The verdictSeptember/October 2012

To inform, enlighten, and entertain.

Cardozo HS 57-00 223rd Street Bayside, NY 11364

Photo By William Lombardi

The verdicT is also available online -GooGle cardozo verdicT

Staff WriterS Hamael Kiana

Cecilia OhElaine Kong

William LombardiDiana EbrahimiAnika RahmanJonathan WongDavid Gmuca

Verdict Staff

Editorial PolicyThe goal of The Verdict is to provide a medium through which the students of Benjamin N. Cardozo High School can express and accurately inform them-selves regarding the issues surrounding them. We encourage our readership to use The Verdict as a forum for thoughts and ideas. Readers are welcome to sub-mit any letters concerning our content or other matters to The Verdict’s mail-

box in Room 109 or e-mail us at cardozo.verdict@gmail.com.

1sT Place asPa award

2006-2012Advisor Georgia Mavromihalis

Graphics EditorMelanie Capraro

For all the returning students, welcome back, and to all the new students, welcome to Car-dozo! My name is Maria Iskaros and I’m the Student Organization President. This year is going to be absolutely great. I hope you’re already excited. The S.O. is always very involved in trying to make the best school year possible for the students, so leadership has been working hard since the first day of school, discussing and planning for the year. If you haven’t heard me say it yet, the best way to have a great experience at Cardozo is by getting involved. The more I got involved in school, the more I fell in love with it! On behalf of the class, we would firstly like to thank everyone who participated in wearing patriotic colors on 9/11; it was greatly appreciated. On Friday, Sept 28th, we had our club fair. Most, if not all the clubs were represented. It was a great event and lots of kids got the opportunity to join clubs. S.O. cards are mandatory in order to join any sports team or club, and they are currently on sale in room 153 periods 5, 6, and 8, so get them now! Some other events to look forward to this year are the Halloween Dance, the Multicultural Show, the Talent Show, and much more! It’s going to be a jam-packed fun year with LOTS of new things! We can’t wait to share them with you, so pay attention to the an-nouncements and the posters on the walls! Have a wonderful beginning of the school year! Focus on your work, get involved, and have a great time! I’m excited to meet you all.

Editor-in-ChiefSijin Choi

Fashion EditorSasha Persaud

Opinion EditorRJ Rubio

Sports EditorArash Saedi

Feature EditorAndy Lee

SOpeaks

ut HEY DOZO!

Cardozo Takes 20th By Cecilia Oh Cardozo, currently home to 3,837 students, has, for years, retained the title of number one neigh-borhood high school in Queens. In a recent report “New York City’s 2012 Best High Schools” by the New York Post, Cardozo placed 20th out of 430 NYC high schools, ranking as the highest neigh-borhood institution on the list. The school boasts 18 Advanced Placement courses, which, according to A.P. Pupil Personnel Services Sheila Clark, “…is above average.” In addition, students can enter the Law or DaVinci Program if they qualify academically. The athletic department is also a large facet of student life at Cardozo. Thirty-three sports teams, consisting of both varsity and junior varsity squads, are consistently successful each year. “We have one of the most successful athletic pro-grams in New York City. Not only do we excel on the athletic field, but most of our athletes excel in the classroom as well,” said Athletic Director Joe Cavallo. As for extracurricular activities, students can choose from 70 afterschool clubs and organiza-tions. Among those are academic competitions, in which Cardozo competes and often surpasses the specialized high schools. Notable achieve-ments include Science Olympiad victories in the

district competition, regional qualifiers from the Math Team, and the nationally competitive De-bate Team. Additionally, the school’s newspaper, The Ver-dict, has received first place by ASPA (American Scholastic Press Association) for the 7th year in a row. “When you put your heart and soul into some-thing like the journalism students do, you’re bound to succeed,” said Verdict advisor Georgia Mavromihalis. But Cardozo faces uncertainties that may mar its productivity, the biggest being budget cuts. When inquired about the issue, Clark said that they have not affected the scholastic abilities of students. She pointed out that “We got three new computer rooms, new computers for the research lab, and we’re always getting new textbooks,” said Clark. The administration, however, concedes that cer-tain improvements are due. “Is there room to improve? There is always room to improve. We strive to ensure all kids stay in school and accept them as they are. While special-ized high schools weed out and transfer out any kid who is struggling academically, we take them as they are,” she said.

Feature EditorRafina Rahman

2 the verdict

Copy EditorDylan Wong

Your President, Maria Iskaros

NEWS

Have you ever entered the doors of the school and suddenly become depressed because you realized that you have more than two tests that day? You begin to panic and wonder how you’ll survive the day with all this stress on your mind. Cardozo has a policy to avoid this scenario. The policy states that no more than three depart-ments can give a test on the same day. Most kids aren’t aware of this, but that’s what the Verdict is here for-- to bring you priority news on a monthly basis. English teacher, Mrs. Eli-gon-Jones said she feels, “Torn… I should be able to give a test to my students when ever I like, but I do understand that it is helpful

to my students so I don’t mind it.” Vision Para Professional, Ms. Guerrero says, “I like it because if every subject gives a test on a sepa-rate day then my students won’t be bombarded with work. However, she points out that not all teachers follow this policy. Teachers seem to find the policy

working, but there are mixed re-views among students. Junior Layla Middleton said, “I love that we have a testing day schedule because if I had like four tests in a day, I would be really mad and stressed.” However, the policy does not re-strict quizzes, some teachers have

come up with the idea of a “quest”. Which is a com-bination quiz/test, it doesn’t count as much as a test or take as long, but it counts more than a quiz and can be given on any day o the week. Even though a QUEST may not impact your grade as much as a test, you are still informed in advance and have to study.

