- . Vol. 19, No.7 Summer 2003

~ ___ . ....,.,.-:>'"' ..

~-- .-:~ .. ;' , ...... aSSlC Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367

Veteran fa9ulty members depart from community Although this year is coming to an

end with far fewer departures than last year, those retiring this year are among those faculty members who were pio­neers in· the early years of the school.

Myron Moskowitz and Harriette Blechman were founding teachers at Townsend. Joseph Horn has dedicated himself to Harris for 18 years, and Margaret Landry for 16 years.

Harriette Blechman by Daniel Bloch

When asked what she was most look­ing forward to about retiring, Harriette Blechman, who has taught English at Townsend Harris since its second inception in 1984, answered, "Reading."

"Strangely, English teachers never get to read," she explained. "They're always marking papers or reading The Scarlet

· Letter for the third time."

"Also, I would like to have more time to travel," she added.

As one of the few remaining original faculty members of the new Townsend Harris, Ms. Blechman 's connection to the school has been a close one. "I

have ... spent many a summer writing the curriculum and shaping [the) philoso­

- phy [of the school]," she said. "I feel a real identification with the school' as it exists now, and I'm sure that I will always be a part of it, just as it is a part of me."

Ms . Blechman called her decision to retire "a compli­cated one." "The marking of papers really takes an incred­ible amount of time if you do it right, and the older you get, the longer it takes," she said.

She also cited her frus- · tration with "the whole political

picture" as another reason for her deci­sion to retire. "Frankly, I do not like the mayor and the chancellor's wholesale revamping of the [school) system. Those of us who have been teaching

Continued on p. 3

Jo~eph Horn by Daniel Bloch

"If I hadn't come to Townsend Har­ris, I probably would've quit teaching," said Joseph Horn, who is retiring after 18 years of teaching math, coaching track and field and serving as Technology Coor­dinator at Townsend.

"It was a joy to be in the classroom and to be with our students ... who re­ceived any new inno­vation without prob­lems. They seemed to enjoy doing things that were different," he added. "This allowed me to grow as a teacher and to learn from my students basically how to become a good teacher. And this school made it easy for us to become good teachers ."

Having taught at various high schools around New York City since

1968, Mr. Horn now feels that "it is time to move on." He and his wife will soon be relocating to Florida where Mr. Horn said he will continue coaching track and

field teams and doing con­sulting work with computers.

s i nee he arrived at Townsend, Mr. Horn has been coaching the Girls' Track and Field teams, a job

~ that he calls his "passion." i "My greatest joy is in

watching an athlete succeed," he said. "I get as much joy in watching someone improve as I do in watching the star of the team. You just have to

see it. It's a very special thing." In addition to coaching and teach­

ing math, Mr. Horn has been the school's Technology Coordinator, ajob which, according to Mr. Horn, encom­passes many roles, including Network Administrator.

Editors' Good-byes

pp. 2-3

College Choices

pp.4-5

Myron Moskowitz by Jamie Gullen

One of the last remaining founding faculty members, Myron Moskowitz, is retiring af­ter a 35-year career. Mr. Moskowitz has taught a plethora of subjects, from the Humanities Seminar, which is his favorite, to all grade levels of history, to electives in current events and New York City history.

Before he came to Harris, Mr. Moskowitz

among the students, but they share an honesty and sweetness that makes our

student body most memorable," said Mr. Moskowitz.

Regarding his col­leagues, Mr. Moscowitz

J:l hopes to maintain the ~ friendships he has made. 13 'The faculty here is im­:E pressive in knowledge £ and ability, but above all ~ in caring. It is hard for ..c: c... students to really appre-

taught at Bushwick and '' Myron Moskowitz Tilden High Schools in

ciate how much work the teachers in this school

Brooklyn. At Tilden, he met founding prinicipal ofTownsend Harris, Malcolm Largmann, who brought Mr. Moskowitz with him when he assembled the found­ing group of teachers for the school.

Mr. Moskowitz still remains in con­tact with the first graduating class, as well as with many other students who have graduated since. "As at any school, there is a range of interests and abilities

do!" he said. In the future, Mr. Moskowitz hopes

to mentor teachers at the college level to reinforce his philosophy that "we can change the world one person at a time." He has told principal Thomas Cunningham to call on him if he ever needs to, and he has plans to work on the election simulation run out of the Participatory Democracy classes for next year's seniors.

Margaret Landry by Marlo Dublin

"I am definitely going to miss the kids, [because) they make teaching pos­sible, the commute and the camarade­rie, but I've threatened to come back for lunch!" said Latin and Greek teacher Margaret Landry. After 16 years of bringing her love for classic languages into the hearts of many Harrisites, Ms. Landry will be retiring this June because of her "ad­vanced age."

She hopes that she will be able to "spend time with [her) three grand­sons, sisters who live in New England, take other language courses at Queens College or Kingsborough Community College and garden."

Ms. Landry started her teaching ca­reer during her senior year in Waltham High School in Massachusetts after be­ing asked by her Latin teacher to create lesson plans and teach her classmates. From Waltham, she attended Boston College where she majored in Latin and

Interracial Dating

p.6

eventually acquired a Master's degree in Latin and Greek. " In graduate school I became a teaching fellow and taught a class about Cicero," she said.

From graduate school, Ms. Landry taught Latin for four years in a private high school for girls in Richmond Vir­ginia and then took a break from teach-

ing by working for ..c: Houghton Mifflin's trade .S sales department. Shortly ~ after this experience, she

_ -~ acquired a.nother £ Master's degree m Spe­

_. - cia! Education at the Bank Street College of Education and taught in several private schools.

"I encourage all students to consider being [teachers]," Ms. Landry said. "It is more fun than you think!"

After being asked what she will re­member about her years spent in Townsend, Ms. Landry said that she will miss "international week and the Festi­val of Nations," as Well as her time spent "being an Arista advisor for eight years" and "an advisor for Save the Children."

Junk Food p.7

. ~--~--~--~:=.._-==--=-=:.-..:.:.:- : =--::_ --- - -- ;::··

2 The Classic

1

Summer 2003 I. ~

'So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good-bye' To my dear friends in the Townsend Harris Community:

to complain and others to exault, but the crucible of learning has already pro­duced new generations of leaders for this city. True to the Ephebic oath, our graduates have begun to make a differ­ence in the sciences, media, and help­ing professions. Most proudly for me, many have chosen to become teachers.

Marlo Dublin, Food Editor

This is more a valentine than a fare­well letter. Its genesis was 19 years ago in a small office of the Board of Educa­tion (it will always be the Board of Ed. to me) located in an old school in down­town Brooklyn. There, Dr. Largmann invited me to join a new and exciting team which would bring an honors pro­gram in the Humanities to the Borough of Queens.

Our little building on Parsons Bou­levard did not have enough chairs. There ~ were no books for several weeks, but the spirit of adventure more than made up for the lack of a comfortable physi­cal environment. Commitment and exu­berance by faculty, students, and the greater school community won the day as we fought for, and won, our very own building on the Queens College campus.

As I prepare to leave and pursue my dream of inspiring teachers on the col­lege level, I know that my experiences at Townsend Harris High School have helped shape my belief that "We can change the world, one person at a time."

While riding along Main Street on many a Q44 and Q20B during the past three years, I would often wonder what I was going to recall most vividly about high school. On some days, I thought that I would remember the frustration I felt while spending long hours working. On others, I felt sure that I would think of high school and instantly be reminded of class trips, parties, lunch bands spent in the library and intense basketball games. However, in the past week or two, I've realized that such memories seem trivial when I think about the ap­preciation I've developed for time.

As a child, I was never able to sit still; I would constantly be waiting for the next movie to play, next round of Old Maid and next novel to explore. I was hungry for life, and always would be waiting for my next course. It seemed natural to me when I first started high

school, therefore, to be inundated with homework, projects and other assign­ments. Until senior year, I never real­ized just how programmed I had be­come. Free periods would scare me; I would constantly be looking for things to do, for unfinished business. Eventu­ally, I learned to cherish empty hours and pay attention to things that I was blinded to in past years: quality conver­sation, the beauty of Queens College's campus, sunny days and myself.

