The International Insider » art

Feel the Music

Brenda Gonzalez — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:15:08 +0000

FELA! Starts out as a concert, dancers on upper and lower deck dancing to the beat. They’re dressed in bright colorful clothing and dance without shoes. The lead singer, Fela in his own baby blue outfit with white patterns on his clothes and shoes to match.

The lyrics pop on a screen behind him, along with video clips of people cheering or revolting against him. The lyrics of his song are about corruption in school, government, and tradition. “Our tradition is corruption. Corruption in all of Africa.”

The music is a mix of Jazz and Funk. Fast catchy beats, lights shining everywhere, and flashing as if in a club. Fela’s compound and performances is usually performed at the Shrine in Nigeria.

Fela shares with the audience members about his experience in jail, the interagation process and moments that changed his life. He also reminds and tells the world what happened to Kulakuta, a compound owned by Fela in Nigeria.

One night, soliders sent from the government raided and burned Kulakuta to the ground. The dancers were each represented as a person that was a vitim to the tragic event. A statement about how they were tormented by soliders were presented to the audience on a background screen.

“Fela was a powerful lesson in Post-Colonalism!” said history teacher Mrs. Francis. “ The play was also a contemporay political act. References to mordern issues like police violence, crisis in Haiti and corporate scandals like Enron and Halbutron.”

Students and fans of Broadway plays are strongly recommened to see FELA! and learn more about culture in different parts of the world. Sometimes history can be quite interesting.

What You Might Find at the Bottom the Rabbit Hole

Briana Walker — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:07:55 +0000

You’re relaxing next to your favorite tree on the hill, when all of a sudden you see a flash of white. You then notice the flash of white is actually a running bunny, holding a pocket watch and yelling “I’m LATE! I’m LATE!” You decide to follow the bunny as he jumps down into his hole. You soon fall in after him, and your adventures in Wonderland are now beginning.

Most people assume that there is only one book to Alice in Wonderland, when in fact there are two, both by author Lewis Carroll. The first book is titled Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This is the more known of the two books. This book centers on Alice first falling through the rabbit hole and meeting the white rabbit, the hookah-caterpillar, March Hare, Queen of Hearts and one of the most famous characters, the Mad Hatter. What people don’t realize about this book is that the Queen of Hearts is more of a tyrant then a queen, who punishes the people in her kingdom for crimes that they never committed. This is the case for the March Hare and Mad Hatter, who are both stuck at 3pm tea time due to the Queen of Hearts. Finding this unfair, Alice goes to meet the queen and well…you need to read the book yourself to find out what happens.

The second book of the series is Through The Looking Glass which takes place about three years after the first book. Once again, this book focuses on Alice, as she re-enters Wonderland, this time through the mirror in her living room. This book features Tweedle-Dee and and Tweedle-Dum, the singing flowers, and a few characters that were never introduced in the original Disney movie. This book focuses on a giant game of chess that Alice has entered between the red kingdom and the white kingdom. Alice decides to join the fight this time and assists the white kingdom in getting their White Queen free. Once again, read the book to see what happens.

In reality these two books are perfect in their humor and wit. Heck, they were even an inspiration for the new Tim Burton directed “Alice In Wonderland”. These books are good for anyone who enjoys reading. They appeal to anyone who loves humor, action, and the innocence of a nine year old girl.

Eurotrip: Swiss Style

Adam Levine and Carolina Jiminez and Sean Fisher — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:04:49 +0000

With part one of the exchange finished, 17 eager students, along with English teacher Ms. Heather Prevosti, Spanish teacher Ms. Violetta Suroweic, and Math teacher, Ms. Ho-Ling Lo, embarked on their journey to Winterthur, Switzerland.

Similar to the school’s past two exchanges, students on this exchange lived with a host Swiss student and his/her family while touring the country, shadowing them while in school, and getting to know their host families.

“I wanted to see life from another perspective,” said junior Vanessa Kreytak.

