The Hit Heard Around the World

Pg 13, 15

Impeaching Over Motive

Pg 2-3

A student opened fire at a Santa Clarita high school on Nov. 14, killing two students and injuring three others. The shooter, Nathaniel Berhow, committed the shooting on his 16th birthday.

Before classes started, Berhow entered Saugus High School with a .45 caliber semiauto-matic handgun in his back-pack, Captain Kent Wegen-er of the Los Angeles Coun-ty Sheriff’s Department told NPR. The shooting be-gan at 7:35 a.m. and ended 16 seconds later when Ber-how shot himself in the head.

Shortly after the in-cident, several deputy sheriffs cleared the cam-pus and began the systematic search for Berhow. Those in nearby areas, including worried par-ents, were advised to remain in their homes in case the shooter had escaped.

Later six wounded students were found in a hallway, including the Berhow, who later died at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Who were the victims?

“As far as we know, the actual targets were at random,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

Two victims, Dominic Blackwell and Grace Anne Muehlberger, arrived at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in critical condition. Both later died.

Two more female students, ages 14 and 15, along with a 14-year-old male student, were hospitalized. All three have been discharged

from the hospital. On top of the several wounded students, many more were traumatized by the inci-dent. Three took their own lives. “I never expected this to happen in the middle of a neigh-borhood like Santa Clarita. I felt protected,” Saugus freshman Adolfo Ramirez told the Wash-

ington Post. Ranked among the wealthiest cities in the country, Saugus is generally seen as a safe suburb. Who was the shooter?

“Neighbors and classmates de-scribed the boy as pleasant but noted that he was changed by the death of his father two years ago,” USA Today reported.

According to their article, Berhow’s next-door neighbor, Jared Axen, said the teen was “sometimes a little sad” but “didn’t come across as depressed.”

Creating a Climate of Possibility

Pg 9

Nov.-Feb. Volume 8, ISSUE 2

Charlize Kolasinski

Continued on page 3

Survivor says, ‘I wasn’t surprised...’

On Jan. 23, the House impeachment man-

agers began presenting their case against the

president to

the Senate.

They charge

d the presi-

dent with

obstruction

of Congress

and abusing

his power by conditioning aid to Ukraine on the

announcement of an investigation into political

rival Vice President Joe Biden.

In deciding whether the alleged offenses

provide grounds for removal, senators will need

the impeachment clause of the Constitution:

“The President … shall be removed from Office

on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Trea-

son, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misde-

meanors.”

President Donald Trump’s attorneys have

argued that “misdemeanor” requires a violation

of the criminal code, an argument liberal legal

scholar Alan Dershowitz has championed.

Now a member of Trump’s legal team,

Dershowitz cites notes James Madison took at

the Constitutional Convention showing that the

framers rejected impeachment over “mal-

administration.” Dershowitz contends that by

switching to the “misdemeanor” language, the

framers reserved impeachment for criminal mis-

conduct.

On the other hand, the House managers

argue based on the English history of the phrase

“high crimes and misdemeanors” that the word

refers to political misconduct. In addition, the

managers quote Federalist No. 65, in which Alex-

ander Hamilton’s wrote that a president could be

impeached for any “abuse or violation of some

public trust.” He labeled these offenses as

“POLITICAL.”

While Trump’s most vocal defenders sub-

scribe to Dershowitz’s theory, some supporters of

the second view also oppose his removal, includ-

ing South Texas College of Law professor Josh

Blackman.

Blackman contends that a president can-

not be impeached for investigating a political op-

ponent if he genuinely aims to root out corrup-

tion. While he acknowledges that Trump’s intent

was most likely self-aggrandizement, Blackman

asserts that impeachment can’t hinge on the

president’s motive.

The scholar argues that all presidents are

motivated, at least to an extent, by a desire to re-

tain their power. As Dershowitz often says,

“motives are complicated.” Should senators try

to identify the president’s primary motive? Or

maybe self-interest is problematic only if you

don’t like the president?

In addition, Blackman argued that sena-

tors should be very careful not to wrongfully con-

vict a president, since removal could dramatical-

ly alter history. Blackman notes that the Framers

rejected a parliamentary “vote of no-confidence”

out of fear that Congress might exploit impeach-

ment to strongarm presidents they dislike.

How was the op-ed received in legal aca-

demia? Many professors lauded Blackman for his

“nuanced” analysis and offered substantive re-

sponses to his arguments.

For example, Case Western Reserve Uni-

versity

School

of Law

profes-

sor Jon-

athan

Adler

Skyler Goldberg

Continued on next page

Impeaching Over Motive?

