will never be put out. Health instructor Ellen ScbwaitZ.

June 1918 TheOassic Pagel3

Mixed Relationshtps: .. When Racial Barriers Breakdownby Camille Gear

" I have a dream that one day allchildren black and white will holdhands." Martin Luther King Jf.'Stimeless dream has come to pass.Here at Townsend Harris Highthe walls of racism seem to havecrumbled. Now with the wallsdestroyed students have thefreedom to reach across the boun­daries of race, and hold hands.With this interaction, comes a newsort of affection. Now hands arenot only held in friendship butyoung love as well.

"It was bound to happen,"Barry Timmons explained. "A lotof blacks were becoming goodfriends with whites and orientals.Emotions started coming out. Itall evolved."

This process of evolution cameunexpectedly for many students.Caught up in their affections theylooked past their racial differencesand sought a common bond. Oncecohesion was established, race.became a trivial factor:

"Interracial r elat ionshipsshouldn't be an issue," DavidKlein decided. "The racialques­tion shouldn 't be there at all."Emile Zaslow agreed, "It's stupidto limit yourself to one race orreligion, when the nicest personmight be standing there and be ofa different [group] ."

Most students concurred withthese findings. Martine Guerrie, aveteran interracial dater said , "Iftwo people really like each other 'scompany, race should not matter.

It's not important what you look "You get alienated if you don'tlike, it's what you are inside that go out with someone your owncounts." color. Parents influence kids when

Inner beauty seemed of para- they stare at interracial couples, asmount concern to most young though something were wronglovers. However , some sensed that with it. If society didn 't put soinnate charm was not the primary much pressure on people, inter­factor motivating these special racial relationships would be morebonds. "If two people are not just common," said Elliot.together because of their dif- Some inter racial couples areference in color, then the relation- shielded from these negative in­ship is fine." Kasandra Robinson fluences. Barry , a Negro teenager,complied. claims he never encountered any

However, .' Barry Timmon s -societal hostilities duri ng his rela­ascribed to a code of a differ ent · tionship with an Oriental girl. "Ivalue. "I like being in interracial didn't feel any social pressure.relation ships, because they make People talk and tease about it, butme stand out ," he smiled. I don 't think they really care ."

High visibility is an unavoidable One student , "Pia ," whofactor in interracial relationships. didn 't wish to be identifi ed, claim­Outs ide Harri s' liberal at - ed that people care far more thanmosphere these relationships are they let on. " What really hurt meregarded as more of a novelty. the most was how people reactedElliot Roman , a student of in school, it was the remarks andSpanish descent , expanded on his the looks," she muttered. "Somefrustrat ion with society's attitude people even accused me of doing ittowards his relationship with his [having an interracial relationship] .white girlfriend. for fashionable reasons. People

"who never cared about anything I.did were suddenly interested in mysocial life. They didn't even knowme. They had no right to judge."

Out of the underlying current ofpassive resistance to interracial

.couples, only one soul wouldagree to talk. "There are certainthings blacks and whites shouldn'tdo," "Anna" persisted. "Youcan be friends and care about eachother deeply but you shouldn't getromantically involved." Annaalso admitted the truth of -P ia 'sclaims. "A lot of people will talkbehind your back. Now, here,everyone is used to it. But in thebacks ' of their minds I'm sureeveryone knows there's somethingwrong with it."

These seeds of disquiet Annaclaims are in the bac k ofeveryone 's mind stem from thehome environment . Pia claims herhome is a liberal one, thereforeshe is "open-minded ." Ka MingLau was in discord. "My parentswould kill me!" she giggled.

Still other students feel theirparents would pose no significantopposition. " I don 't think myparents would have any problemsif I dated interracially," JasonDenine added.

Keisha Robinson shrugged."My family thinks I'm a liberalanyway. They wouldn't be sur­prised if I dated interracially."

Parental pressure aside ,students can be swayed by .theirpeers. "Sometimes I felt I wasn'tbeing accepted because I was withsomeone of a different race,"Barry remembered. "It's a per­son 's choice to do what theywant," Stella insisted, "pressureshould not be a factor."

Broad based concerns of paren­tal pressure, peer pressure, andsocietal discontent trouble manyteens as they search for their soulmate . For many, the rewards ofinterracial dating balance out thecons.

