Sewanhaka High School a 500 Tulip Avenue • Floral Park, New York 11001 a 2013 Volume 24 Issue 3

The Chief Source of All News

The Chieftain

This Issue’s Editorial: Is Gun-Control Necessary for the Safeguard of American Society?

2Chieftain -January

SEWANHAKA HIGH SCHOOL

500 Tulip Ave.- Floral Park, New York 11001

CONTENTS

Greetings from the Editors!

Its the first issue of the new cal-ender year and we cannot wait to start printing all the news fit to print! If your resolution is to take part in school more, do not hesitate to make your way to Mr. Alfino’s room for our Chieftain meetings!

BE A PART OF YOUR SCHOOL, BE A PART OF YOUR CHIEFTAIN!

The Chieftain

Editors-in-ChiefRick MathewsNiyah StewartSafiya Favard

Shahrukh Khan

StaffTaesha Andre

Giovanna BraganzaSue Chen

Cynthia DevandranKristina GenovaKaeli GroenertLaura Guillen

Anna HarshamPaul JohnsonNayab KhanShafaq Khan

Sabrina NicolasAndreas PavlouAmeela Persaud

Peter PonceGarrett TraceyBernadette Yu

PHOTO CREDITSJerin Abraham

Preestely Daniel

ADVISORMr. Alfino

Monthly Update.................................................................3 New Teachers and National News................................4-5Student Feature..................................................................6Teacher Feature..................................................................7School News...................................................................8-9Editorials.....................................................................10-11Senior Week................................................................12-13 Sports..........................................................................14-15

Student Council Update

Rick Mathews

The Chieftain

It’s finally here, after a long wait, a terrible storm, near apocolypse and an amazing Christmas and New Year’s Eve - here’s to 2013! The student council is geared up for their first meeting, so expect those flyers in the hallways directing you to the usual time and the usual place for your student council meeting. The coun-cil cannot wait to discuss everything from the holidays, new class ideas, upcoming events in February, which will no doubt be a short yet busy month, and of course your thoughts on 2013. The clubs will be putting in their requests for new equip-ment and are hope is their is enough for everyone to get whatever they need for thi-er cluib to be successful. they have enough money to fulfill them. Speaking of requests, since the 1st meeting will be held on the 25th and will be after Regents testing week, there’ll be plenty of time to go over the requests of all school organizations. All are welcome to the meeting and your input, as well as vote, on all matters are needed to en-sure all clubs get a voice. So come to be a more involved student at Sewanhaka High School

Chieftain meets Thursdays, 7:20 A.M. in Room 237. All new writers and cartoon-ists are welcome!

3Chieftain - January

Monthly UpdateThe School Concerts

Sabrina Nicholas and Giovanna Braganza

The Fall PlayKaeli Groenert

Lights flicker in the auditorium and the buzz of excitement begins to grow backstage. A month-and-a-half of work by the Sewanhaka Drama Club comes down to these two nights, October 26th and 27th. Up the Down Staircase, a play originatged in the 1960’s, revised to fit our modern era and directed by the won-derful Ms. Crimmins, took on new life those nights. The tale is timeless. Miss. Sylvia Barrett, a teacher, changes the lives of her students and changes herself. Along the way there is love, loss, lots of laughter and many lessons learned. President of the Drama Club, senior and leading lady, Kim Madrid said, “be-ing on stage, seeing the world through the eyes of a different character is one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve lived in high school. Ms. Sylvia Barrett is a character that I am especially fond of, not only because she is my final role in the play, but because she was a teacher, a person who truly wanted to help her stu-dents. I realized that in high school we take on different roles, and mine, espe-cially this, my senior year, was that of a leader for the younger students who had the same hopes of becoming an actress. It’s not the same to say, I want to help my students and I am helping my students. You must lead by example. These are the sort of lessons that play, and theater in general teaches actors and audience.” Teachers from our own school lead by example in the play. Ms. Brennan, Ms. Laskaris and Mrs. Leighton all were bril-liant in their roles as some of the faculty members of the school. Miss. Laskaris a former Sewanhaka student and a veteran to the drama club was thrilled to be a part of this production. “ I was excited to be on the teachers’ side of the fence this time around. I was glad to work with up and coming actors. Overall the play was a great success and will re-turn next year to the Sewanhaka stage.

Sewanhaka seems so much livelier in the happy spirit of the holidays. Since Sep-tember chorus, orchestra, and band mem-ber have been diligently practicing their music for the Senior High Winter Concert. On December 13th, the concert consist-ed of the Senior High Orchestra, String Ensemble, Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, Chorus and Voices of Harmony. Senior choir member Kim Madrid remarked, “singing in the choir is a great experience, I cant believe its my last winter concert!.” Led by music chairperson Ms. O’Connor, the string ensemble impressed the audi-ence with their rendition of “Spirit of the American West” and “Allegro in D.” The Jazz and symphonic band, directed by Mr. Doherty, performed holiday-styled that the audience enjoyed. Once again the tal-ented musicians and singers of Sewanaha-ka performed an enjoyable concert mak-ing it a success. They continue to practice and improve their skills, making everyone look forward to the spring concert in May!

