The WarriorNiskayuna High School April 25, 2018 Volume 44, Issue 12

a student-run publication since 1974

Inside this issue...Spring fashion hits the scene,page 6

The baseball season so far,page 7

Should we take multivitamins?page 5

by LiLLian Hong

news

In a large scale collaboration between the fine arts and music de-partments at Niskayuna high school, the Creative Harmony exhibition had its opening night on March 22 at the high school. It was an event that truly stressed the possibilities of interdis-ciplinary work in a wide swathe of different mediums. The jazz band from the middle schools performed live music in the Little Theater, while artists painted for guests in real time. Senior Ollie Yao, one of the painters present, said that, “Painting for an audience was something I’d never really done before, but I enjoyed the experience and the end product.”

Still on display, paintings and sculptures are can be seen in the high school’s art exhibit down F hall. The works are taken from all grade levels in the district, with each group engaging in different projects that all involve music in some way.

At the high school, students in Veronica Wallimann’s Drawing and Painting class painted abstract works based pieces of Italian opera that they selected from a list curated by the music department. Other paint-ings and drawings based on opera were created in other high school art classes such as Advanced Art I, II, and III. As “musical theater,” each opera piece told a story from which artists could draw inspiration. One song, Ragazza Diabolica, told the story of a young girl trying to convince a priest to marry her through the power of her beautiful voice. Another piece,

Vaghissima Sembianza, was sung in the voice of a man gazing at a portrait that reminds him of a lost lover.

Students of Christina Pizzino-Catalano in the high school’s music program also performed in a recital of Italian opera during the event, singing nine different pieces accom-panied on piano by Maria Germain. The music selected was the same music that students from Drawing and Painting were asked to listen to for inspiration; these pieces were on display on the wall in the same room. Artists interpreted the powerful sto-ries and emotions conveyed by these songs in their own styles, resulting an extremely varied collection of musical work

At the middle schools, students in the music and art programs also engaged in projects for the Creative Harmony event. In music classes, they composed their own songs in GarageBand or Noteflight, allow-ing them to explore their musical preferences and identities. In tandem with this, middle school students in art classes created their own album covers in an effort to consider how the moods and information in music can be complimented through visual representations. Students at Iroquois middle school listened to jazz music and then completed still life drawings of jazz instruments for an assignment, before discussing some common trends between art and music.

At elementary schools, dance was also drawn into the theme of inter-mingling fine art and music. Some students created artwork based on

the book Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, depicting giraffes busting some great moves. Others learned different forms of dancing, such as Bele Kawe, a variation of a form of African-Caribbean folk dance. Students in this class created a variety of animal masks from the book and then performed the dance while wearing them; the video of their performance was then displayed in the high school’s art hall.

Students at Birchwood Elementary School practiced their drawing and music composition skills with “Hot Cross Buns.” They first learned to play the song on recorders or string instruments before rewriting the

melody with different rhythms. Finally, students explored the world of pop-art before creating their own desert themed works in repetitions of four with varied colors, in the style of artist Andy Warhol.

Across the district, students explored their music and fine art in the same context to create many wonderful works. Even if you missed the jazz show and opera recital, the works of art described above are still on display in the high school’s exhibit. Be sure to stop on by sometime in the next few weeks to appreciate all the ways in which different artistic mediums can come together to create new works of art.

Students engage in Creative Harmony

Photo Credit / Lillian HongFUSING FINE ART AND MUSIC: Student sculptors render musical objects

2April 25, 2018The Warrior News

Student directed play coming soonby Sam Sanborn

newS

For the past several weeks, the Niskayuna High School Drama Club has been preparing to put on its second play of this year: The Curious Savage. The Curious Savage is a heartfelt comedy set in the 1950s about a quirky widow, Ethel Savage, who inherits a fortune from her husband and is placed in a home for those with mental illness by her self-centered stepchildren, who intend on wresting the fortune from her. Mrs. Savage forges a bond with the diverse personalities at The Cloisters, but will it be enough to keep the money in the right hands?

Mrs. Savage is played by sopho-more Lillian Bushway, who was also featured in last year’s smash hit play, The Man Who Came To Dinner. Mrs. Savage’s stepsons, Samuel and Titus, are played by freshmen Daniel Watson and Tim Burgess, and Mrs. Savage’s stepdaughter, Lily Belle, is played by junior Alex Burgess. Those at The Cloisters are played by sophomore Maddy Montgomery,

Photo Credit / Tyler BarhydtPERFORMERS: Student performers (left to right) Sam Sanborn, Gabe Santos, Maddy Montgomary, Lillian Bushway and Eva Fallone.

freshman Eva Fallone, junior Emily Baker, junior Alex Cherry, junior Sam Sanborn, and freshman Natalie Oliver. The show is being directed by Drama Club seniors Hannah Davis, MacKenzie Denofio, Matthew Mitchell, and Connor Graham, and the backstage is managed by senior Kate Sazon. The set was constructed by Hannah Davis and Kate Sazon, and painted by the stage crew.