For others the search is limitedto their own racial sect. Somespeculate at the prospect of inter­racial involvement. Others reachout and grab their chance to sam­ple beyond the "norm. " Thefreedom is present. Former stu­dent body Pr esident Michael'McDermott characterized King'sdream in final words, "Everyoneis par t of the human race. We allshare that bond. If I feel thatspecial bond with a girl the onlyrestrictions I place is [that] shehave the gift of life and the gift ofinner beauty." '.

Out With The New, In. With The Old: Young Sparks Date Older FlamesJuan said, " My friends don' t

f eel . uncomfortable a roun dKristin. They are considerate ofher. They accept her."

Mystery

The teenager/adult relationshipmay be mysterious and fantasy­like to those involved, to workithas to be based on reality. ManyTownsend Harris students arepartners in this kind of relation­ship and they make it work despiteall of its faults and treasures. Theybelieve .that they have made theirdreams come true . ,' , ..

Peop le interviewed surprisinglynever mentioned sex as either aprob lem or an advantage in theirrelationships. Esther Soffer, 17,said "sex is an issue with all ages.You have no more sexualdemands from an older guy thanyou do from one your own age."

Juan believes that "sex shouldnot be a motivating factor in anyrelatio nship."

Those people interviewed in thearticle don't view it as one. It 'sjust one less aspect to deal with intheir relationships.

While both parties involved inan adult/teenager relationshipview what they have as special,they don't discount dat ing peopletheir own age altogether.

"Age makes no difference tome," explained Anita Zieba , 17." But with a guy your own age, therelatio nship is easier, more com­fortab le. There is 1,10need to sneakaround."

Nella said, " Vlad and I don'tshare the same day when we talk .That's an advantage in our rela­tionship. " ,

" Well I don 't have rto worryabout the girl 's parents and shedoes have a car ," pointed outDavid.

Timmy described his relation­ship with Florie as one of "an oldmarr ied couple. It's cool."

"We go everywhere together.When one of us is not thereeveryone asks where the other halfis," smiled Florie.

Maturity

The saying does go that girlsmature faster than boys, but is itreally true? Do teenaged guys lookfor mature women?

" I act differently from mostguys when it comes to matu rity,"said Eugene Harding, 16. Eugenedated a 22-year-old because shewas "attractice, n ice andmature."

David Park, 17, noted that"older women are more mature,more roman tic. Girls my own agegive guys too much of a hardtime." David's former 2O-year­old girlfriend was someone he en­joyed being with because of her Adrienne Mitchell, 16, info rm­romantic nature. • ed, "older guys do not play

Though David and Eugene games. I can handle them."looked for maturity in the people "I have noticed that older guysthey date, most of the guys admit- are interested in you for who youted off the record that it was not are," mentioned Kristin. "Theynecessarily a factor they looked don't compare you to other girlsfor. Judy thought that "because as much. I guess it comes from ex­girls mature and develop more perience."quickly than guys, most guys Despite the positive aspects ofdon't go out with older girls." dating an older person, problems .

can arise." We had different interests,"

said Judy. "Most of the time wecompromised. But I wanted tohave fun and he was starting to getserious."

' Nella agreed, " Vlad wants toconcentrate on his career . I wantus to be close and have funtogether. But we have dated fourmonths and most of the time, I amhappy."

" I think it 's more difficult forJuan to fit in with my friends ,"sighed Kristin . "In the beginning,I felt uncomfortable that he wasso much older when we were withmy friends. Now he's extremelyaccepted . My friends probablylike him more than they like me,"

"Just because a guy is olderdoesn't mean he is more mature,"warned Gael. " In fact , it's viceversa sometimes. That 's when hesays, 'you wouldn't unders tand.You haven't experienced what I'have' ."

Sometimes a teenager wantsfrom a relationship what is lackinglike maturi ty in an adul t . Butmaturi ty is not the only thing theteenager/ adult gains from theirtime together.

Older A geBrackets

Florie has to cont inue her educa­tion . I have to be aware of curfewsand things like that. But it 's worthit. " ,

Juan added , " I date Kristinbecause of her emotional age, nother physical age. "

The .teenaged female may viewmaturity as a facto r in decidingwhom to date, but does theteenage male? Only two were will­ing to be interviewed for this art i­cle. The others indicated thateither they hadn't dated an olderwoman or they didn't want todiscuss it in print. .

