THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
TO THE COMMUNITIES OF STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL, TRIBECA, AND BATTERY PARK CITY
“Your School, Your World—Your News” Visit us at: www.stuystandard.org
by Jennifer Schlesinger,
editor in chief
Policy Changes in Stuy
by Jennifer Schlesinger,
editor in chief
In recent weeks, there have
been some changes in Stuyvesant
High School’s administrative poli-
cies. Unfortunately, for many of
these changes proper notification
was not been given out and reasons
behind the change are unknown.
The Student Union (SU) insti-
tuted a new policy that all Sing!
tickets had to be paid for with
checks. No concrete reason for the
new policy has been given, but it
has been suggested that the ad-
ministration thought checks were
safer because they could not be
stolen as easily as cash. Unfortu-
nately, proper notification of the
change was not given to ticket
purchasers. Up to last year, tickets
could be paid for either in cash or
with a check. Both the ticket-
buying website, www.singtix.com,
and the Class of 2008’s website,
www.stuy08.com failed to mention
this at first. Later, the Class of
2008’s website was changed to
SING Article
reflect the new policy.
The spring college trip has
been cancelled. It was supposed to
allow students to visit colleges in
the Mid-Atlantic region. The can-
cellation was announced in the
Parents Association (PA) Bulletin
and on the Class of ’08 website,
where reasons were given. Stuyve-
sant Principal, Stanley Teitel, had
delegated the responsibility of col-
lege trips to Eleanor Archie, the
Assistant Principal of Pupil Af-
fairs. She has been sick and re-
cently returned to Stuyvesant,
leaving little time for planning.
Moreover, the dates set for the trip
were during spring break. Because
the dates contained a religious
holiday and were when many go
on vacation, there were concerns
over getting enough chaperones.
Furthermore, because of the recent
addition of guidance counselors,
Archie has more responsibilities.
The Junior President, Michelle
POLICY continues on page 4
Interview with Naomi Hinchen
by Allen Wang, staff writer
Naomi Hinchen, a senior at
Stuyvesant High School, was
recently a contestant on the game
show Jeopardy. Hinchen, as well
as 14 other teens from across the
nation, participated in the annual
Teen Jeopardy tournament. After
coming from behind to win her
quarterfinal match, Hinchen lost in
the semifinals to eventual
champion David Walter of
Wilmington, Delaware. Here, she
shares with us her thoughts about
this event.
The Stuyvesant Standard: What
did you do to prepare for the
show? Any specifics?
Naomi: I didn't do any sort of
formal preparation at all; I
figured that cramming wasn’t
going to help right before the
show, and I wouldn’t have known
what to study anyway. But my
parents made sure that I knew the
name of the new U.N. Secretary
General, Ban Ki-Moon, in case it
March 29, 2007
VOL. 6, No. 12
came up.
TSS: Were there any particular
question that you found
interesting during the show?
Naomi: There was one where they
showed a map of Australia, and
from seeing the map you would
know the answer without even
reading the clue. On the show,
there’s a pause as we all look at it
and think, “That’s way too easy. It
must be a trick question.” You
don't really notice the pause as
much when it’s on TV, but I’m
sure the entire studio audience was
wondering why no one rang in
sooner.
TSS: What do you think you
gained from this experience? What
are your plans in the future in
terms of game shows, contests and
etc.?
Naomi: The best thing that I
gained from the experience was
making friends with the other con-
testants. I don’t have any specific
INTERVIEW continues on
page 2
2 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10 NEWS

EDITORIAL
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Founded 2001
 

THE STUDENT UNION

 

“Your School, Your World—Your News”

Earlier this year, we reported on the inconsistencies at Student Union
Executive Leadership Team budget meetings. The right people failed to attend; other people voted in
their place. Minutes from the meeting could not be produced, and
attendance could not be provided. We’re happy to say that, almost three
DR. JOHN NIKOL FACULTY ADVISER
JENNIFER SCHLESINGER EDITOR IN CHIEF months later, some of our concerns are finally being looked into.
DEREK WENG MANAGING EDITOR We applaud President George Zisiadis’s decision to make changes
KHOI NGUYEN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER in his second-term cabinet. Just because were appointed once does not
FANNY TANG LAYOUT EDITOR mean that they are automatically guaranteed the same job again,
DANNY ZHU COPY CHIEF especially if they fail at their basic duties, such as attending meetings.
JIMMY ZHANG NEWS EDITOR However, two developments trouble us. For one, nowhere in the Student
PRISCILLA MELO OPINIONS EDITOR Union’s constitution does it say that appointments are made on a term-
EMMA RABINOVICH ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR by-term basis. Secondly, it was mentioned that the lone attendance file
ERIC MAYO SPORTS EDITOR
JOSEPH KRUTOV SCIENCE EDITOR
was on a hard drive that became corrupted. Valuable files such as these
HANFORD CHIU BUSINESS EDITOR should be backed up. The Student Union cannot risk losing files due to a
LADA KUKUY LITERARY EDITOR computer crash.
DANNY ZHU WEBMASTER We also applaud the Student Union’s decision to look into its
BENNETT HONG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOJOURNALISM constitution. We have reported on many of the flaws that the document
DANIEL EGERS (‘03) FOUNDER possesses, and a subcommittee is a step in the right direction. The
ERNEST BASKIN (‘04) EDITOR EMERITUS subcommittee should take a look at Issues 6 and 8 as a starting point for
discussion.