The flight took off at 6:50 PM from Newark International Airport. After seven tiring hours on the plane, students couldn’t wait to land in Switzerland. The Americans arrived at 6:00 in the morning, where they were greeted by three Swiss students and one teacher from our host school, Kantonsshule Im Lee.

Students and teachers were taken to school where they were greeted by the Swiss principal and offered lunch.

“Their school food is so much better than our food; they actually have chefs working,” said junior Glenn Kugelman.

After the “official” welcome, the school day was over and the American students were free to go home and spend the weekend with their host students.

Some students had the pleasure to travel during the weekend, going as far as Bern, the capital of Switzerland and Rome, Italy.

On Monday, students arrived at school bright and early to start sightseeing. At first, the students went on a walking tour of the town where the Swiss hosts lived, followed by free time to shop and eat.

During the afternoon, the students were given the opportunity to tour the historic Kyburg Castle.

Tuesday was the day the students were able to see the Rhein falls. Students walked along the sight seeing paths taking many pictures with the falls as the background.

“One of my favorite students was traveling with the students, we had a lot of fun touring the cities and meeting the other [Swiss] students in their school and how they interact. I feel our students truly experienced the culture,” said Ms. Suroweic.

The Americans were set to attend school all day Wednesday. The Swiss hosts were all in the same classes, so the Americans weren’t separated. Our students attended classes such as Biology, Literature, and Calculus. This was also the day where the Principal of Kantonsshule Im Lee gave the students a fond farewell as well as a small gift. Each student received a Swiss army knife that was in the form of a credit card.

On Thursday, the American students, accompanied by their Swiss friends, traveled to Zurich where they went sightseeing around the town and finished up their last minute souvenir shopping.

That Friday marked the day of departure back to the United States. Our travelers had a connecting flight in Frankfurt, Germany before reaching there much wanted homes here in the United States. With each student’s family waiting and the crowd giving our students a round of applause as they exited the customs area. Each student couldn’t help but agree that this trip was anything but unforgettable.

Brightening Futures

Angela Salmos — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:19:29 +0000

Was it your teacher who asked you, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Was it your Aunt? Was it your mom or dad? Is it possible that you still don’t know what you want to do? What if a friendly dragon came by and asked you now? On March 16th our school held a Career Day conference for the first time. Many successful people came out to talk about the importance of hard work, success, and dedication.

Professionally dressed students came – wide-eyed – into their transformed classrooms and school offices to hear from an impressive variety of adults, working in an equally varied number of fields.

“Career Day really opened my mind to what I want to be when I get older,” said junior Samantha DiMarco, who wasn’t alone in heralding the event’s successes. “I didn’t expect to see enthusiasm from our junior and senior students. From hats to heels and dresses to jackets, they really went all out and it made us all very proud,” said Parent Coordinator Annette Lentini.

Students were able to sample life and professional lessons from a dizzying array of presenters from entertainment executives to world renown chefs. Some student favorites included freelance multi-lingual translator, Jisu Kim, CFO Matt Signore from Warner Music Group, and Financial Planner John Ross.

Everyone wants to be successful when they get older, and good grades are a big part of achieving that goal. Many jobs today need more than a college diploma. Many seek out students who are doing significant post graduate work.

“At this age students usually don’t care or don’t know what they want to be at the moment, but when you get older you have to keep in mind to love your job,” said John Ross an Agency Sales Director, Financial Planner.

Overall, the day was a real outside-the-box learning experience for everyone, and a real boon for our school.

Swing, Batter Batter, SWING!

Rosa Carucci — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:31:32 +0000

The CSI/McCown varsity softball season has officially ended and just like the bases, the girls were loaded with excitement.

Despite the 14-1 losing streak during the ‘08 softball season, the girls worked hard this season to show what they are really made of.

“I feel we have a strong young team, and we play more experienced teams, but we came together and became closer than friends, which helps make a stronger team,” said freshmen outfielder Jamie Lepard.

