Teacher of the Year: MUNster by Zayneb Almiggabber Recently, Mr. Laugen has been honored with the prestigious and well-deserved title of “Teacher of the Year”. He has spent the last nine years as a history teacher, advisor, and fellow colleague. As a teacher, Mr. Laugen adds a touch of life to the classroom with his enthusiasm and creative approach to instruc-tion. With his incalculable methods of teaching, he also allows students to analyze certain aspects of history

through unbiased eyes and formulate their own opinions on other-wise disputed and con-troversial history topics. Mr. Laugen gives his students the op-portunity to ponder and question certain things, as well as en-courages good morals inside the classroom.In response to earning his title, Mr. Laugen says, “I’m very honored, but also very shocked be-cause there are so many deserving people in this building.” Furthermore, Mr. Sime, a colleague and friend of Mr. Laugen’s, states that, “Mr. Laugen is all about in-tegrity. He doesn’t just push his students to do the right thing—he leads by example and uses himself as a model for his students. It’s an honor to call him my friend.” In addition, Mr. Laugen is one of the advisors for the class of 2017, as well as the Model UN advisor and the former Junior High base-ball coach. He stands as an active representative of the versatility of NHP Memorial’s staff and is con-tinues to influence the school body in countless ways. Furthermore, Mr. Galvin, the head of the Social Stud-ies department, reacts to Mr. Lau-gen’s honorable recognition with

the words, “I was very excited—as is the case with most teachers—but I was very glad that Mr. Laugen had the opportunity to be recognized.”In his nine years, Mr. Laugen has not only taught, but has learned from his students as well. He has shown his care for the school and its students, and his passion for history as well as his other inter-ests has contagiously increased the interest of his students. His lessons are well-taught and his students are

well-prepared for the AP or Regents examinations by the end of the year. Mr. Laugen has built long-last-ing relationships with many of his students and even inspired many, opening up innovative ideas to the minds of the students. He has taken over the difficult responsibility of advising the Model UN club, which consists of over one hundred stu-dents, a responsibility that entails teaching morning classes, as well as requires a great amount of acquired knowledge, experience, and interest in the subject in order to handle its pressures. “Mr. Laugen is an asset to the Model United Nations club because you will never find anyone as dedicated as an advisor as he is.

He truly conveys his passion and interest for global affairs through his students and he pushes us to become better delegates at each conference,” said Stacy Chacko, the President of the Model United Nations Club. “He’s extremely well prepared, extremely well read, and intelligent,” said Mr. Galvin. “He teaches two sets of AP classes, writes most of the summer curricu-lum, and even received a certifica-tion to teach AP European History

to replace Mrs. Bor-gogelli when she was on maternity leave.” Furthermore, Mr. Laugen expresses his enthusiasm inside the classrooms as well, and doesn’t simply “teach history.” He elaborates on certain aspects of history, cre-ates strategies in order to remember particu-lar facts, and even ties most things into pop culture in order to ap-peal to his students. “He makes everything memorable. He al-ways comes into class

with a smile on his face,” says sophomore Kristen Hickey. Sophomore Christina Lorper says, “Mr. Laugen is able to captivate his students with his enthusiasm. Even if you find whatever you’re learning in that moment to be real-ly boring, he makes it interesting.” In addition to the nine years that Mr. Laugen has spent in New Hyde Park, there are still many years to come in which he will be able to influence many other students and teachers alike as he has done so far. “New Hyde Park Memo-rial is truly a wonderful place to work in. From the staff to the stu-dents, I couldn’t ask for a better place to work,” said Mr. Laugen.

Casey FalconerPage 3

Summer Movie PreviewPage 12

Collegiate Cash?Page 15

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In This IssueNews..............................3-4Class of 2012.....................5-8 Clubs..........................9 Editorials......................10Inquiring Minds..................11

Entertainment.....................12-13Student Recognition..............14

Sports............................15-16

StaffEditors-in-Chief:

Jennifer Lee, Ashly ThannickalCopy Editors:

Ashley Dominic, Anitra PersaudNews:

Diane Choi, Josh Johnikutty, Abin ThannickalFeatures:

Christina Kotarski, Deirdre Shaefer, Zainab Petiwala

Sports:Scott Valane, Elena Cothalis

Entertainment:Kiran Bhojani, Stacy Chacko, Ishita

ShahStudent Life: Ryan Maharaj

Clubs:Allison Bauer, Teresa Lo, Judith

ThomasBusiness Managers:

Teena Thomas, Abha RaghavanStaff Photographer:

Chaheti BansalPublicity Coordinator:

Rebecca RotheColumnists:

David IndictorCartoonist:Andy ChangDesigner:

Nicole LayugAdvisor:

Mr. Stencel

Reporters:

Zayneb Almiggabber, Renjini Antony, Harvinder Bassi, James O’Donnell, Ali Eydid, Arjun Nagpal, Rebecca

Rothe

Letter from the President:

Dear Student Body, We have counted down the days and now the year is fi-nally over. Sadly, it’s that time for seniors to say goodbye but we are off to our new journey. Class of 2013: WELCOME TO SENIOR YEAR. Key advice to the new seniors: please be aware of deadlines. Yes, senior year is the year you should enjoy, but within the first semester there is no time to just relax. Make sure SATs are completed and get a head start on college essays, resumes, and letter of recom-mendations over the summer. One mistake I made as a senior is that I didn’t apply to as many CUNY and SUNY schools as I should have and I would hate to see you make the same mistake. What I learned from this experience is that you should always have a back up plan just in case the plan in your head doesn’t exactly work out to the best of your interests. Good luck! Being the 2011 – 2012 Stu-dent Council President has been my pleasure. New Hyde Park is like my second home and hon-estly I’m not too sure what I am going to do without it. During the past six years this high school only inspired me to strive for the best. Teachers and my peers set the standards high so that we kept stretching for the top. This is one of the reasons that our high school is number one and why we should be “cloned.” Our school gives back to the community and we take what we have learned and use it in the real world. The Stu-dent Council worked with Is-land Harvest and the senior citizens this year. We tried our best to make sure that what we gained out of our experiences

could benefit others as well. Student Council elections for the 2012 – 2013 school year were held and I’d like to say congratulations to The Gladi-ator Party. This year Student Council will be welcoming new faces. Their campaign was defi-nitely positive in that they care-fully considered the needs of the students. Congrats to President Jon Chambers, 1st VP Shawn Sam, 2nd VP Sam Longo, Sec-retary Tim Foley, Treasurer Lau-ren Lynch, G.O. Card Manager Christian Hong, Junior High Activities Coordinator Steven Chambers, Historian Shawn Zachariah, and Publicity Coor-dinator Anthony D’Ammassa. I am confident that you will all do well and not let the student body down. I wish you the best of luck next year and I know I am leav-ing the school in good hands. Well seniors…this is it. This is the moment we have been wait-ing for since we walked through the doors of seventh grade. We didn’t expect the years to fly by so quickly but now that it’s finally here we can embrace it. I’d like to take this oppor-tunity to tell you all that our class has grown into one big family. From September 2006 until now we’ve always had each other’s backs. We support one another in all of our endeavors. I wish you all the best of luck in college. I know that I have not regretted one thing during my entire high school career because without any of you, this experience would not have been as amazing as it has been. Your President, Nirmala Singh

“Casey and I met in gym class. We were friends for about a month before we started going out, and we knew right then and there that we were meant for each other. We were inseparable for al-most two years. We spent time together everyday even though we didn’t have class together. I was really shy, but he looked past that. Because of him, I have so many amazing supportive friends. I thank God everyday that Casey was part of my life, even if it was only for a short amount of time.”

