• Vol.13. NSebS I C
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue. Flushing, NY 11367
'Architectural flaw': . _
Freeze, the'n thaw, floods 3 floors by Yana Pecherskaya
Where was Noah's Ark · when this school needed it most? Probably still in the eastern part of Turkey, resting peace­ fully amid the jagged peaks of Arat, the mountain which was designated by the Old Testament as the Ark's docking place during the Flood. Numerous ex­ peditions to the mountain were unable to uncover the ancient Ark, but it would have definitely come in handy on Sun­ day, January 19, when water cascaded from the Townsend Harris library ceil­ ing, wiping out all that lay in its path, flooding massive parts of the third, sec­ ond, and first floors.
The "leak" was initially discovered around 4 P.M. that day by Thomas Sweetin, English and Latin teacher and advisor of the yearbook. Mr. Sweetin had come in to work on the yearbook when he noticed the flood. He alerted the custodial staff immediately. "We are very fortunate that Mr. Sweetin was in the building," said assistant librarian Carol Homiak. "If no one had noticed the leakage [until Monday], the damages would have been much more extensive." By the time of the flood's discovery, the water level in the library was already ankle deep.
That weekend, the wind-chill brought the already freezing tempera­ tures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit and the water within the uninsulated pipes of the sprinkler system froze and expanded, loosening the fittings that held the sprinkler's head. As soon as the outside temperature rose above 32 de­ grees, the water melted and forced its way through the unfastened sprinkler
head. The water flooded not only the li­
-..
est part of tl)e building. If the pipe had been insulated, the entire accident could have been avoided, said Mr. DiGiacomo.
So who's to blame for theca­ tastro­ phe? That is the $65,00),00)
question. Malcolm Rossman, Assistant Principal of Orga­ nization, e x plained, "We can­ not deter­ mine who is respon­ sible. Our function
0 is to ii evaluate Q.
the situa- Orner Assistant Principal of Pupil Personnel Ser-
Scaling the mini-mountain, senior Frank Angelini observes the swelling of the ever growing "bump" in the gym floor.
tion and send re­ ports to s u c h vices said, "We are
very fortunate that the educational floors were not affected and the classes were able to function as scheduled."
-- Joseph DiGiacomo, Custodian Engi­ neer, referred to the disaster as "an ar­ chiteCtural flaw, not properly ad­ dressed." The pipe which burst was built into the library's ceiling, located next to the wall which faces !49th street. This wall has a northern exposure which means that it is positioned in the cold-
agencies as the School Construction Au­ thority (SCA) and the Office of Facili­ ties for the Board of Education. They will determine who is liable for the dam­ ages."
Everyone agrees that the members of the school's custodial staff were excep­ tional in getting the building into work­ ing order. Under Mr. DiGiacomo's lead­ ership, they worked around the clock and "at record speed," said Ms. Billy.
' Starting with the time of discovery of the flood at 4 P.M., Mr. DiGiacomo and five others toiled through Sunday night, until! A.M., and resumed their work at 7 A.M. on Monday, while the school was closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The clean-up continued throughout the rest of the week and Mr. DiGiacomo vows to "make the best repairs possible on the school budget."
The water had to be drained and mopped up; the debris left by the flood had to be gathered and taken away; ex­ cess water had to be extracted out of the carpets, which then had to be vacuumed and powdered to eliminate odors. All this work rested on the shoulders of the custodial staff. "It was because of their efforts that Tuesday's schedule was not disrupted," said Ms. Orner.
According to Mr. DiGiacomo, there is at least one other place in the school which could very well become the cause of the next flood. It is the main water supply pipe, located in a very chilly place, just outside of the chorus room, behind the auditorium at the I 94th street wall. This is yet another pipe which does not have adequate insulation. The ther­ mal tracer, an electrical device, which wrapped around a pipe generates low volt electricity and heat, is barely enough to keep the massive pipe at above freezing temperatures. "I fought for one and a half years to get this pipe insulated," Mr. DiGiacomo said. "If this one explodes the entire building will float away." But have no fear. "Under my supervision," Mr. DiGiacomo prom­ ised, "a situation like this flood will never reoccur."
DeRose, Warmack make Westinghouse semi-finals by Bosede Adenekan
Seniors Mirella DeRose and Maria Warmack advanced to the semi-finalist round in the 56th Annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search, a nationwide competition for high school students that recognizes excellence in a particular sci­ ence or math field. On January 14, these students received notification of their advancement in the competition.
Since 1942, high school students have submitted 20 page research reports
in hopes of winning a prestigious col­ lege scholarship. "Judges are looking for evidence that the student is a good scientist," said Susan Appel, Assistant Principal of Science. From the 16,000 entrants, only 300 become semi-final­ ists and 40 of these 300 move on to be­ come finalists, winning $1,000 and a trip to Washington D.C. The first place win­ ner is awarded with a $40,000 scholar­ ship. Neither of the Townsend Harris semi-finalists was chosen as a finalist.
Both Maria and Mirella started their projects in their junior year. Under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Jared Rifkin, Maria conducted several experiments in a lab at Queens College. She observed different degrees of chemotaxic re­ sponse in amoeboid cells. Chemotaxis is the movement of organisms toward various chemicals found in their food . "It was a great opportunity to learn. I learned all these different procedures and my knowledge in biology grew,"
said Maria. Working in a lab at Queens College,
Mirella performed a technique called ellipsometry to determine the factors that affect the thickness of plastic film. Light beams were shot at the film and rays were reflected off it, revealing the thickness of the film. Mirella found out that the temperature at which the film was stored attributed to its thickness. "You don't always get the results you're
Continued on page 11
NY School Report Cards
Four Pages of Sports!
2 The Classic
February 1997 • -
So many bathrooms, but only two at a time As part of an academic elite, we're naturally expected to retain a mind-bog­
gling number of facts and figures thrown at us on a daily basis. But with only two bathrooms open during limited times throughout the day, we are forced to retain more than just physics formulas and Latin verbs, which causes a situation that is anything but natural.
Several isolated cases of vandalism as well as a general untidiness in the bathrooms prompted Principal Malcolm Largmann's decision to limit bathroom use. Out of the seven available facilities for each sex, only two operate all day and one on the fourth floor is open from second to seventh period.
While Townsend Harris is within New York State law because at least two bathrooms are open in the building at all times, it is no less than a mystery which combination of the second and first floor facilities, along with the l.ocker room bathrooms, will be available. With 12 lockings and unlockings security guards must perform daily to enforce the prohibition on bathroom use during the first and last I 0 minutes of every band, it's no wonder that the fourth floor bathroom's accessibility fluctuates as well. This bathroom should be the most readily avail­ able because all classes, excluding gym and music, are conducted on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors.
Imagine the plight of a poor Harrisite who excuses herself from her sixth-floor science class. She rushes to the fourth floor, then realizes that because it is after I 2:30, the bathroom is closed. Running down two more flights of stairs, she dis­ covers that the second floor bathroom, near the front door, is also closed. Feeling like a helpless funhouse victim, she finally finds relief on the first floor.
After returning to class out of breath, having completed six flights of the stair
I ' ' 1~
p ·s~.z / I:)'Br\: ' ~ \ ... ' . . . I i l" \
Technology advances As reso-urces sit idle
It was expected that our brand new, state-of-the-art school would come equipped with the fully operating technology needed to project us into the rapidly approach­ ing 21st century. Sadly, nearly two years after the big move, much of the often­ talked-about technology is still not in use.
Although we now have a fully networked computer system, we still do not have classroom-wide access to the Internet. State-of-the-art radio and TV pro­ duction equipment lies unused in Room 515, its installation still incomplete. Publishing equipment that no one knows how to use sits idle in Room 511. Work­ ers hired by the New York City Board of Education to install equipment were paid beforehand, leaving them no incentive to return and finish the job. Further­ more, according to Assistant Principal of Organization Malcolm Rossman, the school was never given a list of the equipment that was allocated to it, so it is not even known whether everything to which we are entitled has been delivered. The fact that it has been two years since the move and we still aren't sure of our re­ sources is really sad. How can we know how to effectively improve our situation if we don't know where we stand?
Even when all the equipment is operational, we will still need instruction on how to use it. There is simply not enough money to add people with the requisite expertise to the staff, nor the funds to adequately train those already on the fac­ ulty. Though several grants provided some technology training to the staff, this was computer-related and did not touch on broadcasting.
The Board of Education is to blame for allotting us this fantastic equipment withotH the resources to put it into use. Our biggest fear is that all this money was spent for us to have these things and by the time we're able to use them, they'll be obsolete. We strongly urge the administration to make the availability of technol­ ogy a top priority. Students await the creative outlet this technology will provide; without it, they will be left out in the cold ..
stepathon, she settles into her seat, clueless about the lesson. We are outraged that our class time must be interrupted sometimes up to 20 minutes because we have to travel down to the available floors. Even if we can locate an open bathroom in a reasonable amount of time, there are often tremendous lines. This is especially true for the ladies. Remember that Townsend Harris is 71% female; that means there are approximately 710 girls using two bathrooms- you do the math!
