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The Hit Heard Around the World
Pg 13, 15
Impeaching Over Motive
Pg 2-3
A student opened fire at a Santa Clarita high school on Nov. 14, killing two students and injuring three others. The shooter, Nathaniel Berhow, committed the shooting on his 16th birthday.
Before classes started, Berhow entered Saugus High School with a .45 caliber semiauto-matic handgun in his back-pack, Captain Kent Wegen-er of the Los Angeles Coun-ty Sheriff’s Department told NPR. The shooting be-gan at 7:35 a.m. and ended 16 seconds later when Ber-how shot himself in the head.
Shortly after the in-cident, several deputy sheriffs cleared the cam-pus and began the systematic search for Berhow. Those in nearby areas, including worried par-ents, were advised to remain in their homes in case the shooter had escaped.
Later six wounded students were found in a hallway, including the Berhow, who later died at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Who were the victims?
“As far as we know, the actual targets were at random,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.
Two victims, Dominic Blackwell and Grace Anne Muehlberger, arrived at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in critical condition. Both later died.
Two more female students, ages 14 and 15, along with a 14-year-old male student, were hospitalized. All three have been discharged
from the hospital. On top of the several wounded students, many more were traumatized by the inci-dent. Three took their own lives. “I never expected this to happen in the middle of a neigh-borhood like Santa Clarita. I felt protected,” Saugus freshman Adolfo Ramirez told the Wash-
ington Post. Ranked among the wealthiest cities in the country, Saugus is generally seen as a safe suburb. Who was the shooter?
“Neighbors and classmates de-scribed the boy as pleasant but noted that he was changed by the death of his father two years ago,” USA Today reported.
According to their article, Berhow’s next-door neighbor, Jared Axen, said the teen was “sometimes a little sad” but “didn’t come across as depressed.”
Creating a Climate of Possibility
Pg 9
Nov.-Feb. Volume 8, ISSUE 2
Charlize Kolasinski
Continued on page 3
Survivor says, ‘I wasn’t surprised...’
On Jan. 23, the House impeachment man-
agers began presenting their case against the
president to
the Senate.
They charge
d the presi-
dent with
obstruction
of Congress
and abusing
his power by conditioning aid to Ukraine on the
announcement of an investigation into political
rival Vice President Joe Biden.
In deciding whether the alleged offenses
provide grounds for removal, senators will need
the impeachment clause of the Constitution:
“The President … shall be removed from Office
on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Trea-
son, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misde-
meanors.”
President Donald Trump’s attorneys have
argued that “misdemeanor” requires a violation
of the criminal code, an argument liberal legal
scholar Alan Dershowitz has championed.
Now a member of Trump’s legal team,
Dershowitz cites notes James Madison took at
the Constitutional Convention showing that the
framers rejected impeachment over “mal-
administration.” Dershowitz contends that by
switching to the “misdemeanor” language, the
framers reserved impeachment for criminal mis-
conduct.
On the other hand, the House managers
argue based on the English history of the phrase
“high crimes and misdemeanors” that the word
refers to political misconduct. In addition, the
managers quote Federalist No. 65, in which Alex-
ander Hamilton’s wrote that a president could be
impeached for any “abuse or violation of some
public trust.” He labeled these offenses as
“POLITICAL.”
While Trump’s most vocal defenders sub-
scribe to Dershowitz’s theory, some supporters of
the second view also oppose his removal, includ-
ing South Texas College of Law professor Josh
Blackman.
Blackman contends that a president can-
not be impeached for investigating a political op-
ponent if he genuinely aims to root out corrup-
tion. While he acknowledges that Trump’s intent
was most likely self-aggrandizement, Blackman
asserts that impeachment can’t hinge on the
president’s motive.
The scholar argues that all presidents are
motivated, at least to an extent, by a desire to re-
tain their power. As Dershowitz often says,
“motives are complicated.” Should senators try
to identify the president’s primary motive? Or
maybe self-interest is problematic only if you
don’t like the president?
In addition, Blackman argued that sena-
tors should be very careful not to wrongfully con-
vict a president, since removal could dramatical-
ly alter history. Blackman notes that the Framers
rejected a parliamentary “vote of no-confidence”
out of fear that Congress might exploit impeach-
ment to strongarm presidents they dislike.
How was the op-ed received in legal aca-
demia? Many professors lauded Blackman for his
“nuanced” analysis and offered substantive re-
sponses to his arguments.
For example, Case Western Reserve Uni-
versity
School
of Law
profes-
sor Jon-
athan
Adler
Skyler Goldberg
Continued on next page
Impeaching Over Motive?
