The WarriorNiskayuna High School May 25, 2012 Volume 38, Issue 30

a student-run publication since 1974, now weekly

Inside this issue...Exciting fashion in Cannes,page 6

Softball off to sectionals,page 7

Pokemon is a classic for kids,page 4

Niska-Day brings the fun once again by HannaH Hamilton

news

Each spring, Niskayuna resi-dents, as well as friends from other towns, are pleasantly surprised to find that year after year, Niska-Day never loses its excitement. Niska-Day is the town holiday which takes place every May, celebrating Niskayuna and all the clubs, sports teams, and people who play a part in making Niskayuna so special.

The Niska-Day Parade, which began on Union Street at 10 a.m., featured representatives from different local businesses, as well as organizations rang-ing from Girl Scout Troops to CitiBank. The parade is a joy to small children, as classical cars, fire trucks, and colorfully deco-rated floats drive by, and candy is thrown to people watching on the streets. Studio Singers serenaded the town on Saturday morning, and a giant Cookie Mon-ster balloon brought up the rear.

The actual festivities lasted the whole day, and took place at Craig Elementary School. Giant tents were set up with differ-ent booths, which had endless crafts for sale. Necklaces, cutting boards, Niskayuna apparel, and more were all put out by vendors in the Arts and Crafts Tent.

Additionally, several other tents featuring local performers were set up. Throughout the day, bands such as Mental Trigger and Milestone played for audi-

ences who milled in and out of the entertainment tent. A school of Irish Step Dancers brought several girls to perform, and they

even taught some of the audience members to do a simple step.

The most fun part about Niska-Day, for many, is hanging out with friends. This year, Niska-Day was blessed with beautiful weather, and the tree line was full of people relaxing in the shade.

Niska-Day really does have something for all ages, and be-cause it is such a prolonged event, it’s almost impossible to miss out on anything. Younger kids were ecstatic when they discovered that they could win real-live goldfish as prizes, and some got

carried away with themselves, winning fish into the double digits.

The Niskayuna Rowing Team always sets up a booth and offers

the “Erg Challenge,” where those who step up must row between 400 and 450 meters in under two minutes. They are awarded with different Crew Apparel if they can beat the challenge, and vic-tors are always filled with pride.

A whole section of Niska-Day is taken up by one delicious thing: Carnival Food. Real, fresh-squeezed, sugary lemonade; fried dough; French fries; and barbe-cue chicken are all provided as snacks and lunch. Niska-Day attendees were raving over the fried Oreos, which are actually

a lot more delicious than they sound. Though many first looked upon the snack with disgust, opinions changed as skeptics took their first bite of the strange delicacy and melted at the taste.

Many were playing soccer and football in the fields, and other (mostly younger) Niska-Day-goers hung out on the Craig School playground, or enjoyed the rides. For a price of between $3-4, which equated to 3-4 tick-ets, children could enjoy flying swings, small rollercoasters and a giant slide. Additionally, there was a small petting zoo with rab-bits and a goat, and kids could pay for pony rides around the back soccer field. But with all the excitement of Niska-Day, many forgot about sunblock and ended up with a nasty burn.

While its longevity can be a bonus, Niska-Day can also get a little lethargic after the first six hours. Many people left the grounds for dinner and a nap before coming back later in the evening for the closing show: the fireworks display!

As the night grew dark, and the final rays of the sun set on the horizon, people began to return. The parking lots were flooded with cars trying to get back before nine thirty, and the soccer fields were covered in blankets and people sitting on their jackets and shopping bags.

continued on page 2[memories]

Warrior Photo / Sophie KempA MAGICAL DAY: Niska-Day goers enjoy the company of their friendly neighborhood wizard, Merlin the Mediocre.

2 The WarriorNews May 25, 2012

continued from page 1[niska-day]

Finally, when the sky was dark, the first rocket went off in the air with a boom that took many aback. The display was a magnificent array of color across the sky that could be heard from miles around. It was the perfect way to end another incredible Niska-Day, and could not have been better executed by the town and event organizers.

Whether you’re old or young, outgoing or like to stick to the same crowd, Niska-Day always has something for everyone. From delicious food to good music, pretty crafts to adorable farm animals, nothing gets left out.

Even if one is not able to spend the whole day at the event, one can always stop by for an hour or two. Lots of people chose to only watch the parade early in the day, or to come for the fireworks. Because of the flexibility of the schedule, nobody gets excluded.

Niska-Day is more than just a day of fun, friendship, and sunburns. It is that time each year when everybody can come together and say, “Hey, we’re proud to be a town! We’re proud to be from Niskayuna.” It is a day when our talents, hard-work and achievements are commu-nally recognized and celebrated. It is a day that shows what we really stand for: good times, hard work and community.

Warrior News / Sophie KempSOAKING UP SOME SUN: Sophomores Gina Foley and Ben Burke take in some rays while enjoying Niska-Day’s beautiful weather.

Students consider summer jobs

Memories made at Niska-Day

by sam berbericH

news

Everyone knows school is ending, and many kids are looking to summer as a sweet relief from the rigors of school. But there are students, the brave few, who willingly give up large parts of their summer to work. I, being a summer worker, know that almost nothing is better than earning your own money and having the satisfaction of saving it.