Publication Stuyvesant is lucky to have a Student Union so dedicated to its
student body, something which the general population should take
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD is a nonprofit and nonpartisan publication pro- greater advantage of. By fixing the flaws in the budget process as well as
duced by the students of Stuyvesant High School. outlining the specific duties of each officer, the Student Union can fulfill
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD distributes 2,000 free copies on a bi-weekly its duty as the representatives of the student body.
basis to the students and faculty of Stuyvesant High School and through-
out the adjoining neighborhoods of TriBeCa and Battery Park City. The Stuyvesant Standard
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD welcomes letters from its readers.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD reserves the right to edit any published mate-
rial. The viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Standard staff. INTERVIEW many times when I didn't get a
continued from page 1 question because I couldn’t ring in
Copyright ©2006 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD soon enough. Also, I would have
plans to go on other game shows thought over my wagers a little
Contact Us — in fact, I’m forbidden to go on more, because I was really terrible
at wagering. But other than that, it
any others for six months — but I
Please direct all correspondence to: was luck of the draw. In the first
was recently in the National Vo-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD cabulary Champi- round I got a total
345 Chambers Street of $2800 for
onship, though I
New York, NY 10282-1000 “The best thing I knowing my car-
didn't win any-
readers@stuystandard.org toons, and in the
thing. gained from the
Find us on the web at www.stuystandard.org second round I
TSS: You said
“making friends” experience was knew I was
Advertising was the best thing. making friends screwed when I
If you would like to advertise in THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, please e-mail Can you describe looked up and the
with the other last two categories
advertising@stuystandard.org to request an advertisement form. We offer that a bit?
a broad range of options including full color capability for your advertis- Naomi: It was contestants” were Biology and
ing needs. really great to French. And then
Naomi Hinchen
meet so many in- the next group got
Jeopardy Contestant
teresting people, a category where
Subscription and we had a lot of they could only
fun hanging out together before, answer two of the five clues, and I
during and after the taping. After- knew every single one.
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD wards there were a few jokes about TSS: How did you feel losing in
SUBSCRIBE TODAY the outcome, such as when we the semifinals? What were your
1 YEAR — $15 were playing Apples to Apples and overall reactions?
Delivery Information David played a card that said “My Naomi: I was disappointed, but
Name:______________________________________________ Bank Account,” but there were no not so much because I lost as
Address:____________________________________________ hard feelings about who beat because I didn’t do better. But then
___________________________________________________ whom. Frank was on the next show and
Billing Information TSS: You played extremely well just barely lost because he
Please circle your choices below: during the quarterfinals, but not as miscalculated his wager, and I
Check Money Order Cash well during the semifinals. If you think that’s a much worse situation
Billing Address:______________________________________ were to done something differently to be in. If that had been me, I
___________________________________________________ the second time, whether it be pre- would still be kicking myself over
Please cut and mail to THE STUYVESANT STANDARD, 345 Chambers paring or anything if any, what it. At least losing by a lot means
Street, New York, NY 10282-1000 OR send the above informa- would it be? that I don't have to think “If I had
tion to subscription@stuystandard.org. Naomi: Firstly, I would work on just done X, Y and Z I could have
my buzzer reflexes. There were so won.” ◙
 NEWS February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10
THE STANDARD NEWS
Intel Science Talent
Search Champion
by Liwei Mao, staff writer was able to split light and use a
camera to record the resulting
Each year, thousands of high spectra. Although there were limits
school students send in their of the inexpensive laser she used
application to the Intel Science as her light source, she could make
Talent Search competition; 300 relatively accurate measurements.
semifinalist and 40 finalists are A senior at Westmore High
chosen of them. This year’s School in Oklahoma City, Mary is
finalist, Mary Masterman, was hoping to enroll at either Stanford
awarded a $100,000 scholarship on or MIT.
March 13 in Washington for John Pardonfrom Chapel Hills
successfully building a home-made High School in North Carolina
spectrograph. won second place
A spectro- and a $75,000
graph is an optical “One spectroscope
scholarship for his
instrument that could cost as mathematics re-
uses the light fre- must as $100,000. search of the un-
quencies emitted folding of simple
by heated particles Mary was able to
closed curves.
to identify mole- build the spectro- Dmitry Vaintrob
cules. A standard was awarded third
spectroscope can
scope at home for
place for his pro-
cost as much as merely $300.” ject in mathemat-
$100,000. Mary ics involving loop
was able to build the spectrograph homology.
at home for merely $300. In total, over 1,700 contestants
“I wanted to build one that entered the competition this year.
was lower-costing so it would be The 40 finalists each received a
available to anyone interested,” personal computer and a scholar-
Mary said. “The most challenging ship of at least $5,000. New York,
part was trying to get it to work.” as in the previous years, had the
According to Mary, the spec- largest number of finalists. Twelve
trograph took her three months to New Yorkers were finalists; none
build and another three months to of them, unfortunately, were from
get working. She found machining Stuyvesant. Two of these students
the parts and aligning the optics to
be the most challenging part of the
project. The end result, however, INTEL CHAMPION
was rewarding. Her spectrograph continues on page 2
Principal Autonomy
Increased
by Jerry Wang, staff writer disparaged. Eric Nadelstern, chief
executive of the school system’s
Power. For centuries, men empowerment initiative was
have fought over it, and people criticized for over two hours.