L’Affaire Ukrainniene Moves to the Senate
https://checks-and-balances.org/jonathan-adler-was-trumps-sin-acting-like-a-politician/
“He doesn’t seem like the kind of kid to do this,” said Brooke Risley, a 16-year-old junior who ran cross country and participated in Boy Scouts with Berhow. What is being done to prevent future shootings? Believing that conventional drills are no
longer enough, some ex-perts are beginning to advocate realistic lock-down drills. In these pro-posals, students and teachers must subdue a staff member playing the part of the gunman. These drills might also
include plastic weapons, shooting blanks or fake blood.
Some teachers believe that considering how unlikely shootings are, these drills needless-ly stoke students’ anxiety.
“What these drills can really do is poten-
tially trigger either past trauma or trigger such a significant physiological reaction that it actually ends up scaring the individuals instead of better preparing them to respond in these kinds of situ-ations,” Melissa Reeves, a psychology professor at Winthrop University told NPR.
On the other hand, school psychologist Cathy Kennedy Paine believes that drills allevi-ate stress by building “confidence” in their abil-ity to respond effectivity. “The idea is to teach lockdown procedures like we would reading and math. We want to make them thoughtful and routine, we can’t just throw students and staff into a drill and expect them to know what to do,” Paine says.
In addition to considering these pro-posals, some schools have adopted the “Run, Hide, Fight” strategy, teaching students how to decide whether to flee, barricade a room or at-tack the assailant. The program focuses on quick decision-making.
agreed with Blackman that conviction shouldn’t
hinge on psychoanalyzing the president. Yet Ad-
ler counters that the House didn’t make that
mistake. He argued that the House has charged
Trump with demanding only the announcement
of investigation. He conceded that pushing for
an actual corruption probe would not be im-
peachable.
Yet other scholars disagree with Black-
man’s premise that an improper motive can’t
make an otherwise legitimate action impeacha-
ble. In his book on impeachment, Sunstein refer-
ences a conversation between founder George
Mason and Madison, in which the latter said a
president could be impeached for using the par-
don power “to stop inquiry and prevent detec-
tion” of a crime he committed. In all other cases,
pardoning is a legitimate use of presidential
power. Yet the president’s motive provides
grounds for impeachment.
Sunstein also quoted James Iredell, a
framer from North Carolina, as saying that a
president could be impeached for acting accord-
ing to a “corrupt motive.”
Additionally, Sunstein contends else-
where in the book that a president who “orders
the Internal Revenue to investigate political op-
ponent, b/c he is a political opponent” despite
probable cause to believe as such should be im-
peached.
And in response to Blackman’s caution
about wrongful conviction, George Mason Uni-
versity law professor Ilya Somin argued that sen-
ators shouldn’t be so circumspect. He maintains
that impeachment doesn’t alter history as much
as Blackman suggests since it replaces the presi-
dent with his like-minded vice president.
Somin also noted that impeachment
doesn’t threaten the president’s freedom the way
criminal charges
do. Congress isn’t
sentencing the
president to pris-
on or executing
him.
Survivor says, ‘I wasn’t surprised…’ -Continued from page 1
Impeaching Over Motive? - Continued from previous page
DISTRACTED DRIVING
Skyler Goldberg
Julianna Campo
A New York State Department of Labor
investigation concluded that the Oct. 23 fire in
the wiring closet of the teacher faculty room did
not disturb asbestos in the tiles, according to the
state’s asbestos contact, James Meacham.
On Jan. 5, the KROB
filed a Freedom of Infor-
mation Law request for any
evidence collected during the
investigation. The paper ex-
pects to receive a reply in early
February.
As reported last issue,
the KROB requested to review the district’s as-
bestos management plan, including results to air
tests completed after the fire, on Oct. 31. Director
of Facilities Mr. Warsaw has not yet provided the
plan even though federal regulations require the
school to make these records available for review
within five business days of the initial request.
In addition, on Nov. 15, the KROB filed a
Freedom of Information Law request with the
Town of Brookhaven for the
report prepared by the fire
marshal who responded to the
Oct. 23 fire.
The law requires the
fire marshal to answer re-
quests within 20 business
days, except when not
“feasible.” But on Jan. 21, Donna Bissacio, who
handles requests for fire marshal records, told
the KROB in an email that the fire marshal still
“needs to finish the report.”
Still No Documents
Madison Zicchinelli
“Frozen 2,” the sequel to “Frozen” was re-
leased on Nov. 22, 2019. Rated 77 percent on
Rotten Tomatoes, “Frozen 2” has already gar-
nered $1.03 billion.