The Sewanhaka High School Junior High Concert was magnificent! Opening the concert was the Eighth and Ninth Grade Orchestra, lead by the conductor Miss. O’Conner. They played very well and brought in the yuletide cheer at the start of

Sewahaka’s performance crew gathered for one of many ardous practices afterschool.

the concert. Following their performance was the Junior High Choir, uniformed in white and black and lead by Mrs. Daloia singing cheerful holiday music. The Seventh Grade Band was next on stage; they played a tune known from a famous movie Polar Express playing Believe lead by Mr. Lewis. The audience enjoyed the song nodding, tapping their feet, and swaying while wondering where they had once heard this song. The colorful Treble Choir harmonized and took a different ap-proach and matured while also strength-ening their voices. Ashley Nicolas who was part of the Treble Choir stated, “I loved all the songs we sang! I just can’t pick my favorite!” Throughout their performance, there was a “mixed formation” which had them stand next to others who sang in a different key than they did, and challenged them! Through practice and determina-tion, they were able to overcome the chal-lenge even after Super Storm Sandy! Mrs. O’Conner said, “The teachers worked hard to put this together! Even though Sandy hit, every group preformed their best!” The Eighth Grade Band played one catchy song called A Cartoon Christmas, also conducted by Mr. Lewis, and had the audience almost singing! Leading to the final performance by the Eight Grade

Band and combined choruses performing a famous jingle that ev-eryone knows, Jingle Bell Rock! The large audience stood up and applauded the students’ hard work and dedication. Mrs. O’Conner stated, “the finale was one of the audience’s favorite and most memorable perfor-mance!” That says it all!

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Sewanhaka Welcomes Its New Teachers!Andreas Pavlou and Sue Chen

New Teachers

Ms. Lipman Sewanhaka Indians welcome the new-est addition to the cosmetology depart-ment, Ms. Lipman. Ms. Lipman is an experienced beautician, who is excited to share her knowledge and skills with the students in the SHS district. She has a wide range of previous experiences. Ms. Lipman built a foundation for her career at the Long Island Beauty School in Hemp-stead. After graduating from school, she worked in the theater; sometimes going on tour with various acting groups, and even doing hair and makeup for the pop-ular show Saturday Night Live. In 1983, she opened her first unisex salon in Free-port which she later sold in 1987 when she got married and started a family. Fast forward a bit in Ms. Lipman's life, and she says she enjoys teaching out of all the things she has done. Ms. Lipman loves talking with her students, and en-joys seeing their progress and work. Prior to working at Sewanhaka, Ms. Lipman taught at a residential program at York-town. Ms. Lipman is eager to work with Sewnahaka students during her years here!

Ms. Barbaro Ms. Barbaro is ecstatic to begin her first full time job as a language teacher in Sewanhaka High School. She is flu-ent in both Italian and Spanish. She cur-rently teaches Spanish 7 ,1 and 3. Ms. Barbaro grew up in with her family in New Hyde Park speaking only English. Later in life however, she went to college and studied abroad in Italy and became fluent in Italian. Ms. Barbaro enjoyed learning Spanish in high school and she encourages students to,“surround themselves” in a language by means of television, newspapers, and crosswords. When asked to describe what language has done for her, Ms. Barbaro said “it opens doors for you, and allows you to communicate better with more people.” Ms. Barbaro hopes to inspire students to embrace the world of languages, the same way her teachers inspired her to.

Mr. Stephenson Building a new foundation at Sewan-haka, Mr. Stephenson is Sewanhaka’s newest Architecture teacher. Mr. Ste-phenson is very passionate about archi-tecture, working three architecture re-lated jobs. He only teaches one class at Sewnahaka; however that’s not the end of his teaching during the day. Mr. Ste-phenson is a mentor at the ACE men-toring program. This program is where architects, students, and teachers come together to give students guidance and insight in the field. Mr. Stephenson said he likes teaching and mentoring equally. Along with educating others, Mr. Ste-phenson owns his own architecture firm in the area. His business focuses on com-mercial work such as big box retail, shop-ping centers, and strip center renovation. Recently, Mr. Stephenson completed a lo-cal project on a strip on New Hyde Park Road. Aside from work, Mr. Stephenson lives with his wife and daughter, and en-joys the free form architecture styles of Frank Gehry. Mr. Stephenson’s favorite building by him is the Guggenheim Mu-seum Bilbao. When asked what advice he would give to aspiring architects Mr. Stephenson said to always get the money up front before you start drawing, which was a lesson he learned the hard way.

Ms. Barbaro in her working environment showing great

enthusiasm.Ms. Lipman is very passionate about

teaching.A skilled and valuable addition to Sewan-

haka’s faculty, Mr. Stephenson.

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National News

As 2012 ends and we put to bed all apocalyptic superstitions, members of the 112th Congress worked late New Years day in order to avoid this fiscal cliff—many would argue the real apoca-lypse. The “fiscal cliff” was a term coined by political ideologues used to describe a sudden change in government spend-ing and taxation. Had the United States fell off this metaphorical cliff as of 2013 the federal government would have been required to reduce spending across the board in all areas of the federal budget and also sharply raise taxes. According to the Congressional Budget Office, an agency whose job is to produce impartial analysis, asserted that in the event this na-tion took the nose dive we would have led ourselves into a minor recession and force the unemployment rate back to 9%.