-Olivia Focarino

“Casey was an incredibly intelligent young man who had a great way of making everyone smile. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He also had a lot of dif-ferent interests that ranged from music to theater to his lifelong love of flying. He was one of my most valuable Stage Crew members. I could always count on him if I needed him. Overall, he set a great example for the younger members of Stage Crew.” -Mr. Sime

“Casey was one of the kindest, most genuine people I ever had

the pleasure of being friends with. He always put 100% into everything he did, which is something I truly admire about him. He was always there for me and supported me in anything I did, especially in music. He was one of my first friends in Chamber Singers. His smile lit up any room he walked into and it was impos-sible not to have a good time when he was there. I am truly blessed to have had him in my life.”

-Joanna Sanges

“Casey and I were on Stage Crew together. He was a dedicated individual and the type of person who would do anything for Stage Crew. He also had many goals and he accomplished them. Overall, Casey and I got along very well, and I will definitely miss him.” -Mr. Micciche

“With Casey’s infectious smile, you couldn’t help but smile back at him. There is not one person I could think of that didn’t like Casey for who he was. Casey looked deeper into people than just their looks. He followed his dreams and saw a friend in everyone.”

-Matt Miller

“Casey was non-judgmental, accepting of all others, and a friend

to all. He was a student who taught me how to be a better teacher and person. He taught me how teachers can impact a student’s life. I have directed fourteen shows and he has been involved in every one of them, on or behind the stage. Casey also gave a hilarious and memorable performance in Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’.”

-Mr. LoConte

“Casey was always so honest and you could really trust him. He respected everyone enough to tell them the truth. He was sincere and genuine-it was the comfort that he had rubbed off on the people around him. He was always him-self, he was always just Casey.” -Jordan Buff

“Casey was an Eagle Scout. He was one of the nicest guys I have

ever met. Once, Casey gave a ride to an intoxicated individual that he saw while driving. Without any complaint, he helped that guy return home safely, which really showed what a kind indi-vidual he was.”

-Mr. Tarantola

“Casey Falconer was one of the finest students I’ve had the privilege

of teaching. He was a multi-faceted individual---a man of many talents. One of those talents was music. An excellent singer, he was selected for virtually every honors chorus available, including years of District Festival, All County, and All State Chorus-- and he loved every mo-ment of it. He was, of course, a leader in our Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.”

-Mr. McKinnon

“Casey was one of the nicest and sweetest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. While growing up in the same town, the mailmen would always mix up our mail since we have the same house numbers but a slightly different street name. Soon enough, our five minute mail exchanges grew into hour-long conversa-tions. He is truly a role model for many people, including myself.” -Jennifer Gerbe

“Leaping over chairs or waltzing right into the room, Casey was charis-matic, amiable, hardworking, and loving. He could greet anyone with a one-of-a-kind grin that immediately made you say, ‘Dang, this guy’s nice.’ He was a brother among brothers.” -Kevin Leung

“Casey was a great friend and a wonderful person. Even though Casey graduated two years ago, he still came back for every show in our school. I gain comfort from the thought that he is in a better place, watching over all of the people who he loved.” -Noelle Anne

In Memorium

Casey Falconer1992-2012

How Much Do You Cost?by Arjun Nagpal Receiving a good quality educa-tion shapes your future. However, some schools offer better quality ed-ucation than others do. Schools are in constant competition with other in order to gain positive rankings and improve their standards. This is determined by a variety of factors including coursework, technology, availability of resources, teacher-student collaboration and standard-ized testing. However, is it true that the amount of money spent on each student can improve academic achievement? Is there a correlation between money spent on a stu-dent and the quality of education? According to a recent bud-get report, the Jericho Union Free School District recorded a phenomenal $33,325 expenditure per enrolled student. This means that Jericho Union Free School District spends $33,325 for edu-cation on each student enrolled in its district. Jericho Union Free

School District ranked second out of 57 school districts neighboring New Hyde Park. Our school dis-trict, the Sewanhaka Central High School District, ranked 54th out of 57 school districts. The Sewan-haka CHSD had an expenditure of $17,599. There is a considerable difference between the two districts in terms of financial investments on education. Does this mean that Jericho has more options in terms of academic enrichment than we do? Most definitely, they do. How-ever, this does not mean our school district has low education quality. As you all know, our school’s beloved principal, Mr. DeMartino is retiring after 39 astonishing years serving the school. I had the unique opportunity to chat with him about this interesting topic. He was in shock when he heard about the cost per student that Jericho exhausts. I asked him if the cost per student actually made a difference between the quality of education produced.

“It really doesn’t. The only dif-ference is that a place that works with a $30,000 per pupil spending ratio can just offer more programs. The programs that we have here are quality programs, and Jericho can offer more electives. I think the electives are what enrich your curriculum and as a result, I think students score better on standard-ized tests,” said Mr. DeMartino. So does the amount of money spent per pupil correlate with the quality of education produced? “It’s tough to say. I think the teachers here get the most out of students with the budget they work with. I think a student can get a great education here and the teachers work above and beyond to get the students to a certain level at this place, because you don’t have a lot of extra money for newer things. But teachers do a phenomenal job getting the most they possibly can for their students,” said Mr. Nails. Interestingly, Jericho High

School did not significantly have better standardized testing scores than New Hyde Park Memorial had. In terms of basic statistics, Jer-icho had a graduation rate of 99% with 94% receiving an advanced Regents diploma upon graduation. New Hyde Park had a graduation rate of 94% with 71% receiving an advanced Regents diploma. “The Sewanhaka district gets a good bang for its buck! Consider-ing our scores at New Hyde Park Memorial and the schools in the district, the quality of education students get here can’t beat what we spend per pupil. But again, it’s the enrichment; we have some en-richment, but not a lot,” said Mr. DeMartino. He also added, “When you have double the amount of money to spend per student you can enrich your curriculum and the enrichment means a lot. We are enriched to a certain extent, but we can’t really enrich be-yond that. That’s the difference!”

Coming Homeby Harvinder Bassi A fatal decision to withdraw NATO from the Afghan region has caused a major frenzy as opinions surmont. After a nearly two-decade tug-of-war battle between NATO troops spearheaded by the United States and fundamentalists, NATO has opted to hand over its day-to-day operations to local authorities in Afghanistan. Already experi-encing great tension, the NATO summit experienced an unprec-edented amount of frustrated pro-testors outside the recent summit as mixed opinions concerning the monumental line of events have began to surface. These protestors are among many who wish to fuel numberous debates over what the proper course of action should be. The Chicago Summit Declara-tion states, “NATO will continue to extend political and practical sup-port to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces, including the Afghan Special Op-erations Forces for a decade beyond 2014.” Out of 132,000 NATO

troops, two-thirds are American. Mounting debt and economic pres-sure from the 50 member countries have attributed to this monumental, fiscal decision. According to The Economist, “approximately 69% of American citizens believe withdraw-al from Afghanistan is imperative.” “It will be interesting to see how neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, respond to the withdrawal of NATO troops. It is a 50-50 proposition that Afghani-stan will evolve into a progressive, democratic society or whether a conservative fundamentalist takes charge,” said Joshua Mathew. Af-ghan officials say that the rela-tionship between Afghanistan and China will be substantially greater than an economic partnership. This has sparked a backlash amongst the American people whom fear that a thirsty Afghan population will sign a pact with a demanding China. Christopher Pak claimed, “China is acting like a recruiter, almost like a bully trying to exploit the weakness of an obviously vulnerable person.”