If you are unfamiliar with the Disney
films, “Frozen” and “Frozen 2” both take place in
the Kingdom of Arendelle, the home of sisters
Anna and Elsa. Both movies depict Anna and
Elsa’s efforts to undo different spells placed on
Arendelle.
In the original movie, Aren-
delle becomes trapped in perpetu-
al winter after Elsa, the Snow
Queen, accidently exposes her
previously concealed powers not
only to her sister but to the whole
Kingdom of Arendelle. After sev-
eral incidents with her powers,
Elsa decides to run off and leave
Arendelle. Anna sets off to find
Elsa, meeting local resident Kris-
toff, his reindeer and Olaf, a fun-
ny, magical snowman.
In contrast, the spell in
“Frozen 2” was caused by the elemental spirits:
earth, water, snow, fire and wind. When they set
off to save Arendelle from the spell, the charac-
ters are trapped in the Enchanted Forest, where
they encounter the soldiers of Arendelle and the
people of Northuldra.
Viewers learn from a flashback that a
curse was placed on the Enchanted Forest after
fighting broke out between the two groups, a
curse that trapped the two groups in the forest
and prevented them from aging.
One night, Elsa begins to hear a voice call-
ing her. At first, she ignores it, but it quickly
grows to powerful for to block out. Elsa tells An-
na about the “Siren” she has been hearing, and
the two sisters plan a venture into the Enchanted
Forest after the elemental spirits force all the
people of Arendelle out of the kingdom.
In the forest, Elsa and Anna realize that
the elemental spirits are acting up because the
sixth spirit is missing. Later, Elsa and Anna learn
that their mother was Northuldra. This discovery
leads Elsa to Ahtohallan, a
mythical river believed to
contain the answers to Aren-
delle’s plight.
On the way to
Ahtohallan, Elsa sees holo-
gram-like images of the past.
From these images, Elsa
learns the true motives of her
grandfather, King Runeard,
in building a dam around the
forest: King Runeard aimed
to weaken the Northuldra’s
powers over nature to subju-
gate the tribe to the kingdom of Arendelle.
I enjoyed both films and found each hu-
morous. And the plots didn’t veer off too much
from each other, which allowed you to under-
stand what was happening.
Personally, I liked the second one more,
because there were more characters, and all the
characters worked together in it. The movie de-
velop the theme of courage as Elsa shows kids
that you can overcome your fears. In doing so, I
think this movie sends positive messages to peo-
ple of all ages.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Winter Adventures
I know you all will find this shocking,
but I truly am a huge book nerd! I love when I
am reading a book
and happen upon a
time or event that I
know very little
about. This is just
one of the reasons
that I love, love,
love Ruta Sepetys’
latest offering. Set
in 1957 during dic-
tator Francisco
Franco’s repressive
reign over Spain,
the novel intersperses the narrative with real
quotes from American officials about our coun-
try’s horrible yet mutually beneficial relations
with the leader.
Another reason to love this book is the
characters, Daniel and Ana. Ana’s parents were
murdered by Franco, leaving Ana and her sib-
lings to live in constant fear.
Ana works at the Castellana Hilton, a
beautiful hotel that caters to Americans. Ana’s
sister tells her that she must keep a low profile
and work diligently. After all, the family cannot
afford for her to lose this job.
Daniel is a young man from Texas visit-
ing Spain, his mother’s home country, with his
family. Daniel’s father, an oil executive, wants
him to take over the family business, but Dan-
iel’s dream is to become a photojournalist.
Ana is assigned to assist Daniel’s
family while they are staying at the hotel. They
become friends and Ana realizes that if she
shares her secrets with Daniel, she will endan-
ger her family.
The chapters alternate between
the different characters’ perspectives, channel-
ing their individual personalities through their
word choices and actions. For instance, Ana’s
description of the family’s cramped apartment
and Daniel’s fistfight allow you to get a feel for
each.
Finally, the language in this book is
splendid, transporting you to the time and
place of each scene. If you are looking for a
novel that will move you (and school you, just a
little bit), this is the one for you!
“Today, the young daughter of a journalist was dealt such bestial blows she died
choking on her own blood. In many ways, it is the children of our country who will pay
for this war — my own included — and for that, I cannot forgive myself.”
Jillian Chamberlin
When I was just three years old, I per-
formed in my first ever dance recital. The Can-
can steps lasted for a little
under two minutes but in-
stilled in me a passion for
dance that continues to this
day.
