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.

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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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Not even a month after the New Year has started people have already broken or just plain given up on their resolutions. According to www.destroydebt.com, statistics show that of the people who keep track of their New Year’s resolutions, about 80 percent of them don’t keep their commitments.

“I’m still cursing, even a little bit more than usual now. I haven’t given up. I’m still working at it. I try my best to keep trying,” said sophomore Charlene.

But it’s only a matter of will power – right?

“I always try and I always give up,” said social studies teacher, Ms. Mangiero who would rather her resolution remain undisclosed. Shaking her head with a sheepish grin, she continued, “I have the best intentions, but that and $2.50 will get me on the train. I never make a plan.” As we continued our conversation, I myself was shocked about what came out of her mouth next.

“Maybe I should make a SMART goal. I should ask Mrs. Emmerson, she’s good at making those.”

Is she serious? Using the SMART goals in real life–she must be kidding! If you think about it though, it might help.

According to http://www.guardian.co.uk, those who made a series of small goals had an average success rate of 35 percent. Those who told their friends about their goal, rewarded themselves after a small step they had made, focused on the benefits, and kept a diary of progress had a success rate of 50 percent.

Even in our school it works.

“My resolution is to make more time to spend with my family. Is it working? Yes,” said Paraprofessional Kathy Ronos. “I’m taking small steps.”

Surprisingly, SMART goals can work. I can hear the groans coming from the readers already, but hear me out. For those lucky enough to not know what a SMART goal is, it’s a goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. SMART goals cover the who, what, when, where, and whys of your goal while also making you ask; what can I measure to check my progress? How can I attain it?

If it sounds incredibly annoying on paper, be sure to know it is incredibly annoying to stick to in real life, but it works. If you want to keep your New Year’s resolution, this is an idea on how to do it. If it’s important to you, then it shouldn’t be a problem to just try it, no? Be sure to remember that slip-ups happen. Don’t give up because you mess up once or twice.

As Charlene says, “Go hard or go home.” So keep trying everyone.

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In a study done by scientists at Imperial College London, evidence was found that electrical fields from televisions, computers, and other everyday electronics can cause illnesses like asthma, influenza, and other respiratory diseases.

“ Tanning can be fatal if the eyes are unprotected. It can cause change in the skin and cause skin cancer,” said Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Giri Dharan.

According to the scientists the electrical fields given off by a great variety of household items, which include televisions, lamps, computers, cookers, and wiring charge tiny particles in the air such as viruses, allergens, bacteria, and extremely toxic pollutants.

Since these particles are so small, they are always in the air, being breathed in constantly. The charge that the particles pick up from nearby electronics makes them stick to the lung tissue and the respiratory tract, causing different infections in the body.

“I believe electronics are a necessary part of life because everyday we rely on electronics to get through our day. Also electronics have performed miracles in the medical field to help those sick become better. Our society has become so dependent on electronics that we need it for everyday life. Without it society will crumble and reduce our civilizations to that of prehistoric life, for example back to the era with cavemen,” said junior Derrick Tam.

Today society has become extremely dependent on electronics, suggesting that society cannot survive without them.

“I think they [electronics] are completely necessary because they come in handy for emergency situations. iPod’s distract people from unpleasant situations, pretending to text helps in awkward situations and cameras record memories. I don’t believe microwaves are necessary because they’re cancerous. Anything you can microwave, you can put in a toaster oven and it’ll taste one hundred times better. The world would stop revolving if Computers were eliminated,” said junior Alessandra Asperti.

Over the past few years, a big concern among people is whether cell phones can cause brain cancer. Many scientists, including Naohito Yamaguchi, have done studies on this theory but more research needs to be done to know for sure. These studies all come to the same conclusion, that there is no evidence that links cell phones to cancer or other health problems.

According to Environment, Health, and Safety Online (EHSO), Naohito led a study in February of 2008 with the Tokyo Women’s Medical University. This study compared the affects of phone use in 322 people diagnosed with brain cancer and 683 healthy people. They came to the conclusion that using a cell phone did not dramatically affect people’s chances of getting brain cancer.

“There’s no practical evidence that electronics are dangerous to people’s health,” said Dr. Giri .

The cell phone controversy will go on for years until scientists have rock solid evidence that there is no link between cell phones and brain cancer. However there are some suggested precautions to take.

Using a headset or speakerphone mode will move the phone and its antenna away from the head. Also the effects of cellular damage are greatest on developing organisms (children), so phones should be kept away from them.

Lastly if in a car, use an external antenna, which will move the source of radiation farther away. These are just several helpful precautions suggested by EHSO.

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It was a Tuesday night in November, cold and chilly, when the Asia Society honored influential couples who have made an impact on the world. This event took place at the 33rd New York Annual Dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan emceed by Asia Society President Vishakha Desai.

“I am globally fluent in fashion,” said special guest Grover from Sesame Street.

According to Grover, partnerships with educators around the world are a necessity because learning and sharing with each other is the most important thing someone can do.

