June 2017 the-cardinal.com IN MEMORY OF TIAN HAO (2001-2017) · Sandra Cantillo Page: 4 QHSS Boys...
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June 2017 the-cardinal.com IN MEMORY OF TIAN HAO (2001-2017) What To Do This Summer: NYC Edition Page: 8 Interview with Principal De Jesús Page: 7 The Senior Slate: Sandra Cantillo Page: 4 QHSS Boys and Girls Bowling Team: Season Review By: DHARAM MATHUR ‘19 continued on page 2 The QHSS boys and girls bowling teams have capped off the 2016 season with improve- ments in showings. The boys bowling team, coached by math teacher Mr. Lopez, finished up the season with a 4-8 record, sixth place in the Queens II League. The tightest game took place on October 13, when QHSS pulled out a victory in the final frame of the game. The strongest outing came a day later in a victory against Bayside High School, in which QHSS put up a cumulative score of 1446. By pinfall average (game score average), the team ranked forty-third in the city. The team narrowly missed the playoffs, for only the top forty teams qualified. The girls bowling team, under the guidance of Assistant Principal Mr. Reo, dominated the Brooklyn/Queens League with a first place win. The team finished with a 11-1 record. The strongest outings coincided with victories. The team won against Richmond High School on September 29, putting up a total score of 1160. Following the match with Richmond was the team’s October 6 play against Cambria Heights Academy. The team bested Cambria Heights with a total score of 1148. In terms of pinfall average, the team ranked twenty-seventh in the city. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, losing against Beacon High School. Four seniors on the QHSS bowling teams - Sandra Cantillo, Jackie Shi, Henry Li, and Jerry Lu - were selected for the PSAL (Public School Athletic League) Individual Players City Finals. For the girls individual, Sandra came in 9th place and Jackie in 14th. For boys individu- al, Henry came in 9th place, with Jerry following in 11th place. Jackie Shi ‘17, captain of the girl’s team, offered a few comments on the experience of playing in the PSAL finals. “It was rewarding to lead my team. Considering that most of the girls on our team were rookies and never bowled competitively before, I was really happy with the way we ended our season, despite our loss at the end.” A school hopes to never lose one of its own. However, the unimaginable occurred this year. With great sorrow, the QHSS community said goodbye to one of its own students, Tian Hao (Derek) Zheng, who passed away on March 22nd. Although it has been three months since he left us, we at The Cardinal want to take a deeper look at this special freshman’s extraordinary life, his aspirations, and his irreplaceable mean- ing to some members of our school. We want to put a face to the name we so often heard in the days and weeks around his death. Tian Hao Zheng came from a humble family that hailed from the province of Fuzhou, China. He only came to America four years ago, in which he experienced what all immigrants experienced while transitioning to a new life in a new country. He learned English on his own in the years leading up to high school. When he first came to Queens High School for the Sciences, he was a hesitant and shy person. Some of his freshmen teachers remarked how he, like many freshmen coming to high school, struggled to transition. But for him, particularly, adapting to high school and adjusting to a new culture was especially hard. Tian Hao didn’t do so well in the beginning as he struggled to make his voice heard. He was also mocked by some classmates for his different mannerisms. Despite his slight lan- guage handicap, many teachers described a gradual change in Tian Hao’s behavior. By spring, according to Ms. Verga, he had “completely changed” in school; he started to open up, he became more diligent in his work, and even developed a greater sense of humor, once cracking a joke in Mrs. Park’s world history class- that the Medieval Ages were called the Dark Ages because Europeans lived in the shadows. Beyond the halls of our school, Tian Hao lived a separate life - a life that revealed a teen who was kind, tender, patient, and family-loving. He was responsible for the welfare of his mom, who only spoke Fu- zhounese dialect, and had to be her bridge to a foreign and unfamiliar language. He was also the big brother of 6-year old Austin, who Mrs. Park described as “looking identical to Tian Hao.” Tian Hao did ev- erything for Austin, which included teaching him English, picking him up from school, and helping him out with homework. Tian Hao was a role model for Austin and had a big influence on his younger brother, under- scored by the fact that Tian Hao had even allegedly picked out Austin’s name. On a personal side, Tian Hao’s friends described him as mostly an introvert who was also inquisitive and curious. He was generally closed off with his feelings to anyone outside his inner circle of friends. By: JONATHAN ZHENG ‘18 Volume I Issue I
Transcript of June 2017 the-cardinal.com IN MEMORY OF TIAN HAO (2001-2017) · Sandra Cantillo Page: 4 QHSS Boys...
June 2017 the-cardinal.com
IN MEMORY OF TIAN HAO (2001-2017)
What To Do This Summer: NYC Edition
Page: 8
Interview withPrincipal De Jesús
Page: 7
The Senior Slate: Sandra Cantillo
Page: 4
QHSS Boys and Girls Bowling Team: Season ReviewBy: DHARAM MATHUR ‘19
continued on page 2
The QHSS boys and girls bowling teams have capped off the 2016 season with improve-ments in showings. Theboysbowlingteam,coachedbymathteacherMr.Lopez,finisheduptheseasonwitha4-8record,sixthplaceintheQueensIILeague.ThetightestgametookplaceonOctober13,whenQHSSpulledoutavictoryinthefinalframeofthegame.ThestrongestoutingcameadaylaterinavictoryagainstBaysideHighSchool,inwhichQHSSputupacumulativescoreof1446.Bypinfallaverage(gamescoreaverage),theteamrankedforty-thirdinthecity.Theteamnarrowlymissedtheplayoffs,foronlythetopfortyteamsqualified. Thegirlsbowlingteam,undertheguidanceofAssistantPrincipalMr.Reo,dominatedtheBrooklyn/QueensLeaguewithafirstplacewin.Theteamfinishedwitha11-1record.Thestrongestoutingscoincidedwithvictories.TheteamwonagainstRichmondHighSchoolonSeptember29,puttingupatotalscoreof1160.FollowingthematchwithRichmondwastheteam’sOctober6playagainstCambriaHeightsAcademy.TheteambestedCambriaHeightswithatotalscoreof1148.Intermsofpinfallaverage,theteamrankedtwenty-seventhinthecity.Unfortunately,theteamwaseliminatedfromtheplayoffsinthefirstround,losingagainstBeacon High School. FourseniorsontheQHSSbowlingteams-SandraCantillo,JackieShi,HenryLi,andJerryLu-wereselectedforthePSAL(PublicSchoolAthleticLeague)IndividualPlayersCityFinals.Forthegirlsindividual,Sandracamein9thplaceandJackiein14th.Forboysindividu-al,Henrycamein9thplace,withJerryfollowingin11thplace. JackieShi‘17,captainofthegirl’steam,offeredafewcommentsontheexperienceofplayinginthePSALfinals. “Itwasrewardingtoleadmyteam.Consideringthatmostofthegirlsonourteamwererookiesandneverbowledcompetitivelybefore,Iwasreallyhappywiththewayweendedourseason,despiteourlossattheend.”
A school hopes to never lose one of its own. However, theunimaginableoccurredthisyear.Withgreatsorrow,theQHSScommunitysaidgoodbyetooneofitsownstudents,TianHao(Derek)Zheng,whopassedawayonMarch22nd.Althoughithasbeenthreemonthssinceheleftus,weatTheCardinalwanttotakeadeeperlookatthisspecialfreshman’sextraordinary life, his aspirations, and his irreplaceable mean-ingtosomemembersofourschool.Wewanttoputafacetothenamewesooftenheardinthedaysandweeksaroundhisdeath. TianHaoZhengcamefromahumblefamilythathailedfromtheprovinceofFuzhou,China.HeonlycametoAmericafouryearsago,inwhichheexperiencedwhatallimmigrants experienced while transitioning to a new life in anewcountry.HelearnedEnglishonhisownintheyearsleadinguptohighschool.WhenhefirstcametoQueensHighSchool for the Sciences, he was a hesitant and shy person. Someofhisfreshmenteachersremarkedhowhe,likemanyfreshmencomingtohighschool,struggledtotransition.Butforhim,particularly,adaptingtohighschoolandadjustingtoanewculturewasespeciallyhard.TianHaodidn’tdosowellinthebeginningashestruggledtomakehisvoiceheard.Hewasalsomockedbysomeclassmatesforhisdifferentmannerisms.Despitehisslightlan-guagehandicap,manyteachersdescribedagradualchangeinTianHao’sbehavior.Byspring,accordingtoMs.Verga,hehad“completelychanged”inschool;hestartedtoopenup,hebecamemorediligentinhiswork,andevendevelopedagreatersenseofhumor,oncecrackingajokeinMrs.Park’sworldhistoryclass-thattheMedievalAgeswerecalledtheDarkAgesbecauseEuropeanslivedintheshadows. Beyondthehallsofourschool,TianHaolivedaseparatelife-alifethatrevealedateenwhowaskind,tender,patient,andfamily-loving.Hewasresponsibleforthewelfareofhismom,whoonlyspokeFu-zhounesedialect,andhadtobeherbridgetoaforeignandunfamiliarlanguage.Hewasalsothebigbrotherof6-yearoldAustin,whoMrs.Parkdescribedas“lookingidenticaltoTianHao.”TianHaodidev-erythingforAustin,whichincludedteachinghimEnglish,pickinghimupfromschool,andhelpinghimoutwithhomework.TianHaowasarolemodelforAustinandhadabiginfluenceonhisyoungerbrother,under-scoredbythefactthatTianHaohadevenallegedlypickedoutAustin’sname. Onapersonalside,TianHao’sfriendsdescribedhimasmostlyanintrovertwhowasalsoinquisitiveandcurious.Hewasgenerallyclosedoffwithhisfeelingstoanyoneoutsidehisinnercircleoffriends.
By:JONATHANZHENG‘18
Volume I Issue I
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI2
Amnesty’s Solitary ConfinementBy:SOORYAANILKUMAR‘18
OnFebruary3,2017,QHSS’AmnestyInter-nationalpresentedtheissueofsolitaryconfinementinprisons.TheprojectwasdoneincollaborationwithMrs.Majumder-Afzal,Mr.Kalamaras,andMr.Sweiven. The President of Amnesty, Mohamad Mos-limani‘17(nicknamedasMomo)explainedthatthemembers“[aimedtofindatopicthatwould]targetalargepartofourcriminaljusticesystemandaddressitseffectsonoursociety.”Fromthere,studentscre-atedapresentationdesignedtoconveytheseclusionof solitary and its detrimental effects on the prison populations,aswellasfocusontheyouthinvolvedinthepractice.AsValerieFong‘18described,Am-nesty’s primary goal was to raise awareness of the subjecttothestudentsofQHSS.They’veaccom-plished this not only by their elaborate presentations, butalsobytheirostentatiousoutfits,displayingtheattire commonly worn in prisons. Forthosewhomayhavemissedthepre-sentation,solitaryconfinementistheisolationofprisonersinacell,anywherefrom22to24hoursaday.Inordertoexpresstheseverityofthepractice,presentersbeganbygaugingarangeofthestudents’priorknowledge,askingquestionssuchas,“Whatdoyouknowaboutit?”and“Whatdoyouthinkitaccomplishes?”Inoneclass,allofthestudentsintheaudiencewereactivelyparticipating,bothaskingandansweringquestions.Accordingtoonepresenter,ArwaRahman‘18,theorangejumpsuitsthemselvessparkedinterestinstudents,andwere“avessel[forstudents]toaskquestionsonthetopic.” Amnestymembersdiscussedaspectsofsolitaryconfinementsuchaswhichcountriesusesit,whatithopestoaccomplish,whoisheldundersolitary,andwhatitseffectis.Whatseemedtobetheclimaxofthepresentationwaswhenthestudents
wereshowna360°interactivevideoontheeffectsofthepractice.Duringherpresenta-tion,Valeriefoundthatstudents“grewwideeyedandhadinterestingopinionstosharewiththeclass.”Thevideorenderedtheclasssilent,asmanybegantocomprehendtheseverityofsolitary.Itseemedtobeoneofthedefiningmomentsofthepresentation. Thepresentationsclosedwith“stepstomoveforward,”asthepresentersexplainedtotheaudiencetheimportanceofstayinginvolvedinoursociety.Amnestymembersconfidentlyconcludedthatthey“alleffectivelydeliveredourmessagetoourintendedaudienceandlearnedagreatdealfromtheexperience”and“thattherewereanumberofpeople, regardless of grade, who learned something regarding the experience of solitary or theeffectsofit.”Arwaevenwentontosay“Thisexperiencewasvaluabletomeaswell,asIdidnotknowmuchabouttheissueofsolitaryconfinementbefore.ThisexperienceallowedmetobeactivelyinvolvedandtrulyfeelthatIwashelpinginthecause.”
Place To Be: Socrates Sculpture ParkBy:FAIZAHRABBYE‘19
Address:32-01VernonBlvd.,LongIslandCity,NY11106 SocratesSculptureParkisaparklocatedinAstoriawithagreatviewoftheEastRiver.Itisalsoaperfectplacetorelaxamongallthehustle.Youcansitontherocksoverthefences,orsitonthegrassandenjoythecalmnessofthispark.IwouldhighlyrecommendthisparkforrecreationbecauseNewYorkersalreadyhavemini-mumleisuretime,andthelastthingtheyneedisanoisyparkwithmultipledistrac-tions.Theparkisopenallyearroundfrom10inthemorningtosunset.Therearesomeartexhibitionsopenatthemomentwithmultiplepermanentpiecesscatteredaroundthepark.Togetmoreinformationontheupcomingeventscheckout:www.socratessculpturepark.org. ThisplacehasalwayscalmedmedownwhenIwasoverwhelmedwithschoolwork,projects,orhomework.Myfavoriteplacewouldbeoverthefencesanddirectlyfacingtheriver.Ithasagreatviewandthesoundofthewavesispeaceful.Inthreewords,theSocratesParkisbeautiful,peaceful,andphotogenic. Iwouldsuggestgoingtotheparkduringsummerbecausethesummerbreezeisathousandtimesbetterthanthecoldharshwindduringthewinter.Bringingacameraisessentialbecausetheparkprovidesphotoopportunitieswithoutthecrowdsofsur-roundingpeople. Ifyouareplanningtobeattheparktheentireday,designateaplacetoeatpriortothetrip.Iwouldgivethisplacea4outof5ratingbecauseitisnotovercrowdedanditisnotasfastpacedastherestoftheNewYorkCity.Overall,ifyouwantapeacefulplacewithhasafantasticview,SocratesSculptureParkistheplacetogo! SocratesSculptureParkisagreatplacetotakepictureswhetheritbeofthesceneryorofyourself.However,becausetheparkislocatedinasecludedarea,therearenotmanysurroundingrestaurantstoeat.Ifyouareplanningtobeattheparktheentireday,designateaplacetoeatpriortothetrip.Overall,ifyouwantapeacefulplacewithhasafantasticview,SocratesSculptureParkistheplacetogo!