But as summer draws near, a flurry of young job hunters leave the house and answer the question: is mak-ing money more important than having fun? For me the question is deceptively easy. The quick answer would be money. As I’m in my second year of my job, I am realizing the usefulness of having a full wallet during the summer. But on the other hand, my job isn’t the most action-packed or fun. I’m relinquishing my week-ends in order to have some-thing to do during the week.

I asked around to see whether or not people think money is worth the summer sacrifice. Ev-eryone I asked was in agreement that fun was more important. Sophomore Steph Acquario said that she’s working at River-Road camp this summer, not

because it pays well, but because, “ I like the kids and the people there are nice. A job is for the whole summer, why not have fun?”

But thinking about all the things you want to do in the summer, a fun job might not get you the money you need for that new car. There are always benefits to having a serious job. When you aren’t working, you can use your money to have a good time. This is a win-win situation. When I asked a group of freshman, only one had a job mowing lawns. This student said he finds ways to make work fun because

the number one priority is enjoying your job.Freshman Elizabeth Patt mentions, “My

friends are working at a camp and it’s good because not many stores or businesses would hire a 14 year old.” I have found that it is true that many workplaces prefer older kids, eighteen and up so they can sell the products and drinks minors can’t. I asked around Stewarts, one of the most common stores in New York, and was told by one of the employees that, “If you were under 18, you would just be in the way.” Not a great outlook.

But there is still hope. Kids can get jobs as CIT’s (counselors in training), being lifeguards at their local pool, picking up odd jobs for your neigh-bors, or helping out with babysitting. If none of those appeal to you, you can always check out job listings on the youth bureau website (http://www.colonie.com/library/jobs/index.html) for more retail oriented work. If all else fails, parents are always looking for help around the house. I bet if they’re asked nicely, some mon-ey might even be involved.

Photo Credit / http://www.transcriptbulletin.comTHE GRASS MAY BE GREENER: This summer, considering the difficult job market, many teens may opt self-employment, such as providing lawn-mowing services.

3May 25, 2012The Warrior News

Foreign language inspires smilesby Jackson montrym

news

On the dreary, rainy evening of May 15, the high school’s auditorium was filled with many smartly dressed students and their families for the annual Foreign Language Awards Cer-emony. In this awards ceremony students not only recieved awards for hard work in class but also for strong performances on na-tional foreign language contest such as the National French Exam or the National Latin Exam. Also, this ceremony is different from the other depart-ment’s ceremonies in that this ceremony included students from all grade levels, not just seniors.

The evening started out with a quick word from foreign lan-guage director Edward Alston and then commenced with the traditional bilingual speeches. Traditionally, for each language one student gives a speech in that language and another student translates it for the au-dience members who may not know that particular language.

Starting the evening were the French awards. Seniors Inga Bagepalli and Mia Gorla each gave part of a speech in French and then translated the other’s speech into English. Then, the awards were given out. Seniors and juniors received awards for strong performance in class, and then students from all grade lev-els received awards for perform-ing in the top 15% in the Hudson Valley region on the National French Contest exam. Each hon-ors French class takes this exam, given by the American Associa-tion for the Teachers of French. Finally, “le prix d’honneur” was given to the senior who is the strongest in French, and this year it went to senior Ryan Mullaney.

After the French awards came the German awards. This time, seniors Maddie DeBlock and Ryan Mullaney gave the speech, talking about their wonderful experience with the German exchange, and

then the same process started again. This time, the grand award in German was awarded to senior Gabriel Holodak. “One can never have enough German picture books,” said Holodak.

There was a small change this year given that this year Chinese was offered for the first time. Senior Clayton Marr gave a speech in Chinese talking about how they enjoyed with teacher Caiping Fan, while junior, Emily McDonald translated. There were not many awards for Chinese, but sophomore Seth Farkas received an excellence in classwork award.

The longest part of the evening was the Latin awards. Because Latin is a very popular language at the high school, there were many awards given. A speech was given by juniors Swati Mehrotra and Peter Olson about the Latin pro-gram, and then students received awards for their performance on

the National Latin Exam. Instead of merely acknowledging students that performed in the top 15% as the National French Contest does, the National Latin Exam awards students with “Magna Cum Laude.” Sophomore Cecelia Holodak even recieved an award for having a perfect paper. There were also awards for strong performance on a mythology exam that many students got.

The grand prize for the student with the best performance in Latin was awarded to junior Swati Meh-rotra. In an interview with Mehro-tra, she was at a loss for words due to her excitement over the award.

The evening continued with awards for strong performance in Spanish. Seniors Taylor Har-vey and Bridget LeMon gave the speeches and then awards were issued for strong performance in class work. Senior Ashleigh Holmes got the award for the best

performance in Spanish. The eve-ning culminated with something different. Seventeen students who are currently taking three or more language classes were acknowl-edged with a “polyglot” award, and were also rewarded with t-shirts saying “got languages” on the back. The ceremony ended and a little reception took place at crossroads and students and par-ents got the opportunity to speak to foreign language teachers.

This year’s Foreign Language Awards Ceremony had some pleasant changes with the addi-tion of Chinese, which allowed more “polyglots” to take the stage. This year, students had more opportunities to take moreof languages than ever before and this is an important step forward in creating a more united world where people everywhere are able to communicate with each other.

Warrior Photo/ Anna LochteSPANISH PRIDE: Sophomore Emerson Wells shows off his award recieved in Senora Linehan’s Spanish 3H class

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 Warrior reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and content.

Signed opinion articles express the opinions of their creators. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus of the paper’s edito-rial board, consisting of the Opinion section and the Editor-in-

Chief.