L’Affaire Ukrainniene Moves to the Senate

https://checks-and-balances.org/jonathan-adler-was-trumps-sin-acting-like-a-politician/

“He doesn’t seem like the kind of kid to do this,” said Brooke Risley, a 16-year-old junior who ran cross country and participated in Boy Scouts with Berhow. What is being done to prevent future shootings? Believing that conventional drills are no

longer enough, some ex-perts are beginning to advocate realistic lock-down drills. In these pro-posals, students and teachers must subdue a staff member playing the part of the gunman. These drills might also

include plastic weapons, shooting blanks or fake blood.

Some teachers believe that considering how unlikely shootings are, these drills needless-ly stoke students’ anxiety.

“What these drills can really do is poten-

tially trigger either past trauma or trigger such a significant physiological reaction that it actually ends up scaring the individuals instead of better preparing them to respond in these kinds of situ-ations,” Melissa Reeves, a psychology professor at Winthrop University told NPR.

On the other hand, school psychologist Cathy Kennedy Paine believes that drills allevi-ate stress by building “confidence” in their abil-ity to respond effectivity. “The idea is to teach lockdown procedures like we would reading and math. We want to make them thoughtful and routine, we can’t just throw students and staff into a drill and expect them to know what to do,” Paine says.

In addition to considering these pro-posals, some schools have adopted the “Run, Hide, Fight” strategy, teaching students how to decide whether to flee, barricade a room or at-tack the assailant. The program focuses on quick decision-making.

agreed with Blackman that conviction shouldn’t

hinge on psychoanalyzing the president. Yet Ad-

ler counters that the House didn’t make that

mistake. He argued that the House has charged

Trump with demanding only the announcement

of investigation. He conceded that pushing for

an actual corruption probe would not be im-

peachable.

Yet other scholars disagree with Black-

man’s premise that an improper motive can’t

make an otherwise legitimate action impeacha-

ble. In his book on impeachment, Sunstein refer-

ences a conversation between founder George

Mason and Madison, in which the latter said a

president could be impeached for using the par-

don power “to stop inquiry and prevent detec-

tion” of a crime he committed. In all other cases,

pardoning is a legitimate use of presidential

power. Yet the president’s motive provides

grounds for impeachment.

Sunstein also quoted James Iredell, a

framer from North Carolina, as saying that a

president could be impeached for acting accord-

ing to a “corrupt motive.”

Additionally, Sunstein contends else-

where in the book that a president who “orders

the Internal Revenue to investigate political op-

ponent, b/c he is a political opponent” despite

probable cause to believe as such should be im-

peached.

And in response to Blackman’s caution

about wrongful conviction, George Mason Uni-

versity law professor Ilya Somin argued that sen-

ators shouldn’t be so circumspect. He maintains

that impeachment doesn’t alter history as much

as Blackman suggests since it replaces the presi-

dent with his like-minded vice president.

Somin also noted that impeachment

doesn’t threaten the president’s freedom the way

criminal charges

do. Congress isn’t

sentencing the

president to pris-

on or executing

him.

Survivor says, ‘I wasn’t surprised…’ -Continued from page 1

Impeaching Over Motive? - Continued from previous page

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Skyler Goldberg

Julianna Campo

A New York State Department of Labor

investigation concluded that the Oct. 23 fire in

the wiring closet of the teacher faculty room did

not disturb asbestos in the tiles, according to the

state’s asbestos contact, James Meacham.

On Jan. 5, the KROB

filed a Freedom of Infor-

mation Law request for any

evidence collected during the

investigation. The paper ex-

pects to receive a reply in early

February.

As reported last issue,

the KROB requested to review the district’s as-

bestos management plan, including results to air

tests completed after the fire, on Oct. 31. Director

of Facilities Mr. Warsaw has not yet provided the

plan even though federal regulations require the

school to make these records available for review

within five business days of the initial request.

In addition, on Nov. 15, the KROB filed a

Freedom of Information Law request with the

Town of Brookhaven for the

report prepared by the fire

marshal who responded to the

Oct. 23 fire.

The law requires the

fire marshal to answer re-

quests within 20 business

days, except when not

“feasible.” But on Jan. 21, Donna Bissacio, who

handles requests for fire marshal records, told

the KROB in an email that the fire marshal still

“needs to finish the report.”

Still No Documents

Madison Zicchinelli

“Frozen 2,” the sequel to “Frozen” was re-

leased on Nov. 22, 2019. Rated 77 percent on

Rotten Tomatoes, “Frozen 2” has already gar-

nered $1.03 billion.

