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.

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“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.

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Playing a slideshow, Mr. Grashow, guest speaker and founder, with his wife Sheri Saltzberg, of the U.S. Africa Children’s Fellowship, spoke about the hardships children, teenagers, and even parents go through in the small town of Nkayi Zimbabwe in Africa where the Dakamela School, our sister school, is located.

“With no money to support themselves, it’s our chance to make a difference,” Mr. Grahow.

The Dakemela School fundraising program started five years ago when the Kaplan Advisory, under the leadership of graduate Liana Inzerillo, decided to help the less fortunate while earning the required 120 hours of community service credit necessary to graduate.

“ I have spent many years trying to make this program continue to be a success because of merely seeing these children’s faces every time we visit and bring them goods. The smiles, excitement and purity in their hearts makes what I do continue to happen. When thinking about what little they have and how they act upon it, still being happy, it makes them deserve the work we put into everything. They deserve just as much as we do,” said Mr. Grashow.

Raising money to certify teachers as well as provide children with shoes and notebooks tad easier, students in the Kaplan Advisory and others in the school who have helped have continued and will continue to make a difference.

Currently, the entire sophomore class, under Physical Education teacher Ms. Carmella Pepe, will be involved in supporting the Dakamela School.

“The importance of students to realize the value of helping others is in dire need these days. Students in this generation have only looked at what they want to have and what others have when they should be aware that people everywhere suffer each and everyday. The sophomore advisories have agreed to lend a helping hand to those in need to prove that help can come from anyone who wants to be able to make a difference,” said Mrs. Pepe.

Not only was collecting materials the main strategy of the Kaplan Advisory, but students also collected money last year to certify a teacher at the Dakamela School.

“No matter what education brings to a person, the importance of helping others is a true heart warming experience. Being able to give students like myself the chance to learn and have a better life truly moved me as well as other classmates of mine. I hope that the new sophomore advisories continue to feel the way I did when I helped out as much as I could,” said graduate Liana Inzerillo.

Mr. Grashow, his wife and son Alexander Grashow travel to Africa each year to meet the cargo container and visit the schools they support. Four years ago, the Kaplan Advisory decided to help the Grashow family and began by collecting shoes, clothes, and helped to load the cargo container bound for Zimbabwe.

The partnership will, hopefully, continue and expand, helping students in Zimbabwe and in our school, become involved in community service.

“Its really important not just for the school to receive credit with the amount of whatever is donated, but it’s mostly about the lives of the children. We are lucky to be able to have everything we need, why shouldn’t they be given the same opportunity?” said sophomore Emily Funes.

Knowing pens, pencils, money, clothing, food, and other supplies can be donated to the school and their students has made the word ‘hope’ truly known and meaningful to the sophomores.

“Without the proper necessities these students and adults have very little. With no money there is no schooling or certified teachers, with no shoes students can’t get to school on time, with no school supplies they aren’t allowed in, and without uniforms students aren’t admitted to school. The biggest problem now is the inflation in Zimbabwe because of political instability, which makes the economy weak. People are going through rough times, and it’s our job to help make things easier,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

The current sophomore advisories have agreed to make a plan and with the help of their friends and families, the students of Zimbabwe will continue to be successful.

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As of January 31st, one of our schools founding teachers, Mrs. Nancy Kaplan will be taking a study sabbatical leave for one semester and will return in September of 2010.

Teachers that have taught for seven consecutive years are eligible for a sabbatical leave. During study sabbatical, teachers chose to return to a college or university and take graduate level classes in their licensed subject. They must take eight credits, and the teachers have to pay for their own courses. The Department of Education must approve of these classes before they are taken, and while on the leave, teachers on receive 70 percent of their pay.

“I’m taking a sabbatical so I can recharge my batteries and teach for many more years before I retire,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

Mrs. Kaplan will be attending Brooklyn College where she will be take three classes: Comparative Ethnic Literature, The Short Story, and Faulkner.

“I wanted to take journalism classes, but my sabbatical might not have been approved since my teaching license is English and History. I hope to sit in on some journalism classes at Brooklyn College, though,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

If the course work a teacher applies for is not rigorous enough or if they teach in a shortage area, they can be denied sabbatical leave.