The op-ed pages are a forum for students’ opinions and ideas.

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.

4 The WarriorOpinion

Editor-in-Chief:Eunu SongOlivia Jaquith

News:Olivia Cox, EditorAnna Lochte, EditorKatherine Quinn, EditorAlex Whisenhunt, Asst

Opinion:Alison Xu, EditorJoe Parisi, EditorMiles Tepper, EditorSara Bobok, AsstEntertainment:Sophie Kemp, EditorCynthia Zhao, Asst

Advisers: James Edgar Russell McDowell

Sports:Christopher Herman, EditorAniket Tolpadi, EditorMichael Sise, EditorSuman Padhi, AsstMagazine:Alisha Desai, EditorSwati Mehrotra, EditorSanjukta Dutta, EditorStephanie Acquario, AsstSarah Beitch, Asst

Additional Staff:Junia George, Copy EditorEmerson Wells, Copy EditorElizabeth Patt, Copy EditorLex Alston, Graphics EditorOlivia Hess, Distribution Manager

May 25, 2012

Pokemon: a symbol of our generationby ryan Percy

oPinion

For me, my childhood consisted of three things: Legos, toy soldiers, and of course, Pokémon. In fact, some of my very first memories are dedicated to those strange Japanese creations. I remember walking into a card shop when I was barely as tall as a Pikachu, and the smile I had as the man working there handed me a crisp, shiny pack of Pokémon cards. Then there was the feeling of tear-ing into pack look-ing for the prized Mewtwo card. I also remember watch-ing the adventures of Ash and Pika-chu every Saturday morning as well as watching the movies. As time went on, I grew apart from Poké-mon, but for me, there will always be a special place in my heart for them.

I f you think about it, Pokémon pretty much comes down to capturing ani-mals as slaves, shoving them into tiny balls, and then re-leasing them to fight each other… but of course we still love and respect them… kinda.

Even today in the high school, Pokémon remains a part of who we are. We still make references to them, and some people still play the games on their worn

down Gameboys. And who doesn’t remember that fad of having Pokémon as our Facebook profile pictures? There’s even a good chance that everyone still remembers his or her favorite Pokémon. (Mine is Diglett.)

I’ve always wondered how Pokémon has remained a part of our lives and not faded into just

another game for little kids. The way I see it, for many of us Poké-mon has evolved into something else. It has become a symbol of our childhood and of all of our dear memories of when things were different and carefree. That is perhaps why it has remained with us for so long, because who wants to forget their childhood? Instead, we keep it with us. We speak of it with a sense of nostal-

fast oPinions!

faVorite pokemon?

“ if i had to pick one, it would be articuno.”

– greg manzoni, junior

“ mine is definitely gen-gar.”

– mike hawk, junior

“ mine is metapod; i loVe the way it hardens.”– freddy pedinotti,

junior

“ i like the yellow one.” – bowen zhang,

junior

“ digimon is way better.” – calVin o’connor,

sophomore

“my faVorite would haVe to be metagross.”– khaled abdoun,

freshman

gia with our friends, we joke about it, all in hopes that we never forget it along with it our childhoods. But maybe I’m over analyzing it and it’s just a really fun game.

Along with perhaps Sponge-bob, Pokémon will become a symbol of our generation. It will be what we mention to our grandchildren when we speak of

the good old days. The remaining merchandise will become prized mementos of a time that no longer exists. I think that is the least we owe it, for all the good times it gave us, all the time we spent playing the games and enjoying trying to “catch ‘em all.” I don’t think I ever had a bad moment with Pokémon. So in my eyes, Pokémon is indeed the shining, perfect example of my childhood.

http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/A DETERMINED PAIR: Ash Catchem and Pikachu are determined to catch ‘em all.

by Zac congress

oPinion

5May 25, 2012The Warrior Opinion

ALL OPINIONS expressed on the op-ed pages represent the individual viewpoints of their authors. The content does not necessarily represent the views of The Warrior, the high school, the school district, or the Board of Education.

Fantasy Baseball is worth a swing

Rain makes me cry; hail makes me bleedYou know what sucks? Rain. Specifically,

rain when it’s not warm enough outside to be refreshing. Even more specifically, rain when it’s not warm out and I’m rowing. It’s crunch time in the crew season, so every day, rain or shine, we’re out on the water. But pretty much every day since this God-forsaken month has started, it has been raining.

Remember last week, when it was pour-ing, and then it started hailing? Hail hurts A LOT when your coach is screaming at you to “row harder, row faster, row better.” No one realizes it, but hail makes you bleed. There’s only so much blood you can lose from precipitation before you start ques-tioning why you do this satanic deathsport.

I really love to row, but it seems like some divine force in the world has a passionate desire to stop me from rowing. Any day that I’m not rowing, or that I’m subbing: sunshine! But any day that I’m in the lineup, it’s like the Lord of the Rings. Remember the scene with the giant, fiery eye, on top of the tower? I’m like those hobbits who got the crap kicked out of them as the eye just watched and laughed, as much as eyes can laugh.

But seriously, doing anything in cold rain is terrible. It’s one of my favorite things in

the world to be inside, watching “Break-ing Bad”, and eating a handful of Goldfish crackers, while the perfect storm is going on outside. But that never works my way, because I always get stuck outside, do-ing something supposedly productive that really is just annoying me beyond belief.