have died for it. What exactly is Councilmember John Liu believes
meant by power? For kings, it that Nadelstern’s efforts are all talk
means more land; for businessmen, and no action.
it means money, but what does it As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben
mean for a principal? Mayor used to say, “With power, comes
Bloomberg’s administration is great responsibility.” Schools
planning on giving New York City Chancellor Joel I. Klein tried to
public school principals more reason with the critics by starting a
autonomy starting September. new program called the
However, New York City Achievement Reporting and
lawmakers are condemning the Innovation System which will hold
decision and justifying their principals accountable for their
opinion by stating that there were schools’ results. A five-year, $80
not enough achievements made by million contract with I.B.M. will
principals that deserved additional
authority this year. Those who
AUTONOMY
support the choice are being
continues on page 2
Not the Usual Intel
Finalists
by Hesham Saleh, staff writer
The Intel Science Talent
Search dinner, in which the top 40
finalists were commemorated for
their work, took place on March
13. For the third year in a row,
neither Stuyvesant High School
students nor Bronx High School of
Science students attended.
Although Bronx Science and
Stuyvesant students were the
“expected” finalists for this
prestigious competition, that is no
longer the case, due to an increase
in research programs in most high
schools.
The Intel Source: http://www.sciserv.org/sts/index.asp
competition is
spreading
throughout the
nation’s high
schools. Previ-
ously, most
high schools
that competed
in this program
were situated in
New York City,
but this has
changed. Now
there are 24 The top 10 finalists of the Intel Science far and wide and
other high Talent Search 2007.
schools that
have finalists on the top 40 list.
Some of these schools are just out-
side the city, while others are in
the Midwest, such as the Illinois
Mathematics and Science Acad-
POLICY
continued from page 1
Lee, is pushing for a college trip to
the Mid-Atlantic region early next
year in order to make up for the
missed trip.
In response to concerns about
too much homework being given
to students during vacation, a new
policy was but into place. It was
announced on the PA’s website.
The new policy is the product of
collaboration between Teitel, the
Student Leadership Team, and the
teachers. The policy says that
teachers must not give more home-
work than necessary for students to
remember what they have learned.
Furthermore, ample time must be
given to complete any projects
either before or after break so that
students who are unable to work
can still do the assignment. More-
over, no assignments may be given
that mandate visiting places in
New York. The policy is open-
THE STUYVESANT STANDARD 3
emy.
Why has there been such a drastic
change in finalists over the past
few years? First, New Yorkers
were common finalists because
they had the benefit of the subway
system, which allowed them to
easily travel to laboratories or
hospitals to conduct their research.
But now, the Internet has nearly
eliminated this advantage by
making communication easier.
Second, most rural high schools
have started research programs
designed to motivate and teach
students about scientific studying.
The fact that more students from
different areas are
receiving better
educations is out-
standing, and has
excited many
teachers and prin-
cipals. Valerie J.
Reidy, principal of
Bronx Science,
said “Am I happy
that our kids aren’t
winning first
prizes? No. But
that it’s traveling
other kids are get-
ting hooked, I’m thrilled about
that.”
INTEL FINALISTS
continues on page 2
ended because of the differences in
classes and teaching style. Any
complaints with the policy should
be addressed to the Assistant Prin-
cipals.
This term, parents were not
given the opportunity to visit on a
school day and see classes. This is
a traditional part of Open School
Week. It took place up to the fall
term of this school year. Unfortu-
nately, very limited notice was
given out, leading many parents to
show up at Stuyvesant. These par-
ents were told by the security
guards that the event was cancelled
and they could not enter the build-
ing. The only notification was a
sentence in the PA’s March Bulle-
tin. Most parents had not yet re-
ceived the bulletin via mail. The
PA did announce to its e-mail list
that the bulletin was up. However,
many parents are not on the mail-
ing list. In general, parents feel that
proper notification should have
been sent out. ◙
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10
INTEL CHAMPION
continued from page 1
made it to the top ten.
Bronx Fire Worst in 17 Years
by Dennis Ng, staff writer
Catherine Schlingehyde, from
Oyster Bay High School, won On March 7 at 11 p.m., a fire
fourth place for her research in broke out in the Bronx, killing ten
micro-RNA repression pathways. people, nine of whom were
The other New Yorker, Rebecca children. It was the worst fire in
Kaufman, from Croton-on Hudson, New York City in 17 years. After
was fifth place for her medicine ignition, the fire quickly raced
and health project dealing with the through the four-story, multifamily
effects of male hormones in rela- house in the Highbridge section of
tion to sclerosis. Of the top ten the Bronx. The fire raged for
finalists, six were female. Intel nearly two hours before it was
Chairman Craig Barrett said he extinguished by 150 firefighters.
was “heartened by the fact that The severity of the fire was
more women were finalists and top worsened not by the size of the
10 winners this year than in any house, but rather by poor human
year since Intel assumed the title oversight. The fire was most likely
sponsorship in 1998. When I meet caused by a space heater causing
young scientists like Mary, John, the building’s wiring to overheat.