Also, due to the First and Last Ten Minutes Act, no bathroom is allowed to be used during this 20 minute period between bands. We, the conscientious students that we are, like to use the bathroom in the beginning of the period or between classes so that we don't interrupt the lesson or miss anything. Usually in the begin­ ning of the band, people are organizing themselves so there's plenty of time to answer nature's call and make it back before anything important is said. The policy penalizes those who care most about learning.
It is inconceivable that less than 1% of the student body could have so much influence as to cause the entire student body to use two cramped facilities, yet such is the case. Dr. Largmann has stated that this new policy is intended to serve as a message to motivate the students to "monitor their community." Witnesses to van­ dalism should indeed report the crime, but what the administration does not real­ ize is that these acts are most likely committed at times when the perpetrators are the only ones present in the room. The point is, this policy is not a solution and leads to nothing but frustration for disgruntled Harrisites.
These bathroom restrictions make us feel like criminals in a prison. We're not asking for a democracy, but can we at least go to the bathroom when we have to? Must the doors of every powder room on each floor be bolted against us?
~R~ ;(.Utt~. :tT,s -,~:' WOUL.t> ~OU U~'E PLA.\0
0~ PO\.~
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Letters to the Editor Please· separate recyclables! · To the Editor:
I'm a member of S.P.E. [Students for the Preservation of the Earth] and I'm proud to say that for the first time this year, we have recycling bins in every classroom, as well as in the lunchroom. But whenever I see students AND teach­ ers passing by them, leftover lunches, chewed gum and everything that isn't supposed to be there is put there. And frankly, it's embarrassing. Come on, guys, we're supposed to be the first and foremost nerds on the East Coast. It's
Natalka Palczynski Editor-in-Chief
Amy Kommatas Sports Editor
Erika Zwetkow Photography Editor
Geurge Motakis Art Editor
sad that we don't know where to put what.
So listen up everyone: there are bins for cans and bottles ONLY on the sixth floor and in the lunchroom. Containers for paper are on every floor, but only the following types: white paper, iooseleaf, copier paper, colored paper, computer paper, index cards, newspa­ per, magazines and manila folders.
Please don't be indifferent. This con­ cerns all of us - recycling saves us a lot
Continued on next page
Townsend Harris High Schoo] at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue , Flushing. N.Y. 11367
Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be placed in Ms. Cow.en's mailbox in the general office. The Classi~· re­ serve the right to edit all letters . Letters must include name and official class. Names will be withheld upon request.
Romina Perrone Business Manager
Jennifer Pare Copy Editor
News Staff: Dominika Bednarska, Helen Haritos. Jenny Mandell, Mark Von Ohlen, Kate Rube, Rebecca Silver
Feature Staff: Bosede Adenekan, Afton Baff, Julie Block, Megan Dwyer, Andrew Goldberg, Karen Halperin, Jeannernaric
Hendershot, Christina Lesica, Nefertiti Lovelace, Elizahelh Mo, Stefan Muehlbauer, Rebecca Munoz, Annellc Orzechowski, Yana Pecherskaya, Julia Perratore, Alexa Steinberg, Vcncssa Tan, Chia Jung Tsay, Maggie Yuan, Sara Yun
Sports Staff: Justin Fox, Mark Von Ohlen, Hugh Reid. Alexa Steinberg, Johnny Wong Photography Staff:Etica Carroll, Frank Cherena, Jason Freedman. Arielle Freeman, Sara Gross; Danielle Hammett-Cohen, Athena Ledakis, Millie Liu, Nancy Luo, Kimberly Lydtin, Sofia Panagiotak:is, Emilia Rackt"M'icz, Lisa Schapint, Marco Trauzzi,
Audley Wilson, Henry Wong, Jason Wu,Young Yoon Business Staff: Steven Berman, Pramilla Borhara, Nicole Conroy, Andrew Goldberg, Dam Goodman, Ian Katz, Nefertiti
Lovelace, Anlee Mateo, Alexis Menchin, Stefan Muehlbauer, Lois Sejarto, Joshua Stem, Chia Tung Tsai, Sara Yun
Artists: Mamma Gikoumi, Lucy Hong. Rachel Sperling, Metis; a Tinio, Chia Tung Tsai
Advisor • lisa Cowen Principal • Dr. Malcolm Largmann
. 1
The Classic --f · '·~ llfillilmi1 !February 1997 3 Letters to the Editor Continued from previous page of money, and it saves our environment. We support your clubs and buy your candy; the least you could do is return
the favor. We're not even asking you to dish out money. Just put your disposables where they belong.
- Tracee Ng
U.S. Service Academies Neglected in college report To the Editor:
In the last issue of The Classic, there was a chart that contained almost all the schools that the class of 1996 applied to and were accepted to. However, who­ ever supplied The Classic with this in­ fonnation failed to list the United States Coast Guard Academy as one of those schools, even though the Academy is one of the most competitive academic institutions in this country. Furthermore, two graduates of the class of 1996 ap­ plied to this institution and both were accepted, although only I chose to at­ tend. More obscure institutions were listed to which only one application was made.
It greatly disturbs me that the United States Service Academies were omitted from this list. They all provide a first­ rate education, training, and guaranteed employment at a respectable rate ofpay immediately upon graduation. The col­ lege office likes to brag about how many scholarships Townsend Harris graduates receive. At any of the Service Acad­ emies, students receive a scholarship worth over $100,000 inclusive of a full educational scholarship, room and board, equipment, extra-educational
training, and travel. Students should not overlook the possibility of attending United States Service Academies and be given the opportunity through knowl­ edge of their existence. The rewards are unlimited and experiences gained can­ not be matched at the usual liberal arts colleges.
I strongly encourage all interested students to inquire about applying to a Service Academy. I also strongly en­ courage the College Office to desist in its discrimination of United States Ser­ vice Academies and encourage and abet those students who are interested.
-James Hayes '96 Fourth Class Cadet,
United States Coast Guard Response from the College Advisor: .
The college office apologizes to James for inadvertently omitting the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from its 1996listing. We are certainly aware of the excellent scholarship opportunities there, and included James' $100,000 scholarship in the $18 million scholar­ ships awarded to the class of 1996. Thanks for setting the record straight.
- Marilyn Blier, College Advisor
Regents standards: Don't water them down by Kate Rube
Faced with a failing educational sys­ tem and a majority of students below average reading and math levels, New York City Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew proposed in December that all city public schools adopt national education standards to bring students up to par with others around the country. In addi­ tion to efforts aimed at correcting poor teaching methods, Crew's plan requires that students must pass New York State Regents examinations as a prerequisite for a high school diploma.
Thousands of high school students who have never taken a Regents exam
. may have their first run-ins with the test as soon as next year. Instead ·of the more challenging exams State Education Commissioner Richard Mills promised, the tests will become easier in order to accommodate· below-average students unless Crew is prepared to deal with drastic failure rate increases (New York Times). Deeply rooted educational prob­ lems cannot be solved instantaneously simply by having more students take mote demanding exams. If they are not adequately prepared to take the tests, which will be doubtful in the first few years, then the requirement is an empty one. Instead, efforts at system reform should be more gradual, to take into ac­ count the fact that most high school stu-
dents who are currently not taking Re­ gents courses have never been exposed to that type of demanding curriculum. There's nothing wrong with hoping for the best, but expecting to accomplish miracles with such a sweeping change is absurd.
With Crew's plan, the more~difficult­ to-attain Regents diploma will suddenly become a regular high school diploma .. This is ultimately a lose-lose situation. If the exams are kept as they are or made more difficult, thousands of kids will be out of a high school diploma. On the other hand, if the tests become easier to help more students pass, many who are above-average will no longer receive the challenge that the Regents were estab­ lished to provide.
New York City's educational system is certainly in need of reform.But this sudden Regents requirement will un­ doubtedly raise failure rates; sparkin'g rage from students, parents, and educa­ tors alike. To smooth over ruffled feath­ ers, standards will have to be lowered, making the tests easier. The Board of Education and Rudy Crew need to real­ ize that they will not alleviate the prob­ lems which plague the system by gloss­ ing over poor academic performances with pretty-looking Regents diplomas that no longer reflect the hard work and effort they are intended to represent.
Let volunteer work remain voluntary by Jeannemarie Hendershot
"I shall not leave my city any less, but rather greater than I found it," says a familiar oath that scores of Harrisites have taken since the foundation of the school. Through this Ephebic Oath and the policies of the school, we are com­ mitting ourselves to some form of ser­ vice that will help us accumulate at least 40 credits by our senior year. New York City Council speaker Peter Vallone is proposing a plan to make volunteer work mandatory in all New York City high schools, something Townsend Harris has always required of its students. But how can one mandate community service when volunteer work is defined as some­ thing done freely and without compul­ sion?