Sometimes rain can be alright though. If it’s warm out, or even better, sunny, rain’s just great. It’s like running through a sprinkler as a little kid, but you can do it when you’re older, and it’s not lame. But everyone knows the real best thing about a sunny rainstorm -- a double rainbow. Sure, it’s pretty elusive, and you’ll probably never see one and die tragically short of the things on your bucket list, along with beating Michael Jordan in one-on-one and starring in a two-man Broadway show with Jon Hamm, but when you do see the double rainbow all the way across the sky, “Yeah yeah, it’s so intense.” Last time I rowed in a full-out thunderstorm, which for some stupid reason I did with fake Ray Ban sunglasses on, we encountered a rare full double rainbow at the end of our row. Sure, it didn’t help anything-we were soaked, and frankly, I was confused as to why I was wearing sunglasses in the first place. But the double rainbow was kinda worth it. Not really, since I had my cell phone in my pocket (literally

by miles tePPer

oPinion

Whether you are a baseball fan or not, there is no doubt that anyone can become consumed in the excitement that is Fantasy Baseball. No matter where you play it (Espn, Yahoo Sports, or CBS Sports, just to name a few), Fantasy Baseball is inherently similar. All of the players in the league start off by drafting play-ers, taking turns until all of the players allotted in the draft are chosen. As the rounds of the draft progress, the quality of the players typically digresses. Once the draft is over, the teams are mostly even.

There are two ways people can play Fantasy Baseball: points or categories. By using points, the website simulates an amount of points for each of your players depending on how well he per-formed on that given day. As for

categories, you are given certain categories that you have to win (such as runs, strike outs, etc.). The use of categories creates the need to add players that are good at specific aspects of the game, while in a points draft,

you might just focus on how good a player is in general. After drafting your players, it may take a week or two to see what your team lacks,and what your team is good at. At this point, you can either trade players with your

fellow drafters or drop players and add free agents. Having a good team is more than picking good players and sitting around for a few months. Maintenance is key to a successful fantasy team.

Although I have been focusing on Fantasy Baseball, all fantasy sports can be enjoyable. Fantasy Basketball and Fantasy Football are also very popular. Deviating from the typical rooting for a one team mentality to rooting for your Fantasy players is nice. Fantasy sports are not necessar-ily time consuming. However, if you are willing to set aside five to ten minutes a night to check up on your team and make a few modifications, you will enjoy it. If you are looking for a time waster, or just something fun to do this following year, sign up for a fantasy league in your favorite sports. You will not regret it!

my worst day of judgment ever), but it was pretty cool. Not as cool as it would have been had I broke into spontaneous song, like we were on “Glee” or something, but kinda cool. Still, I’d so much rather have watched TV in my warm house, then walked outside in the damp street and seen the double rainbow.

Even though everyone says they love tak-ing long walks in the rain and other hipster nonsense like that, no one does. Because being dry is so much more fun. Here’s a list of things you can only do when dry: Sit on leather, put your finger in an electrical socket, draw on yourself with markers, go bowling, sing into a microphone, go to Brookstone, read a newspaper, put on a band-aid, stand in the cold without freezing, and write on looseleaf paper. The dry people will be so much farther ahead than the wet people, especially if the vehicle that you get ahead in has leather seats.

http://www.espn.go.com/

6 May 25, 2012 The WarriorEntertainment

by eileen ofori entertainment

“Homestuck”, written by Andrew Hussie, is an interactive web comic that has gained an enormous following since its start in 2009, as well as its own wiki and several other sites devoted to the comic. You may wonder, “How can this be? I’ve never heard of “Homestuck.” True, many people have not heard of “Homestuck.” Although the comic has more than ten thousand of fans is not heav-ily advertised, and is usually spread by word of mouth, or through forms of social media.

“Homestuck” is not for everyone though. The comic has over 4,900 pages to date, and updates almost daily, making it increasingly difficult to catch up to when one can read the updates the day they are published. Aside from the obscene length, the story in

“Homestuck” is very confusing. The comic is often described to be about four kids that play a game together. This doesn’t sound confusing to begin with, but when one sees how large the archive is, there has to be some question on what else could possibly happen. Between numerous timelines, dif-ferent universes, over twenty main charac-ters and countless smaller characters, its hard to figure out where to begin explaining.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your view of the comic, Hussie goes into extensive detail about all and any details of the Homestuck universe through out the comic and on his Tumblr. The story doesn’t start with explanation of all the different plot aspects though; it’s not as if any story would.

“Homestuck” started with the characters carrying out commands sent in by readers,

much like a “choose your own adventure” type story, but with more input. This led to much stupidity going on for the first 500 pages or so, turning off many readers who didn’t think it would get any better.

Eventually Hussie took over the story and planned it out by himself, which was where the plot really picks up. From there, it became increasingly interesting but also grew more confusing. The art became bet-ter and as did the flashes, which are short videos that are occasionally inserted into the comic. As well as flashes, the comic also occasionally features games that the reader can play to advance themselves in the story.

Overall, “Homestuck” is an experience in itself; it leaves a person with a dis-tinct impression, even if they decide not to read all the way through the archive.

Best and worst of Cannes fashion

‘Homestuck’ sweeps the web

by soPHie kemP

entertainment

This past week celebrity A-listers flocked to France for the 64th annual Cannes Film Festi-val. Along with them they brought some of their wackiest and most elegant looks of the year.

