On Tuesday March 13, David Portnoy, known to many as “El Pres,”

posted an article about Gann on his blog entitled Barstool Sports. The article pertained to an e-mail sent by Dean of Stu-dents Laila Goodman to the Gann student body. In her e-mail, Goodman addressed the issue of gambling on March Madness brackets. Portnoy seemed to take this e-mail as an attack and responded with an angry post, which included both crude language and anti-Semitic remarks.

Barstool Sports is a blog known for its controversial material. There is, in fact, a movement called “Knock Out Barstool,” which is at-tacking the site after a joke Portnoy made about rape. After the article, many, including Northeastern’s Athletic Director Peter Roby, accused Barstool of promoting “rape culture.” Earlier, Portnoy was almost arrested after posting nude pictures of Tom Brady’s child. No one would argue that the blog tries to be controversial, but did it cross the line this time?

Goodman, who was person-ally attacked in the article, explains, “I was offended that a student sent my internal com-munication and felt free to share it with the blog poster without any consideration of my privacy or concern about being associ-ated with such a site. Assuming

they had no idea of how he would respond to the letter, I do wish that the student would at least own up to having sent it. It was clear to me that the response to my letter had very little to do with me personally and so I did

not take it personally in that way. I did feel violated by Rob-ert Lefebvre, a man who read the website and then sent me an email criticizing my work as Dean of Students. When I called him up (which was quite easy since he emailed me from his work place -- Tufts Health Plan) to stop the vitriol and make a human to human connection, I thought I had done something positive. But then I heard that he posted again to the website and I admit that made me feel sad and disturbed.”

The article begins by ask-

ing, “Who is this Jew school kidding?” Right from the start, the post was centered around the fact that Gann is a Jewish high school. He then continues by claiming that, “donat[ing] money to tzedakah…wouldn’t

be very Jew like.” While this remark was in bad taste, the part that offended many was the conclusion when Portnoy compared Gann to Nazi Ger-many. He exclaimed, “You take away the brackets and you might as well be back in Nazi Germany throwing [expletive] in ovens and s**t. Hitler basically won at Gann Academy.” These comments were funny to some but deeply disturbing to others.

Among the student body, there were various reac-tions to the inflammatory post. Senior Evan Crane

explains, “I felt that the article was fairly offensive. Obviously it had some humorous elements, but overall it made fun of our school and Judaism in a way that I didn’t think was funny.” Ad-ditionally, Crane felt the article was “anti-Semitic.” Others, such as senior Joseph Sandperl argued it was not anti-Semitic, explaining, “I think self-hating humor is allowed.”

Crane responded to this claim arguing, “Most people reading the site would not know that the author is Jewish. Anything that l o o k s

In Here

• Many teachers hold classes outside due to the abnormally warm weath-er, with temperatures exceeding 80 degrees.

• Seniors submit their final assignments and proj-ects to teachers as their academic careers at Gann come to a close.

• Exploration Week groups meet during Limud Clali in preparation for Friday, when Exploration Week officially begins.

Out There• Two French police

officers are injured in efforts to capture the shooter that opened fire at Ozar Hatorah, a Jewish day school in southwest France.

• An earthquake of magni-tude 7.4 hits the southern Mexican state of Guer-rero, leaving over 500 homes seriously dam-aged.

• Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins the Illinois primary, leaving Romney with an estimated 534 delegates, over 300 more than any other candidate. Letter from the Editor

Editor in Chief Jeremy Jick reminisces on his experiences working on the Shevuon and shares parting words.

Changing Gann’s ScheduleGann’s administration considers making signifi-cant changes in the weekly schedule.

Shevuon Hat chon שבועון התיכוןThursday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב • Shabbat: 6:43 - 8:14 • Volume 14, Issue 28

The top of the blog post on the Barstool Sports website that directly attacks Gann’s policy regarding underage gambling.

Popular Blog Causes Controversy at Gann By Josh GoldsteinSpotlight

Credit: BarstoolSports.com

continued on page 5

Page 3 Page 6

Last Issue!