I will forever be thankful for the quality education I received as a Harrisite, the wonderful friendships I've nurtured and memorable times spent working on the newspaper, but I will always remember how I learned to sa­vor the hours, minutes and seconds of my life instead of watching them fly out ofmy grasp.

Mayor Dinkins spoke of the rich mo­saic which is New York City and we proudly bore witness to this through our multicultural student body. The students of our school from '84 through '03 ex­emplify the very best our city has to of­fer, and that has always been the very best our nation has to offer! The rigors of the school program have caused some

I leave secure in the knowledge that the torch is being passed to colleagues dedicated to continuing the tradition of excellence established by the alumni of the original Townsend Harris High School. I shall miss my friends and the sharing which teachers do as they wrestle with the challenges of inspiring and cultivating young minds. But I know that we must all graduate. I share the joy of the class of '03 as together we rededicate ourselves to the high ide­als and moral commitment which make our-unique Humanities program the jewel in the crown of the New York City School system.

Jamie Gullen, Co-Editor-in-Chief

From The Classic Editors:

Myron Moskowitz Teacher of Social Studies

Angela Hom, Managing Editor lunchroom were never similar or bor­ing. Therefore, I would like to thank all my teachers and all my friends for mak­ing life interesting while I got the best education possible.

There are many differen~ reasons for choosing to attend any given high school. It could be your dream school, it could be the best school to which you got accepted, or it could even be the school your parents forced you to attend against your will. But the motivation behind choosing a school matters little once you're there. It's your school and you have four years to shape your high school experience to make it something worth remembering, rather than just let­ting it be a stumbling block between jun­ior high school and college.

Looking back on the past four years of my life, I know that I would never have gained so much out of high school had I gone anywhere else, and I am grateful to all the teachers and friends

who helped make my high school ca­reer a happy and productive one. It seems like just a week ago that I stepped inside Townsend Harris for the first time as a student, and now as the time is com­ing to take my last steps out of Townsend as a student, I can't help feel­ing a mixture of joy and sadness - joy because I am celebrating four wonder­ful years spent in the company of amaz­ing friends, and sadness because I know that once I leave, high school is over forever. I take solace in knowing that friendships can live on after high school, and I will take everything I've learned and all my memories with me to col­lege and beyond.

Our student ID cards are probably the best indicators of how much we have grown up over the past four seemingly endless years here, both physically and mentally. While validation stickers serve only as markers of time, the true record of our memories starts with our photos. When I look at mine, both a shudder and a smile come to me. Who can forget freshman year? Between collaterals, homework, new friends and trying to make time for eating and sleeping, I still managed to stress out about gym and running.

In my ID photo, I am smiling some­what, but my eyes hesitate to follow. They are wary, wide, a little frightened perhaps. I put it next to one of my prom photos and the difference is obvious. My head is tilted a bit to the side, my lips curved and mouth opened in mid-laugh, my eyes crinkled at the corners by the sheer force of happiness.

Daniel Bloch, Co-Editor-in-Chief

I would be lying if I wrote that this all got better over the next few years. But I would also be lying if I wrote that it got worse. The work all seemed the same after awhile, and I managed to learn how to stay up until 3 AM by sophomore year. It's not the coffee; naps are the answer. What really made the difference in my Townsend Harris ex­perience were the teachers I had and the people I met and got to know. Textbooks were the same every day I opened them, but the daily conversations and short ex­changes I had in the classroom and

Daniel Bloch

Jamie Gullen

Co-Editors-in-Chief Jessica Wang Jennifer Gong Feature Editor

Sarah Schnee Diane Tiao co. News Editors

Entertainment Editor Karen Hendershot

Hilary Homier Editor·at•Large

Jennifer Sheth Josh Fox Photography Editors

. Sports Editor Steven Lee

Amanda Chen Online Editor Business Editor

So here's to Florida, the balance beam, hours spent at the library (my sec­ond home!), three hours of sleep, white hairs, the back corner in Spanish (what's that about the class average?), abortions, European handball, long conversations about everything, short conversations in panic, 900 program errors, saris, The Classic, the Phoenix, "dos de Hom," archaeology, human evolution, snowboarding, piercings, and every­thing else that made my four years at Townsend Harris memorable.

Congratulations, Class of 2003.

If life is a jazz band, then my senior year is the trumpet player snapping his fingers to keep the beat. It amazes me how a year filled with such milestones as choosing a college, senior prom, graduation and having a free band could go by so memorably, and yet so quickly. And, like any quality piece of jazz, se­nior year has been unpredictable, some­times mysterious and altogether "new."

I think that the year (and all of high school, for that matter) is still too fresh in my mind for me to give any kind of "words of wisdom" to future seniors. But I would like to share something that I read this year in a book called Norwe­gian Wood by the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. Simply put, it's the chronicle of a college freshman named

News Staff: Sam1ra Annabi, Jessica Bader, Jessica Berger, Chloe Chao, Alyssa Chase. Mimi Chung, Nataliya Binshteyn, Lina Lee, Linda Luu, Francesca Pizarro, Tanaz Talebpour Feature Staff: Christopher Amanna, Jennifer Bhuiyan, Margo Kakoullis, Sangsoo

Angela Hom Managing Editor

Marlo Dublin Food Editor

Rachel Schiffman

EmmaXiao Art Editors

lisa Cowen Ad;isor

Kim, Francesca Pizarro, Ann Margaret Santa-lnes, Alexis Serra, Nisha Singh, Stephanie Vance, Maria Wojakowska, Tina Wu

Sports Staff: Stephen Berger, Lauren Korzeniewski, Elyse Lee, Michelle Montgoris Artists: Matthew B~rbery, Amy Blauner, Stacey Lee, Doris Ortega, Vivian Shibata, Andrea Shliselberg, Samira Zaman. Stephanie Zapata

Comic Strip Coordinator: Jonathan Pe~ez

Online Staff: Diane Lee, Umair Shaikh, Waqas Shaikh Techspert: Zak A no lie

Principal - Mr. Thomas Cunningham

Photography Staff: Penny Chak, Laura D' Amato, Diana Deng, Vera Hendrix, Bryan Kirschen, Marion Mercado, Deepti Nair, Cristin Strining, Julia Stutz. Leticia Wainer, Annabel Zaharieff Layout Staff: Pamela Chan, Matthew Kaufman, Katie Kogan

·--· - - ------ - -- --· - - ·-·---

Toru and how he grows up. At one point, Toru proclaims, "Only the dead stay seventeen forever." At first, I was struck by the morbidity of this idea. But after turning it over in my head, !realized it was a chunk of pure truth.

Life happens only once, so bask in the glow of it and reflect in the dark of it. Make high school - and life for that matter - what you want it to be. Write for the paper because you want to and take classes for the joy of it. Lie alone under a tree on the Quad next door at Queens College, or wander around Manhattan with your best friends .

Live now in such a way that when you think back to 17, you'll hear some great jazz music .

Townsend Harris High School at Queens College 149-11 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing, N.Y. 11367

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

Readers are invited to submit letters to the editor . Letters should be placed in Ms . Cowen's mailbox in the general office. Tire Clas.vic reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must include name and official class. Names will be withheld upon request.

~ The Classic 3 L_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer2003

PTA president Dafne Manhart bids farewell Blechman retires continued from p. 1

by Jessica Berger After six years as a devoted mem­

ber, Vice-President, and President of the Parent-Teacher Association, Dafne Manhart will "graduate" from Townsend Harris this June without re-ceiving a diploma or attending a single class. During her years in the Townsend Harris community, she has witnessed the freshman orientations of two sons , the comings and goings of countless teach­ers, the retirement of founding princi­pal Malcolm Largmann and his replace­ment with Thomas Cunningham, the un­timely passing of Assistant Principal Malcolm Rossman, and the response of the school to the tragedy of September II. After six years of incredible highs and saddening lows, Dafne Manhart still admits that she "become[s] happy ev­ery time [she] w·alk[s] into the school."

