volume 64 issue 2

Volume 64 Issue 2 FREE Guilderland Center, NY 12085 December 2012

Journalthe

By and for the students of Guilderland Central High School

Since 1946

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The loss of advisory is arguably the biggest change this year at Guilderland High School. It was the universal time for all students to go see teachers about missed work, among other things. This year students have a certain study hall time, during which they can utilize the new system called “learning centers.” “The learning centers are for students to get extra help with work, clarify di-rections… or just get some questions answered.” said English teacher Brenna Autrey. There are two different learn-ing centers: one for math and science, and one for English and history. Dur-ing each block, at least one teacher for each subject staffs the learning centers to provide help. In order to use the learning centers students must sign up at the computer lab for half block or full block sessions. Each teacher can work with up to five students at a time. “Advisory was cut because we decided to use a new schedule plan,” said Princi-pal Lutsic. “We felt that without advisory students needed some time other than after school to get work done.” The new study halls also provide more flexibility for students. Without the restriction of always having 2BD taken, students now have the chance to take a larger variety of classes.

Learning centers unpopular with students Karthik Ramesh

SeeGHSpage10

Apple v. Samsung,Learning Centers,

Teachers & Politics

Opinions12 Pop Arts 4

Paranormal Activity, Aerosmith,

Red - Taylor Swift

Above: Mrs. Jasenski works with students in the Math & Science Learning Center. Photo courtesy of Sam Pitkin / The Journal

Ms. DeLuca,Private to Public School Transition

Hallways 2

SeeEneggmapage15

What’s inside:

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too? If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain si-lent? Questions have been the source of inquiry and the base of all controversy even before the time of Aristotle. Many questions have been answered, but one remains unsolved. It has caused ballistic battles of brains for millennia, perplexing generations of geniuses, and con-gesting cognitive questionnaire. It is a simple question with a complex answer: The Chicken or the Egg?

Which came first? Generations of geniuses have been perplexed by this controversial ques-tionnaire. To them, this solution is probably some sick yolk. But, the eneggma has finally been cracked.

In a desperate attempt to crack the conten-tious conundrum, scientists and researchers from Sheffield and Warwick University believe they have found the answer: The chicken.

Ben Segal

SeeLearningCenterpage3

The EneggmaGHS reflects on the 2012 election Luxi Peng

Though the presidential election wrapped nearly a month ago, it’s still fresh in the minds of many, especially with the resolution of many partisan issues still to come. The looming fiscal cliff is raising concerns about many of the points on which President Obama and Governor Romney campaigned, such as cuts to Medicare and social security, and tax raises for American households making over $250,000 a year.

“I think that the fiscal cliff will definitely give us some idea of what may be in store for the future,” says GHS economics teacher Ms. Whit-man, who voted for neither Obama nor Romney in the election. “If they [Republicans and Democrats] can come to some sort of compromise that not everybody hates then perhaps we can continue to grow the economy

so that the deficit will shrink as more and more people get jobs.”

However, the year-end deadline for resolution is fast approaching, and Obama faces a divided Congress (Republicans hold a lead in the House, Democrats the Senate) with both sides heavily gridlocked on their opposing positions.

President Obama is also facing in-creased pressure to fulfill the promises of his reelection campaign, and resolve many the concerns of his first term. Though Obama won the electoral vote by a significant margin (332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206, according the the Wall Street Journal ), the popular vote was much narrower (Obama took 51%, Romney an ironic 47% according to the Washington Post). For compari-son, in 2008 Obama won the popular vote with 53% against Republican contender Sen. John McCain’s 45%,

according to CNN. Many were unsatisfied with Obama’s

first term because of the lack of eco-nomic progress. Senior Kayla Myers, a first-time voter who voted for Romney believes “Obama did a decent job dur-ing his first term. A major accomplish-ment was killing Osama bin Laden.” She adds, though that, “there is still a high unemployment rate and national debt. Overall, I think our country is near where it was 4 years ago, not bet-ter or worse.”

Whitman agrees that change has been slow, stating that “We need to do something different regarding our taxes.” However, she feels that the lack of improvement is not all Obama’s fault, as “there is so much money and power that will line up against any changes in our system that it feels like we will be stuck with it forever.”

theJournalDecember 2012

Hallways

How to contact The JournalMail: The Journalc/o Guilderland High School8 School Rd Guilderland Center, NY 12085Phone: (518) 861-8591Ask for The JournalEmail: [email protected]

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Editors-in-ChiefNina Obwald, Print Content

Isaac Malsky, DesignAli Sima, Online Content

Managing EditorHaewon Hwang

Assistant Managing EditorMaryGrace GravesAssociate Editors

Hannah Liu, Online ContentJustina Liu, Print Content

Lead Copy EditorMary Powathil

-Content-

Hallways EditorsSydney Campbell, Nicholas Schwartz

Around Town EditorsBryce Goyer, Taylor Tewskbury

Pop Arts EditorsJulia Davidoff, Elana DeSantis

World & Cultures EditorsEmily Benson, Michelle Xiong

Fine Arts EditorLuxi Peng

Opinions EditorsAndrew Fedorov, Laura Tang

Sports EditorBrien Miceli

CopyeditorsLexi Adams, Joy Jing, Verina Mansour, Abi

Schnoor, Benjamin Segal, Alex Siracusa

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Photography EditorSam Pitkin

Graphics EditorRachel Gingrich

Layout & Design Editor Jack Watson

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Business StaffBrent KatlanMatt Scatena

Distribution Manager Zachary Cleary

Faculty Advisor Christopher Mazura

The Journal is published by and for the students of Guilderland High School and is the school’s official student newspaper. We publish accounts of, and perspectives on, people, issues, and events that affect members of the school as well as the community.

Although initialed by the writer, editorials reflect the majority opinion of the editorial staff. Reviews, columns, commentaries, and letters to the editor, however, represent the view of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the staff.

Although we try not to solicit advertise-ments from competing businesses in a given is-sue, we cannot guarantee that a conflict involving advertising will not arise. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their respective advertisements. We are not responsible for print-ing and/or typographical errors that may occur in a given advertisement. We reserve the right not to print a given advertisement. Also, we cannot assure that columns, editorials, news, reviews or feature stories will not cover issues or events relating to any advertiser in this newspaper.

We welcome signed letters from our readers. To be printed, letters must be of a reasonable length and contain neither libelous, slanderous, nor profane material. We reserve the right to reject any letter received. Unless otherwise noted by the editor-in-chief or the managing editor, all accepted letters will be printed in the letters to the editor section. We reserve the right to edit for length, grammar and content.

2012-2013Journalth

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Six year Spanish and former Italian teacher here at Guilderland High School, Danielle De Luca, sat down with me for an interview and cup of coffee on October 24, 2012. Ms. De Luca isn’t comparable to any other

teacher. She’s a charismatic, funny, down to earth and genuinely kind person who pretty much gets along with anyone. With her zany, dark, curly hair and bright smile, she’s hard to miss in the crowded hallways at school.

Daniella De Luca was born in Whitestone, Queens and later moved to Goshan, New York. She is the oldest of three girls and growing up, she was very into music. In fact, before teaching, De Luca studied musical theater. She played the piano and her dream was to be on Broadway. But, after quickly realizing that this wasn’t for her, she changed her path and began studying teaching at the College of Saint Rose

Changing her career path was probably fate, because De Luca feels like she was born to teach and help others. “I’m the oldest of three girls, so teaching came naturally to me. I enjoyed helping others and knew early I wanted to do that for a profession,” she said. Her favorite part about teaching is the interaction with students. She feels it’s important to get to know them on an appropriate, personal level. “The more comfortable a student is with me, the more open they can be for discussion and learning.”

De Luca shows her love, appreciation and pure fascination with GHS students every day. One way she does this is by hosting the annual Freshman Orientation and being a teacher representative and coordinator for Freshman Connection (formally known as ATP or Advisory Transition Program.) Being a part of both the orientation and the ATP program, I observed first hand her energy and sheer care for the students. Her up-beat and comical approach was extremely comforting. I felt ready to enter the high school knowing that there were teachers like Ms. De Luca who were willing to help me if I ever needed it.

I was lucky enough to be a student of Ms. De Luca’s in tenth and eleventh grade Spanish class. It was a pleasure being around her every other day. She was different from my other teachers because she cared about more than just homework, tests, and quizzes. She looked at the big picture. We spent time getting to know our class mates

on a personal level. We played team building games; class was actually fun! When asked what piece of advice Ms. De Luca would give to each student, she said “Trust yourself. Only you know what could be best for you. Use common sense and be who you want to be.” Her biggest theme is confidence. “If each student had confidence in their abilities, they could see that every day is an opportunity to learn and prosper as a human being.”

Spanish class became less about stressing over good grades, and more about appreciating not only my peers, but myself as well, so we could be collectively successful. Ms. De Luca’s daily talks and life lesson speeches were what I looked forward to. “Some things can’t be taught, like how to be a good citizen, which is more important than getting 100 on an exam. Teachers can make suggestions but it’s up to that person to demonstrate those actions when no one is looking. It’s up to that person to just be genuinely good.”

During our interview Ms. De Luca

began to tear up when I asked her what she hopes to accomplish before she dies. After a moment of pause, she responded. “To raise children who are confident, humble and able to use their gifts to help others while following their dreams.” She wants to live each day with purpose, and appreciate the lessons her life experience has taught her.

Even now, I still stop in for regular visits with Ms. De Luca. Her bright and fun personality is something I admire; she is someone I aspire to be like. This woman has taught me to think out of the box, and take the time to appreciate life. She has inspired me to approach each chapter in my life with confidence and optimism. Danielle De Luca is a wonderful woman, someone who is worth having a cup of coffee with.

Teacher profile: Ms. DeLuca

Ms. DeLuca, center, poses with some of her Spanish 4 students. Left to right: Gaby Peda, Sydney Campbell, Ms. DeLuca, Ashley Cohen, and MaryGrace Graves.

Photo courtesy of Gabe Pietrafesa

Laura Muller

She cared about more than just homework, tests, and quizzes. She looked at the

big picture.

Her bright and fun personality is something I admire; she is someone I aspire to be like.

She’s a charismatic, funny, down to earth and genuinely kind person who pretty much gets along with anyone.

“Let’s say a student is in music but also wants to take an art elective, they now have that opportunity,” explained guidance counselor Karen Murphy.

On paper, the removal of advisory and the addition of the learning centers sounds great! Removing advisory gives students the chance to expand their horizons and try new classes that they couldn’t before. It also allows teach-ers to have more time to actually teach students. What’s more, advisory, in the

form of the learning centers, has now been spread out over four blocks instead of one. The problem is that the actual learning centers are running much more poorly than their theoretical counterparts. Although there is at least one teacher for each subject in the learning centers during every block, it does not mean that he or she is the teacher that can help you. “Say you have a physics problem and the only science teacher in the learn-ing center is a biology teacher. You’re probably not going to get much help.” said science teacher Charles Bender. That means you can go for general help, but if you need class specific in-formation, you’ll have to hope that your teacher is in the learning center. Most responses to the new system have

been anything but positive. “I have only had one student use the learning center

from my study hall this year so far,” said Mrs. Autrey. While the English and His-tory learning center seems to be having a very low volume of students, the math and science center seems to be getting a much large number of students.

The problem is that a large number doesn’t mean great efficiency. An anony-mous teacher commented, “I don’t think students are responding very well. Some

students don’t even have time to come in.” Senior Alex Siracusa said much of the same thing, “I think in terms of ac-cessibility, advisory was more convenient just because every teacher was available at the same time.”