If you are unfamiliar with the Disney

films, “Frozen” and “Frozen 2” both take place in

the Kingdom of Arendelle, the home of sisters

Anna and Elsa. Both movies depict Anna and

Elsa’s efforts to undo different spells placed on

Arendelle.

In the original movie, Aren-

delle becomes trapped in perpetu-

al winter after Elsa, the Snow

Queen, accidently exposes her

previously concealed powers not

only to her sister but to the whole

Kingdom of Arendelle. After sev-

eral incidents with her powers,

Elsa decides to run off and leave

Arendelle. Anna sets off to find

Elsa, meeting local resident Kris-

toff, his reindeer and Olaf, a fun-

ny, magical snowman.

In contrast, the spell in

“Frozen 2” was caused by the elemental spirits:

earth, water, snow, fire and wind. When they set

off to save Arendelle from the spell, the charac-

ters are trapped in the Enchanted Forest, where

they encounter the soldiers of Arendelle and the

people of Northuldra.

Viewers learn from a flashback that a

curse was placed on the Enchanted Forest after

fighting broke out between the two groups, a

curse that trapped the two groups in the forest

and prevented them from aging.

One night, Elsa begins to hear a voice call-

ing her. At first, she ignores it, but it quickly

grows to powerful for to block out. Elsa tells An-

na about the “Siren” she has been hearing, and

the two sisters plan a venture into the Enchanted

Forest after the elemental spirits force all the

people of Arendelle out of the kingdom.

In the forest, Elsa and Anna realize that

the elemental spirits are acting up because the

sixth spirit is missing. Later, Elsa and Anna learn

that their mother was Northuldra. This discovery

leads Elsa to Ahtohallan, a

mythical river believed to

contain the answers to Aren-

delle’s plight.

On the way to

Ahtohallan, Elsa sees holo-

gram-like images of the past.

From these images, Elsa

learns the true motives of her

grandfather, King Runeard,

in building a dam around the

forest: King Runeard aimed

to weaken the Northuldra’s

powers over nature to subju-

gate the tribe to the kingdom of Arendelle.

I enjoyed both films and found each hu-

morous. And the plots didn’t veer off too much

from each other, which allowed you to under-

stand what was happening.

Personally, I liked the second one more,

because there were more characters, and all the

characters worked together in it. The movie de-

velop the theme of courage as Elsa shows kids

that you can overcome your fears. In doing so, I

think this movie sends positive messages to peo-

ple of all ages.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Winter Adventures

I know you all will find this shocking,

but I truly am a huge book nerd! I love when I

am reading a book

and happen upon a

time or event that I

know very little

about. This is just

one of the reasons

that I love, love,

love Ruta Sepetys’

latest offering. Set

in 1957 during dic-

tator Francisco

Franco’s repressive

reign over Spain,

the novel intersperses the narrative with real

quotes from American officials about our coun-

try’s horrible yet mutually beneficial relations

with the leader.

Another reason to love this book is the

characters, Daniel and Ana. Ana’s parents were

murdered by Franco, leaving Ana and her sib-

lings to live in constant fear.

Ana works at the Castellana Hilton, a

beautiful hotel that caters to Americans. Ana’s

sister tells her that she must keep a low profile

and work diligently. After all, the family cannot

afford for her to lose this job.

Daniel is a young man from Texas visit-

ing Spain, his mother’s home country, with his

family. Daniel’s father, an oil executive, wants

him to take over the family business, but Dan-

iel’s dream is to become a photojournalist.

Ana is assigned to assist Daniel’s

family while they are staying at the hotel. They

become friends and Ana realizes that if she

shares her secrets with Daniel, she will endan-

ger her family.

The chapters alternate between

the different characters’ perspectives, channel-

ing their individual personalities through their

word choices and actions. For instance, Ana’s

description of the family’s cramped apartment

and Daniel’s fistfight allow you to get a feel for

each.

Finally, the language in this book is

splendid, transporting you to the time and

place of each scene. If you are looking for a

novel that will move you (and school you, just a

little bit), this is the one for you!

“Today, the young daughter of a journalist was dealt such bestial blows she died

choking on her own blood. In many ways, it is the children of our country who will pay

for this war — my own included — and for that, I cannot forgive myself.”

Jillian Chamberlin

When I was just three years old, I per-

formed in my first ever dance recital. The Can-

can steps lasted for a little

under two minutes but in-

stilled in me a passion for

dance that continues to this

day.