Ms. Manhart's work on Townsend Harris' PTA was just part of her 17 years of PTA experience, beginning at her older son's nursery school. She became involved at Townsend Harris by offer­ing to help clean up at a freshman break­fast. Ms. Manhart has "worn many kinds

of 'hats,' " ranging from Phone-a-than coordinator and participant on the School Safety Committee to Vice Presi­dent and Co-President. She says, "It is one of the most wonderful things to be a parent and I encourage parents to get involved with their children's school."

Ms. Manhart truly believes in the value of a Townsend Harris education, raving about her experiences here. She especially enjoys helping others appre­ciate the school as much as she does. "I've been able to talk to parents who are planning to send their children to THHS and by the end of our conversa­tion, they feel like they are really a part of the school," she said.

"When my older son graduated, I told Dr. Largmann, 'I gave you a child and you gave me back a whole person.' Townsend Harris is a great place to learn, but it is also a great place to grow."

Those who know her praised her de­votion and noted the pleasure she de­rives from her work. Her PTA Co-Presi­dent of two years, Joseph Dubowski, said, "Over the years, Dafne has worked very hard for the school and loved

From The Classic Editors, continued Jessica Wang, Feature Editor

People always say that high school is one experience that will forever change a person's life. Up to a few weeks ago, I didn't believe this . Look­ing back at photographs and looking at myself now, I could not see how four years altered me. I soon realized, how­ever, that the change that had actually occurred was a further fleshing out of my character. I walked into this build­ing freshman year as a roughly sketched figure and now I am leaving as a better­defined individual, still incomplete, but with a greater sense of self-awareness and confidence.

My Jove for creative writing, espe- -cially poetry, had began earlier than my high school career. Without this school, without the friends and teachers I've met because of it, without the inspiring class

Creative Self that I was lucky enough to take this year, my written work would . be different. I do not know what it would be like, but I have learned to appreciate my work as it is thanks to encourage­ment from my peers and mentors. A person cannot write well without read­ing extensively, and so Townsend Har­ris, with its many reading assignments, has helped me in this way as well.

As a writer, I should not be sad about leaving Townsend Harris, because new experiences can be inspiring. I do not consider myself just a writer, however, but also a student who has grown at­tached to people here and little things that make Townsend Harris distinctive. In this role, I cannot help but feel sad that my time here has ended.

Sarah Schnee, Co-News Editor I spent a large part of high school

wanting to be elsewhere. Granted, I had a deep appreciation for the school and all of its amazing qualities . I was aware that to receive such a quality education from a New York City public school was a gift. I participated in a myriad of ex­tracurricular activities, ironically devot-

. ing a significant portion of my life to a place which inspired so many mixed emotions in me. But my heart was else­where.

I felt somewhat suffocated. I dis­agreed with many of the ways in which the school was, and still is, run. But I had not yet found a voice which would proactively raise my concerns and pro­voke change, nor did I believe that change was even possible in this school. I yearned for the social and intellectual opportunities of college. I now know that the brevity of life makes a crime out of wishing away any portion of it.

Somewhere along the line, I came to the realization that I was looking for

a particular type of happiness: perhaps it was the happiness of teenagers that I saw in the movies, or maybe it was the happiness that adults expected from me. Either way, it was a happiness that was not my own . The more · I eased out of the pressure of unrealistic expectations, the happier I felt. I thoroughly enjoyed my senior year. I was a much more bal­anced young adult this year. Reflecting on all of those times in which I felt lim­ited by Townsend, I now ask myself: Can a place really limit me or was I lim­iting myself all along?

I challenge you, as a person still ac­tively engaged in the Townsend com­munity, to make the most of your high school experience, regardless of all ob­stacles: That way, when you are on the brink of graduation, you will not be thinking what I am thinking now: "If only I had discovered all this before ... " I wish the best of luck to the Class of 2003 and all of the friends and teachers who have inspired so much love in me.

THHS. She will be missed by all of us." Principal Thomas Cunningham said, "I have been acquainted with Dafne for three years. She brings a genuine sense of warmth, humor, joie de vivre to all she does. She is tireless in her dedica­tion to committment to parents, stu­dents, and staff of Townsend Harris. She will be sorely missed."

Ms. Manhart is grateful to the school community. "I would like to thank all the parents, because without their sup­port we would not be able to have the strong PTA that we -have," she said. "I would also like to thank the students for being the best teens in the city, and the staff, since it is because of them that it is so hard• for me to say goodbye. They are the best! Last, but not least, I want to thank my two sons, Thomas and Dou­glas. Without them I would never have met any of the wonderful people at Townsend Harris. My only regret is that I do not have another child in the school, and so I have to say goodbye to Townsend Harris and all the amazing people that work and go to school there."

Jennifer Gong, Co-News Editor Well, after four years of being a part

of The Classic, I can only think of all the many memories that I have shared with such interesting and strange people. Every moment that I've spent in 511 has been filled _with one of two things, either s t r e s s or incessant laughter. Think of all those times that I had to be dragged into the office to do actual work and then forced to write headlines! Let me tell you, those are the worst! But I had very tolerant fellow editors to put up with my whining. Thanks guys!=)

We had a few "crises" over the years as well. Just the basic stuff: pages turn­ing completely red and not opening, having to rewrite entire articles or hav­ing to find people who actually attended school events for some good quotations, trying to find synonyms for basic words without a handy dandy thesaurus around, and of course, attempting to write a creative headline for those last minute articles. But when all of the

for a while have seen all this be­fore, and think it will be disas­trous," she said. "The worst part of it is that the teachers, those who really. know what needs to be done to provide excellent education to the 1.2 million students in NYC, are not consulted at all."

Despite these strong opinions, Ms. Blechman has "very mixed feelings" about retirement . "I panic every time I think of next September," she said. "I will most miss the students. I do adore the Humanities Seminar and my En­glish classes; introducing students to new ideas and ways of consid­ering the universe is a great kick.'"

Be!! ides playing an integral role in the Humanities department, Ms. Blechman has acted as Senior At­tendance Coordinator for the past 16 years, and has also directed various school plays, such as this year's production of Bye Bye Birdie.

A teacher for 33 years, Ms. Blechman taught at Andrew Jack­son High School for 14 of those years before coming to Townsend Harris:

Ms. Blechman said she "looks forwatd to whatever is coming next. ~ am looking into several possib!ilities, including teaching a computer course at Queens Col­lege, working with the education departfrient, and working with stu­dent tdachers."

"Tqe idea of taking six months off to read is real! y appealing as well,'' she 3:,dded.

ment just takes over. That is what The Classic has meant to me and that is what I will always remember.

Good' luck to future editors! I know that you are worthy of taking our posts, but always remember that the editors of 2003 cannot be replaced easily.

And finally, I must say, holler to all my little peoples (and to my big people too, I guess)! I've had such a great time eating and laughing and eating some more throughout the years. Thank you for always being there when I ne~ded

problems are solved, everything seems you. worth it and that feeling of accomplish- Best wishes to all!

Diane Tiao, Entertainment Editor I started out at this school knowing _ chubacca, from "IfYou're Not The One"

nobody, but over the years, I met people to "Unwell," from Taboo to touch-foot­who have changed my life in so many ball, from Target to little blue sheets and ways. Although there have been many tetris, from unsalted pretzels to home­times when the workload and the cram- made guacamole, and especially from ming for multiple tests the night be- APES (Environmental) with the inces­fore have made me sleep-deprived, sant poking to a certain tall, se·xy Greek, there are so many more times when I and not to mention pumping gas for the have laughed so hard I couldn't breathe first time and so much more I don't have any more. It is this year especially that time to write down, I treasure it all and I I h~lVe grown close to certain people. It only hope that I have as many more great wounds my soul that I waited this long memories in the future . to get to know them and now that I have, For those who have touched my life, we are all leaving this school, but I will I love you, and know that you will at­forever be grateful for; the friendships, ways hold a place in my thoughts and in memories and happiness they have my heart. I came to this school knowing brought to my life. no one, and I am leaving this school with

From karaoke to Apple bees and Brit- friends that I know I will have for a life­ish novels, from Vertical Horizon to time.