The Drama Club has been hard at work learning lines, creating the set and attending after school practices for weeks. The show is of moderate length and appropriate for a wide audience. Alex Burgess explained why the play is such a good experi-ence in saying, “The cast and crew are able to come together and create this awesome show.” Show dates are April 26th through 28th at 7 PM and April 28th at 2 PM! Students and senior citizens tickets cost $9, and adult tickets cost $10. All Niskayuna students are encouraged to bring their friends and family to enjoy the show!

PLAY REHERSAL: Gabe Santos is caught delivering a convinving perfor-mance in a dress rehearsal.

Photo Credit / Tyler Barhydt

3April 25, 2018The Warrior News

By Dayeon Son

newS

Niskayuna middle and high school students in health classes are working to raise awareness about issues like drugs and alcohol, which students can be involved in and affected by. The middle school students were given the task of addressing under-age drinking, and the high school students were given the task of ad-dressing marijuana use. They will be creating a slogan—ten words or less—with an image, to enter in a contest. This contest was sponsored by N-CAP— Niskayuna Community Action Program—and the winners were selected by a faculty member of the school, law enforcement officials, an N-CAP representative, a student, and a media representative. The first place winners in both the high school and middle school will have their designs displayed on billboards along Consaul Road around the time of prom and. The first, second, and

third place winners will both have their designs displayed on posters and made into stickers to be passed around in the spring. The first place winners from the high school was Casey Sims, Katie Showers,Kate Christie, and Ambreen Aslam. From the middle school Garrett Moskal and Naseem Abdullah won the contest. These billboards can help other students to be aware of what negative choices they could make, and learn to avoid them. The major consequences of using drugs and alcohol are being exhibited where everyone can see them, therefore rais-ing awareness. Fellow students can be cautious, and stop their peers from taking the wrong path. This contest not only spreads a strong message across students in Niskayuna, but also shows the talent and creativity of the students participating in the contest. Be sure to look out for the billboards that will be showcased in Consaul Road in spring!

N - C A P c o n t e s tw i n n e r s d e c i d e d

By Dayeon Son

newS

Established in 1964, the U.S. Presi-dential Scholars program was made to recognize the nation’s top high school seniors. Only twenty male and twenty female students are chosen from each state to be candidates. Four of Niskayuna’s seniors are nominated as candidates. Criteria to be considered includes being a senior

in high school who has received ex-cellent scores on the SAT or ACT and having been an outstanding leader academically or in the arts. This is an invitational program, meaning only students with the highest SAT or ACT scores can be invited to apply. Of the 3.6 million high school students who are graduating this year, only 4,500 are chosen as candidates. As of

2015, the program was expanded to include students who excel in career and technical education fields. From Niskayuna High School, seniors MJ Lee, Skylar Litz, Johanne Friedman, and Bryan Zhou were selected this year. Now they are in the running to be selected as semi-finalists, and then to become one of the 161 students who become finalists. Each finalist will

receive a medal in Washington D.C. at the White House. Scholars are hon-ored during the National Recognition Program held in June. The trip is all expenses paid and Scholars can meet with government officials, educators, and other accomplished people at the Program. Congratulations to these four seniors for showing excellence in academics, and good luck!

NHS yields national award candidates

Rap m us ic i s a prob lem4 The WarriorOpinion April 25, 2018

by Tolulope oshinowoopinion

Music is a very powerful tool, and in this day and age this could not be any more truthful. From Rock to Clas-sical, Pop to Spiritual, and everything in between, music is a force that cal either bind or divide us. Rap music is especially interesting in this regard, as a genre it has only been around for a few decades, but it has been able to transcend cultures, tongues, and races to become the most popular genre in the United States. If we are to look at rap music’s history we can see a long line of influences from rock icons like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, to pop stars like Prince and Michael Jackson, and these sources of

influence have given us the rappers that we all know and love like Tupac, Biggie, Nas, 50 cent and Eminem, but as the genre has changed with time, it has most become less and less meaningful and more and more

problematic. When I say that modern day rap music is problematic, I am aware that good rappers still exist (ex: Hopsin, G Eazy, Kendrick, and SZA), but the vast majority of today’s “rappers” are more of a problem to society than an aid. The problem can be traced back to the likes of Soulja Boy who made rap music more of an outlet the “flex” about being “hard” instead of touching upon meaningful issues, and ever since then things have spiraled downward at an alarming rate. As of recent times the vast majority of rap music consists of substance abuse, misogyny, gang violence, arson, racism, disrespect of authority figures, and an overall lack of integrity, and as today’s youth

listens to it, the more that type of hate-filled rhetoric is internalized. If you have listened to any of today’s modern rappers (ex: Lil Pump, Trip-pie Redd, Tekashi69, Famous Dex, etc.) it is no question that these people

either rap without thinking of the possible repercussions of what they say when enacted by their fans, or they are intentionally trying to make an entire generation destroy itself. I’d