The budget has been tight and that means we have to make sacrifices. How-ever, it doesn’t make sense to cut such an integral and effective part of the school system in favor of an unrefined and ineffective one. All new things take time to develop though, so maybe through changes over the course of the next few years, the learning centers can come to surpass advisory.

page 3 (theJournal)HallwaysDecember 2012

Are learning centers helping students learn?

I think students are more comfor table going and getting help from their own

teacher.

See page 13 for an in-depth student opinion on the new

learning centers!

The centers allow teachers to have more time to actually

teach students.

Continued from Page 1

“Guilderland is different than what I expected,” says Dominica Williams, a ninth grader who transferred from a private school to the Guilderland School District last year. The teachers are different, the students are different, Dominica says, but most importantly, “I feel accepted.”

Dominica attended the Albany public schools for elementary school, where she felt the standard of education was not the best. She began looking into private schools and made the switch before starting sixth grade. “Doane Stuart seemed like the best choice for me,” Williams says.

School started earlier, the commute was more tiring, and academic standards were set higher. The school assigned college advisors to students in the ninth

grade, says Corrine Rogers, Dominica’s mom.

“I’m coming from fifth grade, [Coming from fifth grade] and having three tests a week and four hours of homework a night was a little ridiculous,” Dominica says. “It was especially stressful because in private schools, everyone has a high expectation of you.”

There were 25 students in Dominica’s grade and 12 students in each class. Classes were more intimate and teachers were more able to engage in one on one interaction with students. While this was academically beneficial for Dominica, the social consequences of the miniscule student body were impenetrable, tightly knit cliques.

“When you aren’t accepted it is hard to make friends and do good in school,” Dominica says. The majority of the students had gone to school together since Kindergarten. “They weren’t willing to open up to me.”

Most of the students at Doane Stuart came from upper-class families, whereas Dominica was raised by a single mother

who is the manager of an insurance company. Rogers still remembers when the troubles of the school day were brought home.

“Many times, she would be very upset and cry over the fact that she had to sit by herself at lunch and no one would talk to her,” Rogers says.

Finding out that Dominica was being bullied was the turning point. While the school could have thoroughly prepared Dominica for college, Rogers says that it was not worth the mental and emotional pain it caused. “I pulled her from the school and never looked back.”

Guilderland’s School District was the main reason for moving, Rogers says. “Even though [GHS] is not a private school, I have heard great things about it.” Rogers was still a little concerned about Dominica fitting in, but that proved to be no problem at all.

“The people I am surrounded by are happier and nicer and it’s a welcoming environment,” Dominica says. “I feel so comfortable in Guilderland. I actually enjoy going to school.”Since Dominica started attending

Farnsworth Middle School last year, “I have noticed a big difference in her,” Rogers says. “She loves the school and the teachers, and is overall just happier.”

At Doane Stuart the policy was, “do your work, and there won’t be a problem,” Dominica says. “I wanted good grades, of course, but it was difficult.”

On the other end of the spectrum, at the Albany schools, “people could care less.”

Dominica seems to have found her perfect pot of porridge at GHS. The teachers are not only helpful, but also have a sense of humor, she says. In addition, school seems to be a top priority for most students.

“I feel better as a person,” Dominica says. “At the end of the day, there is no doubt about it that I love Guilderland.”

The people I am surrounded by are happier and nicer and it’s a welcoming environment.

Justina Liu

Freshman transitions from private to public school

School started earlier, the commute was more tiring, and the academic standards

were set higher.

The English & Social Studies Learning Center sits empty during 3rd block. Photo by MaryGrace Graves / The Journal


Pop Arts

Lucasfilm, the maker of Star Wars, the film and franchise which has been loved for over 30 years now, has been purchased by Disney from its founder George Lucas. It was purchased for approximately $4 billion, half in cash, and half in Disney shares. Disney and Lucas have been dis-cussing the exchange for over a year now, but what ultimately tipped the scale was Lucas’ retirement.

Now that the deal has been finalized, Disney plans on expanding the franchise, with the possibility of a TV show and more movies already in the works. The first new movie, “Episode VII,” which will be the seventh in the saga, is set to be released in 2015, with ‘VIII’ and ‘IX’ coming out in subsequent years. “Episode VII” is to follow the stories of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia, the much loved main characters of the

original 1977 trilogy. The second trilogy, the Clone Wars

movies, the first of which came out in 1999, received much criticism from many Star Wars fans. After this ordeal, Lucas claimed that he would not make any more Star Wars movies. While new Star Wars movies will be released, Lucas himself won’t be making any more movies, as he will no longer be the executive producer. The role of executive producer has been bestowed upon Kathleen Kennedy, who was the co-chairman of Lucasfilm. Lucas said, “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of film-makers.”

However, Lucas won’t be shut out of the process completely, as he will still be an advisor and is providing his ideas for the movies. Said Lucas on Kennedy turning his ideas into a movie, “I have complete confidence that she’s going to

take them and make great movies.”

Now the legacy of the Star Wars movies can live on for years to come. Though some fans may say that continuing the saga will ruin the integrity of the story, many are looking forward to the 2015 release. Plus, the old fans will have some new ones joining their ranks. George Lucas was noted as saying, “I get to be a fan now… I sort of look forward to it. It’s a lot more fun actually, than actually having to go out into the mud and snow.”

Rosemary Leicht

Graphic by Lauren Foley / The Journal

Paranormal 4 disappoints fansAt 9 PM on Thursday October 18th, I

was planted in my front row seat to see the premiere of the fourth installment of the popular horror franchise Paranormal Activity. A new sequel in this “found-footage” film series is an annual October event for thrill-seeking fans. To excite fans even more, renowned directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman returned from the widely successful third film, while the possessed Katie Featherston and her young niece Hunter returned from the second film.

The movie opened in a calm house-hold, as the newest family to fall victim to “the activity” was introduced. Im-mediately going back to their old tricks, Joost and Schulman attempted to bring the audience to the edge of their seats in anticipation, without actually having anything happen. This repetitive tactic along with characters that seemed more suited for a comedic show than a horror movie, left for the audience to react upon the first hour of the film with more out-bursts of laughter than terrified screams. Even at points when it seemed like the movie was ready for a true breakthrough,

one of the goofy protagonists did or said something extremely stupid, bring-ing back the overall hilarious feeling of the picture. When the directors finally decided to incorporate some scares, they were far too predictable to send the audi-ence into dismay.

Just when I was about ready to leave completely dissatisfied, the last 5 minutes turned out to be quite possibly the most thrilling and scream-worthy 5 minutes in the history of film. This left me both shocked and confused. Why couldn’t Joost and Schulman have brought those types of scares into the first 80+ minutes of the movie?

Not only was the movie an overall disappointment, but the plot made little forward progress in the grand scheme of the entire series. The scares were too few and far between to cover up the stag-nant and pointless plot of the film. I’m not saying that some people won’t enjoy Paranormal Activity 4. In fact, if you can wait for the last 5 minutes you are in for a treat. Otherwise, you better be prepared for a disappointing comedy before you buy your ticket.

Andrew Kemp

Ubisoft’s newest installment of Assas-sin’s Creed has arrived. Assassin’s Creed 3 serves as a sequel to Assassin’s Creed 2 and Revelations. Ubisoft promised a lengthier campaign with better graphics and an improved style of fighting. The days before release had me burning in anticipation. The trailers portrayed the game as one of the most epic games ever. After it dropped on October 30th, I quickly snatched up a copy to play. It was time to find out if the game would live up to my expectations.

The game came with beautiful graph-ics. The houses and the people seem

almost real, and the cut scenes make the game play like a short movie. The voice acting was phenomenal. With all these improvements, the game seemed much more realistic than its predecessors. These improvements really helped portray the storyline beautifully.

The story itself, in Assassin’s Creed fashion, is amazing. It first follows Haytham Kenway, an English man who arrives in the US colonies during the French and Indian War, who is searching for a piece of Eden. His quest for this eventually leads to the birth of Connor, and the rest of the campaign is played by Connor. The quest line is long and full

of twists. Dramatic irony is used to help suspend the climax and leaves me always wanting more.

The quest line is filled with different ways of killing, maiming, and assassinat-ing other people. The fight animations have been altered since the previous game; this can seen just by the sheer amount of ways the main character can attack others. Ubisoft introduced new weapons like tomahawks, rope darts, muskets, and pistols. Even after you beat the campaign, you still feel like you still haven’t seen it all.

The stealth aspect remained un-changed, but Ubisoft introduced the

corner lean. The main character can lean from a side of a wall to see what was ahead of him. Assassinations while in stealth still allowed you to hide the bodies and remain undetected.

The game was brilliantly made. The campaign was lengthy and required a lot of thought on how one should progress through each level. Each character was relatable and interesting. The plot twists and tension between characters left me wanting to play more. The game is a great sequel to Revelations, and it should be one of the new games you pick up this year. Besides, who doesn’t want to be the coolest American assassin ever?

Assassin’s Creed 3 deliversMax Chao

Third trilogy of Star Wars movies in our futureDisney buys Lucasfilm for $4 billion, newest movie due in 2015

Comics

Difficulty to pass

Not

diffi

cult

V

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diffi

cult

SAT

Bar Exam

Kidney Stone

By Isaac Malsky

(theJournal)Pop ArtsDecember 2012

Paradise: Lana Del ReyVictoria PetkevichusJulia Davidoff

On October 22nd, America’s sweet-heart Taylor Swift released Red, her fourth highly anticipated studio album. The 16-track album portrays Swift’s continual metamorphosis from her style of original acoustic- country into the danceable, teenage- pop sound she has recently embraced.

Although Red contains tracks with Swift’s newfound pop twist, her signature country twang is still evident in tracks such as “Sad Beautiful Tragic” and “I Almost Do”. On the contrary, “State of Grace”, one of the most successful singles of the album, falls into the pop- rock genre, distinguishing itself from Swift’s original twist on classic country. While some diehard country fans may find Swift’s sound adjustment to be bla-tantly distasteful, one can simply ascribe the change to an artist’s imperative need to keep up with changing trends in the music industry. As shown by the notoriety Red has achieved, it is clear that Swift’s sound change has not had a negative ef-

fect on her success, if any at all.Swift has teamed up with Target for

the second time, carrying her partnership over to Red from her penultimate album Speak Now. Target carries an exclusive deluxe version of Red, featuring six extra tracks. “The Moment I Knew”, “Come Back…Be Here”, and “Girl At Home” are songs exclusively on Red: Deluxe Edition, and the other three tracks are demos and acoustic versions of tracks publically released on the original Red. This tag-team partnership benefits both parties: publicity for Target and expo-nentially more album sales for Swift. It’s highly recommended that you purchase the Target deluxe edition; the tracks are worth the trek to the store.

Red:Taylor Swift

Paradise is an eight-song follow-up to Lana Del Rey’s previous album; Born to Die. Born to Die was a bit self-conscious, letting the population understand a light version of Del Rey’s talent; Paradise al-lowed this artist to become free and show her true daring and sexual nature. Paradise is a dark, titillating album showing Del Rey’s raw sexual emotions. Her beauti-ful haunting vocals make every song fit together, and her dramatic presentation keeps you wanting more.