3September/october 2012

Mayor Bloomberg and De-partment of Education (DOE) Chancellor Dennis Walcott an-nounced last June that the four-year graduation rate for NYC public schools increased to an all-time high of 65.5 percent. “These new high school gradu-ation rates are proof positive that the reforms we’ve adopted and the investments we’ve made are paying off in a big way,” said Mayor Bloomberg in an official statement. NYC’s Independent Budgetary Office (IBO) reported that im-migrant students also graduated high school in four years but at a slightly higher rate than students born in the U.S.. Students from the Caribbean, South America, Mexico, Cen-tral America and U.S. territo-

ries graduated at a lower rate than those born in the U.S., but students from other parts of the world earned a greater percent-age of diplomas. In addition to the immigrants from different areas of the world, there are also differences among races. Caucasian students had the highest graduation rates at 78.7 percent and Asian students slightly lower at 74.6 percent. U.S. born Asian students gradu-ated at 87 percent, beating out their white counterparts by al-most 10 percent. The graduation rate reached 60.6 percent for African American students and 58.2 percent for Hispanic stu-dents, a 20 percent spike since 2005. Across all ethnic groups, more students also earned Regents

and Advanced Regents Diplo-mas, which are crucial for col-lege readiness according to the DOE. Cardozo retained a gradua-tion rate of 83.5 percent for the class of 2012. With the school's immense size, a total of 3,837 students, graduation is a bigger challenge than smaller schools. “Cardozo High School is a great place for students to get a well rounded education. Coming to school here, the opportunities are endless,” said principal Ger-ald Martori. “Nearly all gradu-ates are admitted to college.” The school’s college readiness percentage reached 56 percent with college enrollment at 71.6 percent. About 80 percent of college-bound students attend a four-year college.

News

What’s InsIde

People & Places - 4- Invitation to Paradise- Ticket to France

Fashion Fever - 5- Raftis’ Designs Hit the Runway- Shortstack Modeling

Teacher Spotlight - 6- Sheila Clark: More Than A Decade At Cardozo

Trending - 7- iPhone 5 Reviewed- Out & About: Corn Maze in Queens

Opinions - 9- Give me Soda or Give Me Death

Feature - 10- It’s Like Track On Boats

Words of Wisdom -12- Freshmen, Fear Not - Sophomore Year is Here- Junior Year: Make it Count- So You’re a Senior?

Sports - 15-16- Football Fever- Boys Play Soccer- Peglegs Get Destroyed- Coach’s Call

NYC Graduation Rate Experiences Boost By Elaine Kong

Department M T W T F Foreign Language x xEnglish/ESL x xMath/Art x xSocial Stud./Business x xSceince x xHealth/Music x x

Testing Schedule Made EasyBy Cariahnna Collazo-Cintron

Bryan Rivas - Freshman Justin Tatre - Freshman Madison Burge - Freshman Peter Georgatos – S.S. A.P.

Jury Box compled by Briana Stephenson

Cardozo seems like a good school. The teachers are nice and understand-ing. The schoolwork seems fair.

The school’s really crowded. The teachers are nice. You have a lot of afterschool activities.

It’s loud but it’s awesome. I used to be homeschooled it’s

different be-cause there’s more than one teacher and we have to change classes.

It’s big, different; I came from a technical vocational school

where we didn’t offer AP classes or electives. I love it here though.

What’s your first impression of Cardozo?

Welcome to Paradise isn’t just a Green Day song; it’s an invita-tion to a trip of a lifetime. In the winter of 2013, from February 16 to the 24 Ms. Janet K a l i s h , a well-k n o w n S p a n i s h teacher at C a r d o z o will be taking a group of e n t h u s i -astic stu-dents to Costa Rica for an en-tire week of adventure, filled with active volcanoes, zip lines, beaches and wildlife led by EF Tours, an Edu-cation First Tour Company that has been taking students on tours for 40 years. It’s not too late to sign up; the next meeting will be held on Parent-Teacher confer-ence days, October 25 and 26, in room 135 and the deadline for signing up is October 31st. The cost for the trip is around $1,900 but don’t fear; there are many different payment plans available, Ms. Kalish confirmed, and that it’s not necessary to pay all at once. The deposit is $95.00 and if interested, don’t delay, see Ms. Kalish in room 135 right away. Students going on the trip will not miss any school, Kalish

assured with a smile. “I’ve chaperoned a lot of trips in the past, to Spain, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, to the Navajo Reservation. I have a lot of ex-

perience taking kids on trips,” Ms. Kalish said, explaining her love for traveling and ex-posing students to a different view of the world. “Then, I went to Costa Rica myself in 2005 and I loved it, so I thought students would love this trip; it’s just such a beautiful country. I think it opens up your whole world, it changes your perspective, and it’s a great experience.” There will be kids from other schools from other parts of the United States on the trip as well. One awe-inspiring trek that students will go on will be near the Are-nal, an active volcano and that they’ll be able to hike around and take pictures.