Not only may a communist manifest power, but a totalitar-ian dictatorship may be estab-lished; a sucker punch to the United States’ foreign policy. "The president of Afghanistan will be meeting the President of China in Beijing and what will happen is the elevation of our existing, solid relationship to a new level, to a stra-tegic level," said Janan Musazai, a spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry. China has kept a low-profile in the decade-long skirmish in Afghanistan, but is currently attempting to seize the opportu-nity to assert its influence over Af-ghanistan. “I believe Afghanistan, untapped with resources, will be-come a puppet of China. It is quite dangerous, considering all of the instability in the world, for China to assert its ideological and eco-nomic influence over instable Af-ghanistan,” said Anson Varughese. Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Afghan President Hamid Karzai will congregate at the Shang-hai Cooperation Organization

summit in Beijing. Neighboring countries will be fighting for influ-ence over Afghanistan following the NATO withdrawal. “A proxy war involving Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan is the last thing the world needs at this stage of the game,” stated an Afghan security of-ficial. Russia is acting like the wild card, serving as an unpredictable force that could potentially have a significant impact on the outcome. The 2012 United States presidential campaigns may serve to be the most significant factor in shaping Af-ghanistan’s future. Democrats will argue that President Obama has stra-tegically cut down on the ineffective and costly nation-building project abroad, whereas Republicans will call President Obama “soft.” Will the United States, under the leader-ship of Barack Obama, maintain its promise of withdrawal or will the United States, under the leadership of Mitt Romney, take a direct role in Afghan relations? The future for Afghanistan seems unclear, but time will eventually reveal its fate.

Abberton, Krystine Molloy CollegeAbraham, Blessen SUNY AlbanyAbraham, Jesa SUNY Stony BrookAbramo, Allison Iona CollegeAgarwal, Anthony Dowling CollegeAhmed, Danial SUNY Stony BrookAhmed, Mazin Nassau Community CollegeAi, Wilson Cornell UniversityAlbarella, Sean SUNY FarmingdaleAlexander, Kezia Long Island UniversityAli, Osama Nassau Community CollegeAlvarado Rodas, Elsy LaGuardia Community CollegeAlves, Sara Molloy CollegeAmoroso, Alyssa Nassau Community CollegeAnuth, Katja SUNY BinghamtonApaza, Michelle SUNY FarmingdaleArikupurathu, Jancy Dominican College of BlauveltArotinco, Jennifer LaGuardia Community CollegeAvalos, Sophia Manhattan CollegeAviles, Dora CUNY City College

Baidwan, Indervir St. John’s UniversityBak, Joanna SUNY FarmingdaleBaldi, Anthony Nassau Community CollegeBansal, Chaheti Penn State UniversityBarbaro, Alicia Nassau Community CollegeBatista, Wilbert Long Island UniversityBattaglini, Cole SUNY GeneseoBhojani, Kiran St. John’s UniversityBogil, Victoria SUNY BinghamtonBreen, Conor Long Island UniversityBrooks, Amanda Nassau Community College Brooks, Timothy New York Institute of TechnologyBrown, Kimberly University of Scranton

Caleca, Nicolo Nassau Community College Campana, Savannah Mercy CollegeCampson, Taylor Coastal Carolina UniversityCarbone, Joseph Long Island UniversityCariaso, Michael SUNY Binghamton

Remember the Past...Carlay, Melissa Marist CollegeCaruna, Thomas Hofstra UniversityCastellano, Lucia Nassau Community CollegeChacko, Stacy University of DelawareChadha, Rushleen SUNY Old WestburyChadli, Alexander Long Island UniversityChang, Andrew St. John’s UniversityCherian, Freeda New York Institute of Technology

Chiriboga, Mauricio Dowling CollegeChirinos, John Cornell UniversityChisenall, Cheryl Johnson and Wales UniversityChowdhury, Shanjida New York UniversityChoy, Kenneth SUNY AlbanyConcha, Hugo Nassau Community CollegeConnors, Kimberly Penn State UniversityCothalis, Elena SUNY New PaltzCourtney, Michael Nassau Community CollegeCruz, Joseph SUNY DelhiCunningham, Sean Nassau Community College

Daily, John SUNY Stony BrookD’Amico, Joseph Molloy CollegeDaniel, Shaun St. John’s University De La Rosa, Stephanie CUNY City CollegeDean, Patrick Nassau Community College DeCastro, Sergio Nassau Community CollegeDeSanna, Devon Fashion Institute of TechnologyDevi, Garima Molloy CollegeDiaz, Shirley Nassau Community CollegeDiGregorio, Adam Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Dilone, Diego Pace UniversityDoering, Michael Nassau Community CollegeDominic, Ashley Macaulay Honors College, CUNY Brooklyn

Dowdell, Shayne SUNY OswegoDugue, Pascale Barnard CollegeDunne, Juliana SUNY CortlandDziomba, Nicholas Towson University

Efinger, Ryan Nassau Community CollegeElias, Justyne Nassau Community CollegeEranovic, Angelica Fordham UniversityEspinal, Noel Nassau Community CollegeEsteves, Amanda The Art Institute of New York City

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Fanelli, Frank Molloy CollegeFanelli, John SUNY MaritimeFontana, Kevin Undecided

Ganesh, Ryan SUNY BuffaloGardella, Diana Long Island UniversityGeorge, Sarah SUNY AlbanyGeorge, Abin Nassau Community CollegeGhotra, Harinderpreet SUNY FarmingdaleGhotra, Daniel Nassau Community CollegeGibbs, Janelle Long Island UniversityGivler, Thomas Lake Sumpter Community CollegeGolwala, Palak New York Institute of TechnologyGonzalez, Nadia Long Island UniversityGonzalez, Philip Long Island UniversityGough, Catherine Penn State UniversityGranados, Nubia Nassau Community College

Hansra, Jagtar Nassau Community CollegeHardeen, Colin New York Institute of TechnologyHasenflue, Devin Adelphi UniversityHawley, Abigael Elon UniversityHayden, Bridget Nassau Community CollegeHaynes, Jennifer Nassau Community CollegeHeesemann, Keith SUNY AlbanyHodder, Ian Marine Corp. Holler, Angelina Coastal Carolina UniversityHussein, Faizal CUNY Queens College

Ibrahim, Jacklynn SUNY Geneseo Indictor, David SUNY Binghamton

Jacob, Grace CUNY Hunter CollegeJacob, Liya New York Institute of TechnologyJacob, Renju CUNY Queens College

Janeo, Pauline Penn State UniversityJavaid, Umer CUNY Hunter CollegeJavaid, Zain New York UniversityJin, Austin Penn State UniversityJohn, Christine New York UniversityJohn, Christine. A New York Institute of TechnologyJohn, Sheeba New York Institute of TechnologyJohnson, Jeremy SUNY OswegoJohnson, Stanly St. John’s UniversityJose, Jeremy New York Institute of TechnologyJoseph, Chris SUNY Stony BrookJoseph, Sebin SUNY OswegoJoykutty, Jaison New York Institute of Technology

Kaczmarczyk, James SUNY Stony BrookKalinkov, Todor SUNY BinghamtonKamuda, Katarzyna Nassau Community CollegeKang, Francisco University of MassachusettsKaur, Iqnoor New York Institute of TechnologyKaur, Jasleen Nassau Community CollegeKaur, Mandeep Molloy CollegeKaur, Manjoyt St. John’s UniversityKaur, Sanjana Nassau Community College Kaur, Tamanpreet SUNY Stony BrookKeerikatte, Navya SUNY Old WestburyKelnohofer, Corey Nassau Community CollegeKempksi, Kevin Molloy CollegeKerrane, Taylor University of ScrantonKhan, Anas Nassau Community CollegeKhan, Ryan SUNY FarmingdaleKim, Taehyoung SUNY Stony BrookKimkowski, Ashley St. Thomas Aquinas CollegeKofler, Kristi SUNY CortlandKornaj, Maja SUNY Stony BrookKorzevinski, Kristen CUNY Queens CollegeKoshy, George SUNY Stony BrookKotarski, Christina Long Island UniversityKrauss, Patrick Saint Leo UniversityKuczinski, Brian Nassau Community CollegeKurian, Tiffany SUNY Binghamton