Volunteer work is often done out of the goodness of one's heart. Many sur­ veys have indicated that nearly 60 per­ cent of students perform voluntary ser­ vice through community and church­ based organizations (New York Times, 5116/96). These students know that be­ sides aiding various causes, they can achieve inner gratification. Visiting nursing homes or helping out at hospi­ tals allows students to cheer up the sick and receive personal fulfillment.
But when community service is made a requirement, the spirit of it di-
minishes. Many teens would not be do­ ing thework out of free will, and would consider it drudgery. Their apathy, if not downright hostility, would only taint the atmosphere for other volunteers, and in the end, no one would benefit from the service.
Of course, n<)t all volunteers perform service for pui:ely altruistic reasons; many do it to enhance their extra­ curriculars for college applications. With stiff competition in the college ap­ plication process, it's no question that colleges look favorably on a record of volunteer work. But whatever their mo­ tives, the students are still volunteering.
It must be clarified that when you re­ quire a person to do volunteer work, the work is no longer voluntary. Peter Vallone's 'plan may indeed foster a "good will" attitude amongst the city's teens who have never experienced vol­ unteer work, but it's more likely that most will resent it. Such a proposal can only bring to mind the other case when community service is mandatory: for some criminals.
Finally, if every high school student in New York City did some type of com­ munity service, what would distinguish the students who want to volunteer from the ones who are doing it "because Pe­ ter Vallone said so?" Then think also of
the poor people reading our college ap­ plications. Won't they become terribly bored when they see that all students in New York City have a substantial amount of community service to their names?
Although Townsend Harris requires
its students to do service, we knew this before we even applied here. That's cor­ rect; by coming to Townsend Harris, we voluntarily choose to do volunteer work. Should students all over the city be forced to mimic us?
Briefly Jeff Polan(!o, sophomore, won thir<il place in the Annual Japanese. Oratory
Contest spans0re<il oy the Kawamure Cubura~ Foumdati0n. Karen Gluck, sophomore, was named a Kodak Young Leadtlr, malting her
eligi~le to apply fur a 'lfoung Lead'ets kho~arsbip at tl!le University o.f Roell- ester. •
The Classi~ was awarEle<il ttre Gold Medaliist rating oy the Co:l'um:01a Scbo­ lasl}~ Press A~SGOiati(;)n.
Odile Gareia~ science teacher, wilt be the 19CJ7 reeipitmt of the New Yo* Biology Teacurs A~iatl:on Award f'<>r t~adhin:g . d'eefic'atfan ana e>xce1:lenee.
Susan Appel, AP of science., i;s the 1 ~7 r.eclipient of the ·Science Ctlwncil of New York City Award far teaching de<ti:catioa am! exceblence.
Julia Kohen, sopnom.0re. won the District round '()f the New Y()rk: City Sterytell'ing Contest.
:New faculty m&mben are Mary Vita .and Jehnatban :r'etrante iil the Hu· manities Department, ~ar-ah La:derout.e in the Forej;gn Laa~age Department, and Mruy Relsenrnen in the Physi~al BElueatien Def1artment. Welcome!
Certiti~tes of Merit for tll:eir entries in the Barnard Co,I1ege B$say Con­ test were awarded to Ka"' Rube, Cara Baker, Helen Kaporls, MarinaLy.aunzon, anti Donna Vasie.
National Merit Finalists are David Chau, Lisa Ebe, Kelly Falco, Dean Galitsis, Alexis Karter'On, Ariana Torcmn,, and Romy Varghese.
4 The Classic :
State report card di,storts performance data by Natalka Palczynski
The State Education Department re­ cently issued a report card for public schools throughout New York State. The performance of many schools, includ­ ing Townsend Harris, was undermined by inaccuracies iri the representation of the statistics. The report cards were pub­ lished by the New York Times and New York Newsday in early January.
Principal Malcolm Largmann wrote letters addressing the lack of care taken in reporting the statistics to the Com­ missioner of Education; the Queens Borough · President, Claire Schulman; the Editor of the New York Times; and many other people who were influen­
the Regents examination. "The students in the school have a better understand­ ing of the statistics than the state and city officials that publish them," said Mr. Rattien. "They were premature in publishing the results and should be a lot more careful so that they don't mis­ lead the public on the quality of educa­ tion New York public schools provide."
Other inaccuracies included calculat­ ing the number of students per grade by dividing the total student body by four. "They didn't consider the fact that there are always more freshmen than sopho­ mores and more sophomores than jun­ iors and seniors," said Phillip Jones, physics teacher. "It is mindboggling that
partment, issued a revised report card to all the schools after many schools c9mplained of misrepresentation. Among the changes this new report card promised was the re­ calculation of the percent of average enroll-
- ment passing Regents examinations and the inclusion of the eighth grade in all Sequen­ tial Math I calculations. However, Mr. Rattien said that the supposed "revised" re­ port card was exactly the same. All of the inaccuracies Townsend Harris had protested went ignored.
Defending the methods of computation on the report cards, Mary Ann Awad, Coor­ dinator of Information, Reporting and Tech­ nology Services at the New York State Edu­ cation Department said, "The statistics re-
fact of all." Ms. Awad suggests to those that
found the statistics to be misleading to write an editorial and send it to The New York Times stating what they feel was misrepresented. She seemed doubtful that the statisticians would take these factors into consid­ eration for future report cards. "The facts are the facts. If the way they're reported raises public concern, then that's a good thing," Ms. Awad said.
''I'm sure she's glad she's still get­ ting a paycheck," Mr. Jones re­ sponded to Ms. Awad's comments. "The pain, the misunderstanding, and the damage of the report de­
tial and/or re­ sponsible for the publication of the erroneous num­ bers. "The statis­ ticians need tore­ fine their pro­ cess," said Dr. Largmann.
Sequential Math I Sequential Math III stroyed the reputa­ tion of many schools and was reckless and irresponsible .... Obviously (the State Education Depart­ ment] was operating in a vacuum, show­ ing the school sys­ tem with no founda­ tion of reality."
Regents Exam Regents Exam I
Official Report Correct Harris Official Report Correct Harris
Harry Rattien Assistant Princi­ pal of Mathemat­ ics, prepared a list
Years
93-94
94-95
95-96
77% 104% 69% 94%
· for Dr. Largmann of many of the in­ accuracies in the report cards. First, he stated that the number of students enrolled
Official statistics were released by the State Education Department in mid-December. Correct I
Most officials agree that despite the inaccuracies, the report cards serve mainly as a method of improving the school system. Rudy Crew, the New York City Schools
Harris statistics were compiled by Assistant Principal of Mathematics Harry Ratti en
per grade (the report card used the term "average grade enrollment") is not an indicator of the number of students who are taking a particular course nor does it indicate the number of students who should be taking the course. The report card made these assumptions; they deemed that a correlation existed be­ tween the number of students per grade and the number of students enrolled in a course. For instance, if there are 275 ninth graders, it does not mean that all 275 should be taking Sequential Math II.
Second, the report card listed what percentage of the students passed the various Regents examinations and of those, what percentage mastered them. Mastery means the number of students who obtained a grade of 85 or above on
~f<C~~~~~ M m®D~
one can assume that a quarter of the high school population is in one grade and that all those in that grade take the same courses and exam," said Mr. Rattien.
Dr. Largmann was also critical of the report card's demographic conjectures. "They compared one school located in a middle class neighborhood in New York City to a school in an affluent sub­ urban community," he said . "Even though the New York City school was located in a middle class neighborhood, the attendees were not middle class. They came from surrounding areas and were bussed in. These students were from lower income families and were being compared with students from eco­ nomically secure households. That's ri­ diculous."
Junior Emily Homier found this fact to be the most unsettling of the inaccu­ rate statistics. "Inner city students are a different caliber from students Upstate. They have different backgrounds. You just can't compare the two," she said.
James Kadamus, the Deputy Com­ missioner of the State Education De-
fleet the percent average enrollment per . school. Since all public schools in New York State were calculated the same way, what could be inaccurate?" Furthermore she saw no problem with dividing the student popu­ lation by four to determine how many stu­ dents were in each grade. "If you have less students in other grades, then where did they go?" she said.
When asked whether her department was satisfied with the report, Ms. Awad said, "Satisfied is an interesting word. I would say that we are encouraged by the public interest that has been shown and people's willingness to make a difference." She added that her department has received over 4,000 phone calls from parents and schools since the New York Times. publication, and that the majority of the calls offered posi­ tive comments.
Ms. Awad added, "The interest the New York Times and the public have taken in this matter is unprecedented. For six days in a row, the New York Times has published infor­ mation about New York schools and their performance. It has engaged people in pub­ lic discussion which is the most impressive
Chancellor, was quoted by the New York Times (1/3/97) as saying, "The state report cards reinforce what I have been saying all along about the need for raising educational stan­ dards system-wide." Dr. Largmann feels the same, "If all the inaccura­ cies were eliminated, the published report card would be a wonderful thing because it shows where a school stands [in comparison with all the other schools] and the quality of education offered."