Best dressed at the Cannes Film festival was actress Eva Longoria, who sported a gorgeous Marchesa frock that flattered her in all of the right ways at the premiere of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom.” The star is famous for choosing swan like gowns that transform her from a starlet to a fairy tale character.

Second best dressed would be Jada Pinkett Smith. “You go, Glen Coco!” is what “Mean Girls” character Damian would be saying to

Smith. Smith looked unreal in a stunning turquoise gown paired perfectly with gold jewelry. Overall I’d give Smith a thumbs up, however I would have liked to see her take more of a risk. I feel like Cannes is the place to be a little bit more experimental when it comes to the fashion department. Putting that aside, Smith really looked like a knockout.

The award for worst dressed would have gone to Diane Kruger. All I can really say about Kruger’s outfit is that frankly, she looked like an elf in a corny science fiction film directed

by John Carpenter. The dress was cut in such a way that is just plain awful; the top half looked a bit like a breastplate one might have worn in gladiator fights.

Another award for worst dressed would have gone to Kara Hayward. When I saw Hayward in this mess of a dress I actually pitied her. She is barely thirteen years of age and had managed to put together an outfit that made her look a little bit like a mushroom. I don’t know what possessed her or her stylist to pick this number but I really could have done without it. She made things worse for herself by carrying around one of designer Charlotte Olympia’s infamous book-clutches. I’m not really sure how this outfit could be any worse. If I could, I would attach a picture of myself frowning disapprovingly. Despite a couple of fashion misses, the Cannes Film Festival were still a hit.

www.redcarpetfashionawards.com

www.harpersbazaar.com Your Weekly Entertainment Fix

Movies: Snow White and the Hunts-man, Battlefield America

Music: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Regina Spektor, Gemma Ray

Books: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, Destined by Aprilynne Pike, Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Video Games: Men in Black: Alien Crisis, Sorcery

GLADIATOR STYLE: Actress Diane Kruger showed up in an unfortunate dress reminiscent of a gladiator.

SWAN PRINCESS: Actress Eva Longoria looked like she had stepped out of a fairy tale at the Cannes Film Festival.

7May 25, 2012The Warrior Sports

Softball prepares for sectionalsby James kennedy

sPorts

With the summer weather ar-riving just in time for Niska-Day and the end of classes around the corner, it is almost time for the closing of the spring softball season. What caught the atten-tion of most at the beginning of this spring season was not what was happening on the field for the team. With the change at the position of head coach, it was an interesting beginning for many on the team. Team mem-ber and junior Gina Grant said, “We had a rough start with the coaching change. However, in the second half of the season we came together and I feel confident that we can compete with any team in the Suburban Council.”

A change to such a pivotal position so close to the start of the season can have a distracting effect on any team. Junior Jes-sica Litz commented, “We were off to a rough start but I feel we have really pulled it together.”

The Warriors are currently 7-9

in the Suburban Council and 9-9 overall. On the morning of NiskaDay, this past Saturday, the team had a setback with a 6-5 loss away against Ballston Spa. It’s a tough league including teams like Columbia who are 5-1 in the Sub-urban Council and 8-2 overall, led by pitcher Caitlin Cooper. Bad weather has also been holding the girls back, keeping them from playing some games due to post-ponements and cancellations.

With sectionals quickly ap-proaching, every game is increas-ingly more important, but the team is pulling together for the final stretch of the season to see it through. Senior captain Abby Coyne said, “I’m proud of what we did this season with everything we have been through, and I am excited to see the turnout in sectionals because we are a great team with a lot of potential.” Every person on the team knows they have been through a lot and they have taken it in stride to keep moving forward. Junior Jessica Litz commented again to say “We

have really become a family this year and it seems like everyone is closer than ever.” That’s the kind of thing that will keep a team growing together to get better as the season goes on each minute on the field becomes more important towards the goals the team wants to achieve. The team has strength in depth and they all know that they can rely on each other and do not need to depend on just a single player to win a game.

The Warriors have had a large improvement in their performance in the second half of the season with important victories. Efforts like the game against Mohonasen earlier this month prove what they can do. With two runs from both juniors Gabbie Litz and Stacy Gordon, the Warriors proved themselves on offense as well on defense as a three-hitter from sophomore Jackie O’Brien secured an im-portant 6-1 victory to improve their record earlier this month.

In the near future, the team will look to leaders like Coyne

and pitchers like O’Brien to help them finish a successful season. It’s a real team effort as O’Brien said, “We’ve been through some really tough situations, and it’s nice knowing that we’re always there for one another. And Coach always says we don’t need heroes so everyone is making good plays or getting good hits.”

When it comes down to it, consistency will help the girls continue to have outstanding per-formances as a whole team. Come out in the warm summer weather and support the girls while they build momentum in the coming days on the road to sectionals. As a team they can do anything and will not back down to any oppenent. Like junior Samantha Atchinson said “We’re awesome.”

The girls have really gone above and beyond all expecta-tions and behind head coach Jules Paul, the team looks to go deep into sectional play.

Photo Credit / James Kennedy BRINGING THE HEAT!: Sophomore Jackie O’Brien delivers a fast pitch against Columbia in a Surburban Council showdown.

“We’ve been

through some re-

ally tough situa-

tions, and it’s nice knowing

that we’re always there for one an-other.”

