Niskayuna High School

Since 1974,Now Weekly

April 15, 2005 Volume 31, Issue 25

NHS group surveys outdoor surroundings

by Alyssa KurtznerNEWS

Horticulture, in the words of biology teacher Christopher Jennings, is “the study of the art of growing plants.” Every Wednesday, Jennings and a small group of students get together to explore this “art” as part of the high school’s Horticulture Club.

You may have seen the club’s greenhouse located in the sci-ence courtyard, or perhaps noticed a plant sale going on outside one of the cafeterias, both of which are Horticul-ture Club-sponsored. Many people, however, are unaware of this club’s existence in the high school.

“I’d really like to get other kids to hear about the club and join, and just give it a chance, because it’s actually a lot of fun,” said junior Shelly Plum-mer, who currently heads the club as President.

About six different plant sales take place over the course

LET THE SUN SHINE IN: Horticulture Club grows its plants in the school’s greenhouse, which has exited for over 50 years but was only recently renovated.

Horticulture Club sprouts new interest

Environmental Study Team works to study, preserve local habitats

of the school year, in which stu-dents, faculty, and staff can buy house plants, herbs, and even palm trees. The club also sells plants to others in the commu-nity on Niska-Day. In addition to their plant sales, other club activities include guest lec-tures and fi eld trips, both local and out-of-state. Their most recent trip was in March to the New England Flower Show in Boston, Massachusetts, where they visited places like the Harvard Museum of Natural History and Quincy Market. Plummer also expressed the club’s interest in making a trip down to New York City sometime next year.

In addition to having “a whole lot of fun,” according to senior club member Ali Nottke, the twelve hardwork-ing and dedicated members of this club have invested much time and effort into main-taining the club and accom-

(continued on page 3,PERSONALITIES)

by Zach Greene NEWS

The Environmental Study Team, under the direction of Earth Science teacher Paul Scott, is a club that fo-cuses on the study and protection of nature. Their objective is to monitor the Lisha Kill by performing chemical, biological, and physical tests on the stream twice a year. Although their main goal is to watch and protect the river, the team also focuses on spend-ing time in nature.

During every season, the club is active outdoors, whether it is 70 degrees Fahrenheit or seven. In the fall months members take hikes, in the winter they snowshoe, and, during the summer months, they go white-water rafting.

Along with having fun outdoors, the club participates in competitions along with others who share a love for nature. At the Clear Water Con-gress, teams get together to compete by presenting data tables and by monitoring environments. The team also competes at the “Envirothon,” which will take place this month. At this competition, the team will have to answer a gamut of questions about conservation.

However, when it comes to saving nature, the Environmental Study team works together instead of com-peting with other teams. During the Great River Sweep, the Niskayuna team, along with others from across the nation, will be doing their part to improve the conditions of their lo-

cal rivers and streams. Niskayuna’s team will be working to beautify the Mohawk, cleaning up garbage and debris.

The club is looking forward to these upcoming competitions and events, but they are also looking to the future. Next year, the team hopes to create a new fall tradition for the club. They want to go the Adirondacks and sleep in a log cabin overnight. In order to take this trip, the team needs to raise money—and to do that, they are going to utilize nature’s help. At Niska-Day, the team will be selling bluebird boxes to raise funds. In addition to this new tradition, the Environmental team will continue to monitor the Lisha Kill for years to come.

Warrior photo / Alec Wilson

2 News April 15, 2005 The Warrior2

CorrectionLast weekʼs issue featured a story on the Media Arts Festival and was accompanied by various graphics.

The Warrior failed to give credit to Laura Staley, whose two photos of student artwork appeared on page 3.

by Rachel NaparstekNEWS

Students met to watch the hour-long documentary Uncon-stitutional: the War on Our Civil Liberties, directed by Nonny de la Peña, last Friday April 8.

The event was sponsored by Niskayuna’s Amnesty Interna-tional Club to top off their week of student protest against the highly controversial Patriot Act.

Unconstitutional exposed the USA Patriot Act as violations of numerous civil liberties guaran-teed by the U.S. Constitution. From watching the fi lm, the students learned about the secret mass deportations and detainments of innocent people following September 11.

No matter one’s political affiliation, Unconstitutionalsent a scary reminder of how seemingly good objectives could distort some of our most celebrated American values. It displayed many disturbing sto-ries that allegedly highlighted the lies and corrupt policies with which many people were victimized.

Responding to a clip of At-torney General John Ashcroft

saying “Trust us, we’re the government,” sophomore Em-ily Payton remarked, “It is frightening to see how easily our rights can be taken away by any one administration.”

At one point during the docu-mentary, an Olympic athlete was interviewed. He spoke about how his Arabic name had him constantly stopped at

airports. The fi lm also focused on the US’s disregard for the

Students show film protesting ActGeneva Conventions even though it is against US law to not follow them.

Adam Schwartz, junior, com-mented, “I don’t understand how or why Clinton could be impeached for lying about committing adultery, but Bush can get away with taking away people’s rights, torturing the and indefinitely detaining them by labeling them enemy combatants.”

The film concentrated on what if interpreted as gov-ernment corruption, but it is necessary to point out that Unconstitutional only shows American events from one point of view and that there is undoubtedly another side to the proceedings.

Nisky Lacrosse: The Niska-yuna Lacrosse Team T-shirts

are on sale now. Proceeds from the sales will go to the E-Commerce Scholarship

Fund. See Mrs. Lindsay in the Business Offi ce to order one.