Fortunately on Tuesday January 1, 2013 under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner the House approved and passed the compromise previously passed in the Senate just hours before. With a vote of 89 – 8 in the Senate and a vote of 257-167 in the House this bill made its way to the desk of our Commander-in-chief the following day. This piece of legislation was tilted the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) however for many Repub-licans and some Democrats feel this leg-islation will only prolong the real issues.

This new law according to various sources will raise approximately $600 billion in new revenue over the next 10 years. However if compared to the defi-cit which as of January 1, 2013 is about $16 trillion this new revenue will only cover about 3.75 percent our debt. This along with other factors is what worries fiscal conservatives in Congress today.

In the near future the President and other members of Congress will soon be-ing bickering once again. However this time the newly elected Congress will have to negotiate and iron out plans on how to limit spending and relive the defi-

Garrett Tracey

The Fiscal Cliff cit because one again the government has now hit our borrowing limit. Mr. Checn says, “ the current congress is supposed to be helping the people but as of today, it’s simply not doing it’s job”. If the govern-ment doesn’t get its act together soon all American will see a 10% hike in their pay-roll tax and to make matters worse the gov-ernment might let us default on our debt.

Pray forNewtownAnna Harsham

As we are all aware, tragedy struck Sandy Hook Elementary School on De-cember 14th, 2012. At the hands of shooter, Adam Lanza, 20 children and 6 faculty members died before their time. We must comprehend the fact that 26 people were taken from their fami-lies. These little children – between the ages of 6 and 7 – will never have the opportunities to grow up and have their own families or live the lives they deserved. These teachers, who dedicat-ed their lives to the education – both moral and academic – of the children of our nation, died in defense of the innocent little people at Sandy Hook Elementary. They themselves will never be able to see their mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters again. Junior, Amber Rae Lawson said, “I was com-pletely heartbroken and angry. These kids didn’t deserve to live a fraction of their lives. They didn’t get to live out their dreams and aspirations. I know they’re in a better place.” Despite the awful tragedy that took place and the unease that has spread throughout the nation, one can certainly be grateful that the loss of life was not greater because of the many acts of heroism that took place on the part of the fac-ulty at Sandy Hook Elementary School. When asked about the events that took place, Ms. Sicherman said, “It’s so incredibly sad. I can’t stop think-ing about the families who lost their loved ones and the teachers and chil-dren in the school who have to live

with this terrible memory. I don’t think anyone will ever be the same.” Over the course of several days following the massacre, more and more information came into light, including the actions of several teach-ers that faithful day. Victoria Soto, whose heroism saved the lives of her first graders, selflessly put herself be-tween the gunman and her students. Because of Adam Lanza, 20 pre-cious little children had their lives stolen from them and 6 unde-serving educators were torn from their families before their time. One can only hope that a tragedy like this will never rock the nation again. The political scene was filled with con-troversy with the NRA protesting in an effort to keep their wallets heavy and suggested armed guards in school while others pushed for stricter gun control laws in an effort to keep their children safe. the fact is, it did not have to be six-year-olds, they could have been your age and my age. They did not have to live in Newtown, they could have lived in Floral Park, New York. They could have gone to Sewan-haka High School. It is the realisation that it was equally possible for our lives to be in danger that prompts us into action and to be wary of the fu-ture. To be proactive and not reactive is our only solution to this problem. That is the only way we can guarantee to a certain extent our childrens’ safe-ty, we can watch our future walk into school and know they’ll come back home safe and sound.We , as a nation, need to start taking issues of mental health and gun control more serious. Students from all over showed their support for the students and faculty that died at the hands of Adam Lanza by wearing Sandy Hook’s school colors, green and white. Writing this article is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. It is only fair that we continue to show support to the victims of this vi-cious attack and pray for Newtown.

6Chieftain -January

A Humble PerfectionistAnna Harsham and Shahrukh Khan

Student Feature

When Devika was born on January 14th in a Brooklyn Hospital, the world did not know that she would be ranked 13 in her highly competitive high school class with an aver-age of 96.09. Nor did the world know that she would turn out to become an amazing artist.

Devika is currently taking 4 AP classes that include Psy-chology, US Government and Politics, English Literature, and Calculus. Her rigorous schedule is evident of the fact that she will strive for the best anywhere she goes.

In her free time, Devika draws and paints about the pas-sions in her life. Devika adores scary movies and dramatic novels. She enjoys watching TV shows such as Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy. Her fascination for the sciences has extended beyond simple academic boundaries. She in-corporates art and science everywhere she goes and leaves a mark that shows what she considers to be important to her. Memories fill Devika’s vivid past and her favorite one of Sewanhaka was last year’s Art Honor Society Induction Ceremony in the Sewanhaka Library. Devika has an older brother who graduated from Sewanhaka a few years ago.

She has always been an energetic member of both the Sewanhaka High School community and the community at

large. She is diligent and is 100% dedicated to finishing any-thing that she does. She aims on working to help find a cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis, a disease Devika’s mother suffers from. Her undoubtedly noble aspirations set her apart from many.