Despite these misrepresentations, Townsend Harris still ranked high. In a New York Times article, "Elite School with a Difference" (1/12/97), Somini Sengupta called Harris the fourth contender among New York City's competitive high schools, the others being Brooklyn Tech, Stuyvesant, and Bronx Science. Har­ ris tied with Stuyvesant for second place and were just one point behind Bronx Science in the number of stu- , dents passing Regents examinations -98%.
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The ClassiCJ 5 -~ . .., ~' rJ tmH11!11§ j~February-1997
Five bucks buys tickets to city arts events by Dominika Bednarska
What do t~e Big Apple Cir­ cus, the New York City Opera House's Carmen and the New York Philharmonic have in common, besides the fact that they are all big cultural events in New York City?You can buy a ticket to each for just five dol­ lars. That's right. All three are part of the High Five Tickets to the Arts program which in­ cludes over 400 other events at places such as the Alvin Ailey . American Dance Theater, The New York City Ballet, the 92nd Street Yand Carnegie Hall, just to name a few.
Here's how it works: Get a High Five calendar of events (they're free). You can call them at (212) HI5 - TKTS, write to them at High Five Tickets to the Arts, 1790 Broadway NY, NY 100 19-1412, try them at their web site at High5Tx@aol.com http://www. ticketmaster .com or use the copy available at the COSA office. Then go to any Ticketmaster outlet and pur­ chase High Five Tickets for the. listed event that interests you. Weekday events are two tick­ ets for five dollars. Make sure you bring your student I.D. or program card or anything to prove you are between 13 and 18 years old and a New York City high school student. Also, you must purchase tickets at
least one day in advance. How­ ever, all High Five tickets are donated, so the number for each
in Da 'Noise, Bring in Da' Funk before it went on Broadway," said Ms. Ciniglio at a High Five
band on C.D. Yes, I'm addicted, but there are wqrse things one can be addicted to," he said.
event is limited (except for all museum admis­ sions ). If it is a popular one, it will sell out quickly.
Some of the most popular events for this season (whi ch lasts through May) are the Big Apple Circus, the New York City Opera and the Jean Cocteau Repertor)' The­ ater. "We are try­ ing to get more Broadway [tick­ ets]. That seems to be what every­ one wants. But, it's difficultbe­ cause they are re­ ally profit-seek­ ing," said Ada
SPRING HIGHLIGHTS Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater will take place on Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30P.M.
The New York City Opera is holding performances of Rigoletto, and The Mikado on March 19 and 21 .
The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble will perform on March 22 and the 23.
Pulitzer-prize winning poet Charles Simie will hold a poetry reading with Gary Soto at the 92nd Street YMCA on April 7 at 8:00P.M.
Playwrights Horizons will perform the musical Violet, a coming-of-age story on Sunday March 9 at 3:00 P.M.
See Brochure & Events Calendar tor detalils!
The aim of the program is not neccesarily to create a lifelong addiction to th€ arts, but simply to "develop new and younger audi­ ences for the arts and to include students who could not afford the experience," said Ms. Ciniglio. The original idea was proposed by a student at Stuyvesant High School who went abroad to Vienna for a year and participated in a similar program. When she got back, she discov­ ered New York City had no such
Ciniglio, executive director of the two-year-old program. The only Broadway show the pro­ gram managed to get for this . season is Once Upon a Mat­ tress, which is already sold out. "What we are trying to do here is encourage the lesser known events. High Five offered Bring
press conference held on Feb­ ruary 6. "Performing arts is like a kiss; you just have to be there," added Jon Pareles, Mu­ sic Critic for The New York Times. "I have a million C. D.'s at home, but I'd rather be out listening to somebody nobody's heard live, than to my favorite
program and wrote a letter to the Mayor sug­ gesting that the city start one.
Now the program's ticket sales have nearly tripled and it sold nearly 700 before the first performance this month. Ms. Ciniglio accredits this success to increased publicity. "I think the word is getting out. Kids
know about it. We are advertis­ ing more on the radio. Our mailing list is getting much larger," she said. In fact, the program has attracted interna­ tional attention. "Just the other day we had visitors from En­ gland who were interested in setting up this kind of program at home," she said.
Despite this, the program is still not as successful as she would like. One way to rem­ edy this might be to make cata­ logs more readily available. High Five is working with Barnes and Noble Booksellers to make them accessible to customers. "The question is al­ ways how do we get students who would. norm~lly not be in­ terested in the arts from pick­ ing up a catalog to buying a ticket," she said.
High Five is also, along with Princeton Review, spon­ soring an essay contest: The topic is "your lligh Five expe­ rience," and first prize is a free prep course at Princeton Re­ view. Second prize is one full scholarship to the Princeton Multimedia course. Third prize is Princeton Review software. Mail e_ntries t0: High Five Tick­ ets to the Arts, 1790 Broadway, 16th Floor, NewYork, N.Y. 10019-1412. Entries must be received by April 8.
Seniors have a ball {inaugural, that. is) by Beth Mattucci
For one night the "grand dining hall" (as the invitations read) became the "grand ball­ room" in honor of the semi-for­ mal inaugural ball, held on January 24 from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. This ball served as the culminating event of the se­ niors' presidential election simulation and the mock elec­ tion which was held on Novem­ ber 1: It was organized by a committee of seniors headed by Lynne Greenfield, Ass-istant Principal of Humanities.
For a ticket price of five dol­ lars, catered food and sodas were provided. All of the din­ ing hall tables were cleared away to make a dance floor, and tables and chairs from the teacher dining hall were ar­ ranged near the food table for a sitting area. The DJs Randy Napiza and Glenn Barretto, se­ niors, played a variety of mu­ sic that even got some of the teachers dancing.
Live entertainment was pro­ vided by Stolen Fish, a band made up of Harris seniors which played original music.
Another group of seniors played popular music; such as songs by the Red Hot Chili Pep­ pers. A highlight of the evening came when senior Erin McDonnell, Senior Council President, gave the oath of of-
the ball," said senior Stacie . Wortman. "It was the perfect way to celebrate all the hard work that we had done through­ out the simulation." Senior Ariana Torchin agreed, saying, "The ball was a lot of fun. The
best part was when Mr. Stonehill, Mr. Hackney, and Mr. Carbone started dancing with all the se­ niors." Glenn Barretto, se­ nior, said, "I liked providing my services as a DJ - it was the least I could do to give back to the school af­ ter they put up with me for
ers shared positive comments about the mock election. An­ thony Scarnati said, "I thought it was the best educational pro-. gram that I've ever seen, and I was glad that we were able to do it here at Townsend Harris."
"Stolen Fish," with leader Vito Antefuerrno, senior, rock the house at the Inaugural Ball.
three and a half years."
Derric Davis, as President Billl Clinton, glances across the "grand dining hall" at the Inaugural Ball .
fice to senior Derrick Davis, who portrayed Clinton in the simulation.
"I had a really great time at
Although the simulation itself ended on November 1, mock election day, the memories still carry on. Participatory Democracy teach-
Myron Moskowitz agreed, say­ ing, "I thought it was one of the best educational experiences I have had in almost 30 years of
teaching." The candidates themselves
said they enjoyed taking part in the simulation. Senior Derric Davis, who portrayed President Clinton, said, "It was a good learning experience for me. I
liked all the attention." Se­ nior Oren Yavin, who por­ trayed Ross Perot, said, "The simulation was very exhilarating. It gave methe chance to play the role of someone whom I did not know a lot about. I really
OJ) learned a lot." c ~
~ "I think that learning c about the election from c ~ this simulation was much £ more interesting than ~ learning through a tradi- .c: o.. tiona] classroom setting,"
said Jennifer Belo, who produced mock Saturday Night Live episodes. Se- nior Jerome Sherman, who portrayed Larry King, said, "I feel I now have a kinship with Larry King,
and even though I never met him, it's as if I've worked di­ rectly w.ith him."
6 The Classic
.. - Debate Team displays power of persuasion
by Helen Haritos and Kate Rube Arguing their way to victory, the Lin­
coln Douglas debate team advanced to the next round of competition in a citywide tournament sponsored by Chase Bank. In a unanimous 3-0 deci­ sion, team members Annette Orzechowski, Scott Stein, and Rebecca Silver defeated opponent Fashion Insti­ tute of Technology on February 13.
In keeping with their successful sea­ son, the team also placed second in a February 1 tournament at Saint Francis Prep. Thirteen individual wins were enough to pull Townsend Harris ahead of the St. Francis team and into their best finish of the year. Though no interme­ diate debaters placed in the top four range, which allots half-qualifications for the state competition, first-time Var­ sity debater Julia Kohen finished in sec­ ond place.
Julia, a sophomore, began the sea­ son as a first-year novice, but after ob­ taining full states' qualifications, ad­ vanced to the Varsity level for the Feb­ ruary 1 competition. Sophomores Erika Strohlic and Lisa Schapira also stepped up from the intermediate level to com­ pete in Varsity for the first time.