give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that it is the former and that they know not of what they do, but it doesn’t change the fact that rap music is becoming toxic to society. Mahatma Gandhi once said that “Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” and he is absolutely correct; but the thing is that that could go either way: positive thoughts leading to a positive destiny, or negative thoughts leading to a negative destiny. With the influence of mainstream rap music however, things don’t look too bright, and considering Niskayuna’s grow-ing vape epidemic, it doesn’t seem like Gandhi was any wrong in the slightest. The solution? A conscious

refrain from listening to rap, or at least mainstream rap, because only then will our voices be heard that we will not stand for this type of corrup-tion to our generation. How could

something like this be accomplished? Simple: by searching up the lyrics to that rap song everyone thinks is “fire” on Genius.com to see if it’s edifying or not, and then making a responsible decision on whether or not to listen/buy it or not. I’m not trying to say that I hate rap music. Not in the slightest. But we can no longer ignore the fact that the music that we listen to has a whole lot more power than we think it might. By rejecting artists and al-bums that promote substance abuse, misogyny, gang violence, arson, rac-ism, disrespect of authority figures, and a whole lot of other vices, we are making our voices heard by the powerful media corporations that we are sick of the artists that promote us in harming each other and ourselves whether directly or through proxy, and that we want a change to occur.

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the school community, and can be delivered toWarrior staff or sent via email to: thewarrioropinion@gmail.com. The War-rior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length,

and content.

Signed opinion articles express the opinions of their cre-ators. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus of the paper’s editorial board, consisting of the Opinion section

and the Editor-in-Chief.

The WarriorNiskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY, 12309

http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/nhs/warrior

For a one-year subscription to The Warrior, please send a check for $25.00 to: The Warrior, c/o Niskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309.

Opinion (Pages 4-5):MJ Lee, EditorBen Yao, EditorPaul Tan, Asst.

Entertainment (Page 6):Ambreen Aslam, EditorLauren Moran, Asst.

Sports (Pages 7-8):Amelia Kokernak, EditorCharlotte Kokernak, EditorLisa Dong, Asst.

Magazine (Pages 9-12)Suzie Davis, EditorRebecca Cropsey, EditorAryia Dattamajumdar, EditorMark Lipkin, Asst.

Adviser: James Edgar

Editors-in-Chief:Elisabeth ChillrudElaine Lipkin

News (Pages 1-3):Lillian Hong, EditorCecelia Cain, EditorJames Kemp, EditorShivani Singh, Asst.

the vast majority of rap music consists of substance abuse,

misogyny, gang violence, ar-son, racism, disrespect of au-thority figures, and an over-

all lack of integrity

we can no longer ignore the fact that the music that we

listen to has a whole lot more power than we think it

might.

Should we take multivitamins?5 The WarriorOpinion April 25, 2018

by Ethan Conradopinion

A typical American diet does not meet the recommended health stan-dards. A healthy diet should provide all the necessary vitamins and miner-als, however, most people do not eat a truly healthy diet. Research finds that most people lack many essential nu-trients, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and D. It’s no wonder why many people rely heavily on multi-vitamins to fill in the gaps. Many people also resort to vitamins believing that doing so will improve their immune system and give them an extra health boost to ward of sickness. Multivitamins are a great way to help people fulfill their daily nutritional needs, but too much of a good thing can hurt.

Many scientists, unlike the average citizen, do not believe in the “benefit only” multivitamins. They point out that while it appears to be an easy shortcut to fulfill daily nutritional needs there is not enough consistent evidence to prove that there is an add-

ed health benefit from taking mul-tivitamins. “Often the enthusiasm for these vitamins and supplements

outpaces the evidence. And when the rigorous evidence is available from randomized controlled trials, often the results are at odds with the find-ings of the observational studies,” explains Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and principal investigator of a large randomized trial known as VITAL

(Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial). Along with the ques-tioning benefits of vitamins, there are risks of overuse.

While vitamins and min-erals are healthy when taken in natural amounts, taking too much could result in harmful health effects. In 2008, a Cochrane Collabora-tion study found that test subjects who were given supplements of vitamin A, vitamin E, and beta-carotene had a higher death rate than those who were not given any supplement. There is

also evidence that excess folic acid may be contributing to an increase in colorectal cancer. With all this in

mind, there is still no true way of knowing whether multivitamins are useful. There are too many factors to consider and most studies are hardly accurate. So what is the solution?

While vitamins pose an easy way of getting nutrients that most people do not naturally get in their diet, nothing will be healthier than a healthy diet that takes in all the nu-trients naturally. While multivitamin supplements may help to fill in the holes of a natural diet, they are just that: supplements. When deciding whether to take vitamins, it is best to avoid multivitamin supplements that are an overload of nutrients. One should also try to include as many of the nutrients one would not normally get by diversifying the diet. At the end of the day, nobody has a perfect diet, you can make sure you are not lacking in any of the essential vita-mins or minerals by comparing the high-nutrient foods below to those in your diet. If even after that you feel you need to still take multivi-tamins, just be sure not to overdo it.