When I look back at
videos of the recital, I watch
myself zealously perform in
a black and pink tutu steps
that do not match with the rest of the group. But
as I view my past self perform these haphazard
steps, my face is illuminated with a smile as
bright as overhead stage lights. For 14 years of
my life and counting, dance has offered me a
community to be a part of, given me a tool to ex-
press my emotions and helped me develop a set
of values I hold steadfast to.
I believe in hours spent at the studio to
perfect a specific dance or step. I believe in mus-
cles so sore that you are physically unable to
move the next day.
I believe in sweat and aching joints that
would make others want to stop everything. I
believe in performing gracefully even if your
muscles are screaming for you to stop.
I believe in the perfect arc of a port de
bras and the steady landing of a triple pirouette.
I believe in the flexibility, balance and stamina
required to do more than ten consecutive a la
seconde turns while holding a show-stopping
smile, all kept in time with the music. I believe
in ballet slipper clad feet moving in sync in the
mirror.
I strive to exemplify the underestimated
mental and emotional strength that dancers em-
body. To dance, you must learn to accept defeat
because not every step will be perfect and not
every solo will be yours. You must realize that
you will not always be the best.
To dance you must learn to hold your
head high and exude confidence even during
mistakes. Through my dance experience, I have
learned that if you continue smiling and per-
forming with conviction, most people won’t even
realize that you made a mistake. And dance has
not only taught me confidence on stage; it has
made me more self-assured everywhere else in
my life.
Dance forces you to learn to perform not
only for the audience in front of you but for
yourself. If you cannot turn on the music and
dance only for
yourself, then
the effort isn’t
worth it.
Dance
also teaches
you to laugh at
In 1951, journalist Edward Murrow started the “This I Believe” radio program, in which he would
ask everyday people to submit short essays about the ideals they live by. Each year, Mr. Vallone
assigns the prompt to his AP English Language and Composition students. Chamberlin’s essay
stood out for her vivid imagery and powerful message.
THIS I BELIEVE
Continued on next page
yourself and realize that not everything is a com-
petition.
Dance, as both a form of art and a way to
express myself, has taught
me more lessons than I can
count.
I have learned about
strength by performing in
12-hour competitions three
days in a row. I have
learned about courage by
overcoming stage fright to perform in my first
solo.
I have learned about friendship by step-
ping out of my comfort zone to meet new people
at dance. I have learned lessons about humility
by resisting the urge to brag
about a high score to another
teammate or studio.
I have learned about per-
severance by mustering the
strength to leave a studio that no
longer made me happy for one
that revived my love of dance.
Dance has made me well-rounded —
physically , mentally and emotionally.
Chris Sun Accounting I 2nd Place
Colin brennan Accounting I 3rd place
Alexis franzoni advertising 2nd place
Larry Davis business Calculations 4th place
Larry davis Business communications 1st place
Jodie cui Business communications 2nd place
Marena capocci Business law 4th place
Ana Voskresenskaja Entrepreneurship 3rd place
Cadence masino intro. To financial math 5th place
Bella Buonovolonta Marketing 3rd place
Tristan stapleton Word processing 4th place
On Friday, Jan. 17, 2020, Miller Place
FBLA members participated in the District 1S
Competition at Hofstra University. At this event,
FBLA chapters from across Long Island competed
in various business events both written and ver-
bal. The Miller Place chapter would like to con-
gratulate all students who participated, as well as
those who placed.
Real Concepts, Real Results
This I Believe - Continued from previous page
“Competition is a good thing, it forces us to do our best.”
Julianna Campo
In 1989, Time Magazine replaced its an-
nual “Person of the Year” edition with “Planet of
the Year” to
direct atten-
tion to the
disastrous
effects of cli-
mate change
on our world.
Thirty years later, we still cannot agree that that
the Earth is in trouble. Thirty years later, we still
cannot work together to find a solution.
Because of greenhouse gases, tempera-
tures continue to rise around the globe, glaciers
and snow covers continue to shrink, seas contin-
ue to warm, and wildfires continue to grow more
common. Many species have and will become
endangered or extinct.
Soon, we will say goodbye to polar bears,
sea turtles and giraffes. And if we don’t end the
destruction, we may need to say goodbye to each
other.
This past year, Time Magazine published
a poignant article entitled “Hello from the Year
2050. We Avoided the Worst of Climate Change
— But Everything is Different.” Written from the
perspective of survivors of a climate disaster, the
article displays a modicum of hope: though cli-
mate change has wrought irreversible damage,
we still have our world.
Yet the article enraged me. As a high
school senior, I shouldn’t have to worry about
world destruction. As I make life decisions, I
shouldn’t have to consider that there may or may
not be a world for me in a few years. I shouldn’t
have to wonder whether it would be selfish to
have children in our half-standing world.