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 2

On Friday, March 16th, about 60 stu-dents in the senior class participated in the infamous tradition of Senior Skip Day. While most seniors were excited to expe-rience this “rite of passage”, the day was met with mixed reviews by both faculty and students. Head of School Rabbi Marc Baker addressed the senior class last week to discuss the topic of the skip day and ex-plain Gann’s position. According to Rabbi Baker, Gann does not condone the event and cannot endorse student participation: “The Gann administration does not ap-prove of senior skip day and we expect all students to attend school as they would on any other required school day.”

However, many seniors felt that Rabbi Baker’s speech left much room for break-ing the rules. Senior Josh Goldstein says, “I do not think Rabbi Baker condoned Senior Skip Day, but it was clear that it was possible to skip without any real pun-ishment.” English Department Chair Deb Carroll, unlike the Gann administration, openly approves the day: “I think Senior Skip Day is totally fine. No matter how little class time the seniors have, they still want to feel like they are doing something rebellious-and who are we to stop them?”

Regardless of the lack of threat imposed by the administration regarding skip day, some seniors still chose to discuss the day with their teachers: “Most teachers were fine with the fact that we were skipping, some even encouraging their students to do it. In fact, the teachers that were not directly told, but found out about the event in an indirect fashion, were upset that their students had not confided in them,” ex-plains senior Sarah Levine.

Still, many Gann teachers and students found problems with the idea of skipping a full day of classes. History teacher Dr. Adam Marshak explains, “I believe that skipping a day right before the end of se-nior term is disrespectful to the teachers who have carefully planned lessons and

assignments for that day. When you decide to skip my class, you are telling me that my time is not valuable to you, that you don’t appreciate my energy and hard work. You may think that you have excused yourselves by telling us in advance. However, as chil-

dren, you do not have the right to decide when you should go to class, and when you should not.” Similarly to Marshak, Dean of Students Laila Goodman takes personal of-fense to the idea of Senior Skip Day: “I find Senior Skip Day to be a tradition that has no meaning, substance or a good rationale and it is truly disheartening to teachers who go out of their way to be attentive, respon-sive and supportive to students far beyond the required class time.”

Seniors who participated in the skip day did so for a variety of reasons. Senior Liam Gandelsman explains, “I chose to partici-pate in Senior Skip Day because I wanted to be part of the American tradition that is Senior Skip Day and make memories with my friends and because I felt that it would really be a great way for our grade to spend some quality time together, just relaxing

and having a blast.” Others, such as Levine, did so to feel defiant: “It’s an act of rebel-lion that brings everyone who participates in it closer together through the physical act of rebellion. I think that the school should be encouraging Senior Skip Day because

it strengthens our grade community and helps break down clique boundaries, which is what they’ve been trying to get us to do since freshman year.”

Seniors who chose not to skip also had their own ideas on the day. Explains senior Tyler Crane, “I chose to come to school on Senior Skip Day because we only have a few days left of school. I love our school so much, and cherish every day here. The idea that I might skip one of these few remaining days is almost inconceivable.”

Underclassmen, while not yet hav-ing the option of participating in Senior Skip Day, have opinions that reiterate the ideas of a majority of the senior class. Freshman Adam Yates explains, “I feel like it is a bit ridiculous for people to get upset about [Senior Skip Day], consider-ing their year is practically done, and it’s

only one day. I would in fact encourage it!” Junior Mira Kaplan agrees, saying, “I think Senior Skip Day is harmless and inevitable and because the seniors are so close to the end, one day doesn’t make a huge difference.” Regardless of the attitude of the majority of the school, however, Gann’s view on the day still stands. As Marshak elucidates, “Becoming an adult is not just about freedom. It’s about freedom with responsibility. It’s about recognizing that there are other people in the world af-fected by your actions. Most importantly, it’s about sometimes doing what is required in order to do what is desired. I know that those of you who skipped thought it wasn’t a big deal. It was, and it is. If you want to be treated like adults, then act like ones.”

Seniors Skip School, to Mixed ReactionsBy Ellie Deresiewicz, Assistant EditorStudent Lounge

Seniors Jackie Solomon, Liam Gandelsman, Jake Katz and Josh Goldstein dance while enjoying a barbecue on Senior Skip Day. Credit:Jeremy Jick

World LanguageEdited by Rahel Nessim

Un hombre fue al doctor, y le dijo << Doctor, me duele donde me toco>>El doctor respondio <<no entiendo>>El hombre dijo <<cuando yo toco mi hombro, me duele. Cuando yo toco mi

cabeza-OUCH, tengo mucho dolor en mi cabeza>>El doctor respondio <<Creo que te rompiste tu dedo>>by Abraham Kirby-Galen

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 3

Sir Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II and Nobel Prize laureate, once said, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” This great quote was at the bottom of almost every email I sent during my first year and a half at Gann, and it really did help me. My freshman year was a time of many disappointments; the worst was definitely the rejection email I received from former Editor in Chief Gabi Remz when I learned that I was not accepted as a writer for the Shevuon.