Even if one's parents don't ob­ject to the . relationship, whywould a teenager want to get in­volved ' with someone who isolder? Who not date someone inthe same age bracket?

Judy Mac, 16, dated a 24-year­old guy because "he was matureand experienced. He knew how toact."

Many teenagers date older peo­ple for the same reasons. Maturityand experience seem to be whattoday's teenager wants.

~ 'I got tired of guys my ownage," explained Gael Hobson, 16." They were still little .boys." Fewteenaged girls want to date 'Iiboys. ' but ' Kristin ~I'mmature for my age and he [Juan]is immature. Just kidding. But wedo meet halfway ."

By Hayley ThomasIt 's nothing new. Everyone's

heard the story . There's theteenage Romeo who's in love withhis best friend's mother or oldersister. Or the budding Lolita whothinks that her girlfriend's fa theror older brother is " hot. " But at­traction to older people is.normalfor teenagers as long as it 's justthe stuff of fantasies. The con­troversy begins when the olderperson and the teenager actuallystart dating and pursue a relation ­ship.

There is something abou t a non"familial relationship between anadult and a teenager tha t makespeople uncomfortable. Parentsworry whether the adult will takeadvantage of the teenager, sexual­ly or otherwise. School friendswonder what the couple couldpossibly have in common.Everyone doubts that it can lastlong.

Sixteen-year-old Kristin Iglesiasand her boyfriend Juan Pineda ,21, have been together for morethan a year. .

"My parents trust Juan. Theylove him because he takes reallygood care of me," she confided .In her case parental oppos ition isnot a problem.

Florie Watson, 16, doesn't en­counter a lot of trouble from herparents when it comes to herboyfriend, Timmy Armstrong, 20.But she admitted, "Every once ina while, my Mom will drop a com­ment abou t our age difference."

On the other side of the coin ishow the parents of the adult react.

"My parents make a lot of'don't ' rules," explained Timmy." Theyjelljne to be aware that

-

-

BOys' Volleyball Fulfills Coach's Prediction

'Girls' Softball Finishes Even Season

Many other members of theteam are also showing greatpotential. Freshman AliciaHughes holds the school recordfor the 400 meter sprint. In an in­dividual 400 meter race her timewas in 64.3 seconds and in a 4 x400 relay her time was 62.8seconds. "Alicia could becomeone of the top 400 meter sprintersin New York City," said Mr.Horn. He added that Abby Millerand Allison Hollander do well inthe 400 meter hurdles, AbbyShafran runs a good 400 to 800meter sprint and Candi Mchan has"shown potential" in distancerunning.

"The Girls' Track Team has atrue drive to win and they seem tohave what it takes to succeed," in­jected Mr. Horn. "It's a lot ofhard work but when we win itmakes it all worth it," said AllisonHollander. In addition to the in­door and outdoor track season,the Girls' Track team also hopesto make a strong showing in crosscountry track next year.

were especially hurt by the lossbecause, as Kossove stated, "theywanted to win it all this year sothey could leave 'in style. '"

During the regular season, theteam went undefeated. They shutout the opposing team 5-0 in six ofitheir 10 matches, including theone against last year's camps, VanBuren.

Some team members think their;regular season record and playoff.loss was due to lack of competi­tion. "The division was veryweak," states Klienman. "In theplayoffs, we faced a team like we

, never faced before."Because their quest for the city

championship this season is over;the team looks to the future forconsolation. "Our team has thechemistry to win it all next year,"comments Steve Sussman. "Nextyear, we should be more seasonedand we should compensate for thhyear's devastating loss." RajiiSaxena later vowed to "get therr(Bayside) back" next season.

Kossove summed the season UJby saying, "It was a great seasorand a great experience ."

June 1988

Track Runners RaceTo Success

DoublesComeback

. . .. .:-:, •....

by John Boltax"We played our best," exclaim­

ed Scott Kossove. This came aftera devastating 3-2 loss in the firstround of the Queens Division ATennis playoffs.

In the playoff matches, SteveSussman, the number one singlesplayer, won 6-2, 7-6 over hisBayside opponent. TeammateDavid Klienman then lost, eveningthe score to 1-1. .

Cory Ackerman warms up for a match

Boys' Tennis ServesAll At Division Playoffs

Kevin Kim lost the first set butmade a comeback to win 4-6, 6-2,6-0. However, both first and se­cond doubles lost, ending Harris'chance to advance in the playoffseries.