The dinner included interviews by CNN anchor Daljit Dhaliwal, and each of the honored guests, whose achievements and jobs revolve around journalism, diplomacy, education, and public policy.

The honored couples included Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke and Kati Marton, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Deepak S. Parekh and Smita Parekh, Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney, and the Kronos Quartet.
Journalist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn responded passionately when asked about the education and development of women worldwide.

“The remedy to so many of the problems around the world has to do with education. We [Americans] don’t share that same passion for education as Pakistan fundamentalists do, and we sure should,” said Kristof.

“Education can be done in many different ways. Even if a handful [of schools] are taken out, we still need to educate. Education still is the long-term solve, but also important, is the idea of bringing women into the labor force and letting them play productive roles in society. Education isn’t enough, but it’s a good start.”

Kristof and his wife were honored for their contributions to journalism, including their books Thunder from the East and China Wakes, and their efforts in raising awareness about global health, poverty, and gender issues.

This couple influences the world daily with their words.

When asked how students can begin to help the world’s needy besides educating themselves, Sheryl WuDunn said to visit the website halftheskymovement.org because it lists many non-profit organizations that work to help women.
When asked the same question Kristof said, “Take a gap year after high school, before college. It’s more popular but unusual. Go abroad; get outside of your country zone. It can be a life changing perspective.” The Asia society, hosts of the annual dinner, is also a partner with our school.

The Asia Society’s mission is to promote a greater amount of knowledge on global issues in the United States. Their purpose is to bring the Asia and U.S. leaders together to solve important issues including human rights, the status of women, and environmental and global health issues.

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Did you know that one gallon of motor oil can contaminate one million gallons of water? How about the fact that each person in the United States uses 3.8 tons of coal each year? Everyday, without even realizing it, people do something that damages the environment, but more importantly, many don’t seem to care.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the burning of coal releases many pollutants into the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury compounds.

The factories that burn coal are responsible for 59 percent of the sulfur dioxide in the air and 50 percent of the particle pollutants in the United States. So, what can you do to help?

Our own National Honor Society is conducting an environment saving project. Members of NHS are going to fundraise in order to buy acres of land that’s marked for deforestation. This act will reduce carbon emissions.

“Doing an environmentally friendly project is good because it not only helps the environment, but also keeps up with the schools mission statement as well as the mission statement of the National Honor Society,” said NHS member junior Paulina Plata.

It will cost them approximately $30 for every acre of land that NHS wants to save. In order to raise funds, the students will be selling wristbands that say “Tree 50” on them for $2 each, in reference to 350, the parts per million of carbon in the air that the United Nations would like to bring the carbon emissions down to because it is safer for the environment.

“We thought it would be a good idea to do something beneficial not just for our community, but for our world also,” said math teacher and NHS advisor Ms. Ho-Ling Lo.

Small, lightweight portable solar powered chargers are another great way to be more eco-friendly. Almost all portable chargers on the market can be used with cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, video game machines and digital cameras.

“While I don’t think something nominal like a cell phone charger is going to end global warming, it’s certainly a good start. I’d be happy to use a cellular charger that was solar powered. It’s a bonus that they can also help bring down the cost of electricity bills. I hope we soon see solar ‘universal chargers’ that can be power sources for several appliances at once, remotes, MP3 players, phones, etc.,” said history teacher Ms. Bridgette Francis.

Whether you’re harnessing the power of the sun to text and tweet your friends or buying an acre of land, there’s no doubt that saving our planet is extremely important, so we should act now if we want to make a difference later.

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Since indoor track season began, muddy shoes and drenched shirts are a thing of the past for our school. Now, the muddy field of Essex Drive has been replaced with the hardwood floor of the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory, located in Manhattan on 168th Street. There, our indoor track team competes with schools from all five boroughs.

Cross Country offically came to a close last Thursday, December 10, at the Staten Island High School Track and Field Association where freshman MVP awards were given to Angela Guarino and Joseph Rodriguez.  Varsity honors were also given to Shawn Cybulska and Shivanna Duncan.

At the recent indoor meets, new school records were set on December 7th by Diana Estrada who ran the 300 meter in 53.98 seconds.  At another meet on December 11th, Diana Estrada medaled in the girls’freshmen 1000 meter run.

Joseph Rodriguez ran in the boys’divison 300 meter dash in 46.96 seconds and came in a very respectable 29th.

The team’s next meet will be at the Armory on December 26th.

“We’re training just as hard as we did for cross country, but I’m more excited to try shotput events this season,” said sophomore Samantha Bruno.

The indoor season is on, so let the races begin.

Wrestling

The boys are starting off their season well, but many fans know that they have more potential than they are showing.

On Thanksgiving Eve the boys went up against Bard High School and won 82-45. The top shooter of the game was sophomore Christopher Frank, scoring a total of 22 points.

The second game of the season was against Port Richmond where the boys gave it their best, but in the end were defeated 61-36.

The boys third game of the season on December 6th was against Curtis; the boys lost 77-29. Newcomer Quamaine Tomlin put 10 points on the board, while veteran Jamier Archer battled to add seven points to Quamaine’s efforts.