Now is the time for Democrats and Re-
publicans to work together to confront the crisis.
Three out of four Americans have accepted that
climate change threatens our species’ continued
survival. How ironic is it that the leader of our
country is part of that 25 percent who haven’t?
We don’t have time to convince the presi-
dent, or the world, that climate change exists.
The science shows it undeniably does. I will do
my part by reducing the amount of plastic I use,
by eating less meat, by using sustainable meth-
ods of
travel and
by donat-
ing to the
climate
cause. But
most im-
portantly,
I will vote
in the upcoming election.
“My message is that we'll be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn't
be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean.
Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have
stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. Yet I am
one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.” ~ Greta Thunberg
Creating a Climate of Possibility
On Dec. 28, 2019, Grafton Thomas, a
black Hebrew Israelite, burst into the home of a
Hasidic
rabbi dur-
ing a Ha-
nukkah
celebra-
tion with
a machete
and
stabbed
five people. An observer saw Thomas flee the
neighborhood in a car and recorded the license
plate number, which police later used to locate
and arrest him.
The attack should have reminded Demo-
crats that anti-Semitism exists not only among
right-wing whites but on the left and in minority
communities. In fact, a study by the Anti-
Defamation League showed that anti-Semitism
is far more common among minorities than
whites, with 23 percent of African American re-
spondents exhibiting anti-Semitic tendencies.
As the United States confronts the horrific
rise of anti-Semitic violence, you’d think liberal
politicians would take responsibility and address
the prejudices their constituents hold. But Dem-
ocrats are too afraid to look inward.
So they blame the president. Rep. Eric
Swalwell, D-CA, tweeted the next day, “Anti-
Semitism is … being stoked by @real-
DonaldTrump who won’t condemn it.”
In an even more egregious instance of de-
nial, Palestinian Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-MI,
tweeted that “White Supremacy kills” after an
attack at a Jersey Cite kosher market—an attack
carried out by an African American!
Now, none of this mitigates the right’s an-
ti-Semitism. History will always remember that
fascists murdered 6 million Jews during the Hol-
ocaust, not communists. Or that modern Neo-
Nazis in Charlottesville shouted, “Jews will not
replace us,” not socialists.
But anti-Semitism comes from all direc-
tions. Denying this sad truth leaves the left’s anti
-Semitism free from condemnation by the par-
ty’s leaders. As Harvard Law professor emeritus
Alan Dershowitz has argued, Democrats have “a
special obligation” to condemn bigotry commit-
ted by liberals.
Yet Democrats do more than just refuse to
take responsibility for anti-Semitism on the left.
Representatives of the party stoke anti-Semitism
through their vitriolic attacks on Israel. And as
Democrats are so eager to point out when attack-
ing President Donald Trump, hateful rhetoric
fuels violence.
Criticism of Israeli policy is normal as in
any healthy democracy. But the far left’s criti-
cisms too often devolve into anti-Semitism. To
illustrate, Rep.
Ilhan Omar, D-
MN, compared
Israel’s treat-
ment of Palestin-
ians to Nazi Ger-
many’s
“dehumanization
of the Jewish
people in the
Skyler Goldberg
Then-congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib is arrested for dis-orderly conduct while protesting
for higher wages.
Continued on next page
Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites Monsey Stabbing Reminds Us of the Dangers of Anti-Zionism
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrumphttps://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump
lead-up to the Holocaust.”
Sure, good-faith critics of Israel disagree
with poli-
cies the
country has
adopted to-
ward Pales-
tinians. But
to equate
these poli-
cies to Nazi
rhetoric
grossly mis-
represents
and unjust-
ly delegitimizes Israel. Progressives cannot con-
demn Trump’s former press secretary, Sean
Spicer, for comparing Bashar al-Assad’s war
crimes to Nazi Germany’s but justify their own
leaders’ equally problematic statements.
Sadly, this fringe congresswoman is not
the only leftist to shroud anti-Semitism in criti-
cism of Israel. Elizabeth Warren, whom the New
York Times recently endorsed for president, has
exhibited similar bigotry.
Warren voted against the Israel Anti-
Boycott Act that sought to outlaw BDS advocacy.
BDS applies economic pressure to Israel to ex-
terminate the Jewish state. In the words of the
movement’s founder and leader Omar Barghou-
ti, BDS seeks to advance an Arab-controlled “one
-state solution” in which “by definition, Jews will
be a minority.”
Knowing that she would be labeled an an-
ti-Semite if she revealed her support for the
movement, Warren lied. She pretended to be-
lieve that bill was unconstitutional, saying that
that boycotting Israel is protected by the First
Amendment.