When I look back at

videos of the recital, I watch

myself zealously perform in

a black and pink tutu steps

that do not match with the rest of the group. But

as I view my past self perform these haphazard

steps, my face is illuminated with a smile as

bright as overhead stage lights. For 14 years of

my life and counting, dance has offered me a

community to be a part of, given me a tool to ex-

press my emotions and helped me develop a set

of values I hold steadfast to.

I believe in hours spent at the studio to

perfect a specific dance or step. I believe in mus-

cles so sore that you are physically unable to

move the next day.

I believe in sweat and aching joints that

would make others want to stop everything. I

believe in performing gracefully even if your

muscles are screaming for you to stop.

I believe in the perfect arc of a port de

bras and the steady landing of a triple pirouette.

I believe in the flexibility, balance and stamina

required to do more than ten consecutive a la

seconde turns while holding a show-stopping

smile, all kept in time with the music. I believe

in ballet slipper clad feet moving in sync in the

mirror.

I strive to exemplify the underestimated

mental and emotional strength that dancers em-

body. To dance, you must learn to accept defeat

because not every step will be perfect and not

every solo will be yours. You must realize that

you will not always be the best.

To dance you must learn to hold your

head high and exude confidence even during

mistakes. Through my dance experience, I have

learned that if you continue smiling and per-

forming with conviction, most people won’t even

realize that you made a mistake. And dance has

not only taught me confidence on stage; it has

made me more self-assured everywhere else in

my life.

Dance forces you to learn to perform not

only for the audience in front of you but for

yourself. If you cannot turn on the music and

dance only for

yourself, then

the effort isn’t

worth it.

Dance

also teaches

you to laugh at

In 1951, journalist Edward Murrow started the “This I Believe” radio program, in which he would

ask everyday people to submit short essays about the ideals they live by. Each year, Mr. Vallone

assigns the prompt to his AP English Language and Composition students. Chamberlin’s essay

stood out for her vivid imagery and powerful message.

THIS I BELIEVE

Continued on next page

yourself and realize that not everything is a com-

petition.

Dance, as both a form of art and a way to

express myself, has taught

me more lessons than I can

count.

I have learned about

strength by performing in

12-hour competitions three

days in a row. I have

learned about courage by

overcoming stage fright to perform in my first

solo.

I have learned about friendship by step-

ping out of my comfort zone to meet new people

at dance. I have learned lessons about humility

by resisting the urge to brag

about a high score to another

teammate or studio.

I have learned about per-

severance by mustering the

strength to leave a studio that no

longer made me happy for one

that revived my love of dance.

Dance has made me well-rounded —

physically , mentally and emotionally.

Chris Sun Accounting I 2nd Place

Colin brennan Accounting I 3rd place

Alexis franzoni advertising 2nd place

Larry Davis business Calculations 4th place

Larry davis Business communications 1st place

Jodie cui Business communications 2nd place

Marena capocci Business law 4th place

Ana Voskresenskaja Entrepreneurship 3rd place

Cadence masino intro. To financial math 5th place

Bella Buonovolonta Marketing 3rd place

Tristan stapleton Word processing 4th place

On Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, Miller Place

FBLA members participated in the District 1S

Competition at Hofstra University. At this event,

FBLA chapters from across Long Island competed

in various business events both written and ver-

bal. The Miller Place chapter would like to con-

gratulate all students who participated, as well as

those who placed.

Real Concepts, Real Results

This I Believe - Continued from previous page

“Competition is a good thing, it forces us to do our best.”

Julianna Campo

In 1989, Time Magazine replaced its an-

nual “Person of the Year” edition with “Planet of

the Year” to

direct atten-

tion to the

disastrous

effects of cli-

mate change

on our world.

Thirty years later, we still cannot agree that that

the Earth is in trouble. Thirty years later, we still

cannot work together to find a solution.

Because of greenhouse gases, tempera-

tures continue to rise around the globe, glaciers

and snow covers continue to shrink, seas contin-

ue to warm, and wildfires continue to grow more

common. Many species have and will become

endangered or extinct.

Soon, we will say goodbye to polar bears,

sea turtles and giraffes. And if we don’t end the

destruction, we may need to say goodbye to each

other.

This past year, Time Magazine published

a poignant article entitled “Hello from the Year

2050. We Avoided the Worst of Climate Change

— But Everything is Different.” Written from the

perspective of survivors of a climate disaster, the

article displays a modicum of hope: though cli-

mate change has wrought irreversible damage,

we still have our world.

Yet the article enraged me. As a high

school senior, I shouldn’t have to worry about

world destruction. As I make life decisions, I

shouldn’t have to consider that there may or may

not be a world for me in a few years. I shouldn’t

have to wonder whether it would be selfish to

have children in our half-standing world.