The boys fourth game took place at New Dorp High school. They lost 71-59 despite an outstanding effort. Quamaine Tomlin led with a total of 23 points.

The boys fifth game took place on our home court against MSIT. The boys caught up in the second period with a score of 37-32, but their efforts fell short. Jamier Archer was the top scorer with 19 points in the 87-61 loss.

The boys won their sixth game against Petrides in overtime 56-48.

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Back in the 1850s, Abraham Lincoln was beginning his presidential campaign. At the time, biased newspapers were extremely common. A reporter from The New York Herald once wrote that Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech was “unmitigated trash, interlarded with coarse and clumsy jokes.”

On November 4, 2009, Journalism teacher Mrs. Nancy Kaplan took ten staff members to view the Lincoln Exhibit at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan to learn how the press influenced society, and consider whether the media still has an influence today.

Northern newspapers, such as The New York Tribune favored Lincoln while southern newspapers like The Ch

arleston Mercury were totally against him. “ It depended on which part of the country you were from as to how Lincoln was viewed in the press. Obviously, the abolitionist newspapers and the pro-Union papers were favorable to him,” said history teacher Ms. Karolynn Mangiero.

Biased newspapers and headlines were used during the 1800s as an attempt to sway people to one political side.

Today biased front pages and headlines are not only rare, but also unethical. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become more popular than newspapers, thus making them the biased newspapers of our generation.

“Oddly enough, people aren’t really all that shocked for the most part. A lot of people who come through the exhibit express the feeling that a lot of bias still exists in the media today. It’s just more subtle now,” said docent Jennifer Lagasse.

During Lincoln’s time, newspapers were seen as a source for news and a way to share information about local happenings with people. Nowadays, some newspapers have become geared towards whose dating whom and the latest celebrity’s public misconduct.

“Today I believe newspapers are about sensationalization and manipulating individuals so they can make large sums of money. For example, the headlines in New York’s daily newspapers have been filled with Tiger Woods’ domestic issues rather than the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan or any of the major social and economic issues facing the nation,” said Ms. Mangiero. “This also says a lot about us as news readers. We are more concerned with gossip than real issues.”

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Based on the book, The Frog Princess, Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) is transformed into a frog by an evil magician. When Prince Naveen sees Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), he believes that she is a princess who can turn him back into a prince.

However, there is a slight surprise when both of them turn into frogs and need to find the good magician that will turn them back into humans.

Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Princess and the Frog is filled with music, dancing, happiness, and love for everyone no matter their social status or race.

“It was the complete opposite of a fairy tale. I liked it, though. It was childish,” said freshman Vincent Eadicicco.

This movie has made news for starring the first African American princess. Is this princess just now becoming known to the public because of our African American president?

“When I first saw the picture of Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana, I thought that Prince Naveen was a light skin African American. However, when I found out that he was black, it was a great surprise. The fact that Disney is trying to show the melting pot of America is a good thing,” said Port Richmond student, Mary Ajayi.

This movie is also interesting to watch because it takes place in the 50s, during the time when jazz was a major genre. The movie is filled with songs that will make you want to dance.

The Princess and the Frog is sure to see success, since it has been nominated for eight Annie Awards and has a video game due to come out in June based on moments from the film and adventures of Princess Tiana.

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There have been many social networking websites over the years. After the 2002 launch of the website Friendster, several employees saw the potential this site had, and began working on the site that is now known as Myspace.

“Facebook was founded in 2004 as way for people to communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers,” said the Facebook Press Release. “Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment.”

Facebook is advertised as a way to connect to people all over the world, as well as close friends. It’s basically used to catch up with friends and to interact more with the people from the past and present.

“I use Facebook to keep in touch with my family and friends,” said sophomore Karis Robichaud. “I haven’t seen some people I have as friends in years, so it’s a good way to stay friends with each other. It’s also something I use as a past time.”

However, there are concerns from parents and teachers that Facebook has become too addicting.

Facebook is popular for the numerous applications and games available on the website. Another addiction is the amount of status updates. The website makes it

easier to follow other people, and what they are doing. Many complain that users abuse their status privileges, while others complain about the applications being all over their

page.

Some people say Facebook is an issue, and that parents are concerned for the safety of their kids and their schoolwork might suffer.

“I don’t use Facebook a lot, but I know a lot of people who are constantly on, updating their status and taking random quizzes,” said New Dorp High School sophomore Janeanne Foster. “They’re probably loosing study time because they’re on it constantly.”

Statistics show that there are around 300 million active users on Facebook, with around 50% of active users logging on everyday. Worldwide, around 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day, and there are more than 40 billion status updates each day.

More on this, there are more than 65 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. Around 70% of users are from outside the United States.

These statistics speak for themselves. Facebook is used constantly in modern every day life. The addiction is growing and spreading, and the mobile application doesn’t help very much.

People can play it off like it’s not a big deal, but while some find it easy to juggle social time and school time; others can find it hard to find that balance.

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