What if you can’t go but still want to be a part of the experi-ence? No worries, you can help give to the kids in Costa Rica. “I’m happy just to collect pens,

pencils and crayons and cards, and whatever little things, so if people want to go and also if they have an accumulation of stuff they want to give that would be good,” Ms. Kalish said. There are so many pen-cils and pens at the end of the day on the floor she said, and the kids really appreciate even the smallest things.

“Even if they’re not going they can give me pens and clothing to give as gifts.” Costa Rica is a learning expe-rience and adventure bundled in one. The trip will inspire students to really want to speak Spanish, Ms. Kalish explained, “There’s that inspiration that I really want to speak it because I

really like to travel. That’s a great motivation; to really be able to get along in another language; everything you learn when you’re in class matters more be-cause you have a reason to learn it and everything you learn is valuable.” The trip will allow students to visit villages and interact with students in schools including singing and dancing, “They’ll see people that are a lot poorer than they are, but also very happy people.” She also explained that students will gain

v a l u a b l e experience m e e t i n g people and seeing life in a much s i m p l e r way. Some kids form l a s t i n g friendships because of the experi-ence they

will share together. An especially memorable ac-tivity that Ms. Kalish has also planned is to visit a park and plant a tree. “Everything is great,” she said, smiling, “The people have an expression in Costa Rica, that’s ‘Pura Vida’, [that] means ‘Pure Life’ and that’s a common thing people say.”

ferent restaurants every night. “French food is delicious,” she said. “My favorite food was crêpes!” Shopping was also a priority for Elsa, especially given France’s repu-tation as one of the world’s fashion capitols. “I bought a lot of clothes: shirts, dresses, scarves, everything,” she said. “French people wear a lot of stripes, so my style became more so-phisticated, I love stripes now.” At the conclusion of her studies in France, Elsa took a final exam which she passed with flying colors. She now considers going to college abroad.

Invitation To Paradise By Jihan Ramroop

Ticket to France By Venus Joseph Bonjour! - was the first French word that Gateway junior, Elsa Alvarado ever learned to speak. This summer, Elsa’s first trip alone in a foreign country was to Aix-en-Provence in July, to study advanced French. Through the Abbey Roads program, Elsa was able to stay at Les Jardins Mo-zart, a residence hall for French students. “I felt like I had been studying so much French that I needed to go out and practice it,” Elsa said. Her favorite part was the daily stipends she received, which she and her friends used to eat at dif-

PHOTO FROM EFTOURS.COM

PHOTO FROM EFTOURS.COM

4 the verdict

People & Places

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY ELSA ALVARADOElsa in France.

Invitation To Paradise By Jihan Ramroop

SHORTSTACK MODELING

By Elaine Kong

FASHION

5September/ October 2012

Shortstack is a program that motivates teens to enter the fashion and modeling indus-try. Its goal is to allow young girls who don’t fit the "normal" model requirements to have a chance and a part of charitable fashion events. Shortstack be-gan in 2006, making this com-ing June the 7th annual benefit fashion event. The program was created by teens under the guid-ance of Windows of Opportu-nity, Inc. to give these "short" girls a chance to achieve their dreams as models and allow them to love themselves for who they are. Shortstack is about "breaking the rules and

setting new standards,” said Sophia Liu, a student at NYU. They take pride in creating many opportunities for par-ticipants, such as the opportu-nity to meet former America's Next Top Model contestants Kim Stolz, Bianca Golden and Claire Unabia. The models participate in com-munity service/charity events, photo shoots, workshops, train-ings, rehearsals, field trips and fashion shows. “We also go to all the events that have to do with Woo Inc., which is an immense organiza-tion and Shortstack is one of the many programs,” said Karavas-

silis. Elena Karavassilis, senior at Cardozo said, “Shortstack is amazing. They aim to boost up teenage girls’ self esteem and unlike other modeling agen-cies that make sure you have to be 6 foot tall or super skinny, Shortstack is trying to prove that girls of any size can model just as well as the people that fit into the normal standards of a model.” Being that the program is a non-profit organization, models involved in the pro-gram are not paid. Everything in the program is volunteer and donation based, which is why sponsors donate clothes,

Raftis’ Designs Hit the Runway By Sasha Persaud

services and products for their events. Some previous sponsors of Shortstack include David's Bridal, Hot Topic and Banana Republic. Shortstack’s leading event is the annual benefit fash-ion show each June at a loft on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. Be on the lookout for Short-stack’s 2012-2013 auditions, taking place in October 2012. Joining Shortstack Modeling program is FREE and NO expe-rience is needed. Just show up and be yourself because there are NO weight requirements! Visit their website at wooshort-stack.org for more additional information and details.