Dmitry and the other Intel STS The building, built in 1901, had
finalists, I know that the future of only one staircase and no fire
American innovation is bright.” ◙ escapes, making it difficult for the
Clinton on the Move for Women Voters
by SangHee Chung, columnist
While in the race for the
presidency, Democrat Hillary
Rodham Clinton will be attempting
to draw in the majority of voters,
namely women, on her campaign
as the first female president.
“Today, women are a majority
of the voters, a majority of
students in college, and we are a
growing presence in the Congress.
But there are still far too few
women in leadership positions,”
Clinton said at a luncheon in
Emily’s List, an organization
raising money for female
candidates favoring abortion
rights.
Clinton hopes that the national
Clinton gives a speech during her government will work toward
campaign. She hopes to win a large equal pay for women. Although
percent of women voters as the first she criticized the Bush
female president of America. administration for failing to keep
AUTONOMY I.B.M. contract, acknowledging
continued from page 1 the complaints of no-bid contracts.
Last year, a $15.6 million no-bid
allow the city to see every contract with consulting firm Alva-
individual student’s progress in rez Marsal was signed. In an effort
school. The program will be to help save money for the admini-
running by September and will stration, Alvarez Marshal advised
give each principal a letter grade a change in bus routes. The ad-
from A to F to show if principals ministration supported the idea,
are meeting the standard education leading to complaints from angry
performance. parents and coun-
Principals who fail
can be removed
“Starting September cil members.
Councilmen Jack-
from their schools. 2008, even parents son and Garodnick
Starting September can track their both used the inci-
2008, even parents dent as a reason in
can track their
child’s progress us-
rejecting the deci-
child’s progress ing the system” sion to increase
using the system. principals’ auton-
James Liebman, the school system omy. Many council members are
chief’s accountability officer stated upset and concerned that the ad-
that the administration has already ministration chose not to discuss
received 19 bids from major the changes concerning the princi-
technology systems regarding the pals with them and the parents. ◙
occupants to leave. The woman
from the apartment where the fire
started unknowingly ran to the
upper apartments with the door
opened behind her, allowing the
fire to spread more quickly. The
three adults in the house attempted
to put out the fire and made other
phone calls before dialing 911,
which wasted precious time.
Firefighters arrived approximately
three minutes after they were
called and faced other obstacles,
such as a chained door in the back
of the house. However, the
building did not appear to have any
violations and no complaints were
filed regarding unsafe conditions.
Nine of the ten victims were
children. One of them survived the
fire but later died at the hospital. A
funeral was held for the victims on
record of any gender
discrimination in the workplace,
she was most honored for her
policy on national security, which
created more allies than enemies.
“I hope you'll join me on the
campaign trail,” she said. “When
we throw open the doors of
opportunity and break those glass
ceilings, then we give everyone in
America a chance to be all that he
or she can be.”
Some women, including
Ellen Malcolm, founder of
Emily’s List, believed that a
woman like Clinton was needed
in office.
“We need her influence, her
power, her expertise, her
experience in the White House,”
Malcolm said.
However, others believed
that a female candidate would not
win the females over. Rather,
INTEL CHAMPION
continued from page 1
Stanley Teitel, principal of
Stuyvesant, expressed similar feel-
ings. “They are not going to allow
me to monopolize this competi-
tion, and I think that’s wonderful,”
he said.
Natalie Kvetyana, a senior
who participated in this year’s
competition, said, “We might have
started off the Intel roller coaster,
but more schools are jumping
aboard. It doesn’t matter. All of us
love to do research.”
This year’s finalists have
made significant attempts in con-
tributing to science. Some created
devices that would help the dis-
abled. For example, John Granata
created a device that allows dis-
abled persons to communicate
using brain waves.
NEWS/OPINION
March 12. Muslim prayers were
held during a brief service.
Hundreds of mourners gathered to
pay respect to the dead, including
Senator Hillary Clinton and Mayor
Michael Bloomberg. Four of the
children and their mother were to
be flown to Mali for burial. The
funeral was paid for by the New
York Yankees. ◙
Source: 1010Wins
The severity of the fire was worsened
by poor human oversight.
they would look at the candidate
as a whole.
“The XX chromosome alone
is probably not enough to win the
female vote,” said Phil
Trounstine from San Jose State
University. “All other things
being equal, women voters tend
to favor women candidates, but
women voters are not one-
dimensional. They’re going to
look at a whole variety of
characteristics and assets that a
candidate has.”
A new website has also
launched for women as a means
to “offer a real opportunity for
her in getting the Democrat
nomination.” The website, which
can be found at
www.icanbepresident.com, links
to Clinton’s campaign Web page,
allowing users to support and
learn more about her policies. ◙
Other projects studied the per-
sonalities of humans. Ashley Bah-
nkan tried to find answers about
certain behaviors of firstborn chil-
dren. Other ideas were more fun
and theoretical. Daniel Mark, for
example, used math to prove that
aliens would not be able to use
modern technology to monitor the
Earth.