"It was a devastating loss,"said David Kleinman. CoachMichael Anzel added that theteam "had a couple of toughbreaks." The seniors on the team

by Scott Karp"We have the potential to

become one of the three top teamsin New York City next year," en­couraged Joseph Horn, the coachof the Townsend Harris Girls'Track team. They have certainlyproved their ability by winning 24

. trophies in their last fourdevelopmental meets alone.

Since track is an individualsport and not a team sport, it iseasily one of the most difficult.Yet the Girls Track Team has stillshow itheir ability to come outahead in the midst of strong com-

f(' petition.~ The two stars of the Girls'i:= Track Team, Abi Jones and.a Angela Harris have both excelled

in the 100 and 200 meter sprints.They have won trophies in thoseevents and Abi holds the schoolrecord for the 100 meter sprint at13.2 seconds with Angela rightbehind her with 13.4 seconds. Abi­has qualified for the city cham­pionship and also has a chance tobecome one of the best longjumpers in Queens.

The Classic

Yvane Halpin, a veteranmember, played first base and"always seemed to come throughfor the team," as stated by JillGrathwall. Dina Cox, outfielderand catcher, is known for her ex­ceptional fielding ability. LindaFaccinelli, another veteranmember, guarded third base andLeah Mauro, the shortstop of theteam, was an excellent batter. Thestarting line-up also included JillGrathwall (centerfield), YvetteWallace (outfield and catcher),Justin Stern (second base), and aplatoon between Angelica Romoand Laura Joseph in the outfield.

tice early and consistently, and hekept us together."

left their mark."Even though their absences

were felt, the team managed towin one of the two matches playedwithout them. "Even though wehad an absence of the three teammembers," stated Coach Demp­ster, "the remaining teammembers pulled together morallyas well as skill wise. They nevergave up."

Nevertheless, the remainingteam members and the coach areenthusiastic about the 1989season.

"With five or six players return­ing, we have the foundation of agood team next year, " CoachDempster commented.

McIntosh added, "I have greatexpectation for next year. We willdominate even more so.!"

entire N. Y.C. public schoolsystem to participate in a tourna­ment 'called the Mayor's Cup All- Scholastic Tennis Champion­ships at the National TennisCenter on June 8. Certain playersalso went on to the P .S.A.L. GirlsInterscholastic Individual TennisChampionships on May 23 atQueens College. Coach Schwartzcommented, "The team isstronger and better than everbefore. I predcit a 10-0 seasonnext year."

FallingBehind

Many of the players who were onthe old team hoped for a betterseason this year. Their wisheswere granted due to individualhard work and corporate coopera­tion.

After the eighth game, the teamwas plagued by the absence ofthree team members.

"The absence of Steve Kim,Hector Quintero, and Ivan[Bilaniuk] affected uspsychologically during the game(against L.I.c., the last game ofthe season)," states team memberThomas Oh.

However, the girls' success can­not be discussed without recogniz­ing the important role that theircoach, Lawrence Ceraulo, hasplayed. Mr. Ceraulo drilled theplayers in their weaker skills andhelped them to become well­rounded athletes. When askedwhat made the most differencethis year, Captain Leah Maruosaid enthusiastically, "We're per­forming better because we've gota better coach. He made us prac-

doubles partner, Randi Tannen­baum and Donna Sodano wereundefeated during the regularseason. Freshman Yanique Flet­cher, who was first substitute, hada "very successful season" andwas of "significant importance tothe team" as stated by theirCoach Ellen Schwartz. Someother teammates 'Who had winningseasons were Lorna Chan, NicoleElias and Kathy Cadette.

The Girls' Tennis team wasselected out of eight teams in the

Harris won the first game 16-14but lost the last two 11-15 and9-15.

"When we fell behind, it wasvery hard for us to come back,"commented Oh, ,.Although wewon the first game, their absences

- -Steve Kim sets the volleyball for a spike during a game vs. Flushing.

by Julia KouThe Girls' Varsity Softball team

finished their season with a recordof seven wins and seven losses.Their achievement is no .smallfeat. since their opponents includ­ed formidable teams such asFlushing, Forest Hills and Bryant.

The team lost two of theirgames to Bryant. Dina Cox -ex­plains that they were just too over­confident and didn't playtogether. On the other hand, Har­ris defeated Queens Vocational inall the games between them. "Weplayed together as a team and wemade all the individual plays,"said Leah Mauro.