“Breaking the Rules and Setting new Standards”

Tatiana Raftis, a Cardozo alumna from the class of 1999, is currently a fashion designer, whose designs were presented during NYC’s fashion week of September 2012 at a Greek American Fashion event, which was held at the Midtown Loft and Terrace. Raftis was born in Astoria, New York to Greek Cypriot

parents. She was pas-sionate about fashion at a very young age. “I never really de-cided to become a de-signer. It was always something I was inter-ested in since I was a child,” she said. As a child she used to cut apart her old clothes to make cloth-ing for her dolls. But her interest in sew-ing runs in her family genes; she comes from a long family line of tailors. Her last name Raftis means tailor in Greek. Her great grandmother was the youngest tailor in their village of Athienou, Cyprus. The people of

their village would refer to her as "raftou" which means little tailor. Eventually her family name changed from Simillis to Raftis. “I remember being really young, maybe around seven and my mom would give me scraps of fabric and I would try to sew clothes for my dolls with a needle and thread,” Tatiana recalls. The biggest support

she gets for her fashion design-ing career is from her family. Tatiana started working to-wards her career even when she was attending Cardozo. When she was a student at Cardozo, her art teacher, Mr. Douglas Potter, suggested that she take classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), because they offered summer and week-end courses for high school stu-dents. She took courses every sum-mer and on weekends dur-ing the winter semester. “The courses helped me build up my portfolio and get accepted into the college after I gradu-ated high school,” Tatiana ex-plained. At FIT Tatiana majored in fashion illustration for two years and then fashion design for two years, specializing in evening wear. Upon graduating, she went on to work as an assistant designer for Dennis Basso, a luxury fur and ready-to-wear brand. “While working at Dennis Basso, I honed my skills by creating custom designs and providing orders for high-end clients. I created fur and fabric sewing samples and developed

new techniques for collections, gaining invaluable experience while feeding my own unique approach towards design,” said Tatiana. Their wide ranging clientele includes Upper East Side socialites, hip-hop super-stars and Middle Eastern roy-alty. The collection that was presented at the fash-ion show can be seen on her website, tati-anaraftis.com. It’s a spring 2013 collection and will probably be available for purchase by Feb-ruary 2013. Ta-tiana’s email is available on the website for those in t e r s t ed in items from her col lec-tion.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY TATIANA RAFTIS

Raftis on the runway.

Why didn’t you pursue the “principal” position after for-mer principal Mr. Hallman, retired in 2008?I didn’t think it was the time to; the job requires a lot of time commitment and more dedication, even more so than my current position as A.P. Pupil Personnel.

Do you have any words of wisdom for the incom-ing freshman class?Get involved. There are so many clubs and teams at Cardozo. It ensures part of something bigger than yourself. We had Raj Maheshwari, the student body vice president last year, come in and talk during orientation. He said he didn’t originally like Cardozo but as soon as he got involved, that changed.

Let’s talk politics. Romney or Obama?I don’t think it is appropriate to state my political beliefs. I will, however, say that I want students to under-stand the democratic process and get involved. Don’t rely on what you hear on television or media; look at the issues and go deeper. And once they do that, I have no problem with who they choose.

Staff Spotlight

the verdict

10 QuestionsBy Sijin Choi

12 year Cardozo veteran, Assistant Principal Sheila Clark, takes our questions.

6

What does Cardozo mean to you?Cardozo is a big neighborhood high school. It is one of the places where students from all different walks of life attend and that is why it is a great school; Cardozo is not a filtered school. The students are very nice too.

Some critics of Cardozo say it is deteriorating. What are your thoughts on this?In life, you’re always going to have people that talk about the good ole’ days. I’ve been here ten years – people have saying the same thing forever. As such, I don’t think it is a fair assess-ment to say that we are dete-riorating. When I’m at a high school fair, I get bomboarded with students that want to come here; we’re still in high demand.

What are some improvements that you want to see made?We’re always looking to im-prove, one year to another. We need to improve communica-tion with students and parents in order to cater to all students, not just the certain groups. As a public school under the jurisdic-tion of the Department of Edu-cation, we are trying to maintain our standard of excellence while satisfying the DOE’s require-ments.

What is your favorite activity that goes on during the school year?I can’t say… Years ago, I loved SING! because it brought vari-

Cardozo is my job. And I happen to love my job very much.

“”

ous talents together. You had the art students design the back-drops, the dance students per-form, and other students act; it was a chance to get to know students and parents outside of my role as an A.P. But I love the school plays, music concerts, the multicultural show, pep ral-lies, the international food festi-val, and even the pig dissections last year. I like events where students can engage in self-ex-pression.

Recently, there was the mas-sive teachers’ strike in Chi-cago. Which side are you on? The Union or the mayor?I don’t think I have enough info to answer that question. With that said, as a former teacher, I do understand the frustration that fueled the strike. So I sup-port the teachers and their fight to preserve the benefits and con-ditions they have fought for.

What were the rockiest mo-ments you experienced while at Cardozo?I have been working here since September 2000. I was here dur-ing 9/11, the death of two teach-ers, two gas leaks, two girls that were killed by their father, an-other girl killed on Horace Har-ding in a car accident, and the passing of our former principal, Mr. Hallman.

Is Cardozo your . “life”?No. Cardozo is my job. And I happen to love my job very much.

Cardozo is my job. And I happen to love my job very much.

PHOTO BY SIJIN CHOI

camera you already own? It doesn’t. But the panoramic feature is so different! Actually, the Appstore has had apps that capture pan-

oramic photos, since 2010. Third, iOS6, an important new feature, is completely free to all those who own an apple device. This means that all the new software you see in Passbook and Maps automatically comes with your iPod when you install the new operating system. That’s right. Even Siri, once an exclusive perk of the previous iPhone, is coming to the iPod. If you’re wondering whether your iPhone 4S has just lost all of its charm, you’re right – all software is compatible with your iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc. Moreover, iOS6 is not unique to the iPhone 5. Conclusion: The iPhone 5, de-spite its sleek and sexy design, is not worth the hefty price tag of an upgrade. All the software features of iPhone 5 are available on all apple devices and the hardware upgrade is marginal at best. First time iPhone buyers, however, should take the

plunge plunge because it is a terrific reason to fall in love with Apple.