Now is the time for Democrats and Re-

publicans to work together to confront the crisis.

Three out of four Americans have accepted that

climate change threatens our species’ continued

survival. How ironic is it that the leader of our

country is part of that 25 percent who haven’t?

We don’t have time to convince the presi-

dent, or the world, that climate change exists.

The science shows it undeniably does. I will do

my part by reducing the amount of plastic I use,

by eating less meat, by using sustainable meth-

ods of

travel and

by donat-

ing to the

climate

cause. But

most im-

portantly,

I will vote

in the upcoming election.

“My message is that we'll be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn't

be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean.

Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have

stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. Yet I am

one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.” ~ Greta Thunberg

Creating a Climate of Possibility

On Dec. 28, 2019, Grafton Thomas, a

black Hebrew Israelite, burst into the home of a

Hasidic

rabbi dur-

ing a Ha-

nukkah

celebra-

tion with

a machete

and

stabbed

five people. An observer saw Thomas flee the

neighborhood in a car and recorded the license

plate number, which police later used to locate

and arrest him.

The attack should have reminded Demo-

crats that anti-Semitism exists not only among

right-wing whites but on the left and in minority

communities. In fact, a study by the Anti-

Defamation League showed that anti-Semitism

is far more common among minorities than

whites, with 23 percent of African American re-

spondents exhibiting anti-Semitic tendencies.

As the United States confronts the horrific

rise of anti-Semitic violence, you’d think liberal

politicians would take responsibility and address

the prejudices their constituents hold. But Dem-

ocrats are too afraid to look inward.

So they blame the president. Rep. Eric

Swalwell, D-CA, tweeted the next day, “Anti-

Semitism is … being stoked by @real-

DonaldTrump who won’t condemn it.”

In an even more egregious instance of de-

nial, Palestinian Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-MI,

tweeted that “White Supremacy kills” after an

attack at a Jersey Cite kosher market—an attack

carried out by an African American!

Now, none of this mitigates the right’s an-

ti-Semitism. History will always remember that

fascists murdered 6 million Jews during the Hol-

ocaust, not communists. Or that modern Neo-

Nazis in Charlottesville shouted, “Jews will not

replace us,” not socialists.

But anti-Semitism comes from all direc-

tions. Denying this sad truth leaves the left’s anti

-Semitism free from condemnation by the par-

ty’s leaders. As Harvard Law professor emeritus

Alan Dershowitz has argued, Democrats have “a

special obligation” to condemn bigotry commit-

ted by liberals.

Yet Democrats do more than just refuse to

take responsibility for anti-Semitism on the left.

Representatives of the party stoke anti-Semitism

through their vitriolic attacks on Israel. And as

Democrats are so eager to point out when attack-

ing President Donald Trump, hateful rhetoric

fuels violence.

Criticism of Israeli policy is normal as in

any healthy democracy. But the far left’s criti-

cisms too often devolve into anti-Semitism. To

illustrate, Rep.

Ilhan Omar, D-

MN, compared

Israel’s treat-

ment of Palestin-

ians to Nazi Ger-

many’s

“dehumanization

of the Jewish

people in the

Skyler Goldberg

Then-congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib is arrested for dis-orderly conduct while protesting

for higher wages.

Continued on next page

Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites Monsey Stabbing Reminds Us of the Dangers of Anti-Zionism

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrumphttps://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

lead-up to the Holocaust.”

Sure, good-faith critics of Israel disagree

with poli-

cies the

country has

adopted to-

ward Pales-

tinians. But

to equate

these poli-

cies to Nazi

rhetoric

grossly mis-

represents

and unjust-

ly delegitimizes Israel. Progressives cannot con-

demn Trump’s former press secretary, Sean

Spicer, for comparing Bashar al-Assad’s war

crimes to Nazi Germany’s but justify their own

leaders’ equally problematic statements.

Sadly, this fringe congresswoman is not

the only leftist to shroud anti-Semitism in criti-

cism of Israel. Elizabeth Warren, whom the New

York Times recently endorsed for president, has

exhibited similar bigotry.

Warren voted against the Israel Anti-

Boycott Act that sought to outlaw BDS advocacy.

BDS applies economic pressure to Israel to ex-

terminate the Jewish state. In the words of the

movement’s founder and leader Omar Barghou-

ti, BDS seeks to advance an Arab-controlled “one

-state solution” in which “by definition, Jews will

be a minority.”