Fortunately, the following year, I was named Layout Editor for the Shevuon, and my Shevuon journey began. Back then, the Shevuon was only six pages long. There was no room for creativity and puzzles and the photos were mostly bad quality and from the Internet. More importantly, its journalistic standards and writing expecta-tions were not nearly as high as they are now, and its articles were often just a game of who could criticize or praise Gann the most.

Nowadays, the Shevuon Hatichon is eight pages long, has a page dedicated to fun and creativity, a whole team of helpful photographers, pages and pages of writing with solid journalistic standards, a writer development program and most important-ly, interesting and new objective articles that are fairly written and well thought out. I do not mean to claim that all articles we publish are extraordinary, but rather, that our average quality has skyrocketed. Fur-thermore, we also added a Hebrew section and the small World Language column, which definitely makes this year’s Shevuon unique. Lastly, the Shevuon, an almost en-tirely student-run publication, has striven to become one of the more professional organizations at Gann.

I could not have achieved any of these accomplishments without the help and cooperation of the Shevuon staff. Thank you to all writers and contributors who worked hard to meet the editors’ standards and improve their own work. Thank you to each of the editors, who spent hours of precious homework time each week to help make the Shevuon a success. I want to

give a special thank you to Assistant Editor Aaron Goodtree, who consistently went above and beyond his responsibilities, and led the writers in the pursuit and execution of controversial and interesting articles.

Of course, no Letter from the Editor would be complete without an enormous thank you to Shoshanah Zaritt. The Shevu-on was largely your vision, and you have really given us the resources to produce a high quality publication. Furthermore, whenever the Shevuon publishes something controversial, you are the one who takes the blame for what the Shevuon published. Despite outside pressures and temptations, you work really hard to censor articles and quotes only when absolutely necessary.

Next, I want to thank Ms. Carroll. Ms. Carroll joined the staff midway through this year to help us with our final editing, and since then, my Friday mornings would have been empty without a sassy email from Ms. Carroll with all the “obvious” errors we had missed. I also want to give a huge thanks to our other two faculty consultants, Mr. Conti and Mr. Hassenfeld, who constantly challenged me and the other editors to do better. Few of you prob-ably know that Mr. Conti was the Editor in Chief of his high school’s newspaper, and that he actually spoke at journalism conferences when he was younger. With this background, Mr. Conti has challenged me to rethink many of my decisions and to always consider all of the relevant factors before making important ones. Mr. Hassen-feld has taught me really important lessons on how to work with others, and how to give and take criticism.

Next, I want to thank Raquel Nessim and Hebrew Editor Ilana Rosenbluh for coming to me with their visions and encouraging me to make the Hebrew section and the World Language column weekly entities in the Shevuon. Furthermore, a second thank you to Ilana for tolerating our lateness to Hebrew class on Fridays and for delaying the start of Srugim until we arrived.

Thank you to Jonah Wagan for printing the color copy of the Shevuon each week for the bulletin board. I also owe a huge thanks to Simcha Cohen, who was never afraid to tell me when the Shevuon made

mistakes and always gave me advice for how to improve.

Next, I want to thank all of the “Shevuon Groupies,” such as Renee, Dr. Sokol, Chris Senhouse, Jonah Wagan, Mr. Kee, Jonah Naghi and Rachel Arcus-Goldberg. Every week, I excitedly anticipate handing you a Shevuon hot off the press.

Finally, I want to thank the entire Gann community. Whether you gave a few quotes to some of our writers, or you shared your story for an article or even if you just read the Shevuon as part of your Friday routine, you are an integral part of Gann’s newspaper. People have had to fight for the freedom of speech and the freedom of press, and in some places, as we have observed over the last year, people are still fighting for such freedoms. It is not just our right, but it is our obligation to honor the efforts of our forefathers and to exercise these freedoms.