Normally, when the teacher contract is renegotiated, sabbatical leaves are always discussed.

The NYC DOE would like to omit sabbatical leaves from the teacher contract. However, the United Federation of Teachers is always supporting sabbaticals.

“The DOE wants to remove sabbatical leaves to save money, but it’s not going to happen in the future,” said UFT representative Jim Sherlock.

Although she will be busy with her schoolwork at Brooklyn College, Mrs. Kaplan still plans to help her students and the newspaper whenever she is available.

“I’m only over the bridge and an email or a phone call away if The Insider staff and my students need me,” continued Kaplan.

“I know that along with me, the entire staff and faculty wish Mrs. Kaplan a wonderful and productive sabbatical. We will all miss her, her creativity, her passion, and her dedication to our students and our school, and look forward to her return,” said Principal Ms. Aimee Horowitz.

Also making her leave easier is the recent grant Mrs. Kaplan won. Mrs. Kaplan is the 2010 Middle Atlantic States Region winner of the Bob Costas Award for the Teaching of Writing given by the College Board every year.

“It’s a relief knowing the journalism fund will have plenty of money this year and next,” said Mrs. Kaplan.

Temporarily replacing her will be Mr. Frank Duffy. Mr. Duffy will be teaching Ms. Kaplan’s English classes as well as running the school newspaper.

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Students on Ice (SOI), which has given Antarctica this title, is an organization that organizes educational expeditions for students each year to the Arctic and Antarctic.

“The expedition’s education program has three main goals. The first goal is to promote learning about polar fundamentals. The second goal is to engage people to consider environmental problems and solutions. The third goal is to encourage everyone to take responsibility, join generation G, and make change,” said Tim Straka, Education Director of SOI.

Our expedition to Antarctica included not only 65 students from around the world, but also a group of 25 SOI staff, veteran Antarctic researchers, journalists, and the ship crew. All of these people were happy to tell the students everything they knew and share their experiences, while the setting of their stories lay right outside the ship’s window.

The first days onboard weren’t too great. When the ship’s lounge was filled with people seasick, napping near trash-cans, moaning, and cursing the ocean, we knew we were crossing the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic continent. Geologist Fred Roots attempted to distract us by telling us all about the land around us, and the sea that covered it up. He explained that the currents circled Antarctica clockwise and were then squeezed between South America and Antarctica, forming the infamous Drake Passage. Later, the students and staff walked the decks with barf bags in their hands all while pointing to a distant, exclaiming ‘breaching whale, over there!’

“I got the pictures of the humpback whales jumping out of the water all three times, this must be pretty rare. I am lucky I had my camera with me at the right moment,” said Chicago SOI participant Alex Brewer.

The Antarctic ornithologist Santiago Imberti pointed to penguins, discussing their mating habits, life spans, biology, and even the color of their poop. All the while, we were surrounded by thousands of the penguins on a tiny Antarctic Island. Completely unafraid of humans, they wobbled along in a straight line until they reached a cliff to the shore. They stood around for a long while until one impatient penguin shoved another into the dangerous waters. Then, the rest followed.

The polar expert Olle Carlsson explained why the penguins were so hesitant in their dives into the water, the leopard seal. The leopard seal would, if successful in its hunt, play a game of cat- and- mouse with the penguin. We crossed our fingers that no such seal would appear in the water, yet we oooh-ed and aaah-ed when we saw an adorable elephant seal sleeping on shore and scratching its belly and back. This scratching, Carlsson explained, was called molting, the shedding of skin, and we sympathized with the seal. At another island, we even saw seven of them piled between two rocks, portraying their liking for body contact. The cold ice beneath them did not seem to bother them, despite their lack of fur or feathers.

“Isn’t that amazing,” Carlsson always said in his Swedish accent after mentioning a strange fact about Antarctic wildlife.

Explorer David Fletcher planned a hike at 5:30 in the morning to the top of a steep glacier. We took two steps forward and one step back as our rain boots slid on the slippery slope or were stuck in the ice, but we made it to the top feeling a sense of victory and accomplishment. Later, after a good breakfast, we did it over again on another glacier and took ice core samples that have existed for as long as half a century. Fletcher explained just how valuable such research was and how these samples were artifacts of the past, air, weather, and even wildlife.