Oneofhisclosestfriends,ApurvKaushik‘20,describedhimas“asensitiveandcaringperson...whowasfuntohangoutwith.”Hewentfurtherbyde-scribingTianHaoasagreatlistener,whowas“alwaystherewheneverIwasstressedandwheneverIneededsomeonetohearmeout.”Thetwofriendsoftentalkedabouthowtheywouldsomedayfinishschoolandearnadegreeinscienceorengineering.TianHaoalsohadadeepinterestinvideogames,buthisfinancialsituationkepthimfrominteractingwiththemmuch.ApurvdidrecountatimewhenTianHaowas“sohappyleavingthatday,”referringtothedaythetwoplayedwithApurv’svirtualrealityheadset.ApurvsaysifhecouldeverseeTianHaoagain,hewouldlethimknow“howmuchhemeanttosomepeople.”TonyLi‘20remembershowhisfriendwas“reallyfunnytobearound,”andwisheshecouldtellTianHao,“Iappreciateyourfriendshipwithme,youhavebeenabsolutelyamazingeversinceImetyou.”BrianZhu‘20describedhimasthe“bestfriendanyonecanhave.” Sincehispassing,thestudentsandteachersofoursmallschoolhavestruggledtocopewiththesuddenloss.FacultyheldameetingdiscussingTianHao,andteacherswereinstructedtodirectaffectedstudentstoguidancecoun-selors.“Itwasreallyhardandawkwardhavinganemptyseatallofasuddeninthefrontofmyclass,”saidMrs.Park.AccordingtoMs.Goldstein,theEnglishdepartmentheldamemorialthatbeganinherfifth-periodfreshmenEnglishclass.“KidsstartedtofoldpaperorigamiforTianHaoanditdidn’tstop...within48hours,mytablewaspackedwithpaperorigamiforhim.”Ms.Goldsteinexpressedherdisappointmentthatshedidn’tgettoknowhimmore
beforehispassingandwentfurthertosaythat“it’sarealshamethatthisfreshmenclasslosthim.”Mrs.ParkvisitedAustininhisFlush-ingelementaryschoolsometimeafterTianHao’sdeathtocheckuponthe6-yearold,whostillhasalifeaheadofhimwithouthisolderbrother.Whatseemedthemostheartbreakingwasthat“littleAustindidn’tevenknowwhyhisbrotherwasgone-hewastoosmalltounderstandtheconceptofdeath.Allheknewwasthathisbigbrotherhadleft,andcouldn’tcomebackforsomereason.Hereallymisseshim.”TheZhengfamilyhasmovedsinceTianHao’sdeath. TianHaomightbegonefromourschoolhalls,buthedefi-nitely won’t be forgotten. His friends in the freshmen grade and hopefullythisarticlewillkeephismemoryalive.Weasanentireschoollostsomeonetrulyspecialinourcommunity.ButweshouldnotrememberTianHaobywhathadhappenedtohim.Instead,weshouldcelebratehislife,hisaccomplishments,andhisspirit.Weasaschoolcommunityshouldcherishthemomentshewasabletosharewithus.Andsomewhere,somehow,wehopeheknowshowmuchwe miss him.
Rest in Peace, Tian Hao Zheng (October 18, 2001 - March 22, 2017).
Manythankstothestudentsandstaffwhoweregenerousenoughtosharetheirthoughtsandexperienceswithus:ApurvKaushik,TonyLi,BrianZhu,AndrewCai,Ms.Verga,Ms.Goldstein,Mrs.Park.BigthankstoMs.Zhaoforherhelpin
communicatingwithTianHao’sfamily.
continued from page 1
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI 3
SENIOR PROM & BBQ RECAPBy:ASHLEYGONG‘18
Thisyear’spromseemedtobeasuccessfulandmemorablenight,asmanystudentsexpressedtheirsatisfactionwiththeevent.TheelaboratepartytookplaceatLeonard’sPalazzo.Althoughabitsmallinsize,thePalazzoprovedtobeaquintessentialandelegantspaceinsideandout.AsAidanHosein ‘17 described, “Leonard’s provided different views that served as gorgeousbackdropsforpictures…rangingfromitsbeautifulfountaintoitsserenegreenarch.”Healsopraisedhowtheenergeticvibesetthestageforagreatnight.Thethemeoftheeventwas“ANightUndertheStars,”whichwasreflectedinthecaptivatingdecorationsthroughouttheroom,includingahangingmoon.TheSeniorPromCommitteehadmanyideasinmind,buttheywerelimitedbytheirprombudget.MaggieChen‘17,amemberoftheSGO’sSeniorPromCommittee,commented,“Weeventuallyhadtoseewhichdecorationswereessentialandwhichwereunnecessary.Additionally,wehadmanyideasforpromfavors.Attheend,wechoseinfuserbottles.”Despitelimitationsfromthebudget,thecommitteewasabletoadorntheroom in a way that complimented the theme well. Forthemostpart,studentsfoundthefoodaccommodating,astherewas“avarietyofmeatsandseafood,”accordingtoYogendraChattergoon‘17.However,someseniorshavesuggestedthatmorehotfood,suchassoup,shouldhavebeenserved,aswellaslessfriedfood.Asforbeverages,attend-eeswouldhavelikedmorechoicesotherthanwaterandShirleyTemple.Undoubtedly,themealcoursethatstolethenightwasthedesserts,whichev-eryonefoundveryappetizing.Infact,thedessertwassobelovedthatAidanarticulatedthathewishedtherewasmoretimetoenjoyit:“It’shardtocramasmuchofthatamazingdessertina15minutewindow.”
Inadditiontothedessert,everyoneseemedtoenjoythemusic,dancing,andphotobooththroughoutthenight.JulianTozaj’19wasveryenthusiasticabouttheglowsticksthatwerehandedout,whichhesawasanenhancementtothepartyspirit.Whenthetimecame,theSGOseniorcouncilcountedthevotesforthelong-awaitedannouncement.Withoutasurprise,SeanGrantandCossetteDaviswerecrownedPromKingandQueen.Anotherhighlightofthenightwas“whenalltheguysweredanc-ingwitheachother,”whichCrystalChiang‘17thoughtwascute. According to Aidan, the best part of prom was seeing themorereservedstudentscomeoutoftheircomfortzonesand“[shocking]everyonewiththeirsweetdancemoves.”HewentonbytellingTheCardinalthat,“Itwasmomentslikethesethatmademy2017promanamazingone.”GloriaHuang‘17saidpromwasasuccessbecause“[she]wasabletoletlooseonthedancefloorforthefirsttimeandthelasttimewithmyclass-mates.”Allinall,Prom2017wasagreatexperienceforseniorsanddefinitelywasanighttobecherishedbythegraduatingClassof2017. Followingtheirexhilaratingpromnight,seniorsgatheredatCunninghamParkforafunandrelaxingbarbecuefilledwithfood,sports,andlaughter.Theyparticipatedinvariousactivi-tiesincluding,butnotlimitedto:volleyball,football,Frisbeeandtruth-or-dare.Teachersevenjoinedinonthefun.Yogendrashared,“the[barbecue]wasalotoffun.Especially,gettingtoplayvolleyballwithMr.Lin,whoexceededmyexpectations.”Therehasbeenalotofpositivefeedbackinregardstothefoodthatwasservedaswell,whichconsistedofveggieburgers,hotdogs,macandcheese,salad,icecream,cookies,andwatermel-on.Overall,seniorsenjoyedthetimespentwithteachersandtheir fellow classmates in one of the last senior activities of their high school years.
Editorial: Sweeping Changes Set to Affect QHSSBy:JONATHANZHENG‘18
HugechangesarecomingtoQHSSnextyear.Theseproposedchanges,asoutlinedbytheSchoolLeadershipTeam(SLT)meetingonWednesday,June21,2017,aresupposedtotakeeffectforthe2017-2018 school year. Some of the more sweeping staff and administrative changes are:
•TheeliminationoftheCOSAposition(CoordinatorofStudentAf-fairs),currentlybeingheldbyMr.Campanella.Therefore,SGOwillnolongerberunbyMr.Campanella.•Mr.ReowilllikelybeinchargeofStudentAffairs.•HistoryofFilm,Philosophy,French,APChinese,andPublicSpeak-ingarenolongerbeingoffered,althoughthereisapossibilityinSep-temberthatacoursemayreturn.•Instead,thecurrentelectivesbeingofferedareInternationalRela-tions,Astronomy,Anatomy,andanewScienceFictionclass.• Ms. Solis will become the senior advisor next year.•Therewillbeanewschedulethathas48minuteperiods,with2min-utesinbetween.Theschooldaywillend10minuteslater.• A permanent Assistant Principal will be hired next year to help with supervisionandtoteachaclass.
MorechangescanbefoundwhentheSLTmeeting’sminutesarepublished. Whileallofthesechangesarelogisticalmodificationsthattheadministrationhasarighttorevise,manyofthemconcernthestudentbodyandstudentaffairs.Withthatbeingsaid,thereissomeopposition
tothesechangesbeingputintoeffect,notablytheleadershipswapforCOSAandtheremovalofmanyhumanitiesandlanguageelectives. Inmyviewasanactivestudentinthisschool,thesechangesneedtobemorewidelydiscussedwiththefacultyandthestudentbody.Thereshouldabsolutelybenoreasonwhystudentsweretoldtoarrangetheirelectives,onlytofindoutlaterinanemailthatcoursestheysignedupforarebeingdropped.Norshouldtherebeanyreasonforteachersonlyfindingoutaboutelectivechangesthroughstudents.IftheadministrationdoesnotconsultandadequatelycommunicatewithmembersoftheQHSScommunity,thatonlyleadstoconfusion,misunderstanding,andultimate-lydistrust.Theadministrationshouldtryitsbesttobemoretransparentandopenaboutchanges,especiallymajorones. Thatisnottosaythattheadministrationhasn’ttakenpositivestridestobemoreresponsivetoopinions;theyhavemadefeedbacktick-etsontheschoolwebsite,theyhavehadmeetingswiththeSGOandotherstudentrepresentatives,andtheyhavealsoallowedthepublishingofafreeandactivestudentpress,ournewspaper.Forthatmuch,theadminis-trationdeservestobecreditedandapplauded. ButinregardstothechangesdiscussedatthispastSLTmeeting,studentsarequestioningtheadministration’sresponsivenesstostudentinput.Thatalsomeanseverydaystudentsneedtohavetheirvoicesheard.Ifyouarenothappywithchangesthatarebeingmade,don’tsitbackandexpectthingstobechangednaturally.Beactive.Attendstudentcouncilmeetings.SLTmeetingsareopentothepublic,soconsiderstayingtomakeyourconcernsheard.Weallneedtoactivelyparticipateinmakingdecisionsinourschool.Afterall,thisschoolisforus-thestudents.
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
4
By:ASHLEYGONG‘18&BRITNEYYEE‘18
Sandra Cantillo ‘17 Ranking9thintheindividualboroughcompetitionsandachievingahighscoreof202,SandraCantillodemonstratesoneofhermanyassetsontheQHSSGirlsBowlingteam.However,that’snotalltoher;sheloveshelpingherschoolmatesandputtingsmilesonothers’ faces as well. Likeallspecializedhighschoolstudents,SandratooktheSHSATexamandgotacceptedtoourschool.Whatdifferentiatesherfromourfellowschoolmatesisthatshehasaveryoptimisticoutlookonlifeandcarriesherselfinawaythatexudespositivity. Weaskedheracouplequestionsregardingschoolandherlife,rangingfromthebestacademicadviceshehasreceivedtothefunni-est moment in her life so far.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
OneaccomplishmentIammostproudofiscompetinginmyfirstsmoker.Itwasmyfirstamateurfightinaring,andIwassonervousbutalsoexcitedtobedoingit.Iwastrainingforagood4months,whereIhadtogothroughgruesomeworkoutsandcountlessspar-ringsessions.However,onceIgotintothering,Iknewthatallthosemonthsoftrainingpaidoff,anditwasthebestminutesIeverexperi-enced.
Who is your role model and why?
OneofmyrolemodelsisTophfromAvatartheLastAirbender.Shewasbornblindandtreatedcondescendinglybyherparentsbecauseifit,butshedidn’tletthatstopherfrombecomingoneofthemostpowerfulearthbendersofhertime.ShechosetotaketheharderroadinlifeandaccompanytheAvatar.Also,shewasaveryskilledfighterandI’vealwaysadmiredherapproachinafight.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Inthefuture,IseemyselfworkingforagovernmentagencysuchastheFBIorCIA.Iwouldprobablyhavemyownhomewithmaybeahusbandandchildrentocomehometobutdefinitelyatleastonedog,preferablyanEnglishBulldognamedLeoorGaia.
Describe your high school experience in 5 words.Stressful,crazy,fun,newfriends.
What’s the best academic advice you’ve ever received?
ThebestacademicadviceI’veeverreceivedistonotstresstoomuchwhenyoufailatest.Formeandcountlessotherstudentsinanyhighschool,thereissomuchpressuretogetthehighestscoresandsomuchworthinyouroverallaverage.Beforehighschool,Iwassousedtogettingthehighestgradesandbeingconsideredthe“smartest”butonceIenteredQHSSandbecamesurroundedbyothersequallyassmart,Ididn’tknowhowtoprocessnotbeingthebest.EventuallyIlearnedthatit’sokaynottobethebest,it’sokaytofailatest.Therewillalwaysbeanexttimeandin5years,peoplewillnotrememberyouforhowwellyoudidinschool,butwhoyouwere.