Truthfully, Lana Del Rey’s sound is an acquired taste. She has her own al-ternative style in music, with one of the most unique captivating voices I have ever heard. You will get lost in her voice, but once you snap out of her trance and truly listen to her lyrics, they will aston-ish you. Her dramatic style in her music, make you think you are listening to a soap opera of her life. Every song fits as a separate puzzle piece to the album, once put together it identifies Del Rey’s

artist identity. This album gives everyone a taste of what is going to come in the future of this break out artist.

The true moment of this album is her cover of Blue Velvet previously written by Berne Wayne and Leo Morris. Her personal and vocal delivery becomes something great. Del Rey’s cover has a beautiful sound with a dreary emotional feel. This song is the turning point of her career showing what defines her as an artist.

Paradise is a milestone for Lana Del Rey; she has stopped chasing to be like everyone else, but instead built up a sound and style she has meticulously been working for.

Aerosmith’s 15th studio release, Music From Another Dimension!, is similar to that of a musical timeline. The album begins

with what lead vocalist Steven Tyler de-scribes as a ‘Beatlesque’ rocker binding itself with admirable harmonies and a strong drum intro. “LUV XXX” or really, “Love, three times”, is one of the album’s best moments. “Freedom Fighter” is an-other eye opening track for its insightful and memorable lyrics pertaining to the harsh reality of an American soldier.

Past the first three songs, Another Di-mension! features a track list that contains influences from several phases of the band’s career. From the hard rocking vocals, aggressive guitars and Rolling Stones akin melodies of their early years to the 80’s melody trodden, ballad-writing of their latter days, they manage to melt the same production of both eras into a

15-track set. The highlights of the release include the bluesy, “Street Jesus”, the song beginning slow with a funky bass line, complimented by Joe Perry’s always groovy and shredding guitar work. As the song progresses, the rhythm builds pace, and Tyler’s singing follows forth with a rapid vocal delivery accompanied by speeding chords and volcanic drum fills.

What unfortunately brings this album back from being a terrific comeback al-bum are the somewhat cliché and cheesy ballads. Though not a majority of the slow compositions being written by Aerosmith’s chief songwriters, Perry and Tyler, they drag down the liquid fast pace of the hard rock roots that only show up a few times on the album. This can

prove to be a huge let down for an avid fan expecting the album to be straight forward rock and roll.

Aerosmith’s goal is obvious: construct-ing the album to appeal to all of their listeners. They experiment with the music of their past whilst moving forward musi-cally at the same time, exercising their stu-dio and production freedom. The most triumphant quality of Music from Another Dimension! is Tyler’s ability to sustain his unique vocal chords. He can still pull off the hissing, throat ripping, sneering and even subtle register of his heyday, which makes the album a worthwhile listen for any casual rock fan.

Jessica HendricksMusic From Another Dimension! : Aerosmith

An enormous, unorganized line mean-dered from the base of the doors, down the side of the building, and across a small patch of grass all the way to the base of bustling Route 146 in Clifton Park. Standing in the wet grass on a forty degree, Halloween night next to Upstate Concert Hall, many were heartbroken to learn that Kellin Quinn, the lead singer of popular post hard core band Sleeping with Sirens, was sick. Many hoped it was it was some sort of Halloween trick being played by the band, however after two hours of waiting frantically outside the building most had doubts that Sleeping with Sirens would show up. This sold out show featured pop punk bands Hands Like Houses, and Tonight Alive, as well as the front acts Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil.

When the doors did finally open, it was an everyman for himself battle for the closest spot to the stage. Hands Like Houses opened the night; they are a loud, accent filled pop punk band hailing from Australia who sported obnoxious

flannel shirts and mustaches. “Hands Like Houses had dashing mustaches and nice attire but a terrible sound check.” remembered Alex Magnan, a 14 year old attendee. The general consensus of the night was that Hands Like Houses would have sounded better if more time had been spent equalizing their instruments. Hands like Houses played a roughly 20 minute set and the most popular song from them was their falsetto filled single “This Ain’t No Place for Animals.” It was a pretty typical opening performance; fans were primarily pumped for the up-coming bands like the next, an angst filled pop punk band called Tonight Alive.

Tonight Alive, also from Australia, emitted a very rebellious message, calling out to the audience, “Don’t Let Anyone Put You Down.” Lead vocalist Jenna McDougall is a very passionate performer and encouraged fans to relate to her mes-sage through her performance. Mcdougall said she would have nothing significant in her life without music, and the love her fellow band mates had provided her al-lowed her to be order to be successful as

a performer . “Jenna McDougall is just …babe status,” commented Gabe Pietrafesa, a huge fan of Tonight Alive. “My favorite song from the concert was ‘Breaking and Entering.’ It was just as good live as the video and the recorded track,” Pietrafesa added. Tonight Alive also played the very popular cover featured in the recently released Fearless Records Pop Goes Punk 5 album. Their cover is a heavier version of the folk song “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons, and was fantastic to hear live. Tonight Alive was not the most anticipated act of the night but surprised many with their raw talent and catchy, up-beat songs. Attendees of the concert left the venue impressed by Tonight Alive’s performance.

This Halloween concert was an at-tractive show for many people. Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil collaborate on the song “King for a Day,” which features the lead vocalists of both band. When it was decided that Sleeping with Sirens would be absent, it left many fans discouraged. With the drop out of Sleep-ing with Sirens, the only act left was the

most anticipated: Pierce the Veil. Sporting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Halloween costumes, Pierce the Veil emerged from backstage in an ocean of colored lights and dense fog. Frontman Vic Fuentes calls himself and the rest of his band “Mexi-core” because of the group’s proud Mexican ethnicity. The band ex-pressed their energy with screechy guitars and Spanish sounding breakdowns. To-wards the beginning of their set the band played the songs “Bulls in the Bronx”, and ”A March into Water” from their album Collide with the Sky, which may have been the heaviest songs of the night. The excitement level in the room immediately skyrocketed. Emotions mounted, and tears were shed when the band played favorite songs like “Bulletproof Love”, an extremely relatable song about having your heart broken by someone you trust.

Myron Vititow

Pierce the Veil visits Upstate Concert Hall

Read more online at: www.theghsjournal.com


Fine Arts

GHS students play in Melodies of ChristmasLeonard Bopp

With the holidays approaching, some of the Capital Region’s finest young mu-sicians, including Guilderland students and staff members, have already begun preparing for a local holiday tradition: Melodies of Christmas. Now in its 33rd installment, the production raises funds for Albany Medical Center’s Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders through performances by local music organizations. This year’s edition will once again feature the Empire State Youth Orchestra and Chorale perform-ing holiday favorites at historic Proctors Theatre.

This year’s musical selections consist of holiday favorites such as Joy to the World, Ding-Dong Merrily on High, and Winter Wonderland. In addition, the orchestra will be featured in selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” along-side dancers from the Northeast Ballet, and will also perform the “Dance of the Cockerels” from Carl Neilsen’s opera “Maskarade,” under the baton of music director Helen Cha-Pyo. As always, Santa Claus and other children’s characters will make a special appearance, and the con-cert will conclude with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.”

This year, GHS Vocal Music Director Rae Jean Teeter was appointed Chorale

Director, succeeding Ned Fleischer, who passed away. “For me, the most exciting thing is getting to work with kids from different schools,” she says. “Kids are musicians regardless of where they go to school.” According to Teeter, being a part of Melodies of Christmas allows kids from schools all over the area to “be free to collaborate and be part of an ensemble where everyone’s super invested.” She says that the chorale is “a place where they can all be accepted and all feel really successful, plus be challenged in a really good way.” Teeter also acknowledges that Melodies of Christmas is a very valuable opportunity for music students. “The level of the music that we do is pretty challenging. We’re doing some arrange-ments of pieces that are really difficult.”

Many Guilderland students will be performing with the orchestra and cho-rale. It is a concert that the musicians look forward to every year. According to GHS senior Hannah Liu, who holds the principal oboe chair for the Youth Orchestra, “It’s always really exciting be-cause the audience is really enthusiastic.” Freshman William Wang, a clarinetist who will be performing in the program for the first time this year, says, “I’m looking forward to playing fun music along with the choir.”

Jake McGrath, a senior and trumpet

player with the orchestra, says he is excit-ed to perform in Melodies of Christmas for the first time because “it is such a big event that a lot of people attend, so it will be a new experience to play in front of so many people night after night.”

“My favorite part of Melodies is the spirit that comes from playing the music during the actual concerts,” says freshman Michael Zhu, a first violinist in the orches-tra. “I think that during Melodies and the rehearsals leading to it, the music creates the real Christmas spirit before Christmas itself, which lends a sort of distraction

and fun in the midst of school and stress.” Without a doubt, at a Melodies of Christ-mas concert, the community takes time out of their lives to celebrate the season and support a charitable cause, just as they have done for the last 32 years.

Melodies of Christmas performances will take place at 7:00pm from December 20th to 22nd and at 3:00pm on December 23rd at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady. To see Guilderland musicians performing, please purchase tickets at the theatre’s box office.

Band director finds joy in teachingJustina Liu

“No one is playing an instrument unless someone plays the trumpet that’s in the closet,” said Kathleen Ehlinger’s mother. However, not one child in the family wanted to play that brass instru-ment.

“I wanted to play the violin,” says Ehlinger, “but I gave in. I was the good girl, and decided I would try the trumpet. And lo and behold, I was the only one in the family who continued all the way through.” Since then, Kathleen Ehlinger has become the Director of Bands at Guilderland High School, a position she has held for many years.

She first picked up the trumpet in fourth grade, and played her first paid gig when she was fifteen. “I got think-ing, ‘this is not bad, earning money for something I really enjoy doing.’ It took me away from the hustle and bustle of life. You just forget everything and enjoy what life’s really all about.”

Ehlinger did not see herself becoming a band teacher during the early years of her career. “I never knew I was going to like teaching until I got into appreciating what my teachers did.”

Throughout her musical education in the Guilderland Music Department and in college, Ehlinger says that she had many great teachers. She recalls memories of spending afterschool together and eating at McDonald’s with them. “Sometimes, I would go and volunteer, just to be with those teachers,” admits Ehlinger. The consideration of her educators extended

beyond the school day. When her parents had gone out of business, Ehlinger says, “they cared for me.”

At a low point dur-ing college, “I didn’t think that I was as good of a trumpet player as I thought I could’ve been,” says Ehlinger. Upon hearing this, one of her professors took her into his of-fice, “and he basically said, ‘Look, you have so much potential, but you’re not practicing enough. You’re not put-ting in enough time and effort.’”

Ehlinger admits that at the time, she was only investing half the time that is expected of a serious musician. “I was only practicing an hour, hour and a half a day.”

Ehlinger was also on the school swim team. She enjoyed the experience that came with being on a team with other swimmers. “I loved swimming, but he convinced me that what I really loved was music.”

“You really have to listen to the people who tell you the truth, not necessarily something that you want to hear,” says Ehlinger. “I learned a lot about that,” she says.

For Ehlinger, teaching is a way to thank her teachers. “They made me want to pay it forward.” Her goal is to do for her students what her teachers did for her. “It doesn’t matter how busy I am,” says Ehlinger, “I’m going to spend time with them.”

“Band is more than just a class to her,” says former student Halli Travers, who played the saxophone in the Wind Ensemble for four years. “There are few teachers in the school that would take time to watch out for our futures as much as Mrs. Ehlinger,” says Travers.

Travers remembers Ehlinger remind-ing her students to keep their egos down. “She must’ve said it ten times a day,” says Travers. ”I don’t think she said it because she was annoyed with us or found it unappealing. I think she said it because she cared.”