I have discussed many strong qualities of the Shevuon thus far, but more than any other student organization, the Shevuon values sustainability. In his widely ac-claimed book Good to Great, Jim Collins explains that many leaders will set up their successors for failure, but that the best leaders actually “set up their successors for even greater success in the next genera-tion.” Collins continues, “They are incred-ibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not them-selves.” It is with this in mind that I am unbelievably excited to pass my position over to the wonderful Sloane Grinspoon.

Sloane has exhibited impressive journal-istic and leadership qualities over the past year, and I am certain that she will strive to impress us all with her accomplishments as Editor in Chief. I am extremely eager to see what she and her editing team have in store for the Shevuon this spring.

This is our final issue, and the time has come when I must say goodbye. I am certain that I will take the amazing experi-ences that I have had the privilege to enjoy at Gann with me wherever I end up for the next four years and beyond.

Thank you, Jeremy Jick, Editor in Chief

Letter from the EditorDearest Readers,

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 4

Quote of the WeekIn a final senior History paper:

“This is America and I thought that if we can choose to have a black president we should be able to choose to have a side of chips with

our sandwiches.” - Carmiya Gale

Birthdays

Michael Handler 3/23Nicole Finkielsztein 3/27Jaclyn Eagle 3/27Rebecca Wihl 3/28Samuel Rosenstein 3/28Daniel Orlin 3/30Aliza Holstein 3/31Jared Popkin 4/1Ethan Powell 4/1Harris Wallack 4/1Oshri Olsberg 4/1Sophie Witkes 4/1Jessica Handler 4/2Naomi Small 4/2Leah Mekler 4/6Rachel Butler 4/7Si Squires-Kasten 4/8Sydney Klein 4/10Jacob Shannon 4/12Alicia Zolondick 4/12Saul Jonas 4/13Jonathan Zackman 4/13Keren Radbil 4/14Serena Lipton 4/17Aidan Kesner 4/17Benjamin Bryer 4/18Akiva Jackson 4/18

Gannbook 2011-2012

To all of our devoted Gannbook fans,As we depart we wish we could hold all of your hands.Here is a poem to say our farewell, But on our sadness let us not dwell.

Haley’s teacher fun facts were always a shock,Hunting down teachers just like a hawk.Rachel’s riddles were constantly creative and tricky,The thought of not having them every week is icky.

Alana’s surveys gave you your chance to shine,Learning so much about your friends and mine. Joe’s thought provoking questions kept you pondering life,He still wishes Gannbook would be his wife.

And so to all of you we must say goodbye,Boy the time really did fly. Thank you so much for making this such a great year,We hope this poem didn’t cause you to shed a tear.

Ma’avar calls but we leave you in good hands, We hear those taking over have really big plans.Have fun on Exploration Week whether you’re near or far, Because of you we leave Gannbook as our shining star.

Home Profile Account

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 5

Hamas officials met in Turkey this past week to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the as-yet unimplemented Hamas-Fa-tah unity deal to the prior week’s escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. Overall, the weekend of meetings in Ankara between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul and a Palestinian delegation including Hamas Prime Minister Khaled Meshal created a wealth of interesting sound bites that had Israeli officials rais-ing their eyebrows.

Although Turkey has always been a supporter of Palestinian aspirations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the cooling of relations with Israel over the past two years has contributed significantly to clos-ening ties with Palestinian parties. The Jerusalem-Ankara diplomatic falling-out dates back to the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid in which eight Turkish citizens lost their lives.

On the slate for last weekend’s meetings was a briefing for Prime Minister Erdogan by Prime Minster Meshal on the exchange of rocket fire over the Israel-Gaza border. According to Meshal, Israel was “fabricat-ing excuses” to increase hostilities while “Hamas’ missile attacks from Gaza on Israel were self-defense.” He went on to assert that Israel was using the Gaza Strip as a “guinea pig” for testing military ca-

pabilities as talks of a strike on Iran ramp up. Stopping short of promising future violence, Meshal assured a group of report-ers that Hamas would continue its “fight against Israel in political, diplomatic and media fields.”