4 The Classic

Summer 2003 I .. '" -J

I NAME I ACEVEDO, LORENA AHMAD, BUSHRA AHMED, SANA 'ALl, SAMI HASHIM ALOM, SYEDA AMANNA, RICHARD ANICAMA, CATHERINE ANOLIC, ZAK ARSHAD, SAMIA AZAM, NYLA BABIO, PATRICIA BACKtEL, JOANNA BALAKATOUNIS, KONSTAN BALRAM, SHRIMATI BARBERY, MATIHEW BATAS, MICHALIS BEREZOWSKY, ANNASTASIA BLACKMAN, LAVERNE BLOCH, DANIEL BOJACA, MARIANA BONETA, .JOHN , BORRESS, MICHAEL iBRIGIS, VICTORIA CANDAN, AMANADA CAPITINI, LEAH CARDONA, JESSICA CEMALOVIC, NAIL CHAN, JANICE CHANG, SUSAN \CHARLES, RHONDA CHENG, SUSAN CHIH, ANNIE CHIN, SHARON iCHIN, TASHIA ICHINCHA, CARLOS CHONG, JOHNSON CHRISTOFORIDIS, ANASTASIA '· CIORCIARI, JAMES CITRON, JASON 1CLEVELAND, JAMES !COCHRANE, MARISA !CONTRERAS, FIORELLA CORDERO, JACQUELINE CORREA, STEPHANIE !CROCE, DANIELLE !CRUZ, BERNADEnE •CUA, ROSEMARIE DAVIDOW, MEGAN DELUTY, JULIE DENIS, KAREN iDIMACULANGAN, JENNIFER IDIX, JENNA MARIE DIXIT, PREETI DMOWSKA, JOANNA DOMINGUEZ, TIFFANY DONNELLY, LAURIE DONOVAN,MEGHAN DRAPKIN, ALEXANDRA DUBLIN, MARLO ESPINOZA, JEFFREY FALCO, JESSICA FANG, LIN NA

EmmaXiao

COLLEGE ATTENDING

ADELPHI UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (PHARMACY) OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY COLLEGE (HONORS) CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) BARNARD SKIDMORE SUNY BUFFALO SOPHIE DAVIS BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM NEW YORK UNIVERSITY QUINNIPIAC NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WESLEYAN SUNY BINGHAMTON CUNY BARUCH NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON CUNY HUNTER FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ST. MARY'S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY(PHARMACY) COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ALFRED UNIVERSITY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY COLLEGE (HONORS) SUNY GENESEO HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY STONY BROOK HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Going here, there, anc

the Cia!

by Jamie Gullen As the Class of 2003 goes off to col­

lege, they leave behind their legacy, and move forward with their memories and achievements.

ever before," said college couns< Marilyn Blier. These scholarships eluded ones from The History Chan. Jerry Seinfeld, the United Federati01 Teachers, Carolina Rice, and Mo Brown, to name a few. This year's seniors were awarded

·over two million dollars in schol arship money, which is more than any other previous class.

According to Ms. Blier, this wa "very very strong year," but she ad< that "it was a more competitive year terms of the applicant pool so that ; ceotance into tier one schools remain

"More kids won more scholarships directly from the College Office than

FARNAN, ANGELINA ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY FIERSTEIN, JODI MUHLENBERG COLLEGE FISCHER, DANIELLE SUNY STONY BROOK FOX, JOSHUA CORNELL (ILR) FOO, WEN SHI (EMILY) CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) FREYRE, ARIANNA CUNY HUNTER GATIOC, ALVIN SUNY BINGHAMTON GEORGALLAS, LAMBROS CUNY BARUCH GILL, RAVI CUNY(BARUCH)HONORS GOLANN, JACL YN . BOSTON UNIVERSITY GOMES, MARISA CORNELL (ILR) GONG, JENNIFER SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY (NEWHOUSE) GONZALEZ, CARLOS MANHATIAN COLLEGE GONZALEZ, CHRISTOPHER CORNELL (ENGINEERING) GULLEN, JAMIE CORNELL (HUMAN ECOLOGY) GUZMAN, EDWIN CUNY HUNTER GYSELINGS, SARAH JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY HAFEEZ, AMANDA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HANSOTY, ASHISH SUNY STONY BROOK HENDERSHOT, KAREN GETTYSBURG COLLEGE HESS, YANINE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HETHERINGTON, JESSICA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY HOM, ANGELA CORNELL (ARTS AND SCIENCES) HOMLER, HILARY · SMITH COLLEGE HSIAO, DIANA SUNY BINGHAMTON HSU,BARBRA SUNY BINGHAMTON HUANG, EMMA SUNY ALBANY HUANG, MICHAEL YULUNG COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HUTINER, SOPHIA BOSTON UNIVERSITY INTAL, MARYA OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

!JAIN, VARUN PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY :JOSEPH, ERICKA NYACK COLLEGE !JURGENS, VIRGINIA SUNY STONY BROOK KALASAPUDI, BHARATI BROWN UNIVERSITY KAMLER, JONATHAN YALE UNIVERSITY KAZANE, STEPHANIE BOSTON COLLEGE KEENAN, LAUREN PACE UNIVERSITY KESY, BLAZEJ HARVARD UNIVERSITY KHAIMOV, MIKHAIL NeW YORK UNIVERSITY KHAIMOVA, INESSA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) KHAN,AAYESHA BOSTON UNIVERSITY KHAZARY, TIANA ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY KIM, Jl YOUNG SUNY STONY BROOK(Faii)/BINGHAMTON(Spring) KIRSCHEN, BRYAN SUNY BINGHAMTON KOENIG, SARA SUNY BUFFALO

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY/BKLYN (PHARMACY) KOMMATAS, DEMIE MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY iKOMPANCARIL, BERNIE NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CUNY QUEENS KRACUN, ALEKSANDAR RENSSELAER BOSTON UNIVERSITY KRISTIC, KATARINA DARTMOUTH COLLEGE ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY KRIVAC, JESSICA SUNY BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA KRlYWANIA, PAUL UNITED STATES ARMY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY KWAK, WOO EUN BOSTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MT. ST. VINCENT KYU, KHINE SANDI SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY BOSTON UNIVERSITY LAPSATIS, MARTHA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LAZAR, LAUREN BARNARD NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) LEE. DOROTHY SUNY BINGHAMTON BOSTON UNIVERSITY LEE, NANCY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (WHARTON) FORDHAM UNIVERSITY LEE, STACEY SUNY BINGHAMTON NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY LEE, STEVEN ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY LENNG, WILLIAM SUNY STONY BROOK SUNY BINGHAMTON LIANG,MENG CORNELL (HUMAN ECOLOGY) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LIEBERMAN, TALYA DUKE UNIVERSITY MANHATIAN COLLEGE LIM, SONIA BOSTON UNIVERSITY HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY LO RE ALEXANDRA UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LORENZ, AMANDA CUNY HUNTER

The Classic

5 ~--------..;...-.......;..._0,~ Summer 2003

everywhere:

... , of 2003 moves on

a challenge." In spite of this, the class of 2003 will be sending 22 students to Ivy League schools.

(SUNY) schools, while 15 will become part of the City University of New York (CUNY) Honors program. "There was a lot of interest in Honors programs this year. Not just CUNY honors, but others all across the country," said Ms. Blier.

Ms. Blier noted that colleges located . in large cities were popular. This is evi­dent by the 30 Harris students -heading off to New York University and the 18 students who will be attending Boston University.

Four students will attend Queens College, Harris's affiliated school.

As the seniors move on, Ms .. Blier says, "It was a pleasure working with the class."

Thirty-eightstudents will matriculate into State University of New York

LOUISA. NICHOLAS UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ..

LUO, TIFFANY (TING) TULANE UNIVERSITY L YDAKIS, NICOLE CUNY BARUCH (HONORS)

.