Mohamad Moslimani ‘17
Youmayknowhimasthetwotimereigningchampofthepi-eatingcontestorbetterknownas--Momo.Overthecourseofthelastfouryears,hehasbeenanactivememberofourschoolcommu-nity whilst balancing his social and academic life. Aside from school relatedactivities,Momoenjoysworkingoutatthegym,running,writingpoetry,playingLeagueofLegends,andscrollingthroughso-cialmediaplatforms.Weinterviewedhimtogaininsightforcollegeaswellasgettoknowhimbetter. Can you tell us about your Questbridge process? Would you rec-ommend it to other students, and why?
MyQuestBridgeprocesswasrelativelyisolatedfromtheschool.Noneofusinschoolreallyspoketooneanother,unlesswewerealreadysemi-closefriends,soanyworkweputtoQuestBridgetookadecentamountofself-reflection,atleastforme.Inmyapplica-tionfortheNationalCollegeMatch,Ihadtoqualifyasafinalistafter writing an essay, a longer essay, two short responses, and a wholebunchofquestionsthatletthereadersofmyapplicationtogettoknowme.Itwashardwork,andIhadevenstartedearly.Thatbeingsaid,Iwouldn’thesitatetorecommendittoanyoneelse.Asalow-incomeimmigrantwhosefamilyhasn’thadthemostsuccessfulexperiencewithcollege,QuestBridgeequippedmeforcollegeappsandultimatelygavemeopportunitiesIneverwouldhavethoughtIhadwhenIwasyounger.Ibelievethat’ssomethingworththework.
We know that extracurriculars are imperative to the college ap-plication process. What have you done to make yourself a better candidate for colleges?
SeveralthingsIhavedonethroughouthighschoolincludeworkingintheARISTAExecutiveBoard,participatinginandeventuallycoachingdebateteam,andinterningattheLegalAidSociety.Fol-lowingjunioryear,IworkedwithAmnestyInternational,partici-patedintheYouthLeadershipAcademy,andcommittedtostudentrepresentationintheBoroughStudentAdvisoryCouncil. Describe your high school experience in 5 words.
Youallneedtochill.
Do you have a book that you would recommend to others or is meaningful to you?
I’mcurrentlyreading“TheInvisibleMan”byRalphEllisoninAPLiterature,andletmetellyou,IfeelbadwheneverIskipthereadingsbecauseit’sthatgoodandI’mjustterribleatmanagingmytime.It’sawonderfulbookloadedwithanalogiesthatshinealightonthecomplexissuesthatablackmanhastodealwithinAmericawhilebeing“invisible”tosociety,sotospeak.10/10wouldrecom-mend.
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
Preparing for College Over The SummerBy:IESHAMAYERS‘17
DearJuniors, FromoneSeniortoanupcomingone.Prepare.Yoursenioryearisapproachingandbeforeyouknowit,you’llbethrowingyourgraduationcapsintheair.Butbeforethathap-pens,you’llbethinkingaboutthe“C”word.College.Theplacewhereyoucanfinallygetaway!Getawayfromyourparents,yourfamily,andthecrampedhallsofQHSS.However,youcan’tgetawaytoaplaceyoudon’tknowhowtogetto.There’sawholeprocessbehindgettingintothatdreamschoolofyours:theCollegeProcess.Scaryright?Despitewhatyouthink,it’snot.Stressfulmaybe.Butnotscary.TheCollegeProcesscomesinninesteps;amajorityofthestepsyoushouldgettorightafteryoureadthis.
1. Startaskingforrecommendationletters!!Recommendationlettersareacrucialpartoftheprocess.Asyou’vebeentoldinthepast,collegesarelookingmoreatpersonalitythangrades.Andrecommendationlettersareaperfectwaytodistinguishyourpersonalityfromothers.“Well,howdoIgetone,Iesha?”Youshouldaskyourteachers…POLITELY.Thelastthingtheyneedisastudenttellingthemwhattodo.Askingateacherforarecletteriseasywhenyoutalktotheteacheronaregularbasisandperformwellinhisorherclass.Alsokeepinmind:youdon’tneedtogetlettersonlyfromyourteachers.Youcangetonefromyourboss,supervisor,orcoach.Youdoneedatleasttwoletters.Besuretoaskforabackupletterjustincasesome-onedoesn’twriteitontime.Ithappens.
2. SignupforCollegeBoard,Naviance,andCommonApp.TosignupforNavianceandCommonApp,you’llreceiveapaperfromyourguidancecounselorgivingyouinformationonhowtosignup.Thepaperhasaspecificusernameandpasswordforyou.
3. Applyforscholarships!Therearescholarshipsforalmostev-erything. There are academic scholarships, athletic scholarships, andevenscholarshipsthatdealwithyourraceorwhathandyouwritewith.Justaboutanythingyoudocanberelated
toascholarship.Applytoasmanyasyoucanbecausecollegetuitioncanbeexpensive,andifnotthetuitionyourtextbookscanhurtyourparents’pocketsoryourown.
4. Haveatleastfourcollegesinmind.Choosecollegesthatfitwhatyouwant.Tomakeiteasier,makealistoftheactivitiesyouwanttodoincollege,aswellasanypossiblemajorsandminorsyou’rethinkingofgoingtowards.Remembertothinkaboutnotonlytheactivitiesandthefieldsofstudybutalsoifthecollegefitsinyourbudgetandifit’sgoodintraveltime(ifyourparentsaren’tallowingyoutodorm).
5. Visitthecollegesyouhaveinmind.Youcan'ttrulyknowthecollegeyouwanttoattendifyoudon'tvisitit.Getafeelofthecampuslifeandmakesuretheen-vironmentsuitsyou.Justbecauseacollegesoundsgreatinthatpersuasiveemailyoureceivedfromtheirdirectors,doesnotnecessarilymeanitisrightforyou.
6. DecideifyouwanttodoEarlyAction,EarlyDecision,orRegularDecision.Thismaybethefirsttimeyouseethesethreephrases.I'llexplaintheminsim-plerterms.Ifyouwanttogetintothatschoolofyourdreamsnomatterwhat,EarlyDecisionmightbeforyou.YoucanonlyapplytoONEcollegeinEarlyDecision.IfyougetacceptedyouMUSTgotothisschool,noifs,ands,orbuts.Becareful,asyoudon’twanttogotoaschoolyoucan’tpayforlateron.EarlyActionmeansyoureceiveanearlyresponsefromthecollegeorcollegesyouappliedto.RegularDecisionisjusttheregularprocessofapplyingforcollegesanddecidingwhichoneyouwanttogoto.
7. Bythetimeyoureachthisstep,yoursummervacationwillbecomingtoanendandyou'refinallygoingtobecomeasenior.Congrats!Thisisnowwhenyouthinkaboutanyiconiceventsthathappenedinyourlifebecauseyou'renowgo-ingtowriteyourpersonalessay.Thisisanessaythatispersonaltoyouandonlyyou.Noonecanwritethisessaybutyou.Atfirst,youmaybestuckwithwriter'sblock.Thisisnormal.Togetstarted,startthinkingaboutanythingandevery-thingthathashappenedtoyouthatleftabigimpactonyouandhasledyoutobecomethepersonyouaretoday.Moving,turning16,orgettingyourfirstjobarejustsomeexamples.Evensomethingassmallasbeingabletogotoschoolbyyourselfforthefirsttimecangoalongway.
8. Lastbutnotleast,seeifyou'reapplicableforfeewaivers.Collegeapplica-tionscostmoney,butifyougetawaiver,youcanpaylessornothingatall.CUNYschoolsofferalimitedamountofwaivers,soifyou'reapplyingforaCUNYmakesureyougetyoursASAP.
Andthat'sthat!Theseeightstepsaregoingtoguideyouthroughthisstressfulprocess,whichmightseemdauntingatfirst,butwithhelpfromyourguidancecounselors,willbeawalkinthepark.Iwishyouallgoodluck,andifyouhaveanyquestionsjustmessagemeonFacebook.I'malwaysonandalwaysopenforquestions.Havefunbeingasenioranddon'tletsenioritishityoutoohard!
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Veritas: A Magazine for Creative MindsBy:ASHMAULRUTBA‘18&DANIELSUMWANI‘18
TheVeritasLiteraryMagazineClubchampionsthetitleoflongestrunningclubinQHSShistory.InitiallyestablishedbyasmallgroupoftenstudentswithMr.Flahertyastheiradvisor,Veritashasbecomeanoutlettoshowcaseourfellowclassmates'creations,rangingfromenchantingwritingtoexpressiveartwork.Un-fortunately,thisclubisoftenneglectedandoverlookedduetoitsseeminglyhumbleappearance.Asimpledesiretospreadthemessageofourtruth,thetruthofwhoweareasthestudentbody,istheclub’sdrivingforce.However,inadequatefundingandattention hinder the potential of even the brightest ideas. Theco-presidentsofVeritas,seniorsRachelSakhai’17andCarlosMorales’17,weighintheirthoughtsontheirrespectivepersonalrelationshipswiththecluband its worth.How did you first get involved with Veritas?Rachel:WegotintoVeritasinoursophomoreyear—itwasreallysmallatfirst.Carlos:Thatyear,itwastwelvekids—tenjuniorsandthetwoofus.
What is your favorite memory associated with this club?C:Ithinkitwasourfirstpaperrelease.ItwasliketheonlytimeIeverhadanythingpublished,soitwasprettynice.Itwasofficial.Everyonegottoseeit.That’swhatwe’retryingtodothisyear.Ithinkweshouldwebeabletogetapaperreleasethistime.Itseemseasilymanageable.
What inspires you most about Veritas? What is the best thing about this club?R:Howsmallweare.IfeellikeIknowyouallreallywell,oratleastItrytothebestIcan.We’renotlikeKeyCluboranythinglikethatwherewehaveahundredpeople.Ourclubismoreintimate.Andthat’swhatIlikeaboutthisclub.We’reprettylaid-backtoo.C:We’relaidback.IhavefaithinthepeopleIhaveundermeandtheyhavefaithinme,sowealltrusteachother.
This year’s theme is “Divergent.” What does this mean to you and how did you choose this?R:WechoseDivergentthisyearbecausewedidn’twantanybodytoberestrictedbyatheme.Eventhoughinprevi-ousyearswe’vesaidthatnomatterwhatthethemeis,youcanstillsubmitanythingthatyouwant,wefeelthataDiver-gencethemewouldfurtherthatcause.C:Toaddon,IfeelthatwaswhatVeritaswasinthebe-ginning.Theformerpresidentlikedthethemesandhavingmoredirection,butIhopeitstayslikethis.R:Youcan’tforcesomeonetodoart.That’swhatwe’retrying to get across.
This club has existed since 2002, the beginning of QHSS. How do you feel about the history of the club?R: I feel like because of our history, our club has come a long way and it is a staple to our school. I feel a little sad that it’s been underappreciated in recent years and not very well-known. I feel really bad for that, but hopefully, it will come around soon enough with the next board.C: This club is fifteen years old. That’s a lot. I feel like now-adays, people don’t feel sentiment anymore. What keeps us going is the fact that we’ve heard that our goal is to keep this club going for only one year. It should be known that this is the longest lasting club, and likewise, it should be respected more. That’s on our part—to make sure that it has something to be respected for. continued on page 6
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
The2016 -2017Knicks season startedoffwitha lotofoptimism, with many fans hoping that the once-dominant team hadacquired the talent required tomake theplayoffs.However,expectationswerequicklycutshortastheseasonturnedouttobeanutterdisaster. TheKnicksgotofftoagoodstart,going14to10throughthefirst24games, andgettingup to the3rd seed in theNBA’sEasternConference.However, itwasclearthat theKnicksweregettinglucky.Throughthe24games,theKnickshadallowedmorepoints than they had scored. Additionally, while they were win-ningagoodamountofgames,thedisparityoftheperformanceswastelling:theylostgamesbybigmarginsbutwonclosegames.ItwasworryingthattheKnickswerebarelyekingoutwins,butthehopeofagoodseasonsuppressedanyfearsamongplayersandfans. Thehopestartedtodieoutsoonafterthat.The25thgameof theseasonwasparticularlybrutal,withadishearteningover-time loss tooneof theworst teams in theNBA, theSuns.TheKnickscontinuedonadownwardspiral,withmanytimesgoingonextended losing streaks.They lost six straight from the30thgametothe35thgameandfivestraightfromgames69to74.TheKnicksquicklyfelloutofplayoffcontention,andformostoftheyear hovered from 9th to 12th place in the conference. They ended upfinishing12th,andwiththesixth-worstrecordintheNBA.