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the school community, and can be delivered toWarrior staff or sent via email to: thewarrioropinion@gmail.com. The War-rior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length,

and content.

Signed opinion articles express the opinions of their cre-ators. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus of the paper’s editorial board, consisting of the Opinion section

and the Editor-in-Chief.

The WarriorNiskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY, 12309

http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/nhs/warrior

For a one-year subscription to The Warrior, please send a check for $25.00 to: The Warrior, c/o Niskayuna High School, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY 12309.

Opinion (Pages 4-5):MJ Lee, EditorBen Yao, EditorPaul Tan, Asst.

Entertainment (Page 6):Ambreen Aslam, EditorLauren Moran, Asst.

Sports (Pages 7-8):Amelia Kokernak, EditorCharlotte Kokernak, EditorLisa Dong, Asst.

Magazine (Pages 9-12)Suzie Davis, EditorRebecca Cropsey, EditorAryia Dattamajumdar, EditorMark Lipkin, Asst.

Adviser: James Edgar

Editors-in-Chief:Elisabeth ChillrudElaine Lipkin

News (Pages 1-3):Lillian Hong, EditorCecelia Cain, EditorJames Kemp, EditorShivani Singh, Asst.

MultivitaMins are a great way to help people

fulfill theirdaily nutritional

needs, but too Much of a good thing can hurt

while MultivitaMin sup-pleMents May help to fill in the holes of a natural

diet, they are just that: suppleMents.

Calcium - Milk, Yogurt, Sardines, Tofu, Fortified Orange Juice

Folic acid - Fortified Cereal, Spinach, Lentils, Beef Liver

Iron - Oysters, Chicken Liver, Turkey

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Salmon, Sardines, Flax-seed, Walnuts, Soybeans

Vitamin A - Sweet Potato, Spinach, Carrots, Canta-loupe, Tomatoes

Vitabin B3 - Tuna, Eggs, Avacado, Sunflower Seed, Coffee

Vitamin B6 - Chickpeas, Salmon, Chicken Breast

Vitamin B12 - Clams, Beef Liver, Trout, Forti-fied Breakfast Cereals

Vitamin D - Salmon, Tuna, Yogurt, Fortified Milk

Vitamin E - Wheat Germ Oil, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Peanut Butter

6 April 25, 2018Entertainment The Warrior

By Lauren Moran

entertainMent

Are you looking at your closet and feeling uninspired? Do you feel like your closet is full of basic pieces with no bold statements? Or do you feel like your closet contains the same color of everything and you need to spice up your wardrobe? Normally, the answer is yes during this gloomy transition from winter to spring. If you are in need of mixing up your wardrobe, adding some new state-ment pieces, or completely changing your closet, then these spring trend ideas are for you!

A big thing now that is becom-ing wildly popular is western wear. Instead of a generic belt or necklace, people are choosing to go with belts with huge buckles and bolo ties. Along with belts and neck ties, suede fringe jackets are also making a huge comeback with celebrities like Kate Moss and Miranda Kerr sporting them in the streets of NYC. To com-plete the new and improved western wear many people are wearing bandanas in interesting ways, such as around their heads and around their wrists as statement pieces. If you are looking to westernize your wardrobe clothing companies like Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom have many options to pick from!

Remember when bell bottoms were a thing? Well, they are back and better than ever. This time bell bottoms are not only in jeans, they are being put on

jumpsuits and high waisted colored pants to create the newest trend of 70’s fashion. Bell bottoms can easily take a plain white t-shirt and turn it into high 70’s fashion instantly. Along the bell bottoms, clear circular glasses are coming back to add a chic element to the pants. Celebrities like Gigi Hadid and Harry Styles are adopting this look making the trend become even more popular. For some affordable options for bell bottoms and shades American Eagle and Free People just came out with new collections featuring the very popular 70’s trend!

Lastly, another trend that has been wildly popular on the runway and the streets of NYC and LA is pastels. This fashion trend is very versatile which adds to the fact of why it is becoming so popular. There are several ways to wear this new fashion move-ment such as in pastel shoes, pants, headbands, or bags. It adds a great pop of color to any outfit and make it look new.Try it out for yourself and completely change your basic outfit! Many designers like Victoria Beckham, Celine, Chanel, and Preen chose this theme for their shows this past New York Fashion Week. Some inexpensive options for this colorful trend can easily be found at PacSun and or Abercrombie!

Whether you are looking to change your wardrobe completely or add some new elements to your classic looks, these new trends are perfect for anyone and any closet!