The Smallest Thing to Happen to AppleSince The NANO By Jonathan Wong

TRENDING

September/october 2012

The A- aize-ing azeM The Queens County Farm Museum in Glen Oaks, the only work-ing historical farm in New York City, is a great place to go to when you’re looking to get away from the daily pressures of urban life. ...Not only are there animals and planting fields, but the farm also offers fun seasonal activities for people of all ages. One of the more appealing annual attractions is the Amazing Maize Maze, sponsored by Con Edison. In each of its ten years, the shape of the maze has been altered to different themes. This year, in honor of a “Once Upon a Time” theme, the corn field has been shaped into a castle. The theme caught my attention; I dragged my older brother along for the experience. We were given a flag, for safety reasons and instructions. The worker gave us a paper that had a crossword puz-zle with clues referring to the original fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. There was also a large grid with nine boxes labeled with numbers on the bottom of the page. We had to wander through the maze, looking for signs with information containing the answers to the crossword puzzle. Numbered mailboxes with pieces that fit into the grid were scattered around the twists and turns of the maze. If we found all nine mailboxes and taped the pieces to the correct places, we had a map to help us find the exit. As music filled the air, participants would stop and ask complete

strangers if they’d seen the different mailboxes. As my brother and I searched for our last mailbox, it began to pour. We had become so enthralled with the experience that he exclaimed, “I’m not leav-ing until we find the last piece!” Fifteen minutes later, soaking wet and victorious, we finally found our way out. Everyone we passed by seemed to be having as good of a time as we were, none were deterred by the rain. Don’t miss this exciting experience; catch it before its closing date, October 28th. See the Queens Farm website for more details.

The iPhone 4 was announced two years ago boasting a new reti-na display and speed comparable to that of an iPad. Its structure was designed from scratch, giving the iPhone 3GS a complete makeover. Moreover, after the release of the first iPad, the iPhone 4 seemed like a very attractive and reason-able upgrade. And then came iPhone 4S with an enhanced camera and its infamous, rather useless Siri. One year later, Apple has released its next big product: iPhone 5. The biggest question on everyone’s mind is this one: is it worth invest-ing in? Our answer to the million dollar question is a big, fat no. First, the .5 inch extended screenis not a valid reason to buy an iPhone 5.If you don’t already have an iPhone, the recent launch is a godsend; go pick one up. But for existing iPhone owners, stuff the cash back into your wallet. Half an inch does not make a noticeable difference in terms of the experience you would get from any of the older models. Sure, having four extra icons on a page may seem tempting, but that doesn’t justify shelling out a couple of Benjamins for an upgrade. Second, the new camera can shoot 1080p videos and images. How does this significantly differ from the

M

By Melanie Capraro

7

PHOTO BY DYLAN WONG

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The Bitter Sweet Soda Controversy

Opinions

9September/October 2012

FOR NYC mayor, Michael Bloom-berg, has stirred controversy once again for supporting a policy, one that attempts to limit the intake of soft drinks by making any individual size serving larger than 16 oz il-legal. The policy, intended to combat the germinating obese population in the city, is largely unpopular because Americans value individual liberties more than healthy lifestyles, and also because they can’t seem to peel their plump fingers off of their favorite cloying drinks. What’s my take on the issue? It’s time to face the truth, fat America: obesity is endanger-ing your lives. And when life is at stake, civil liberties take a back seat. “You are a mayor, not a god Bloomberg!” says the opposi-tion. But if that‘s the case, the government should repeal simi-lar policies that restrict smok-ing in restaurants and consump-tion of alcohol by minors. Yes, the U.S. is a free nation, but not a libertarian one. That’s why laws are enacted, traffic signals adhered to, and the drinking age enforced. It is hypocrisy at its finest when we accuse the government of tyranny when we confer upon them so many of our needs. The government takes the role of parents, overseeing the well-being of its constituents. The facts speak for themselves: according to the Center for Disease Control and Preven-tion, one-third of Americans currently suffer from obesity. And many health pundits be-lieve that soft drinks may be its biggest perpetrator. Therefore, isn’t it the government’s obli-gation to fight this plight? We don’t blame the government for trying to fight other epidemics, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. So why bemoan Bloomberg for

taking a stand against another major illness, obesity? The mayor should be applauded for his altruistic intentions. Labeling this advocacy “tyr-anny” is wildly inaccurate; he’s not out to eradicate soft drinks, but only trying to restrict the sale of “super-sized drinks”. No individual person should ever chow down a big gulp from 7/11; it’s detrimental to our bodies and an expression of complacency to a potentially fatal disease. We the people de-pend on our government to pro-tect us. In this case, the mayor is trying to protect the well-being of his citizens from their bane, hedonistic desires. In ancient Rome, when the Republic was in danger from outside threats, a dictator was appointed and democracy tem-porarily suspended. Our great city must heed this model. Obesity is on our doorstep, threatening to stigmatize lives and even take some. Being the maverick he is, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to take a stand. We ought to take this initiative to intensify the attack on obesity, not side step it for the sole purpose of chugging down one more Mountain Dew.