We took some deep breaths, and then we slid down the glacier. A half hour hike concluded with a 20 second slide. Students didn’t hesitate to climb back up only to slide down one more time. Everyone got to his or her feet slowly after the slides ended, checking for any holes in pants from the slide, and there were plenty to find. This activity was obviously fun, but by sliding down we gathered an understanding of ice texture, glacier steepness, and much more.

“My pant pocket came right off, but I didn’t care. The slide was worth it,” said Palestinian SOI participant Zayne Abudagga.

This type of constructive learning is perhaps one of the most effective ways to relish an education mainly because it involves all of the human senses. Students can truly experience and absorb their learning this way, even if it means sentencing themselves to a distinct penguin smell for weeks. And that is exactly what many of the 65 students admitted happened during the expedition.

We were chosen as ambassadors from Staten Island to experience Antarctica and share our experiences when we returned. We learned many things about penguins, seals, geography, history, and the Poles. We also learned that nothing is as educational as experience itself.

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Three restaurants that are sure to make all couples fall in love are Buddha Lounge, Angelina’s, and Bistro. All located here on Staten Island, these three locations were chosen because of their food, atmosphere and elegance.

Buddha Lounge is filled with romantic and exotic décor. The lighting is dim and the seating is comfortable, but to make it more romantic, there is a balcony for you and your lover to sit under the stars and eat your meals. This Japanese restaurant has a Manhattan feel and a fun atmosphere for everyone.

“The atmosphere was very nice. It was a nice change in pace from what’s normally on Staten Island,” said Mathematics teacher Ms. Lillliana Vendra.

Along with many delicious meals, fresh sushi is one of the top choices on the menu, but this Valentine’s Day there is a special four course meal you are sure to enjoy. Since most entrées start at around $25, if you are looking for a nice fancy, expensive experience this is definitely the restaurant for you. Located at 2945 Veterans Rd. in West Charleston Buddha Lounge has both the atmosphere and food to set the mood.

If you don’t want sushi, Bistro, an Italian style restaurant might be the place. The restaurant sets the mood for couples looking to take a load off their feet and relax. Soft coloring of the walls, a beautiful setting, and a candle light dinner makes this restaurant special and romantic.

“The way we cater is special and romantic. We have dancing, corner tables away from others, and entertainment. We also have a special band playing romantic music for Valentines Day and a special menu,” said owner Anthony Figuccio.

This restaurant is always a full house on Valentine’s Day, and a good reason may be the specialty dish, lobster. With their special A La Carte menu for Valentine’s Day entrée prices usually start at about $21. Located at 2561 Hylan Blvd. this restaurant will be sure to start some sparks.

The third restaurant, Angelina’s, has an extraordinary ambiance, wonderful atmosphere and live music. The most romantic part of this restaurant is that it’s right on the water and is a perfect spot to watch the sunset with your loved one. This vivacious restaurant has a special four course meal Valentine’s Day special which includes veal chop risotto with porcini mushrooms for $59. Angelina’s is located at 399 Ellis Street and is an outstanding spot for you and your date to enjoy some peaceful romance.

“Angelina’s is a fun place infused with exceptional food,” said owner Angelina.

We all want this Valentine’s Day to be special for the ones we love, so why not take them to one of these special places.

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According tohttp://www.novareinna.com, the custom on Valentines Day in Denmark isto be humorous and have fun. Danish men give females a valentine letter known as gaekkebrev (or “joking letter”) The sender of this gaekkebrev writes a poem but does not sign his/her name. Instead, he signs the message with dots, one dot for each letter in his name. If the lady who receives the card guesses the name of the sender, then she is rewarded with an Easter egg later on that year.

According to www.everythingvalentinesday.com, Scotland celebrates a Valentine’s Day festival. At the festival, an equal number of men and women’s write their made up names on paper and fold it half, and put them into two separate hats.The men choose from the women hat, and the women choose from the men’s hat. If the names that were drawn don’t match, then the male is matched with the woman who chose his name. The ladies pin the name of their partner over their heart or on their sleeves. Later, there’s a dance where everyone meets up and they celebrate with their partners.