Over the years, “I realized, wow this is what’s all about,” she says. Teaching became more than paying it forward, “I try to inspire my students to be better musicians, and to be better people,” says Ehlinger. “And when you’re inspiring people, you tend to get inspired yourself.”

Photo courtesy of Lucas Balzer / The JournalAbove: Mrs. Elinger of the Guilderland High School Music Department.

(theJournal)Fine ArtsDecember 2012

Wicked returns to Proctors Theater in Schenectady

Wicked, the Grammy award-winning Broadway musical, recently made its second visit to Proctors Theater in Sche-nectady, NY.

Wicked, in short, is the story of the witches of Oz (best known from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz). Elphaba (the supposed wicked witch, played by Chris-tine Dwyer) and Glinda (the good witch, played by Jeanna De Waal) are forced to room with each other in school, and the friendship they formed greatly influences the events in the changing Land of Oz.

Other notable characters include the Wizard of Oz (Paul Kreppel), Madame Morrible (the teacher of Glinda and Elphaba, played by Gina Ferrall), Fiyero (the romantic interest of both Glinda and Elphaba, played by Billy Harrigan Tighe), Nessarose (Elphaba’s sister, played by Zarah Mahler), Boq (a munchkin, played by Michael Wartella), and Dr. Dillamond (a goat who is a teacher, played by Jay Russell). All of these characters influence the chain of events which eventually leads up to Dorothy’s arrival in Oz.

Wicked started out as a novel by Gregory Maguire, and the musical does an amazing job portraying what he ac-complished in his book, adding only a musical aspect to the production. The musical includes acclaimed songs such as “Popular,” “For Good,” “I’m Not That Girl,” and my favorite, “Defying Gravity.”

I’m not the only one who is fascinated by this production; many Guilderland High School students went to see it as

well. Taylor Tysinski, who saw the show twice on Broadway before seeing it at Proctors, said “the set was less complex [than the Broadway show], but the voices were just as powerful, and they did a very good job.” Mackenzie Robinson, who had also seen the show at Proctors when it came in 2009, said “it was good seeing it twice, because you understood the sto-ryline, and they were both really good.”

Wicked is a remarkable production, and it completely blows your mind. If you like dancing, singing, acting, action, ro-mance, corruption, magic, and suspense, then Wicked is for you. The show ran at Proctors from November 7th to No-vember 25th, and plays on Broadway through the end of the year.

Abi Schnoor

Clockwise from top: graphic courtesty of Gerard D’Albon photos of Wicked’ courtesy of Sam Pitkin

APT performs The Things They CarriedOn Wednesday, November 7th, the

American Place Theatre came to the SUNY Albany Performing Arts Center with a one man performance of Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam War masterpiece, The Things They Carried, starring Billy Lyons.

The American Place Theatre brings American literature to life through one-person shows with minimalist sets, relying on the actor’s voice to bring new depth to literature that can’t be experienced when simply reading. I’d never seen anything by the American Place Theatre before, but

having read the book I went to the theater with high expectations that were not only surpassed, but far exceeded.

The performance began at 7:30 with a pre-show discussion of the book at 7:00, and a discussion of the performance led by the director featuring the actor and three Iraq war veterans that began after the show. The pre-show discussion re-lated mostly to the book and its place in American literature. The theater was small enough and the audience sufficiently en-gaged that it felt more like attending a lec-ture than a show. The discussion and the

panels moved like an easy conversation, with contribution from a diverse audience of English students and teachers, veterans (Vietnam and otherwise) and other civil-ians. The varied group of people in the room led to an array of ideas that added great depth to the book, bringing forth new ideas about the text .

The highlight of the show, of course, was the performance itself. The novel was a collection of short stories strung together to create a narrative - disjointed and non-linear, but a narrative nonethe-less. APT had to find a way to create its own story that captured the essence of the book in just sixty-minutes. Various stories in the book were selected and rearranged to highlight the story of one man. It began with the fourth chapter of the book “On the Rainy River”, and continued to shift around within the order of the book to create a linear storyline about a man and his experiences after be-ing drafted into a war he didn’t believe in.

Those of us who had read the book spent the whole time searching for our favorite chapters and scenes, waiting for the sense of familiarity that comes when-ever a beloved piece of art is adapted into something new. Of course whenever this happens, one often loses the ability to

be enchanted by familiar art in its new form. The adaptation was masterful in its ability to absorb you, to take away your intellectual thoughts of dissonance and make you feel the story on a visceral level.

There were really only three elements at play: the acting, the music, and the light-ing. Most of the work fell onto Lyons’ performance, which was truly inspiring. He managed to somehow convey a feel-ing of spontaneity and improvisation in his dialogue, while also going along with a spitting eloquence which in no way betrayed the fact that he has been saying the same words for five years.

Both the music and the lighting were minimal, appearing and changing only when necessary. The lighting alternated between yellow and blue. The orchestra consisted of one violin and one bass, each appearing individually, and only to fill in when the words alone failed to convey the ambience of the novel.

The entire performance could easily be summed up with that central theme: only what was needed. It was a small story, told in a small way but it was powerful enough to connect to every audience member, and in that way became big enough to tell such a great story.

Kathryn Casey

Photo courtesy of Mary Powathil/ The JournalAbove: The performance of The Things They Carried at SUNY Albany.

(theJournal)CenterspreadDecember 2012

This past summer, David Lasselle worked seven days a week, five to seven hours each day. A driven individual, he also completed Eagle Scout Award, for which he completed 93 hours of community service.

After the school year began, junior year revealing its workload, David had to cut down his work schedule to five hours each weekend. “I’m usually up late Sunday night, trying to get homework done,” said David.

Students today face the challenge of finding the best place to invest their time, raising the question of the whether there is still value in taking a job.

The increasing number of college applicants over the past decades has caused college bound students in the district to feel the to need to be more competitive, said Tom Dvorscak, a guidance counselor at Guilderland High School.

In addition to keeping good grades, students strive to stand out among fellow applicants. “They list every activity, vie for leadership positions, and look for research opportunities in the community to boost their student resumes.”

Amidst such pursuits, there leaves little room for a job.Lauren Kraushaar is a junior in Guilderland High School and a

cashier who works four to five and half hour shifts at Price Chopper on weekends. In the fall, Lauren played tennis on the school team in addition to school and work. Life became at once a juggling perfor-mance and balancing act.

“It was just too much,” said Lauren. According to Teri Morisi, Branch chief in the Division of Occupa-

tional Employment Projections at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand of higher achievement in high school has been a long-term

trend that began in response to recommendations from National Com-mission on Excellence in Education in the 1980’s.

As higher education corresponds with lower unemployment and higher pay, more high school graduates today enter college than past generations, said Morisi. In a study of the decline of teen summer jobs, Morisi found that changes and interest in education are reasons fewer teens choose to work.

“There is evidence that parents are more willing to have their children participate in extracurricular activities or do volunteer work rather that work for pay,” said Morisi.

Dvorscak recently met with a student who was upset over not participat-ing in sports and clubs throughout his high school career.

“The truth was that he had significant responsibilities, along with a large time commitment to help in the family restaurant.

In addition to the demands of education, the previous monetary perks of early working now have less impact. “Given the rise in the cost of tu-ition along with the greater availability of grants, loans, and other tuition

programs, teen earnings don’t make much of a dent in the cost of college,” said Morisi.

By glazing windows, painting and regularly mowing four lawns, David made $7,000 this summer and plans to use the majority of the amount to pay for engineering school.

He hopes to save $20,000 before he enters college, but acknowledges that even that amount will barely cover half a year of tuition. The rest he will play with scholarships, he said, and loans as a last resort.

Lauren, who has saved up $1,000 from working, plans to use the money for spending in college. To put toward tuition, “it’s just not enough

She said that her parents have saved up decent amount, but like David, she plans on paying the rest with scholarships and loans.

Amidst college, and work and high school, there’s also a part, sometimes forgotten, called having fun.

His friends make plans. David has work. They hang out. He can’t go. He tries to make a balance, he said, but these are sacrifices that he has to make

And he wonders if it’s they’re sacrifices worth making. “I’m going to be working for just about the rest of my life,” said David.

“I guess, being a teenager, you only get to do it once.”

Saving up for college, little by little

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Justina Liu

Minimum wage seems to have risen, but when adjusted for inflation it has stagnated over the last 50 years.

Percent of high school graduates not attending college who are employed

Percentage of college stu-dents who are employed or seeking employment

Minimum Wage By Year

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010$1.00 $1.60 $3.10 $3.80 $5.15 $7.25

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Lexi Coy, a senior at Guilderland High School, talks very fast. She has to. Her life is built around a schedule that others would find impossible to maintain. Lexi works at both Dunkin Doughnuts and Talbots, where she often has a 40-hour week in addition to school. She is one of many high school seniors saving up for college.

“I work at Dunkin on the week-end starting Saturday morning. I have to be there at 6 o’clock in the morning… and I have a really hard time waking up. Saturdays are always crazy days. There’s always a line out the door. It’s really stressful. There are lines for orders and people complain if you don’t make some-thing right. It’s an 8-hour shift and makes for a long day,” said Lexi.

If you were to see Lexi in school, she shows almost no sign that she is pulling 80–hour weeks, something only typical of medical students and lawyers whose food pyramid is built on a founda-tion of Adderall. Outwardly, Lexi shows little sign of the strain, but like any other person working so hard, there are trade offs. “For her, working consumes a ma-jority of her life.” said Sarah Barton, one of Lexi’s friends.

“I go to school and then I go right to work afterwards. I have 4–6 hours of free time on weekend nights but that’s really all.” For almost anyone else, this schedule would be impossible to main-tain. Students in high school need at least 8 hours of sleep to have enough energy to wake up in the morning, not to mention for additional work after school. Lexi though, shrugs it off as nothing. “I don’t see sleep as that much of an issue but I’m definitely sleeping less. It depends on the night and how much homework I have but I sleep anywhere from 1–6 hours,” said Lexi.

L e x i Coy shows an

amazing amount of dedication to her jobs. Self-

starter is a word that often gets tossed around in political debates but it is rare to see someone who personifies it as well as Lexi does. She doesn’t work because she is made to or out of necessity

but because of ambition. “I have to pay my dad for insurance and… for my phone and basic things. I’m also saving up for college. I have to pay for a majority of it,” said Lexi. “I’m not sure yet [where I want to go to college] but I think Siena.”

Many students a re faced with

similar d e c i - s i o n s a s

they approach college. The question of whether to enjoy your

last couple years in high school or to buckle down and start life as an adult is something that everyone has to come to terms with. For some, they choose work. Having a job in high school can help out financially as well as giving a boost to college resumes. For others, punching the clock can impart important skills. But there is plenty of time for 9–5 jobs later in life.

In suburbia, very few work

to make ends meet. However, a different

financial burden hovers over their heads. The cost of college

has increased dramatically over the last decades, leading to a nation of high

school students facing a financial debt

they cannot carry.Tuition for Siena College, Lexi’s dream

school, is $30,200 per year. Once room and board is factored in, it costs approxi-mately $174,000 to attend for 4 years. Working at $8.00 an hour, it would take

almost 22,000 hours to pay off. In other terms, 10.5 years of full time work.

The numbers don’t add up. Any work done as a high schooler is a drop in the bucket of college costs. Student loans may help but need to be paid back even-tually. Unfortunately, the earning power required to pay off loans that can amount to the cost of a small house doesn’t come until much later in life.