The newly-created Speech team competed in the tournament, their third of the season, as well. Reaching semi-
finalist status, dramatic interpreter Brian Gruber came in seventh place and ex temper Maureen Raphael placed fifth.
The next debate for the Chase tour-
members compete individually, the next meet will be on February 15 at. Christ the King, under the same resolve as the debate at Prep. The January-February
debate
Dressed in his bathrobe for pajama day, English teacher Michael Carbone reviews speak­ ing skills with sophomores Rebecca Silver and Julia Kohen, in preparation for an up­ coming debate.
topic is "u n i­ versal human rights vs. na­ tional inter­ est. " "Even if you h a v e the best speech on pa­ per, the key [to win­ ning a debate] is to be
nament, which consists of a three-per­ son team, will take place on March 25, giving members adequate time to con­ tinue work on their topic. The resolve focuses on whether hate speech should be tolerated on college campuses.
As for the regular debate team, where
a good speaker," said Michael Carbone, English teacher and debate team coach.
Researching is also an important key to a successful debate. "I draw a lot of information from sources off the . Internet, as well as from current events and just general knowledge," said Jamie
Tong, junior member of the team. Thinking and the po'Yer of persua­
sion are among the most basic abilities needed for winning. The 20 members of the team meet Wednesday afternoons and brainstorm arguments to use for the affirmative and negative positions on a topic .
Sophomore Rebecca Silver, while at­ testing that the research is "strenuous," said that debate has helped her to "im­ prove self confidence and speaking skills."
The Townsend Harris team belongs to the Brooklyn-Queens Catholic Foren­ sics League along with larger schools, such as Cardozo and Brooklyn Tech. Even with its small size, the Debate team has done very well this year. They won second place as a team in October with the conflict of "Society vs. Individual Rights." A fourth place team finish came in December with the conflict of "Big Business vs. Society." Julia was a quali­ fier in the state finals, and seven other members were half qualifiers.
The Speech Team accompanies the Debate team to major meets. Mr. Carbone started the Speech team in re­ sponse to much student interest. The members participate in acting, extem­ poraneous speaking, original oratories, declamations and poetry readings.
Penny Harvest:_ Lesson In cents and sensibility Co.llege credit earned
Throug:h AP classes by Jenny Mandell Massive delivery trucks collapsed
under the weight of the thousands of pennies collected by public schools city­ wide for the Penny Harvest, an annual event to raise money for charities and other public service organizations. The overloaded trucks, which experienced broken parts and flat tires, headed to the "Field Day" during the first week of De­ cember where the donations would be counted. Included in the haul was $1250 worth of change contributed by Townsend Harris.
Out of the hundreds of schools that participated in the November Penny Harvest, only 43, including Harris, man­ aged to fill 25 sacks, each worth $50, equalling $1250. "It is a point of pride for us that even though only a few of the challenge winners were high schools, Harris succeeded;' said Mar­ garet Landry, Ansta Advisor. Though the Penny Harvest is sponsored by Arista, the National Honor Society, the entire school contributes to the activity.
The monetary triumph of raising $1250 qualified each of the 43 schools to form its own Round Table. Round Table participants will be given back $1000 of the original $1250 to allocate to the charities of their choice. "The council from Townsend Harris will con­ sist of at most 20 students. They will decide where the money goes, probably by April," said Ms. Landry. "It's nice for us to be able to see where money we
raised will go." Arista members organized the collec­
tion of pennies and other spare change in . sacks which were placed in the din­ ing hall, at the bagel counter, security desk, and other areas throughout the school. Student Union Treasurer Yong Taing, junior, and Stephanie Levine, jun­ ior, accompanied Ms. Landry to the Field Day, where they worked with other students sorting and weighing milUons of pennies.
The program behind the Penny Har­ vest and this event is called "Common Cents," an organization that gathers sup­ port from companies including Brinks, Chemical Bank and Lane Gottleib Ad­ vertising, as well as the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, the Met­ ropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York Public Library, and the Board of Education. Collection containers were available at other public places in addition to the schools.
The allocation of the remaining funds will be decided by a group of high school students from all over the city · called the Student Community Action Fund (SCAF). These students meet ev­ ery Suriday to determine how the city­ wide pool of pennies should be distrib­ uted.
The chosen charities often aid home­ less people and needy children. Grants are also given to student projects, espe­ cially peer education or programs deal­ ing with improving the environment.
by Beth Citron With the costs of coJlege soaring,
and admission to selective colleges be­ corning tougher, ~nany high school stu­ dents across the nation are electing to take Advance Placement (AP) courses to eam coHe.ge credit. This year, for the first time ever, Townsend Harris is offering two AP c-ourses, Spanish and Calculus.
Advanced Placement courses offer students the opportunity to study col­ lege lev-el material without the cost of college tuiti-on. AP courses are also beneficial because coUeges l0ok favor­ ably upon students who have put in the time and effort t-o take such rigorous courses. At the end of an AP course, students are required to take an exam which determines how well they have mastered the material. The scores range from one to five, aad based on the score of this exam, a college can decide whether to give a student col­ lege credits.
Until this past September, Townsend Harris had never off:eredAP classes because seniors were given the opportunity to take courses at Queens College. At one peint, seniors were able to enroll in up to three co11ege classe·s at a time. Some seniors were
graduated with 21 coHege credtts,saving thousands of dollars as well as completing courses required in college.
This "Bridg,e Year'' pwgram was made possible because of fee waivers by Queens Col:lege. However, "last year [September, 19'95}, due to severe budget cuts, the college dropped the fee waivers,'' said Sheila Orner, As­ sistant Principal of Guidance. Tre­ mendous pressure from the commu­ nity, including parents, faculty, and B:o:rough Pr;esident Claire Schulman, led to the reinstatement of one college elecl'ive, in addition to the mandatory Humanities seminar, a course which receives b0th college and high scb0ol cr.edit.
The administration thought that this slash in credits was unfair to stu­ dents, and so "we decided that in or­ der to be fair to our seniors, we should have Ativanced Placement classes," Ms. Orner expl-ained. She said that so faF, the Advanced Placement Spanish and Calculus o0urses have been ver,y successful, atth<mgh costly. Due to budgetary constraints, the high cost of these cl-asses may prevent a larger number of AP classes from forming in the future.
- The Classic
7 February 1997
Bilingual oratory - A t t t h Celebrates diversity mnes Y arr~s s eac ers by Rebecca Munoz each othe''' background,," 'aid 0 n H u man R I.Q hts Day
Poems, chants, and stories Pratik. Olga added, "The recited in languages ranging oratoria showed the students from Sanskrit to Spanish ech-_ the similarities in all the world's oed in the auditorium at the literature.'' Bilingual Oratoria held on Students who observed the
by Jeannemarie Hendershot Special police forces hand"
cuffed and seized English teachers Michael Carbone and
transported to the cafeteria, club adviser Odile Garcia cov- ered their classes and spoke with students about the in-
January 10. oratoria appeared to like it as _ Debra Michelwitz and Social fringements of human rights in Joan Walsh, Assistant Prin- well. Freshman Danielle
cipal of the foreign language Gendler said, "I enjoyed getting department, hoped to accom- a taste of many different cul­ plish two goals by organizing tures. The show was educa­ the oratoria. "I wanted to make tiona!, but interesting because students aware that in the midst it came from the students ." of diversity, we all share the Sophomore Jerry Graciano same hopes , dreams, fears and said, "I thought it was cultur­ pride," sh'e said. She also hoped ally enriching." Freshman to promote the awareness of Tenley Coffaro commented, diverse ethnicity In literature "The language was beautiful and in life. "I wanted to make and the oratoria was great." the students look at their class- Minor problems occurred mates in another way. I wanted during the assembly. "My
Studies teacher Nancy Leib from their classrooms in mid­ lesson on December 3. The three were arrested without a stated reason and dragged through the halls to the cafete­ ria where they were put on dis­ play before the entire student body.
These were skits presented by the members of Amnesty In­ ternational in recognition of Human Rights Day. The club dramatized the arrest of three
to make the kids aware of the greatest fear was that we would teachers during lunch bands in beauty in literature," said Ms. run out of time and not every-. order to simulate violations of Walsh. one would have the opportunity
The literature featured such to perform. However, we found themes as love, family, and the ourselves ~ith eight minutes to beauty of nature. Freshmen spare," Ms. Walsh explained. Allison Park and Nancy Kim "My only regret," said Ms. recited a Korean song. "It was Walsh, "was that I didn't recite about a girl asking her mother a poem in Spanish so students to live by the sea, where they could see that the AP offoreign could see the glistening sands languages practices what she outside their window," said preaches. It was a huge success Allison. Junior Pratik Patel and we owe it all to the stu-
dents."
human rights that occur in many Third World countries. People are arrested and taken away from their families with­ out being told why. They ate brought to prisons where they are tortured or sometimes killed.