Youth Employment: See Mrs. Ferencik in the New Café

Monday, Wednesday or Fri-day of next week to fi ll out an application. Jobs available for Spring include Recreational Soccer League, landscaping,

Faculty/Staff: NTA Scholar-ship Fund is selling golf balls for $3/dozen or $10/dozen. If interested, get them while

theyʼre still in the Social Studies Resource Center.

Faculty/Staff: Discount Broad-way theater tickets are avail-

able from Ms. Redbord in room C209. The current tickets

are for the show “Cookin.”

Warrior photo / Juliette Price

NEWS BRIEFS

3NewsApril 15, 2005The Warrior

U p d a t e d 2 0 0 5 -2006 course

information:

Due to newly proposed budget cuts and various other factors, the fol-lowing courses (unless otherwise noted) have been discontinued for

the 2005-2006 school year:

Business:All keyboarding classes1 section Business Analysis

English:2 sections of Academic Intervention Services (AIS)AP Reading and Writing Prose

Family and Consumer Sciences:1 section Beginning Foods

Foreign Language:Russian ILatin AP

Health:Online health course

Math:No class cancellations; sections will be larger

Music:1 section Music Theory I/II

Physical Education:No class cancellations; sections will be larger

Social Studies:All Archeology classesAll African-American Experience classes

Technology:1 section of Residential Construction

Interdisciplinary: World ConnectionsExploring the World

This is not a complete list of courses which are being consid-

ered for cancelation or recon-fi guration; it is a list of those

which have been confi rmed so far. More changes may follow.

National Library Week descends upon media center, staff

NEWSA group of students presented high school media specialists with tokens of

appreciation, seen above, along with a spontaneously-created paper chain that ran around the entire perimeter of the school library on National Librarians’ Day, observed this past Monday, April 12. The occasion was only one small part of National Library Week, an annual event sponsored by the American Library Association to recognize and publicize public and private libraries across the country while promoting library use. The week wraps up today.

According to Media Specialist Melissa Bergin, the week is especially important because it celebrates “the world of communitity that libraries have.”

The fi rst National Library Week was held in 1958, and has now been inte-grated into School Library Media Month.

Personalities and plants grow horticulture was not their initial reason for joining.

“I really like Mr. Jennings. He’s just a really cool guy and a lot of fun,” said Nottke, who later added that Jennings is, in fact, quite knowledgeable on the topic of “plants and stuff.” The passion and energy that Jennings has brought to the club is clearly refl ected in the reaction of students to his role as their advisor.

The members of Horticulture Club are working hard to continue spreading knowl-edge about plants and sharing with others the product of careful seeding, fertilization, and care.

(continued from page 1, HORTICULTURE)

plishing such projects as a complete reno-vation of the greenhouse. Just over three years ago, this very same greenhouse was a rundown mess. It has since been entirely cleaned out and organized and is now fi lled with about 1,000 plants of all different sizes, shapes, and origins.

The club grows and cares for everything from garden herbs, such as basil, oregano, tomatoes, and peppers, to houseplants, like English and Swedish Ivy.

Some of those who participate in the club explained that a genuine interest in

Club provides opportunities for plant cultivation

444 OpinionOpinionOpinion

The Warrior

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For a one-year subscription, send a check for $25 payable to Niskayuna High School to The Warrior, Attn: Subscriptions, 1626 Balltown Rd., Niskayuna, NY 12309.

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T H E S T A F F

April 15, 2005 The Warrior

EDITORIAL POLICIES

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are wel-come from all members of the school community. The Warrior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar and length.

SIGNED OPINION ARTICLES AND CARTOONS express the opinions of their creators.

UNSIGNED EDITORIALS represent the consensus of the paper’s edito-rial board, which may not refl ect the majority of the students’ views.

THE OP-ED PAGES are a forum for students’ opinions and ideas.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Alice Lee, Alec WilsonNEWS EDITORS: Jesse Conti, Julia Napolitano,

Joshua XiongASST. NEWS: Lesley Yemi Adewunmi, Ian

Davis, Eric ZhouOPINION EDITORS: Evan Ballan, Jeremy WolosASST. OPINION: Stephanie KaylorENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Sarita UpadhyayASST. ENTERTAINMENT: Steve ChaoSPORTS EDITORS: Anthony Guzman, Andrew MarshallASST. SPORTS: Caitlin Horgan, Gavin LabateHEAD MAGAZINE EDITOR: Kathryn FantauzziMAGAZINE EDITORS: Katerina Gross, Alex RivadeneiraCOPY EDITOR: Abby AlgerGRAPHICS COORDINATOR: Laura SimpsonGRAPHICS EDITOR: Juliette PriceDISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Ian DavisBUSINESS MANAGER: Erik DonhoweWEB SITE MANAGER: Scott BrainardADVISORS: James Edgar, Russell McDowell

World loses a great leaderOn Saturday, April 2, Pope John Paul

II passed away due to complications after heart failure. Millions of devout Catholics have poured into Rome to pay homage to their leader, and millions more around the world have paid their respects through prayer and churchgoing.

Political leaders, too, have offered re-spectful words for the passing of the pope. It seems that every country’s leadership, from the United States to North Korea (and everywhere in be-tween) has OKed some type of national recogni-tion, or at least relaxation in normal protocol, in order to honor the pope’s death.

The pope, born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920, was an extremely powerful indi-vidual: he offered spiritual guidance to nearly 1.1 billion baptized Catholics in the world, about one out of every six individu-als. What was it about the pope that caused so many non-Catholics to openly express their sadness after his death?