Last year, the Varsity Softballteam lost all of their matches.

By Lorraine HollandThe Girls' Varsity Tennis team

completed another season,finishing second place in theirdivision with an 8-2 record. Theylost once to Van Buren and onceto Cardozo.

The team won the first round ofthe playoffs, beating SheepsheadBay High School in Brooklyn,5-0. They then lost in the secondround to Bronx Science, 2-3.

There were many individualachievements this year. First

,Girls' Tennis Team Aces Year

by Lena Jones"Wait until next year!," ex- '

claimed an enthusiastic OliverMcIntosh after the last Boys'volleyball game.

The team finished third in theirdivision with a record of 6-4. Theteam's only regular season losseswere to Flushing, Aviation andLong Island City.

Coach Elizabeth Dempster, atthe beginning of the season, statedshe was "pleased with the waydefense came together" and add­ed that the offense "wasn't badeither."

She also predicted that once themembers "got into a pattern,"they would become a "very for­midable team." The team fulfilledher prediction, improving on lastyear's .500 record.

I~

=-

lI!',"'"

~.....-

Harris was behind, 2-0."Why the long faces? You are

playing just the 'way you looklYou can't give up now. It's 2-0and we have it whole half toplay...We missed eight kicks andwe are playing a team that takesadvantage of every mistake takestrong kicks. and penetrate Youmust mark players - don't juststand around..."

Harris immediately brought theball to the New Dorp side but fail­ed to make a goal.

Afterwards, New Dorp movedthe ball back to the Harris side,

} where Ramos made seven more~ saves.&. Esther Soffer made a drive to~ the goal, but was robbed. Team­W mate Rachel Rojas also made a~ drive towards the goal, but heri kick missed th~ goal by inches.

Kazan had a big breakaway nearthe end of the second half, but letout a frustrated "ahhhhhh!" aftershe also missed by inches.

"This is the best time we've hadin a long time Phil," commentedSoffer to the manager.

"That's because we lost!" heanswered.

New Dorp eventually won thegame 2-0, but unlike the otherloss, their spirits were high after­wards.

"We had a great season,"stated Stella Ruzan as she remov­ed her shin guards.

"I don't mind having lost todaybecause they beat us fair andsquare," revealed Guerrier. "Thisgives us something to go on fornext year. Next year, we'll beatthem too!"

Whoever said winning waseverything? '

of New Dorp, their opponents..Nevertheless, the bulk of the

team sat on the astroturf field,laughing and engrossed in conver­sation .

As the game time approached,the team practiced, trying to getaccustomed to the speed and feelof the turf.

"Fullbacks must call thebaU...don't jog - RUNI Whenevera shot opportunity comes up, takethe 'shotl" -

The game started out on adismal note for Harris. The toughNew Dorp offense kept the ball onHarris territory and scored on apenalty shot.

After four saves 'by Ramos,New Dorp scored again. The teamreceived another blow when Guer­rier was injured. At halftime,

the b8U We've got to really pl;ytogether You guys ' are reaDyplaying weD,"

The second half wasn't as easyfor Ramos, who made five saves,using her unique style of smother­ing the ball. Flu and all, shehelped the team shut out Hillcrest,1-0. Aimee Kazan scored the onlygoal of the game. .

Team manager, Phil Hague,who according to Coach Nix,"comes to practice even whenthey don't," was excited about histeam capturing the Queens title."I'm glad we made it," he corn­mented. They are a 'well-roundedteam and they don't play forthemselves."

"I'm kind of nervous," admit­ted Martine Guerrier as she andher teammates awaited the arrival

Martine Guerrier kicks a shot during warm-up before a game.

"".,....,

~_f~Jl!f!T'By Lena Jones

Picture this - On a hazy day inJune, two team members chase aloyal spectator around the field,spraying him with a water bottle .Meanwhile, the others joke andlaugh with the fans. The goalie,after a rough game, smiles andsays as she walks towards them,"I want to go home. I'mhungry!"

Believeit or not; this scene tookplace after the Queens ChampionGirls' Soccer Team was eliminatedfrom the City ChampionshipPlayoff Series.

"I am just very proud [of theteam]," commented their Coach,Wanda Nix. "To be a second-year .team and make it to the playoffs isremarkable ."