Yet, the stated reason for holding the meetings was the stalled implementation of the Hamas-Fatah unity agreement, which was originally signed in early February. Although it was labeled a watershed mo-ment in Palestinian relations at the time, the execution of almost all aspects of the deal have been put on hold. Despite the delayed enactment, Meshal dismissed any notion of a deepening rift between Hamas and Fatah and urged unity saying, “Peace is obligatory, and Palestinians should be

unified. The Palestine issue is our cause, and our stance on occupation is the same.” He further extended his hand to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in-sisting, “We want to open a new page, and we think that we have created a domestic peace atmosphere.”

In a meeting with reporters, Prime Minister Erdogan generally stuck to his previously stated positions, offering broad support for the Palestinian plight. He spe-cifically denounced “Israeli aggression” and warned Hamas against allowing Israel to drag it into war. On the issue of strides toward Palestinian unification, Erdogan was noncommittal, commenting, “There are positive developments regarding rela-tions between Hamas and Fatah. We will assess these developments.”

Finally, Meshal took time to address reporters’ questions about the significance of the Arab Spring and its implications for Hamas in particular. Specifically, Meshal refuted claims that new Arab regimes might be less receptive to the Palestinian cause, saying, “We think the Arab Spring is a milestone in our community’s history, and in our opinion, this is the rebirth of a community.” Ending on an optimistic note, Meshal assured representatives of the media that the Arab Spring “will bring economic growth and development and political and cultural development.”

High ranking Hamas official Khaled Mashaal and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan meet in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss Palestianian recon-cilliation efforts. Credit:AP

Hamas Officials Sit Down in Turkey to Talk Diplomacy By Ezra PorterIsrael

Popular Blog Causes Controversy at Gann continued from page 1like a hateful message is hateful unless it’s in a specific context.” He elaborates on this idea, stating, “For example, it’s accept-able to tell a Jew joke at Gann, but if the same person were to tell the same joke in an outside context without others knowing they’re Jewish, it would be seen as offen-sive.”

Senior Ethan Fitzgerald also disap-proved of the post. He “found the article to be incredibly offensive and in very poor taste. However, the operator of the site is incredibly offensive and disgusting as a rule.” Fitzgerald also responded to Sand-perl’s point saying, “The fact that he’s Jew-

ish does not mean he can be anti-Semitic. Its not like the Holocaust is a joke we’re all in on because we’re Jewish. He is still being racist and moronic by comparing the Holocaust to not being allowed to gamble on a bracket in school.”

Goodman echoes Fitzgerald’s senti-ment, saying, “Internalized anti-Semitism is a long standing tradition with our people. I don’t know if the author is anti-Semetic or just a really bad satirist. I have heard that he thinks this is comedy and in comedy, there is no line that can’t or shouldn’t be crossed. I completely disagree with that point of view but further, there was noth-

ing in his post that was remotely funny. I didn’t hear any student arguing that it was funny.”

Where does the community go from here? Goodman believes that we must take action. She explains, “I think people should boycott the website.” Contrastingly, Fitzgerald, like Rabbi Baker stated in his speech at Shiur Clali last week, believes, “We should just move on. There have been plenty of idiots like him before and there will be plenty after and there is no point in chasing them around trying to give a sig-nificant response to them. It’s what people like David Portnoy want anyways.”

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 6

Many of you may remember how intensely traumatic and profound a differ-ence it was to switch from trimesters to semesters two years ago. No, really, for the amount people that were complaining about it, you’d think we were combining lunch and arts into one ninety-minute mega-period in the middle of the day, or going to a ten day class cycle, where you have each extra long class every other day, repeating every two weeks. Well, ac-cording to Assistant Head of School Dr. Jonathan Golden, such legitimately drastic changes are in the beginning process right now amongst the highest levels of Gann’s decision makers. Dr. Golden shares that as of yet, there is an “exploratory committee” which consists of the Academic Council and the Leadership Team (fancy names for the department chairs and a collection of top administrators), but he promises that “when [they] get closer to a viable model, students will be involved, too.”

Most similarly sized private schools “do a serious schedule review every five years,” asserts Dr. Golden. In contrast,

excluding (relatively) minor shifts, such as trimester to semester, and the switch from Hakhel on Mondays to Tuesdays, Gann has remained relatively unchanged for nine years now, since New Jew moved onto 333 Forest Street and became Gann Academy. The purpose of this tectonic shift, explains Dr. Golden, is that “arts and athletics meet-ing at the same time” creates a fundamental conflict that often forces students to choose one over the other. Dr. Golden also shares a more general lesson on management theory. He explains that successful institu-tions are the ones who constantly look for ways to improve themselves and question “what [the] assumptions [are]” involved in their day-to-day functioning.