Why the Knicks Failed This SeasonBy:INDERPREETNIJJAR‘18
6
disappointed.Noahwasonlyabletoplay46outof82gamesandwassuchaliabilityonoffensethattheKnickswereessentiallyplayingwithaone-mandisadvantagewithhimonthecourt.Rosealsodidn’tmatchthepathof the team as he shot three-point shots extremely poorly, shooting 21.7%, whichisconsideredunacceptablefromascoringguard.TheKnicks’sixthman,LanceThomas,hadaninjury-plaguedseasonthatarguablyimpactedtheteam’sprospects.Hefirstsufferedfromstabbingpainsinbothfeetduetoplantarfasciitisandlatersustainedafracturedorbitalbone.BothoftheseinjurieskeptThomasoutofgamesforextendedperiodsoftimeandalsoaffectedhisplaywhenhewasavailabletoplay.ThedisabilitywasahugeblowtotheKnicks’performancesincehewassomeonewhotheteamhadhopedwouldprovidethemwithsomedefensivetoughnessandexcellentthree-point shooting. Thankfully,thefutureoftheKnicksisn’tentirelydevoidofhope.TheKnickshavemadeitclearthattheyareplanningonarebuildinsteadofquickfixes,astheyhavebeendoingthelastdecadeandahalf.TheyhaveafranchisecornerstoneinplayerKristapsPorzingis,whohasalreadyshownhisincrediblepotential.Porzingis’floorisa20point,eightrebound,twoblockplayerwhowillconsistentlybeinall-stardiscussions.TheLatvianbasketballplayerisanaboveaverage3-pointshooter,whichisimpressiveconsideringhis7-foot3-inchframe.Despitetheseprospects,Porzingisstillhasmanyimprovementstomake.Withmoreworkonhisgameoverthenextfewyears,PorzingiscanbetheplayertofinallyleadtheKnicksbackintobeingoneoftheelitesintheleague.TheKnicksalsohaveanothergreatyoungbigmanincenterGuillermo“Billy”Hernangomez.Billy,inhisrook-ieseason,showedoffhispolishedpostgameandreboundedwheneverhewasgivenachance,showingthathecanbeaconsistentdouble-doubleguyintheleague.Hismidrangeandthree-pointerhavealsobeengoodforacen-terwithalotofroomforgrowth.Billy’smainlimitationishisdefense,butbecomingevenadecentdefendershouldassurehisspotasacentralplayerintheNBA.Themostpromisinghopeliesinthefactthatalloftheteam’syoungplayersshowedalotoftoughnessandeffortinthisseason.Thesetwocharacteristicsarewhatdefinedtheperformanceofthe90’sKnicksteamthatcapturedtheheartsandpraiseofmanyNewYorkers. Despitethedisappointingseason,theKnicksseemgearedforare-buildthatcould,inthreetofouryears,makethemaconsistentplayoffteamintheNBA.
ItwasobviousthatdefensewasthebiggestweaknessoftheKnicks,with the team allowing 108 points a night on average. This poor perfor-manceplacedtheminthebottomthirdofteamsinrespecttothenumberofpointsallowed.Theyalsohadalackofdefensivediscipline,ranking19thinfoulspergame.PerhapsthelowlightwaswatchingDerrickRosemakethesamemistaketwiceinarowinaclosegamewithlessthanaminuteremaining. Whiledefensemayhavebeenthegreatestweakness,theKnicksoffensewasn’tparticularlywellruneither.Theoffenseasawholewasextremelyinefficient,withtheKnickscoming28thinfreethrowattempts,28thin2-pointfieldgoalpercentage,and21stinthree-pointpercentage.Theyalsomostlybasedtheiroffenseon2-pointfieldgoals,coming4thplace in two-pointers attempted, which is not considered a good thing from thatrange.Thepassingwassubpar,withtheKnicksranking19thinassists,thoughthiscanbepartiallyexplainedbytheKnicks’slowpaceof96.How-ever,amotionoffense,liketheonesthattheKnickswererunningwith,shouldhaveresultedinalotofassistsratherthaninefficient2-pointshots. Intermsofteamcomposition,theKnickscertainlyhadproblemswithplayerchemistryandtheindividualperformancesoftheirplayers.TheteamhadmanagedtoaddpointguardandformerNBAMostValuablePlayerDerrickRosetotheirroster,alongwithveterantwo-guardCourtneyLeeandformerNBADefensivePlayeroftheYearJoakimNoah.WhileLeesubsequentlyturnedouttobeagoodacquisition,bothRoseandNoah
Veritas accepts submissions in writing, poetry, photography, and art. Do any of these correlate with your hobbies? Are you interested in any of these fields?C:Forme,it'swriting.Iliketocreatethings.Unfortunately,asoflate,Ihaven'tbeenableto.Ifyouhaveanythinginyourmind,yourthoughts,youcanputitontopaper;youcanmakeitintoanythingyouwant,anysortofartform—nomatterhowweird it might seem.R:Iamnotveryartistically-inclinedinthetraditionalsense,butIdoenjoywriting.I'maveryawkwardperson,soIpreferactuallythinkingaboutwriting.SometimeswhenI’mwriting,mythoughtsjustcomeoutmoreeasilybecauseIcandescribehowIfeel.Idowritingonthesideforlittlethings.Writingismymedium.It’smything.
What can we do to encourage people to interact with and sup-port Veritas?R:WiththeNewspaperTeam,ofcourse,you’regivingusalittlebitofpublicity,sothankyou.Weshouldgoaroundtothefreshmanclasses,toletthemknow.Itstartswiththeyoungestpeopleintheschool.WeneedthemtoknowwhatVeritasisandwhatwedo.Ifeellikeifmaybehadafewmoremembersormaybepeoplefromeachgrade,itwouldhelp. Veritas has two co-presidents. How did this come to be and how does it reflect the club’s values?R:Tobehonest,Ifeellikeit’sbecausemeandCarloswewerealwaystheresincethebeginning.It’salwaysbeenthetwoofus.Ifeellikewehaveasharedvision.Personally,Idon’tfeelcomfortable with having a vice-president that will do only what thepresidentsays.Ithinkthatifit’smorecollaborativebe-tween the two presidents, then it’s something more of a power dynamic.C:We’renotrunningacountry,it’sahighschoolclub.
continued from page 5
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
7
Interview with Principal De JesúsBy:YUGISTHIRCHATTERGOON‘18&JONATHANZHENG‘18
Where did you grow up? “IgrewupintheDominicanRepublic.”
What were you like as a teenager? What did you like to do? “Iwasveryquiet...veryshy.Ilikedtostudy.”
What other jobs did you have before becoming principal? “Beforebecomingaprincipal,IworkedduringcollegeatacoffeeshopandrightaftercollegeIworkedatanafterschoolprogramandthat’swhenIbecameinterestedinteaching.”
How long did you work as principal at the Bronx High School of Busi-ness? What was it like and from what you’ve seen so far, how is it dif-ferent from QHSS?“Forayear.anditwasverydifferent.Itwasagreatexperiencebecausethestudentsaregreatandsoisthestaff,butdifferentbecausethestudents’levelsintermsofreadingandwritingareverylow—it'snotlikeaspe-cializedprogram.”
What made you want to work here? How did you became interested in our school? “Iwantedachangeinatmosphere.Ihaveworkedinsimilarschoolsbe-fore,wherekidshavebeenstrugglingandit'salotofworkandIenjoyeditbutIwantedachange.”
What is it like being principal of QHSS? What was the transition like? “It'sbeengreat.Ihavemetquiteanumberofthestudentsalready.Thestaff,theteachersaregreat.Transitioninghasbeenalittlebitdifficultbe-causethisisanewboroughformeandIworkedintheBronxandIhadalotofpeoplethatIcouldgetintouchwithandtalkto.Nowthereissomeisolation.Also,itisnotasnoisyasmyformerschool,it'snotasbusy—intermsofdisciplineanddealingwiththisandthatso,Ihavetogetusedtoit.It'sslower.It'saslowerpace.”
What do you envision this school to be under your administration? “Theschoolisdoingverywell,butwecanalwaysdobetter,soIseeuseventuallygettinganewbuildingandgrowinginsize.Andweeventuallyperhapsprovidemorecollegecourses,moreAdvancedPlacementcours-esforallstudents,butalsoextracurricularactivities!ThatissomethingInoticethatislackinghereintermsofafterschoolactivitieswherewehaveabigenoughschooltosupportthosethingssuchasclubs,sports,andavarietyofotherthings.AlsoI’mlookingtowardsmoreinternshipsforstudents,eventuallydoingahalfdayinschoolandtheotherhalfwherestudentscanmaybegotootherplacesandworkandgainexperience.
By extracurriculars, do you mean looking past the specified club hour we have? Would you change that aspect of clubs? “No...Ithinkthatit’sgoodthatwehavethatonFridaysbutmaybemoreactivitiesafterschool.Andalsoifwehavethebudget,moretutoringforstudents,sodifferentenrichmentprogramsforstudentsthatarenotdoingsowell.”
What are you looking forward to this school year?“I'm looking forward to seeing all of the students graduate and attendcollege.Andwearetalkingaboutgettingintocompetitivecollegesanduniversities.Iwantustohavea100%graduationrateandstudentsgrad-uating,asI'vesaidbefore,withAdvancedRegentsdiplomaswithHon-ors,butalsowithsomecollegecoursecredits.Andalsotoseewhatpro-grams that are there so that we can have them in addition to the ones we havenow.Iknowthatstudentsareparticipatingindifferentcompetitions,butI'mgoingtoseewhatelseisoutthere.I’malsothinkingaboutafterschool,ifit'snothere,ifstudentscangotoanotherplaceanddosomeafterschoolworkorvolunteering.”
What are your thoughts on the teachers so far? “Theteachersaregreat.Theydocare.Theyseemtobesupportiveofthestudents.Theyarehereearly.Someofthemstayafterschoolwithoutanycompensation.Ivisitedallofthemalready.Theyseemtobeveryopentofeedback.Andtheyhaveallthestudentsworkingveryhard.Theyarevery talented: Some of them do after-school, some of them are coaching, andallofthemaredoingsomethingextrainadditiontoteaching.”
If you would give the student body one piece of advice what would it be? “Youdefinitelyhavetofocusonacademics,it’simportant,butit’snottheonlything.Youreallyhavetothinkofwhatelsemakesyouagood
human being and how you can become awell rounded individual.Whatelseareyoudoing?Howareyoucontributingtothecommuni-ty?Areyouvolunteering?Areyouputtingintopracticewhatyouarelearninginclass?Academicsareveryimportant,butforcollegeit’snottheonlything.Youcanbethesmartestofindividualsbutifyouarenotawellroundedhumanbeing,andhavetheabilitytoworkhardandhavetheabilitytopersist,youwon’tmakeit.Andalsoyoucanbethebrightestpersonbutifyoudon’tknowhowtointeractwithindi-vidualsthatmightnotmakeyou.Soyoureallyhavetolookatotherthingsthatwillmakeyouagoodcandidateforcollegeandalsoagoodhumanbeing.”
What are your thoughts on events and field trips the school holds? “In termsofplanning events, I think themore eventswehave, thebetter.”
So you’re definitely open to the events that the SGO holds, such as the multi-cultural feast. “Definitely.Aslongaswegivenoticestoteachersandthere’sapur-pose,definitely.Likethatmovienightwasgreat.Themoreactivitieswecando for students, thebetter.Ofcourse, theseactivitiesare tobeasupplement-aslongastheydonotactuallytakeawayfromtheclassroom.”
What do you like to do in your free time?“IliketowatchTV.Ilikethecookingchannels-thefoodnetwork,Chop.Iliketocook,y’knowprintrecipesandsuch.Duringthesum-mer and spring, Iwatch baseball.My husband and I have been toabouttwelvedifferentstadiumsassomethingthatwewantedtodo.IlikeboththeYankeesandtheMets.ButIlikeanythingaboutbaseball.Andprobablysocceralso.Ialsotrytogetintoothersportstoo.”
Do you have a person that you look up to or admire? “Mymother.MymotherdivorcedmyfatherwhenIwasverylittle-whenIwastwoyearsold.Andsheraisedfourkidsallbyherself.Ittakesalottodothat.”
What was one memorable moment you remember as a kid? “OhIhavealot.Iusedtoliveinthecountrysidewithmygrandparentsforafewyears.Mygrandfatherusedtohaveacoffeeandcacaobeanplantation.Heusedtohaveavocadotreesandorangetrees.AndIre-memberjustwalkingandoftentimesclimbingthetrees.Iremembergoingdowntotheriverandweusedtohaveadonkey.Andweusedtogetwaterfromtheriverandputwholegallonsonthedonkey.Weusedto go to the river to wash the clothes. So those were some memorable experiences.”
If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? “I’lltraveltheworldandI’llbuyahouseformymotherintheDo-minicanRepublic.I’llbuyahousethere,probablymovebackthere.IwoulddefinitelygivebacktoalotofpeopleIknowthatwouldneedit.”
If you were stuck on an island and could only bring 3 things you have, which 3 things would you bring?“I’llbringmykids-they’retwinssothat’stwo.IthinkIwouldhavetobringmycomputer.AndIthinkI’llbringabooklikeOneHundredYearsofSolitudebyGabrielGarciaMarquez.”
If you woke up tomorrow morning with a superpower, what super-power would you want to have? Why?“Ithinkthepowertoreadpeople’sminds.Becausesometimesyou’retalking,youhavenoideawhetherthatpersoniswithyou,orwhatthatpersonisthinking.Yes,Iwouldlikethat.”
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
8
Five Things to do this Summer: NYC EditionBy:VALERIEFONG‘18
It’ssummertimeinNewYorkCity!Hereareafewideasonhowtomakethemostoutofawarmsummerdayintheworld’sgreatestcity.