Pope John Paul II’s accomplishments in nonreligious areas are impressive and worthy of quite a bit of respect. In his per-

sonal life, he was an accomplished athlete and was fully fl uent in eight languages, in which he often addressed crowds. Out-wardly, however, he not only helped to modernize the Vatican and create fairer procedures, but he also offered substantial humanitarian and political aid to several important causes. In his reign, he helped to ease the transition from communism to democracy in Eastern Europe after the fall of the USSR, especially in his native

Poland. Furthermore, when he faced the prob-lem of extreme Catholic poverty in South America,

he reacted generously and effectively, helping to cultivate an extensive system of Catholic humanitarian aid throughout the continent.

In our high school environment, some students are certainly unsure of how to handle or regard the passing of the pope, especially for those who are not Catholic. The pope’s life, however, was a virtuous one from a religious or non-religious perspec-tive, and the fact that he was of a different religion should not prevent anyone from mourning his passing.

EDITORIAL

Mourning for pope transcends Catholicism

Student lists great classesby Joshua Xiong

OPINION

As a highly biased junior with no credibility whatso-ever, I’m going to offer you what are, in my opinion, the great classes that are offered at this school. However, if I fail to mention certain classes in certain fields of study, it is in no way a refl ection of their quality so much as of this author’s attitude towards them. And even then, it in no way tries to convey the message that the author dislikes unmen-tioned classes, but that he may not fi nd them as enjoy-able as others.

1. AP World His-tory, Rosemary Hirota-Mor-ris – Arguably the greatest course in the entire Nis-kayuna High School cur-riculum. In a play on Ernest Hemingway’s commentary

on the novel Huckleberry Finn, I would like to of-fer the following idea: all enlightened knowledge of the world comes from one class taught by Mrs. Hirota-Morris, called AP World History. To not have taken it is to have risked court-ing ignorance. The course spans a thousand years of human history, civiliza-tion, philosophy, literature, and economic and social analysis. For most students, sophomore year will be their fi rst year of experiencing college-level classes, and this class helps shape these tenth-graders into worldly individuals. The class litera-ture presented encompasses some of the most important writings that have shaped civilization and human thought, with authors rang-ing from Karl Marx to John Locke to Francis Bacon to

Adam Smith. And, most of all, Mrs. Hirota-Morris’s supplementary lectures on various historical fi gures and her “fi lm festivals” are always enjoyable.

2. Latin I/II Accel-erated, Thomas Caffrey – Latin may not actually help you garner a good verbal score on the SAT. It may not help you expand your vocabulary by much. In fact, the existence of such claims is probably just a clever means of in-creasing enrollment in the Latin program. Latin does, however, make you a ma-chine in terms of being able to think critically, logically and structurally. Latin is like a code, and a Latin student is the decipherer of that code. He must uti-

(continued on page 5,NHS)

by Stephanie KaylorOPINION

Recently, as I was taking a walk down Jay Street in Schenectady, I noticed a small clus-Street in Schenectady, I noticed a small clus-

ter of people standing on the corner of the road ter of people standing on the corner of the road holding up signs protesting the war in Iraq. They holding up signs protesting the war in Iraq. They

seemed like a very friendly group of people, and I seemed like a very friendly group of people, and I said “hello” before I continued to go along my way. said “hello” before I continued to go along my way. As I proceeded, a teenage male sped by, yelling As I proceeded, a teenage male sped by, yelling

out of his car and calling the protesters a bunch of out of his car and calling the protesters a bunch of “stupid hippies.”“stupid hippies.”

Usually, in similar situations I would fi nd myself Usually, in similar situations I would fi nd myself yelling back to whomever felt arrogant enough to yelling back to whomever felt arrogant enough to insult strangers, even if it had nothing to do with insult strangers, even if it had nothing to do with

me, but seeing as this person had driven away, me, but seeing as this person had driven away, that was not an option. As a matter of fact, I that was not an option. As a matter of fact, I didn’t make any more contact with the protest-ers as I walked back to my parents’ car. I just thought about the insult to the people who were simply expressing their want for peace, wondering how so many in our society could

think of such a thing as a social ill.Why might these individuals have been disrespected? Why might these individuals have been disrespected?

Though the person in the car didn’t exactly say anything Though the person in the car didn’t exactly say anything specifi c about the protestors, it’s safe to say that many specifi c about the protestors, it’s safe to say that many times far left perspectives are viewed as a joke and aren’t times far left perspectives are viewed as a joke and aren’t taken seriously. The driver’s comment implies that he taken seriously. The driver’s comment implies that he was simply categorizing the protestors into preconceived was simply categorizing the protestors into preconceived stereotypes. Some of the stereotypes of extreme liberals stereotypes. Some of the stereotypes of extreme liberals are uneducated, marijuana users, homosexuals, and are uneducated, marijuana users, homosexuals, and sometimes poor. While I try not to be too judgmental, I sometimes poor. While I try not to be too judgmental, I can tell you that these individuals were most likely not can tell you that these individuals were most likely not the wealthiest in the area, but poverty by itself should the wealthiest in the area, but poverty by itself should not be a cause for disrespect. It is very true that one not be a cause for disrespect. It is very true that one

5OpinionApril 15, 2005The Warrior

ALL OPINIONS expressed on the op-ed pages represent the individual viewpoints of their authors. The content does not necessarily represent the views of The Warrior, the high school, the school dis-trict, nor the Board of Education.