She has served her com-munity by donating her time and effort as a volunteer at Nassau University Medical Center’s physical therapy out-patient care unit over this past summer. Working towards her goal of researching the cure to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Devika has applied to several univer-sities and colleges in hopes of pursuing a pharmacy major. Her first choice is St. Johns University. Along with being extremely active in academ-ics, she is also active in many extracurricular activities such as National Art Honor Society, Key Club, Art Club, SADD, and Science Honor Society – some of which she holds of-fice as either President or Vice President. In Art Honor So-ciety, she has been participat-ing in the Memory Project for several years. Members of the Art Honor Society receive pictures of orphans in various countries and draw and paint them before sending the finished artwork back. “It’s like a symbol of something they have as their own,” she said in regards to the finished paintings. Art is something that she holds close to her heart. Her artistic talents gave her the privilege of drawing the cover of the school calendar for the Sewanhaka 2010-2011 school year.

When asked about drawing the cover Devika says, “It was fun and it was one of the reasons I became so involved in art.” Devika also credits her love for art to her favorite art teacher, Mrs. Ker-schman. When asked what advice she could give anyone aspiring to go above and beyond and pursue their dreams, she said, “Be determined and passionate in anything you create.” Devika Kesa-van is definitely a driven young women who has what it takes to succeed in life.

When it came to sentimentality of leaving Sewanhaka Devika felt that, “I will miss the art and the people that helped me to refine my character over the years.” There is no doubt that Devika has become one of Sewanhaka’s finest individuals of the graduat-ing class of 2013. We wish her the best of luck in her pursuits and hope that she truly accomplishs everything that she set out to do.

Baby Devika Smiling for the Camera

A top 20 student, Devika has always taken to a stong work ethic over her years as a scholar.

7

way possible. In response to who her favorite person is, Mrs. Beau-

bian replied Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, and Obama, all presidents that have achieved so much during

their time in office. She feels that President Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogan is powerful because it goes a long way as it eliminates the negative.

Mrs. Beaubian believes her students must treat education very seriously, and surely anyone with their head on straight thinks the same. Mrs. Beaubian emphasizes responsibility and a certain level of achievement that every student must strive for.

Mrs. Beaubian got to Sewanhaka “by chance” and says, “I am extremely happy I changed my profession.” Well, Mrs. Beaubian, so are we. Sewanhaka is lucky to have such a hard working teacher who puts all she can into motivating stu-dents and helping them become better individuals.

There is no doubt how valuable of an addition Mrs. Beaubian is to Sewanhaka. She is right when she says that “teachers contribute to success.” Mrs. Beaubian consistently tries to bring out the great qualities of all those who sit in her classroom and will continue to do so as long as there are students who are willing to learn.

Her presence is felt everywhere. She has a radiant personality, known for motivating her students and displaying great enthusi-asm for learning. Her name is Mrs. Beaubian. She is a social stud-ies teacher here at Sewanhaka. She started her time here at Sewan-haka in 2003 and has been here since. She was born on April 29th in Brooklyn and has two sisters and one brother. Hollis, Queens is her home town and she has had motivation to become a teacher from the age of 5. Mrs. Beaubian has always wanted her students to do well and strive for success; she has two daughters, both of whom have achieved admirable success. “I know the recipe for all students to achieve suc-cess in the same way. It is all about building self-esteem and confidence to be their very best.” That is her main ob-jective as a teacher.

In college, Math and Eco-nomics were Mrs. Beau-bian’s favorite classes and she majored in A c c o u n t i n g at Barnard- Baruch College for her Un- d e r g r a d u a t e Degree. She re- ceived her MBA from Dowling University and MS from CW Post University. During her lei- sure time, Mrs. Beaubian likes to read magazines and while Mrs. Beaubian does not usually watch sports, she says that, “The only time I watch sports is when the World Series or the Super Bowl is on; it is when players work to the best of their ability.”Mrs. Beaubian says her hobbies change over the years as she has enjoyed bowling, theater, travel, and amusement parks – particularly the roller coasters, over the years.

Before she was a teacher, Mrs. Beaubian worked in the field of accounting but changed her profession after 19 years. This was because she had realized what she really wanted to do: teach. “I should have become a teacher straight out of high school. I should have followed my dream.” Mrs. Beaubian wants to motivate stu-dents to do what they want in life and achieve the success that they desire, “I am here to inspire the youths, whether it be my students or children.” She feels extremely happy to have changed her profession to teaching.

Mrs. Beaubian says that her favorite part of Sewanhaka is the diversity and her favorite memories consist of students starting as underachievers and coming back to see her as the very best they could be. The students come back after years and Mrs. Beaubian considers their appreciation to be incredibly rewarding because it shows her how she has impacted someone else’s life in the best

A Motivator by HeartNayab Khan

Teacher Feature

Chieftain -January

Mrs. Beaubian’s early days.