The Intel competition has
been a success since it was
founded in 1941. Six Intel
finalists have gone on to win
Nobel Peace Prizes. But more
importantly, the competition has
motivated students all around the
nation to conduct research and
contribute to the world. In the
words of Leon M. Lederman, a
Physics Nobel laureate, “We also
have to have innovation if we’re
going to survive, so you have to
nurture the gifted kids.” ◙
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
Confession to 9/11
by Timothy Tong, staff writer
According to a revised
transcript released by the United
States military, mastermind
terrorist Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed confessed to many
attacks and plots of terrorism in a
forceful declaration.
The list of 31 maliciously
planned attacks included plans to
assassinate Pope John Paul II,
President Clinton, and Pakistani
president Pervez Musharraf. He
also revealed his plans to attack
the Sears Tower, the Empire State
Building, the New York Stock
Exchange, the Panama Canal, Big
Ben, and Heathrow Airport,
which are all densely populated
places that are significant to the
economic society of the Americas
and Britain. In addition to those,
Mohammed took full
responsibility for “the 9/11
operation from A to Z.” He was
also involved in the 1993 World
Trade Center truck bombing.
There was also the beheading of
American journalist Daniel Pearl,
who was working on a story
about Islamic militancy in
Pakistan when he was abducted
and murdered in January 2002.
Videos and pictures have been
released all over the Internet and
show Mohammed holding the
head. In his confession spree, he
even took responsibility for the
bombing of a Kenya beach resort
in 2002 and for the bombing of a
nightclub in Bali in 2002.
Despite the obvious
malignance of these actions,
Mohammed stated that his main
guiding force is his religion.
Although he said that “Islam
doesn’t give a ‘green light’ to
killing” (implying the killing of
children), he also stated that “the
Science Olympiad States Competition at West Point
by James Zhang, news editor
On March 9, while most
people were still slaving away in
school, the Stuyvesant Science
Olympiad team prepared to leave
for the biggest event of the year:
the states competition. Members
have been preparing for this day
since the beginning of the school
year. Disappointed at their fourth-
place ranking at the regional com-
petition, the team was determined
to win. This spirit even passed
over to noncompetitors, who, in
some cases, were even more
thrilled than the actual competi-
tors.
The Science Olympiad
team departed Stuyvesant for a
hour bus ride to West Point.-three
Many competitors used this
February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10
language of the war is victims.”
He then made an interesting
analogy, referring to how some
“consider George Washington as
hero. Muslims many of them are
considering Osama bin Laden. He
is doing same thing. He is just
fighting. He needs his
independence.”
Mohammed has been
questioned thoroughly by the
military tribunal. Despite his
claims that the CIA tortured him
to extract information, the CIA
denied it, saying that it used legal
“interrogation practices.” A 26-
page revised transcript was
released, evoking surprise and
triumph, as well as nervousness
about the future.
Mohammed is just one of 14
alleged terrorists who were
caught. They will be tried, and if
declared “enemy combatants,”
they will be punished
accordingly. Two other captured
alleged terrorists, Abu Faraj al-
Libi and Ramzi Binalshibh,
refused to attend the hearings,
making the situation for them a
“lose-lose situation.” ◙
Source: Corbis
Al-Qaeda operative Khalid Sheik Mo-
hammed shortly after his capture. The
mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, he
confessed his role in the Daniel Pearl
killing and 29 other terror plots.
minute-opportunity to do some last
-studying and catch up with a well
delayed sleep schedule. As a
noncompetitor, I was able to
observe much of the inner
workings of the competition
without having to feel the pressure.
Noncompetitors occupied their
time by watching tech events,
which were often exciting. The
Sumobots in particular were the
highlight of the tech events. The
competition has 25 events, which
cover most of the major science
topics, such as physics, biology
and chemistry. Each team is
allowed only 15 competing
members, and at most seven can be
seniors. In the end, every
competitor has to be able to
.compete in more than one event
FACULTY FOCUS: COUNSELOR
Ms. Ferrer
by SangHee Chung, columnist
Raised in Queens and Long
Island, Diana Ferrer may be new
at Stuyvesant High School, but
she is certainly not a newcomer to
college advising. She started her
career as a college counselor and
received the bulk of her expertise
working for 10 years at the
Manhattan Center for Science and
Math. Afterwards, she worked as
a counselor for the Bronx High
School of Science and worked in
Region 1 in the Bronx, serving all
the schools in the area.
So far, Ferrer has found her
transition into Stuyvesant to be
smooth and very natural.
“My peers
are very
receptive,” she “I want to give Stuy- “When
said. “They vesant students a
have made
tremendous sense of self-
efforts to reach confidence and have something,”
out and help
an appreciation for
and train me
whenever they their talents.”
can.” Diana Ferrer
A l t h o u gh Guidance Counselor
Ferrer only
started at
Stuyvesant this spring term, she
has already developed a fondness
for the students. She felt that
there is a very diverse and
multitalented student body at
Stuyvesant.
“They’re leaders and young ado-
lescents maximizing their poten-
tials,” she said. “It’s extremely
stimulating.”
Her favorite thing about
working at Stuyvesant is her
opportunity to work as an SSR
On March 10, the day of
most of the events, members woke
up early to prepare for the big day.
Many had very few hours of sleep.