May 25, 2012 The WarriorSports

Boys Lacrosse

5/17 vs. ShakerWon 14-1

Softball

5/18 @ Saratoga Won 3-0

Girls Lacrosse

5/9 vs. Ballston SpaWon 19-2

Baseball

5/18 vs. Saratoga Won 3-0

8

Don’t forget to recycle this issue when you finish reading it!

Che l s e a t r i umphsby suman PadHi

sPorts

The Champions League finally came to an end this Saturday with a fantastic show-down between two soccer powerhouses: Germany and England. With Munich host-ing the final competition, Bayern could not have asked for a better setting to prove that they deserved the crown. Chelsea, however, was not about to go 0-2 in The Champions League finals performance.

Many will claim that Chelsea’s Champi-ons League campaign this year was a lucky one, but after beating Napoli after a 3-1 loss,and then going on to take down one of the finest Barcelona teams ever in the semi-finals suggested otherwise. These victories have enhanced Roberto DiMatteo’s chances of landing the full-time job at Stamford Bridge, rescuing the Chelsea season that Andres Villas Boas had almost destroyed.

The finals took place in ideal conditions in a jam-packed stadium filled with fans support-ing their home team. Bayern responded to the fan’s delight with a dominating performance in the first half, with 60% possession, but Chelsea simply waited for the right moment.

Implementing a strategy very similar to the one they used against Barcelona, Chelsea crowded their defensive third, keeping Bayern’s op-portunities to a minimum and blocking most shots before they got to Cech, their world class goalkeeper. All the while they waited for the one opportunity that they would get to convert. Eventually, however, with enough bombard-ment by the Munich offense, Muller did find the back of the net with a header over Cech, who had an otherwise world class performance.

It all seemed to be going the home team’s way until the last five minutes of the game when Chelsea decided to turn it up. Chelsea won a corner off a break away and they weren’t going to let the chance go. Drogba jumped a good eight feet into the air to score a crashing header past a helpless Neuer. The game was then tied in the 88th minute, and what better way to send a struggling team in desperate need of the title into extra time.

Extra time would see even more drama, but this time featuring a certain Arjen Rob-ben. No stranger to finals disasters, having already blown the World Cup finals for the Netherlands, he seemed intent on doing so for Bayern as well. They won a penalty in the 112th minute, and for inexplicable reasons, Bayern saw it fit to let Robben take the penalty for the win. In this attempt, he failed. He ended up passing the ball to Cech who made one of his more comfortable saves of the night. The whistle blew to signal the end of extra time, and the players began to line up for penal-ties. Penalties saw Chelsea looking destined to lose after the first three shots with Lahm and Gomez both converting from the spot and Mata hitting Neuer in the chest. Luiz, however, went on to convert his spot kick to make it 2-1. Neuer then went up to the line and proved that he wasn’t a goalkeeper due to a lack of field skill as he drilled home his penalty into the upper corner. A strange turn of events, however, saw Chelsea deny the home side as Lampard and Cole converted with Olic missing. Schweinsteiger had to make it for Germany to be safe, but because of an extremely rare miss, he hit the post. Didier Drogba found himself in a spot to save Chelsea yet again, and he did not fail as he passed home his penalty to score his second vital goal of the game and win Roman Abrahmovic his long desired Champions League trophy.

Thus, Chelsea triumphed in a stunning performance that featured a world class performance by Petr Cech, two vital goals by Didier Drogba, an amazing debut by Bertrand, high quality diving by Ribery and of course, Robben’s botchery of a golden opportunity. One might notice the lack of mention of $50 million man Torres, but Drogba proved to Abrahmovic better than ever before, that Torres might have been the most unneces-sary purchases in the history of the club.

Photo Credit / Matthias SchraderVICTORY!: Didier Drogba, right, celebrates Chelsea’s first Champions League title with goalie Petr Cech after the penalty shootout in Saturday’s final.

Sc

he

du

le

an

d S

co

re

s

Editors:Swati MehrotraAlisha DesaiSanjukta DuttaAsst. Editors:Sarah BeitchStephanie Acquario

Volume 28, Issue 30 May 25, 2012SilverThe Warrior Magazine

Jam on!

The Warrior Magazine May 25, 2012Silver

I n t e r n a t i o n a l j a m s by Katherine Quinn

MagazineThese days, it is real shame

that many Americans are not exposed to very much music from other cultures. Though music from the U.S. and U.K. seem to dominate the world’s pop music playlist, it doesn’t mean the average teen can’t listen to a differ-ent genre. Discover-ing a new type of music you like can be as easy as open-ing a new station on Pandora, or ex-ploring the “Genre” l i s t on iTunes .

Today, it’s so easy to get caught up in the same, mys-terious songs that everyone listens to. These songs are the ones repeated three times in one hour on the radio, or the ones that all your friends are singing along to and you eventu-ally pick up the same taste.

Despite the tunes that are currently popular by new rising artists like Carly Rae Jepsen or veterans of the industry like Rihanna, a ma-jority of these songs fit the typical pop-music-equation and has begun to have little variety. With summer rapidly approaching, it might be a good idea to mix up your playlists with some worldly music for a bit of fresh va-riety. Without school and homework to worry about, time can be spent exploring music from all over the world.

Though it has managed to somewhat diffuse into every-day American culture through artists such as Enrique Igle-sias and Shakira, it’s fair to say that Latin, reggae, and other South American music

genres are not very popular in Niskayuna. Categorized for its Spanish and Latin Ameri-can influences, as well as its rhythmic style, Latin music is more than just Pitbull saying Spanish profanities set to a catchy beat. It is very diverse and certain styles encompass the culture of the specific region from which they origi-

nate. Latin music is very easy to dance to and features dif-ferent styles, such as tango, salsa, bachata, and marimba.