LaBruna, Vincent SUNY GeneseoLall, Brandon CUNY Hunter College

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Layug, Nicole New York Institute of TechnologyLee, Jennifer Johns Hopkins UniversityLeung, Kevin Case Western UniversityLicari, Jessica Nassau Community CollegeLicata, Christina Adelphi UniversityLin, Geoffrey University of PennsylvaniaLofaro, Victoria Fairfield UniversityLopez, Dylan SUNY BinghamtonLynch, Kristen Wesleyan University

Macceus-Francois, JoArlee SUNY Old WestburyMaddocks, Caitlynn UndecidedMaino, Matthew Manhattan CollegeMalik, Ahmad SUNY Stony BrookMalik, Marwa Nassau Community CollegeMangialino, Samantha Mount Saint Mary CollegeMarquardt, Natalie Worcester Polytechnic InstituteMarte, Elisa Molloy CollegeMartinez, Mercedez SUNY GeneseoMarwaha, Vinayak CUNY Baruch CollegeMastoridis, Melissa SUNY GeneseoMathew, Christie St. John’s UniversityMathew, Jobin St. John’s UniversityMauro, Joseph Adelphi UniversityMcGrath, Emma University of ScrantonMessina, Briana Hofstra UniversityMontvidas, Carolyn SUNY OneontaMorga, Jennifer Hofstra UniversityMurnane, John SUNY DelhiMurphy, Lyndsay Nassau Community CollegeMusacchia, Anthony East Stroudsburg UniversityMyers, Jennifer Fashion Institute of Technology

Nayyar, Dev SUNY Stony BrookNeves, Jonathan SUNY Old WestburyNgai, Marissa SUNY BinghamtonNuccio, Marc Hofstra UniversityNugent, Marlyse Drexel University

O’Callaghan, Lisa SUNY OswegoO’Connor, Liam East Stroudsburg UniversityO’Donnell, James SUNY Binghamton

Obidienzo, Anthony Nassau Community CollegeOommen, Ashley Hofstra University

Palces, Jude SUNY BinghamtonPanek, Monica CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Parambil, Blessy Molloy CollegePatrizi, Santino SUNY Old WestburyPaulose, Tim SUNY Stony BrookPayne, Dylan SUNY Stony BrookPayne, Mathew SUNY Stony BrookPehr, Elissa SUNY BuffaloPepe, Angelo Nassau Community CollegePerez, Kathryn College of Mount Saint Vincent Pergola, Salvatore Nassau Community CollegePersaud, Anitra UndecidedPetiwala, Zainab St. John’s UniversityPetrosyan, Hripsime CUNY York CollegePhilip, Annetta St. John’s UniversityPhilipose, Betsy Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Philips, Francis Nassau Community CollegePlamo, Angeli Adelphi UniversityPriest, Adam SUNY BinghamtonPriest, Michael Mount Saint Mary CollegePugliese, Andrew Long Island UniversityPunnoose, Jimmy SUNY Binghamton

Raghavan, Abha UndecidedRajan, Renita CUNY Brooklyn Ramirez, Luis Nassau Community CollegeRamos Jr., Vicente Hofstra UniversityRandall, Emily SUNY AlbanyRaveendran, Rahul SUNY Old WestburyRegalbuto, Melissa SUNY New PaltzRing, Michael Nassau Community CollegeRios, Jonathan CUNY York CollegeRobinson, Kayla Fordham UniversityRodgers, Shannon Nassau Community CollegeRodriguez, Anabel Nassau Community CollegeRolnick, Samantha Nassau Community CollegeRoss, Dylan Western New England UniversityRoth, Geri Lynn University of ConnecticutRothe, Rebecca Nassau Community College

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Rudd, Kyle School of Visual ArtsRussi, Nicholas Nassau Community College

Salazar, Theresa SUNY Stony BrookSanchez, Nicole Nassau Community CollegeSanges, Joanna SUNY New PaltzSantangelo, Lucas Monmouth UniversitySantiago, Eric Monroe Community CollegeSavva, Dimitrios Worcester Polytechnic InstituteSchaefer, Deirdre Sacred Heart UniversitySciarratta, Nicholas Long Island UniversitySeid, Alan Nassau Community CollegeSenn, Alejandro Illinois Central CollegeShah, Gunjan CUNY Queens CollegeShah, Ishita Adelphi UniversityShah, Shaily CUNY Baruch CollegeShaji, Elizabeth New York Institute of TechnologyShaji, Stanley SUNY Stony BrookShanmugarajah, Niroshan Cornell UniversitySheahzead, Omar Penn State University Shewakramani, Sachit CUNY Queens CollegeSimeoli, Nicholas Long Island UniversitySimon, Joshua Nassau Community CollegeSingh, Amandeep CUNY Queens CollegeSingh, Imren St. John’s UniversitySingh, Nirmala St. John’s UniversitySmolenski, Paul Polytechnic Institute of NYUStanich, Samantha University of CaliforniaSteiner, Michael Nassau Community CollegeStevens, John SUNY FarmingdaleSu, Stephanie Boston UniversitySunny, Shannon SUNY Stony BrookSureshbabu, Sudipta Macaulay Honors College, CUNY Brooklyn

Syed, Dureya SUNY Stony BrookSyed, Tabinda SUNY Stony Brook

Taglich, Kevin SUNY BuffaloTangredi, Alexandra Adelphi UniversityThandi, Jaspal Long Island UniversityThang, Calvin SUNY AlbanyThannickal, Ashley Boston UniversityThomas, Andrew Nassau Community CollegeThomas, Allen CUNY Baruch CollegeThomas, Biji SUNY Old WestburyThomas, Nicky CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Thomas, Shani SUNY Stony BrookThomas, Shelin SUNY Stony BrookThomas, Sinu CUNY Queensborough CCThomas, Stefy SUNY FarmingdaleThomas, Stelin New York Institute of TechnologyThomas, Stephen Long Island UniversityToloza, Fernando Nassau Community CollegeToubal, Kahina Wesleyan UniversityTowey, Kevin University of DaytonTritto, Patrick Trade School - PlumbingTrivedi, Parth Cornell University

Ulrich, Nicole Long Island UniversityUrquijo, Cindy Nassau Community College

Valane, Scott SUNY AlbanyVarrone, Amanda Fordham UniversityVarughese, Amal Nassau Community CollegeVarughese, Isaac Molloy CollegeVasquez, Thalia Nassau Community CollegeVigiarolo, Deandra New York Institute of TechnologyVillota, Mick Nassau Community CollegeViscardi, Lillie Nassau Community CollegeVito, Angelique Long Island UnviersityViviano, Nicholas Northeastern UniversityVorbeck, Joseph SUNY Albany

Wagan, Jay-Michael SUNY Farmingdale Walker-Scott, Shaniece Undecided Williams, Nicole Nassau Community CollegeWinkhart, John SUNY New PaltzWong, Carmen CUNY Baruch CollegeWu, Shangbin CUNY Baruch

Yun, Joyce St. John’s University

Zabicki, Jessie SUNY OswegoZalayet, David Broome Community CollegeZhou, Jeffrey Bentley UniversityZinus, Vinit Adelphi University

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by Teresa Lo On Sunday, June 3rd, 2012, the Sunrise Day Camp held its Seventh Annual Walk to raise money for children with can-cer. All proceeds collected would help fund Sunrise Day Camp, a summer camp for children who have been diagnosed with cancer. With help from faculty and students from New Hyde Park Memorial H.S., the Service League raised five hundred dollars from the walkathon and individual fundraising from this year alone. Mr. Stencel, advisor of the Service League, has encouraged many students and teachers to get involved. “I believe in raising money for a good cause,” says ju-nior Stacy Chirayath. “Getting involved in your community can open more doors to success.” Spar-ing just a few dollars to people who need it more than you do can really make a difference in your community. When you’re helping

people in need, every cent counts. Walking is healthy, espe-cially with all the technology and fast food corporations that exist in our fast-paced society. “I be-lieve that participating in vari-ous walks makes me stronger as an individual,” says junior Diane Choi. “It is such a rewarding ex-perience!” Fundraisers can make a huge difference to people in need. “We’ve worked with the camp for the past few years,” says vice-president of Service League Ishita Shah. “It’s always a pleasure help-ing those in need. And I hope the club continues to do so.” Getting involved with fundrais-ers can influence other people more than you might think. It is also an awesome experience. Knowing that you can make a difference in the world is the greatest feeling. If you didn’t get involved in this event, en-courage yourself and others to join future ones. You can really make a huge difference in our community!