Valery Li, president, complained
of her 46 minutes of sleep. Alvis
Yuen boasted of his being able to
get over three hours of sleep. Be-
sides those who were studying,
some noncompetitors demon-
strated unconstrained altruism,
making coffee runs to aid wearied
teammates. I, on the other hand,
teamed up with a few other observ-
ers and had the most fun we could
have, even kicking a competitor
out of our room.
In the end, this late-night
cramming paid off and the Science
Olympiad was able to earn medals
in five events, including a gold
NEWS/OPINION
writer and being able to know the
students beyond their transcript.
“We go to the core of who
the student really is as a person to
provide a well-rounded
assessment,” she said. “It’s very
exciting. I love it.”
Her only complaint about
Stuyvesant is the commute, which
takes 90 minutes on a daily basis.
Upon arriving at the school,
Ferrrer’s typical day involves
working for two to three periods
on SSRs. She spends the rest of
the time working with individual
students, answering phone calls
from parents, and keeping up
with records to make sure that
s t u d e n t s a r e me e t i n g t h e
graduation standards.
I work with
students, I want to
make them feel like
they’ve accomplished
she said.
“They’re all very
bright and intelligent,
but the y’re all
different. I want to
give them a sense of
self-confidence and
have an appreciation
for their talents. Overall, I want
to make sure they are happy
beings. They shouldn’t compete
against each other, but against
themselves — to be the best that
they can be.”
When she is not busy
assisting students and parents,
Ferrer spends her time outside of
the building reading, talking
walks, going to the theater and
enjoying the natural environment
around her. ◙
medal in Designer Genes. When
the long-awaited awards ceremony
came along, the members were
ecstatic when it was announced
that Stuyvesant won 10th place.
This was the best Stuyvesant’s
Science Olympiad team had ever
performed in the states
competition. Stuyvesant came
forth as the highest-ranked school
of New York City, defeating long-
time rival Townshend Harris High
School, who was ranked first place
in the regional competition. On the
bus ride going home, nearly
everyone was asleep, fatigued
from the two days of studying and
competing. However, there is no
doubt that, even while asleep, they
were extremely content with this
year’s victory. ◙
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
OPINIONS
Why the
‘F-Word’?
by David Mannes, staff writer
Recently, at the Conservative
Political Action Conference, Ann
Coulter enraged many people with
the following comment: “I was
going to have a few comments on
the other Democratic presidential
candidate John Edwards, but it
turns out you have to go into rehab
if you use the word ‘f-----,’ so I —
so kind of an impasse, can’t really
talk about Edwards.”
It was pointless for Coulter to
call John Edwards this word. She
clearly has strong political be-
liefs, and is most likely capable
of presenting an intelligent argu-
ment. While that would not have
gotten her as much publicity as
her controversial joke, it would
have probably convinced a lot
more people to agree with her.
In her defense Coulter said
that the word is a “schoolyard
taunt.” She also said that she was-
n’t speaking in a way that was
offensive to homosexuals, but
rather to suggest that John Ed-
wards is a “wuss.”
Sadly, this horrible word has
become a schoolyard taunt, a fact
that anyone walking around Stuy-
vesant can attest to. However,
I’ve heard students at Stuyvesant
use a lot worse than this as a
taunt. Just because kids use a
phrase as an insult, it doesn’t
make that phrase appropriate or
politically correct.
Although Coulter shouldn’t
have used the word in reference
to John Edwards, she clearly did-
n’t mean what she said as an in-
sult to homosexuals. John Ed-
wards is married with kids, so the
insult wasn’t directed at Edwards’
sexuality. In addition, Coulter
stood up for gay rights at another
point in the same speech.
Coulter did make one really
good point about the joke, and
that was that it wasn’t only a joke
about John Edwards. The state-
ment was also mocking the fact
that an actor on the show Grey’s
Anatomy, Isaiah Washington,
was forced to receive counseling
after calling a fellow actor this
degrading term. The people who
got angry over what she said
overreacted to a joke about how
VULGARITY
continues on page 2
February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10
Disregarding All Direction
by Amna Ahmad, columnist
Our lives are centered largely
around exams. We learn to know
the College Board better than our
own grandparents. We go to prep
programs, forcing our parents to
invest ridiculous sums of money to
improve our test-taking abilities. In
fact, we are so concentrated on
test-taking that we are able to sit
glued to the seat of a cold, rusty
metal chair conveniently decorated
with assortments of gum and graf-
fiti for three hours or sometimes
more just to make a few marks on
paper. It is my personal opinion
that tests are generally neither a
measure of competency in a field,
nor credible in deciphering intelli-
gence. Accordingly, I decided to
give a focus group of Stuyvesant
students the first fair test that they
had probably ever encountered.
Unfortunately, the majority of stu-
dents failed.
The test that I had adminis-
tered served no purpose other than
to test the ability of students to
follow directions. I gave the stu-
dents a test paper and told each of
them these exact words: “Fill this
out and follow directions. You are
not allowed to ask me any ques-
tions.” The directions on the test
paper were as follows “Put your
name on the top of the paper.