Pro-Israel legal scholar Abraham Foxman
agrees that the bills were unconstitutional. The
theory seems plausible — except if you’re War-
ren. The senator has built her career advocating
legislation based on the idea that money does
not constitute speech.
Yet Warren hypocritically suggests that a
campaign applying monetary pressure to Israel
is protected by the First Amendment. Apparent-
ly, money is only excluded from free speech pro-
tections if the “speech” runs counter to her pro-
gressive views. The double standard makes clear
that Warren supports the bigoted BDS move-
ment.
And just as Trump stokes violence
through his racist remarks, this progressive anti-
Semitism causes death. In fact, the Monsey as-
sailant’s cellphone showed searches for “Zionist
temples” — temples that support Israel’s right to
exist — in the months before his violence.
Sadly, progressive Jews have only made it
harder for the left to recognize this truth by em-
bracing their progressive friends’ rhetoric to-
ward Israel.
IfNotNow, a
liberal Jew-
ish group ac-
tive on many
college cam-
puses, refus-
es to
acknowledge
that Israel
has a right to
exist.
Radically progressive members of the IfNotNow Toronto Jewish group recite
Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer of mourning, for Hamas operatives.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has criticized anti-BDS laws as unconstitutional, arguing that it is a violation of the
First Amendment to prohibit business-es from discriminating against Israel.
Continued on next page
Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites - Continued from previous page
Angel Polito
How could victims of bullying slip so far
from sanity that they choose to murder their tor-
mentors?
The
answer is
quite sim-
ple: hate
and bully-
ing per-
petuate
violence.
A student who is relentlessly
picked on and ostracized is bound to feel isolated
and unloved. Bullies rarely think about how their
victims might respond with violence despite all
the horrific school shootings harassment has
triggered.
From vaping to drinking, members of my
generation too often choose to believe that noth-
ing will happen to them. Although they hear
about the tragic outcomes of these different vic-
es, adolescents foolishly dismiss each warning.
I was thrilled when I heard the sheriff was
coming to MPHS to discuss the link between
bullying and school shooting. We all must be ed-
ucated on and fully understand these two critical
topics.
During the presentation, I was disap-
pointed by the disrespect my classmates showed
the sheriff and topic. As we watched heartbreak-
ing videos about bullying, the students sitting
behind me blithely dismissed the horror. They
even laughed — yes, laughed — at an 8-year-old
boy’s attempt to hang himself.
I was appalled. I really hope they aren’t
that indifferent, and are just desensitized, be-
cause anyone who finds humor in a child so sad
that he tries to kill himself, callous.
As gun violence continues to plague the
country,
we must
begin to
ask our-
selves
when the
vicious
cycle of
harass-
ment will end. We must confront bullying not
with laughter but pain.
And at a DC Dyke March, members at-
tempted to block women from flying Jewish
Pride flags because they resembled the Israeli
flag. Yet they allowed women to fly Palestinian
flags.
Nonetheless, these extremist Jews —
some self-hating, some ignorant — don’t vindi-
cate liberal anti-Semites. Just as racists can’t de-
fend their views by befriending an African Amer-
ican, anti-Semites cannot escape the hatred they
sow by enticing young Jews to join them. We
must fight anti-Semitic rhetoric no matter the
speaker’s political persuasion. If we don’t, we
will be complicit in the hate crimes it incites.
Nazis Aren’t the Only Anti-Semites - Continued from previous page
https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/dc-dyke-march-bans-jewish-pride-flagshttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.html
Lucas Stahlmann
The date was November 14, 2019, and the
Cleveland Browns were mere seconds away from
securing a
hard-
earned
win
against
their divi-
sion ri-
vals: The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett
had just sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Mason
Rudolph during what should have been the last
play of the game. In any other game, the coaches
and players on the bench would have run out
onto the field to congratulate their teammates
and opponents, and the teams would have re-
turned to the locker room to begin preparing for
next week's game.
Instead, total chaos broke out after a vio-
lent outburst, an outburst so bad that it caused
three suspensions, millions of dollars in fines
and one of the most embarrassing incidents that
the NFL has had to tackle in recent history.
It was the lowest moment of the season
for two teams that had plenty of those to choose
from. The incident sent one team further into
despair and inspired one to rise above expecta-
tions. No doubt, the consequences will last well
into the next season.
Cleveland's season had been one to forget
— a middling 3-6 record. For a team everyone
expected to be a serious Super Bowl contender
since training camp, they were woefully under-
performing.