There are, as Dr. Golden explains, “Just so many assumptions on what goes into a schedule,” and the role of this “exploratory committee” is to examine those assump-tions and decide what really deserves the valuable time it receives. In Gann’s case, the “big meta-question” is, “How does the type of schedule that we have shape the teaching that goes on in the classroom?” postulates

Dr. Golden. One example is the combined lunch-arts period in the middle of the day. It could eliminate arts/athletics conflicts for many students, and allow them the time to branch out and try new disciplines. Another possibility would be to have each block be longer, with fewer blocks in each day. That would allow schedule makers to reclaim some time currently lost to passing time (by my count, at least an hour on a typical 8:00-5:00 day in our current schedule.) The bi-weekly routine mentioned earlier might, right off the bat, benefit students more than they might imagine. Dr. Golden, as the one who decides when we will have snow days, will rest easier in his decision knowing that, with classes on such a regular cycle, it is unlikely that one block will bear the brunt of all the missed school.

As of now, “Everyone is in favor of ex-ploring” new options for the schedule, says Dr. Golden. While he assures me that “It’s too early to be in a place [for taking sides for or against the change],” the process is most definitely a serious and legitimate one. Dr. Golden is continued on page 7

Coming Soon: Major Schedule ChangesBy Aaron Goodtree, Assistant EditorSpotlight

Chad Gad Ya is the song that we get to sing when the seder is finally coming to an end. The premise of the song seems pretty ridiculous. It includes such images as a cat eating a goat, a stick beating a dog and many more events leading up to G-d killing the Angel of Death who killed the shochet (butcher). So what can we learn from this seemingly silly song?

This song speaks of a chain of events that is extremely complex, where each sto-ry builds off the next. If a person saw this story in real life it would be impossible for the observer of one part of the story, such as the fire burning the stick, to know what had led to this event and what it would lead to. The observer could not understand what had caused all these occurrences to happen, or how they would turn out. And while the observer could see most events, he could not see G-d killing the Angel of Death.

The same can be said for all of our lives and even our Jewish history. In our lives we can see many events that happen, but most of them are based on previous occur-rences that we cannot see or do not know of. Similarly, these events will also lead to a future that we cannot understand defini-tively. Furthermore, we cannot see G-d’s work, or any other larger forces at play. Everything is deeply interconnected, and we are just one piece in the link. This song reminds us that we must have humility and realize that we do not know everything, nor do we have full control. We can only do our part, and perhaps see the immediately preceding event and the immediate conse-quences of our actions. Each generation of people and Jews has its role to play in history, and it is our responsibility to step into that role and link ourselves to previous and future generations.

This view of the world can also help us better understand the Pesach story. There are many crazy chains of events in the story of Exodus, as well as many different characters playing different roles. In the scope of Tanakh and Jewish history we can see what led up to this story, and what has happened since, but we can also try to see how the characters placed themselves in the events of history.

While humility is something great to work on, it does not mean that we should accept all the events we do not understand. An important Pesach activity is to ask questions, and we hope that this Explora-tion Week and Pesach will lead you to think about your role in the world and continue to find a balance between acceptance and asking questions.

PesachBy Eliana Perlmutter and Ayelet PinnolisD’var Torah

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 7

WritersRachel Brody ‘13, Lily Cohen ‘13, Tyler Crane ‘12, Harrison Dale ‘15, Eden Diamond ‘14, Jordana Gardenswartz ‘13,

Josh Goldstein ‘12, Annika Gompers ‘14, Sloane Grinspoon ‘13, Jake Katz ‘12, Jonah Kriger ‘13, Sarah Newman ‘14, Ellie Pasternack ‘14, Eliana Perlmutter ‘12, Rebecca Pritzker ‘13, Ezra Porter ‘12, Gil Propp ‘13, Abby Schwartz ‘13,