MAHIR, FAHIMA CUNY BARUCH · MANGAT, KARANVIR CUNY CITY COLLEGE MANHART, DOUGLAS CORNELL (ENGINEERING) MARCISZEK, ILWIRA CUNY HUNTER MASTRONARDI, ASHLEY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STEINHARDT) MERCADO, MARION SUNY BINGHAMTON MIASNIKOVA, OLGA FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MICCIO, JACL YN SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY (NEWHOUSE) MILLER, JOSEPH NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) MISCIAGNA. STEFANO CUNY JOHN JAY MORDENTE, LAUREN BOSTON UNIVERSITY MUEHLBAUER, EVAN COLUMBIA MUELLER,KA TEL YN OBERLIN MURPHY, TIMOTHY UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS -AMHERST NAJMI, SHERON ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY NAMOCATCAT, JOZEANNE SUNY MARITIME COLLEGE NEPOMUCENO,RACHEL UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NESTEROVSKAYA, VALENTINA BOSTON UNIVERSITY NEWMAN, KRISTIN FORDHAM UNIVERSITY NG,GEOFFREY UNIVERSITY OF N. CAROLINA -CHAPEL HILL NGO, SIUFONG CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) OKULA, ANNA CUNY JOHN JAY .(PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS) OLA, GALEMARIE HOWARD UNIVERSITY ORLANDO, MATTHEW ! SUNY ALBANY OZERI, LEA !wASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PAGAN, DANIELLA AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PAL TENEA, RALUCA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PAPASIMAKIS, XENOPHON POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY PARENTE, ANTHONY UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES- PHILADELPHIA PARK, DIANE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PARVEZ, SABOHENIA ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY PATEL, AMY ·. UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES - PHILADELPHIA PATEL. KRUTI SOPHIE DAVIS BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM PENA, CARLA INEWYORK UNIVERSITY PEREZ; CYNTHIA CUNY BARUCH \

PEREZ, JONATHAN SUNY STONY BROOK PERSHAD, VA.LERIE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PILLSBURY, ASHLEY SUNY ALBANY PORRETTA, LAUREN VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PREPOSI, CYRELL NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PUCCIO, ELISA CUNY HUNTER QUAN, JASON SUNY BINGHAMTON RAHYAB,SEYAR CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) 1RAINONE, JENNIFER JIONA COLLEGE 1 RAMDEO, SUNAYNA NEW YORK UNIVERSITY IRAMKELLAWAN, RESHMA UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA i RATNER, RITA I CORNELL (AG AND.UFE SCIENCES) iRAYANNAVAR.ARPANA :SUNY STONY BROOK (HONORS) IREID, NICOLE !WESLEYAN RINCON, CRISTINA 'CUNY HUNTER

iSERRA. JANE SHAIKH, WAQAS SHAMAN, NICHOLAS SHAW, SIMON ,SHETH, ISHITA SHETH, JENNIFER SHKADRON, POLINA SHLISELBERG, ANDREA iSHUM, MANDY iSIN, CHONG CHOL SKUMPIJA. JANET SOLOMON, ALISON SOMAl. CHRISTINA SONG, JANET -SPIELBERG, NATALIE STANLEY, ELANA STEFANOVIC, PREDRAG STEINHOFF, SARAH STEINHOFF, SETH STRAUSS, ANDREA STRINING, CRISTIN STUART, MATTHEW SUKHRAJ, ROGER ,SURI, TARUN !TAN, MARYANN TIAO, DIANE TONG, YUET (VIVIAN) iTOREM, STEVEN tTORTORA, MELISSA TROCHEVA,SVETLOZARA TUBENS,MELISSA TULIC, DYLAN URBANO, FRANCINE

iVARADARAJAN, VIJAYA VITTORINO, ROSELLE VOUVOUDAKIS, DESPINA WALl, OMER WALLENSTEIN, KEVIN WANG, JESSICA WASSIF, MICHAEL WAUTERS, NICOLE WIEBER, ANDREW

'WIENER, ADAM 'woNG, JEFFREY WONG, JOANA IWU, CHIA LING XIAO, YAO YAU, ANGEL YEE, KATRINA YEH, JESSICA YUAN, VICTORIA YUKHVID, DMITRIY YUNG. SALLINA .

ROBINSON, MICHELLE FASHION iNSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (HONORS' ZACHODIN, MAYA ROJAS, MAURICIO I POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY ZAJKOWSKA,BEATA

!ROMERO, CARLOS 1ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY ZAMAN, SAMIRA !SACKETT, JAIME I CORNELL (ILR) ZAPATA, STEPHANIE iSAHABIR, VARUNA ICUNY QUEENS COLLEGE ZELENAK, ELISABETH !SALEEM, UMARA BARNARD SARANTAKOS, CHRISTINA FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SCHIFFMAN, RACHEL UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (WHARTON) ;SCHNEE, SARAH DUKE UNIVERSITY !SEID, KATHERINE I UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SENE, JACL YN BOSTON UNIVERSITY

ISEO, BENJAM:..::I.:.:N ______ _ _@,!NY BINGHAMTON

Matthew Barbery

ADELPHI UNIVERSITY BOSTON UNIVERSITY BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY BARUCH VASSAR COLLEGE CUNY BARUCH CUNY BARUCH(HONORS) ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY SUNY NEW PALTZ FORDHAM UNIVERSITY BOSTON COLLEGE CUNY QUEENS SUNY BINGHAMTON CUNY BARUCH BROWN UNIVERSITY BROWN UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (HONORS) DREW UNIVERSITY CUNY BROOKLYN ST. JOHN'S(PHARMACY) GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CORNELL(HUMAN ECOLOGY) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) SUNY BINGHAMTON HOFSTRA SUNY STONY BROOK FORDHAM UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS CUNY BARUCH BARNARD '

. CUNY HUNTER (HONORS) FORDHAM UNIVERSITY GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY CUNY CITY COLLEGE (HONORS) EMERSON COLLEGE ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (PHARMACY) SUNY STONY BROOK

, CUNY CITY COLLEGE SUNY BINGHAMTON I NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (STERN) !SUNY BINGHAMTON I BOSTON UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ITHACA COLLEGE CUNY BARUCH (HONORS) UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (NURSING) COLBY COLLEGE BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUNY BINGHAMTON NEW YORK UNIVERSITY CUNY QUEENS COLLEGE CUNY QUEENS(HONORS) CUNY HUNTER CUNY CITY COLLEGE (HONORS)

6 The Classic

Summer2003 I " ~~ ',,. '·' ,, ... '•·'·~': ;,;(i.;-tv,· .... \•;:~·;;,;:;r~·,.,.·>'/''i'"··".,,,;,o .. -'J<·'>.•'·" ''~~,-' .,,.. >':. • _ . .., ' __ t·~ ..... ;·.-_,~·- ·. -·. '. >-----·.----;-' ,. '.;

Interracial dating still spurs controversy by Mimi Chung · school tend to have friendships within The majority of the students who took more celebrity icons that are mixed, so

The word is out. Madame Gossip is their racial background, and that there the survey in the school also feel that the media portrays an accepting attitude quickly reaching the ears of all those in were few interracial relationships. AI- interracial dating is more accepted in towards interracial relationships." the high school student population. A though she "encourages it [interracial society these days. Ms. Chung agreed As the views differ on the accuracy new couple has emerged; to put it in dating and relationships] because it that "people in general are more open to of the interracial dating portrayals, there simple words, she is black; he is white. broadens our perspectives [on life]," it," adding, "More and more couples are is also disagreement over whether in­They walk hand in hand, nonchalantly, she would prefer to date someone of going out. Look at J-Lo [Jennifer Lopez] terracial dating and relationships should yet attentively through the hallway, her racial background because she and Ben Affleck." But a female senior be portrayed at all on television and in amidst the mix of quizzical glances and "places a strong belief in the preser- disagrees. "There is so much opposition movies or theater. Some feel that the beaming smiles thrown at them . vation of my culture, my language, in society nowadays," she said. relationships should be shown because

Interracial relationships are becoming customs, etc ." Media Portrayals it helps those who are unaccustomed to more popular nowadays and are accepted When asked if she would ev€r con- In the media, particularly in the mov- interracial dating become used to it, thus by many in society, yet they still receive sider interracial dating, a female jun- ies and on TV. Recent movies such as fostering a tolerance for interracial dat­the disapproval of some-. In Townsend ior answered, "No, my culture andre- The Score with Robert De Niro and An- ing in society. "The media should pro­Harris , there have been · interracial ligion is very important to me and sig- gela Bassett, and Monster's Ball with mote interracial relationships and dis­couples roaming its hallways, and ac- nificant in the relationships I have with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton de- courage discrimination," said a female

.cording to an anonymous Classic poll of ot!Jers . I will probably never pict relationships between a white male sophomore. "Definitely no, because if 160 students taken last January, 64% do and a black people want to interracially date, they not have a problem with the idea of in- female _ a don't need the media telling them to," terracial dating, whereas 9% of the stu- M. · . c 0 m bin a_ said a male junior. A female junior said, dents feel uncomfortable with it, and V tion that "It shouldn't be made an issue. It should 27% are undecided on the subject. had once be casual. If it is over-portrayed, then

History been widely the issue becomes controversial , which Racial matters have a history of caus- 1 0 0 k e d it shouldn't be." Concerns over the in-

ing conflict ranging from civil rights down upon accuracy of the depictions, and the pas-problems to affirmative action. As for before and sibility of an over-portrayal of negative interracial dating and relationships, the during the attitudes toward interracial relationships uneasy atmosphere surrounding them has Civil Rights discouraging them were expressed as always been present in US history. movement, well.