Perils of Finding an Online Friend
Source: Facebook
Although the Internet is a great tool
for information, online predators may
use information posted on online com-
munities to their advantage.
by Hui Ting Jiang, staff writer
The Internet is probably one
of the greatest inventions ever. It
not only connects people halfway
around the world, but also allows
information to be sent in bulk
instead of the old-fashioned mail
or fax. The Internet is not only a
form of exchanging ideas, but a
form of sharing information as
well. Sadly, this information is
sometimes illicit or inaccurate.
STUY VOICE
Don’t ask the person giving you
the survey any questions. Do not
answer any questions. Then hand
in your paper.” Interestingly
enough, 76 percent of students
chose to answer the questions pro-
vided on the test paper when all
they needed to do to pass was
write their name, leaving the ques-
tions blank.
I think that perhaps it is fair to
attribute this trend of tackling the
questions first rather than reading
the directions to the idea that the
main goal of tests is to get the right
answers. Yet on some tests there
are multiple correct answers, but
just one that is “the most correct,”
as can be seen in the critical read-
ing section of the SAT, for in-
stance. Test answers over the years
have also been written biasedly,
utilizing subjective terms that we
are all too commonly expected to
identify, although such terms can-
not logically be presented in con-
junction with facts, but rather opin-
ions on a topic.
Perhaps I hadn’t noticed what
a nervous test taker looked like, or
the extent of blatancy of our
obsession with tests, because I had
never actually had a chance to look
around the room at all of my
classmates during a test, but I
assume that similar behaviors
MySpace, Facebook and
Sconex are just a few of the
websites that teenagers use daily
to find friends or potential mates.
Personal information such as their
full name, age, home address and
even cell phone number are
shown to attract web users. As if
that isn’t enough, teenagers post
suggestive photos of themselves
for the world to see. This
abundant amount of information
might be useful for a fellow
classmate to contact that
individual for homework help or
clarification on a lesson.
However, that is not the case
most of the time. Information,
such as that listed above, is
usually used by predators and
stalkers to follow their prey.
An anonymous freshman
confided to me that she stalks
“[her] crush on MySpace and
Facebook every single day.” This
is not only indicative of a
NEWS/OPINION
would indeed be evident, and I am
nearly certain that reading
directions would be the last thing
on students’ minds, as they
disregard all directions to show off
what they “really” know, as if it
mattered.
Needless to say, the students
taking my “exam” displayed some
inappropriate behavior. As the test
“proctor” I was bombarded with
questions although the directions
had overtly stated that students
were not permitted to ask me any
questions. In addition to the shak-
ing, twitching, and sweating that I
had witnessed throughout the
course of administering the tests, I
watched as students aggressively
chewed on the pens that I had
given them to use. When I re-
minded one student that the pen
she was chewing on was mine, she
hastily removed the pen from her
mouth and made a gesture as
though she were shamefully offer-
ing it back, slobber and all. I’m not
sure if pen-loaners are typically
expected to accept chewed-up pens
back from those who borrowed
them, but I surely did not.Fo◙l l o we d
di r e c t i ons
( P a sse d
t e st )
D i d n ot
f ol l ow
di r e c t i ons
( Fa i l e d
physiological problem, but also
an unnecessary distraction from
more important things like
family, friends and schoolwork.
Online predators are more
common than they used to be,
mainly due to the fact that
teenagers are more trusting of
“outsiders.” At first, predators
pretend to be friendly, accepting
and sympathetic people. As their
relationship develops into
something more complex, the
predator will pounce and pressure
its “prey” in illicit activities by
providing money, lavish gifts,
attention and promiscuously
taken photos. Usually, teenagers
cave into the pressure and
unwillingly do things they
normally would not do.
A show recently done by
NBC called “To Catch A Predator
ONLINE PERILS
continues on page 2
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD
VUGLARITY
continued from page 1
people overreact when the word
is used.
Coulter’s intention in making
this joke was to get publicity.
She could have easily insulted
Edwards and mocked what hap-
pened to Isaiah Washington in
two separate jokes. She chose to
say something controversial, and
to see how many people would
become infuriated over a joke
about how society overreacts to
controversial statements. ◙
ONLINE PERILS
continued from page 1
III” illustrated tactics that online
predators use to lure susceptible
teenagers. Initially, the predator
introduces him/herself as a
prospective friend that would do
nothing to harm them and
everything to benefit them. As the
friendship progresses, he or she
will slowly incorporate topics
about sex into conversations. This
is a major red flag in identifying
predators, but teenagers’ interest
in such matters will often
overcome their instincts. Soon,
the predator will suggest a secret
meeting for the two to meet,
which later may culminate in
sexual activities. NBC
correspondent Chris Hansen
caught fifty men trying to engage
minors in sexual activity.
Surprisingly, all fifty men
pleaded not guilty in court. ◙
February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10
HPV: The Human “Promiscuity”
Virus Vaccine?
by Alvis Yuen, columnist
Every year, 250,000 women
die from cervical cancer
worldwide. In the last decade,
scientists have discovered that
more than 70 percent of cervical
cancers are caused by HPV, the
human papillomavirus. In 2006,
the FDA approved a vaccine that
would prevent cervical cancer by
stopping HPV. Studies have shown
that the vaccine was over 95
percent effective in preventing
cervical cancer. The only
requirement of the vaccine is that it
must be administered before any
sexual activity to prevent previous
transmission of the virus.