Mrs. Beaubian with the love of her life

8Chieftain -January

“Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer, had a very shiny nose,” the young children participating in the Holiday Elementary School Play could be heard singing during rehearsals. The Holiday Elementary School Play is a program that has been going on at Sewanhaka High School for many years. For the past few years it has been run by the Student Council advi-sor, Mr. Tesoro. The Holiday Play is written by students at Sewanhaka and performed by first and second graders from the Covert, Clara H. Carlson, and Stewart Manor Elementary schools. Unfortunately this year, due to Hurricane Sandy, there was not enough time to create a new play. Instead, a play from two years ago was used, Santa’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. The play explained a dilemma in which Santa sold his boots to get his wife a recipe book and his wife sold her chocolate chip cookies to get her husband a pair of boots. The children practiced Monday through Friday, 3:30-5:00 for 2 weeks throughout November and December in the Se-wanhaka auditorium. A slew of Sewanhaka students from 8th grade to 12th grade attended the rehearsals and helped the children learn their parts. They stood near the stage and helped the youngsters who forgot their lines. Senior, Giovan-na Braganza said helping the children was bittersweet since it was her last time. “It was an amazing experience helping the kids learn their lines and watching them grow into their characters. I’m really going to miss it next year!” On the day of the final play, Tuesday December 4th, juniors and seniors from Sewanhaka visited the three elementary schools along with the children who performed the play at each school. A second grader from the Covert Avenue Elementary school could not contain his excitement and said that he, “practiced a lot” for the past two weeks and that he could not wait to get on the stage. At 3:30, the children came to Sewanhaka, where their family and friends were gathered to see them perform the play a final time. A parent of a child who per-formed in the play stated, “I’m so proud of my child and this was a great experience that we will always remember!” The Sewanhaka volunteers stood back and admired their hard work played out in front of them. Many of the children added their own spice to the characters they were assigned to play, such as Jack Frost, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Elves. The children were handed awards after the conclusion of the final scene, and Mr. Sakowich (dressed up as Santa) distributed gifts to the kids who were delighted and cried out “Santa!” The children then hugged their friends and family, and after a very tiring day, the young actors walked out of Sewanhaka with an unforgettable memory.

School News Ho-Ho-Holiday Play

Shafaq Khan

Student Council VP Chris Rothwell and elementary school students showing their enthusiasm for the play.

The children giving a final bow for a spectacular performance.

9Chieftain -January

School News Sewanhaka’s Hearty Donation

The Joy of Giving

Cynthia Devendran

Ameela Persaud

We grant the wishes of children with the life-threatening medi-cal conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy." The STAC Giving Tree is a yearly tradition where mem-bers of Students and Teachers Against Cancer make ornaments and sell them to the Sewanhaka community. "Its always fun making the ornaments and knowing that your hard work goes towards a good cause," answered the president of STAC Giovanna Braganza. All procedures go to the Make A Wish Foundation. A network of nearly 25,000 volunteers enable the Make A Wish Foundation to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions. Volunteers serve as wish granters, fundraisers, special events assistants and in numerous other capacities. As the Foundation continues to ma-ture, it's mission will remain to wish children of the past, present and future will have an opportunity to share the power of a wish.

When the semiannual blood drive that occurs at Sewanhaka High School is usually known to be a success. However, this year, due to Hurricane Sandy, the amount of blood collected waslower then normal. Usually, the majority of donators come from the high school students but faculty and staff also are asked to donate as well. Originally scheduled to be a week after the break, several

students were committed to giving blood, however with the post-ponement due to the Hurricane, many dropped out. Mrs. Amaris, the coordinator of Student Activities and advisor of F.C.C.L.A., was a key in making this blood drive come together and run smoothly. She, and the club, actively promoted and made as many people become aware of the opportunity of saving lives. The Long Island Blood Services, who conduct many blood drives all over Long Island was successful in pushing people to donate at schools and churches. In Sewanhaka High School, the blood drive occurs in the gym-nasium where comfortable beds are set up for the patients’ satisfac-tion. The L.I. Blood Services have strict policies on accepting blood donors. Some of these requirements include a decent BMI (body-mass index), no tattoos or piercing within the last six months, no blood deficiencies, and any other abnormalities. Because of this, many students were turned down. A junior, Bernadette Yu, that is ‘5’ feet tall did not meet the BMI requirements and was unfor-tunately turned away. Very upset she responds saying “ Oh man! This stinks! I was waiting for an hour and I was very saddened that I wasn’t able to save a life! I should have eaten more meat. I’ll be fat enough for the next one in April.” On the bright side, a dashing young gentleman, named Anthony Casso, was successful

in donating blood. As a senior, he says that he has, many times, donated bloods in previous years. He says “his first experience was terrible when he was ‘stabbed with the needle’ because the medical assistant wasn’t able to draw blood correctly.” Either way his final say was that, “every time is different, even though one experience may be bad, I still enjoy the feeling of helping people.”

Senior Hannah Triquet doing her part in helping those in need.

Juniors help out during blood drive.

10Chieftain -January

Stricter Laws or Armed Guards? Hmm...The shot found its mark. It forced its

way through a mass of a being ten times its size, a six-years-old, barely understand-ing what life meant, let alone death. An innocent being, guilty of nothing. Twenty six other bullets found their marks. The Newtown shooting was over.

I’d talk to you about the statistics of gun related deaths but I don not want to be the first accused of causing death by boredom. So let’s talk about those who commit these murders and what to actual-ly do about them to avoid getting yourself sunk into that cesspool of argument and senseless violence.