Ever since the 13 colonies were es- and one that Although ccintroversy over the is-tablished in the United States, interracial still gets sue in society is reflected in the relationships have caused a problem. some nega- Townsend Harris community, overall, The first anti-miscegenation law- mean- ti ve reac- Townsend Harris exhibits a wide accep-ing against mixed races- was created in tions. Ac- tance of interracial dating and relation-1661 in Maryland to prohibit marriage cording to ships. Of those polled, 34% said that between blacks and whites, and to con- The Classic they knew five or more interracial trol property rights and social privileges. poll, Save couples, and only .06% of the students Later, 29 more states passed similar laws the Last did not know any interracial couples. against interracial relationships that re- interracially date, NOT because I am Dance and 0 - a modern remake of The overwhelming response for each mained on the books until the Civil prejudiced, but because my personal- Shakespeare's Othello- both movies with person who answered "yes" to the ques­Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. ity and values tend to collaborate with teenage appeal, were the most weli- tion on whether he or she would ever Of the 30 states, 14 had repealed their those of my race." known films that portrayed an interracial consider interracial dating was that race laws in the 1950s or 1960s, and the re- Fears of Racism relationship. A recent article in theBos- does not hold a candle to the appeals of maining 16 states had their laws over- English teacher Raquel Chung feels ton Globe points out that "television has the other person's personality, looks, and turned in 1967 by the Supreme Court that that "a lot of the disapprovals of inter- served a multicultural stew of interracial most important of all, the couple's love had deemed them unconstitutional in that racial dating, especially if it leads to dating on ER, Will & Grace,Ally McBeal, for each other. A female junior said, "It's they went against the Due Process and marriage, have to do with racism - and The West Wing." fine because as long as two people want Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th worries over whether the children will Of the 94% of polled students who to be together, they should ... no matter Amendment. The most recent repeal of have a problem in society - and gen- have seen one or more media portrayals how society views them ." Sophomore an anti-miscegenation law was in Ala- era! prejudice." of interracial dating, 53% feel these por- Christina believes race should not be a bama on November 7, 1999. The state Based on personal experiences with trayals accurately reflect the views problem, since the U.S. is a melting pot had not adhered to the 1967 ruling, and her own children who are biracial, Ms. American society has of them. of different ethnicities, anyway. "Be­had kept the law in tact for 32 years af- Chung concluded that because of the A male freshman said, "They are ac- sides," she added, "if an interracial ter the decision was made. _ feeling that "people see a need to de- curate because many don't approve of couple marries, their babies are cute!"

Cultural Considerations fine a particular race even though it is interracial couples." A male junior And to many in the school, love is all Most of the reasons some teenagers not necessary," many hesitate when the agreed, saying, "Yes, the portrayals ac- that matters. As a female senior said,

are edgy about interracial dating relate possibility of having "mixed" children curately reflect the views American so- "It's a magical thing." to cultural upbringing and family restric- arises for fear of their being labeled ciety has on them because they show the tions. One sophomore with a Korean and stereotyped. She cited Tiger obstacles interracial couples have to face Sources:

background views interracial dating as Woods as an example of society's ten- due to American society's negative out­"odd." She said, "It's probably because dency to classify by race. "He's iden- look on interracial dating." I'm too traditional... like so tied in with tified as African American, even On the other hand, a female freshman Korean culture .... And if my parents and though his mother is Asian," she said. said, "They're not accurate because in­

Galan, Anna. "Stanford Panel on Interracial Dating Sees Challenges." The Stanfilfd Daily 22 Feb. 2002. Online. Lexis-Nexis. 18 Dec.

I can't communicate in our own language Woods has said he would prefer to be terracial couples are portrayed as some- Grapes, Bryan J. ed. Interracial Relationships.

with him [the person she dates], then identified simply as an American. thing that a lot of people are opposed to

2002

that's kinda bad." She explained that Prevalence and Acceptance and it is supposed to be really hard to when she was younger, it was implied An article written in 2002 for The - have [at) interracial relationship] ... but it by her grandparents that she was to date Stanford Daily states that "interracial is really not, and most people are indif­within her race and culture. dating is more commonplace these ferent to interracial relationships." A

Offering another reason interracial days" and that interracial unions have male freshman said, "The media portrays dating would not be accepted, a male more than doubled since 1980. "Most it as something simple and normal, when junior responded, "My parents would of us did not grow up in an environ- many people in society still have prob­beat me" and a female senior similarly ment that supports stereotypes or ra- !ems with interracial dating." replied, "My parents would never accept cial discriminations, unlike the envi- Ms. Chung said, "When I was grow-it- in the end, the relationship will not ronment that people many years ago ing up (in the mid-70s), it [interracial lead to anything." Sophomore Pamela were exposed to," said sophomore Ve- relationships in media] was present." Chan said that she feels students in the nus Cheung. But, she continued, "nowadays, there are

San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press,2000 Hartill, Lane. "A Brief History of Interracial

Marriage" The Christian Science Monitor, July

25,2001 Jones, Vanessa E. "Mixing & Matching

Interracial Romances, Once Hollywood Taboo, Are Creating Sparks On The Big Screen." The Boston Globe 12 Nov. 2002, third ed.: El Online. Lexis-Nexis. 18 Dec. 2002

The Classic 7 · E.:~,-~::;~.._-.. Summer 2003 ··-

Mass cons·umption of junk food sparks controversy by Josephine Shao and Marlo Dublin

Every day, enticing billboards and commercials persuade passersby to sample juicy, mouth-watering hamburg­ers, new varieties of potato chips, candy and sugar-laden beverages. These adver­tisements, because they instigate the mass consumption of unhealthy food items, have helped cause Americans to become overweight. Many people pay minimal attention to the amount and type of food they eat nowadays. They rather eat whatever tastes good, comes in big portions and is cheap - in other words, junk food.

"Junk food is something that has no nutritional value and makes you feel guilty about yourself after you eat it," saio sophomore Irene Zoupaniotis. "I prefer healthy food because when I'm eating junk food, I am satisfied, but the after-feeling is horrible. I feel as if I had all these gross toxins inside my body and ex­cess fat; it just grosses me out."

"Junk food is called junk food for a good reason," ex­plained health teacher and Boys' Track coach George Rio. "It contains too many calories and hardly any nutri-ents. It is also high in fat and low in fiber. Everyone should avoid eat­ing the bad stuff because too much junk food makes .... [people] overweight, and being overweight makes them un­healthy. Usually overweight children be­come overweight adults and the eating cycle continues."

Any foods that are fried, heavily salted or excessively sweet can be con­sidered junk food, as well as beverages that contain high concentrations of sugar. These items are generally high in calories because their high concentra­tions of fat and sugar store surpluses of calories and contain very small amounts of vitamins and protein.

Some foods, such as ice cream and chocolate milk, seem to be healthy but really aren't. It is true that they are com­prised mainly of milk, which is full of protein, but they are loaded with sugar and fat. Imitation fruit drinks are also deceiving because they have artificial

flavors and colors added to make them seem natural, but they contain mostly sugar and water.