While the teachers were
some countries. "The reactions I got from the individual classes that I covered were wonderful," said Ms. Garcia.
Meanwhile, in the lunch- room, members of Amnesty explained the skits and encour­ aged students to fill out non~ denominational greeting cards to comfort prisoners. "All of the club members dressed in black
. to protest human rights abuses around the world and to make a statement," said Amnesty Co­ president, senior Ani Aydin.
Many Amnesty members were disappointed with the way students reacted to the drama- tizations. "I wish more people took it seriously. We were try­ ing to show a really important issue and a lot of people didn't pay attention," senior Vanessa Melchiori said. Junior Nazanin Abdulwali agreed. "Even
though people looked up and paid attention to the skit, it wasn't a big deal for most of them. It's like the real thing; we tend to pay attention to these problems for a minute and then go on with our lives," he said.
Yet there were some stu- · dents who seemed to recognize the severity of the cause. Fresh­ man Nefertiti Lovelace said, "At first I thoug_ht the skit was
- funny, but when I realized that such things really happen ·to people, I got angry. A lot of people in America take these rights for granted."
Amnesty International meets Friday mornings to dis­ cuss "Urgent Actions," letters that members send to the gov­ ernments of foreign countries urging them to release innocent prisoners. This was the first time the club has performed such a simulation. In past years, Human Rights Day was com­ memorated with a candle-light­ ing vigil on the campus of Queens College.
chanted a Hindu prayer in San­ skrit. "My prayer was about appreciating nature," he said. "[It] was also about appreciat­ ing parents and teachers."
Another common theme was the paths traveled in one's life. "A theme in my Greek in­ troduction to The Odyssey was the different stages in Odysseus' life," said freshman Olga Faldamis. Freshman. Stefan Muelbauer read a poem in Hebrew, written by his grandfather. "My grandfather tried to express the transition from old to new in his poem and so I tried to convey that feeling while I read ," Stefan said.
Donated· memorabilia gives insight
Junior Helen Maliagros , sang the Greek National An­ them. "It was about the joys of freedom," she explained . "It compared freedomto a beauti­ ful woman."
Those who played an active role in the assembly enjoyed it. Tenth grader Annette Orzechowski; who read a Pol­ ish poem, said, "It was fantas- · tic and went smoothly. The speeches and poems were so diverse that everyone got a taste of culture." Allison said, "Al­ though the students couldn't understand the meaning, it was still interesting to hear the beauty of the languages.''
"It had positive effects be­ cause, although we know each other, we don't really know
To younger generation on Harris' past by Christina Lesica and Sara Yun
Excuses for avoiding gym evolved from measles to a cold to post-nasal arthritis for one student who attended the "old" Townsend Harris in 1941. This is one of the facts listed in the June yearbook of the old Townsend Harris pub­ lished that year. The yearbook was part of a collection do­ nated to Townsend Harris in October from the estate of Dr. Robert Chastney, the last prin­ cipal of the old Townsend Harris. The collection, con­ sisting of various memorabilia from the mid- 1930's to the closing of Townsend Harris High School in 1942, ranges from copies of The Stadium, the student newspaper, to some personal items of Dr. Chastney, such as his resume, and will be housed in the li­ brary.
Since the materials are fragile, they will not be dis­ played for hands-on observa­ tion until an efficient method
of preservation is found. "Mi­ crofilm, microfiche, photo­ copies, lamination, and acid free boxes to slow down the deterioration are some possi­ bilities," said Valerie BiUy, li­ brarian.
Part of the donation included yearbooks from the 1930's. At the time, Townsend Harris was _ a three year academy. Since there were two graduations per year, one in January, another in June, two yearbooks were pub­ lished each year. Students could start school in September or February depending on their birthd'ays.
"I was struck that there was a, lot of humor in the year­ books,'' said Ms. Billy, who had the opportunity to look through some of the duplicate copies. There were many "original and funny" poems. There were also lists of "the smartest students" atld "those who think they're the smattest." Ms. Billy ex­ pressed surprise at "that lack of sensitivity" displayed in some of the lists and articles that
made fun of students and teach­ ers by name.
The donation also includes documents relating to the pro­ posed closing of Townsend H:arris in 1942. Copies of local newspapers contain the cover­ age of the numerous protests, including a sit-in by Townsend Harris High School students, held to stop the school's clos­ ing.
A number of personal items of Dr. Chastney were part of the donation. Among them is the letter cpngratulating him on his nomination to ''director" (prin­ cipal) of Townsend Harris.
"The impression you get is that human nature and teenage interests don't change," was pdncipal Malcolm Largmann's initial response upon examin­ ing this large donation. In the June 1938 yearbook, it said, "The girls from Hunter had enough of Harris after the sec­ ond dance.'' . Although the school is presently 70% girls, then it was an all-boys school. Another student's average went
from 92 to 87 to 66 through­ out his three years at Harris. Another yearbook page re­ ported the average number of dates boys had per week. The boys s tarted out in the first year with no dates and even­ tually worked themselves up to eight dates per week in the third year. Among other sta­ tistics were typical student al­ lowances, which went from $1.00 to $1.50 and then fi­ nally to $2.25 over the years.
Since the old Townsend Harris existed right before the be.ginning of World War II, this collection gives us a "window into that time pe­ riod," according to Ms. Billy. There was a letter written to Dr. Chastney from a teacher stating that he was unable to make it to the opening of the school in September because he was stranded in England. All available shlps were be­ ing used for the war and he had no means of returning to America. "I think this makes history come alive and real for all of us," said Ms. Billy.
8 The Classic
Alumni honored at Hall of Fame banquet by Natalka Palczynski
Sirloin steaks, caviar, quiche, crystal glasses of wine, reminiscences, and merriment filled the room at the fourth Hall of Fame Banquet held at the UN Plaza- Park Hyatt Ho­ tel on November 21. The alumni of the "old" and even some of the "new" Townsend Harris relived high school days. Among those who attended were this year's Hall of Fame inductees; various alumni, in­ cluding math teacher Rachel Ruisi; several other Townsend Harris faculty members and, for the first time, 10 students, the guests of alumnus Charles Sigety, '39 . The students were invited to represent the student body and were selected based on their leadership in various activities.
The Honorees
Dr. Irving Adler, '27, a world-renowned teacher, au­ thor and scientist, has written 56 books and co-authored 30 more · with his wife. Dr. Mortimer Adler is a philoso­ pher, author and educator. He was on the Board of Editors of the Encyclo- p e d i a Britannica and edited the Great Books of the Western World in 54 volumes.
Dr. Philip Holzman, '39, psychoanalyst and experimen­ tal psychologist, has made great progress in the area of schizo­ phrenia research. Photographs by William Klein, '42, have ap­ peared in Vogue and other magazines, and can be seen in
Townsend Harris. "The first day I came to Townsend Har­ ris, I wore long socks, short pants, and a sweater. I was the only one on campus who wasn't properly dressed," he said. The dress-code back then was a suit and tie. Schappes re-
The Hall of Fame acknowl­ edges alumni from the "old" Harris whose great achieve­ ments have earned them recog­ nition. Townsend Harris is the only high school in the nation to claim two Presidential MedaJ awardees: scientist Jonas Salk and philanthropist Eugene Lang. Both these men have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in past years. This year's inductees are Dr. Irving Adler, Dr. Mortimer Adler, Zalman Bernstein, Eugene Grant, Dt. Philip Holzman, William Klein, David Landes, Maurice Paprin, Dr. Leonard Polonsky, Morris Schappes, and Bernard Spitzer.
Zalman Bernstein, '42, founded Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. in 1967 to pro­ vide excel­ lence in in­ vestment management and research. He also es­ tablished TheAviChai
Ninety-six -year-old William Ashkin shares his memories·of his Townsend days with Socci twins Annie and Adrienne.
Foundation, whose goal is to develop mu­ tual understanding among all Jews and the Tikvah Fund which funds small and me­ dium-sized businesses in Israel. Eugene Grant, '33, is the presi­ dent of his own real estate in­ vestment and development firm which builds, owns, and man­ ages commercial properties throughout the United States ..
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all the major museum collec­ tions. David Landes, '39, is the Coolidge Professor of History and Professor of Economics at Harvard University.
Maurice Paprin, '36, was consulted extensively during the planning and building of the new Townsend Harris due to his leadership in the real estate and building industries. Dr. Leonard Polonsky, '43, is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Hansard Financial Trust Lim­ ited. Civil engineer Bernard Spitzer, '39, has developed some of the high-rise residen­ tial and commercial buildings
· in New York City. These in­ clude the Corinthian, reputedly the largest individual apartment house in the city.
Anecdotes Morris Schappes, '24, the
editor of Jewish Currents magazine, has received various awards in recognition of his ef­ forts for human rights. He re­ members his first day at
members buying a suit for five dollars later that day with the little money his family had. Schappes, who emigrated from Ukraine, remembers learning English on the three-week boat ride over to America.