Jackie Teperman ‘13, Hannah Vaitsblit ‘12, Rebecca Wihl ‘14, Matt Zackman ‘13Editor in Chief Jeremy Jick Managing Editor Sarah Kusinitz Layout Editor Emily Dale

Assistant Editors Ellie Deresiewicz, Anna Fasman & Aaron Goodtree Copy Editor Maya Feldman Photography Editors Liam Gandelsman & Maya Warburg Faculty Advisor Shoshanah Zaritt

Hebrew Editor Ilana Rosenbluh Faculty Consultants Deb Carroll, Matt Conti & Jonah Hassenfeld

The hallways are bustling; there’s more action on a Monday morning here than at the NYSE. Advertisements everywhere read: “____ for Student Council Presi-dent,” “DonATE to Family Table,” “Come to Clubs Fair Part II...Or Else”––a true dis-play of the world’s finest marketing skills. Then there are the classroom sharks who negotiate due dates like bank settlements. Because G-d forbid we should have any overlap in product release dates! Hakhel announcements, especially about prom, are executed with the utmost taste, the high-est caliber in press releases for the hottest new “thing” in the industry. We schedule meetings at the speed of oscillating stock prices, and cancel them just as quickly, but always professionally. Forget “Casual Fri-day;” we trade that in for “Fashion Show (Rosh Chodesh) Wednesday.” GannWear costs more than my American Apparel, and we make a t-shirt to promote every event. Gann Formula for Efficiency: quality and quantity = the way to go. But we’re great with versatility––just ask the Department of Pluralism. Don’t get too carried away though–if you’re anybody who anybody else knows, you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something that says “Maimo” on it...uch...competitors...

So trade in your “gmail” for an (insert grade level + first initial + last name) @gannacademy.org, grab a seat in our con-ference-room style classrooms, and you

too can become partner at Gann Academy and Co. And don’t forget the benefits! Vacation days take the form of snow rain days, and the whole month of October is basically an office party. Get ready for the ultimate Marxist revolution––a redistribu-tion of wealth like no other––called Gann Academy’s grading policy. Not a surprise, though, in such a blue school. We might be hypocrites, though, because other than that, we’re practicing the best capitalism out there.

And comrade––no, business-buddy––let’s talk for a second about getting “hired” here. Sure, we stress “community,” but we’re no community college. When I was enlisted into The Company, I took a tour with the same student twice! (But that was during the era of austerity measures). Now, it’s the high-power executives who do the job (a.k.a.–admissions officers). There’s probably an acceptance rate, an SSAT me-dian and a killer waiting list. I wonder if they’ve updated the Application Tracking feature?

And that’s only our label! But let’s examine the culture of business we’ve so carefully bred here. Disciplinary issues are settled by a clandestine group of student executives... Damn! Management always gets to make all the important decisions...Then there’s this whole network of thriving small businesses: Drama Club, Mock Trial, Environment Club and Israel Advocacy.

How can you have any business without the occasional acronyms: GSA and JSA? The school is teeming with little entrepreneurs, committed to ensuring the success of their fledgling organizations, fighting for new members, arguing for budget increases and soliciting the student body for participa-tion––and donations. Shevuon editors are like hawks; they seek out the people they want; give them a task, a project, a deadline and a publication date. What is produced is a direct outcome of the Gann writing curriculum––a crisp, consistent, finished product every week. Litmag’s input: a bunch of closet artists. Litmag’s output: a sassy set of sophisticated editors. The data has proven again: development of skills + motivation + hard work + Gann students yields: 100% success.

So as I––and the graduating class of 2012––approach my fourth quarter, I get ready for “retirement,” being about to col-lect my diploma, the Social Security checks that will help me along the way to my next destination, let’s maybe stop for a second, advertise our gratitude to this Corporation of Community for opening up all of its best business ventures to us, and for preparing us for the fast-paced career of life in the real-world. Goodbye, high school––it was nice doing business with you.

Gann Academy, Inc.By Hannah VaitsblitOpinion

the one orchestrating the whole “unearth-ing” procedure, which involves bringing together all the necessary characters, in-cluding an outside analyst who specializes

in this kind of work. But for those of you who have grown comfortable with your 55 minute classes and eight minute passing times, fear not: Dr. Golden assures me that

there will almost certainly be no changes until 2014 at the earliest.