The idea of giving something up is a foreign one to teenagers. Lexi’s friend Sarah Barton says, “she would have to leave cross country practice early almost every day in order to get to her job on time; she made up that lost time by going to the park early and starting the workouts before the rest of the team.” Sacrificing sleep for homework or sports for a job isn’t something that is seen on a regular basis. For Lexi though, sacrifice and dedi-cation are permanent attributes.

page 9 (theJournal)CenterspreadDecember 2012

1980 1990 2000 2010

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Isaac Malsky

Minimum wage seems to have risen, but when adjusted for inflation it has stagnated over the last 50 years.

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Minimum Wage By Year

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The numbers don’t add up. Any work done as a high schooler is a drop in the bucket of college costs.

Emily Benson

GHS welcomes foreign exchange student


World and Cultures

Whitman also holds Congress respon-sible. “I am not confident that any presi-dent could do much to effectively change anything about the direction the economy is moving,” she says, adding that “we have

a Congress that seems to be really good as stopping anything from happening.”

She concludes, “I think that he did the best he could given the political environment, but there is a lot I would have loved to have seen.”

For Myers, the election p r o c e s s was a new e x p e r i -ence that she’d been l o o k i n g f o r wa r d to. “I was so excited to vote for the f irst t i m e , ” she says. “I’d been l o o k -ing for-ward to it all year.

Whenever my parents were watching the news about the upcoming election, I tried to watch and pay attention too, since I knew I would be voting soon too.” Still undecided about her political alliances, she admits that “as only an 18 year old, I’m still forming opinions and learning about American politics and issues. For this election, I thought Romney was the better candidate, so I voted for him.”

A seasoned voter, Whitman says, “I vote in every election, it is my respon-sibility as a citizen. I do look forward to it and I try to be well informed about the issues that I will be voting on in the election.” However, she doesn’t view the view the presidential election as the most important, affirming that “the local and state elections have a significant impact on my everyday life, more so than any federal election.”

Regarding our country’s prospects, Myers takes an optimistic view. “I still think Obama will do a good job being president,” she says. “I think that it will take many years to get out of the re-

cession, and after having four years of experience as president, he will be able to make good decisions and help the country start to get out of it.”

Whitman, on the other hand, is more

cautious, as she believes a cooperative Congress is key. “I really think that what needs to get done for this country won’t get done regardless of who is president,” she says. “So in that sense I hope that we will see that Congress will actually be willing to work together in the best interests of the entire country. This type of government requires that we work together, compromise, give a little to get a little, but that has not happened in quite some time.”

To us, 4,121 miles is just the distance of space between America and Sweden, but to exchange student Hanna Les-tander, it’s the of distance between here and home sweet home. And even if it’s only for a year, Guilderland couldn’t be more proud to have her.

“I’m from Luleå,” Hanna explains, “or the northern part of Sweden.” It’s a rather large city for the country, which can be found squeezed between Norway and Finland and just north of Germany.

There are definitely some cultural dif-ferences Hanna noticed between Sweden and the US. “It’s kinda the same [from here], but not really,” Hanna laughs. One of the biggest ones was how different the school systems were set up. Sweden’s school system starts with a nine-year primary school called “Grundskola.” Fol-lowing this comes a three year secondary school called “Gymnasieskola” which is divided into two instances where you either prepare for higher education or receive work related education.

“The secondary school is divided into programs, which I attend now,” Hanna explained, “We’re in different programs, but take the same core classes with dif-ferent teachers.” Each program is located in a different building in the school, and the people inside your program don’t change. “I’m with the same people all the time, so 20-30 people move around to different classes, and have the same classes at the same time.” Similar to the FMS middle school system with houses, only more focused on the career path of

your choice. “We usually start school at 8:15 and

it can end at 3ish, 4ish and 5ish, and some days at 12ish. We can begin later too.” Hanna says that depending on your program and the classes you’re in, on Mondays you might get out of school at five, while Tuesdays you’re out at three. And while this is an average day in Sweden, the privilege of leaving GHS is something really only known to seniors. However, this freedom does come with a price: “Last year I took I took English, Swedish, Spanish, P.E., Math, Physics, Cvics, and Chemistry,” Hanna groaned, “I choose the program so I couldn’t chose my classes.”

Even with the strange differences in the school system, Hanna was overjoyed to be able to stay in the US. “I wanted to experience America, but not as a tourist,” She clarifies, “I wanted to experience how

it was to actually live here and to live in an American way. I wanted to experience high school, make new friends, and learn to speak English fluently.” And there are plenty of clubs and activities to make for an all around American experience, espe-cially since many aren’t offered back in Sweden. “What I like about your school is that the sports are inside of school

and there’s so much more f u n s t u f f connected to the school,” Hanna said. She explains that the only other p lace clubs/activi-ties are offered in Sweden are through pro-grams outside o f s c h o o l . Though this is easily done, like Hanna did for track and field or dance, it’s simply “not the same.”

But in the end, the plac-es we come f rom aren’t i m p o r t a n t , because when t h e s c h o o l day is done we’re all just high school-ers frantically trying talking to talk to friends, get to our sport and understand our ridiculous homework assignments. Every school year is a new battle no matter where you’re from, but

with Hanna by our sides, it’s bound to be a year to remember.

Photo courtesy of Hanna Lestanger

Above: Swedish exchange student Hanna Lestander. Hanna will be joining GHS for her senior year of high school.


I vote in every election, it is my responsibility as a citizen.

I wanted to experience America, but not as a tourist.

Hanna Lestander is here to stay for the school year

GHS voters reflect on outcome of electionFirst time and seasoned voters hope for progress during Obama’s next term

Meet Xi Jinping:

Michael Zhu

Graphic by Haewon Hwang / The Journal

page 11 (theJournal)World and CulturesDecember 2012

As Barack Obama returns to work after being reelected for a second term as President of the United States, China has chosen a new leader to guide the prosper-ing nation through the decade that will impact many lives throughout the world. Xi Jinping, a 59-year old political power who is regarded as a cautious reformer and problem-solver, replaced President and paramount leader Hu Jintao at a Party Congress in Beijing that began on November 8th and ended on November 14th. Xi will officially assume power next March, and begin the first of two five-year terms.

Xi was expected to succeed Hu as the General Secretary and President since the end of 2007. His assuming of power was almost guaranteed in 2010, after the international community took special note about his influence. Hu, the President of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party since 2002, was the driving force behind China’s rising economy, which is projected to surpass the U.S.’s within the next decade.

The Chinese government is a uniparty system run by the Communist Party. The handover of power is both complicated and enigmatic. Every five years, a Party Congress of 2,213 people members se-lects the 374 people who will compose of the Central Committee and sets a policy agenda for the next five years. The Central Committee selects 25 senior-ranking people to form the Politburo, who then choose nine people to create the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the country’s singular and most powerful decision-making body. Within the PSC, the General Secretary (who was Hu Jin-tao) is the highest-level position and the de facto leader of the Communist Party. The President, instead, is chosen by the National People’s Congress composing of 2,987 people from around the nation, and serves as a ceremonial figurehead and

Head of State, rather than an absolute administrative post. “This is always how China’s politics has worked,” said Peijia Tan, who was the treasurer of the Albany Chinese Community Cen-ter and actively follows news on the Chinese government. “It has barely been revised, and it is very probable that it won’t be.”

X i is known as a Princeling, an offspring of a powerful, prominent, and often wealthy family. His father, Xi Zhongxun, was a comrade of Chairman Mao and a guerilla leader of the Revolution. When Xi Jinping was in his teens, his father fell from his political stronghold, and the family was purged to a remote village. “Because of this humble background,” Tan commented, “Xi likes to paint himself as a man of the people.” After working and leading Communist work in the countryside, Xi studied at

the prestigious Xinhua University in Bei-jing. In 1974, Xi joined the Communist

Party, and subsequently served four prov-inces, or admin-istrative regions, during his career, making each eco-nomically stron-ger and industri-

ally more modern. By 2000, Xi had

already become in-tensely popular in

national me-dia and

had drawn the attention of China’s top leaders. In 2007, Xi became the Party Chief of Shanghai, while being appointed into the PSC. The next year, he became Vice President of China, chosen by the National People’s Congress. The Vice President, traditionally, also has a ceremo-nial role, and usually assists the President in jobs and duties.

Since then, Xi has managed the 2008 Beijing Olympics, played a significant role in assisting those affected by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and designed

the 60th anniversary of the People’s Re-public of China. He has also made tours to Latin America, the United States, and some parts of Europe within the past four years. “He has done a lot for China,” Tan said, “and that allows him to assume the most powerful position in China.” He is married to a well-known singer, Peng Liyuan; they have a daughter attending Harvard under a pseudonym.

The decade under President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao is commonly known as China’s golden age. The size of the nation’s economy quadrupled, its infrastructures modernized, and its quality of life—especially in the country-side—improved. In his opening speech at the Party Congress, Hu criticized corrupt government officials, praised the change that came during his reign, and stressed the importance of reducing unrest, ad-vancing technology and science, improv-ing the life of the people, and defeating corruption. “I think the Communist Party is going to emphasize the aspect of social, political, and economic stability in the nation, while stressing the importance of social, political, and economic change as well,” said Peter Zhu, a business consultant for

McKinsey & Company. “This is going to be extremely difficult for the new

administration, especially for Xi.” Xi is facing a mounting chorus

of calls from Chinese elites to support greater openness in China’s economic and political systems. “Many people consider the Communist Party a heritage and a relic from their fathers and former legends. They’re not risking the chance of losing that sacred legacy, so they have their ideas on how far changes will go,” said Kehe Zhu, a mathematics professor at the University of Albany and enthusiast of Chinese politics. Nevertheless, Xi’s decisions and rulings will affect many people around the world .

Graphic courtesy of Joy Jing/ The Journal

On November 6th, 2012, the citizens of Puerto Rico cast their votes in a non-binding referendum issued by the govern-ment of Puerto Rico in a two-part ballot that asked the people their views towards current American relations; The first part of the ballot questioned satisfaction towards current standing U.S. - Puerto Rican relations, and the second part asked voters to choose a possible political status.

In past referendums issued in 1967, 1993, and 1998 regarding the topic of Puerto Rico’s status since its establish-ment as a Commonwealth of the U.S. in 1952, the majority of the population had voted to stay a U.S. Territory or had cho-sen not to answer when given the other choices of becoming a U.S. State, becom-ing an independent republic, or becoming a sovereign free associated state.

However, the outcome of this year’s referendum gave an answer that was dif-ferent from years past. According to the

State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico, 54% of the voters were unhappy with the present status, and, for the first time, a majority of 61% of the votes desired the option of statehood.

Despite the outcomes of the refer-endum, many are skeptical about the true validity of popular Puerto Rican opinion expressed by its results. Of the total number of voters who answered the second question of the referendum, ap-proximately a third of the voters counted

in the polls put “no answer” on their bal-lots. Some argue that if the unanswered ballots were counted with the opposing ballots, the majority of the people would be against Puerto Rican statehood, there-fore, making the referendum’s results not truly representative of public opinion. Luis Agrait, a history professor at the University of Puerto Rico, is one who shares this view.