(continued from page 4,STUDENT)

lize all his knowledge and critical think-ing skills to fi nd how each word fi ts into a coherent thought. Mr. Caffrey infuses this class with a lot of enthusiasm, with energy that propels him to literally bounce off the walls. He is able to relate to the thinking train of students, and thus has created very effective modern-day analo-gies for students to use when learning the language.

3. Global History 9H, Mary Eads– This is the class that justifi es its importance with three very valuable things: 1) an exploration into Greek phi-losophy of Plato and Socrates, 2) a com-prehensive overview of the Romans and their parallels to our modern day society e.g., Pax Romana vs. Pax Americana, and

3) an understanding of world religions. Finally, don’t forget the binding text of the universe: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

4. Latin III,Thomas Caffrey– Same teacher, same amazing teaching style. However, the higher level offers a greater exploration into Roman culture and soci-ety, focusing on customs, education, dates, funerals, and marriages, among other things.

5. Biology H, Pat Black– In order to avoid giving off the impression that I favor the humanities above everything else (which I do), I’d like to include biol-ogy. And in all honesty, it is a great class. The material’s structured, organized, and easy to follow. Mrs. Black is a great teacher who can help her students visu-ally learn, and supplements the teach-

ing with a slew of labs that apply the material. And most of all, biology, as a life science, offers some very interesting explorations into human understanding. Areas such as evolution, genetics, ecol-ogy, and bioethics covered in the class offer some very interesting discourse on topics about human development, human nature, and politics and public policy. Debates such as Nature vs. Nur-ture, the Genome project, and Stem Cell Research all pop up. All in all, this class is indispensable.

NHS’s greatest academic offeringsStudent shares his favorite high school courses taken

may not be fi nancially prosperous because they slacked off their entire lives and are without the capacity of holding a steady job; however, there are infi nite other explanations as to why one might not be rich; one could have been born into a family that didn’t have much money, or could have lost his job due to all of the layoffs that have been taking place.

What most people never think of is the fact that some people don’t have much money purely out of their own free will. While nowadays it isn’t all that common for people to treat money with disregard, there are some who just want to live a simple, carefree life. I must admit, though I am one of the many people in this school who spends more money than is really necessary, I think that that’s a wonderful example. It’s a shame that when people see a carpenter, for example, they think that he or she can’t do anything better; perhaps the person had all of the opportunities in the world to be a millionaire, but took a job for which they felt a strong passion and enthusiasm.

Now, I’m not sure how much of this was going through the person in the car’s head, or if he was even really giving much thought to his words, yet there’s still no good reason for any generaliza-tions to exist. While being judgmental towards any group of people isn’t a fair thing to do, it’s hard for me to come up with an explanation as to why people can think negatively of others who only want to live a peaceful life. After all, it says a lot about a person when he or she tries to make one who wants peace look like they have their priorities wrong.

Protesters mis judgedProtesters mis judged

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April 15, 2005666 EntertainmentEntertainmentEntertainment The WarriorThe WarriorThe Warrior

Sin City a sinful delight

Local BandsBored? Check out some of

Niskayuna’s own bands.The Nightlife

Style Screamo/RockNext Show April 13

Venue Northern LightsWebsite

www.myspace.com/thenightlifeLove Buzz

Style Alternative/ GrungeNext Show April 16

Venue New Age CabaretWebsite

www.myspace.com/lovebuzz

Left

Eddie Always WinsStyle Pop punk/ RockNext Show April 16

Venue New Age CabaretWebsite

www.myspace.com/eddiealwayswins

Style Funk/RockNext Show April 16

Venue TBAWebsite

www.myspace.com/leftby Justin Chesterfi eldENTERTAINMENT

What is it that makes the bad guy with a righteous goal who is taking down powerful, corrupt individuals so alluring? Sin City chronicles the lives of various characters in an offbeat city; however, events take place in different parts of one central timeline. Instead of having one main story, this movie features several very interesting inter-twining ones.

From the previews, the movie looks like it has some potential, but it made me skep-tical. It appears that its use of black and white with some selective color could have been some kind of gimmick and the movie could have been just a rehash of a basic action movie with some new effects.

However, the product is far from this misconception. The look of this film fits

perfectly with the feel of the fi lm itself. Sin City is nar-rated in all the right places and it gives the viewer the opportunity to look into the depths of characters’ minds.It’s also important to mention that there is a fair amount of nudity in Sin City, and it’s graphic at times. Although the movie doesn’t show a lot of gore,

it forces the viewer to visualize it. Directors Frank Miller and Robert Ro-driguez perfectly combine the amount of narration and audio perception with the amount of action and visual perception. This makes the viewer experi-ence the emotions invoked by the fi lm.

The characters in Sin City

are without mercy, but with just cause. This is not your basic action movie–all the characters are beautifully fl eshed out and thought out completely. Rodri-guez and Miller make us care for the characters, despite some of the brutal things they do. The fi lm features characters such as a cop who rises up and strikes down evil regardless of the con-sequences, including laws he must break, and a calculating murderer who fi ghts for what he sees as good. My personal favorite was a psychotic brute avenging the only person who ever showed him kindness.

Why is it so tempting to idol-ize these people? Why do we feel for the evil-doers? Sin Citybreathes new life into the anti-hero cliché with a startling plot, excellent visuals and sound, and a real fl esh-and-blood feel.