by Ali Eydid The Muslim Students Associa-tion decided to finish the year with a bang, including its final meeting, a huge party, and a topic that would leave a lasting impression to all. While the MSA was engaged in its final meeting, the Seek-ers Club was preparing its larg-est event of the year, which is the ever-popular coffeehouse meeting. This final event has been a trend for the Seekers Club for the past few years and due to its well-exhib-ited success, its legacy continues. Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and people from all different faiths attended this event because the Seek-ers welcomed everyone to come and witness what the Christians love do-ing most. The performances, skits, and music were phenomenal and the attendees loved everything about it. Over 150 students attended the event. “This event may just be bigger than the Spanish Club’s Epcot Night,” says a junior. This happens to be very accurate be-

cause the amount of fun shown through the eyes of those who at-tended is quite apparent, as peo-ple always look for a good time. The MSA members had a great first year and are already look-ing forward to another amazing year. This year has been a success as the members from the MSA attended soup kitchens, muse-ums, and many other venues for the sole intention of educating themselves and assisting others. “It has been a great year and my last year in MSA has been my all-time favorite. I want to thank all those who have attended the MSA, and I hope whatever I did this year benefited all of us tremendously,” says Shanjida, President of the MSA. As the clock ticks down, sig-naling the coming end of the year, club members plan a better future in the following years. However, one this is for sure: this is merely the beginning of another success-ful, joyous year. Those who seek education get found by success.

Last BrewingWalking For a Cause

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by David Indictor They received their red ID cards. They have taken all of their SATs (except for an unfortunate few). They survived the onslaught that eleventh grade proves to be. And now, since September, they’ve sat around waiting for the end. ‘Se-nioritis’ as it’s known, has spread to all levels of the twelfth grade, from the modest regular classes to the demanding AP courses. Senioritis has caused a sig-nificant amount of time displace-ment among seniors, who can self-diagnose themselves by notic-ing if they have waited until 10 pm to start their homework and can’t tell how time passed by them so quickly. But Senioritis is more of a mindset then a rather sud-den burst of laziness. This is the only explanation for how even the most responsible of students start their homework at 11 pm. Senioritis, as Wikipedia puts it (yes, it’s prevalent enough to have its own Wikipedia page), is a decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college and graduate school careers. No student can know for sure if they will get it or not. Symp-toms include: starting your home-work at 11 pm the day before it is due, the morning of the day it is due, the period before the class it is due, or the day after it is due; tak-ing ‘sick days’ to finish assignments you had plenty of time to complete (both short term and long); finding class material too easy or difficult to pay attention; going to sleep in the middle of the night for no reason at all; spending a third of the day in the cafeteria; decreased vocabulary and/or spelling abilities; apathy towards high school where none existed before; and spending more time thinking about the months you have (well, had) left instead of doing something with them. The causes of Senioritis vary based upon the mindset of the patient, but generally present themselves after the first semester, when mid-year reports and col-

lege applications are finished and nothing the student does in high school can affect their admission into college (usually). For this reason, many intelligent and ca-pable students procrastinate more than they ever would because they have reasons for doing so. The only remedy that can treat seniors still in high school are the AP tests, but even those aren’t foolproof as many seniors

forsake the tests and take them without the kind of studying they would have done in 11th grade.Despite what a student with Senior-itis would have you believe, Seniori-tis can be a dangerous condition. The attitude that makes a senior unproductive with school-work infects their entire lives as they see senior year passing by them and fail to accomplish any-thing that requires a lot of hard, dedicated work. The end result is a lot of wasted time come gradua-tion. A minor but potentially fatal risk is that a college rescinds your acceptance letter if they’re dissatis-fied with your high school perfor-mance at the end of high school. Most colleges don’t do this to any but for a small handful of students, but the potential is there. Teachers feel helpless in the waves

of the living undead that now sit in their classrooms and don’t bother pretending to look interested. Com-mon reactions among teachers in-clude a less attentive attitude towards homework completion, a greater tolerance for late assignments, and a greater focus on their non-senior classes (especially if they teach 11th grade). Teachers’ reactions are only natural to the situation. The most dangerous and

common effect of Senioritis is that it sets seniors up for a bombshell when they begin college. We’ve been told just how hard it’s going to be, but they’ve told us this be-fore. The truth is that when you’re working, you’re not thinking about how difficult the work is. That’s why when we think of a class or an experience as difficult, we can only do so as a prediction, in hindsight, or as an omniscient ob-servation (from an outside perspec-tive). Senioritis destroys the work ethic that had been slowly growing over seniors’ high school careers. For this reason, the sudden workload of college may seem more severe than it actually is. Senioritis can make seniors have the wrong mentality when entering college.Although Senioritis may be the enemy of teachers and administra-

tors alike, all of them remember themselves in similar situations and understand the allure of Senioritis. Expert Malcolm Gladwell theorizes that someone can be satis-fied with their job if they have three things: autonomy (some choice as to what they do), complexity (enough to be interesting, not too much so that it’s impossible), and a connec-tion between effort and reward. Al-though high school students have autonomy over the courses they take (and even that is limited) and the complexity of those courses var-ies greatly, they always had the con-nection between effort and reward. For some it was the knowledge in their head that wasn’t there before.For others, it was the numbers on their report cards, SATs/ACTs, and AP Tests. For most, it was the col-lege they got into. Now that the reward motive has disappeared, se-niors only pay attention to a class that they find extremely interesting with the right level of complexity, since their only option in terms of autonomy is to drop some classes and this option isn’t always feasible. Instead, they try to soak up the reality of incoming college and out-going high school. They talk to each other, to teachers, and they think to themselves as the reality slowly hits them. They try to think about what will be next and make plans that they know are not foolproof. They enjoy their last moments liv-ing with their families while also harboring a desire to go out and start living on their own already. If eleventh grade is a year of work, twelfth is a year of thought. A year when many misconceptions of the world are broken and new ones are formed. A year when se-niors realize that life isn’t necessar-ily fair. A year when that ends in a week when you don’t know where the rest went, and all you have are the stories that connect you from the past to the present. A year when transmissions are undiscovered and we search for the signal, the lighthouse that will tell us where to go next. The effect is the same whether we take it in stride or not.

The Incurable Disease

by Jennifer Lee You’re sitting inside the library chewing away on your pencil as if to get to its leaden innards. You look down to see dried-up highlighters, your keyboard, and that paper that never got completed. You look at the Styrofoam and paper coffee cups littering your desk, wonder if you’ve become the anti-poster child for both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, and giggle like a hyena pumped full of caf-feine. You stop when you realize you’re late for work which means you’ll miss your romantic date with your boyfriend. And now you’re freshman-15 starving. Hi, this is stress slapping you across the face. Unlike the drug-addled peers of typical college students who experience both the lows and highs of their latest hit, the econo-my, which has undergone the worst recession since the Great Depres-sion, has been the recipient of only the short end of the stick. So, with job prospects

uncertain and mountains of col-lege debt straddled to their shoul-ders, college students, who are also struggling to balance work, school, family, friends, and romantic rela-tionships, have been experiencing a record level of stress. Now, these aren’t just the hyperbolic imaginings of a soon-to-be college student. There’s factual data to back it up. According to the latest findings of “The American Freshman,” a large, national survey that has been conducted annually for the past 25 years, the percent-age of college students rating them-selves as “below average” in emo-tional health has risen every year. Meanwhile, the percent-age of students rating their emo-tional health as “above average,” has fallen to 52%. In comparison, a quarter of a century ago, nearly 70% of freshman put themselves in the top 10% of mentally stable peo-ple in their class. (By the way, this mathematical impossiblity speaks volumes about the egos of college students.)