The Bloomberg administra-tion voted to ban super-sized drinks in New York City on September 13, imposing yet again, its pompous paternal policies. This policy forbids the sale of sugary drinks that exceed the serving size of 16 ounces. The ban, expected to take ef-fect in March, is highly unpop-ular, with a strong opposition considering taking legal action to prevent it. It’s true: health research cites that obesity in the U.S. is a con-cern, but this unpopular sanc-tion from the city does nothing to curb the epidemic. To clear up the bill’s techni-calities, food service establish-ments regulated by the city will be the only ones affected. Con-venience stores and supermar-kets remain free to sell heaping jugs of sugary goodness. So, basically the mayor’s plan is only effective in forcing peo-ple to burn the extra calories it takes to walk from their lunch at McDonald’s to the nearest bodega, where they can buy a larger drink. This “Big Gulp Ban” has got to be the most idiotic idea in the history of this administration. It’s nothing more than a major

blow to our civil liberties and another attack on the business-es that are going to be affected. Aside from being just bla-tantly absurd, this ban also tramples all over our civil liber-ties. It clearly violates The Dec-laration of Independence and the principles our country was founded on. This is America isn’t it? So why can’t we have freedom of choice? If we’re not free to make sim-ple choices, like what and how much we want to drink, then we’re not free at all. Since when did it become the city’s business to tell me what to put into my body? Yes, I know that soda is not good for me, but I own my own body, I should be free to consume whatever food substance I want, healthy or not. I alone take responsibility for my own actions. This proposal is a straight up mockery of the good people of New York. It leaves me with nothing but contempt for Bloomberg and his entire ad-ministration. This prohibition-ist ideology asserts that they know what is best for each of us and that they are entitled to treat us like children. They for-get that they’re suppose to be serving us not stopping us from being served. How far are they going to take this political trend of “live the way I want you to”? What’s next? Requiring a side dish of cauliflower with every order? I don’t think that the problem lingers with American citizens choosing to chug down more Mountain Dew. This coun-try is unwilling to get up and move around. To ensure bet-ter health, we need to educate people to take responsibility for the choices they make instead of coercing them with tyranny.

RJ Rubio

AgainstSijin Choi

ILLUSTRATED BY RJ RUBIO

Photo submitted by Fernando Huh

It’s Like Track With Boats

Dedication Courage Honor (DCH), these are the quali-ties required to particpate in one of the oldest sports in existence: rowing. While the sport itself is not as well-known as football or basketball among most high school students, its popular-ity continues to increase each year. Athletes race against each other on the water in long, narrow boats with nothing but a lifevest, a paddle, and on the urge to win. DCH is a rowing organization and a team in New York City that aims towards recruiting and training new rowers among the city’s youth. Richard Robinson, a senior at Cardozo and an active member of DCH, thinks the organization is a great way to get to know other people from all over the city, “We have 120 active members and almost 1000 people have been a part of the team at one point,” he said. His team boasts 11 consecutive Dragon Boat Champi-onships, an impressive feat. They recently competed in Hong Kong for the World Finals this past summer. What first drew him to try the sport, he said, “I wanted to have

a heathly lifestyle and stay fit. Plus, I got to meet a lot of cool people along the way. There was nothing better then being in a boat filled with people you have gotten to know as family and giving it your all down the race course.” The team practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays afterschool at the World’s Fair Marina near Shea Stadium. DCH is open to any teen with a strong work ethic. About the races themselves Richard remarked, “It takes everything you have to win races. The most important thing is staying in synch with the paddler in front of you, so when you move as a single cohesive unit, it feels like you’re flying out of the water.” If anyone is interested in joining, check out the official DCH website at www.dchdragons.com or email directly at R_ichar_d@live.com. Richard has also recently start-ing a rowing club called the Dragon Boat Club, here at Cardozo. Meetings for this will be held every Wednesday in room B29 after 9th and 10th period.

By Hamael Kiani

10 the verdict

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ADVICE

12 The Verdict

Freshmen -Fear Not By Sophia Papadopoulos

Welcome to the second year of high school. Hope you had a smooth, successful freshman year. Summer flew by, and ready or not, it’s a new school year. I hope you’re excited to take on some new challenges. Sophomore year is a little more difficult than freshman year, but don’t be scared or discouraged by the harder curriculum. You will still be able to have fun while studying hard. Have you heard of the PSAT? It’s a practice version of the SAT. Dur-ing your sophomore year, you are encouraged to take this test in the fall. Don’t worry…. the score of this exam will not be counted towards your grade. It’s a good experience before the SAT. Still, it’s not too early to start thinking about college and career paths. Here is a little tip: sign up at Collegeboard.org and subscribe for the SAT Question of the Day; all these questions are from past SAT exams. This way you can test yourself everyday and have a taste of how easy or hard the SAT questions are. Also, on the CollegeBoard website, you can get college information, test dates and reminders for taking the right steps during your school year. It is very helpful. Besides going to school everyday, are you involved in extra curricular activities? Are you on any sports teams? Did you join any clubs? Have you ever attend a school event? If not -GET INVOLED. Join a team and you can meet people that share common interests. Join a club, and you will learn something new. If you have leisure time, attend some school events like a home-game for one of our teams, Cardozo Night Live Comedy Show, or the Halloween Dance. You can even challenge yourself by auditioning for the Talent Show. There are so many fun things to do at Cardozo just keep exploring. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it, and don’t forget to help someone less fortunate through volunteering. Hopefully, your Sopho-more Year goes well you should strive for more success than you had in Freshman Year!