In France , a custom known as “drawing for” once occurred because later on becomes banned. According to, http://www.novareinna.com unmarried individuals would go into houses facing each other and begin calling out across from one window to another, matching up with the chosen partner. If the young man failed to be interested with his valentine, he would leave her. Later, a bonfire will be lit where the ladies could burn images of the ungrateful partner and say bad things while the picture burns. This ritual was eventually banned by the French government because people would abuse one another. Today, the French exchange greeting cards known as cartes d’amities, which contain heartfelt messages.

In China, Valentine’s Day is celebrated somewhat like it is in the U.S. “Gentlemen purchase flowers for the ladies,” said Geometry teacher Ms. Anney Li. In Chinese high schools, flowers are sold and they are distributed to the classrooms, like we do at our school. Restaurants are definitely places that older couples go to, to eat on Valentine’s Day. Many different countries celebrate Valentine’s Day. Whether it’s going out to eat, celebrating a festival, or watching pictures of ungrateful men burn in fire, like in France. “I personally like Valentine’s day because I think it’s nice to feel special on that day, to know you are loved by someone else,” said junior Marisch Perera. Valentine’s Day should be celebrated with the ones you love, and in a unique way.

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Sonia Rykiel, the “Queen of Knits,” began designing in 1962 when she was pregnant and unable to find any soft sweaters. Rykiel, who recently made an appearance on NYCTV’s, Video Fashion Daily, explained how her knitted approach is both fresh and elegant. Her style is depicted throughout her numerous embellished studded and sequin belts, wrapped over tailored knitted cardigans and dresses.

According to The Fashion Book, published by Phaidon Book Company, Rykiel states how she loves knit because it is “very magical, and sophisticated enough for the evening.” A shimmering Sonia Rykiel dress was worn by Kate Bosworth at the Grand Palais in Paris, celebrating Rykiel’s new lingerie collection for H&M. February 20, 2010, will mark the release of a second collection featuring an iconic knitwear collection for women and girls as well as playful accessories. After all, frivolity is a major theme this season. According to Nathalie Rykiel, president and artistic director of Sonia Rykiel, “The world is tough and you just have to have fun. Play around with your clothes in a way that’s different.”

Bright stripes, colorful scarves, 70’s style frizzy hair, and neon heels are also crucial to this coming season. According to style.com, Rykiel also hit the current idea of the big soft fun fur as a huge bubble of color; in her case, baby pink, purple knitted fox or teal-blue Mongolian lamb. During Paris Fashion Week, Sonia Rykiel showed her own collection for next spring.

There, she displayed gorgeous ruffled dresses in vintage floral and polka dot prints. By the time three models vamped their way down the elevated runway in metallic silver-and-black striped sweaters and skirts, it was inevitable that this seasons clothing was boisterous yet couture. Rykiel’s smocked dresses had a 70’s vibe, while crystal-strewn knit dresses mirrored the embellishment on her popular Domino bag. The seasons slogan read garçon manqué, which means tomboy, which was inspired by Rykiel’s tree climbing youth.

“Sonia Rykiel’s dresses are unique, but some girls are able to pull off her designs better than others,”said junior Danielle Ianazzi.

However, Ennio Capasa, the “mix of couture and the street,” is very different from Rykiel. His elegance is depicted throughout his use of toned down colors and sheer fabrics. His moment in fashion is used to open minds, and create fashion diversity in the future. According to Capasa, “Open backs, royal blue and black, and the mixture of dresses and high boots” is very important to him. Ennio Capasa is the creator of Costume National, the Italian fashion house he founded in 1986. He is now an internationally renowned designer label, famous for his subtle shapes, dark tones and sartorial detail.

“Capasa and Rykiel are both very different, but they both have a style in which I enjoy. I would wear Sonia Rykiel if I were going to a party or a club, but I would wear Capasa if I were going to a white tie affair, or an elegant event,” said senior Samantha Wong.

Both elegance and fun are essential to the fashion industry. So remember ladies, peace, love, Sonia Rykiel and Ennio Capasa.

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If you rode the New York City Subway on January 10, 2010, you probably experienced an unusual holiday. For the past nine years, January 10 has been declared No Pants Day by the comedy troupe Improv Everywhere.