But this isn’t to be unex-pected. These days, with the unprec-edented number of students going to college, it’s easy to see why stu-dents are sweating under the weight of their competitors. And when faced with such pressure, they may feel the need to put on a façade of perfection when in reality, many are struggling to bear the emotional burden of stress. So what is stress exactly? According to WebMD, the place you go to self-diagnose yourself with rare and uncurable diseases, stress is “normal and even use-ful.” It’s “what you feel when you have to handle more than you are used to.” So basically, when you’re stressed, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in, makes you breathe like crazy, your heart beat faster, and causes your cortisol levels to rise. Though this can help if, say, you’re a drool-worthy boy band member and you’re being chased by crazed fangirls, extended stress can make your life tantamount to an

Allstate commercial with you hav-ing adopted the Mayhem guy as your child. So what to do? Though it might seem uncouth for a high school student riddled with seniori-tis (I’ve finally gotten infected) to give college advice, if you think of college merely as a vaster, more rigorous extension of high school, these tips apply. Exercise time manage-ment. Think of scheduling as clean-ing up your life. File away your time into different compartments. Heck, you can even schedule “wor-ry time;” It’ll make dealing with the smaller, more insignificant things a lot easier. Laugh! Laughing releases endorphins—major stress-busting hormones. And switch to decaf. At least for a little while. Sleep! And if you can’t, napping works wonders. Little 20-minute naps here and there will make you a much more agreeable person. Then there’s therapy. Or bubble wrap. Your choice.

AC COMICS by Andy Chang

I Can’t Stress This Enough

Last Bow for Batman

Spidey Senses Back on Track

by Zayneb Almiggabber Since 2005, the Batman fran-chise has been brought back to life and has become one of the most popular modern stories in the film industry. Reincarnated by Inception creator Christopher Nolan, the se-ries of films started with Batman Be-gins—which focused on how and why the identity of Batman was born. Nolan’s adapted screenplays and distinct styles became evident in the film, and its eventual suc-cess led to the release of its sequel, The Dark Knight in 2008. The Dark Knight successfully grossed over one billion dollars worldwide, creat-ing an especially lasting impression with Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker prior to his death. This summer, the third and final film of the Batman tril-ogy is to be released with a flaw-less cast and a powerful storyline. Christian Bale (The Fighter, Equi-librium) returns as the returning masked vigilante, prepared to take on new foes. Among Batman’s new enemies are the poweful Bane and the enigmatic Catwoman; who

are to be portrayed by Tom Har-dy (Inception, Warrior) and Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada) respectively. The film also includes the re-turn of Gary Oldman (Harry Pot-

ter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), as Commissioner Gordon, and Mor-gan Freeman (The Shawshank Re-demption, Se7en), as Lucius Fox, along with new actors Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris, Incep-tion) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

(500 Days of Summer, 50/50). The third and final installment of the Batman trilogy is intended to take place eight years after the events that occurred in The Dark Knight. Batman disappears after the death of Harvey Dent—“Two Face”—and ever since, the search for him has been a priority of the Gotham City Police Department. The concluding film will be focus-ing on Batman’s struggle to prevent Bane from destroying Gotham, and will include his conflicts with Catwoman and, allegedly, Liam Neeson will reprise his role as Bat-man Begins antagonist: Ra’s al Ghul. With Nolan’s work on the Batman films in the past, effi-ciently written screenplays, as well as his distinct style of award-win-ning cinematography, it is hope-fully anticipated that The Dark Knight Rises will live up to, and even outshine, its two prequels. It’s nothing short of the ordi-nary and is anticipated to be a suc-cess.The Dark Knight Rises is to be released on the 20th of July. This is one film that everyone must see!

HOROSCOPESSummer Edition

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Libra

Pisces

Aquarius

Capricorn

Scorpio

Virgo

Saggitarius

As a friendly, and outgoing person you will meet many new people this summer. Take

every opportunity you get.

As a strong and reliable person, you will be depended on quite a lot this coming season. Know your priorities.

As a person seeking excitement much of the time, this summer will be your chance to

explore and see new things.

As a humorous person, you will try and make all those around you laugh and enjoy

the summer as much as you.

As a leader, you will take the initiative to make most of your plans actually come to

life this season.

As a family oriented person, you will try and take this time off to spend with your family

and loved ones.

As an independent person, you will find ways to occupy your time without relying on

others for fun.

As a loving person, you will have a success-ful summer with love. You will take part in a

budding romance.

As an animal lover, you will definitely have fun with friends but your furry companions

will also trail along.

As a calm and easygoing person, you will find yourself at places like the beach to just

relax and take it all in.

As a person with a large number of friends, you will have a bunch of places to go in

your busy schedule.

As a lover of music and art, you will find solace from your hot summer days in the

arts and entertainment.

by Rebecca Rothe Are you ready to see Spider-Man on the big screen again? Sony Pictures, along with Columbia Pictures stepped up their game to land the remake of the Spider-Man movies. “The Amazing Spider-Man”is the untold story of Peter Parker, who is played by Golden Globe nominee Andrew Garfield. In this version of the comic series, which is very similar to the comics, Peter Parker is an outcast high school student who was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May as his parents had abandoned him. This is one of the few facts that “Amazing Spider-Man” and first “Spider-Man” movie which was released back in 2002 have in common. Like other high school students, Peter is in the process of figuring out who he is and what happened to his parents. Peter struggles to put pieces of his past together as he makes so many

shocking discoveries it is hard to comprehend it all. He will make life-altering choices to use his powers as Spider-Man and shape

his destiny to become a hero. Peter is a teenager who is going to be grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises. Spider-Man is one of the

world’s most popular characters and many fans are excited to see new versions of the series. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance, leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans), his father's former partner. This new film will give the audience a chance to experience more of Peter Parker’s past, and dig further into it. Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, along with Martin Sheen and Sally Field star in “The Amazing Spider-Man.” The film is directed by Marc Webb based on a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt. “The Amazing Spider-Man” swings into theaters on July 3rd, 2012. This is a must see for all movie-goers!

House Closes its Doors by Renjini Anthony “Normal’s overrated”, but the medical drama “House MD” was far from normal or overrated. On May 21st, fans of the epic TV show said goodbye to their favor-ite sarcastic, misanthropic, drug addicted, and brilliant doctor, Gregory House. For a TV show that has won many awards through its run, including Emmys, Golden Globes, and the People’s Choice Awards thanks to its vast fan base, it’s not easy to say goodbye to a legendary show such as House. The show started out centered on the genius, but cynical medi-cal doctor (Dr. House), played by acclaimed British actor, Hugh Laurie. The show also focused on Dr. House’s team of brilliant em-ployees who worked together at the fictitious Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) to di-agnose the mysterious illnesses that their incoming patients have. The show was also a home to many more talented actors. Along-side Laurie, the show included Rob-ert Sean Leonard as James Wilson, Head of Oncology at PPTH and Dr. House’s best friend, Lisa Edelstein

starred as House’s boss turned love interest- the Dean of Medicine, Lisa Cuddy. Omar Epps started out por-traying Dr. House’s neurologist em-ployee who would later become his boss. Jennifer Morrison played the kindhearted immunologist with an infatuation with Dr. House before leaving the series in Season 4 after divorcing Jesse Spencer’s character,

the handsome and lovable surgeon, Dr. Robert Chase. As the show con-tinued fluctuate in its number of viewers and face changes, some peo-ple, including Jennifer Morrison and Lisa Edelstein, decided to leave PPTH, and new actors joined the team to make up for other losses. Though it took many fans some

time to readjust to the new lineup of actors and characters after seeing their lovable characters get sent off, the show made it easy for the actors and their characters to settle into PPTH. It became a home for many actors including Peter Jacobson, who plays Christopher Taub. Char-lyne Yi, Odette Annable, joined the show in the final season as Dr.