1. Museums Galore. NewYorkCityishometosomeoftheworld’sgreatestmuseums,suchastheMet,theGuggenheim,andtheNoguchiMuseum.Duringthesummer,thesemuseumsofferawidevarietyofelectrifyingexhibitsandevents.MostNewYorkCitymuseumsarefreeforstudents,sodon’tforgettobringyourstudentID’swhenplanningyourvisits.Takeadvantageoflivinginperhapsthe world’s greatest art gallery and hop on a train to one of the city’s presti-giousinstitutionsthissummer.ForafulllistofallofNYCMuseum’s,visit:https://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html
2. Stargazing and Dancing on the High Line. Every summer,NewYork’s famousHighLine always has a plethora ofexcitingeventsandactivitiestooffer.Beginningatdusk,enjoyanightstar-gazingwithfriendsandfamilyanyTuesday,fromAprilthroughOctober.Lookthroughhigh-poweredtelescopesprovidedbytheAmateurAstrono-mersAssociationofNewYorktobespellboundbystellargalacticsights. Ifyou’reinthemoodforafreenightofdancing,pizza,music,oldschoolgames,andchocolatefountains,makesuretoattendtheHighLine’s“LookBackAt It!”TeenNight,hostedbyTheHighLineTeenArtandCultureCouncil,featuringDJTaelaNaomi.CherishandcelebratehowNewYorkCityhasbecomethecityitistodaywithfellowteenagers.Forafulllineupofthissummer’sHighLineactivities,visit:http://www.thehighline.org/activities
Fair,beingheldonJuly1st.Consider,celebratingournation’sin-dependenceattheGreatJuly4thFestival.Or,indulgeinlivemusic,food,crafts,andridesattheBroadwayMovieDayFestival,beingheldonJuly16th.ForafulllistofNYCStreetFairsandFestivals,visit:https://www.newyorkled.com/nyc_events_street_fairs.htm
4. Movies and Music Under the Stars. EnjoyafreeoutdoorfilmorconcerteventwithSummerScreen,Brook-lyn’sfreefilmandconcertseries.EveryJulyandAugustsince2006,SummerScreenhashostedoutdoormoviescreeningsandconcertswithavarietyoffilmsandartistsforpeopleofallagestoenjoy.Whetheryou’relookingforanightoflaughingoranightjammingoutwithyourfriendsandfamily,grabsomeblankets,chairs,andsnacksandheadtoMcCarrenParkinBrooklyn.Toseethisyear’smovieandmusiclineup,visit: http://www.summerscreen.org
5.Vibrant Street and Food Fairs. NewYorkisknownforitsabundanceofvibrantstreetandfoodfairs.Thissummer,grabsomefriendsandfamilyandeatyourwaythroughtheUpperEastSideFoodFair,beingheldonJune30th.Marvelattheskillfullyhand-craftedknickknacksatthe41stStreetBryantPark
3.Friday Night Beach Volleyball. HeadondowntoPier25toplayafreegameofbeachvolleyballonFri-dayevenings,from6:30pmto9:00pm.ThePier25DowntownBeachVolleyballLeagueoffersapositive, funenvironmentwithexperiencedcoacheswhocanhelpdevelopandimproveyourbump,set,andspike,regardlessofyourcurrentskilllevel.Formoreinformation,checkouttheManhattanYouthWebsite:http://manhattanyouth.org/pier-25/friday-night-youth-volleyball.aspx
Facebook Live: The Good and The BadBy:BRITNEYYEE‘18
FacebookLive.Afeaturethemulti-milliondollarsocialme-diaplatformlaunchedinAprilof2016.StartinglivestreamsallowFacebookusers to showcase excitingmoments in real time.MarkZuckerberg,theCEOofFacebook,advertisesthat“Whenyouinter-activelive,youfeelconnectedinamorepersonalway.”AlthoughZuckerberg’sintentionforthenewfeaturewaspurelyforbuildingstrongerconnectionsbetweenfriendsandfamily,FacebookLivehastakenaturnfortheworse. In January of 2017, four teenagers from Chicago lives-treamedavideoofthemattackingaspecial-needsteenager,tryingtoscarehimbyholdingaknifetohisface.Twomonthslater,avideoofa14yearoldgirlemergedandfeaturedherkidnappingonFacebookLive.Shewassubsequentlygang-raped.InAprilof2017,twomur-derswereshowcasedonFacebookLive.Thefirst,wasthemurderofa74yearoldmanbyClevelandnativeSteveStephensbecauseofissueswithhisex-girlfriend.ThesecondincidentinvolvedafatherinThailandhanginghis11montholddaughterduetoadisputewithhiswife.Morerecently,ateenagegirlfromGeorgiatriedtocommitsuicideonFacebookLive. Ina spanoffivemonths,multipleactsof violence and self harm have been broadcasted live on the social mediasiteformillionsofpeopletoseethroughrepostingandmes-saging others. It is likely thatpeople areusingFacebookLive tomakeabolder statement about problems they are facing, hencewhy theymaketheconsciouschoicetobroadcastmurdersandsuicidesastheyhappen.Itgivesthebroadcasterasenseofpowerknowingthathisorherviewerscannotdoanythingaboutthedeaththeyareabouttowitness. Facebook gives its users the authority to flag and reportany content that may seem inappropriate. Based on what has been streamed the last fivemonths, this authority does not seem to beenough.Inanefforttocrackdownontheinappropriatelivestreamedvideos,Zuckerberghasvowedtohireanextra3,000peopleinad-ditiontothe4,500employeeshehaspresentlyto“reviewthemil-lionsofreports[they]geteachweek.”HewantsFacebooktoexudeanauraoffriendlinessandsafety.Ultimately,thelongerittakesforFacebooktoremovealivevideo,morepeoplewillgettoseetheactof horror. However,thenewsaboutFacebookLiveweseeonTVonlyspeaks about the cons of the social media feature. BroadcastinglivegivesFacebookusersthecapabilitytowatchsignificantevents(Trump’sPresidential Inaugurationor a football game) and thingsyouwouldn’t seeonadailybasis (April theGiraffegivingbirth).Additionally, celebrities such asMichael Phelps (Olympic Swim-mer) and StephenAmell (CW’sArrow) utilize Facebook Live tobuildabetter relationshipwith their fans.Theyholdmultiple liveQ&Asessionsinhopesofshowingtheirfansappreciation. TheFacebookLivefeaturegivesitsusertheopportunitytobuildbetterconnectionswithothers.Whetherweuse it tomakeagreaterimpactornotisultimatelyuptoallofus.
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
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2017 Battle of the GradesBy: DHARAM MATHUR ‘19
QHSS’annualBattleoftheGrades(BoTG)traditioncontinuedthisyearinthrillingfashion.Inpastyears,eachgradechoseonly10con-testants who competed in the sports events. However, this year saw the introductionofanewBoTGformat. Originally,BoTGwasn'tevengoingtohappenthisyearduetotimeconstraints.InsteadofBattleoftheGrades,theSpringFlingwassettooccupytimeandenergy.Amidstsomestudentbacklash,BattleoftheGradeswasscheduledonMay19thwithaspecialschedule.Ms.Gold-stein agreed to lead the organization of the event, along with help from theSGO. BattleoftheGradesconsistedof5events:volleyball,free-throwbasketball,half-courtbasketball,dodgeball,andtheinfamousQHSStra-ditionofmusicalchairs.PointswerealsogiventothegradeofthePi-Eat-ingcontestwinnerandgradesthatpurchasedthemostticketstoschoolevents.MohamadMoslimani'17gavetheseniorsonepointthroughhisfirstplacefinishinthePiEatingcontest.ThefreshmenpurchasedthemostticketstotheSpringFlingwhiletheseniorsdominatedTalentShowticketsales,thusgivingbothgradesapointeach. OntheFridayofBoTG,studentsfromallgradesgatheredintheYorkCollegegymnasiumfortheactualevents.Insteadofpicking10studentstocompeteineverything,eachgradewasgiventheabilitytosendforthdifferentpeoplefordifferentevents,thusgivingmorestudentsa chance to participate. These players were determined in a meeting one weekpriortotheevent.Withthissystem,theSGOhopedthatBoTGwouldbemoreinclusive,andgivestudentsmorecontrolovertheout-come of the games.
Inthefirstevent,theseniorsdefeatedthesophomoresinthevolley-ballfinaltoaddtotheir2pointadvantage.Next,inthefree-throwcompeti-tion,theseniorssquaredoffagainstthesophomores,onceagain,inthefinalround.Theseniorsandthesophomorestiedforpointsnotonce,buttwiceduringthefree-throwevent.Tosettlethescoreonceandforall,Mr.Cam-panellacalledforasudden-deathovertime,inwhichtheseniorsultimatelytriumphedtoaddtotheirgrowingpointtotal. Inthethirdevent,thefreshmenshockedthesophomoresinthefirstbracketofhalf-courtbasketballandadvancedtothefinals,wheretheyfacedtheseniors.Theseniorswould,however,beatthefreshmenandtakeanotherpoint.Thenextactivity-dodgeball-wasdominatedbythejuniors.Theywouldclaimapointafterlayingwastetotheseniorsinthefirstbracketandthencrushingthesophomoresinthefinalround.Thelastactivityofthedaywasmusicalchairs,whichwasworthtwopoints,onemorethanalltheotheractivitieswereworth.Thefreshmennarrowlycameoutaheadandclaimedthefinaltwopoints. TheseniorscontinuedQHSStraditionbywinningBoTGwithanimpressive5points.Insecondplacecamethefreshmen,whoputupagoodfightbywinningatotalof3points.Forthirdplace,thejuniorshadasinglepointfromtheirdodgeballperformance.Thesophomores,unfortunately,cameinlastthisyear,thoughtheydidwinanunofficialpointfromMr.Campanellaforbeingthegradewiththemostschoolspirit.Medalsweredis-tributedtoplayersfromeachwinninggradeattheendoftheevent.Lookingback,the2017BattleoftheGradeswasafuneventthatencouragedschoolspiritandgradepride.Hopefully,thiseventwillcontinueeverysingleyearatQHSS,promptingustowonder,willanygradeeverbreakthewinningstreakoftheseniorclass?
The Cardinal Staff
EDITORS IN CHIEF:Jonathan Zheng ‘18
Sharon Jo ‘18
EDITOR: LayoutBritney Yee ‘18
EDITOR:Pelumi Omotosho ‘18
CONTRIBUTORS:Soorya Anilkumar ‘18
Yugisthir Chattergoon ‘18 Valerie Fong ‘18 Ashley Gong ‘18 Suha Hussain ‘19
Victoria Jaskaran ‘18 Jobanny Lagunes ‘18 Marcus Louizaire ‘18 Dharam Mathur ‘19
Iesha Mayers ‘17Kevin Megnath ‘18
Inderpreet Nijjar ‘18 Jaskarn Parmar ‘18 Rebecca Partap ‘18 Shane Persaud ‘18 Faizah Rabbye ‘19
Ashmaul Rutba ‘18 Hebatalla Shoaeib ‘18 Daniel Sumwani ‘18
Catherine Ching Yuan Wang ‘19
ADVISOR: Ms. Cap
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TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
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Welcome To Your Tape, QHSSBy:VALERIEFONG‘18&REBECCAPARTAP‘18
We’veallseen13ReasonsWhyandtheheart-wrenchingstoryofHannahBaker’sfate.We’veheardsomeoneinthehallstalkaboutit.They’llleanagainstawallandtellyouabouthowtheywanttokillthemselvesbecauseofthateleven-pageessaytheywereassignedlastperiod.Andwelaughedbecauseitwasajoke...right? Suicide.Theguidancecounselorsarealwaystalkingaboutit.Sometimestheybringin“mentalhealthspecialists”tolectureusabouttheconsequencesofnotreachingout.Wedon’talwaystakeitveryseriously.Howcanwewhentheyshowvideosthatareolderthanweare? AccordingtotheCenterforDiseaseControlandPrevention,suicideisthesecondleadingcauseofteendeathsinthecountry.TheJasonFoundation,aclinically-basednonprofitorganizationthatadvocatestheawarenessandpreventionofyouthsuicide,discov-eredthat“moreteenagersdiefromsuicidethanfromcancer,heartdisease,AIDS,congenitaldisabilities,stroke,pneumonia,influenza,andchroniclungdisease,combined.”Suicideisaseriousproblem;awarenessofitneedstobeamplified. Youthwithmentaldisorders,suchasdepression,anxiety,bipolardisorder,andinsomnia,areataparticularlyhigherriskofhavingsuicidalthoughts.TheUniversityofWashingtonreportsthat90%ofthosewhocommitsuicidehaveadiagnosablementaldisorder.Suicidevictimswithmentaldisordersareoftenleftundi-agnosed,undertreated,oruntreated.Teenswhoexperienceamentaldisorder often fail to recognize their need for help.