Photo Credit / Fashion Gone Rogue

Pastels take over spring season

By aMBreen asLaM

entertainMent

A Quiet Place, directed by John Krasinski, hit theaters April 6. Star-ring Emily Blunt and the director himself, we’re walked through the story of a family who has to remain quiet in order to remain alive. The family consists of the two parents and their 13 year old deaf daughter, 7 year old son and 4 year old son. Despite the absence of dialogue, the cinematography and the acting of the characters speaks words. The family dynamics are made clear through the

music playing in the background as the members interact. The father and daughter don’t get along too well because he is overprotective of her and the son feels more comfortable with his mother because the father pushes him to cross his boundaries. Awarded a whopping 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4/5 on Com-mon Sense Media, A Quiet Place is a movie worth watching. It keeps you in suspense and has several heart racing moments that show you a different type of fear.

The movie raked in 85 million

A Quiet Place makes resounding debutdollars on opening weekend and as of April 16th has made more than 151 million dollars in the box office

Millicent Simmonda who plays the role of the daughter is deaf in real life and she was proud to be in a movie that brought awareness to the struggle deaf people have. The whole cast and crew learned sign language not only for the movie but also so they could properly communicate with Simmonds.

Reviewed as a “a rare gripping, clever monster movie,” A Quiet Place is a must watch. Photo Credit/ Uproxx

7April 25, 2018The Warrior Sports

Baseball hits off to a strong startBy Jimmy Joyce

SportS

As the season for the Niskayuna Boys Varsity Baseball season pro-gresses this spring, the team is look-ing forward to being the best they can in Section II. The team won the Section II Class AA tournament last year to claim the first championship in program history, finishing with a program best record of eighteen and five. “It was such an amazing accom-plishment,” said senior Kyle Cox, one of six seniors on the Niskayuna roster. “If we could do that again ... That’s what drives us.” With sights set high for this coming spring, the team is training harder than ever before.

Head coach Chris Bianchi steered the team to a new level in his 2017 in-augural season with the varsity team. His second go-round this year will be with a relatively young team that has eight juniors and four sophomores. Four all-state players graduated from last year’s powerful lineup, including first-team third baseman Tyler Sene-cal, who also earned the Suburban Council Player of the Year award. “We have some returning players, and we have some younger players in the mix,” Bianchi said. “We want to cover all of the fundamentals as we prepare for the grind of the Sub-urban Council schedule. We want to

continue to grow so when postseason comes around, we’re ready to go. Last year is in the back of my team’s mind. Our expectations haven’t changed. We’re hoping to challenge everyone.” Niskayuna went 12-3 in the Suburban Council before its postseason run that was capped with a 4-0 win over Shenendehowa, the 2016 state cham-pion. Niskayuna’s season ended when a seventh-inning rally fell short in a 5-3 regional loss to Liverpool.

Niskayuna this year will be led by senior Alec Ritzenthaler, an all-state fourth-team pitcher, senior Ben Funyak, and juniors Jimmy Joyce, Cole Hedden and Tim Schaffer.”I don’t know about all the home runs this year, but we’ll be able to hit,” Ritzenthaler said. “We’re pretty good all over. I think we have a solid team.” Ritzenthaler went 4-0 last year with a 1.01 ERA, and went the distance on the mound in the Section II title game against Shenendehowa. Funyak, a shortstop and pitcher, hit .433 with 16 RBIs, and Joyce, an outfielder, batted .383 with 18 RBIs. Both earned All-Section accolades in 2017. Bianchi said junior Aaron Whitley and sopho-mores Chris Erickson and James Mur-phy are among his underclassmen to watch for the 2018 baseball year.

The Warriors are 2-1 in league play so far this season. In the first game,

Photo Credit / Barbara JoyceBASEBALL: Junior Cole Hedden pitches at a game against Troy that helped put points on the scoreboard.

Photo Credit / Barbara JoyceCHAMPIONS: Above is Kyle Cox on a base waiting to touch the home plate.

the Warriors beat Troy 6-5 thanks to a walk-off double by Erickson, and great pitching performances by Hed-den, junior Jack Murray and Funyak. Whitley also had a big game, going 2 for 3 with two doubles. The Warriors then went on to play at Mohonasen a few days later and won by a score of 8-4. Schaffer started the game on the mound, followed by sophomore Sam Morra, junior Christian Grigas and Murray. Funyak had another

Photo Credit / Barbara JoyceHITTING OUT OF THE PARK: Sophomore James Murphy is shown above batting at the Niskayuna against Troy game.

strong game going 3 for 4 at the plate, and senior Alex Terwilliger drove in two runs for the Warriors.

In Non-League play, the War-riors lost to 2017 Class A State Finalists Albany Academy 5-9 on 4/14. Senior Ryan Dell pitched well and Joyce, Erickson and Fu-nyak all hit well in the defeat.

The team is looking strong as the season progresses and they are look-ing forward to success. Go Warriors!