With impeccable comradery, the girls have made an enormous comeback this year. Heading into the playoffs, the Dragons were tied for 4th place, out of eight Staten Island public schools, with nine wins and eight losses .

On April 27th, the Dragons put up a fight against the Tottenville Pirates.

Although the Pirates scored two runs in the first inning, the Dragons didn’t give up. Antoinette Galbo ripped an RBI triple in the third inning to get the girls on the move for an 8-2 trail after Tottenville. Although Galbo’s hit got the girls going, they lost 18-2.

With a loss on their shoulders the Dragons still gave it their all in their next game against MSIT.

Third basemen, junior Briana Kohm hit a blast over the left field fence for a three run homer. Unfortunately, the girls still walked away with a loss. But the girls didn’t stop there.

The Dragons gave Tottenville another run for their money. However, this plan back fired when the girls h a experineced a tragic loss with a score of 9-0 in their second game against Tottenville.

“Not that the team is lacking in either, but defense is always the struggle because I believe defense is the most important part of the game. Defense wins games. When your opponent can’t score, you can’t lose. We will face a variety of good pitchers, and I believe our offense will score runs, but the challenge, I believe, is always making the right plays and shutting down the other Staten Island teams,” stated coach Rosario Miano.

After hitting a little speed bump in their defense, the girls put on their game faces in their game against Petrides on May 5th. The Dragons exhaled fire for an outstanding victory over the Panthers, 20-0.

“This entire year has been such huge improvement, and our team spirit is so strong, especially since we’re looking at a spot in the playoffs.

The 20-0 victory over Petrides is just one game, but it shows how powerful we can be in the field and on the bench supporting each other and working towards our goals,” explained Captain Kristina Sanzone.

After several rainy days, the girls were back in action on May 8th against New Dorp. New Dorp scored three runs in the first inning. Although there were still 6 innings left, that’s all New Dorp Needed. The Dragons lost 3-1.

Picking themselves up from another downfall, the girls walked away with stunning victories their next two games against Petrides 18-6 and New Utrecht 20-16.

Next, two more losses against Port Richmond, and it was time for the biggest game of the season, the game that would determine the future of the team.

After all the anticipation, it seemed that Captain Sazone knew what her team was capable of doing.

Scoring an amazing nine runs, the girls went on to defeat Curtis 12-11 and advance into the playoffs, their first ever.

“I believe the difference in any game, especially when we play these tough Staten Island teams is making plays. The teams that win this time of the year are the teams that believe they can make plays, and then get on the field and get it done. I believe that we’ll make those plays,” continued Mr. Miano.

On May 28th, the Dragons versed Stuyvesant High School in their first ‘09 playoff game.

The girls started off with a fantastic lead in the first inning, scoring 2 runs against Stuyvesant. The mood in the air was intense, as the girls didn’t allow Stuyvesant to score a run until the third inning.

Putting the ball to the barrel, short stop Antoinette Galbo, captain and pitcher Corinne Fairlie and third baseman Briana Kohm all hit triples, giving the Dragons an astonishing victory with a score of 10-5.

In the second round of playoffs, the Dragons made their way to Brooklyn to play James Madison High School.

Holding the second seeded team until the fifth inning 0-0, the game ended with a 11-0 win for Madison.

Although the girls lost, they made hitory by being the first CSI/McCown team to make it to playoffs

Hopefully next season, the team will take the title as New York City Champions.

The Dragons continue to put their best claw forward in climbing the ladder to being one of the best teams on Staten Island.

Girl’s Basketball Shuns Shutout Season

Matthew Prevosti — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:27:21 +0000

The Dragon’s lair was once again filled to capacity for one of the final girls’ varsity basketball games against the rival, Raiders of Port Richmond High School. Much like the rest of the girls’ games there were both positives and negatives.

As a young team this season was as positive as it could be. All freshman and sophomores with the exception of one senior, and one junior the Lady Dragons’ are the youngest varsity team on the Island and are a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

The girls’ finished the season with a record of 1-11-0 and played exceptionally hard in all of their games. Senior, Briana Kohm, was a key player in the girls success this year, not only on the scoreboard, but with her varsity playing experience as a source of advice for many of the girls’ .