Suicidalthoughtsaren’tonlyprevalentinyouthwithmentalailments. Anyone can experience them. Anxiety and depression are commoninteens.Itisn’teasybeingateen-especiallyinhighschool.Therearesomanyexpectationsandpressuresonusthatwesometimesfeeltrapped.APtests,SATscores,collegeapplications,extracurriculars,sociallife,familylife,“beingwell-rounded”--it’salljusttoomuchsometimes.Westarttofeellikewe’redrowningwhenwecan’tfigureitallout.It’shardtobreathe.It’shardtostayafloat.It’sokaytofeelthisway.Yourfeelingsarevalidandarenotsomethingtojustbrushoff. Ifyouarehavingtroublewitheverything,talkingtosomeoneisoftenthebestrouteindealingwiththeseissues.Itcanbedifficulttoreachoutandmakeyourselfvulnerabletoothers.However,knowthattherewillalwaysbesomeonewhowantstohearwhatyouhavetosayandtoknowhowyoufeel.Whetheryouareseekingadviceorsimplywishtoventyourfeelings,suicidehotlinescanbeveryhelpfulandareanonymous.Mentalhealthhotlines,therapists,guidancecounselors,andteacherscanalsobesupportiveresources.Andoften,alongconversationwithaclosefriendorparentmaybejustastherapeutic.Remember,themostimportantthingisyourwell-being.Ifyouneedhelp,thenfindyour-selfaTonyPadilla.Untangleyourselffromthethoughtthatyouarenotworthit.You’vegottounderstandthat--you’reworthit.Giveyourselfachance. Forthosewhoknowafriendinneed,lendaneartotheirprob-lems.Itisimportantthat,whensomeonedemonstratesclearsignsofdistress,wereachoutandofferoursupportandencouragement.Afewreassuringwordsmaygoalongway.Makeanefforttoencouragethem.Takethetimetositdownwiththemandhelpthemworkouttheirdilem-mas.Letthemknowthattheyarenotalone.TheworldneedsmoreClayJensens. Ifyouarestrugglingtogetthrougheachpassingdayrightnow,justhanginthereandstaystrong.Youmaynotunderstandtoday,tomor-row,orevenamonthfromnow,butonedayyou’lllookbackandthankyourselfforhavingbravedthestorm.Remember,“justwhenthecaterpil-larthoughttheworldwasover,itbecameabutterfly…”
Music in Review: An Exposé on the Achievements of the Music Department
By:VICTORIAJASKARAN‘18&HEBATALLASHOAEIB‘18 Musicenrichesourlivesallovertheworldwhetherwelistentoit,per-formit,orcreateit.ThesamegoesformusicatQHSS!OurmusicdepartmentthisyearofferedtwoclassesofChorusandMusicAppreciationeach,andone-and-a-halfOrchestraclasses,andithasgrownexponentiallyoverthepastthreeyears. In 2014, theQHSSmusicdepartmentwas limitedgreatlyby the lackof instruments.Only studentswho owned instruments could join the orches-tra,whichmeantthatwehadnoinfluxofnewplayers.ButthatchangedwhenMs.Verga,thenewmusicteacher,startedtofundraiseforthemusicdepartment.SheputourschoolonDonorsChoose.org,asitewhichconnectsschoolsinneedwithdonors.ThroughtheDonorsChooseprogram,wewereabletoraisemoneyformanyofourstringinstruments.Wewereabletoobtainviolins,violas,cellos,adoublebass,andmostrecently,atrumpet.WecurrentlyhaveaprojectuponDonorsChoosetoraiseenoughmoneytogetapiccoloforourschool. Withthehelpofthenewinstruments,Ms.VergaturnedpartoftheMusicAppreciationclassintoaBeginnerStringOrchestra.Theadditionmadeitpossi-blefornewplayerstolearnevenwithoutowninganinstrument,anditsparkedinterestinthemusicdepartment.ThebeginnerplayersnowperformeveryyearintheSpringConcerttoshowofftheirdevelopedskills.Twoyearsago,theOr-chestrawonfirstplaceinacompetitionatHersheyPark! The music department has also offeredAPMusic Theory during the2015–2016schoolyear.Thestudentsoftheclasscreatedamusicalwithallorig-inalpiecesofcomposition.TheMusicHonorSociety,Tri-M,wasalsobornin2016fromAPMusicTheory.Thecurrentpresidentofourchapter,LiaKim,andmanyofthefoundingmemberswerepartofthatclass. “Themusic department has grown somuchover thepast fewyears,”LiaKim’17says.“Inmyfreshmanyear,wehadallthosepianosandahandfulofmiscellaneous,brokeninstruments.Nowwe’vegotviolins,violas,trumpets,cellos,percussioninstruments,clarinets,andhopefullyatromboneverysoon!It’samazingwhatcrowdfundingsitesandloveformusicwilldoforaschool.There’s alsoTri-MMusicHonor Society!QHSS’s top devotedmusicians allworkingtogethertomakeourmusicdepartmentevenbetter?Um,YES!Mybig
gest hope is that Tri-M can expand even more and get the recog-nition itdeserves.Theexecutiveboardand itsmembers try sohardanditpaysoff.We’veraisedthemoneyittooktobuyalltheukulelesforthewinterconcertjustbyreturningbottles!” OneoftheactivitiesinwhichTri-Mparticipatesisthean-nualtriptoSt.Mary’sChildren’sHospital.Itsmembersandothermusiciansvolunteer toperform for thepatients at thehospital.Lastyear,theyperformedsongsforchildrenatacommunitycen-terinQueensaswell.Inaddition,studentswhoseschedulesdon’tallowforamusicclass,butwhostillwanttoenhancetheirmusicabilities,canalwaysfindmusiciansinTri-Mwillingtohelpev-eryday. Another amazing thing that Tri-M does is collect and re-cycleplasticwaterbottlestoraisemoneyforthemusicdepart-ment and help the environment. There are bins in Ms. Verga’s and Dr.Rabl’sroomswhichemptybottlescanbedepositedin.Oncethebinsreachasufficientamount,Tri-Mmemberswalkforafewblockstoarecyclingcenterwheretheycanexchangethebottlesfor money. Themusicdepartmentalsowelcomedseveralguestspeak-ers,suchasradiohostTerranceMcKnight,andBroadwayactressRebeccaLarkin.TheyhavealsoperformedintheAristainduc-tionceremonyandgraduation,asitdoeseveryyear!Amongthefoundingofnewclasses,learning,donating,fundraising,andpar-ticipatinginoutsideprograms,themusicdepartmenthasgrownagreatdeal!Andlikeallgoodthings,itwillcontinuetoflourish.
TheCardinal|VolumeI|IssueI
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A Feast of All CulturesBy:PELUMIOMOTOSHO‘18
QHSS’annualculinarybanquet,theMulticulturalFeast,hasonceagainpresentedstudentswithachancetostimulatetheirtastebudswithinternationalflavor. Sensationalflavorsfromaroundtheworldwerepackedneat-lyintotheYorkCollegegym,providingstudentswithamassivebuf-fetreadytoenjoyrightintheschool’sbackyard.Formostofthestu-dents who came, the feast met and exceeded expectations for variety, entertainment,andatmosphere. Inaddition,SGOwasalsoable toraiseacool$693-justicingonthecake. The festivities began with each table, which was neatly dec-oratedwithflags fromallover theworld,beingcalled tofill theirplates on either the left or right food lines. Said lines spanned almost the entire length of the gym and featured different foods on eachside,includingappetizers,entrees,andendingindesserts.Thefoodsfeatured ranged fromChina toGuyana toNigeriaaswellasBan-gladesh,justtonameafew.Oncesatisfiedwiththeirexplorationofoneside'sfood,studentscouldswitchoverandtaketheirpickofthealternateside.Thismethodensuredthatnofoodwentunsampledandnostomachunsatisfied.“IcompletelyfilledupwithfoodI’veneverevenseenbefore,”saidPeterLi‘20. Thefoodwasjustthebeginningofthisbuoyantcelebration,however.Asdinersengaged their tastebuds, theywerealsogiventheopportunitytoengagetheireyes.Onesuchopportunitybeingthenativeclothingsportedbysomeofourmoreferventculturalpartici-pants.Indeed,thedistinctattirewornbysomestudentsandstaffcre-ated“anatmospherealmostlikeapartyatamodelUNconference,”asYogeshChattergoon‘17putit.Thiscameinadditiontoastun-ningly-executedpromposal,whichwassuretohaveallinattendanceengaged in the moment. Studentsandfacultywerealsotreatedtoananimatedperfor-mancefromQHSS’veryown“BollywoodDancers.”Comprisedofseveralmembersoftheschool’sgraduatingclass,thegroupputonashowthatmadetheMulticulturalFeastmeanmorethanjustinterna-tionalfoods,butalsoculturaltraditions. Itwouldbeunfairnot toacknowledge thesongsplayedaswell.“Themusicreallyhelpedsettheatmosphere;itmadememorerelaxedandmorereadytoeatduringoneofmyfavoriteeventsoftheyear,”saidElaineSionov‘19.Thatafternoon’splaylistmaynothavebeenonthesamecaliberasthatofourbelovedDJZeke,butitcertainlysucceededinputtingstudentsinthemoodforfood. Overall, thisyear’sMulticulturalFeastwasahugesuccessandhelpedstudentsinQHSSenjoythefinalweeksbeforetheschoolyearendsandsummervacationbegins.
European Elections Prompt Eye-OpenersBy:INDERPREETNIJJAR‘18
2017hasproventobeanimportantyearinEuropeanpolitics.BothFranceandtheUnitedKingdomhadgeneralelections,thesurpriseresultsofwhichwillundoubtedlyinfluencethepathofeachcountry.
French Elections TheFrenchelectionwasdividedintotworounds.Thefirstroundwas a general election with people being given the option to vote for whichevercandidatetheywant.Thesecondroundwasarun-offelection,withthetoptwocandidatesfromthefirstroundfacingoff. Duringthisyear’spresidentialelection,bothofthetraditionalpoliticalparties,thecenter-leftSocialistPartyandthecenter-rightRepub-licans,failedtomakethesecondround.Thisresulthadn’toccurredsince1969. The Socialist Party failed miserably by losing its centrists to Macron anditsleft-wingvoterstoJean-LucMelenchon’sLaFranceInsoumiseParty,whiletheRepublicans’campaignwasplaguedbycorruptionscan-dals.ThetoptwocandidateswiththemostvoteswereEmmanuelMacronofEnMarch!orOnward!,andMarineLePenoftheNationalFront.Ma-crongot24%ofthefirstroundvote,andLePengot21.3%.Macronisastaunch,pro-EuropeanUnioncentrist,representingeconomicandsociallyliberalviews.TheNationalFrontisafar-rightparty,withstrongconserva-tiveviews,Euroscepticism,andanti-immigrationbeliefs.Sinceusurpingherfather’spositionintheparty,MarineLePenhastriedtoshifttheNa-tionalFrontawayfromitshistoryofanti-SemitismandHolocaustdenial.Macron’s extreme centrism played a big part in this election, allowing him topullvotersfromboththecenter-leftandcenter-right.Inthesecondandfinalround,Macronreceived66.1%ofthetotalvotesharewhileLePengot33.9%ofthevotes,thuscementingMacronasthe25thPresidentofFrance.
UK Elections TheUKelection,whichtookplaceonJune8,workedalittledif-ferently,withthecountryholdinglocalelectionsinconstituencies.Who-everwinsthemostvotesintheconstituencyisgivenacorrespondingseatintheHouseofCommons,thelowerhouseoftheUKParliament.ThepartywiththemostseatsintheCommonsselectsthenextPrimeMinister.Thegoalistoalsogetaparliamentarymajorityof326seats,solawscanbepassedoutright.Theelectionwasalsoasnap-election,meaningitwascalledforbythegoverningpartyandnotnormallyscheduled. ThegoverningConservativeParty,thetraditionallyright-wingpar-ty,calledtheelectionlookingtoincreasetheirmajorityof330seats.Whentheycalledfortheelection,theConservativeshadawhopping20pointlead.Butintheweeksleadingintotheelection,thehugeleadtheyhadinopinionpollsevaporated.ThiswaslargelyduetotheLabourParty,theleft-wingparty,whichgainedalotofpopularityintheweeksbeforetheelectionwiththeircenter-leftmanifesto.Labouralsomobilizedmorevot-ers,especiallyyoungpeople.Therewasincreasedturnoutinvotersaged18-34,withLaboursecuring60%ofthisdemographicgroup.MinoritiesalsoheavilyleanedLabour,with73%votingforthem.Intheend,theConservativeslost13seatsandlosttheirmajority,whileLabourgained30seatsforatotalof262seats.WhileLabourdidnotsecurethemostseats,itwasseenasahugewinforthepartyastheConservativeslosttheirmajori-tyinanelectionthattheycalledunnecessarily.TheotherbigloserwastheScottishNationalistParty,whichlost21seats. OnJune25,theConservativeshavemadeanalliancewiththeDem-ocraticUnionistParty(DUP),afar-rightNorthernIrishparty,topropupaminority government. Theseelectionshavemajorimplicationsforbothnations.Emman-uelMacronisapro-businessandpro-EUpresidentandthiswilldictateFrance’spolicies.Macronwilltrytoreducethesizeofthegovernmentbycuttingdownonthepublicsectorandpublicspending.Healsoplansoncuttingdownoncorporatetaxeswhilebuildingtieswiththestrongestpub-licsectorunion,theCFDT.Macrondoes,however,wanttoincreasespend-ing for the military and the police. He is also calling for more cooperation with the U.S. in dealing with terrorism. TheUK’sfutureismuchmoreuncertain.TheUKstillneedstonegotiateanexitfromtheEU.EventhoughtheConservativesandtheDUP came to an agreement, they don’t see eye to eye on everything and theConservativeswillhavetoreinbackonsomedemands.TheresaMay’spositionsasPrimeMinisterandLeaderoftheConservativesmayalsobeunderrisksincethefailedelectionwascalledbyher.Anotherelectionmaybeunderwaysometimeinthenearfuture. Whateverhappens,Europe’stwomostinfluentialcountriesmustfacenewchallengesthattheywillundoubtedlymeetwithitscurrentpoliti-calmakeup.
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QHSS Career Day 2017By:DHARAMMATHUR‘19,FAIZAHRABBYE‘19,&CATHERINECHINGYUANWANG‘19
OnWednesday,March29,2017,QHSShosteditssecondannualCareerDay,inwhichmanydifferentprofessionalsvisitedclassroomstotalkabouttheiroccupationsandtogivestudentsinsightintodifferentcareeroptions.Theyprovidedstudentswithgoalsettingstrategiesaswellastipsforcollegereadiness.QHSS’PupilAccountingSec-retary,Ms.BarbaraWittstruck,organizedthisfunction;sheinvitedmanypeoplefromallacrossthecityandwasabletogatheranunprecedented22speakers,ahugeincreasefromthepreviousyear’s6. CareerDaywasheldfromperiod2toperiod7.Eachclassroomhadadifferentspeakereveryperiod.Thesespeakerswereledaroundtheschoolbystudentambassa-dors,whovolunteeredtodirectandkeepCareerDayguestscompany.Ms.DeJesúsremarkedthat“Thisisawayofmotivatingstudentstoaskquestionsabout[different]fieldsandstartdoingcommunityservicesandinternships,especiallyearlyon.”Somespeakersincluded:studentsfromtheYorkCollegeNursingProgram,aWNBC4mete-orologist,aCIAworker,acaptainfromtheNYPD,anattorney,anarchitect(andfor-merQHSSalumni),anentrepreneur,aGoogleengineer,achef,amathprofessor,asetdesigner,andafreelancephotographer(thehusbandofQHSS’veryownMrs.Park)! Manystudentsagreedthattheseprofessionalsprovidedvaluableinformationonprospectivefieldsandgotthemthinkingabouttheirfutures.Severalspeakers,suchasMs.NoraD.fromtheCIA,letstudentsknowaboutinternshipsandprogramsthatareopenforthefuture.Speakersalsogavestudentsinsightintotheskillsneededfortheirjobsandthechallengestheyfacedintheirlineofwork.Forexample,Mr.Cheung,aphotographer,describedthesuccessesandhardshipsofrunninghisownbusiness.Thesetdesignerspeakertalkedabouthowherjobworks,whatshedoes,andhowshemanageseveryaspectofherjob.Moreover,sheassuredusthatevenifwedon’thaveacareerdecided,intimewewillfindsomethingwearepassionateabout.Sheclosedbystatingthattherearemanycareerstochoosefromandthatweshouldchoosetodosomethingthatwouldmakeushappy. QHSSstudentsgenerallyenjoyedCareerDay.“Ilikedhowwewereabletolearnaboutdifferentfields,fieldsthatweneverimagineourselvesbeingin.”saidonestudent.Anothercommentedthatmeetingsomeofthespeakerswasfun,“particularlythechoc-olatelady.”However,therewassomecriticismaswell,withafewstudentscomplainingaboutthelackofchoiceinselectingwhichspeakerstheygottolistento.StudentsalsocitednotbeingabletoseesomespeakersassomethingthatneedstobeimprovedforCareerDay.Overall,moststudentsagreedthatCareerDayhelpedinkeepingthefuturein mind. Afterspeakinginfrontofdozensofclasses,manyspeakerstoldMs.Wittstrucktheyrealizedhowharditwastobea“teacher”educatingyoungerpeople,evenifitentailstalkingaboutwhattheydoonadaytodaybasis.Lookingbackontheevent,Ms.Wittstrucknotedthat“itwasashamethatstudentsonlygottoseeahandful[ofspeak-ers]andwerenotabletolistentothewiderangeofthemwhocame.”Shehopesthatthiseventwillcontinueinfutureyearsandwantstoseeitimproveaftereachsubsequentyear,IfanyonehassuggestionsonhowtoimproveQHSS’CareerDay,Ms.Wittstruckisopentoideasandismorethanhappytolisten!