“There were voters who preferred the current status, but didn’t agree with

the way it was de-fined on the bal-lot, thereby inflat-ing the number of votes against the status quo,” Agrait points out. “If you assume those blank votes are anti-statehood votes, the true re-sult for the state-

hood option would be less that 50%.”The possibility of Puerto Rico join-

ing the United States as a fifty first state, despite oppositions to its validity, is most likely still going to be considered by U.S. Congress, given a large enough majority favoring statehood remains among the people. Even if Puerto Rico receives U.S. approval, some are still doubtful about how successful following through with bringing Puerto Rico to statehood will be. European history teacher Mr. Baker shares his thoughts on the probalilty of Puerto Rican statehood.

“The majority favoring statehood, after looking at all of the people who decided to not answer, does not seem like such a large margin at all, so I believe that the U.S. Government won’t act until there’s a larger majority.” Baker reflects. Regardless of what outcome may occur, the Pureto Rican referendum for state-hood is a large step for the country.

Michelle Xiong

China’s new Paramount leader prepares to lead in early 2013

Is Puerto Rico set to become the fifty-first state? Referendum asks for public’s opinion on American relations

OpinionstheJournalDecember 2012

While gathering around the TV for Sunday football, if you want to impress your hot date, hold up a buf-falo chicken wing and explain that a chicken’s egg is formed from a protein specific to their ovaries – ovocledi-din-17 (OC-17). This accelerates the shell’s development. Gets the girls every time.

By utilizing 21st century technology these scientists believe that they con-firmed the answer to the ever-existing enigma. Dr. Colin Freeman from the Sheffield University’s Department of Engineering Materials said, “It had long been suspected that the egg came first, but now we have the sci-entific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first.” Doubts were debunked and possible solution was solidified. While making use of their supercomputers, the scientists made a

keen realization: the protein is essential

in the shells during the crystallization process. It converts calcium carbonate into calcite crystals – the key compo-nent of the egg’s shell.

In simpler terms, because the protein found in the ovaries of the chicken is specific to itself, a muta-tion couldn’t have caused the egg to come first.

While there remains room to argue, many, not only scientists, would agree that the chicken is the clear answer.

Ask one living a faithful life lead through religion and they would say the chicken. On the sixth day god filled the world with eggs? Millions and millions of eggs! How anticlimac-tic. After creating Heaven, the Sun, Vegetation, the next best thing God had in stock were eggs? On the sixth day he created land filled with beauti-

ful awe-inspiring creatures breathing life;

not oval shaped white eggs.If asking an English teacher, a lin-

guistic lover, they would definitively put their money on the egg being the right answer. This is because in the question “Which came first, the chicken or the egg,” it doesn’t specify what type of egg – an ambivalent case. Henceforth, an egg of some sort was around far before an evolutionary pathway led to chickens. A smart-alec would point at the question pompously explaining that the chicken came one whole word before the egg. Though clever responses, that doesn’t tru-ly answer the question that was intended.

Many have tried; round about half have failed at answering the question. However, we finally hatched the shell of the enigma, cracking open the answer. Despite being constantly questioned for crossing the road, it did come before the egg: The Chicken came first.

The Eneggma: finally cracked by scientists

Graphic by Ioana Sima / The Journal


The iPhone 5, one of the world’s most popular phones was released recently. But, for the first time in its history, it has major competition; two brilliant Samsung devic-es, the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II. The overrated iPhone has no chance of standing up against these two devices. One notices big differences in design and layout between Apple and Samsung. The iPhone 5 has a sleek metal design but the 4S’s glass back was replaced by a clunky back of aluminum. All previous models of the iPhone had a 3.5-inch screen which in this incarnation has increased to 4 inches. You may ask why. The main reason is to compete with other high-end devices like the Galaxy S III and Note II. The Galaxy S III has a 4.8-inch screen. People who think the

S III is big, really haven’t seen much. The Note II has a whopping 5.5-inch display. I, and other consumers, often think that bigger is better. iPhone fans may criticize the Note II, saying it’s too big for a phone, but anyone who plays with it for 10 minutes begins to love it. One of the biggest differences between the iPhone and Samsung phones is the operating system. iOS hasn’t changed much since it was first introduced in 2007. They’ve added things like folders and a scroll down bar but the overall operating system has remained relatively the same. The operating system on the Galaxy S III and Note II is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a malleable dynamic operating system far superior to iOS. It allows a degree of customization that assists a phone in ac-curately reflecting it’s owners personality.

IPhones are almost entirely uniform, but S III’s and Note II’s vary greatly from phone to phone.

A common complaint about the iPhone is it’s battery. The Galaxy Note II has a battery twice the size of the iPhone so it can easily last the day. The S III also supports a larger battery, but not quite as large as the Note II. All of these phones support 4G LTE, but there is one important feature, pos-sessed by the S III and Note II, that the iPhone lacks. Near-Field Commu-

nication, or NFC, is a very popular tool in smartphones nowadays. Samsung Galaxy S III/Note II users are able to touch their phones together and when one taps the screen within a second the other is sent a file. Another cool use for NFC is paying for things by put-ting your phone up to a cash register.In 2007, when the iPhone was truly something new and exciting, Steve Jobs was CEO of Apple. Now in 2012, Steve Jobs is no longer around. Since his death, other companies like Samsung have de-cided to step in and out-innovate Apple. They have done this with the S III and Note II and will continue to do it in the future. The increased competition be-tween Apple, Samsung, and others paves the way for a future where phones are cooler, faster, and more beautiful.

Kyle Levy

Samsung rules supreme in battle versus Apple

If someone were to ask me where politics were ranked on my list of fa-vorite things, I’d have to say they would be towards the bottom. I can confi-dently say that I’m not the only kid in high school with this sort of outlook. However, my teachers have done a great job of getting me and all those other political low-listers engaged in political matters. In the process, a few personal political beliefs may have escaped my teachers’ lips, but that’s not a bad thing. Political discussions have become regu-lar occurrences in our school. Not a single one of my teachers has abstained from making at least a passing comment about the presidential election or some other re-cently prevalent political issue. In classes where we’ve had full-on political debates,

I’ve noticed that some of my teachers are careful about what they let into the discussions regarding their own opinions. Others seem to be more outright when stating their opinions, while still others say absolutely nothing and simply play the role of “Devil’s Advocate.”

The discussions in which teachers are willing to share at least some of their opinions are generally more engaging. While students are perfectly capable of keeping a conversation going on their

own, teachers almost always have addi-tional insight or points of view that stu-dents wouldn’t or couldn’t have thought of on their own. After all, teachers do have more life experiences to draw from. Furthermore, a stronger student-teacher relationship can be formed when teach-ers are willing to share the same kinds of beliefs and opinions they ask their students to share. To some students, it seems rather unfair when teachers make themselves comfortable playing Devil’s Advocate. What I mean by that is, de-pending on the class, a student’s participa-tion in the discussion may be mandatory for their grade, while the teacher is free to keep all of his opinions to himself. Students tend to have a higher respect for their teachers when the teachers are more willing to be open about their

ideas - as they ask their students to be. While I do recognize the importance of maintaining a professional attitude towards their work, teachers should be more open to sharing at least a small part of their political beliefs to benefit their classes. Whether they directly say their beliefs, or imply them with the kinds of questions they ask, it’s impor-tant for teachers to push their students into deeper political thinking. This will not only educate students on how to go about politics once they’re old enough to participate, but also hopefully create an interest in politics so that students will be more likely to apply their knowledge and become politically active. So, should teachers share their political beliefs in class? Count this article as my ballot cast.

Kristin Bourgeois

Cast your ballot:Should teachers share their political views in class?

The overrated iPhone has no chance of standing up against

these two devices.

The discussions in which teachers are willing to share at least some of their opinions are

generally more engaging.

( Journal)OpinionsDecember 2012

Graphic by Gerard D’Albon/ The Journal

Michael Zhu

Learning Center Policies: inefficient This year, the school has introduced

a new haven of help. Replacing advisory, the Learning Center is a new way to get help on homework, review for quizzes and tests, and ask questions about les-sons. The general idea, though it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor’s standards, is not a bad one. However, the means needed to travel to the Learning Center are complicated, confusing, and senseless.

In order to go to the Learning Center, one must either have a pre-signed pass from an administrator at one of the two Computer Labs or have called one of the Labs for permission to go. After calling the Lab, one must use a monthly pass to travel to the Learning Center. Pre-signed passes from teachers are not allowed. There are two sessions of the Learning Center. You must call the Computer Lab before the session starts, or else you are unable to attend.

All of these procedures seem compli-

cated and unclear. Many teachers are per-plexed by the loophole-riddled policies. They should be replaced with policies that save teachers from going through all of these bewildering, often irritating, steps.

Firstly, why must we go through the Computer Lab for permission to go? It’s a step that is totally irrelevant. Study hall teachers are perfectly capable of checking availability of space. It probably only serves to bother the administrator there as well. We can simply cut out the middleman.

Secondly, why can’t we use pre-signed passes from the teachers we need to see? By directly confirming appointments, we can make sure in advance that the teachers know what we need help with. But with the current system teachers might be en-tirely unaware that we are coming. They might not have answer keys or worksheets that the student need help with because they were unaware of who was coming.

In certain situations, these policies

obstruct learning. If someone realized they needed to see a teacher in the middle of second-session Learning Center, they would be denied access because they didn’t sign up at the beginning of the second session. This would hurt the grades of kids who really need the learn-ing center and affect test scores.

The most obvious solution to this seemingly complex problem is to let study hall teachers directly confirm an appointment with the Learning Center before signing a pass for the student to travel. “If a student needs help,” says Mrs. Sherwin, a Freshmen Connection study hall teacher, “they should be able to sign out from the study hall to the Learning Center.” The two-session Learning Cen-ter should also be removed; the session regulation can obstructs student access to much needed help. This way, the study hall teacher can manage the number of students from his or her study hall go-ing to the Learning Center, evaluate the

number of students already at the Center, and sign out Learning Center passes that deal with the entire block, instead of the one-period Learning Center time. This solution gets rid of the excessive step of contacting the Computer Lab and limits the number of monthly passes used on the Learning Center.

The school’s idea of the learning cen-ter is good but its way of getting there is not. It is time for administrators to cut the slack from the system and change the way things are done. The current system hinders and exhausts our ability to learn. It’s over abundance of bureaucratic inef-fectiveness indirectly hinders a student’s desire to learn or to receive help. Nothing should detract from a student’s ability to learn. Nothing should defeat a student’s purpose to learn.

Today the filibuster has been degraded to a mere tactic.

The Path to ProgressAndrew Fedorov

Ideals are odd entities. They’re dreams shared by many yet somehow our breadth of vision is easily obscured by the schemes we once dreamed up harden-ing over our peripherals. Because of this natural but foolish process our union of coinciding goals is broken by petty bickering over method. This is what has happened in Congress.

Most Congressmen go into public service primarily because they wish to serve the public and share a vision of an ideal America. But they imagine different paths to get there. Because of this our senators and representatives ignore facts and filibuster with the justification of the plans they call principles. Compromise is not the giving up of that ideal America but the giving up of plans proven prob-lematic in favor of plans based on the needs of the situation, the limits of reality, and the facts.

The terrifying results of today’s lack of cooperation are fast approaching. On December 31st of this year, if Congress fails to come up with a solution to the debt crisis, the U.S. will run over the fiscal cliff. Then enormous spending cuts and tax increases will automatically go into effect. The congressional budget office says it will take 5.1% out of the coun-try’s GDP. It will be an austerity measure larger than that of Greece and 3 times the size of Britains. In Europe austerity has hurt economic growth and worsened unemployment. It will solve the debt crisis at the expense of a double dip recession and much misery.