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April 25, 2018

Track strides into successBy AmeliA KoKernAK

SportS

Despite winter’s prolonged presence in Ni-skayuna this season, spring sports are starting WR�UDPS�XS��ZLWK�PDQ\�RI�WKH�WHDPV·�ÀUVW�FRP-petitions already having taken place. The track WHDP� LQ� SDUWLFXODU� LV� RͿ� WR� D� VWURQJ� VWDUW��ZLWK�both the boys and girls teams performing better WKDQ�WKH�SDVW�VHDVRQ�LQ�WKH�ÀUVW�WZR�PHHWV�RI�WKLV�VHDVRQ��$IWHU�FRPLQJ�RͿ�RI�VXFK�D�VWHOODU�LQGRRU�track season, the athletes and coaches expect nothing less from each other for outdoor track.

On March 9 to 10, eight athletes competed at the New Balance National Championships in New York City. Held at the historic Washington Avenue Armory, the competition always brings the best athletes from across the country, with thousands of athletes vying for a spot on the podium, which would earn them All-American accolades. Nis-kayuna brought three girls’ relay teams down to the championships, including an Emerging-Elite level Sprint Medley Relay, a Championship level Distance Medley Relay and a Championship level 4x800m relay. The team had planned to bring a boys’ 4xmile relay down as well, however due to injury they were unfortunately not able to compete.2Q�WKH�ÀUVW�GD\��WKH�JLUOV�605�UDQ�DQ�LPSUHVVLYH�

������ SODFLQJ� WKHP�QLQWK� LQ� D� FRPSHWLWLYH� ÀHOG��The relay consisted of sophomore Zoe Harris and juniors Kristina Koes, Julia Doriski and Charlotte Kokernak. Later that evening, the DMR pulled WKURXJK�ZLWK�D�VXUSULVLQJ�VL[WK�SODFH�ÀQLVK��ZLWK�a school-record setting time of 11:57. The all-senior team earned All-American status for their performance and consisted of Amelia Kokernak, Megan Daviero, Sydney Smith and Abigail Spiers. The following night, the 4x800 took home the per-IRUPDQFH�RI�WKH�VHDVRQ��ÀQDOO\�VHWWLQJ�WKH�VFKRRO�record in a time of 9:11 and placing third in the country. The team of C. Kokernak, Smith, Spiers and A. Kokernak earned All-American status as

well, and are the highest placing team the track pro-gram has seen at the national level in many years.

Moving into outdoor, it is evident that the hard work from indoor track and the outdoor preseason LV�DOUHDG\�SD\LQJ�RͿ�DQG�UHVXOWLQJ�LQ�KXJH�LPSURYH-PHQWV�DPRQJVW�WKH�WHDP�DV�D�ZKROH��,Q�WKH�ÀUVW�competition of the season at Columbia High School on April 11, both teams won the 4x800, with the boys relay consisting of junior Marty Dolan, seniors Joe Hale, Dominick Favata and Colin Ross, and the girls relay consisting of A. Kokernak, Spiers, and juniors Hailey Walthers and Maddy Hesler. Fresh-man Marissa Wise and junior Nick Reyes were both champions in the 100m and 110m hurdles respec-tively. Junior Ainsley Filkins took the pole vault as well, and junior Grace Minkin was the champion of the triple jump. Harris won the 100m dash as well, among many other stellar performances.

A few days later, the team ventured out to Vestal High School for the NY/PA Invitational in Binghamton, where the impressive performances continued. The girls won the entire meet, taking down Corning and Ithaca, among other team. Smith, A. Kokernak, and Spiers were all champi-ons in their respective events, the steeplechase, the 1500m and the 3000m. The girls 4x100m relay of Harris, Wise, Koes and Minkin and the girls 4x800m relay of eighth grader Liyat Kebbede, seniors Sam and Tori Padula and Walthers, were both champions. The boys saw many impressive performances on their side as well, with the team placing eleventh overall out of 28 teams. Sopho-more Tom Ragone won the 3200m in and Ross took home third in the 1600m in a personal record of 4:27. Favata had a big day in the 800m dash, breaking the two minute barrier to earn him third place.

With so much success so on early in the sea-son, the track team will be looking to challenge bigger schools like Saratoga and Shenendehowa at the Section II Championships and move on to the state and national championships.

Photo Credit / Debbie HarrisOUTDOOR TRACK: The boys and girls teams celebrate a successful day at the NY/PA Invtational held in Binghamton, NY at Vestal High School. The team saw many outstanding performances and the girls team won the entire meet.

Baseball4/25 vs. Averill Park @Home4/27 vs. Burnt Hills @Burnt Hills5/01 vs. Amsterdam @Home

Girls’ Track4/26 @Penn Relays5/2 vs. Guilderland @Home

Boys’ Track5/01 vs. Guilderland @Home5/05 @Colonie Relays

Boys’ Tennis4/25 vs. Averill Park @Central Park4/26 vs. Shenendehowa @SHS

Boys’ Lacrosse4/26 vs. Averill Park @Averill Park4/28 @Lakeland Panas

Girls’ Lacrosse4/26 vs. Averill Park @Averill Park4/28 @Longmeadow High School

Softball4/25 vs. Averill Park @Van Antwerp4/27 vs. Burnt Hills @BH-BL

Editors:Suzie DavisRebecca CropseyMark LipkinAryia Dattamajumdar

Volume 44, Issue 12 April 25, 2018SilverThe Warrior Magazine

Down to Earth

Warrior Photo Credit /Emma Boehmer

The Warrior Magazine April 25, 2018Silver

Recycle for a better place!Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

We hear these three words all the time! They are on grocery bags, plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes. Many people don’t realize the ben-efits of recycling. The number one reason is that they can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Also, it saves energy when we use them! Recycling helps us conserve natural and valuable re-sources such as timber and water. When people recycle they are making a difference in the world, little by little!