New hot spot: Coldstoneby Adam Evans

ENTERTAINMENT

Like the massive crowds of Niska-yuna students, I sped through traffi c and sprinted to the doors of the newly opened Cold-newly opened Cold- s t o n e s t o n e Creamery on Sat-Creamery on Sat- u r d a y night. Since its night. Since its o p e n -ing about two ing about two weeks ago in Mohawk Commons , C o l d s t o n e has become t h e o n l y place for ice cream in our small little town. I was i n t r i g u e d by all this hype,and the rave reviews.

Thus, on Sat-urday night, following an evening o f spicy Mexican cuisine, I felt myself yearning for something cold and delicious to extinguish the fi re my Chorizo chimichanga left in my stomach. I immediately thought of Coldstone, and I

sped to Mohawk Commons in hopes of get-ting a taste of this divine ambrosia before doors closed. Luckily, I arrived on time to sample the wonder that is Coldstone.

One of the distinguishing factors that sets this place apart from other sets this place apart from other

establishments such as Friend-establishments such as Friend-ly’s and Uncle Ralph’s is the ly’s and Uncle Ralph’s is the fact that students can create their own fl avor. Coldstone provides you with so many choices for toppings that you will have a hard time fi guring out what NOT to put into your ice cream. I tried the decadent chocolate devotion fl avor chocked full of delicious chocolate chips, gooey brownies, and thick fudge. The rich taste and sa-vory goodness left my taste buds craving more. Some of the more popular fl avors

with Niskayuna students include birthday cake remix, cheesecake fantasy and cake batter.

I will fi nd myself traveling to Coldstone for all my ice cream needs from now on, simply because of these four things: great service, delicious ice cream, perfect atmosphere and, of course, the singing.

CREAMERY: NHS students and Coldstone employees Sara Merriman (left) and Hannah Dillon (right) pose for a photo.

SINNERS: New hit movie, Sin City proves to include top notch acting and directing.

Image courtesy yahoo.com

Warrior photo / Ludovic Guerot

Volume 7, Issue 11 April 15, 2005

Silver

SPRINGFEVER Cover design by Alex Rivadeneira

SilverSilverThe Warrior Magazine

Kathryn FantauzziKaterina GrossAlex Rivadeneira

not by the thermometer but the infamous epidemic spreading like wildfi re through the student pop-

ulation: spring fever. Symptoms include a tendency for eyes to wander from quadratic equations to sunlit windows, prom dates to become worth their weight in gold, and the dress code to be interpreted as more of “guide-lines.” For some, however, the advent of spring is not symbolized by the new season’s fashions, but by dreaded AP exams. For an exorbitant amount of money, test-takers can receive in their mailbox an unexplained single-

digit score (that colleges may or may not accept) most likely determined by the roll of a die.

Picture the scene: a circle of card shark AP graders, their black sunglasses fl ashing in the harsh fl uorescent lamp, en-gaged in a cutthroat round of Yahtzee. For this, AP students reject spring fl ings in favor of developing intimate relation-ships with the charming Bar-ron, Kaplan, and tempestuous Princeton Review.

This time of year is also synonymous with the arrival of spring sports–and spring injuries. Tape, braces, and

crutches are as good indicators of the season as the dripping piles of muddy uniforms. Still, mud won’t insulate you from the havoc wreaked by the dreaded infection wreaked by the dreaded infection that makes even the most sen-that makes even the most sen-sible person do cartwheels down sible person do cartwheels down Crossroads. Thanks but no thanks; Crossroads. Thanks but no thanks; I’ll keep my mittens on until I’ll keep my mittens on until the contagion passes–or at least the contagion passes–or at least until the new spring sandals are until the new spring sandals are less expensive than an AP exam. less expensive than an AP exam. Fashionable new heels or chancy Fashionable new heels or chancy college credit? The choice is easy college credit? The choice is easy

by Anjali NirmalanMAGAZINE

The blinding sun-light refl ects off a pavement hot enough to fry an egg and even

some sausage, the chorus of enthusiastic birdsong is nearly deafening, the leaves on the trees are as green as the grass, and I, a bundle of mit-tens and scarves, regard the scene suspiciously from under a wide-brimmed umbrella. It is the nature of inhabitants of this temperamental region that during the summer we long for cool snow days, and during the winter we dream of warm dog days. In between, we are skeptical of both, and wait months before fi nally deciding to months before fi nally deciding to exchange the snowblower for the exchange the snowblower for the lawnmower. It may be a warm lawnmower. It may be a warm early April, but somewhere on early April, but somewhere on the horizon lurks one last mali-the horizon lurks one last mali-cious snow cloud, eyeing our cious snow cloud, eyeing our fl ip-fl ops and baseball tickets fl ip-fl ops and baseball tickets with conniving glee as it did two with conniving glee as it did two Niska-Days ago.

However, spring is best judged However, spring is best judged

The Warrior Magazine April 15, 2005

Dear Readers,

We hope that you enjoy our new layout. The new look is based on extensive research of graphic design, and feedback graphic design, and feedback from students, faculty, and from students, faculty, and parents. We’ve tried to provide parents. We’ve tried to provide a more readable, streamlined, a more readable, streamlined, eye-friendly format.eye-friendly format.

Appropriately enough, we Appropriately enough, we have chosen to focus this issue have chosen to focus this issue on another new beginning: on another new beginning: springtime.