Knowing that she would be labeled an an-

ti-Semite if she revealed her support for the

movement, Warren lied. She pretended to be-

lieve that bill was unconstitutional, saying that

that boycotting Israel is protected by the First

Amendment.

Pro-Israel legal scholar Abraham Foxman

agrees that the bills were unconstitutional. The

theory seems plausible — except if you’re War-

ren. The senator has built her career advocating

legislation based on the idea that money does

not constitute speech.

Yet Warren hypocritically suggests that a

campaign applying monetary pressure to Israel

is protected by the First Amendment. Apparent-

ly, money is only excluded from free speech pro-

tections if the “speech” runs counter to her pro-

gressive views. The double standard makes clear

that Warren supports the bigoted BDS move-

ment.

And just as Trump stokes violence

through his racist remarks, this progressive anti-

Semitism causes death. In fact, the Monsey as-

sailant’s cellphone showed searches for “Zionist

temples” — temples that support Israel’s right to

exist — in the months before his violence.

Sadly, progressive Jews have only made it

harder for the left to recognize this truth by em-

bracing their progressive friends’ rhetoric to-

ward Israel.

IfNotNow, a

liberal Jew-

ish group ac-

tive on many

college cam-

puses, refus-

es to

acknowledge

that Israel

has a right to

exist.

Radically progressive members of the IfNotNow Toronto Jewish group recite

Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer of mourning, for Hamas operatives.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has criticized anti-BDS laws as unconstitutional, arguing that it is a violation of the

First Amendment to prohibit business-es from discriminating against Israel.

Continued on next page

Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites - Continued from previous page

Angel Polito

How could victims of bullying slip so far

from sanity that they choose to murder their tor-

mentors?

The

answer is

quite sim-

ple: hate

and bully-

ing per-

petuate

violence.

A student who is relentlessly

picked on and ostracized is bound to feel isolated

and unloved. Bullies rarely think about how their

victims might respond with violence despite all

the horrific school shootings harassment has

triggered.

From vaping to drinking, members of my

generation too often choose to believe that noth-

ing will happen to them. Although they hear

about the tragic outcomes of these different vic-

es, adolescents foolishly dismiss each warning.

I was thrilled when I heard the sheriff was

coming to MPHS to discuss the link between

bullying and school shooting. We all must be ed-

ucated on and fully understand these two critical

topics.

During the presentation, I was disap-

pointed by the disrespect my classmates showed

the sheriff and topic. As we watched heartbreak-

ing videos about bullying, the students sitting

behind me blithely dismissed the horror. They

even laughed — yes, laughed — at an 8-year-old

boy’s attempt to hang himself.

I was appalled. I really hope they aren’t

that indifferent, and are just desensitized, be-

cause anyone who finds humor in a child so sad

that he tries to kill himself, callous.

As gun violence continues to plague the

country,

we must

begin to

ask our-

selves

when the

vicious

cycle of

harass-

ment will end. We must confront bullying not

with laughter but pain.

And at a DC Dyke March, members at-

tempted to block women from flying Jewish

Pride flags because they resembled the Israeli

flag. Yet they allowed women to fly Palestinian

flags.

Nonetheless, these extremist Jews —

some self-hating, some ignorant — don’t vindi-

cate liberal anti-Semites. Just as racists can’t de-

fend their views by befriending an African Amer-

ican, anti-Semites cannot escape the hatred they

sow by enticing young Jews to join them. We

must fight anti-Semitic rhetoric no matter the

speaker’s political persuasion. If we don’t, we

will be complicit in the hate crimes it incites.

Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites - Continued from previous page

https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/dc-dyke-march-bans-jewish-pride-flagshttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.html

Lucas Stahlmann

The date was November 14, 2019, and the

Cleveland Browns were mere seconds away from

securing a

hard-

earned

win

against

their divi-

sion ri-

vals: The Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett

had just sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Mason

Rudolph during what should have been the last

play of the game. In any other game, the coaches

and players on the bench would have run out

onto the field to congratulate their teammates

and opponents, and the teams would have re-

turned to the locker room to begin preparing for

next week's game.

Instead, total chaos broke out after a vio-

lent outburst, an outburst so bad that it caused

three suspensions, millions of dollars in fines

and one of the most embarrassing incidents that

the NFL has had to tackle in recent history.

It was the lowest moment of the season

for two teams that had plenty of those to choose

from. The incident sent one team further into

despair and inspired one to rise above expecta-

tions. No doubt, the consequences will last well

into the next season.

Cleveland's season had been one to forget

— a middling 3-6 record. For a team everyone

expected to be a serious Super Bowl contender

since training camp, they were woefully under-

performing.