“Being the only senior, I was able to offer knowledge to the team, while gaining knowledge from the team as well,” said Kohm.

One of the sound traits of the Lady Dragons was their phenomenal defense. When the girls faced Petrides, one of the best shooting teams on the Island, they held them to only 52 points as the Panthers average 66 points per game and a high score of 75. The girls lost by eight in their efforts against Petrides but gained more than any win could on their season record, it gained them the knowledge and experience of playing sound team defense and the outcome and power of what it can do.

Likewise, on January 11, the girls’ versed New Dorp for the second time this season and made drastic improvements on the scoreboard. With great offense the girls’ were able to place their second highest score total at 38 points and keep the point spread at 21.

Yet, on January 21, the girls were determined to get their first win of the season. As soon as the Raiders stepped into the gym, the Lady Dragons’ knew it was time for business.

With a blow out first quarter at 11-5 in favor of the Dragons, the girls’ showed more heart and attentiveness then they did the whole season.

Sophomore Jennifer Carullo paired with Erin Kohm to make four three point shots in the first half. Freshmen Taylor Briggs and Danielle Kearney of McCown paired for six quick 2nd quarter points, which led the Dragons Briana Kohm to a quick 4 point 4 rebound surge late in the 2nd.

Sophomore Erin Kohm led the Dragons at half with 11 points, as the Dragons were up 25-16. The Dragons cruised through the rest of the night to win with a final score of 48-44.

The Lady Dragons’ will all return next year for another season of play with the exception of one player, Briana Kohm. Unlike every other team on the Island, the Dragons will have had a season to “themselves” and will return with a better, smarter team next season.

“My girls are working hard each and every day. We are getting better as a team, and we are looking forward to making a name for ourselves in the near future,” said Coach Nicole Stefanski.

iPhone Answers The Call Of Duty

Tyler Leung — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:24:21 +0000

Wikipedia
The iPhone 3GS

At the height of WWII, an American soldier trapped within a shabby German bunker is being swarmed by waves of Nazi zombies. The only thing that stands in the way of him and death are his upgradeable weapons and military skill.

In an unanticipated move by Activision, a new app called Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies is now available for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.

Further aiding the Call of Duty game franchise with its already popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this epic game of survival has since topped the charts in popularity and revenue according to the iTunes store charts, and has well-earned the admiration of millions worldwide.

The great variety of weapons, such as the shotgun, flamethrower, and machine guns, are bought with the points you accumulate after killing a zombie.

Also, there are the thirty-second lasting bonus pickups that, if you are able to earn, will help with your zombie onslaught, such as the “Insta-kill” and “Nuke.”

One of the greatest features this app includes is multiplayer via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to play with or against someone around the world, or your friend who is sitting close by.

“On behalf of Activision, we’d like to think that our goal was to draw in players, not only those who have Xbox 360s or Playstation 3s, but from the iPhone perspective as well,” said Activision employee Desmond Farnsworth. “We also believe the success of this App comes from the popularity of the other Call of Duty games, especially the newly released Modern Warfare 2.”

The originality of this app makes it live up to its value, but with all these great elements in Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies, there is however, one flaw.

Activision has included only one map within the game – only one level, one battlefield to play on, called “Nacht der Untoten,” German for “Night of the Undead.”

The iconic bunker setting becomes repetitive after continuous play, but still provides the thrill of the addictive video gaming intended for their players.

According to the Call of Duty website, Activision plans to make more maps with an add-on purchase for The Zombie Asylum, Verrückt, in the near future.

“I thought this was a great app. The buttons are conveniently placed and responsive, but the makers of this game really need to release new maps soon because some variety would be nice,” said sophomore Andrew Shed.

It is strongly suggested that this game is only for people mature enough to handle scenes of blood and gore, intense violence and language. Much like several other Call of Duty games, the $9.99 World at War: Zombies game is well worth the buy.