For the most part, recycling is easy! Paper, plastic water bottles, and anything with the recycling symbol are re-cyclable. However, it is also important to remember some tips when when recycling.

First of all, plastic straws can not be recycled! The reason for this is that they are made of polypropylene. This is not easily broken down. Many people make this mistake and recycle straws. To avoid this mistake, Mr. Scott, the advisor of the recycling club, strongly recommends that people quit using plastic straws and start using reusable straws.

Secondly, grocery bags should not be thrown out. After coming back from the grocery store, save all your plastic bags. They can be reused in many ways. If you want to recycle the bags, there are bins outside of select grocery stores where they can go to be recycled. To find a place to recycle your plastic grocery bags you can visit http://www.abagslife.com/find-a-recycle-center/

. These plastic bags are bad for the environment, espe-cially since they are often found in lakes and ponds. It is best to stop using them in general. Instead, buy reus-able shopping bags. They are very cheap and sold at almost every grocery store.

Many students bring a Star-bucks drink to school in a plas-tic, disposable cup with a lid and a straw. While these are recyclable, there are a few quick steps to properly recy-cling them. Liquids inside the cup must be poured out into a sink before being recycled. After that, the lid and the cup can go into the recycling bin.

Niskayuna has a great system set up for recycling. If you desire to recycle any paper, it can be put in the

bin with the slit in the top. If you desire to recycle any plastic containers, they can go in the bin with the circular holes in the lid. Our recycling club sorts through the bins at the end of each week. Any student interested in making a difference can join them in Mr. Scott’s room on Fridays.

So next time you are about to throw something away, take a second to consider if it can be recycled. Even though it may seem small, you are making a difference in the world. Mr. Scott says, “It takes a community’s concerted effort” so en-courage the people around you to join you in recycling. This school has tons of po-tential to make the world greener one step at a time!

Dear readers,We hope you all have a wonder-ful Earth Day and remember to help make the environment a better place!Love,The editors

by Katarina MillsMagazine

Warrior photo credit / Aryia DattamajumdarRecycle: Always keep in mind the three R’s to recyciling!

The Warrior Magazine April 25, 2018Silver

G o o u t s i d e t h i s E a r t h D ayBy Ainsley Filkins

Magazine

Fresh air is always good for the mind and the body, and with Earth Day fast approaching what better way to get outside than to go for a hike? The Ni-skayuna Outing Club invites students around the school to get away from screens and towards fresh air by orga-nizing trips all around the Catskills and the Adirondacks. With the help of club advisors Thomas Caffrey and Jeffrey Ormsbee, students work to organize and lead hikes, white-water rafting trips, caving trips, trips to high ropes courses, and more. With Earth Day com-ing up on April 22, now is a better time than ever to get out and enjoy nature.

Although there are no weekly meet-ings for the club, after school the Wednesday or Thursday before the outings the students participating get

together to talk about the hike, learn about gear to bring to be prepared in any situation, and get to know the other students participating. It’s fairly brief and allows for flexibility since so many people are in other clubs and sports.This is a great fit for people with little time and also allows for relaxation. Earlier this year, the club took a trip to Cat and Thomas Mountain near Bolton Landing, a relatively easy hike with a rewarding view of the beautiful Lake George area. That event was popular, attended by a variety of students both new and experienced in the club. It’s hikes like these that get students out-side and help them enjoy nature. Last year, the week before finals started, there was a white water rafting trip as a way to have fun and de-stress before going into finals. Students found this to be a great experience to get into na-

ture before taking exams and get some fresh air. There is definitely a possibility this trip will happen again this June. There were lots of interestsed sudents and it got lots of positive feedback.

Outing Club is open to everyone, and new students are always welcome. If you want to get some fresh air and enjoy nature consider joining Outing club. If you have a fun hike or event in mind, just stop by G295 during homeroom and talk to Caffrey and Ormsbee. Even if you don’t have the time or interest to participate, this Earth Day is still a great time to get outside and enjoy the outdoors by doing an activity that’s fun for you, think about trying something new. Remember to appreciate and take in the Earth this Earth Day, and take some time to relax outdoors. Get some fresh air, celebrate Earth Day, and join Outing Club for fun, hikes, and time in the sun.

Warrior Photo Credit / Robert Filkins

FRESH AIR: Students in outing club visit Cat and Thomas Mountain earlier this year for a fun and relaxing hike.