Junk food not only causes weight problems, but is also found to be linked to asthma. Researchers have compared more than 100 children afflicted with asthma with 200 kids who didn't have asthma. They found that those children who consumed the least amounts of vegetables and milk, vitamin E, and certain minerals were at a significantly greater risk of developing asthma-type symptoms.

On the otherhand, nutritionist Jadine Kairns says that a little junk food is okay. "I think all snacks can be offered.

New York City Public Schools last spring by Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein prohibited the sale of junk foods such as "sweetened soda water, hard candy, jellies and gums, candy coated popcorn .... and other food and beverages that contain less than 5% of the Reference Daily Intake of certain vitamins and miner­als per serving." This memo was cir­culated to all city schools because of a law suit filed against the Board of Edu­cation.

"We [Harrisites] get enough exer­\ cise; they should make an exception for

our school," said senior Jessica Krivac. "Most of the students who walk to

school have no energy and the only thing that wakes them up is the sugar in candy bars and soda, so once they get rid of them, they get rid of our energy supply."

Senator Charles

Stacey Lee

Schumer has also made an effort in the past year to limit the amount of junk food that youngsters con­sume. Last March, he initi­ated a "Vendi-Milk" cam­paign which helped to place milk vending machines in the hallways of over I 00

I even advocate chips and candy once in a while," she said in her article en­titled "Healthy Diets During the Teen Years ." "I really believe in variety, mod­eration and a relaxed attitude towards eating and what it entails."

Lately, schools have been contem­plating whether or not they should con­tinue to sell junk food. Many students have been insisting that these fatty foods continue to be sold. "What would I do without my daily intake of junk food?" asked an anonymous junior. "I would have no energy to do the work required in our school , so if they want the stu­dents in the school to function, they should continue to sell us junk food. If they don't, people would just buy it from outside of the school."

As reported in the April 2002 edi­tion of The Classic in the article "Board of Ed. lawsuit leads to cafeteria with­out candy," a memorandum sent to all

schools spanning 23 counties in New York. Schumer believed th·at ·"by simulataneously opening up a new mar­ket for dairy farmers and providing schools with a nutritious alternative to soda machines, [the milk machines] could be just what the doctor ordered to clear dietary disarray in schools and help fix the crisis facing New York's dairy farms."

"I don't think that the school should sell junk food to the students because it is teaching that junk food is okay when it really isn't," Mr. Rio said.

Out of a group of250 Harrisites who responded to a recent poll, only 4% supported the school in not selling junk food. One junior, however, wrote that "it is hypocritical for schools to teach students about the importance of healthy eating while profiting from the sale of unhealthy foods to the same stu-dents."

Poll results revealed that students fa­vor such junk foods as French fries and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Sophomore Kris Imperati said, "We love KFC! Noth­ing can beat it! I know that it contains gallons of fat but it still tastes so good, and that's all that matters ." Contrary to popular belief, KFC is healthier than most fast food places. Their potato wedges only contain 5 grams of fat and 240 calo­ries; that's almost half the calories of McDonald's French fries . A medium or­der of McDonald's French fries contain about 22 grams of fat and 450 calories.

Even though junk food is popular, people have started to cut back on it since they realize too much is hazardous to their health. Of those polled, 30% said that they enjoy eating healthy food as opposed to junk food. Sophomore Dorothy Kuznia claims, "I love junk food way too much, but little by little I have been giving it up. since I know it is bad for me. I want to stay healthy and the only way I can do that is if I maintain a healthy diet of veg­etables and fruits. Nowadays I find my­self munching on an apple or a carrot stick instead of a Twix bar." Sources: Gordon, Alma Daugherty. "Don 't

Pig Out On Junk Food: The Mk's Guide to Survival in the U.S." New York: Evangelical Missions Info, 1995.

Rinzler, Carol Ann. Nutrition for Dum mies. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.

Gins, Susan. "Junk Food At Work: How Innocent it Seems and Yet, How Bad It Is." OnliPe. 3 Oct. 2002. <http:// www.nourish.net/topic6.htm>.

" Healthy Diets During the Teen Years." The Parent Report. Online. 8 Feb. 2001. <http://www. theparentreport. com/ resources/ages/preteenlkids_culture/ 90.html>.

"Junk Food." The Parent Report. Online. 8 Feb. 2001.<http:// www.theparentreport.com/resources/ ages/preteen/kids_culture/90.html>.

Junk Food News. "Hershey's Times Square Store Operis Its Doors for a Sweet Holiday Shopping Experience." Online. 23 Jan. 2002.<http:// www.junkfood news.cornl>.

"Schumer to NYC Schools: Got Milk?" Online. 31 Oct. 2002. <http:// www.senate.gov/-schumer/ SchumerWebsite/pressroornl press_releases/PRO 1286.hml>.

Musical sounds from Spring Concert soothe crowd by Diane Tiao

Friends, faculty and parents gathered in the auditorium for a night of sooth­ing melodies during the annual Spring Concert on Thursday May 29 from 7:00 to 9:00PM.

Kicking off the evening was the In­termediate Band, led by band director Peter Lustig. Members performed six pieces, including "The Wind Beneath My Wings" by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar as well as highlights from Harry Potter by John Williams.

Led by choral director Florence McKinley, the chorus performed a total of seven songs, including "Seasons of Love" from the Broadway musical Rent,

with solos by seniors Siufong Ngo and Chong Sin, and with words and music by Jonathan Larson. "I was pleased [with the performance] because the ma­terial was quite challenging but they came through," said Ms. McKinley.

Solo performances by Latin teacher Richard Russo and junior Amy Ortega were also highlights of the evening. Accompanied by Mr. Russo singing "The Londonerry Air" ("Danny Boy") was Ms. McKinley on piano. Amy sang "On My Own" from Les Miserables and was accompanied by junior Jessica Pol­ish on piano.

Led by director Paula Zarmon, . the

strings ensemble played six pieces, in­cluding "America, the Beautiful" by S.A. Ward and "Celtic Roots" by Soon Hee Newbold, with a violin solo by Foster Wang. Soloist Ksenia Yachmetz, sophomore, accompanied the perfor­mance of "0 Mio Babbino Caro" by Giacomo Puccini .

The final group to perform was the Concert Band. "This year's Concert Band was one of the best bands I've ever had. I could tell from their morn­ing rehearsal that they were going to . be really hot and they really brought the house down," said Mr. Lustig. The Concert Band played four selections,

including "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Freddie Mercury with trumpet solo by senior Carlos Gonzalez and alto saxo­phone solo by senior Nicole Reid.

"I think the band sounded the best it has ever sounded in my four years here," said senior Seth Steinhoff.

"For me, this year's spring concert was bittersweet. About 60% of musical mem­bers are seniors, and after four years, I think they achieved perfection," said As­sistant Principal of Foreign Language's and Arts Lisa Mars. "As usual, the con­cert was a big success. It was one of my best concerts in the I 0 years I have been here," said Mr. Lustig.

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8 The Classic

Summer 2003 .. •

Girls end playoffs st1ll kicking by Elyse Lee

The Girls' Varsity Soccer team ended their season with a loss in the second round of the playoffs to Stuyvesant High School 3- I. The Hawks took an early I -0 lead, and dominated for the first 40 minutes , but Stuyvesant tied the score and then made two more goals in the last five minutes to win the game.

The girls finished with 14 wins, five losses and one tie overall, and 12 wins, three losses and one tie in the PSAL. The Hawks were second in the Queens "A" Division, behind undefeated rival Benjamin Cardozo High School, which got them a bye into the second round ~

of the playoffs . Harris' only losses this season were against Cardozo twice and Francis Lewis, which were losses that junior Kathryn Dubowski said "never should have happened." The only tie was against William C. Bryant, in their second encounter. When the Hawks faced Bryant, on the road, the Hawks shined and dominated with a 5-0 shut­out.

Another highlight of the season was defeating Beacon High School, which was number six in New York City, one goal to none. Coach Christopher Hack­ney stated that the Hawks' defense

served as good offense. This was appar­ent in their I 0 shut out games; in eight of these , the Hawks scored five or more goals.