Everybody in town was frustrated with

the Browns, including the Browns themselves.

But a win against the Steelers would have shown

fans that their season wasn't over. If they fin-

ished the year strong, and if the other teams in

their division faltered, they could have even

made playoffs.

The Steelers' season was not going much

better than its rivals’. The team lost many talent-

ed players in the offseason — including Antonio

Brown. Additionally, other players, like Le’Veon

Bell, signed with teams of their choices in free

agency.

And after starting quarterback Ben

Rothelisberger suffered a season-ending elbow

injury, no one expected much out of the ragtag

group thrown together to replace the departed

veterans.

But Pittsburgh refused to roll over so eas-

ily. Through a mixture of stout defense, service-

able quarterback play and smart coaching, they

persevered and came into the game against the

Browns with a respectable 5-4 record. A road

win against the heavily favored Browns would

cement their position as a true playoff contend-

er.

The

frustration

on both

sides was

palpable.

The

Browns

The Hit Heard Round the World

Continued on next page

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Matt Leonoff

When he left Houston and signed a free agent deal with Oakland, Athletics Pitcher Mike Fiers made one thing clear to his new teammates: be careful with your signs when you play the As-tros.

And on Nov. 12, Fiers explained why. He in-formed the Athletic that the Astros placed a camera beyond the center field wall to relay pitchers’ signs to catchers by banging on trash cans in the dugout when an offspeed pitch was on the way.

Sign stealing has always been a part of base-ball, but what Fiers reported is almost unparalleled in the history of the game. Fiers’ claims triggered immediate hysteria, especially since he maintains that the Astros cheating continued during the team’s 2017 championship run.

Video evidence, including footage from pop-ular YouTube analyst Jomboy, quickly corroborat-ed Fiers’ allegations. The proof of the Astros cheat-ing has grown so vast, it is nearly irrefutable that the team broke the rules.

Both Astros Manager A.J. Hinch and Gen-eral Manager Jeff Luhnow have been suspended for a year each and dismissed from the Astros.

But the implications of the scandal extend beyond the Astros. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who coached Houston at the time, and Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who played on the ‘17 squad, have also been fired.

James McCarthy

While the “injury bug” has plagued the NFL for years, more players have been injured this sea-son than ever before. In the team’s week 1 match against the Buffa-lo Bills, New York Jets linebacker and defensive captain C.J. Mosley left the third quarter with a groin injury and has not played a game since. The Jets led 16-0, but the Bills came back to win the game with 17 unanswered points after Mosley’s exit. If Mosley hadn’t been injured, the Jets probably could have finished 9-7 — or even 10-6.

Playing against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost then-starting quarterback Nick Foles first quarter to a broken left clavicle. Fo-les was out until week 11.

That same game, the Chiefs lost their best wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, to a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, the Chiefs went on to win the AFC title and will face the 49ers, the NFC champions, in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.

In week 2, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending shoul-der injury, which forced the Steelers to rely on sec-ond-year quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Then, Rudolph got a concussion in week 5 and dislocated his shoulder in week 16, leaving Pittsburgh to start rookie quarterback Devlin Hodg-

es. Because of these injuries, Pittsburgh finished with a mere 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.

On top of all these injuries, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was sidelined for six weeks after a thumb injury in week 2. Still, Brees broke the record for most career passing touch-downs only a few weeks after he returned.

Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver Desean Jackson’s season also ended with an ab-dominal strain that week, shortly after which he un-derwent core muscle surgery.

Despite all the significant injuries each of these teams suffered, the winner of the “Injury Bowl” — the team most derailed by injuries — would have to be the Detroit Lions.

The season was already difficult for the Lions as they were 3-4-1 going into week 10 against the Chicago Bears. Then, in a 20-13 loss for Detroit, franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered fractures in his spine that kept him off the field for the rest of the season.

Promising rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson also suffered an injury back in week 4 against Kan-sas City but was not officially ruled out for the year until Dec. 2 when he was placed on injured reserve.

The Lions finished 3-12-1 and now have the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Honestly, such a lonely word

What’s with all the injuries?

were tired of underachieving, and the Steelers

were sick of being disrespected and underesti-

mated by

all of the

other

teams in

the

league.

All the

tension came to a head in the 4th quarter.

Cleveland defender Myles Garrett was laying on

top of Mason Rudolph after sacking him. And

seemingly out of nowhere, Rudolph started rip-

ping Garrett's helmet off his head.

The much taller and heavier Gar-

rett did not take kindly to this and started to

stand, dragging Rudolph up with him. He

ripped Rudolph's helmet off, cocked his arm

back and struck Rudolph over the head with it

as hard as he could.