The idea of No Pants Day is for thousands of New Yorkers to ride the subway in their underwear and act as if nothing is unusual. The reactions from fellow riders are priceless.

The event began at 3:00 pm at six meeting points through out the city, Foley Square and Central Park in Manhattan; Prospect Park and Bushwick in Brooklyn, and Flushing Meadows Corona Park and Astoria in Queens. The participants were then split up into groups by their birthday and the last digit of their cell phone number to be assigned their route and the car they would be riding in.

“We used 10 subway lines spread out all over the city, though sadly we didn’t use Staten Island as there is no direct subway route. We picked routes that would lead our participants to Union Square in about a half hour’s time,” said Charlie Todd, founder of Improv Everywhere.

All of the routes required a transfer at Times Square and converged on Union Square for a pantsless celebration. The three thousand participants formed conga lines around the park, held break dance competitions, and sang a pantsless rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

The participants flooded the local businesses. Some were on high alert, while others such as Heartland Brewery and Starbucks warmly welcomed the pantless brethren.

The event’s most exciting component was the reactions from fellow passengers.

“I was on the 1 train when two college age boys entered the train at Franklin Street without pants. I thought it was an initiation for a fraternity until two pantless women got on at Houston St. After that, I thought I was losing my mind until somebody told me it was a prank,” said a rider who wishes to be referred to as Denise.

Tourists looked on in awe at the unusual sight. When asked why they were not wearing pants, the participants were instructed to say they simply forgot their pants and they didn’t know why the other participants aren’t wearing pants.

“No Pants is always a fun event for me personally because I enjoy watching the reactions from the New Yorkers we encounter. Even as it gets more popular as the years go by, there are always people seeing it for the first time,” said Todd.

The New York event has grown from seven participants to over 3,000 in this year’s rendition. The No Pants Subway Ride has also become a global holiday, with participants in cities all over the US, as well as in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

While the event began as a prank, it has evolved into a de facto underwear parade. However, the spirit of the event has not been lost. The priceless reactions are what keep the event going.

If you are seeking a memorable experience and a feeling of comradery, think about participating in the 2011 No Pants Subway Ride. Remember, don’t show up if you are not going to take off your pants.

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It’s winter. It’s December. So who would jump into freezing cold water?

It was a Saturday morning, foggy and gray, but that didn’t stop some brave souls of Staten Island from plunging into the ice-cold water at Great Kills Beach.

The Polar Plunge is one of the largest fund-raisers for the Special Olympics.

There are many ways to become involved with the Polar Plunge, but the best way to become involved, is by plunging.

The Polar Plunge allows participants to fund raise for the Special Olympics. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, the Special Olympics is supported worldwide by high school and college students.

The Polar Plunge is an off-season fundraiser for Special Olympics run by the New York Law Enforcement Torch Run Officers.

Though law enforcement personnel coordinate and run the event, it is open to the public, and anyone willing to support a cause.

According to firstgiving.com, the Polar Plunge is part of the dedication to helping children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families.

“Attending the polar plunge was definitely worth it because it was for a good cause. I would definitely volunteer again, and hope to go to the plunge again next year,” said senior Angela Matrone

December 5th marked the date of this year’s plunge. Our schools team, the CSI Dragons, helped raise money for the plunge and with the minimum of $100, received an official plunge sweatshirt. Registration began at 9:00 AM, and the plunge started at noon.

The Barret and Miano Advisories teamed up to sell Polar Plunge wrist bands, and spread the word about the plunge. Both Barrett and Miano attended the plunge, and jumped into the chilling water.

“I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when the plunge started. I kept telling myself jumping in the freezing cold water was for a good cause. Unfortunately, my toes were numb for about thirty minutes after,” said Mr. Barrett.

The Polar Bear Plunge is not just for the Special Olympics, but it also benefits participants who earn community service hours while swimming in the icy water.

“Last year’s plunge was so much colder, and I am really thankful it wasn’t as cold this year. Our school had a really great volunteer turnout, and I hope to continue volunteering with the Polar Plunge staff,” said senior Alexandra Crimmins, who first brought the idea of this fund raising event to our school last year.

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