The team finished the regularseason with a record of 6-2-1.

The first extra season game, forthe division championship, was to Doom and gloom sweptbe played against Richmond Hill through the team van with theduring a torrential downpour. The knowledge that goalie Christinaplayers splashed around on the Ramos might not make it to themuddy, slippery field until the of- game. Then, to everyone's sur­ficials called the game because of prise, she appeared like a savior,thunder and lightning. - as the team trekked toward the

Harris fmally became division field.champs when Richmond Hill "Concentrate •••play yourforfeited the rematch because of a game...1f you go down, don'tlack of players. worry about it. If you go up, still. "When I say Harris, You say play just as hard,"win! Harris .. ." Harris enthusiastically raced

"WinI" onto the field after that pep talk"Harris!" from their Coach."Win!" Ramos, who was ill, didn't have"Harris, Harris..." to work much in the first half."Win, Win!" Harris kept the ball on Hillcrest'sAfter Kasandra Robinson led side, despite a rash of penalties

the team in belting their batt le called against them. The game waschant, they defeated Hillcrest for scoreless at half-time.the Queens title. "You've got to keep going for

June 1988

Sports Awards - Fall 1987 - Spring 1988

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Most Outstanding Most Dedicated(Coach's Award)

'gi, Sophomore breaststroker anddiver Caroline Wong andFreshman Karen- Ceminey, .ourteam has amazing potential."

Although the team had a winn­ing season, it was by no means acakewalk into the playoffs.

After an early loss to VanBuren, the girls sought revenge. Inthe second meet, -the girls wonhandily and advanced to the semi­finals.

The team gives credit to theircoach for guiding them on theroad to the playoffs. Zaslow sum­med up the season by saying, "Wewouldn't be where we are now ifwe didn't have Mr. [James] Jor­dan as our coach!"

by Steve SussmanThe Girls' Varsity Swim team

capped off a winning season witha semifinal finish in the PSAL Ci­ty Championships. After compil­ing a 9-3 record, the team' lost toStuyvesant, finishing in fifthplace.

Since the season is over, manyteam members are ready to refinetheir swimming and ,diving skillsover the summer.

However, the loss of severalseniors is disheartening to theteam. Emile Zaslow said, "It's go­ing to be tough without the seniorslike Captain Heather Wacht andJoanne Muntzner. But with oursophomore backstroker Sera Con-

Girls' Team Swims To VictorySwimmer Karen Ceminey dives into the pool.

e­~

15til......~o15......

Most Improved

Doris JeanEliz LoewyElliot RomanChristine Del.eoSui KwanloNanette KungMike McDermott ,Abby ShafranLucy KimVicky CardenasChris RamosJustine SternCynthia WongCaroline WongDavid KleinmanRandi TannenPeter TrautmanAbby MillerMatt DominianiDan Shrage

Terry GordonLisa TovinScott RothLeah MauroHector QuinteroAbby ShafranFrank PagliucaAngela HallElizabeth KimJessica WohlRachel RojasDina CoxStephanie EpsteinAndrea BeyerVadim RubinsteinDonna SodanoSui Kwan LoAllison HollanderGreg WarnkeMike Daloisio

Keisha RobinsonKathleen GunnDarrin FallickAda OsburnSteve KimCandace McCannCory GingoldYanique FletcherChristina WooGina GreerAimee KazanLeah MaruoJessica PiesmanStephanie CherrySteve SussmanTami HaredDan ShrageAbi JonesDrrin FallickHector Quintero

Girls' BasketballGirls' JV BasketballBoys' BowlinGirls' BowlingBoys' Cross CountryGirls' Cross CountryBoys' SoccerGirls' Indoor TrackGirls' VolleyballGirls' ~V VolleyballGirls' SoccerGirls' SoftballGirls' JV SoftballGirls'SwimBoys' TennisGirls'TennisBoys' Outdoor TrackGirls' Outdoor TrackBoys' VolleyballBoys' Indoor Track

Page 16 The Classic June 1988

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'-' .. Flushing Plaza . Pelham BayFamily Chiropractic Family Chiropractic41-61 Kissena Blvd.-23 J~ ..3040 E Tremont Ave.

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Dr. Joseph A. Rossello P .C.

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Dr. Stephen J. Pruden P .C.

THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

IS A- .

DRUG FREE AMERICA ..