Coming Soon: Major Schedule Changes continued from page 1

Shevuon hatichon, thurSday, March 24th, 2012 • כ׳׳ח באדר ,תשע״ב Page 8

This year’s Boys Varsity Lacrosse season is looking extremely promising. Although the team will feel the absence of Coach Hecht, Coach Marc Kiredjian is doing a great job of getting the team ready for the season opener. This year’s captains, Aaron Segal, Ori Ramon and Reid Grin-spoon, have been great leaders for the team thus far, and are doing their part in getting the team ready. Senior midfielder David Roberts comments, “Practices have been tough, but I am excited to start the season. I am also excited for our captains to lead us to an MBIL championship. With their posi-tive attitude and the overall strong work ethic of the team, we’ll be sure to start the season off on a high note.” As Roberts mentions, practices have been extremely tiring. The team has been taking long jogs together and strives to be one of the most in-shape teams in the league.

Sophomore defenseman Alex Goldman elaborates, “We have been working very

hard to get into shape. We know that we will not be one of the most talented or skilled teams in the league, so in order to be a success, we’re going to need to outwork

other teams. Our goal is to be able to close teams out in the fourth quarter due to our stamina.”

Last year’s season was a great success, as Coach Hecht led the team to an 8-3 season. However, this year’s team wants

more. This year, the boys hope to bring home the MBIL championship. One team that the squad cannot wait to face is league foe Waring. Last year, Waring swept Gann two games to none, and this year, the boys want revenge. It is a Waring tradition that when their team is leading at halftime, they scream the chant, ‘BRING IT HOME ZAHHHHHHH.’ This chant is screamed at halftime seemingly every time Waring has come to Gann the past few years, and members of the Gann team have decided that they will hear it no more.

Roberts comments, “I obviously want to beat Waring but what I really want is to beat them in the first half so that I don’t have to hear that chant! When they get back on the bus to go back to Waring, I want them to bring nothing home….zahhhhh.” Be sure to be on the look out as the squad starts its games in a couple of weeks. The boys have their minds set on that MBIL champion-ship, and they won’t stop for anything.

Sunday morning, as the members of the Ultimate team rounded the parking lot, running their quotidian two miles, Keren Radbil, Arielle Grossmann, Claire Shoyer and Shira Lehmann all kept pace as they finished the final leg of their run. The five girls, all trying out to be on one of Gann’s only competitive coed teams, trotted along with smiles on their faces and determina-tion in their eyes.

Freshman Arielle Grossmann notes, “The boys are a lot of fun. They talk about some weird stuff but it’s pretty entertain-ing. Some are more aggressive when they play than others but they get really into

it and it’s just fun.” With motivated and hilarious seniors such as Ezra Porter, Elan Radbil and Ziv Arzt leading the way, the team is bound to have a successful season, filled with many laughs along the way.

Sophomore Shira Lehmann, whose brother, Elie, is a returning player, com-ments, “I feel like the coaches are looking more carefully and intently at every move than girls sports [coaches] do, and because the range of athleticism is bigger, the coaches have to play to everyone’s level.” Lehmann, a three season athlete who plays basketball and soccer , also notes,“The big difference that I feel as a girl playing on

a coed team is just that I am a girl who is maybe not as loud or am not as good friends with all the guys.”

However, senior Elan Radbil considers the girls a vital segment of the team. When asked about the girls’ role and dynamic with the boys, Radbil states, “Girls are a crucial part of the Frisbee team. In all three of my years so far, the girls on the team have been like my mothers. They take care of the team and are really very dedicated. With the loss of Maddie Kriger from last year, I hope one of the girls trying out this year will be able to step up and fill in this position.”

The 2011-2012 Shevuon Hatichon editorial board: Shoshanah Zaritt (Advisor), Sarah Kusinitz, Ellie Deresiewicz, Aaron Goodtree, Emily Dale, Anna Fasman, Jeremy Jick and Maya Feldman.

Disk WomenBy Anna Fasman, Assistant Editor

Boys Lacrosse BeginsBy Jake Katz

MVP of the Week goes to

all of the editors, writers and

contributors who have brought the

Shevuon to the next level over the past

year.

Credit: Maya Warburg

Thank you to the entire Gann community for indulging in the

last 27 issues of the Shevuon.We will miss you dearly!

- Shevuon 2011-2012 Editorial Board