Haiti’s Election DebacleBy:MARCUSLOUIZAIRE‘18
politicalarena,hewasabusinessmanwhofoundedAgri-trans,anagriculturalcompany.In2014,Agritransre-possessed over 2000 acres of legally farmed land for the growthofitsbananasandplantains.Haitiiscurrentlyinafoodcrisisandisforcedtoimportproductsfromforeignnations,yetthesebananasaresoldtoGermanyandotherEuropeancountries.DespitehisresignationfromAgri-transinordertorunforpublicoffice,MoïsehasabananarepublicvisionforHaiti.BeforehetookofficeasHaiti’sheadofstate,Moïsewasalsoquestionedbyajudgeformoneylaunderingthroughhis14bankaccounts. JovenelMoïsewasinauguratedinFebruaryofthis year as Haiti’s 42nd President, 16 months after the firstelectionwascalledin2015.Moïse’stransitionintopowerwillmostlikelynotbefeltbyHaiti’spopulation,ashewaspickedpersonallybytheformerpresidentashissuccessor.WhileHaitiexpandsitsexports,ithasyettoreplaceinfrastructureafternaturaldisasters.Chancesare,PresidentMoïsewillnotmakepositivegainsforHai-ti’scommonman,butonecanonlyseewhathappens.
Haitiisacountrythathasbeenunderpoliticalduresssinceitsconception.AfterwinningitsfreedomfromFrance,thenationhasbeenexperiencinginternation-alinterventionsuchasforceddebtpaymenttoFranceandoccupationsbytheUnitedStates.Politicalcoupsconstantlyswaytheisland’snationalagenda.Sowhenadem-ocraticelectionoccursinHaiti,youcanundoubtedlysuspectfoulplay.TheU.S.hassupporteditsowncandidatetobeHaiti’spresidentbyfunneling$33millionintotheelection,mostlyinsupportofincumbentPresidentJovenelMoïseandhispredecessor,MichelMartelly.OnFebruary7,2017,JovenelMoïseassumedtheofficeofPresidentofHaiti.Buthisrisetopowerwasmarkedbynearlyanentireofyearofinvestigation,recounts,andrunoffelections. Haiti’sformerpresident,MichelMartellyofthePHTKParty,leftofficeinFebruary2016withoutaPresident-electtosucceedhim.ThiswasduetothefactthattheOctober2015election,whichwoulddetermineMartelly’ssuccessor,seemedsuspiciouslytippedinthePHTK’sfavor.JovenelMoïse,thecandidaterunningforthePHTK,wonwith32.8%oftheofficialvote,yetexitpollsrevealedafigureof6%.Thepreliminaryresultswereimmediatelycalledintoquestionandpublicprotestsupportedthecancellationoftherunoffelection.Thoughnoonewaspunishedforchangingtheresults,thepreliminaryballotwasfoundtobeentirelyfraudulent.AweekafterMar-telly’stermended,JocelermePrivertwaschosenasinterimpresidentbytheHaitianSenateuntilanotherpersoncouldbeauthenticallyelected. InthesubsequentNovember2016election,voterturnoutwasanabsolutetrav-esty,with21.69%ofeligiblevoterscomingouttothepolls.ThisfigureisoneofthelowestnumbersinallofHaiti’selectoralhistory.VoterslostfaithinHaiti’selectoralprocess,withmanycitingthelackofappropriatedisciplinaryactionaftertheinitial2015fraud.Moïse’s2015resultof32.8%ofthevoteincreasedto55.67%,thussecur-inghiswinandeliminatingtheneedforarunoff. PresidentMoïsehasbeenunderagreatdealofsuspicion.Beforeenteringthe
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What We Think of the Immigration BanBy:BRITNEYYEE‘18
OnJanuary27th,2017,PresidentTrumpsignedanorderthattemporarilyblockedrefugeeadmissionintotheUnitedStatesfor120days.CitizensfromsevenpredominantlyMuslimcountries-Iran,Iraq,Libya,Somalia,Syria,Sudan,andYemen-werebannedfromenteringacountrysupposedlybuiltonfreedomandindependence.Contrarytopublicopinion,PresidentTrumpinsiststhattheexecutiveorderwasn’ta“MuslimBan”. Whentheimmigrationbanwasimplemented,itgavelawenforcement the power to detain green card travelers coming from the aforementionedcountries.Also,anypersonsfromthebannedcountriesseekingmedicalattentionfromtheUnitedStateswerenotpermittedtoenterthecountry. Inresponsetotheimmigrationban,peoplethroughoutthecountrymobilizedtoprotestatinternationalairportsintheirhometown,suchasJFKAirportandLAX.OnFebruary3rd,2017,JudgeJamesRobartofU.SDistrictCourtofWashingtonchallengedPresidentTrumpand temporarily halted the immigration ban. Several days later, the U.S.CourtofAppealsforthe9thCircuitreaffirmedRobart’sorderanddeniedTrump’srequestforreinstatingtheimmigrationban.Despitethisfierceoppositionfromthecourts,theTrumpadministrationisdeter-minedtocurtailimmigration. IinterviewedseveralstudentsfromourschoolinregardtotheiropiniononPresidentTrump’simmigrationban.
Q- What do you think about the Trump administration’s determina-tion in getting the immigration ban back in effect?
Debolina Chanda ‘18:Ithinkthatthedeterminationthatisconveyedbythe administration proves that the American Dream is nonexistent. Since thebeginning,Americahasbeenknownasthe"landofthefree,andthehomeofthebrave.”ImmigrantshavelefttheirhomecountriestocometoAmericainsearchoffreedom.PilgrimsfledfrompersecutionandarrivedinAmericainsearchoffreedom.Thepresident'swishtoputtheimmigra-tionbanintoeffectdefiesthefoundationsonwhichAmericawasbuilt.Q: As a Muslim, if you had to chance to speak to President Trump and persuade him otherwise about people of your religion, what would you say? Arwa Rahman ‘18:“IwouldtrytoeducatehimonthebasicprinciplesinstilledinthosewhofollowtheIslamicfaith.Throughoutmychildhood,myfaithhelpedimplementthebasicmoralsandvaluesIhavetoday.Af-terhavingobservednumerousdebates,speeches,andinterviews,itissafetosaythatthepresident’sviewonwhatIslamstandsforsharplycontrastswiththeprinciplesIgrewupwith.Whathepreachestothepublicpor-traystheentiretyofIslamunderthetermofaradicalIslamicterrorist.ByantagonizingandscapegoatingMuslims,DonaldTrumphasbeenabletocreateanegativeoutlookonthewholefaithtothepublic.Thisiswherethemainissuelies;theactionofsomehavenowdefinedalmost1.6billionadherents.TruebelieversofthefaithknowthecoreprincipleofIslamispeaceandthatourkeyvaluesaresignificantlyinfluencedbyourfaith.AsaMuslim,Ilearnedtorespectall,especiallymyelders.Thatre-spectistobereciprocated.AsaMuslim,IlearnedtowishpeaceonotherswhenIsay“AssalamoAlaikum”—whichtranslatesto“maypeacebeuponyou”.AsaMuslim,Ilearnedtheimportanceofpayingalms(chari-ty),becauseaslongasyouhave,youcangive.AsaMuslim,Ilearnedtoconnect on a deeper level with those practicing and my family has grown witheachnewmeeting.AsaMuslim,Ilearnedtoloveandacceptdespitedifferences.”Q: Do you believe Judge Robart’s restraining order of Trump’s execu-tive order will be the end of the immigration ban? Why or why not?Mashaba Kabir ‘18: IbelieveRobart’smotiontorestrainTrump’sexec-utiveordersontheimmigrationbanwillnotmakeadifferencebecauseknowingtheTrumpadministration,they’llsomehowfindawaytomaketheiractions“constitutional.”Afterall,don’tweloveeducatingourselveswiththe“alternativefacts”theyprovide?DespitewhathappenswithTrump’sprogressonhisimmigrationban,thebrightsideisthatpeo-plewillcontinuetounitetogoagainsteachcontroversialorderTrumpex
-ecutes. The number of people that attended the Women’s March pro-test on January 20th was substantially larger than the number of people who attended his “huge” inauguration. In addition, the unthinkable is happening - crowds of Muslims are now praying in airports as a form of protest. A month before Trump was president, this wouldn’t seem possi-ble. Regardless of whether or not Robart restrains Trump’s order, Don-ald Trump’s controversial decisions will continue to unify the American people.
There’s Something In The WaterBy:PELUMIOMOTOSHO‘18
QHSSstudentswereundoubtedlysurprisedtoreturntoschoolfromspringbreakanddiscovera“DONOTDRINKFROMFOUNTAIN”signtapedabovethedualfountains.Theambiguousandsolemnlyprintednoticeproducedasmanyrumorsasitdidques-tions,especiallyforstudents(likemyself)accustomedtodiscardingschool-relatedlettersasquicklyasthey’regiven.Claimsandinquiriesofbrokenpipes,fountainrenovation,corruptedwater,oracruelprankonthirstystudentsweredeveloped,discussed,anddismissedatlength.However,withtheremovalofthesignsomehoursintotheday,camethesimmeringofstudentinterestintothemysteryandaseeminglyquietwrap-upofthefiasco. Thatis,ofcourse,untiltheunknowingstudentswhohadre-sumedregularfountain-drinkinghabitswereenlightenedbytheirmorewell-informedpeersonthereasonforthecautionarysignsthatdirect-edstudentstousethewatertowashhandsratherthantodrink(nowplacedinsidethebathrooms).Itturnedoutthatrumorsofcorruptedwaterwerewellmerited:therewasleadintheschool’sdrinkingwater. AccordingtotheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA),ex-posuretoleadhasbeenlinkedto“damagetothecentralandperipheralnervoussystem,learningdisabilities,impairedhearing,andimpairedformationandfunctionofbloodcells.”Thetestedwaterinthefaucetsofroom221wasfoundtohave87.3partsperbillionofleadperliter,overfivetimesthelevelspermittedbytheNewYorkStateDepartmentofHealth.Whiletheselevelsarelikelyelevatedasaresultofsittingwaterinpipesoverthevacation,itisashockingdevelopmentnonethe-less.Inaddition,numerousschoolsintheareahavebeentestedwithsimilarresults. Forsomestudents,thewaterfountainswereoneoffewrefugesfromanoverlyboringclass.Formanyothers,itwastheonlysourceoffreewaterthroughouttheday.Thus,thenewsofleadedwaterhasleftQHSSersformerlydependentonfountainwater,distrustingit.Manyseemtomaintainaratherirrationalfearthatthewaterispoisonousandhaveswornitoffforgood.Some,however,havesimplygonebacktoregularlyscheduleddrinkingpractices. Toreturnfaithtoourfountains,theNYCDOEhasassuredus“custodialstaffwillflushtheQHSSwatersystemsonMondaymorn-ings before school starts in order to eliminate stagnant water in pipes overtheweekend.”Hopefully,withthispromise,trustinthewaterfountainsmayreturntopre-SpringBreaklevels. RegardlessofwhetheryouhaveswornoffQHSSwatercom-pletely,neverdrankitanywayorhavelongsincereturnedtodrinkingit(alittleleadcan’thurt,right?),theentirefiascohasresultedinonelossI’msurewecanallagreeisdisappointing:therejuvenatingwaterofthebathroomsink.