With the advent of the HPV
vaccine, states have considered
making the HPV vaccine a part of
the regular vaccination schedule
for young girls. The first state to
make HPV vaccination
mandatory was Texas. However,
despite the benefits of the
vaccine, some parents are
opposed to mandatory HPV
vaccination. In traditional areas,
such as the Bible Belt in the
South, the vaccine is opposed
primarily because parents are
afraid that the new vaccine will
make adolescents more bold and
more likely to have sex. As a
result, legislators are reluctant to
NEWS/OPINION
push for mandatory vaccination, rusty nails. On the flip side, the
for fear of reprisal from vaccine could serve as a deterrent
unsupportive parents. of sex; the vaccine is a constant
It is absurd to oppose reminder that sexual behavior can
mandatory HPV vaccination on lead to cancer. I hope people can
the grounds that the vaccine throw away their sensitivity to the
would promote promiscuity. If sexual aspects of the vaccine.
there were a better reason, such This vaccine is like any other
as possible damage to the body, it vaccine a person gets as a young
would be reasonable to oppose child.
mandatory vaccination. Millions If parents choose to believe
of dollars were invested to invent that the HPV vaccine promotes
the vaccine. It is a disgrace to sexual promiscuity, consider this:
label the lifeblood of scientists as would you rather your daughter
something promoting die from cervical cancer, or have
promiscuous behavior, when their sex? ◙
aim was to save lives. It is an
insult to the victims of cervical
cancer when parents refused the
potentially life-saving vaccine
because it might promote
promiscuity.
I ask everyone who opposes
mandatory vaccination to
reconsider their unfair assessment
of the vaccine. First of all, the
vaccine only prevents one
disease, cervical cancer. If the
teen was to have sex, there are
many other risks and STDs, such
as syphilis, gonorrhea, and
herpes, to consider. The idea that
the HPV encourages sexual Gardasil, the world’s first cervical
behavior is as crazy as the idea
cancer vaccine, is on display during its
that a tetanus vaccine would launch in Sydney. It aims to halt the
encourage people to step on more spread of HPV, which causes cervical
cancer.

Counselor Room Ext. Seniors Juniors Sophomores Freshmen

26 Homerooms — 13 Counselors BIEGELSON Jay 236R 2385 78 7J 7JA

Do the math!

Why isn’t the college office writ- FERRER Diana 236L 2383
ing SSR's?
Who knows better than the college
office what the colleges are look- GUTHRIE Undine 236A 2362
ing for in an SSR?

The members of the guidance de- MC CRAY Jan 236C 2363

partment must serve as guidance
counselors and grade advisors, in
addition to writing all SSRs. Their
caseload assignment is as follows:
MUI John 236F 2366
The college office has gone from 2
positions to 3 full-time counselors,
who have the following caseload NEGRIN Meredith 2360 2364
to advise on their college choices.
They also have two full-time sec-
retaries and a school aide to assist RAJWANT Shaklra 2368 2361
them with the paper work. Their
caseload assignment is as follows:
SCHINDLER Mazra 236G 2367
PAT CLEARY : 5A-5E
GREGG W ALKES: 5F-5Q
KATE OLIVER: 5R-5ZD VIBOCH Marev 236N 2386
How can we better serve our stu-
dents?
Regards,
Concerned for Stuyvesant Students
WANG Jeremy 2360 2387
4 THE STUYVESANT STANDARD February 8, 2007—VOL. 6, No. 10 NEWS/OPINION

SCIENCE
IN MEMORY OF
GABRIEL BLITZ AND EUGENE MARSHALIK
It is with deep sadness that The Stuyvesant Standard marks the death of
Gabriel Blitz, a member of the Stuyvesant High School Class of 2008 and
Eugene Marshalik, a member of the Class of 2005. Marshalik was a student
at New York University and an auxiliary police officer. He was killed in a
shooting in Greenwich Village while on patrol.
Gabriel and I went to the same middle school, Manhattan East (M.E.).
Although he was two years older than I, I remember seeing him when he
came back to visit M.E. in his freshman and sophomore years. I am a very
garrulous person, so, naturally, I was inclined to ask him what high school
he now attended and other such things. I think that was when I first decided
to call him the “Green Guy” and that name stuck with him. He told me
about his love of reptiles and herpetology and that explained the green
jacket that I will always remember him by. He was one of the nicest, most
sincere people. Then, when I came to Stuyvesant, I frequently saw him in
the hallways and always talked to him in between classes. It led to some
random (but meaningful) conversations about everything and nothing. It
was great. The last time I talked to him was on the platform of the 1 and 2
trains. We talked about how we have the same initials and the cool things
one can find on the Staten Island Ferry. I even remember his way of
waving “hello” which, for lack of better words, is best described as wiping
a window (without moving the wrist). He was also one of the very few
people at Stuy who reside in the Bronx and I always saw him as my fellow
Bronx-ite. Now every time I see someone with a green jacket in the
hallway, I think that maybe it’s Gabriel and that all of this has been just a
terrible misunderstanding. I start walking faster, to catch up to that
mysterious person who could put an end to this nightmare, and I am only
saddened to see that it’s not him. It’s not Gabriel.
I am very happy to have known him. I only wish that I could have spent
more time with him. I miss you, Green Guy.
Guergana Borissova