Pandemonium erupted. Pittsburgh cen-

ter Maurkice Pouncey proceeded to shove Gar-

rett to the ground and kick him. Cleveland

player Larry Ogunjobi tackled Rudolph. It took

several minutes to get everything back under

control.

Thankfully, the game ended without fur-

ther incident on the next play. Rudolph man-

aged to avoid injury because he was hit with the

padded inside of the helmet instead of the rock-

solid outer layer. If the helmet had been rotated

just a few degrees, the situation could have

been deadly.

The attack left both teams reeling. As

much as Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield

attempted to deny it in his interview with NFL

sideline reporter Erin Andrews, the incident

tainted the Browns victory.

In the following days, both Garrett and

Ogunjobi were suspended for their roles in the

fight. Garrett was suspended indefinitely and

has yet to be reinstated.

Pittsburgh did not come away Scot-free

either. Star center Maurkice Pouncey was sus-

pended three games. And Rudolph was fined

heavily. His role as the instigator of the fight

will leave a permanent stain on his reputation.

Neither team was the same after the in-

cident. The Browns lost their best defensive

player, and the team limped to the end of the

season with a disappointing 6-10 record.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh channeled

the attack on their quarterback as an inspira-

tion to play better football. The team played

hard for the rest of the year and continued to

beat expectations, finishing two games better

than the Browns with an 8-8 record.

Still, the incident doesn’t have to be the

end of the world for the Browns. Maybe next

season, Garrett and his teammates will be mo-

tivated by the temporary lapse in judgement,

much like the Steelers did. Maybe they will

even

turn

around

to be-

come

contend-

ers for

the first

time in

decades.

Ah, who am I kidding? It is the Browns

that we're talking about.

The Hit Heard Round the World - Continued from page 14

JACKLYN SPACCAFORNO

Skyler Goldberg

ALEX CONSTANTIS

“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”

~ Jenna Prandini

On December 21st, Alex Constantis won his 100th wres-tling match. Constantis’ favorite part of the sport is participating at the tournaments, adding that he loves how his teammates al-ways support him and feel like “family” to him. Constantis also told the KROB that his coaches, in addition to his teachers, have “helped me become who I am.” So how did Constantis begin wrestling? In seventh grade, his father’s friend recommended the sport to him after seeing his Brazilian jiu jitsu skills. Unsurprisingly, Constantis plans to continue wrestling — his “passion” and favorite sport to play — in college at Roger Williams College. Constantis selected the school because he loves the campus and the “small feel of the college.” He intends to major in business administration. He feels that his Introduc-tion to Business and Finance, Virtual Enterprise, College Busi-ness Law and English 12 classes have prepared him to tackle challenging college courses. Pivoting to his influences in life, Constantis told the KROB that he sees wrestler Conor McGregor, baseball player Nick Castellanos and President Ronald Reagan as role models.

“Doubt is only removed by action.” ~ Conor Mcgregor

Jacklyn Spaccaforno will be attending college at East Strouds-burg University, where she plans to continue running indoor and out-ward track and field. Having chosen the school for its great athletic pro-grams, she plans to graduate with a dual major in physical education and health. When she reflects on her high school career, Spaccaforno will recall teachers who “went above and beyond” for her, coaches who always wanted the best for her and great friends—whom she refers to as the “Lit Squad.” Asked why she loves track so much, Spaccaforno said that she loves “the nerves leading up to the race, not knowing how exactly it will turn out.” Turning to how she discovered her love for running, she pointed to Miller Place track camp, where she ran with the “stars” as a 5-year-old. Then, she ran for the middle school team, starting in seventh grade. But she says she didn’t truly begin to love the sport until 8th grade when she was promoted to the varsity team.

Spaccaforno feels most prepared for the next stage of her life to her junior and senior year English classes with Mrs. Eubanks. While English has never been her favorite subject, she says that Mrs. Eubanks taught her the skills she will need for college. “And, of course, gym class!!!” Spaccaforno added. On top of preparation in the classroom, the track star pointed to her mom as a role model, calling her “my number one fan” and “the best person I know.”

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KROB Newspaper Staff

Issue 2: 2019-2020

Adviser: Mrs. Sturtz

Skyler Goldberg Editor in Chief

Staff: Julianna Campo

*Jillian Chamberlin

Andrew Friedman

Charlize Kolasinski

Matt Leonoff

James McCarthy

*Angel Polito

Lucas Stahlmann

Madison Zicchinelli

* Guest Writers