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Congratulations Class of 2017!Melanie Adams Cornell UniversitySuebeen Ahn SUNY Stony BrookKristine Cleo Albaran Macaulay at Queens CollegeSuzanna Alexander CUNY Queens CollegeSharaf Alladeen SUNY Stony BrookBreanna Allen SUNY AlbanyMahnoor Amin CUNY Queens CollegeShreena Amin Quinnipiac UniversityGianfranco Baras United States Marine CorpMannish Bhowmik SUNY BinghamtonRavindra Bisram Cooper UnionSean Brasse SUNY BuffaloSandra Cantillo Cornell UniversityShanel Cardoso CUNY Hunter CollegeChristine Chan SUNY Stony BrookDerek Chang Case Western Reserve UniversityYogendra Chattergoon New York Institute of TechnologyFrank Chen St. John’s UniversityMaggie Chen University of MichiganTiffany Chen SUNY BinghamtonCrystal Chiang CUNY Hunter CollegeMaheen Chowdhury Drexel UniversityJared Cruz SUNY BinghamtonPrangon Das Rochester Institute of TechnologyCosette Davis Yale UniversityRascience Divine Allah CUNY Baruch CollegeBenjamin Do St. John’s UniversityBen Eom CUNY Queens CollegeDavid Forest SUNY BuffaloGabby Gonzales Rochester Institute of TechnologyRajiv Goswami CUNY Baruch CollegeSean Grant SUNY Fashion Institute of TechnologyNina Gu SUNY Stony BrookRaymond Guan Syracuse UniversityJenna Guo Carnegie Mellon UniversityGrace Han Vassar CollegeKevin Nahar Haque St. John’s UniversityZahid Hasan CUNY City CollegeTimothy Ho Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteAidan Hosein SUNY Stony BrookEric Hu Parsons School of DesignGloria Huang SUNY Stony BrookXin Han Huang SUNY Stony BrookJulia Ianculovici CUNY Queens CollegeSumaiya Islam Sophie Davis School of Biomedical EducationDaniel Jakubiec SUNY Stony BrookGabriel Javier CUNY City CollegeGrace Ji CUNY Hunter CollegeDarren Jiang SUNY Stony BrookMona Kalika CUNY John Jay CollegePeter Kang SUNY BinghamtonSimran Kaur Macaulay at Hunter CollegeAndrey Khegay New York UniversityBrendan Kim SUNY Stony BrookGarin Kim New York UniversityHyoseok Kim SUNY BuffaloLia Kim Emerson CollegePaul Kim SUNY Buffalo
Samuel Kwon CUNY Hunter CollegeDerrick Lam SUNY Stony BrookDavid Li SUNY BuffaloHenry Li Pace UniversityJeremy Li CUNY City CollegeAlex Liang St. John’s UniversityGrace Lin Stevens Institute of TechnologyJiongcheng Lou Case Western Reserve UniversityJerry Lu SUNY BuffaloJunpeng Lu Cooper UnionMichael Lue Rochester Institute of TechnologyJames Lui SUNY Stony BrookNomrota Majumder SUNY Stony BrookIesha Damaris Mayers CUNY John Jay Mehraj Meah Pace UniversityDavid Meer SUNY New PaltzErick Menjivar Mount St. Mary’s UniversitySabreen Miah Macaulay at Brooklyn CollegeLaboni Molla SUNY Stony BrookCoco Si Long Mong Macaulay at City CollegeCarlos Morales St. John’s UniversityMohamad Moslimani Claremont McKenna CollegeGurneet Kaur Multani Adelphi UniversityBrandon Muncan SUNY Stony BrookKiran Nagah Pace UniversityJasmine Ng Cornell UniversityByoung Wook Park Macaulay at Lehman CollegeTahmid Parvez Hofstra UniversityEmily Bossut Perez CUNY Hunter CollegeAnnabelle Poisson Cornell UniversityJean Pozo Florida Southern CollegeMichaela Radoo CUNY Hunter CollegeMirbahar Rafid CUNY City CollegeMushfiqur Rahman CUNY John Jay Jenna Rim New York UniversityCarolina Rooney University of IllinoisElias Ryu Bard CollegeRachel Sakhai Hofstra UniversityHannah San Jose CUNY York CollegeJonathan Sewak New York UniversityTroy Shah Nassau Community CollegeJackie Shi New York UniversityStephanie Shoo University of MichiganSara Siyunova SUNY Binghamton Rachel Su SUNY Stony BrookIshrat Trena St. John’s UniversityJared Tsang SUNY BinghamtonJay Unite CUNY Hunter CollegeTasfia Wahid SUNY Stony BrookWeng Sing Wong CUNY Baruch CollegeEric Xue Cooper UnionRidwaan Yar SUNY BuffaloXin Ling Yuan Case Western Reserve UniversityShaman Zaman Hofstra UniversityMehnaj Zarin SUNY Stony BrookChenxiang Zhang Carnegie Mellon UniversityBryant Zhao SUNY BinghamtonJaron Zhou SUNY Stony Brook
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Legacies of 2016By:BRANDONLEW‘18
Carrie Fisher (1956-2016):
Fidel Castro (1926-2017):
John Glenn (1921-2016):
Prince(1958-2016):
David Bowie (1947-2016):DavidBowiewasanEnglishsinger,actor,andsongwriterandwaswellknownforhisflamboyantchangesandjumpsinsonggenres,whichgainedpopularityworld-wide.HisachievementsincludemultipleplatinumandgoldcertificationsforhismusicinboththeU.K.andtheU.S.HewasalsoapartoftheRockandRollHallofFame.BowiepassedawayonJanuary10, 2016, at the age of 69.
PrinceNelson,betterknownasPrincewasanAmeri-cansongwriter,singer,andactor.Hewasknownasaperformerwhocreatedhisownuniqueflairthroughhisdress,makeup,andconduct.HislistofmusicandactingawardsincludeseveralGrammys,aGoldenGlobeAward,theAmericanMusicAward,andanAcademyAward. Prince passed away on April 21, 2016, at the age of57.
CarrieFisherwasanAmericanactressand writer. She was well recognized and loved for her many movie roles, most notably,herappearanceintheStarWarsfranchiseasPrincessLeia.Inaddition,she wrote several novels based on her lifesuchasPostcardsfromtheEdge,whichwaslatermadeintoafilm.Fisherstruggledwithdrugaddictionandbipolarthroughoutherlifeandstillraisedpublicawareness on these aspects of her life. FisherpassedawayonDecember27,2016, at the age of 60.
FidelCastrowasaCubannationalistandrevolutionary,servingasCuba’sPresident and Prime Minister from 1959to2008.HeshapedthecourseofCuba’shistory,changingittoaunifiedone-partysocialistcountry,withMarx-istideals.Castrowasseenthroughvariedperspectives;hissupporterssayhe represented the socialist ideal and betteredCubaasawhole.Othersdis-agreedsayingheviolatedhumanrightsandabusedhispower.FidelCastropassedawayonNovember25,2016,atthe age of 90.
JohnGlennwasanAmericanAstronaut,avia-tor,andU.SSenator.AspartoftheMercury7,aprogramselectingU.Saviatorstobecomethefirstastronauts,Glennbecamethefirstmanin1962toorbittheEarth,earningawardssuchastheCon-gressionalSpaceMedalofHonorandinductionintotheU.S.AstronautHallofFame.Further-more,GlennservedinofficeastheU.SSenatorforOhiofrom1974to1999.JohnGlennpassedawayonDecember8,2016,attheageof95.
Lookingbackon2016,severalbelovedactors,actresses,singers,andathleteshavepassedaway.Althoughtheyarenolongerherewithus,theircontributionstothefieldsofmusic,cinematics,andsportswillalwayshaveaplaceintheheartsofmany.Here’salookbackatsomepeoplewhohelpedshape the world in a considerable way.
Alan Rickman (1946-2016):
AlanRickmanwasanEn-glishactoranddirectorwhotookpartinvariousmoviesandplays.AmonghismostnotableworkswashisroleasSeverusSnapeintheHarryPotterseriessomuchso that a memorial had been made by the fans at the sign of “Platform 9 ¾ “in a testament to himandhisrole.RickmanpassedawayonJanuary14,2016,attheage of 69.
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016):MuhammadAliwasaniconicAmericanboxer,actor,andactivist.Hewasnicknamed“TheGreatest”forhisinspiration-alandlarger-than-lifepersonality.Knownforhisprowessinthe ring, Ali was a champion when it came to boxing, win-ningagoldmedalinthe1960Olympicsandtakingseveralheavyweight boxing titles in 1964. He was also recognized forhisactivism;mostnotablyhisstanceontheVietnamWar.AlirefusedtobedraftedintotheUnitedStatesmilitaryonthebasisofhisIslamicfaith.Hewaspunishedfordraftrefusalbuteventuallywonhiscase.Additionally,Aliwasalsoavocaladvocate for African American empowerment. Ali passed awayonJune3,2016,attheageof74.
From the Desk of the Editors-in-ChiefTheCardinal’sphysicalcopyisfinallyhere!Thankyouallforpatientlywaitingandforyoursupport.Wehavecompiledarti-cles to recap all of the events that occurredthroughoutthe2016and2017schoolyear.Wehopeyouenjoythisnewspaperandthemanymoretocome!
- Sharon
ThankyouguysforreadingthefirstpublicationofTheCardinal!Ihopeeveryoneenjoysreadingthroughallthestudent-producedarticlesandpieces.ManythankstoMs.DeJesúsandtheadminis-trationfortheirinstrumentalhelpinpublishingthispaper.Also,abigthankyoutoMs.Cap,ournewspaper advisor. The paper initsfirstyearhadanumberofseriouschallengesandhurdlestoovercome.Eventhoughittookawhile, everyone managed to get everything in and get this paper done.I’mproudofthehardworkthatwentintothispaper.We’regratefulforeveryone’ssupportinmakingthispaperhappenandhopefully,wecanreleaseissuesmorereadilynextyear!
-Jonathan
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seekinghelp,theywillmakesureyou’realwaysontherighttrackandwillprovideyouwithanabundanceofinformation.However,youmustbepro-active!
Chelsea Li
Anonymous Freshmore1.Exciting,welcoming,comfortable2.MyfirstimpressionofQHSSwasthatit’safriendlyschoolwithstu-dentssupportingeachother.Asateachersaid,youlearnfromteachingothers,sohelpeachotherwhilelearningyourself.
Freshmores: The Untold StoryBy:FAIZAHRABBYE‘19&CATHERINECHINGYUANWANG‘19
Numerousarticleshavebeenpublishedhighlightingthestrugglesofseniors,juniors,andfreshmen.However,therearen’tanypublishedunderscoringtheplightsandexperiencesofQHSS’fresh-mores.Thisistheuntoldstoryoffreshmores,writtenbytwooftheirown. UrbanDictionarydefinesa“freshmore”as“Astudentinhis/her second year of high school who has failed too many classes to be consideredasophomore.”However,thedefinitionofafreshmoreisdifferentinQHSS.AccordingtoourpersonalQHSSdictionary:
FRESHMORE[fresh-mawr] | NounA sophomore who transfers to a new high school in the same year as incoming freshmen.
SophomoreyearisthelastyearforstudentstotaketheSHSAT and enroll in a Specialized High School. The fresh-faced newcomersaretypicallyregardedasfreshmen,butinreality,theyaresophomores. Freshmoresgenerallygothroughadifferentexperiencethansophomoreswhoalreadyhadayearinhighschool,asfriendgroupsarealreadyformed,andpeoplehavemostlyadaptedtotherigorousschoolenvironment.Theybehavelikefreshmen,astheyarenewandhavenotyetventuredintotheworldofQHSS.Startingalloveragaincanbedifficult.However,thegenerallyfriendlyattitudesstudentsinQHSS have made being a freshmore a lot easier. Eveninaschoolfilledwithfriendlyfaces,freshmoresnoticetherearesituationsthatrepeatthemselvesthroughouttheentireyear. Oneofthemostfrequentlyaskedquestionsmadetowardsfreshmoresis“Areyouafreshman?”Granted,itwouldbeexpectingtoomuchforstudentstobeabletodifferentiatebetweentwostrang-ers.But,whenwefreshmoreshavetoanswerthesamequestionmultipletimesaweek,iteventuallybecomesapetpeeve.Thankfully,thequestionneedonlybeaskedonceperperson. Insomecases,freshmoresalsofindthatmostoftheirfriendsarefreshmoresaswell.Beinginanunfamiliarenvironmentcausesafreshmore to lean towards those feeling the same way. Sophomores had freshman year to socialize and form relationships, while fresh-moreshavetostartatsquareoneinthesecondyear.Ittakessometimeforfreshmorestointeractwithstrangers.Forfurtherinsightonthefreshmoreexperience,weinterviewedotherfreshmoresandaskedthem for their opinions regarding their freshmore year.
Catherine Ching Yuan Wang
1. In three words, describe your freshmore year.Unique,interesting,friendly2. What was your first impression of QHSS, and what advice would you give to future freshmores?Ihadmydoubtsatfirstsincetherewerenoafter-schoolclubsandtheschoolbuildingissmall.However,Igrewtolikeoursmallcommunitywhichisfilledwithavariety of friend people with
1.Fast,diverse,stressful2.Myyearwasasfunasitwasstressful.Donotgiveintotheanxietyandyouwillbefine.Itcangethard,butpeopleareveryfriendly.Justtalktothembecausetheyaregoingthroughthesamethingsasyouare.Theteachers,counselorsandthestaffareallveryhelpful,welcoming,andeasytotalkto.Theywillmakesureyoufeelcomfortable.Theguidancecounsel-orsareattentivetoyou.Whenyouare
differentbackgrounds.Funnilyenough,thefirsttwopeopleImetbychancewerefreshmores!Iguessnewcomersnaturallygravitatetowardseachother.Tonewfreshmores:ittakessometimetomakefriendsandadapttoanewenvironment,soit’sokayifeveryoneyouknowisafreshmore.Don’trushit,andyouwillformdeeperrela-tionshipswiththepeopleyouknowandmakenewfriendsaswell.Itjusttakestime!
Faizah Rabbye
inadditiontosophomores.Everyoneinthisschoolissmartandtheyworkhard,soitisfineifyoucan’tcatchupimmediately.Gettinginthisschoolmeansyouwanttochallengeyourselfandtheschoolgivesyoutheabilityto do so. The second SHSAT is a lot harderthanthefirstone!Aslongasyoutry,youwillmakeprogress.Tomakefriends,allyouhavetodoistotalktomorepeopleandbemoreactiveinschoolactivities!It’snotthathard, to be honest.
1.Intelligent,secure,funny2. Peopleareverynicehere!Everyoneknowseachotheranditiseasytomakefriends.Igottoknowalotoffreshmenprettywell
Husna Mirza1.Peoplearekind-hearted.2.Bepreparedtoworkandbuildrela-tionships with several people. Be open mindedandreadytotakeoneverychal-lengeyouface.
Jiede Xia1.Competitive,fun,challenging2.Myfirstimpressionwasthatthiswasarigorousschool.Don’tbeobsessedwithyourgrades;setyourgoalslowsoyoucanreleasesomedopamineforyourself.
Seonghyeon Jegal (Sam)1.Challenging,enjoyable,stressful2. Since this school is small, yougettoknoweveryonequickly.Itisquiteovercom-petitiveandstressful.Butonthebrightside,youbecomemotivatedtostudyandtryharder.Iwishthereweremoresportsclubsandextra-curricularactivitiesthough.ApieceofadviceIwouldgive to incoming freshmores
is to try to be friendly to everyone and socialize.Youseealotofpeopleinthehallways,sosayhi!
Sunny Li1.Fabulous,intense,fun2.DONOTPROCRASTINATE.
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