The oldest alumnus at the event, William Ashkin, was a graduate of the Class of 1915. He is 96 years old. Mr. Ashkin recalled addressing the gradu­ ating class of 1996. He said his address was "second only to the one he heard at Gettysburg."
As the I 0 students walked around during cocktail hour, they conversed with many of the alumni, one of whom was Hall of Fame member Wilbur Pritchard, class of '39. His worst high school memory was flunking French. "It was hu­ miliating," he said. "Inciden­ tally I became fluent in French later." His best memory was being part of the Townsend
·Harris radio club. Senior Annie Socci, representing the music
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department, asked if the mem­ bers "hung out" and listened to the radio. Mr. Pritchard re­ sponded, "No. We built radios." Mr. Pritchard also remembered getting haircuts at the school of barbery that was located across the street from Townsend Har­ ris. "Haircuts were 25 cents then, but if you were a student at the barbery school, you could get them for 10," he said. Mr. :Pritchard would take a qua~ter from his mother for a haircut, but only pay a dime by pretend­ ing to be a student from the barbery school. "I'd keep the 15 cents," he said. "A lot of Townsend Harris students did that."
"Even though these men were as old as 96, they still had a sense of humor and a lot of vitality left," said senior David Chau, Archon President.
All of the students enjoyed themselves and were impressed with the generosity and jovial conversation of the alumni. "All of the alumni were willing to offer anything they could to help us, even though they didn't really know us," said senior Adrienne Socci who repre-
. sented sports. "It was amazing to see the importance Townsend Harris held in their lives. It made me realize what a valu­ able school Townsend Harris is," said junior Adrian Kulpa from the Quantum Cat and art department.
"Once there, I was amazed and impressed by the success the graduates had attained. It was at that point that it struck me that in six months, I would have to carry on their legacy. I felt tremendous pressure to live up to their reputation," said se­ nior Jose Melendez, QSAC (Queens Student Advisory Council) representative.
Student Union President Michael Garber, senior, hopes to establish a program in which students can learn from the ex­ periences of the alumni. "It was very inspiring to meef, these wonderful and successful people and to think we share something in common with them," he said.
Several of the honorees at­ tributed their successes to their spouses. Mr. Sigety told the male students to remember that "behind every successful man is a surprised woman."
PrincipaiMalcolm Largmann stepped up to the podium to say a few words as well. He vowed that the torch today's Townsend Harrisites carry "is, and will continue to be, bright."
Dl."'"fVA~!~!@!< ~ :': _:~/-~1 The Classic 9 '"' ,. ·· -K4~ · , ·.· . - ... · '·: · . !February 1997
Biener's background may surprise you by Joe Gerbasi
Her decisions have an im­ pact on everyone's life. Whether you've worked with her, been taught by her, or re­ ceived advice from her, the various functions Judy Biener performs make her a vital part of the Townsend Harris com­ munity. Many of you know Ms. Biener well, but can you picture her as a dancer or a truck driver? If not, perhaps you don't know Ms. Biener as well as you thought and if you look at her life, these might not be the only things that surprise you.
Judy Biener grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. Her father, Lawrence, was the Assistant Principal of English at Parsons Junior High School and her mother, Murial, was a dental hygienist. She has three older brothers, all of whom excelled academically, which was in­ timidating to her as the young­ est child and only girl. "The men were bigger, stronger and wiser because they were older than me," said Ms. Biener, but she would eventually overcome any feelings of intimidation with the help of her grand­ mother Rosie.
"She showed me that a per­ son who doesn't have a lot of education, status, or position could be spirited and influen­ tial," said Ms. Biener. She de­ scribed Grandma Rosie as a tiny, strong, energetic woman with a lot of "kutzpa [spunk]." Her grandmother taught her everything from dancing and
singing to flirting with boys (which she did a lot).
While she said that she fondly remembers her grade school years, Ms. Biener also added, "The two years of jun- . ior high school were a blight on my childhood." She not only had to contend with the teenage insecurities that are common. to that period in life, but had the addi tiona! bur- den of overcom­ ing a dangerous environment overridden with crime.
"My years at Far Rockaway High School
my dream to be on a Broadway stage some day."
After high school, she went to college at Binghamton Uni­ versity where she was a pre­ med major. Her major would change many times before she eventually decided on English
The ring which is tattooed on her finger and that of her husband Jeff, who was the pro­ ducer of the morhing show on the former Mix 105 (now the Buzz), is that of a dogwood blossom. "Jeff had seen a couple with their rings tattooed
on their fingers while he was do­
. ing the laundry and assumed they were en- gagement rings.
~ Then he sug­ ..@ gested we get ~ them," said Ms. ~ Biener. "I never ·c:: Ill thought I'd have ;.., ~ a tattoo, but ~ I thought it was "" romantic," she
added.
were mu~h ~ore Judy Biener works diligently at her desk in the C.O.S.A. office. ~er pleasant, Said Ms. job as C.O.S.A. entails arranging dances such as the Winter Relllix. Biener. There she
Ms. Biener never thought she'd have a de-
·starred in many school plays and actively participated in stu­ dent government. She excelled in science and commented, "At the time, I wanted to be a doc- tor."
Like many other teenagers of her time, she liked the Beatles and Billy Joel and had a crush on John Travolta. She also discovered two people she still greatly admires: Judy Gar­ land and Fred Astaire. She loved to swim, and play sports that involved a lot of running. "I had taken dance lessons, but never pursued it further," she said. "Now I'm taking lessons in both dancing and singing." Ms. Biener then added, "It was
literature, but she had not yet decided on being a teacher; she was interning for N.B.C. and was interested in television and radio.
After college, she took a job working for a six-week cross­ country camping trip as a truck driver and cook for over 50 people. "I made a lot of friends and gained a lot of self-confi- dence," said Ms. Biener. Later, she would get a job ai W.G.G.B. radio in Merick Long Island doing commercial scheduling. Through her internships at N.B.C. and work at W.G.G.B. radio she met Howard Stern, Imus ("Imus in the Morning"), and her future husband Jeff.
gree in English literature either, but she would receive that too. She decided to become a teacher and received her mas­ ters degree from Queens Col­ lege. She began teaching at Ja­ maica High School. There she became friends with Debra Michlewitz, then a fellow teacher at Jamaica, who con­ vinced her to send out her ap­ plication to other schools. She never expected Townsend Har-
. ris to contact her. "It was a long shot, but they were looking for young people who could teach writing and I fit the bill," Ms. Biener said.
When asked what being an English teacher meant to her,
Ms. Biener replied "I love lit­ erature because it opens worlds and enriches [the students'] lives. I want students to be able to write well also, since "it's so important in today's world." There is, however, one aspect of being a teacher that she
·doesn't enjoy. "I hate evaluat­ ing kids and giving them grades," she said. "I think that's the part of the job that teachers hate most."
Ms. Biener is also the Coor­ dinator of Student Affairs (C.O.S .A.). In her own words, the C.O.S.A. "coordinates and oversees all clubs and activities in the school as well as regu­ lates the school budget; most importantly, I'm the liaison be­ tween the students and the fac­ ulty." As to the difficulties of this position, Ms. Biener said, "It's hard figuring out where I stand and trying to balance the two needs."
Ms. Biener's three greatest criticisms of the school are "the abundant work load, in-be­ tween class passage time ... [and] lack of participation on spirit days." "I have sympathy for the kids. I think we really pile the work on, but perhaps it's necessary to push kids for them to reach their full poten­ tial," she said.
Ms. Biener commented that · the thing she loves best about Townsend Harris is its atmo­ sphere. "I remember the first day I walked into the old build­ ing," she said. "There was this family feeling. I mean it's such a pleasure to come in every morning here."
First dance in new building draws quite a turnout by Romina Perrone
Frigid temperatures did not discourage 425 students from attending the first Townsend Harris dance in the new build­ ing. The Remix, which raised over $1 ,300 for the Student Union, lasted from 6:30 to 9:30 on the evening of Friday, De­ cember 13.
The dance was preceded by a boys' basketball game versus John Bowne. Students were en­ couraged to attend prior to the dance, rather than travel home and back.
At 5:30 students flocked into the dining hall to eat dinner. Se­ niors sold pizza, soda and iced tea, as well as cookies and brownies donated by junior Kimberly Finneran. At 6:30 the party shifted to the gymnasium where the D.J., Twice as Good, was already playing music.
Dancing began immediately and by 8:00 the gymnasium was crowded. "It was so sur-
prising how wild Harrisites could be at night," said jun­ ior Maria Georgiades. Sesame Leonard, senior, said, ''If there was a little more reggae and alternative music it would have been perfect."
A number of teachers drifted to the dance floor as well. Adam Stonehill, Social Studies teacher, was surrounded by a cheering crowd as he danced.
"It's great to see teachers ease up and have fun with the students," said junior Courtney Weiser.
Helen Kim and Michaela Erana, juniors, "boogie" at the Winter Remix.