Everybody in town was frustrated with
the Browns, including the Browns themselves.
But a win against the Steelers would have shown
fans that their season wasn't over. If they fin-
ished the year strong, and if the other teams in
their division faltered, they could have even
made playoffs.
The Steelers' season was not going much
better than its rivals’. The team lost many talent-
ed players in the offseason — including Antonio
Brown. Additionally, other players, like Le’Veon
Bell, signed with teams of their choices in free
agency.
And after starting quarterback Ben
Rothelisberger suffered a season-ending elbow
injury, no one expected much out of the ragtag
group thrown together to replace the departed
veterans.
But Pittsburgh refused to roll over so eas-
ily. Through a mixture of stout defense, service-
able quarterback play and smart coaching, they
persevered and came into the game against the
Browns with a respectable 5-4 record. A road
win against the heavily favored Browns would
cement their position as a true playoff contend-
er.
The
frustration
on both
sides was
palpable.
The
Browns
The Hit Heard Round the World
Continued on next page
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Matt Leonoff
When he left Houston and signed a free agent deal with Oakland, Athletics Pitcher Mike Fiers made one thing clear to his new teammates: be careful with your signs when you play the As-tros.
And on Nov. 12, Fiers explained why. He in-formed the Athletic that the Astros placed a camera beyond the center field wall to relay pitchers’ signs to catchers by banging on trash cans in the dugout when an offspeed pitch was on the way.
Sign stealing has always been a part of base-ball, but what Fiers reported is almost unparalleled in the history of the game. Fiers’ claims triggered immediate hysteria, especially since he maintains that the Astros cheating continued during the team’s 2017 championship run.
Video evidence, including footage from pop-ular YouTube analyst Jomboy, quickly corroborat-ed Fiers’ allegations. The proof of the Astros cheat-ing has grown so vast, it is nearly irrefutable that the team broke the rules.
Both Astros Manager A.J. Hinch and Gen-eral Manager Jeff Luhnow have been suspended for a year each and dismissed from the Astros.
But the implications of the scandal extend beyond the Astros. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who coached Houston at the time, and Mets manager Carlos Beltran, who played on the ‘17 squad, have also been fired.
James McCarthy
While the “injury bug” has plagued the NFL for years, more players have been injured this sea-son than ever before. In the team’s week 1 match against the Buffa-lo Bills, New York Jets linebacker and defensive captain C.J. Mosley left the third quarter with a groin injury and has not played a game since. The Jets led 16-0, but the Bills came back to win the game with 17 unanswered points after Mosley’s exit. If Mosley hadn’t been injured, the Jets probably could have finished 9-7 — or even 10-6.
Playing against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost then-starting quarterback Nick Foles first quarter to a broken left clavicle. Fo-les was out until week 11.
That same game, the Chiefs lost their best wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, to a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, the Chiefs went on to win the AFC title and will face the 49ers, the NFC champions, in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.
In week 2, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending shoul-der injury, which forced the Steelers to rely on sec-ond-year quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Then, Rudolph got a concussion in week 5 and dislocated his shoulder in week 16, leaving Pittsburgh to start rookie quarterback Devlin Hodg-
es. Because of these injuries, Pittsburgh finished with a mere 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.
On top of all these injuries, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was sidelined for six weeks after a thumb injury in week 2. Still, Brees broke the record for most career passing touch-downs only a few weeks after he returned.
Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver Desean Jackson’s season also ended with an ab-dominal strain that week, shortly after which he un-derwent core muscle surgery.
Despite all the significant injuries each of these teams suffered, the winner of the “Injury Bowl” — the team most derailed by injuries — would have to be the Detroit Lions.
The season was already difficult for the Lions as they were 3-4-1 going into week 10 against the Chicago Bears. Then, in a 20-13 loss for Detroit, franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered fractures in his spine that kept him off the field for the rest of the season.
Promising rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson also suffered an injury back in week 4 against Kan-sas City but was not officially ruled out for the year until Dec. 2 when he was placed on injured reserve.
The Lions finished 3-12-1 and now have the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Honestly, such a lonely word
What’s with all the injuries?
were tired of underachieving, and the Steelers
were sick of being disrespected and underesti-
mated by
all of the
other
teams in
the
league.
All the
tension came to a head in the 4th quarter.
Cleveland defender Myles Garrett was laying on
top of Mason Rudolph after sacking him. And
seemingly out of nowhere, Rudolph started rip-
ping Garrett's helmet off his head.
The much taller and heavier Gar-
rett did not take kindly to this and started to
stand, dragging Rudolph up with him. He
ripped Rudolph's helmet off, cocked his arm
back and struck Rudolph over the head with it
as hard as he could.