Save The Environment, But Be Late For Work

Greg Kolesnikov — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:23:41 +0000

Today life seems impossible without a car. It is impressive how fast cars become an integral part of one’s daily routine.

“So far, for over a hundred years of active car use, all the waste that cars produce has left irreversible damage to our ecosystem. Also the pollution, from vehicles with systems of internal combustion, is one of the causes of global warming. Until engineers find greener alternatives to gas cars, our ecosystem will be slowly dying,” said Tony Kreindler, media director for climate in Environmental Defense Fund.

Such an alternative was already found, fully electric cars, but currently there are only a few brands on the market, and almost all of them are not available to average citizens because of the price. Some, such as the Tesla Roadster, are expensive as world famous sport cars.

But, closer to the end of next year more affordable electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt will be released.

“Nissan Leaf is expected to cost between $20,000 to $25,000,” said David Kay, one of the Nissan Leaf testers.

The main difference between electric and gas cars, is that electric cars have 0% emission, meaning that there is no production of pollutants. Because there is no emission, there is less damage to the environment.

“Electric cars seek to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by relying on electricity instead of burning gasoline. Electric motors create magnetic fields that spin a rotor which in turn rotates the axle of the car, causing motion. All of this is done without any emission of CO2. Fewer CO2 emissions means fewer greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” said Kreindler.

One of the drawbacks of electric cars is that electric motors, that are used in electric cars, are not able to bring the same power as those in gas engines.

Although electric cars are slow, they can reach the speed within speed limits of 40 miles per hour.

“World’s Quickest & Fastest Street Legal Electric Door Slammer can go up to 114 miles per hour,” said John Wayland, owner of the fastest electric car.

Another problem that owners of electric cars can face is lack of places to charge the cars.

“When electric cars will occupy the main part of the car market, a charging station will be available on every corner,” said Kay. “It takes eight hours to fully charge the car, and the car can drive only a hundred miles on full battery.”

Electric cars, the greenest motor vehicles, are supposed to save our ecosystem. There is still a lot of work to do to switch from gas cars to electric. So the future is close, but still not here.

Sophomores Get to Know Health

Celeste Chow and Jamie Miller — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:23:00 +0000

Here at our school bake sales and junk food are forbidden for health reasons but yet students are not taught healthy eating habits. Health class is not taught here or at many New York City schools.

Since health class is not offered, the SPARK, Ms. Hattie Slaughter, at our school decided to incorporates health into advisory. SPARK is a program that offers individual and group assistance on positive alternatives. Even though Ms. Slaughter teaches the sophomore advisories with regular health lessons, it is not the same as having an actual health class.

According the Department of Education, health class is not mandated for students to take as a specific class, which is why we learn health class through advisory.

Health class should be mandated to take because having health class through other classes is not always beneficial. By not having a specific class dedicated to health it is not guaranteed that you will have a health lesson everyday and it is important for students to learn about health.

“Health class is to inform students on their mental and physical health and to teach good eating and exercise habits. It is also to teach the importance of health. By teaching health poor nutrition, and drug and alcohol awareness are prevented,” said Ms. Slaughter.

According to Ms Pastena only one health credit is required to graduate, so the lessons that would be taught in a traditional health class are taught throughout the four years of advisory.

“Learning about health class in advisory is important because we get to learn about how to live a longer healthy life and the bad effects of drugs,” said sophomore Ashley Heyne.

Ms. Slaughter is not always available to teach health lessons, which is why health should be part of our curriculum. Without a health class students don’t learn proper things they need to know for their everyday teen life.

The few Advisors who are teaching about health are helping their students to become more aware of their bodies. Ms. Orlando’s advisory is currently focusing on alcoholism and drug abuse.

“I think it’s important for students to learn about health because it helps them become aware of their bodies, as well as the poor influences in society,” said English teacher Melissa Orlando.