Hello to you all the juniors! Welcome to your third year of high school, which is known as the hardest one. Expect to get a lot of work junior year with the SAT or ACT looming. It may be your first time, taking these exams, but not you’re last. You should study months prior to the date that you signed up for the exam and also sign up for the exam early. Seats get filled up quickly and you don’t want to miss your chance to take the test at a location close to home. You don’t want to travel too far just to take a test that no one likes but everyone has to take. Study little by little each day and budget your time. Junior year is a time to get serious, many people struggle with the work load. It can be rigorous, and can burn you out. It is important to avoid burnout and stay focused. Do all your work on time or try to do it ear-lier, do not procrastinate, that’ll be a killer. Colleges are drawn to your junior year than all of other years of high school. That’s because it’s the middle of your high school career. Junior year shows colleges the type of person you are. Your grades for junior year are the most recent grades a college is going to see due to application deadlines. They also look at first semester of senior year. During this year, you may start thinking about the college you may be interested in or the major you plan to pursue. Junior year is also the year where most students load up their schedules with advance placement and honors classes. A lot of students try to boost and improve their grade point average. It’s a good time to show that you’re a competitive student. For some students, your grades will drop. You can get stressed during junior year and a lot of things can change. This year can affect your parents too! They will be worried about you since they expect and want the best from you. After all, you are their child and they want to see their child succeed. Always do your best, de-velop effective study skills, make the right decisions, plan your time out and manage it well. Strive to better yourself, have high expectations and goals, do what you’re supposed to do, work hard all year long, and you’ll get what you want because hard work pays off. Good luck to you all!

Greetings freshmen. It wasn’t too long ago that I was in your shoes - last year to be exact. So now that I’m one year older and wiser, here are some tips to help this year go more smoothly:

1. Getting lost -you will get lost, we all do, but don’t worry; soon enough you’ll find your way to where you need to be. Last year, during English, in room 316, I made a right, and walked all around the third floor look-ing for the bathroom, only to discover that it was right next-door to my classroom...but on the left. Even teachers get lost sometimes, and some of them have been here for quite a while.

2. Be nice to your teachers. Even if they seem unfair, find a nice way to talk to them. Let’s be honest, how far do you think you’re gonna get if you’re yelling at the teacher? I’ll tell you how far, down to room 164, a.k.a. the Dean’s office. Remember, teachers make up your grades and you’re going to have to deal with them for the rest of the year.

3. Studying. I know that some people just don’t like studying, but this is school and if you don’t put in a little effort, you’re just wasting your own time. If you get into the habit of doing your homework and studying a little each day, you’d be surprised how easy it becomes to be prepared before a test. Ask for help if you don’t understand anything, and remem-ber, if no one else can help you, there’s always google, our trusted tutor, who’s free and available at any time!

4. Lunch. Don’t skip lunch.You’re going to have to eat one way or another, so why not venture into the cafeteria? It might sound intimidat-ing from the outside, but once you figure out which of your friends have lunch during your lunch period, it’ll be a blast. The cafeteria is not quite as interesting as it’s portrayed to be in the movies, but trust me, it’s up there.

Sophomore Year Is Here By William Lombardi

Junior Year - it’s here By Andy Lee

So you’re a senior? Charlie Ukwubiwe Hello Dozo! I never thought I’d be writing for “The Verdict” again, but I was fortunately given the opportunity to do so once more. Let’s get to it! You seniors have just begun the craziest year of high school. In the next 10 months, many of you will learn who you are and what you aspire to be. Then again, many of you might not learn these things for years. It’s okay though, the timeline of your entire life is impossible to figure out at 17 or 18 years old. But, here are a couple of tips that’ll keep the timeline of your senior year running smoothly:•Don’t stress. You blink and it’s over. Just try to enjoy the year as much as possible. And enjoy not having to pay for books! Because that really stinks! – Rose Stone•Senior year will be the most memorable. Stay in school 12 hours a day like I did and you’ll have one that you never forget – Raj Maheshwari•When you think you’re stressed, remind yourself that it’s only for a short time. The more you focus on your work, the less energy you take trying to understand concepts in college – Ria Bissoon•The shows in Dozo will be the most memorable events you will ever have in high school. I was in Multicultural to Cardozo Night Live to Grease, the musical. If you love to be yourself on the stage and live ev-ery moment to shine, participate in the shows! – Isabel Salane And, in my own words, I say to you, don’t fall into the habit of procras-tination. Read as much as you can so you can get used to the literary load of college. Don’t go nuts over breakups or the ends of trivial friendships. Life will go on. Stay focused on meeting graduation and college accep-tance requirements. When you fail at something, when you get rejected, when you feel like you can’t keep up, don’t give up. Don’t let anything or anyone inhibit you from achieving greatness. And most importantly, have fun! Class of 2013, you got this. Your former S.O. President,Charley Ukwubiwe

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the Stuyvesant receiver, Nathaniel Biggs, catch the football and land way out of the touchdown zone. The referee looked at the play, paused for a second, and then de-

Coach’s Call Compiled By Anika Rahman and Rafina Rahman

It was a rainy day with tornado and flood warnings in effect, however, the Cardozo football team was on the field, ready to take on its first victim of the season. The game was delayed a good ten min-utes, but the Judges were unfazed. They faced one of their biggest rivals, the Stuyvesant Peg Legs. ...The Judges practiced vigorously throughout the summer in order to prepare for their run at the champi-onship. From the start of the game, the judges dominat-ed. By halftime, they were leading 34 - 0. Cardozo was bracing for its first victory of the year prior to the game. During the sec-ond half, the Peg Legs man-aged to score a very contro-versial touchdown. Senior Anthony Kavalis witnessed

PEG LEGS GET DESTROYED By Arash Saedi

So far, our team is per-forming at its best and hopefully we can make the playoffs.