You might have already You might have already noticed that the warm spring noticed that the warm spring breeze has the masses emerg-breeze has the masses emerg-ing from their homes after ing from their homes after a long winter’s hibernation. a long winter’s hibernation. Spring not only brings a Spring not only brings a refreshed feeling of life to refreshed feeling of life to our daily drudgery, but its our daily drudgery, but its warmer temperatures and warmer temperatures and rainy days yield beautiful buds rainy days yield beautiful buds that soon will bloom. Not to that soon will bloom. Not to mention we can fi nally catch mention we can fi nally catch a glimpse of the sun. We hope a glimpse of the sun. We hope that you too catch spring fever.that you too catch spring fever.

- The Editors

@Silver

by Emily PaytonMAGAZINE

As I meander along my usual paths in Niskayuna High School, I am struck with an immense sense of change. Perhaps the subtlety of it had eluded me, but now that I look about, it

seems incredibly clear. Spring has offi cially “sprung” (try as I might, I could not avoid “sprung” (try as I might, I could not avoid

that cliché, I apol-

ogize), ogize), and along with it, and along with it, Niskayuna has begun Niskayuna has begun to make its annual alter-to make its annual alter-ations, transitioning into ations, transitioning into the summer holidays.the summer holidays.

This past weekend’s

paths in Niskayuna High School, I am struck with an immense sense of change. Perhaps the subtlety of it had eluded me, but now that I look about, it

Spring fever is on the risenot by the thermometer but the

Spring fever is on the risenot by the thermometer but the digit score (that colleges may

Spring fever is on the risedigit score (that colleges may by Anjali Nirmalan

Spring fever is on the riseby Anjali Nirmalan

Goodbye winter and hello springwhen you’ve got spring fever.Goodbye winter and hello springwhen you’ve got spring fever.

by Emily Payton

Goodbye winter and hello springby Emily Payton weather was splendid. Last Friday, likewise,

was marvelous, and I can say with complete confi dence that every student at Niskayuna begrudged the fact that they were in a class-room instead of out in the warm sunshine. I, myself, confess to watching a particular squirrel during Latin class, and begging Mrs. Brinkman to let us have some “air” during Ladies First.

This time of year proves to be This time of year proves to be This time of year proves to be the true test of focus for all. the true test of focus for all. the true test of focus for all. Schoolwork seems completely Schoolwork seems completely Schoolwork seems completely trite and unnecessary with trite and unnecessary with trite and unnecessary with the advent of nicer and more the advent of nicer and more the advent of nicer and more agreeable weather. Also, agreeable weather. Also, agreeable weather. Also, the longer days provided by the longer days provided by the longer days provided by Daylight Saving time makes Daylight Saving time makes Daylight Saving time makes it even more diffi cult for it even more diffi cult for it even more diffi cult for high school students to high school students to high school students to follow a regular sleep follow a regular sleep follow a regular sleep schedule. schedule.

As all students are As all students are As all students are well aware, this all well aware, this all

leads to the leads to the “coup de grace” of

the school year: summer vacation. And yet, we are hardly allowed to ease into our apathy. Everyone has finals, and many have Regents and AP exams as well. Oh, bane of my existence! How I long to frolic, a bit, but I am forced to go through this cursed Barons’ review book!

For the fi rst time in months, classrooms aren’t bitterly cold. Shorts and aren’t bitterly cold. Shorts and

sandals have begun to sandals have begun to make a comeback of make a comeback of

sorts. Eating lunch sorts. Eating lunch outside is not only outside is not only a possibility, it is a possibility, it is preferred. Gym classes are more classes are more

and more frequent-and more frequent-ly conducted out-ly conducted out-

doors, and the occasional doors, and the occasional teacher allows for air-breaks. I teacher allows for air-breaks. I

suppose these things make up, to a mini-suppose these things make up, to a mini-mal extent, for the fact that we have to be in mal extent, for the fact that we have to be in school at all. Unfortunately, by the time we school at all. Unfortunately, by the time we

are out of school, the thermostat will have are out of school, the thermostat will have spiked above 90, and this lovely spring will spiked above 90, and this lovely spring will be no more. Let’s enjoy it while we can. be no more. Let’s enjoy it while we can.

A crocus is to my life as Liquid Plumber is to a

clogged drain.

I love springtime because the days are longer

and everyone is so cheery.

Leanne Merrill Steph Cogen

The Warrior Magazine April 15, 2005Silver

Hot new spring fashions for studentsHot new spring fashions for studentsby Kathryn Fantauzzi

MAGAZINE

MEN’S The Armani Exchange Polo has

a subtle logo zipper placket in a contrasting color. The polo features a 100% pima cotton knit, a cotton interlock, and a close-to-body fi t. The polo is machine washable, and is available in sizes ranging from x-small to x-large. The polo is also available in agean, black, and volcano. The Armani Exchange Polo is priced at $42.00.

The Lacoste Polo was named after René Lacoste, one of the famous “three mus-keteers” who raised the status of tennis in France to that of an elite sport. He invented the style of “casual elegance.” In order to gain a greater freedom of motion and comfort during his matches, Lacoste created a lightweight, open-weave, short sleeved white knit shirt, with a ribbed collar. The brand’s famous logo, the alligator, was derived from Lacoste’s nickname. He was nicknamed “the alligator” after a bet just before a davis Cup game. The captain of the French team had promised Lacoste that he would give him a crocodile he would give him a crocodile s k i n s k i n suitcase if he won his match and the fans were quick to pick up on the nickname. The crocodile, which sym-

bolizes patience and power, was the logical choice a brand that focuses on longevity and a commitment to quality.