by Abha Raghavan When President Obama came forth and told the press that he was pro-gay marriage, the gay elite in the entertain-ment industry supported him. However, although America is assimilating and becoming more ac-cepting to the differences of people, many still believe that “gay actors” shouldn’t portray straight charac-ters on TV or film. Among these people is a theatre critic named Ramin Setoodeh. After many of his well-liked actors came out of the closet as being gay, he started to criticize them even more. In his in-famous article in Newsweek called “Straight Jacket”, he lists Shawn Hayes from Broadway's Prom-ises, Promises as an example of a gay actor playing a straight role. Why exactly is this issue so

controversial? Why do people think that gay men cannot play straight characters when straight men are often found playing gay charac-ters? While there are critics that are against this notion, there are many who support the involvement of gay actors and gay characters in the entertainment industry. Among them is an organization called GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). They went forth to rate the TV networks that are the most “responsible” for hav-ing the most LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) images in the 103 hours of programming. According to their findings, ABC Family and MTV are two youth-oriented networks that sup-port the movement the most. Neil Patrick Harris and Jim Parsons are both openly gay ac-

tors starring on shows with mil-lions of viewers worldwide, who play straight characters on TV. In fact, Harris’ character on How I Met your Mother, Barney Stinson, convincingly and successfully plays a womanizer on the show, despite Harris’ own sexual preference. Since they both appear on a major network like CBS, does it mean that many people are now supportive of the gay community? Or is there some hidden truth/meaning to it that we are all miss-ing? Do the networks actually care about and support the gay com-munity or is this only another plan to attract more viewers? These are the very questions that are being asked in the back of the minds of everyone who stands unbiased. It seems that many actors are afraid of coming out and telling the world

of their sexual orientation for fear that it will ruin their careers. They feel that prejudice often clouds the judgment of society and that once a person comes out as be-ing gay, people will see him or her differently and have a different way of analyzing his or her acting skills. Some actors have to put up normal fronts in front of every-one and even go to the extent as starting a “normal family” so that their acting would be more ac-ceptable to most of the audience. There are those, however, who feel that people shouldn’t be con-cerned with the personal lives and affairs of these actors. To them an actor can be good despite his or her sexual orientation. Their purpose is to entertain the public and they shouldn’t be scrutinized for their personal preference.

“Coming Out” of the TV

Chi Park and Dr. Jessica Adams, respectively. More recognizably “House” provided a kickoff for the successful movie careers of Olivia Wilde, who played a doctor suffer-ing from Huntington’s disease, and Kal Penn, the loveable joker who provided comic relief in the midst of solemn and serious moments.

House came with its own era, culture, and philosophy as many dedicated fans devoted much of their time to enjoying the wild antics of their favorite doctor and his team. For the past eight years, “House” has provided its viewers with medical knowledge and enter-tainment in the most interesting way possible. Despite the fact that the plots were often at times pre-dictable, each storyline had many little details that came together in the end to solve the puzzle, which is why so many people loved to watch it. Many people would try to keep an eye out for any little detail that would help them diagnose whatever illness House’s patients might have. Many fans of “House MD” are saddened by the end of an era, but many alike also agree that it was best for the show to end with a bang so to maintain its legacy. House came with its own culture and philosophy as many dedicated fans tuned in weekly to follow the musing and antics of their favorite antisocial, but brilliant doctor. De-spite the fact the series has ended, its legacy as a top notch medical drama will continue to live on.

On May 3, 2012, New Hyde Park Memorial’s Life Skills classes hosted a Spring Luncheon for the special education department, administration, parents, and students. The Life Skills Program, headed by Mrs. Michele Kenahan, is designed to educate students on how to live on their own. Throughout the school year, the teachers and teaching assistants work on independent skills, such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, finances, shopping, and travel training. For the Luncheon, the students in each class prepared and cooked a variety of delicious foods and des-serts. Over 150 people were in attendance for the Luncheon.

Life Skills Spring Luncheon

On May 20, 2012 New Hyde Park Memorial High School hosted a Senior Citizens Luncheon for over 450 people headed by Mr. Kevin Kowalczyk. The Seniors danced the afternoon away to the Vic Vincent Band playing popular rock & roll and doo wop songs. Student members of the Key Club, Student Council, and the National Junior Honor Society helped to cook and organize the food for the event, as well as serve and dance with the guests. Food was donated from the following local restaurants: The Inn at New Hyde Park, Answer Vending Group, Bagels “n” a Hole Lot More, Dominick’s Italian Deli, Eddie’s Pizzeria, Gigi’s Piz-zeria, Gino’s Pizzeria, Omega Restaurant, Park Place Restaurant, Starbucks Coffee, Uncle Bacala’s, Walk Street Tavern, and VIP Pizza. The luncheon was a huge suc-cess and an event that is look forward to by the Senior Citizens each year.

Senior Citizen Luncheon

The Academy of Finance hosted its First Advisory Board Mentoring Day for Academy of Finance Juniors on Friday, April 27, 2012. On Friday morning, the following community leaders participated in mentoring students: Chris Gomoka, Attorney and Academy of Finance Alum, Michael Krolick, Retired Academy of Finance Program Manager, Joshua Printz and Michael Buckley, representing HSBC Bank, Peter Caputo of E.R.A. Caputo Realty, Carmine Biscardi, representing the State Farm Peter Mathison Agency, Ellen Smiley of N.E.F.C.U., John Paccione, Retired J.P. Morgan Chase and Advisory Board Chairperson, Angela Fulgieri repre-senting Island Federal Credit Union and Jan DiGeronimo of the American Heart Association. The Academy of Finance juniors are preparing to participate in their summer work-based learning experiences. These mentoring sessions were designed to help assist the students with career exploration and preparation, college and career readiness.

Academy of Finance: Mentoring Day

Recently, 7th and 8th graders from New Hyde Park Memorial competed in the 2012 Middle School Math Championship Tournament sponsored by The Museum of Mathematics. Eighth graders Roby Daniel, Alicia Manjila, and Grace Lee and seventh graders Albert Wen and Mark Niewierowski competed against nine other schools representing the Nassau and Suffolk counties and boroughs of New York City. The team, which consisted of five students, finished in second place in this tournament. We are very proud and excited for the team.

Junior High Mathletes

Should Athletes Be Paid to Play?by Scott Valane and James O’Donnell The argument on whether or not college athletes should be paid to play has existed for almost as long as the existence of college athletics. If certain college athletes were to be paid to play their sports, only an emphasis on sports that earn the school revenue would be able to continue. This would inevitably hurt women's sports more and diminish the equality efforts at campuses and effectively nullify Title IX, which assures equal athletic par-ticipation regardless of gender. In addition, the scholarship and other resources provided to college athletes already provides them more than fair benefits and are better than any amateur athlete's salary. The idea that schools gener-ate a lot of money by having Division I athletic programs is a falsity. In reality, most Division I programs lose money and find themselves dependant on the university or college itself for support. Money is lost in the full athletic scholarships paid to most Division I students, the high salaries of coaching staffs, train-ers and other medical personnel. While a school's "big name" sports programs have their games broadcasted on national televi-sion, the athletes’ jerseys are sold and tickets for a seat on game day may turn a profit, that profit goes to help pay for other lesser-known sports. In fact, out of 120 Division I schools, only 12 broke even or made any profit last year So ice hockey, football, lacrosse and basketball may create revenue that surpasses their operating expenses, what about equestrian, water polo, gymnastics, rifle and all the other low-profiled sports? If athletes were paid, would that include athletes on lesser known teams; after all, they practice the same amount of time, compete in events and try to enhance the school's image. If athletes were paid would female athletes not be? Are they to be held accountable for the lacklus-