Pandemonium erupted. Pittsburgh cen-
ter Maurkice Pouncey proceeded to shove Gar-
rett to the ground and kick him. Cleveland
player Larry Ogunjobi tackled Rudolph. It took
several minutes to get everything back under
control.
Thankfully, the game ended without fur-
ther incident on the next play. Rudolph man-
aged to avoid injury because he was hit with the
padded inside of the helmet instead of the rock-
solid outer layer. If the helmet had been rotated
just a few degrees, the situation could have
been deadly.
The attack left both teams reeling. As
much as Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield
attempted to deny it in his interview with NFL
sideline reporter Erin Andrews, the incident
tainted the Browns victory.
In the following days, both Garrett and
Ogunjobi were suspended for their roles in the
fight. Garrett was suspended indefinitely and
has yet to be reinstated.
Pittsburgh did not come away Scot-free
either. Star center Maurkice Pouncey was sus-
pended three games. And Rudolph was fined
heavily. His role as the instigator of the fight
will leave a permanent stain on his reputation.
Neither team was the same after the in-
cident. The Browns lost their best defensive
player, and the team limped to the end of the
season with a disappointing 6-10 record.
On the other hand, Pittsburgh channeled
the attack on their quarterback as an inspira-
tion to play better football. The team played
hard for the rest of the year and continued to
beat expectations, finishing two games better
than the Browns with an 8-8 record.
Still, the incident doesn’t have to be the
end of the world for the Browns. Maybe next
season, Garrett and his teammates will be mo-
tivated by the temporary lapse in judgement,
much like the Steelers did. Maybe they will
even
turn
around
to be-
come
contend-
ers for
the first
time in
decades.
Ah, who am I kidding? It is the Browns
that we're talking about.
The Hit Heard Round the World - Continued from page 14
JACKLYN SPACCAFORNO
Skyler Goldberg
ALEX CONSTANTIS
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.”
~ Jenna Prandini
On December 21st, Alex Constantis won his 100th wres-tling match. Constantis’ favorite part of the sport is participating at the tournaments, adding that he loves how his teammates al-ways support him and feel like “family” to him. Constantis also told the KROB that his coaches, in addition to his teachers, have “helped me become who I am.” So how did Constantis begin wrestling? In seventh grade, his father’s friend recommended the sport to him after seeing his Brazilian jiu jitsu skills. Unsurprisingly, Constantis plans to continue wrestling — his “passion” and favorite sport to play — in college at Roger Williams College. Constantis selected the school because he loves the campus and the “small feel of the college.” He intends to major in business administration. He feels that his Introduc-tion to Business and Finance, Virtual Enterprise, College Busi-ness Law and English 12 classes have prepared him to tackle challenging college courses. Pivoting to his influences in life, Constantis told the KROB that he sees wrestler Conor McGregor, baseball player Nick Castellanos and President Ronald Reagan as role models.
“Doubt is only removed by action.” ~ Conor Mcgregor
Jacklyn Spaccaforno will be attending college at East Strouds-burg University, where she plans to continue running indoor and out-ward track and field. Having chosen the school for its great athletic pro-grams, she plans to graduate with a dual major in physical education and health. When she reflects on her high school career, Spaccaforno will recall teachers who “went above and beyond” for her, coaches who always wanted the best for her and great friends—whom she refers to as the “Lit Squad.” Asked why she loves track so much, Spaccaforno said that she loves “the nerves leading up to the race, not knowing how exactly it will turn out.” Turning to how she discovered her love for running, she pointed to Miller Place track camp, where she ran with the “stars” as a 5-year-old. Then, she ran for the middle school team, starting in seventh grade. But she says she didn’t truly begin to love the sport until 8th grade when she was promoted to the varsity team.
Spaccaforno feels most prepared for the next stage of her life to her junior and senior year English classes with Mrs. Eubanks. While English has never been her favorite subject, she says that Mrs. Eubanks taught her the skills she will need for college. “And, of course, gym class!!!” Spaccaforno added. On top of preparation in the classroom, the track star pointed to her mom as a role model, calling her “my number one fan” and “the best person I know.”
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KROB Newspaper Staff
Issue 2: 2019-2020
Adviser: Mrs. Sturtz
Skyler Goldberg Editor in Chief
Staff: Julianna Campo
*Jillian Chamberlin
Andrew Friedman
Charlize Kolasinski
Matt Leonoff
James McCarthy
*Angel Polito
Lucas Stahlmann
Madison Zicchinelli
* Guest Writers