Today there are 90 variations of the Lacoste polo, with styles for men, the Lacoste polo, with styles for men, women and children. The polo comes women and children. The polo comes in both trendy and classic styles and in both trendy and classic styles and is offered in a wide range of fabrics is offered in a wide range of fabrics including petit piqué for the tradi-including petit piqué for the tradi-tional look, as well as in a super-light tional look, as well as in a super-light knit for a lightweight feel and in Pima cot-knit for a lightweight feel and in Pima cot-ton for an added refi ned elegance. Despite ton for an added refi ned elegance. Despite the variations, the Lacoste brand remains the variations, the Lacoste brand remains elegant, authentic and timeless.

The vintage washed DKNY boot cut jeans The vintage washed DKNY boot cut jeans can be found at many depart-ment stores such as Macy’s and Nordstrom’s. The boot cut style is a classic, clean look. However, this style does tend to shorten the leg and is therefore unattractive on shorter men or those with more square on shorter men or those with more square frames. The designer jeans are priced at $45 frames. The designer jeans are priced at $45 to $50 on average, but range from $28 to to $50 on average, but range from $28 to

$100.

For a retro look, For a retro look, For a retro look, the white leather the white leather the white leather Lacoste Lace–up Lacoste Lace–up Lacoste Lace–up Sneakers are a Sneakers are a Sneakers are a perfect fi t. The soft perfect fi t. The soft white leather and white leather and perforated toe al-perforated toe al-

low for both comfort low for both comfort and fl exibility of mo-and fl exibility of mo-

tion. The green sole is not only stylish, but it is also functional. The rubber sole

allows for an in-creased traction, and the creased traction, and the

white lace-up style al-white lace-up style al-lows for an easy slip-on lows for an easy slip-on and slip-off style.and slip-off style.

WOMEN’SWOMEN’SThe Louise bateau-The Louise bateau-print skirt is a print skirt is a lightweight cotton spring skirt with a colorful print. The skirt has an A-line silhouette, fi tted

through the hip. The skirt is through the hip. The skirt is pintucked at the seams and pintucked at the seams and has a removable grosgrain has a removable grosgrain ribbon tie belt and a side ribbon tie belt and a side

zip. The skirt is 23” long and hits just above zip. The skirt is 23” long and hits just above the knee. The Louise bateau-print skirt is priced at $98.00 at J. Crew.

The pink tissue tee is a thin, lightweight tee; perfect for hot summer days. The tee can be either dressed up, with a stylish skirt and shoes, or dressed down with a casual pair of capris, shorts, or summer jeans and a pair of fl ip fl ops. Versatile and perfect for layering, the tissue tee is an essential piece to any collection.

The jean jacket is also a classic. The jean jacket is a perfectly versatile piece. It’s great to dress down a sun dress or summer skirt, and perfect for a casual day look. This jacket in particular is perfect for a classic vintage look.

Steve Madden, a shoe designer, has be-come popular for his funky and individualistic styles. Steve Madden shoes are most com-monly found in department stores such as Filene’s and Macy’s. Madden’s styles range from casual slippers, to more elegant and sophisticated stilettos. The wide range of designs makes it easy to fi nd a perfect pair of shoes for any outfi t.

The Warrior Magazine April 15, 2005Silver

Tulipa Cultivars

Narcissus spp.

Pear Plant

Salix babylonica

ScillaPlant

The tulip is one of the most well-known fl owers associ-ated with the spring season. Over one hundred species

thousand varieties in colors, season of bloom, and size have been cultivated for today.

Image courtesy hort.cornell.edu Image courtesy biology.smsu.edu

Image courtesy mguenther.com

Image courtesy laep.ced.berkeley.edu Image courtesy kulak.ac.be

and April. The name Daffodil is commonly given to those plants with a large fl ower trumpet. These cheap and of-ten easy-to-grow fl owers will bloom for many weeks and add color to every spring garden. However, one must be careful when he or she handles daffodils; toxic alkaloids

the cuttings is poisonous to other spring plants.

one of these plants or at least seen one in your lifetime sometime or another, but aside from providing us with nourishing, tasty fruit that tends to be cultivated, these

medium-sized white fl owers on these trees are one of

mer.

romantic trees are planted near water at many parks,

Babylon), it is actually native to China.

Along with these shrubs and trees that bloom during

spring.

Signs of spring

7SportsApril 15, 2005 The Warrior

Softball looks for strong season by Caitlin Horgan

SPORTS

It’s the time to appreciate warmer weather and spring sports. The 2005 girls Varsity softball team’s season is underway and they are looking forward to a challenging Suburban Council division.

A diverse squad of girls from fresh-men through seniors is working well together to achieve the same goal: winning. Seniors and juniors will help the underclassmen learn how to hit, pitch and play good defense.

Freshman third baseman and out-fielder Kate Waltman stated, “All of the girls are very nice and have been helping me out a lot.”

Support among members of the squad will hopefully build a strong team. Coached by Jessica Stanton, these silver stars are preparing to be competitive in league games.

“Our goal is to be competitive in a strong Suburban Council league,” Stanton commented.

It is vital that the team works well together this season.

Sophomore Lindsay Jordan shared, “Practices are a lot of fun; the whole team bonds very well on and off the field.”

Team chemistry will be a key ele-ment in helping this team win. The group must stay focused during practices in order to build a power-

ful offense and strong defense. They need to master the defensive end of the spectrum in order to be competitive.