In 1917 Senator George Norris went against party, president and a long held principle and organized a filibuster of the Armed Ship Bill which was the first step towards the united states involvement in war. He did this despite the fact that in the past he had advocated for rules to stop the abuse of filibustering. He organized it as a last resort to save the lives of the countries youth and to keep peace on his continent. What he did was noble. It took true courage. It was the sort of filibuster that nearly kills you as glorified in Mr.

Smith Goes to Washington. Today the filibuster has been degraded

to a mere tactic. In fact a law has been passed changing the nature of the fil-libuster. Congressmen no longer have to speak until their lungs give out. They only have to propose a fillibuster to stop a law. It has become a constant roadblock. In

the past 5 years republicans in congress have threatened or used a filibuster 385 times. That’s double the rate of the 5 years before that and much more than the historic average.

There’s nothing courageous about this new incarnation of the filibuster because it’s accepted by the whole party. It’s not a conversation and it’s not a debate, it’s a holdup of our government.

In September the nonpartisan Con-gressional Research Service released a report which concluded that “The reduction in the top tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie, however, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentra-tion of income at the top of the income distribution.” Pressure from Congres-sional republicans forced the withdrawal of the report. The facts and conclusions it presented were never discussed and never factored into plans for the country’s improvement. Facts were ignored in favor of principles.

Ignorance of reality in the name of principle has given us nothing but stagna-tion. Sticking to an old and foolish plan in support of “principle”, against the facts, is merely arrogant, spiteful, stupid, stubbornness that obstructs the creation of viable bipartisan solutions. If we want solutions Congress can not be like John C. Calhoun and say “When I have made

up my mind, it is not in the power of any man to divert me.” Instead they must, as did John Maynard Keynes, wisely ask opponents who charge them with inconsistency “When the facts change I change my opinions, what do you do sir?”

It takes courage to admit that your original plan was the wrong path to your ideal. The great orator Sena-tor Daniel Webster s t o o d u p i n 1 8 5 0 and gave a speech k n ow n a s t h e seventh of march speech in where he turned against his earlier promise that he would stand against the admission of slave states and advocated a compromise that would allow more slave states in preserving a union because he knew that his ideal was a single un-divided country. He took a stand against past participle and compromised in an at-tempt to save his country.

Congress needs the cour-age to work together. This is not merely a matter of changing a way of acting over time, our problems are urgent and d e m a n d ra t iona l and im-mediate coopera-tion. Our leaders must learn to work together or they must deal with disaster.

Blue Spice: A Taste of Thai


Around Town

Bryce Goyer

Local run has hidden meaningRace honors Christopher Dailey and foundation he inspired

Located on Central Avenue, Blue Spice offers the genuine feel and flavors of Thailand. When you walk through the doors, you are greeted by the smell and sizzle of sautéed vegetables. The decor is an experience in its own. The atmosphere is set by the soothing trickle of stone fountains. At each table, a delicate flower sits in a water filled glass. Lush plants fill the corners, while pastel paintings cover the walls. Throughout the restaurant sit statues of animals and instruments. Large ceramic pots are filled to the rim with water and floating flower petals. Decorative scarves and canopies are draped softly from the ceiling, giving the corners a secretive feel. Adding to the ambiance is the choice of seating. Not only do you have the option of your usual tables and booths, but also floor level seating (dependent on your party size). Here you dine on Thai cuisine while sit-ting on plush cushions.

“It was like a big party going on in your mouth,” commented Mr. Hahn, an Eng-lish teacher at Guilderland. He was refer-ring to the Panang Curry with Chicken. “It’s so flavorful”. He also mentioned the Barbequed salmon, another favorite of his. Along with the impressive selection of curries and seafood, Blue Spice offers savory rice and noodle dishes, soups, and other authentic Tai selections.

When I visited Blue Spice, I was impressed by the variety of the menu. I started with a mixed salad. A light honey dressing was drizzled over the red and green leaves. It had a unique, sweet flavor. The greens had a crisp, satisfying quality. Following the salad, I

ordered vegetable spring rolls served with orange plum sauce. They were golden brown rolls, fried and filled with veggies and noodles. Then came the Hot Tai Tea. The steamy drink had a rich brown coloration. The taste was unparalleled, herbal, while a most coffee-like. For my main course, I stuck with the name and ordered Blue Spice Noodles. It was a heaping noodle dish with a citrus-garlic herb sauce. Tangled in the golden-brown noodles were five jumbo shrimp. The colorful variety of veggies and seasonings was enticing to the eye; golden onions, orange carrots, green zucchini and bean sprouts, red peppers, brown sauce, all topped with kelly cilantro and scallions.

With the tranquil decor and authentic flavors, Blue Spice cuisine is as appetiz-ing to the eye as it is to your taste buds.

Restaurant leaves behind questionable fate

Taylor Tewksbury

Mimi Falcone

Thanksgiving is a time in America usually reserved for feasting. Plump, mouthwatering turkeys, ripe, juicy cran-berries, and of course Aunt Susan’s famous pumpkin pie can’t be forgotten. After your stomach is about ready to burst and the tantalizing scents of the meal have begun to fade most families will crash into their beds with a long, tryptophan induced sleep. This cycle of events is the norm for most families cel-ebrating Thanksgiving, but interestingly enough every Thanksgiving for the past 11 years thousands of members of the Capital Region have chosen a different holiday path to follow. On a holiday used by most for an excuse to participate in further gluttony fellow citizens get back to the roots of this holiday, giving, and give back to their community. This year marks the 11th year of the beloved an-nual Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot has long been praised as enjoyable, healthy way to celebrate Thanksgiving, with a 5k run/walk that anyone can participate it. Although thousands congregate for this run yearly not many know why. The Turkey Trot is actually called the Annual Christopher Dailey Turkey Trot. This regionally famous walk is named after Christopher Dailey but who is he? Chris-topher Dailey was an 8 year-old little boy who was in third grade at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School. Christopher was spirited, boisterous, and truly loved by all. Christopher tragically died on November 23, 2001, the day after Thanksgiving. In the wakes of his death his loved ones strove to find some way to make this horrible event into something beneficial,

and arrived at the idea of a foundation. A foundation that would give the children in the Saratoga area a safe place to play while keeping the memory of Christopher alive in the hearts and minds of everyone that would come in contact with it. The Christopher Dailey Foundation is a non for profit organizations whose chief goal is the raise funds for a construction of a facility for enriching the minds of the children while providing them ways to improve themselves through sports and other activities. This generous foundation also aims to raise funds for a scholarship endowment that will allow all kids, no matter what their economic background is, to be able to participate in fee based activities. One of the ways the Christo-

pher Dailey Foundation raises funds is their annual Turkey Trot. This year the Turkey Trot was on November 22, 2012 and started at 8:30am in front of City Hall in Saratoga Springs, NY. Anyone could have entered the trot as long as they had previously entered before November 21. Families who looked for a way to have fun, bond as a family, and do something for the good of their community attended this years Turkey Trot. By doing that they were not only keeping the memory of Chrisopher Dailey alive, they were also making a community better for the youth. Get back to the roots of this American holiday by giving thanks for all you have and giving back to those who need more than you.

Lot to be purchased by Albany Med, future use unknown The colorful variety of veggies and seasonings was enticing to the eye.

Graphic by Rachel Gingrich/ The Journal

Thirty years is a long time. It’s even more impressive that a restaurant in a division of downtown Albany has en-dured a recession, temporary closure, reopening, and until recently remained a thriving icon for years. On October 31, 2012, Quintessence permanently closed its doors. Quintessence was adjacent to Albany Medical Center. The big, bulky, silver diner was brought to Albany from New Jersey in the 1930’s. For years, it had many miscellaneous functions until it was bought in 1982 by two visionaries who named the hole in the wall, Quintessence. It was a hip restaurant with outrageous techno dance parties and of course, their “World Famous” Chicken Teriyaki. Quickly, Quintessence made a name for itself and became an “it-spot” in Albany.

Unexpectedly, in 2004 Quintessence temporarily closed. The people of Al-bany were so upset that it was purchased and renovated in 2009. Other than a

few physical renovations, little about the restaurant was changed. Thankfully, its menu filled with comforting and recog-nizable food was left untouched. When the restaurant reopened, the community welcomed it. I’ve been there several times, and after every visit, I’ve had the same opinions. The service was great and the food was outstanding. I was never disappointed.

Needless to say that when my family heard about the end of Quintessence, we were all kind of disappointed. It was a place for families like ours to have fun and relax after a long week, and a common place for the community to reconnect and hang out. Mr. Mapstone, a 9th grade Global studies teacher at GHS, has been a loyal Quintessence patron since 1990. His best memories of the restaurant are for its “interesting vibe, and good food.” When I told Mr. Mapstone the news that Quintessence was closed for good, he was shocked, but responded

with a theory about its closure. “It’s inevitable” says Mapstone. “That part of Albany is changing, and developing.” However, he will always remember the delicious “spinach noodles”, and the famed “Chicken Teriyaki” that always lived up to his expectations.

Mr. Mapstone, like many others said he will forever recall Quintessence as “a cool, unique Albany Restaurant.” Just as many customers were wondering what would happen to the restaurant, Albany Med announced that it would purchase the lot. The medical center didn’t say what it was going to be used for, or what would happen to the building. But it seems unlikely that the hospital would refurbish or even reuse the restaurant. As of now, the future of the lot and for-mer eatery seems cloudy. But it’s crystal clear that the once-loved Quintessence is no more.


Sports

Victoria Petkevichus & Alexandra Sima

Senior Jake Dube leads boys’ volleyball to an improved season

“I just fell in love with volleyball,” said Jake Dube, two-year captain of the volley-ball team and senior at Guilderland High School. He has been playing volleyball for four years, one year on the JV team and three years on the Varsity team. This year, Dube, who plays as both a hitter and set-ter, was voted onto the Section 2 All-stars 1st Team. He received the second highest number of votes, making him the second best player in the section.

As a junior, Dube made sacrifices to pursue his passion of volleyball. “I gave up lacrosse, so I could play club volleyball during the spring,” said Dube. “Even though the club team is expensive, the skills I learned were invaluable.” The club team has travelled all over the country in the last year with the closest tournament in Rochester to Nationals in Texas.

Now in his senior year, Dube was an amazing asset to the team. “Jake Dube and Nick Schwartz were fantastic cap-tains and turned the season around,” says senior Matt Anderson, on the varsity vol-

leyball team. Last year, the team’s record was 3-15. With Dube’s help this year, the team made it past the quarterfinals against Niskayuna to the semifinals. “Dube com-mitted a lot of time in the off season to get better and that really showed during the season. He taught us what he knew and helped improve us all. Jake Dube is debatably the greatest volleyball player of all time,” said Matt Yankowski, also a senior on the varsity volleyball team. However in the semifinals at Scotia High School, the varsity volleyball team suffered a loss against Bethlehem. Their season ended in much better shape than last year with a 13-7 record.

Yet the season didn’t end there. Dube was part of an exceptional seniors’ game in honor of the seniors graduating. Five of the seniors were from Guilderland High School: Matt Yankowski, Matt Anderson, Matt Christian, Nicholas Schwartz, and Jake Dube. In this game, Dube had a final opportunity to play with his teammates, who are also his best

friends. Dube said, “This is probably the goofiest group of guys. We’re pretty much a family. My team members are my best

friends. I couldn’t imagine playing this sport without those guys.”