I’m sure all of you know that one person who tries to reason it out. They can’t get it through their thick browned and yellowed skulls that there are people far enough off their rockers to kill for not agreeing with them. Some people paranoid enough to be satisfied only after eliminating you from the face of the earth.

Can you imagine the extent to which you have to push a person for them to be angry enough to kill their own mother with her own guns?! To kill six -year-olds six days before Christmas?

Many people in this world are “half-way” to that edge. You never know when you’re talking to the psycho you see in the papers acting perfectly normal or you’re actually having an ‘intellectual dual’ with a sane individual. It would be horrible to see that happen to you, my dear read-ers, therefore take this as the sanest advice you’ve received since these shootings start-ed on a senseless basis.

There used to be shootings in schools over issues of race, belief and discrimi-nation on all grounds. Now there are no reasons. Those barriers have been oblit-erated by the laws we ‘effectively’ put in place, a system to deal with them specifi-cally, and the society itself turning upon it. But with no rules in place to deal with an event where we can do nothing but stand around watching, saying ‘Oh, that’s

just terrible’ and continue on our way to Macy’s for Christmas shopping isn’t worth acknowledging, it is not enough.

Let me put this to you in this way – would a person who’s off their rockers but acts normally enough in public go out wearing antlers strapped to their head in the mid of summer? How does that even make sense?! It absolutely does not and so-ciety could not condone it. So the quiet ones who avoid the scrutiny of society wouldn’t dare. So our solution lies in turn-ing the mindset of the public against such occurrences, not that it already isn’t, it just has to be as common a belief circulating as are other issues of discrimination that

are frowned on even at the mention of it. Make the murderers find other ways they think they can succeed, because they won’t. There is no place dark enough to conceal such acts from the light of being exposed publicly. And as the Newtown shooting unfolded, controversy broke loose of its chains and consumed the nation, no, the entire world.

So two sides of this argument popped up immediately after this tragedy; the NRA cannot kill a cash cow with more gun con-trol laws and its lobbyists could only fight hard for armed security in school zones. So they send some of their minion lobby-ists to Washington D.C. and then remind some people to forget the goodness of their hearts and remember a green giant with a certain sign ($) on it. But then again, can you really argue with it? Can you really compare stricter laws with actual guards? There’s risk to both alternatives and they’re both ending in the same consequence:

people dead. So the only difference is how long you can postpone it.

Why are gun laws not going to work? It’s obvious, isn’t it? The fact is, even nor-mal people know and acknowledge this; rules are made to be broken. The average citizen may not be able to get a gun, but criminals do not adhere to the same laws as we do.

There are two extremely clear scenari-os. Stricter gun laws lead to some special program to keep arms away from schools and the NRA along with other gun advo-cates will lash out on the political scene as their wallets get lighter. Or, you can put armed guards in a school zone and fight fire with fire or in this case, bullets. Be-cause it’s quite a slap in the face when it all boils down, it is in fact the practical thing to do, a tested and sure fire remedy. Plenty of people against each side but we all want the same result. Parents need to know that their twelve-year-old is going to return home, that they’re going to go to the bus stop and not a cemetery. They need to know they’ll come home happy and not emotionally scarred or worse, dead. They need to know their children are safe and apart from that, everyone else at the school needs to be safe as well! The teachers have families, the custodians and the adminis-trators. There’s a danger to bringing arms to the school rather than keeping it miles away but you think an unarmed security guard will run towards a mentally unstable child with a gun firing aimlessly?

Think for a second, because there’s someone around who’ll tip over if some-thing goes wrong, who’ll unleash tragedy and affect the entire world. You never know when and perhaps you’ll get a glimpse at why but know that Newtown could have been Boston, it could have been San Francisco – it could have been, New York. For the sake of safety and shel-ter, we’re left with little choice but to em-ploy armed guards.

Editorial

Rick Mathews

11Chieftain -January

I am 17-years-old. I do not have an NRA membership card. No family mem-ber of mine owns a gun, and I have never killed anything bigger than a mosquito. In essence, I am not really against gun con-trol. But the fact that guns should have ex-cessive restrictions placed on them is just another issue where facts are thrown into an argument that is really based on feel-ings and an insatiable mistrust of guns. The problem with gun-control is that the reasons behind it are highly irrational. In other words, the arguments of “anti-gunners” come from mostly biased ori-gins. I have read articles about the New-town shooting on Facebook, online blogs, and the Editorial sections of the New York Times and Time Magazine, and they pull away from the solid, factual and statis-tics based prem-ises and move to the emotional side of the incident. Clearly, people are using an ideal ap-proach to a pragmatic problem. Everyone knows that our emotions can lead us to irrational positions on sensitive issues, and gun-control is no exception. Gun-control legislation is highly inef-fective. Research has shown that since the late 1970s, gun-control laws have had no large effect on crime rates or violent crimes. Criminals and thieves in countries with high ownership of guns are less likely to commit the crime because there is a greater chance of them getting shot. Gun-control laws do not reduce crime because the crime rate in the United States has been declining since the end of the crack epidemic in the early 90s. This is consistent with the fact that gun-control laws such as the Assault Weapons Ban,