Junior shortstop Cris-tina Liquori said, “I think we get along better than in years past, and we’re willing to work hard.” Hope fu l ly, the team’s hard work will pay off in tough games such as those against Colonie, Shaker and Shenendehowa. Li-quori also included, “Shen [will be the hardest game] because they have a lot of power hitters and good pitchers.”

T h e s q u a d h a s a l -ready played against Mo-honasen, Schenectady, Bishop Maginn, Bishop Gibbons, and Columbia. T h e t e a m s u f f e r e d a loss against Mohonasen, their first league game of the season, but won in a scrimmage against Bishop Maginn on April 7. The league record of the Warriors is 0-2, and their overall record is 1-4. Despite losing some games, the team looks ahead to winning against upcoming squads.

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE: Even though the season has been a slow start for girls softball with a league record of 0-2, they still have plenty of power. The girls won this scrimmage against Bishop Maginn.

MEET ON THE PITCHER’S MOUND: Team spirit is clearly evident as the girls storm the mound. They are looking to be a strong competitor in their division this season.

Liquori said a reason why they did not win the Columbia game was that “they got a lot of good hits and we couldn’t connect our hits.”

“ I think we ’ l l come along and poss ib ly beat some o f the stronger teams in the Suburban Council,” catcher Jordan stated.

Sophomore pitcher and third basemen Amanda Smith, another optimistic team member who hopes for a successful season, commented, “We’re ener-getic because we all seem like we want to be there and we all want to win. It’s much more competi-tive at the Varsity level and a lot more fun.”

Students should come out to enjoy the spring w e a t h e r, a l o n g w i t h watching this team play. Come out to see your War-riors battle away against Bethlehem today at 4:00p.m., and on their home field against Burnt Hills on April 25 at 4:00p.m.

by Ben Hayashi& Matt Conlon

8SportsApril 15, 2005The Warrior

Baseball team opens with 3-0 record

BOYS LACROSSEThe season has only just begun, but the Ni-sky Boys Varsity Lacrosse team has looked nothing but dominant. Under the leadership of senior stars like Mark Bryan, Basil Daras-tos, and Nick Sapia, the team hopes to make a legitimate run at the Section II title. Head coach Mike Vorgang was recently named

WNYTʼs Educator of the Week.

Warrior ph

otos / Jeremy W

olos

ABOVE: Several members of the team catch their breath during a break.

LEFT: In a drill at a recent practice, senior Sean McK-earn, right, defends senior Basil Darastos.

RIGHT: Head coach Mike Vorgang, left, discusses strategy with the rest of the Varsity coaching staff.

by Gavin LabateSPORTS

Coach John Furey of the Varsity baseball team described this year’s team as one that is solid in the fi eld, as well as deep in the pitching rotation. Furey’s assessment of the team was dead on, as the team opens its season with a fl awless 3-0 record.

Led by junior Matt Simone and senior Ben Kelly, the Warriors are looking for another successful season, hopefully end-ing with a strong Sectional fi nish. Last year’s team fi nished 13-6, being knocked out of Sectionals in the quarterfi nals to Columbia, who later went on to be crowned State Champions.

This season’s match-up against Colum-bia promises to be a showdown. In the game that Furey describes as a must win, the Warriors will take on the Blue Devils at Joe Bruno Stadium, the venue which formerly hosted the semi-professional Albany Diamond Dogs. Without a victory against Columbia, the task of clinching the Gold Division will be infi nitely more diffi cult.

When it comes to these crucial games, the Warriors look to a strong pitching staff. Simone, returning Varsity player and

starting pitcher, is among the best in the Section. However, the depth of the team allows for seniors Nick Fusella and James Sherrill as well as juniors Lucas Isabella and Scott Battiste and fi nally sophomores Aaron Sapp and Matt Kelly to fi ll in for Simone when his arm is spent.

Whoever the pitcher may be, he can al-ways be confi dent in his eight teammates supporting him in the fi eld.

According to sophomore Matt Kelly, “Radd Deweese captains the outfi eld in his position at center, but everybody is fi eld-ing pretty well.” In the infi eld, Simone is also solid at third base, with Kelly offering strong defense at shortstop.

Though graduation left some critical holes with the loss of Section II standout Peter Chalfi n as well as power hitter Nick Barbera, the team’s current record sug-gests Furey has found a resolution to the loss of these players. In their fi rst game of the year, the Warriors beat Mohonasen 7-2. In their next fi xture, they handed Scotia-Glenville a 15-3 loss in a very convincing win. In their third game, they continued the dominance with another victory over Scotia Glenville, this time by a margin of 11-1.

The Warriors have yet to meet up with any rivals in big games; however, this fact is not to take away from their early season successes. Part of their unblem-ished can be contributed to the addition of two coaches on the staff this year. Coach Mike Black, as well as Coach Gary Maz-zula joined the Warrior staff this season. Black moved up to Varsity after serving as last year’s head coach of the Fresh-man team.

Returning senior Ryan Lamar com-mented on the addition of Black and Mazzula saying, “The two new coaches help out the practices a lot. We’re able to get much more done in a shorter amount of time. Coach Black has done a lot of work with the outfi elders while Coach Furey works with both the infi elders and pitchers and Coach Mazzula helps out where needed.”

With a strong staff of coaches and plenty of depth in both the pitching and hitting rotations, the Silver Warriors have the ele-ments necessary for a successful season. Handling the competition just one game at a time, the Warriors look to continue their so-far perfect season to fi nish strong in Sectionals.