Another music style that is gaining popularity is reg-gaeton. Reggaeton originated from reggae, a Jamaican style of music that mixes calypso, blues, and rock, and is famous for its revo-lutionary leading artist, Bob Marley. However, in today’s society, reggae’s slow beat and somewhat depressing tone isn’t too popular among teens, as proven by senior Bryce Grates’ statement, “I don’t like it.” Reggaeton is more appealing to youth because it has urban and hip-hop influences fused with a catchy, syncopated beat.

Though widely unrecog-nized, the interesting music genre of Bollywood music is a huge component of Indian pop culture. Bollywood mu-sic, which is more commonly

known as Hindi music, has been described as eclectic because of its use of foreign instruments. The style is very “danceable” and brings together several modern rhythms with synthesizers and acoustic instruments. It is most often used in dance sequences in Bollywood mov-ies and features an array of

Indian languages, and sometimes even English.

If you can’t stand music in foreign lan-guages, there are sev-eral foreign music styles that don’t have spoken lyrics, but are becom-ing popular throughout the world. The dubstep movement has spread worldwide, revolution-izing the techno music of past generations. The popularity of dubstep

can be seen with its higher ratings as well as its constant presence at mainstream events. This music features almost no vocals,purely com-posed of synthesized beats accompanied by the ever famous bass. This style of mu-sic can be found in numerous countries and is most popular in the teen demographic.

Today, world music isn’t given the attention it de-serves from our society. World music is not only catchy with its exotic instruments and danceable beats, but it also gives us a look into the culture it comes from.

Even though you may not realize it, as you listen to world music, you not only take something away from that culture, but you also take away a new perspective about music. It’s enriching and helps us appreciate all the amazing things for-eign cultures have to offer.

Warrior Art / Swati Mehrotra

Dear Readers,

With summer quickly ap-proaching, it’s time to update our playlists for long car rides and trips we are taking on our two months off. So what will you add to your iTunes library? Explore some possibili-ties and read on.

Love, The Editors

The Warrior Magazine May 25, 2012Silver

Where did all the meaning go?by Sarah Beitch

MagazineYour parents most likely hate rap mu-

sic: complaining how back in “their day,” “music wasn’t so vulgar.” Rap music is a largely misunderstood phenomenon in America today that has a large follow-ing. However, most don’t understand it and overlook the dangerous morals it instills on today’s impressionable youth.

Being a student of the high school, it is unlikely that you have any idea what these rap artists are talking about or referring to in their songs. Between the unintelligible lyrics and deafening bass in the background, it’s a wonder how anybody can decode such nonsense.

Believe it or not, rap music at one point had the ability to send important messages. However, today’s rap music played on mainstream radio is usu-ally meant to be blasted in the club while listened to in a drunken haze.

I don’t blame parents for nagging us to turn down that horrible music

because rap music today is losing the substance it once had. It used to contain underlying ideas that spoke of horrible situations to be aware of. For example, in the song “The Message,” a 1982 rap song by Grandmaster Flash, the horrors of the city are spoken about. Poverty and homelessness serve as a huge theme in the song. How-ever, things have changed since then.

Take the song “Rack City’ by Tyga. I don’t know about anyone else, but the only “message” I absorb from “Rack City” is that obtaining currency and engaging in certain inappropriate sexual activities with women are very important issues to be dealt with, rather than issues such as poverty, starvation, and homeless-ness. Whatever happened to sending an actual, worth-while message in a song?

You may argue that “Rack City” has a catchy beat and a blaring baseline, and I don’t blame you for saying that because both of those statements are true. Nevertheless, you should think

about what morals Tyga is instilling on us as you’re dancing to the song.

As long as you have enough com-mon sense to not truly believe that money and engaging in inappropriate sexual acts are as important as Tyga makes them out to be, listening is fine.

Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy listen-ing to rap songs when my mind needs a break from my stressful life. Rap music is fun to dance to, chill out to, and especially cruise in the car to.

What worries me are the impression-able people in this world who idolize these rap artists and see the underlying messages in their songs as something to aspire to. The messages in these songs, although meant to portray hav-ing a good time, usually have a strong theme of violence, sex, and drugs.

These idolized artists around the world need to be careful of how their music is portrayed, especially if the song deals with touchy subjects such as violence, sex, and drugs.

by Irene KulbidaMagazine

Have you ever finished listening to a song on one station, and then switched the channel to find the exact same song on another sta-tion? Of course you have, and recently more and more radio stations are playing and replaying songs until you can’t help but get them stuck in your head!

While you may complain, there is actually scientific reasoning behind it: people prefer things they are fa-miliar with. They like to walk into a store or go to a party and hear a song they recognize because it makes them feel more in touch with the people around them.

Isn’t it easier to dance to a song you already know? Although the repetition

Annoying repetition or science?gets annoying, there is a method to the local ra-dio stations’ madness.

Radio stations use science to know when to play popular songs, and when to play the ones that are getting old and are now not on the top twenty.

From 6am to 10am, and from 3pm to 7pm, also known as the “drive times,” the most popular songs are played, as well as the most advertisements. From 7pm to 6am, the “deeper” cuts, or less popular music is played.