which expired in 2004, and other bans have expired. These laws might be worth considering if they actually were effective in taking guns out of the hands of crimi-nals. Another problem is that there are hun-dreds of millions of privately owned guns and firearms in the United States. Even if Congress was to somehow pass extreme gun-restriction laws, which would violate the Second Amendment of the United States, it would take years for the govern-ment to collect even a fraction of those weapons. But even with those laws in place, some people will always have a gun

stored somewhere in their attic or under their bed. Let us say that the government reim-bursed gun owners for their guns, two things would happen. One, the govern-ment would lose a lot of money, and two, the problem would still exist. If guns were directly confiscated by the government, that would violate the Fourth Amend-ment of the United States Constitution, which protects the American people from unreasonable searches and seizures. Because guns would be made illegal, people would start obtaining them in il-legal ways. Just like the many drugs that are smuggled into the country and unlaw-fully bought, guns would end up in the hands of enthusiasts for astronomically

inflated prices. Other organizations and groups would start pumping huge num-bers of firearms into the country to make large profits. Then there is also the prob-lem with law enforcement there as well. Money, time, and manpower would be spent trying to prevent what would grow to be a vast network of virtually unstop-pable gun dealers. We have all heard the saying “rules are meant to be broken.” Well, taking away guns and placing restrictions on their own-ership and usage will not prevent thugs and street punks from obtaining them; the black market exists for all kinds of illegal

substances, and guns will only become a bigger part of under-ground trade if gun control laws go into effect. Most crimi-nals pass background checks and other se-curity measures by using a friend’s gun or by stealing it. If guns are harder to get then a criminal would just find an-

other way to hurt or kill someone. I am not against modest gun control policies and legislation. There are gun-control laws that are definitely worth the paper they are printed on, such as bans on high caliber guns and large magazines. But what I am against are the new propositions that have been arising ever since the New-town shooting. All in all, gun-control will not stop crimes from being committing and make things safer for Americans. The problem is evident and so are the facts associated with it. Gun-control will provide a false sensse of security to the American people, and we will receive a punishing blow from an event that shows the weaknesses of these laws.

Guns Aren’t the Problem, People AreShahrukh Khan

Editorial

“Gun-control laws do not reduce crime because the crime rate in the United States has been declining since the end of the crack epidemic in the early 90s.”

12Chieftain -January

Andreas Pavlou

Senior Week

The short three day school week prior to Thanksgiving is one of the most excit-ing times of the year for seniors at Se-wanhaka High School; it’s Senior Week. These three days are dedicated to seniors so they can have some fun before they graduate, and create long lasting memo-ries of their last year in high school. The first day of senior week was mix and match day. Seniors came in dressed in crazy ensembles that mixed polka-dots with stripes, dozens of different colors, mix matched shoes, and whacky hats. Many people said that it looked like the whole 12th grade got dressed in the dark. Senior Giovanna Braganza said that, “I love mix it up day, it is just so much fun to dress mismatched and cra-zy!” Day two was dedicated to twin day, where seniors could pair up with a friend and dress alike. Although some students just matched with regular clothes, se-niors Nick Gerace, Christian Zambra-no, Giuliano Cavallini, and Johnothon Corado dressed as female quadruplets. These four students dressed in matching sweat suits, boots and wore wigs as well. When asked about him and his siblings outfits of the day Nick Responded by saying “senior week was the week of my life. I love my seniors, Class of 2013 hoorah!” The final day for senior week was stu-dent teacher day. On this day seniors were allowed to be any teacher of their choice for the whole day. Ameela Per-sad was Mrs. Papaccio’s student teacher, seemed as though she enjoyed being a student teacher as she told the Chieftain about her experiences. “Making origami was really fun and I’m definitely the best teacher ever.” Not only was student teacher day popular amongst seniors, but teachers as well. Science teacher Mrs. Foley said that, “I think that the senior student teachers get a chance to see some of the behind-the-scenes work and preparation that go into our jobs. They also realize that we are all com-pletely insane.” It’s obvious that Senior

Week was a lot of fun for seniors who participated. Hopefully they were all able to make some beautiful memories to take with them when they graduate!

Enthusiastic seniors showing off their spirit for their final year at Sewanhaka.

13Chieftain -January

Senior Week Pictorial

14Chieftain -January

The Sewanhaka West wrestling team, Coached by Kevin Horner and Joe Getts, is looking to pick up where it left of last year. With two All-County wrestlers having graduated, Coach Horner says “We look to improve every year. At the very least, I want three All County kids this year, hopefully some county champions as well.” The Rhinos are facing their toughest schedule since the program started 6 years ago. Their record is insignificant to some, because this is the most individual sport there is. “We ARE a team, but at the end of the day, it is just you alone on the mat representing your team. Not 4 other guys like in basketball, not 10 like in football. It’s just you, him, and the mat” Sergio Molina, a senior, had to say. The team is comprised of Wrestlers from Sewanhaka, Elmont, and Floral Park. Jesse Lino, a sophomore wrestling at 132, is looked at as the team’s future, as well as Elmont wrestler Isaiah Flaherty. “These two kids are incredibly talented for their age, and their work ethic is something we see very rarely on this team. I believe they both, as well as some other wrestlers, can put Sewanhaka west on the map,” Coach Getts stated. They hope to do that this year. Lets go Rhinos!