Senior Caroline Cross laugh­ ingly agreed, saying, "Boy, that Carbone can really dance!"
The building was emptied at 10:00. Though the dance was scheduled to end at 9:30, many didn't leave until later. "It was inconsiderate that stu-
~ dents didn't plan to have rides ~ untill0:30," said Judy Biener, _§ Coordinator of Student ~ Affairs(COSA). She added ~ that she left the school tired and ~ disappointed that it was really g late. "If I thought that for some £ reason this would happen .§.. again, this would be the only
thing that would stop me from having another [dance]."
The Remix had originally been planned to take place at the Student Union building of Queens College. At the sugges­ tion of Wanda Nix, Dean and Athletic Director, the Student Senate and Ms. Biener decided to have the dance after the sec-
ond marking period ended as a way of releasing stress. The Student Union was booked, so it was decided that the dance would be attempted for the first time at Townsend Harris.
In order to keep the varnish on the gymnasium floor new, attendees of the dance were re­ quired to wear sneakers. Senior Lisa Ebe said it was "cool to be having fun in a room [tfiat nor­ mally] tortures students."
Ticket sales for the Remix were limited to 500, the maxi­ mum capacity of the dining hall and gymnasium combined .
"The only disadvantage of not having [the dance] in S.U. building was not being able to fit everyone," said Ms. Biener.
The Student Union is plan­ ning to hold a Spring Dance. Ms. Biener said that the Spring Dance is a lot of work but to see everyone so happy is worth the effort.
1 0 The Classic
Freshman snake enthusiast holds claim to fame by Annette Orzechowski . . . .
and I began to [read up] on them," he found curled m the middle of the floor, snakes may lie in the future of some Harris students. Arrangements to breed Stefan's female cornsnake with the Har-~
Perhaps when your ar ents' first encounter ccurs in the herpetology ab at New York Univer-
sity o en your mother earns her Ph.D. in Diamond Back Terrapins, your interest in the Reptilian Kingdom is, shall we say, in the genes? For snake enthusiast Stefan Muehlbauer, fresh­ man, a natural affinity to these often mis­ understood creatures came naturally.
Stefan's main interest in this broad Kingdom lies mainly in snakes and his hobby may even land him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Isador Ducasse, a 17-year old female normal phase· corn snake, is the prized jewel of Stefan's collection. These types of snakes have a life expectancy of up to 16 years and the current world record holder boasts a life span of 21 years. With proper proof of age, Stefan is look­ ing at a possible stab at fame in five years time. His collection includes four more of these limbless wonders; among these a rare Texas long-nosed snake.
This hobby began early in Stefan's childhood when at age five he and his family moved into their present resi­ dence from an apartment where animals were restricted. His pets, which included his snake Isador Ducasse, formerly were housed at his grandparents' home. Four years later, at age nine, Stefan intro­ duced two new additions into his col­ lection. "[I purchased] a lizard and a green snake from a pet shop and when the snake died, it sparked my interest
said. Last April, Stefan bought four but the milk snake's fate still remains a snakes from the New England Reptile shop in New Hampshire, but unfortu- · nately bacteria and parasites infected and killed three of them.
mystery. Periodic snake get-aways are not at
all unnerving to Stefan's family and per­ haps surprisingly, most classmates and
Freshman Stefan Muehlbauer displays his expertise with reptiles in Odile Garcia's biology class.
Not all of Stefan's collection came from"pet shops. An eastern milk snake, hand caught by himself, was found ly­ ing on the road. "I got to him before the cars drove by," recalls Stefan. That brief episode was not the only adventure to be had with this particular reptile. Stefan's father accidentally left the clips securing the top of the tank that housed both the eastern milk and corn snake off. Later that night, the corn snake was
acquaintances are not intimidated by his pets. They usually find his snakes "fairly interesting," he states. However, there are exceptions and Stefan's next door neighbor falls under this category. "My next door neighbor, who is over quite oft~n. runs screaming into a room [when he sees them] and from behind a closed door makes me promise to put them away," he said.
A close encounter with Stefan's
ris male corn snake, which currently resides in the office of its guardian, sci­ ence teacher Odile Garcia, are set to begin in March. A litter of anywhere from 12 to 32, with an average 80-100% chance of survival, is expected, if, as Stefan put it, "the female is still fertile."
Although snakes serve as Stefan's main passion, he enjoys many other ar­ eas of science as well. With the aid of
~ AssistantPrincipal of Science, Su- Jj san Appel , Stefan is already working on £ his Westinghouse Science Talent Search 0
] project. On Monday afternoons he does c.. research under the supervision of Dr .
Frank Cantelmo in the science labs at St. John's University, studying the ef­ fects of the invertebrate population on marsh grass.
On Stefan's more humanistic side, his love for writing has led him to be­ come a regular contributor to the Clas­ sic and the Quantum Cat. His affinity for poetry, yet another of his pleasures, seems to also run in the family blood­ line." Robert Frost, "whom my grand­ mother actually met at a lecture," is a favorite of his. He recited a piece writ­ ten by his grandfather, poet Menachem Stern, in Hebrew during the bilingual oratory held in January. But fame is not only centered on one side ofthe family, for Stefan's other grandfather, Michael Muehlbauer, was the first recorded doc­ tor to give antibiotics to a civilian pa-
Continued on page 11
Sejarto shares · home with 18 pets by Anne Zangos . .
said LOis about one of her first pets she added. Of course, this love and af- her backyard, where they once killed among many. to come. Another kitten fection occasionally results in the sacri- and tore to pieces a rosebush, to the dis­ was found m the backyard of her fice of the household shades, vases, and may of her mother. "One time, when I grandmo~he,r' s .other objects. was younger, I went outside to play fetch house, while 'her One instance with them, and they were so excited to two dogs were of the pets' mis- see me that I ended up getting pushed ado~ted by her chief took place into the doghouse, while Apollo (one of family, saved on Christmas. the dogs) blocked the exit. I was in there from being taken Lois's 29-year- for a while," she recalled. to a local pound. old brother who Lois's pets stick with her for more
"I sort of favor lives in Long Is- than just fun and games. When she one of my cats, land with his stayed up a full 37.5 hours to finish a
a zoo; however, she does live with five ~.T.,.'' said Lois. wife, bought collateral, her furry friends kept her cats, two dogs, seven birds, three frogs: .He s . so affec- Lois a play city company th~ entire time. and one hamster. twnate, and .al- for her hamster, Lois has recently become a vegetar-
Lois, her mother, father, and 16-year- ways hanging who nibble by ian. "I felt that [eating meat] was cruel old sister have 18 pets, which are mostly around me." E.~., nibble, day by to animals. [People] were saying it's strays. "Of course, my parents love ani- n~med after .his .,. day, chewed survival, but now we know enou mals. My dad tries to hide it, but he big searchmg .. through the plas~ to substitute for meat. could be convinced let's say if we eyes, wants all the ~ ·-· . tic and escapedi5J; r!a_~~ to kill them "
t d d D , d ' h attention. "When Lois Sejarto and her dog Licey cuddle for the "We en· d '
wan e a new og. eep own, e re- camera ally loves them," said Lois. I do my home- · finding
"About eight years ago, we found a wor.k, and I'~ not . . . sleeping on m kitten in a garbage can in a school yard, paymg attentiOn to him, he JUSt comes sister's neck during the night," and kids were just throwing rocks at it, and P.lops down ~? m~ pa~er, .?r starts L~is. Samu~l J. Hamster o~ten escapes like it wasn't a living thing. We took it chewmg my pen, LOis said. When I his cage usmg clever tactiCS. "Smart home and nursed him back to health " sleep, he comes under the covers, gets hamster," observed Lois, with a smirk.
' all cozy, and puts his head on my arm," Lois's two dogs are kept outside in
The Classic i 1 -- .... - r• ~JJI!l IFebruary 1997
DeRose, Wormack Sejarto's Freshman seeks Claim to fame Named semi-finalists Menagerie
Continued from page 1 looking for. It's challenging," recalled Mirella. During such times of disap­ pointment and frus- tration, Mirella gained strength from her mentor, Dr. Steven Schwarz.
done by senior Laurie Fougere, was an analysis of native and invading species in Guadeloupe. Laurie raised a popu-
lation of Asian
There were 15 other entrants from Townsend Harris. "The science teach­ ers tried to place stu­ dents in various laboratories so they could undertake a project that their mentor was doing," said Susan Appel, Assistant Principal of Science. Science Research teacher Odile Garcia, math-
Senior Mirella DeRose smiles excitedly after discovering that she is a Westinghouse semi­ finalist..
fruit flies, wasps, and the native species on Guadeloupe to find out the cause of the flies' great suc­ cess . Despite some setbacks, Laurie did not regret doing the project. "I like research better than sit­ ting in class­ rooms and hav­ ing to listen to a lecture," she
ematics teacher Jo- seph Horn, English teacher Harriette Blechmann, and Ms. Appel all helped the students with their projects.
For her study