According to Ms. Pepe, health is an important subject that covers everything from nutrition to issues that teens face in today. It may help students to talk about topics that they may not be able to discuss with their parents or friends. It also can help in knowing the facts on certain subjects instead of guessing.

A Whole New Community

Steven Birch and Tirath Singh — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:22:27 +0000

January was a busy month for our school’s music department. The music department under the direction of music teacher Melissa Packowski and the ambition of the students were tested when the school held its second annual Winter Concert on January 14 and followed it quickly with a community Drum Circle on January 15. Based on the responses from participants, both events were clear successes.

Guitars, drums, and a few more international instruments combined to open the second Holiday Concert with a bang. With proceeds going to Haiti, students and faculty filled the auditorium with joy. The performers breezed though the concert with seeming ease while the audience bobbed their heads in tune to the beautifully arranged music.

The highlight of the night was the Winter Wonder Rap. Screaming students were ecstatic when freshman Leo Krkuti rapped in tune with the instrumental music played by the remainder of music students.

“In guitar, we practiced real hard on the Winter Rap and I was happy with how it went,” said freshman Calissa Mc Cue.

Closing the second annual Winter Concert was an inspirational story, Christmas Eve Sarajevo. Narrator freshman Victoria Manzo led the audience through the story with a passionate voice as music accompanied her.

The audience left not only with an earful of good music and a great performance but also with the pride of knowing that they had a chance to help out Haitians who were devastated by the earthquake by dropping money into the upside-down drum just outside the auditorium doors. Overall, $250 was collected for Haiti.

“I felt great donating because knowing a dollar or two can help someone in need was the best part of attending the Concert. I think the performers were great and have wonderful talents,” said sophomore Gilana Levin.

Preparations for both events began in the beginning of the first semester. For the freshmen students in the music classes, a five month deadline for an anticipated perfect concert was difficult despite the amazing result.

” It turned out being an awesome concert even though we had such little time to prepare. It was very good, and the crowd loved it,” said freshman Samantha Escobedo.

Of course, Mrs. Packowski had her hands full juggling two events.Only one day after the Winter Concert, H Block music students participated in a community Drum Circle with special needs students from PS 37R.

A Drum Circle is just a simple gathering of two communities who intend to share music and play together. Our school hoped to share its unique international music and instruments with students from another school community.

The Drum Circle began with students from the visiting school listening to an introduction about drums by doing a drum roll. Junior Caileen Gonzalez broke the silence by playing a classic game of Simon Says with the kids. Who doesn’t love Simon? Afterwards, the kids had a chance to play a beat on the conga, a Cuban drum, according to the number of syllables in their name.

“I loved the Drum Circle,” said visiting student Christopher V.

The drum circle wasn’t only for students but for the participating adults as well. The teachers from PS 37R appeared to have a blast playing the drums with everyone.

“I think it was a wonderful introduction. My students loved it. I can’t wait to do it again,” said teacher Darlene Bowman Archer.

Along with the teachers and students, the H block students also enjoyed working with everyone and teaching them how to play drums.

“It was a great experience. I enjoyed it very much because I love little kids,” said senior Brittany Llorca.

The entire Drum Circle was a success, though of course it had to conclude with a even greater bang. H Block students began to play a familiar song, The Lion Sleep Tonight, on their instruments as the visitors clapped in tune. Aisha Musa sang while everyone else clapped and played their instruments.

“I liked the song at the end, The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” said visiting students Joshua M.

Later, the H Block students shared cupcakes with their guests as they said their good-byes.

The community drum circle that took place on January 15, 2010 was a complete success and went as planned. Now, Mrs. Packowski is awaiting the next one to yet arrive.

“I think it went very well. It was a first time experience for the facilitators to work with students close to their age outside of this school. I think it’s wonderful that we can reach out to our community and bring them this rare and rewarding experience,” said Mrs. Packowski. “The Staten Island community at large will have an opportunity to participate in a community drum circle offered in late February.”

As the music department grows and established itself within our small yet mighty community, we can expect many more opportunities and events at school. For now, we give you all a big thumbs- up!