Right now, [we are in] first place: six wins, one loss. Pleasantly surprised at the start of the season. I hope we can continue this. I am proud of all my girls.

New faces, hard work, determination and not be-ing afraid to fail will help carry us to the end.

14 the verdict

Sports

Cardozo soccer has a mantra: as Teddy Roosevelt once said, “We will spend ourselves. We will leave nothing on the table, we will empty the tank game in and game out. You better come ready to play 80 minutes strong.”

Danny ScarolaGirls Volleyball

Tunc DemirayakGirls Soccer

Joseph KasoBoys Football

Richard ParascosBoys Soccer

clared a touchdown. Despite the speculative play, the Cardozo Judges had a great season opener. The following week, the Judges went up

against KIPP NYC College Prep, which was a very close game. The Judges were pushed to their limits by the opposition, who seemed to preform on another level. In an important play, senior Nevin Williams was poised to catch a touchdown pass from quarterback, Perry Haskowitz, but the pigskin slipped right through his hands. The Judges lost 26-34.

...The Judges are currently tied for first in their division with a 3-1 record. Their next home game is on October 20th against Far Rockaway Educational Campus.

The judges suffocate the opposition.

PHOTO BY C.J. EZENYILIMBA

When you think of summer, you think of relaxation, swimming, and vacation. But for senior varsity football player Chijoke Eze-nyilimba, his biggest concern was football. To prepare for the up-coming season, and to show college coaches what he’s made of for a possible chance at prolonging his football career and earning a scholarship, Chijioke, commonly referred to as “CJ”, attended three different football camps, at Fordham University, Dela-ware State University, and Marist College, three schools where he is a prospect. “The camps were scary at first, because everyone is your size and even bigger than you. But when I got on the field and competed with confidence, things became easier and I knew I could compete.” “I’m excited to see which school CJ gets to play football

What’s the news with Cardozo’s Boys Soccer team? As play-ers, they bring immediacy, conflict, and importance to their team. The first game of the season was a home game. On Thursday, September 14th both teams were preparing for a fierce battle; some looked nervous while others were laughing and joking around. Seeing the size of Cardozo’s soccer team would make anyone nervous, especially the opposing team. Both coaches looked confident as the players took the field as the referee blew his whistle an-nouncing the start of the game against Flushing High School. As the ball started to roll, the bleachers were filled with excited spectators from both teams. The sun started to set, yet, the crowd didn’t stop screaming. Cardozo was in the lead when the first half ended. The score, 3-0, was in Cardozo’s favor. Within ten minutes, a Flushing forward had possession of the ball at the 30-yard line. Cardozo, not challenging the ball, gave them a clear shot at a goal. Every per-son in the crowd and on the field was in suspense as they all saw the ball curving into the goal and the sound of swish when the ball entered the net. Flushing made its first goal. With 30 minutes on the clock, Cardozo was determined to get on the scoreboard. The ball began to roll again. Cardozo controlled it well enough

Sports

15September/october 2012

By David GmucaCJ Makes the Play

By Diana EbrahimiCARDOZO SOCCER PREVAILS

CJ taking out the opposition.PHOTO BY C.J EZENYILIMBA

that Flushing couldn’t take it away. With 15 minutes left, the Cardozo goalkeeper punted the ball a distance ¾ of the field. Cardozo made more goals in the next 10 minutes. The score was 5-1. There were 20 minutes left before the referee

blew his whistle to indicate the end of the game. The crowd stood up to watch the ball as the ending was intense. They roared, “Goal!” Cardozo scored the winning goal. The ref-eree blew his whistle again to an-nounce the end of the game. The final score was 6-1. Cardozo had won its first game of the sea-son. Update: On Wednesday, October 10th the boys won in a very intense game against Francis Lewis High School, by a score of 3-2 “It’s a good feeling to finally

beat Francis Lewis after four years of frustration,” said team captain Alex Taliotis. This was Cardozo’s first win against Francis Lewis in the past five years; and Francis Lewis’ first loss in four years. Taliotis played his heart out as goalie; he played most of the game, unlit he was escorted off the field by Athletic Director Joe Cavallo, due to an injured leg.

Judges on defense.

PHOTO BY DIANA EBRAHIMI

at,” said teammate Devin Guglielmetti. CJ said, “...it was tough, but that’s what makes you better. That’s what makes you realize how hard you have to work to compete.” While he’s excited by the chance to play college ball, his mind right now is focused on the season ahead, his final season at Car-dozo. His goals for the season as captain are to create a strong bond

among all his teammates. “I am focused on the season ahead and determined to win the championship for me, my teammates, and this amaz-ing school,” he said. “That would be a great way to end my high school football career. It would mean a lot. It’s been a pleasure to have been part of this team for what is now my third season.”

PEG LEGS GET DESTROYED

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