Off to the RacesPaul Johnson

Resilient Rhinos

Sports

Peter Pnce

And They All Fall DownKrristina Genova

With the indoor track season underway, the boys track team looks forward to winning a conference championship. All the boys are working hard to help keep those hopes alive. "We are going to do really well especially since we have a lot of young talent in our ninth and tenth graders." says Kieran O'Reilly, one of the captains of the team, staying positive and confident in his team. The boys are not the only ones who are working hard to cross the finish line of the cold winter season with a championship, the girls team is taking strides to accomplish that same goal. "Our girls team is young and our boys team is senior heavy. We should compete for the conference championship this year," says Coach Nola, who works hard everyday to prepare the team for their races. He helps keep the teams morale up and helps both the boys and girls team set records of all kinds. Best of luck to the boys varsity track team.

They Put It Up And Bury It In!Taesha Andre

“This year is all about business,” says senior captain Sean Rust who leads the boys’ varsity basketball team with junior captain Jabryl Chin. This team has truly worked hard in their season and continues to do so. They take every practice seriously as if it were a real game because every pass and every shot counts. On game day these boys pour their hearts out on the court for their love of this sport. Like their coach Jason Allen says, "play every game like it's your last."They are focused and dedicated to leave with the win. One of the many great qualities of this team is their ability to work together. They understand that one person cannot win a game and they use each other to make it happen. The Sewanhaka boys’ basketball team is the definition of family. On the court when one person does well everyone starts gaining confidence, and off the court they are brothers still. Although they have had their ups and downs throughout the season these kids always keep their head high. Their record is currently 2-5 in the conference band 4-6 overall. With loses comes pain and disappointment, but they use each game as a lesson to make the next have a better out-come. In one word, how would one describe this group of boys: determined. They are determined to play good basketball, they are determined to make it to playoffs and most importantly, especially for the seniors, they are determined to make lasting memories. Keep up the great work varsity boy’s basketball team.

The Sewanhaka District varsity bowling team is lead by twins Kristina and Nicky Genova. Both the girls and boys team are leading their conferences. The girls team is currently undefeated for the fourth year in a row. They won counties last year by over 270 pins and came in 3rd at states. They are the favorites this year to win counties. “Its been an honor stepping up to varsity and filling my brothers shoes” says Nick Genova.

The tipoff to a game that is a gateway to a competitive season.

15Chieftain - January

A Team That Attracts Success

Sports

Laura Guillen

Driven and determined. Two words that describe this year’s girls varsity basketball team perfectly. Before the season had officially stared, the girls played in a number of challenging non-league games. “It’s these sort of experiences that’s going to help this team grow and be prepared for the end of the season-when it counts” said Coach Soupious as he explained why he packed the schedule with these non-league games. Captains Rachel Wisniewski and Shantell McCall both agree that these non-league games are ex-tremely helpful in getting them closer to their goal. Shantell Mc-Call did mention how the team does have a long way to go to be successful in the playoffs, but she did admit that the non-league games have made them a better team. If you’ve ever been to one of the girls varsity basketball games, you can easily agree that they give their all from start to finish whether the game counts or not. “Even though it’s still early in the season…” Rachel Wisniewski continues to explain, “we as a team work very hard at every prac-tice and in every game to have a successful outcome.” Proving this is their current record of 6 wins to 1 loss. On the court, the girls play as one like any other great, well-organized team would. At practices, these girls work and help each

other out like a family. According to Coach Soupious, the word “family” is something they are always preaching. He also men-tioned how every year there is a different mixture of personalities and that it does take a while for the girls to settle in and that this year was no different. “We are a young team but we play as one,” said Rachel Wisniewski as she confirmed that the girls are serious about this season. Coach Soupious said how the girls are very tal-ented this year and that their goal as a team is to peak at the right time.This is the captain’s last season of basketball at Sewanhaka. It is a bitter-sweet feeling for Shantell McCall because just knowing that this her last year it motivates her to play harder. Rachel Wis-niewski expressed her appreciation when said, “I’ve been around these girls for many years playing with them both in Sewanhaka and outside of the school. It’s upsetting to be leaving a family that I’ve always been apart of.” Shantell explained how she is excited to be doing what she loves with a great group of girls for her senior year. “I just hope to leave a good mark and inspire the younger girls to always give it their all,” said Rachel with hopes of being a role model to the younger girls.As you can see, the girl’s varsity basketball team are working hard to be prepared and successful. They have plenty of potential to make it to the playoffs.

Sewanhaka’s ball players at their best. Determination is an integral part of Sewanhaka’s game strategy.

A corner shot from downtown that shows off the girls’ skills.

Senior Rachel Wisniewski taking a free throw.

Mrs. Debra Lidowsky - Principal

Dr. Ralph ferrie, Superintendent Of Schools

Board of Education

Jean Fichtl - President David T. Fowler - Vice President

Joseph ArmocidaDavid Del Santo

Laura Ferone Anthony S. Maffea- Sr.

Michael JaimeJoan Romagnoli

Hank Logerman Award

American Scholastic Press Award NEwSDAy H.S. jOuRNALISM AwARD

2009 AND 2010 QuILL yOuNG PEOPLE PRESS AwARD

“Never overlook the obvious”- David Sexton