ter attendance at their events and the scarce few who wear their jer-seys? And if it can be accepted that only some athletes would reap the benefits of their work, what will then happen to those who don't? Paying these athletes a signifi-cant sum would put any college athletic program further in debt. That budget could be balanced on the backs of the athletes of lesser-known sports and on female ath-letes. This would not only mean that the athletes would not be paid like some athletes from other sports, it could mean that schools would cut sports and reduce the size of their athletic programs in general. Even if those obstacles, which make college athletes collecting pay-checks a mere fantasy, can be sur-mounted, there are a few more hills to climb. If they were to be paid, how much would they receive? Would it be based on perfor-mance? Would they have contracts? Would the athletes have agents? Such a move is so unprecedented, that pages upon pages of mere ques-tions could be printed. Quite sim-ply, the NCAA along with every in-dividual college athletic department simply would have no idea how to formulate, regulate and provide for the continuation of such a program. Keep in mind that there is a whole team behind every star athlete. Paying one player more can create a hierarchy and form tension within an otherwise welcoming team. Knowing that a player in your lock-er room makes more than you, may make you ask yourself why and shat-ter the team dynamic in the process. Many also say that college athletes are already being paid for their performances. Of the mat-ter, the late Penn State coach Joe Paterno said, “You will receive fall, spring and both summer ses-sions of education, plus room, board, and all fees paid. For 604 hours you put in you'll get an education values at $33,976 for in-state and $50,286 for out-of-state students." An athlete's books and other supplies are covered under the scholarship along with laun-

dry service and other perks that only athletes receive. The NCAA is funneling $750 million over 11 years into funds de-signed to directly benefit athletes. One will make a projected $11.33 million available this school year to needy athletes looking to cover cloth-ing, emergency travel, educational and medical expenses. Another, totaling a projected $19.2 million in 2004-05, isn't limited to the disadvantaged and can be used for an array of personal needs. The NCAA is spending another $10 million annually on catastroph-ic-injury insurance. The athletes have a free place to live, free tuition and thus a free chance at education and all of the benefits of that, free food, free healthcare and free travel. There is really nothing that is not being provided to athletes other than money to spend on frivo-lous things or on pure wants. Sure, the NCAA won't buy you a wonderful house or a new car, but all the basic necessities are being provided to them thereby giving them a very decent lifestyle. College athletes also aren't re-ally comparable to professional ath-letes in terms of performance so the salaries should not be comparable either. When it comes down to a measure of abilities, the average col-lege athlete is closer to a lower to middle range minor league player. A minor league baseball player in their first contract season can earn no more than $850 per month. In Triple A the first year maximum is $2,150 which becomes the minimum salary after the first year. In double a, there is a first year maximum of $1,500 a month which becomes the minimum after the first year. In class A it is a maximum of $1,050 a month which becomes the minimum after the first year. In some summer leagues the minimum salary is only $300 a month for leagues largely based in the Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico. It is a similar story for many other minor leagues in different sports such as hockey and basket-ball and there in fact really isn't a

league that pays a large salary to players who aren't profession-als nearing the end of the careers. Such a small salary in the minor leagues likely doesn't pay for basic living expenses such as food and housing which is at minimum what most college athletes are get-ting as part if their scholarship. College is very similar to the minor leagues in terms of coaching as the players receive personal interaction and the development of skills which professional teams already expect players to have. The player has a choice of which col-lege to attend and, at least in college, the players receive an education and have an increased ability to get a high-paying job that is not related to athletics as a result. While college athletes may not have all the luxuries that pro-fessional athletes do, they are well cared-for, earn an honest living and are training for a better fu-ture; be it on or off the field. The benefits they receive, be it free coaching, free tuition free food, free housing and other assorted privileges add up to far more than those in the minor league with comparable talents receive. It’s important that colleges preserve the integrity of the sport itself and allow for players to gain a better appreciation sport before they make a living out of it. Fur-thermore, it’s necessary that colleg-es give every athelete a fair chance to succeed in their respective sports. While some sports do earn revenue it is clear that by offering a number of sports that do not create income, colleges care about the hon-or of athletics over financial gain. While the players, whose names are sewn onto the back of those jerseys may feel cheat-ed, that jersey symbolizes more than that one player but rather the efforts of that team, that ath-letic program and ultimately that university and for only a hand-ful to profit from the efforts of so many would be inequitable.

Eranovic, Angelica Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Soccer All ClassIbrahim, Jacklynn Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Soccer All ClassMcGrath, Emma K Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Soccer All ClassAng, Chris Junior Winter Boys’ Varsity Indoor Track All ConferenceBisciello, Ana Francesca Junior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All Conference Brooks, Timothy Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse All Conference Carbone, Joeseph Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Soccer All Conference Carlay, Melissa Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Tennis All Conference Castellano, Luica Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Soccer All Conference Kofler, Kristi L Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Volleyball All Conference Kofler, Kristi L Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Softball All Conference Korzevinski, Kristen Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse All Conference Lewis, Rebecca Faith Castillo Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Indoor Track All Conference Lofaro, Victoria Paige Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Basketball All Conference Lorandini, Daniel J Junior Fall Boys’ Varsity Soccer All Conference Lynch, Kristen E Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All Conference Mastotidis, Melissa N Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Basketball All Conference McGrath, Emma K Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse All Conference O’Connor, Liam P Senior Winter Boys’ Varsity Indoor Track All Conference O’Donnell, James Joseph Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse All Conference Pellegrino, Lisa M. Sophomore Spring Girls’ Varsity Softball All Conference Priest, Adam Patrick Senior Winter Boys’ Varsity Basketball All Conference Rudd, Kyle Robert Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse All Conference Skugor, Gabriel J Junior Fall Coed Varsity Cross Country All Conference Skugor, Gabriel J Junior Winter Boys’ Varsity Indoor Track All Conference Spangnulo, Jennifer Junior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All Conference Taglich, Kevin Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Soccer All Conference Towey, Kevin Patrick Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Baseball All Conference Viscardi, Lillie M Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Indoor Track All Conference Musacchia, Anthony C Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Football All Conference Campana, Savannah Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Soccer All CountyEsteves, Amanda Senior Winter Coed Varsity Bowling All County Korzevinski, Kristen Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Basketball All County Lynch, Kristen E Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse All County O’Callaghan, Lisa M Senior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All County O’Callaghan, Lisa M Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Softball All County O’Connor, Liam P Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Track All County Robinson, Kayla Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Softball All County Roca, Daniele Sophomore Winter Coed Varsity Bowling All County Shaji, Stanley Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Volleyball All County Terrero, Francesco Junior Spring Boys’ Varsity Baseball All County Towey, Kevin Patrick Senior Winter Boys’ Varsity Basketball All County Anuth, Katja Senior Winter Girls’ Varsity Gymnastics All County-Hon MentionChirinos, John Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Soccer All County-Hon MentionTrasolini, Christian Francesco Junior Spring Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse All County-Hon MentionDziomba, Nicholas Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Football All County/All Star TeamChan, Olivia Junior Fall Girls’ Varsity Swimming All County/All StateSferrazza, Melanie V Junior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All County-Hon MentionDaily, John Senior Fall Coed’ Varsity Cross Country All DivisionMastoridis, Melissa N Senior Spring Girls’ Varsity Softball All DivisionBono, Stephanie Junior Fall Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey All LeagueFanelli, John T Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Volleyball All League Lopez, Dylan Senior Fall Boys’ Varsity Volleyball All League Simone, Anthony Junior Spring Boys’ Varsity Baseball All League Carbone, Joseph Senior Spring Boys’ Varsity Baseball All League Hon-MentionPerrone, Nicholas J Junior Spring Boys’ Varsity Baseball All League Hon-MentionEric Bialcyzk Junior Spring Boys’ Varsity Track All League Hon-Mention

Gladiator Greats: 2011-2012 Athletic Accomplishments