So, on to the top music for this week. I’m sure you have all been hearing many songs by Nicki Minaj, Gotye, Katy Perry and Adele, who have been popping hits out like there’s no tomor-row. In fact, these four artists all have songs in this week’s list of Top Ten Songs.

1. “We are Young” by Fun feat. Janelle Monae

2. “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye

feat. Kimbra3. “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida

feat. Sia4. “Starships by Nicki Minaj5. “Glad You Came” by The Wanted6. “What Makes You Beau-

tiful” by One Direction7. “Part of Me” by Katy Perry8. “Rumor Has It” by Adele9. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen10. “Payphone” by Maroon 5 feat. Wiz

KhalifaWe are heading into the

summer, and that means par-ties, vacations and lazy loung-ing days at the beach. I have a

feeling that most of the songs from this list are going to be really popular this summer.

In fact, some of these songs are already well known, like One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” (their 2012-2013 tour sold out in minutes) and Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” which has been made into a viral sensation al-ready by two different sports teams! (If you have not yet watched the Harvard Baseball Team or the SMU Women’s Rowing Teams hilarious rendi-tion of this song, then be sure to get on that right away).

While I can honestly say there are some songs on this list that truly deserve to be there, there are oth-ers songs here that I’m totally okay with not hear-ing again, thanks to the repetition of radio stations.

The Warrior Magazine May 25, 2012Silver

The happiness of “hippiness”by Tim Rice

MagazineIn 1968, being a hippie was a hard

feat to accomplish, but an easy one to define. Whenever someone saw you coming, it didn’t matter who you were, they knew you. You were into free love, spiritual enlightenment, and peace, man. They knew everything about you, right down to the fact that, in the back pocket of your scummy jeans, you had a rolled up copy of the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, or something else that you rolled up. Most im-portantly, however, they knew what kind of music you listened to. They imag-ined your record collec-tion at home, seeing the LP covers as you walked towards them: those four boys from Liverpool, that Beatnik with the horrible voice who always talked about wind. Those dope fiends who were happy to be deceased, or that negro with the headbands who set things on fire. Their assumptions, of course, were based primarily on fact: America in the 1960s was in the midst of a cultural revolution decades in the making, and music was fast becoming one of the revolution’s most important voices, barometers, and unifying element.

Fast forward to the present. The creative writer in me wants to assert the inverse of my opening statement and that would be, to an extent, true. But, like all things that are almost true, it’s not that simple.

Because of our detachment from the cultural revolution of the 1960s, we have been able to integrate many elements of “then” into our “now,” and it seems that the definition of “hippieism” is a bit more murky than it was in the first para-graph. Unkempt hair and premarital sex no longer make you a beatnik. Perhaps, though, the answer lies with the music.

The otherday, the song “Bitter Dancer” by Fleet Foxes came up on my iPod, and I made the observation

that, on this track, the band sounded a lot like Crosby Stills and Nash. That got me pondering this question of being a hippie in the 21st century in regards to music. The question at the heart of the matter was this: is a “hippie” a certain kind of progressive thinking free spirit, or simply a brand of radical emblematic of, and limited to, the counterculture of the 1960s?

After much rumination, I began to think that while things may have changed on the surface, they are still the

same below it. The problems may have been solved, but the issues have never gone away. The taboos are different, but the goal, to push the boundaries of a so-ciety, remains the same. This synchron-icity is not necessarily evident when you compare wars, economic crises, or social upheavals between two decades separated by fifty years. It’s plain to see, however, when you look at the music.

If you think back to the question I was wrestling with earlier, you’ll understand if the central idea being that in 2012 a “hippie,” defined in terms of music, can be split into three camps: people who hang on the hippie sounds of yore, peo-ple who hang on to contemporary hippie sounds (revivalists, in other words) and, finally, people who promote radically new and different sounds. The answer lies in your perception of the matter, in your idea of which to you is more im-portant: the message and the sound, or

the radicalism. To me, I think it’s a mix.Nobody thinks to associate jazz with

the counterculture of the 1960s, but the truth is that John Coltrane’s “Ala-bama” is as grand a statement about the terrors of racism in the American South as is Neil Young’s song of the same name. In addition to that, Col-trane’s tune would not have shocked any Allman Brothers’ concert-goer, but it sent ripples through the jazz world.

To me it’s all relative, based on time and place, even within a specific time

and place. What may be radical to me may not be radical to you; something that changes the cultural fabric of my generation may never have a place on my iPod. Today, a 25-year -old kid playing rockabilly music in trendy Manhattan clubs may be radical, but not revolutionary. On the other hand, a minimalist singer-songwriter who croons the troubles of being a gay stockbroker isn’t aestheti-cally shocking but is certainly revolutionary for our time.

The social fabric of gen-erations has always been

a conflation of elements old and new and, with the modern advantages in preservation and documentation, this is becoming more and more prevalent. “Revolution” in whatever subtle or radical form it may be occurring, will always be a conflation,and music is the best way of demonstrating this.

To me, it seems that the hippie element transcends time and space, person and place. It lies within the hearts and souls of everyone, not be-tween the covers of a history book, and it can be tapped into always and everywhere. Seeing as music is noth-ing more than a case study in life, the same holds true for the notes and beats that define us. Whether you’re spin-ning vinyl or pressing play on a touch screen, dropping the bass or plucking it, this element lies within the mind of the artist and, perhaps more impor-tantly, within the heart of the listener.

Warrior Art / Swati Mehrotra