Kathryn Dubowski played a large role in this offense, leading the Queens "A" Division in goals scored with 23 goals, for which she received two awards by the PSAL, one for leading point scorer, and one for leading goal scorer. Dubowski is the second athlete to receive this award, the first being se­nior Jaclyn Miccio, who was honored by the PSAL in her sophomore year. Miccio had a total of 13 assists and 17 goals for the season, and was Most Valu­able Player this year for the Girls' Soc­cer team . Senior Stacy Christoforidis added solid, dependable play with 19 assists and 10 goals for the season. Se­nior goalkeeper Lauren Porretta had 81 saves and allowed only II goals in the entire season .

Next year Harris will be losing six seniors, which will change the team's entire style of play. This will depend heavily on juniors Kathryn Dubowski, E rika Russi and sophomore Maria Paschalidis for leadership. Coach Chris Hackney commented that" people step up when they are faced with challenge and play beyond expectations."

Girls' Handball fin.ishes season in tight quarterfinal playoff loss by Michelle Montgoris

A strong regular season, with great playoff and championship expecta­tions, was prematurely halted for the Girls' Varsity Handball t;:am in a Quarterfinal playoff loss against the Boys & Girls High School, 3-2, on May 27.

The team was leading the match two games to none, thanks to the efforts of senior co-captain Bernadette Cruz in the first singles match and sophomore Christine Chai in the second singles match. The team unraveled, though, when they lost in the third singles and first doubles. The Hawk squad fell 21-12 in that crucial bout. The loss was their only one of the ye~r.

Despite the loss, the girls dominated

the Queens I division, finishing with a 12-0 record and taking first place for the second straight year. They won their first playoff match by forfeit against the High School of Humanities on May 20.

Christine Chai was named Most Valuable Player at the Athletic Awards Dinner on June 4.

The goal for this year was to bring home the title of City Champions. The disappointing finish, though, may make this team even hungrier for next sea­son. Freshman Lily Gao said that while the seniors will be missed tremen­dou~ly, the rest of the team will shine. "Half our team was made of seniors, and although they will be gone, the rest of the team will step up to the plate," she confidently said.

Close defeat by New Utrecht ends playoff hopes for Girls' Softball by Lauren Kornziewski

An overthrow to first base on a rou­tine play by sophomore shortstop Katherine Incantalupo to junior first baseman Elizabeth Maranon allowed the winning run to cross the plate in the eighth inning of the Girls' Varsity Soft­ball team's second round playoff game against New Utrecht High School on May 20.

The final score of the game was 1-0. It featured a pitchers' duel between sophomore pitcher Alyssa Wick and Utrecht's Dana Ocharsky which went · into extra innings. Neither pitcher al­lowed any earned runs in eight innings, with Wick striking out six batters, and Ocharsky striking out five.

This squad tried to salvage a losing season by advancing in the playoffs

with an inspiring first round victory against Hunter College High School on May 27 by a wide 15-2 margin.

The team finished their regular sea­son on May 19 with a crushing 13-12 loss to John Adams. In this game, the Hawks hit impressively against pitcher Carmela Napolitano. In 41 at bats, there were 17 hits, with 13 runs. Catcher Patricia Pabon hit especially well, go­ing 3-5 with a double and 3 RBI's . The junior had a .450 batting average and a .500 on base percentage over the course of the s·eason.

"We started the season well and hoped our wins would carry through to the rest of the season," said Wick. "They didn't, but as a team we still played well. We had tough competition."

-Girls tennis players place third in Queens, conclude season by Lauren Korzeniewski

The Girls' Varsity Tennis team con­cluded their winning season on May 13 with a loss to Hunter College High School in the second round of the play­offs. Their 8-3 record landed the Hawks, led by coach Asi Phillips, third place in the Queens I Divi-sion.

Jacqueline Chancer, sophomore, and Alyssa Ng, junior, all won their sets 10-0, as did the doubles pair of Bruno and senior Jodi Fierstein. The doubles team of Tskirkas and freshman Allison Kornblatt also won their match with a I 0-2 victory.

As for their regular season campaign, the Hawks finished in third place, behind Fran"is Lewis and Cardozo. The Hawks lost both their fi-

~ nal matches to Cardozo, .c ~ on May 6 and 7. On May " "a 7, the Hawks were de-l! feated in all four matches. ;>,

..0 0 0 if

In this game, senior Rita Ratner played her first match of the season. AI-

The usually sparkling Sophia, Huttner, senior, lost her singles set to opponent Stephanie Kwok I 0-0. Harris' only win in the match was by doubles tandem Chantal Bruno and Chris­tina Tskirkas, both sophomores,

though it was a loss, Ju.nior Alyssa Ng smashes an oncoming tennis ball.

Ratner played "Yell against opponent Afiya Lahens, and fin­ished with a score of 5-l. On May 6, the Hawks lost 3-1, with the only victory snagged by doubles pair Bruno and Fierstein, who played two sets and won both , the first 5-3 and the second 5-2.

who beat Rachel Whitaker and Haruko Castro I 0-3.

In a more impressive showing, the Hawks beat Louis Brandeis on May 12 in their first playoff match, five matches to none . Huttner, a~d singles players

First time in history: Girls race to first in Queens Champs by Elyse Lee

For the first time in Townsend Harris history, the Girls' Outdoor Track team took first place in the Queens Champi­onships. The Hawks took an early lead in the competition before the meet even began. In the Steeplechase, junior Rosalind Adams placed first and also fin­ished third at the Nationals for Race Walking . Coach Joseph Horn was ec­static about Adams' third place finish. "It's an amazing accomplishment for someone who just started walking com­petitively," said Mr. Horn .

Junior Selena Singleton , the Girls' Outdoor Track team's Rookie of the Year, placed first in the Pentathlon, and junior Kalima Smalls placed third in the Pentathalon. Smalls also placed third in the Queens Borough Discus, followed by sophomore Shaunte Baboumian. Senior captain Jessica Krivac placed fifth , fol­lowed by sophomore Venus Cheung in sixth place. These events put Townsend Harris with 37 points entering the Cham­pionships; however, Jamaica was behind by only I 0 points.

Coach Joseph Horn was ecstatic about Adams' third place finish. "It's anamaz­ing accomplishment for someone who just started walking competitively," said Mr. Horn.

Excitement and tension mingled with the rain and wind, any runner's night­mare, on the day of Queens Champs as the Hawks pulled out remarkable wins over rivals Jamaica and Far Rockaway. Adams; Cheung and Krivac placed sec­ond, third, and sixth, respectively, in the 3000-meter run. Adams continued to show her versatility with a first place fin­ish in the 1500- meter race walk, which she is competing in for th\! first time, sophomore Elizabeth Feder placed third,

and Sarah Fadika placed fifth. Cheung placed fourth in the 1500 meter run. Jun­ior Joanna Reynolds placed third in the 800 meter run.

Senior Alexandra Lo Re attempted hurdles for the first time this season, and stunned everyone with a first place fin­ish in the 400-meter hurdles . Singleton placed second. Singleton also placed first in the high jump with a height of 4 feet and I 0 inches.

The Hawks depended greatly on their relay teams to secure the championship. The 4x 1 00-meter relay team of DeChavez, LoRe , Reynolds and Cummings placed fourth overall, the 4x800 meter relay team of Cummings, Renyolds, Krivac and LoRe; placed sec­ond overall. The 4x400 meter relay team, Anji Zheng, Sarah Fadika, Jillain DeChavez, and Hazel Chi placed first in the last event of the meet, confirm­ing Townsend Harris' first Queens Championship in history.

The outdoor track team will be los­ing seniors Krivac, LoRe, Sharon Chin, and Victoria Brigis, all of whom con­stituted an irreplaceable part of this team. Next year the juniors on the team will have to step up and create a leader­ship role different from any other sea­son of outdoor track, especially with the retirement of coach Joe Horn.

A new coach, Tim Connor, has been selected and was introduced to the Girls' Track team on Monday, June 16. He is as excited as he is nervous to be work­ing with such a group of successful and talented runners . Coach Horn believes that the girls will be able to sweep all Queens track seasons, cross-country, in­door, and outdoor, despite any changes that will take place.