Guilderland athletes sign to Division I schoolsBrien Miceli

Congratulations to Kara Carman, Ali Cardinal, Jenna Walsh, Jenna Cubello, Reid Zyniecki, and Stephen Polsinelli, who, onn Wednesday November 28th, each signed to colleges for sports. The signing took place in front of the new gym after school in front of athletics directors, coaches, and family of the athletes.

“I guess I felt proud,” said Kara Car-man, who signed to American University for women’s lacrosse, “because I was among the six of us signing for a divi-sion one sport.” Each athlete was equally proud and happy to have signed to a particular school. “I felt a good sense of accomplishment. Like all of my hard work paid off but there is still a long road ahead of me,” said Stephen Polsinelli, a men’s lacrosse player who signed to Siena College. Jenna Walsh, a women’s lacrosse player who signed to UAlbany, stated “I was relieved that my recruiting process was officially over and I had finally signed my letter of intent.” “I felt really accom-plished during the ceremony, this is one

of the moments I have been dreaming of for a long time and to finally reach my goal is exciting!” agreed Jenna Cubello, who signed with the University of Rhode Island for women’s softball.

As a whole, the athletes really feel prepared and excited for NCAA sports. Reid Zyniecki, who signed to Buffalo Uni-versity for men’s swimming, said “During the ceremony, I realized that I was begin-ning a new chapter of my life as a NCAA student athlete.” Zyniecki, one the top swimmers in Section 2, is very satisfied with his decision to attend Buffalo, as was Ali Cardinal who signed to University of Rhode Island for women’s lacrosse. “I chose Bryant University because I loved the school, and I felt right at home and couldn’t picture myself anywhere else,” said Cardinal.

All the athletes who have been signed deserve recognition for the hard work they’ve put into their sports. Our district has pride in each of these athletes, but not as much pride as each athlete has for themselves. Universally, they are all happy to have made their decision.

Above: Senior Jake Dube goes up for a hit. Photo courtesy of Jake Dube

Red Sea Sightings

Boys’ Basketball [X]Girls’ Basketball [ ]

Bowling [ ]Cheerleading [ ]

Cross Country Skiing [ ]

Gymnastics [ ]Hockey [ ]

Indoor Track [ ]Boys’ Swimming [ ]

Wrestling [ ]

Fall Sports: 4 / 10

Winter Sports:

Winter Sports Preview

After a successful fall sports season, expectations are riding high for the win-ter sports teams who are gearing up for games to begin. The Varsity Wrestling team, coached by Don Favro, is especially ready for their season to begin. They finished the 2011-2012 season with a 13-5 record and a 4th place finish at the Class A’s. The team is looking to pick right up where it left off and to improve even more from last year. “My team and I have pretty big expectations this year, we’re all working hard to be better’’, said Josh Lamb, a returning junior on the varsity squad.

The team is led by a strong senior class, and by junior Josh Logiudice. Logiudice had a strong 2011-2012 season, as he reached the finals of the Class A tourna-ment and took home 3rd place accolades at the state qualifier. He and the other returners to the team not only bring their skill to the table, but they also bring ex-perience and leadership. “From last year I learned that talent doesn’t always win, sometimes hard work beats talent. You need to be talented and skilled as well as hardworking to be a complete package”, said Loguidice. The team is hoping that their extraordinary team chemistry from

last year can carry over to this season. “ I learned that a group of kids can get so close just from something they enjoy”, said Logiudice. Like any sports team, this team has its share of obstacles to over-come during the season. “Our biggest obstacle is our lack of depth, we don’t have too many people to put in our roster this year”, said Josh Lamb.

Other winter sports teams in GHS have similar obstacles to overcome. The varsity basketball team has only three re-turning seniors on the team. The varsity hockey team, which is combined with Mohonasen, have only three seniors as well. Nolan Renna, a returning sophmore on the team, knows that it’s going to take a group effort to make up for the lack of experience. “The younger guys that have been on the team before are going to have to step up and fill the leadership roles”, Renna explains. It’s a very good sign that these athletes are not letting these obstacles stand in the way of their goals. It shows a lot about Guilderland sports and we always seem to find a way to overcome adversity.

It looks like it is going to be another successful winter sports season. And like always, the Red Sea will be there, cheering the teams on all the way.

Patrick Moriarty

SportsDecember 2012 page 16 (theJournal)

Above: Senior Angela Luizzi crosses the ball during the Section II Championship game versus Bethlehem on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012.

Photo by Nina Obwald / The Journal

Team wins Section II championship, plays in state semifinalsLady Dutch Soccer makes history

Nina ObwaldAfter a record breaking season, their

first ever Section II championship, and a win in the regional level of play, the Guilderland Varsity Girls’ Soccer team’s next obstacle was the state semifinal game versus Webster Thomas of Section V. On Friday November 16th, about 50 students, teachers, parents, and fans gathered out-side the new gym to send the girls on their way to Cortland. After arriving, the girls practiced together for the last time before attending a banquet where they serenaded the audience with the girls’ own rendition of the hit song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.

After staying overnight at a nearby ho-tel, the girls awoke the next morning filled with anticipation. At 5:00 PM at Cortland High School, the girls took the field and immediately showed their dominance. The Wesbter Thomas goalkeeper made her best save three and a half minutes into the game on a shot from senior Jess Capone. Guilderland’s offensive attack continued throughout, earning three corners in less than five minutes since the start of the game, and controlled most of the play during the first half.

After 80 minutes of regulation play, two-ten minute overtimes, and two-five minute sudden death periods, the game was forced into penalty kicks. Webster Thomas kicked first and converted, and their keeper secured an early lead with a save on Guilderland’s first shooter, junior

Emily Center. Webster Thomas took a 2-0 lead on their next shot, but senior Kara Carman brought the Lady Dutch within one goal. However, with Web-ster Thomas’ next score, and Guil-derland’s next miss, the Lady Dutch were down 3-1, and giving Webster Thomas the ability to secure the win with their next shot.

While the Lady Dutch may not have won first place in the state tour-nament, there is no doubt that they can be called the best girls’ soccer team in school history. “Although it was heartbreaking that we lost, we knew we had a great season. We are proud of all we accomplished.” says senior Jessica Capone. It was their first time ever playing and winning the Section II championship. Addi-tionally, the team won regionals for the first time.

The girls should be proud of their amazing season, and Guilderland should be proud of the Lady Dutch. They have given us many reasons to cheer during their exciting fall 2012 season. “It was such an amazing season,” says Jessica Capone. “It was very special for the seniors on the team to end our soccer careers with such unbelievable success. The team really came together at the end of the season. We had great chemistry which was the key to our achievements.”

Friday, December 14, 2012-7:00PM: Boys’ V. Basketball @ Mohonasen-7:00PM: Girls’ V. Basketball v. Mohonasen

Saturday, December 15, 2012-5:30PM: V. Hockey v. Burnt HillsTuesday, December 18, 2012-3:30PM: V. XC Skiing @ Garnet Hill -4:30PM: Boys’ V. Swimming v. Niskayuna-6:00PM: V. Gymnastics @ Bethlehem

-7:00PM: Boys’ V. Basketball @ Shen-7:00PM: Girls’ V. Basketball v. ShenWednesday, December 19, 2012-7:30PM: V. Wrestling v. BethlehemThursday, December 20, 2012-4:15PM: V. Bowling v. Niskayuna

Friday, December 21, 2012-7:00PM: Boys’ V. Basketball v. Nisky-7:00PM: Girls’ V. Basketball @ NiskySaturday, December 22, 2012-1:45PM: V. Hockey v. CBA-AlbanyWednesday, December 26, 2012-4:45PM: Girls’ V. Basketball @ Elmira

Upcoming Games

Vivian Dai

“Excited and nervous,” said freshman Alyssa Jourdin when asked how she felt early Friday morning.

That Friday, the top twelve girls from the Guilderland cross country team went to sectionals, which took place at Saratoga State Park. The top ten who ran in this highly competitive race knew they were up against some of the best teams in the state, and even the country, like Saratoga, which is ranked second in the country. Even so, the girls and their coach, Dave Kosier, had confidence in their ability—after all, they had beaten their primary competitors (Shen, Shaker, and Bethlehem) multiple times this sea-son. Unfortunately, as Jourdin said, “This wasn’t our best race.” The girls came in fifth place.

The team could not help leaving the park feeling disappointed. “I think we went in to sectionals with high expecta-tions. We thought we had a good chance at second place, or third place, at least,” said Coach Kosier. “I was a little disap-pointed.”

On the bright side, many girls, includ-ing seventh grader Christine Fish, eighth grader Caroline Callender, freshman Alyssa Jourdin, sophomore Sarah For-

man, and senior Taylor Tommell, ran personal records on the 3.06 mile Sara-toga course. “Some of the girls had great performances,” Coach Kosier said. “I’m especially excited to see the youngsters come back next year, because they really have great potential.”

The younger runners are not the only ones with potential. In fact, the entire girls team this season has raised the standard of Guilderland cross country. In the sub-urban council this season, the team had 9 wins and 2 losses at the varsity level, 8 wins and 3 losses at the JV level, and 7 wins and 4 losses at the freshman level, for a total of 24 wins and 9 losses. The team was also the suburban council south champion at all three levels, which is no small feat. “This is the best season we’ve had since 1991, I think,” Coach Kosier said. “At every invitational, we were either first, second, or third. And we were run-ning against some of the best teams in the state and the country.

Six girls from the team continued on to Regionals: Jenna Robinson, Emily Burns, Taylor Tommell, Michelle Fish, Sarah Forman, Alyssa Jourdin. The girls came in 9th place overall, with two hundred people running in the race. “I was very nervous for the race, but once the gun

went off, all of my nerves went away,” said Taylor Tommell. “After Regionals was over, I knew everyone did their best, and I was sad that the amazing season had come to an end.”

Amongst the great teams in the region, Guilderland still manages to stand out as something special. The coaches have often told the team that they’ve received messages from other teams appreciating Guilderland’s character, both on and off the racecourse. Our runners this season have continued to uphold the traditions and values of Guilderland cross coun-try — they say “Good job” to both the runner before them and after them at the end of a race, no matter what team they’re from; they always congratulate their teammates, no matter how well they did; and they always head out to the course to cheer for their teammates, no matter how much they want to hole up in the concession stand.

“To everyone I know who has partici-pated, cross country is much more than a sport” says senior Chrissy Bolognino. “It’s a great way to connect and bond with others, something that sticks with you for all of high school and beyond.”

The cross country team is also the only one in the region that has a complete

uniform, with jackets and sweatpants called “reds”, which they wear for the duration of the meet (except when rac-ing). This allows the Guilderland runners to be easily identified as a humongous red team that takes up an entire tennis court. The great thing about the size of our team is that it can literally form a Long Red Line, or a long red tunnel, on either side of the racecourse when the team is cheering for teammates. They’re also eas-ily recognizable by other teams at awards ceremonies, where we cheer loudly (and admittedly, obnoxiously) whenever the word “Guilderland” is heard.

“The team makes Guilderland cros country special. They’re so supportive and nice. It’s like one big family,” Jourdin said. “I don’t like running, but I like the team. Cross country is a lot of work, but it pays off.” Coach Kosier expressed a similar viewpoint. “I think the cross country team has super kids, and super parents…Everyone is polite to each other and other teams, and they have a great attitude,” Coach Kosier said. “I like to be positive. We have over ninety positive girls and over seventy positive boys on this team. That’s what makes it great.”

Guilderland Cross Country: much more than a place at sectionals

volume 64 issue 2

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