The Warrior Magazine April 25, 2018Silver

Belkin describes meteorologyBy: Mark Lipkin

Magazine

Meteorology is a branch of atmo-spheric science which is made up mostly of weather forecasting. When predicting weather, many different aspects must be taken into account,causing it to be a very tricky process. Throughout history, dating back all the way to the time of Aristotle, meteorologists have been providing accurate weather predictions of all sorts to citizens. Niskayuna Sophomore Evan Belkin has been interested in the weather for many years. He has made many great forecasts for the Niskayuna area, which he distributes via his website, live streams, and text alerts. He has recently been featured in Your Niskayuna. We interviewed him to hear a detailed ac-count of his career as a meteorologist.

Mark Lipkin: What is the hardest part about making weather predictions, and what do you do to overcome these challenges?

Evan Belkin: Model disagreement. I have access to about five weather models. The ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), GFS (American Global Forecast System), GDPS (Global Deterministic Prediction System), HRRR (American Rapid Refresh) and NAM (North American Forecast System). Sometimes, these models just don’t agree with each other. For example, a recent event was the March 7th storm. 12 hours before the storm, the NAM had ten inches, while GFS only had about two. ECMWF was somewhere in the middle with about four to five. I refer to this as the battle of the mod-els. Which one will win? I usually take a blend of the models, and of course take into consideration any outliers. Finally, sometimes in the Northeast a few storms have tight precipitation gradients. This makes forecasting in the Niska-yuna area very challenging at points.

ML: What sparked your inter-est in becoming a meteorolo-gist and how did you get started?

EB: I became interested in meteorol-ogy during the summer of 2007. It was a beautiful afternoon, with just a few

passing clouds. My mom and I were in the car on our way to get my glasses fixed. We were listening to the radio when suddenly, it stopped to break in that we were under a tornado watch. I was quite confused. It was mostly sunny. I thought there was no way there would be any storms that night. To my surprise, we had a severe thunderstorm late that evening. It was at this moment that I became hooked. How were the meteo-rologists able to predict severe storms when it was sunny? I then went on to do a lot of research. It was an interest that I was proud to have. I told everyone at school that I love the weather and becoming a meteorologist was a goal. My fifth grade math teacher’s husband was the warning coordination meteorologist at the Albany National Weather Service. She was kind enough to schedule a tour for me at his office. I learned that I could do more research and how I could provide storm reports — snowfall totals, branches down etc. — to help them out. After years and years of research, I think I know a good bit about meteorology and am capable of making an accurate forecast. I obviously have a long way to go, but a big thanks to the National Weather Service, my teacher, and my family and friends for helping out.

ML: Do you have any comment on the fact that we are still getting snow here in Niskayuna in April? Do you connect it to global warming,or is it normal for an area with a climate like ours to see such a snowy year.

EB: Great question! I’m answering this question while we are under a rare mid-April winter weather advisory for freezing rain. Yes, on April 15, I woke up to the car frozen over. To answer the question: April can vary largely. We’ve had some Aprils with sustained temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We’ve also had the complete opposite, where it was only in the 30s and 40s. Interest-ingly enough, April 15, 2007 was an infamous snowstorm for parts of the region, with parts of Western Sche-nectady receiving close to a foot of snow. Remember April 4, 2016? We received about five inches of snow that day.

ML: Is there anything especially chal-lenging about predicting the weather in the Niskayuna area in particular?

EB: For the Capital Region in general, the widespread range of elevation makes it especially tricky. The 2007 storm which I mentioned earlier is a perfect example of this. As aforementioned, Western Schenectady County received close to a foot, while we, in the Eastern part of the county, only saw about an inch! A more recent storm occurred on December 12, 2017. Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa received seven inches of wet snow with this system. How many inches did Niskayuna receive? Less than one. A classic elevation storm. Another tricky aspect of the Northeast called tight gradients. A great example of this was the 2015 Blizzard. Poughkeepsie got about six inches, while areas slightly north of them got only an inch or so. Basically, a gradient is a sharp cutoff in snowfall. This all depends on the storm track, which, models occasion-ally disagree on. This makes predicting snowfall for the Capital Region some-times impossible until the last minute.

ML: Do you ever feel nervous about making an inaccurate call?

EB: Of course! All meteorologists do. Am I terribly nervous about it? No, because I have been wrong before and I will be wrong again. I believe that being wrong is an important part of the science. If you’re never wrong, you will never learn anything. I have made some forecasts which I primarily base off of a previous storm, rather than models. I learn from my mistakes and use them when making new forecasts. For the 2016 April snowfall, I called a snow day. However, I didn’t take into consideration that the April sun angle could prevent much snow from sticking to the roads. Now, when I make forecasts in April, I take into consideration that snow could accumulate much more on grassy surfaces, rather than roadways.

ML: What is the hardest kind of weather to predict?

EB: Snowstorms are by far the most difficult followed by severe thunderstorms as second hardest.