chieftain issue #3

Chieftain - JanuaryEdit

orials

Pages 8

-9

Sewanhaka High School - 500 Tulip Avenue - Floral park, ny 11001

Volume 20 iSSue 3 ~ January 2010

2Chieftain - January

SEWANHAKA HIGH SCHOOL

500 Tulip Ave.- Floral Park, New York 11001

CONTENTSMonthly Update………………………………………3-5Student Feature…………………………………………6Teacher Feature…………………………………………7Editorials………………………………………………8-9World News……………………………………………10Movies & Music………………………………………11Entertainment…………………………………………12Arts……………………………………………………13Sports………………………………………………14-15

The Chieftain

Editors-in-ChiefKetsia Saint-Armand

Joseph Platia

Input EditorCourtney Balgobin

Mary Jane Dumankaya

Layout Editor Armaghan Behlum

PHoTo EDiToREmtiaz Uddin

StaffNancy Agyeman-Duah

Sue ChenStephie-Anne Duliepre

Maryam EsmailElsa Gimenez

Karen GimenezAnna HarshamAnthony JeanSonnith John

Shahrukh KhanMonica KommuAndreas PavlouKatrina SimonJames Wighaus

ContributorsShella Adeniran

C. ChristelChristopher DeJesus

Yulan GrantNaomi Lima

Christina KelletJessica Senat

Stanley SomanNehemie Souverain

AdvisorMr. Alfino

PhotographsStephie-Anne Duliepre

Yearbook

Greetings from the Editors:

Due to environmental concerns and in an ef-fort to help Totem publish, The Chieftain has decided to go paperless in the next issue! We’ll be online at sewanhaka.k12.ny.us. Be sure to check us out! We will continue to have meetings on Thurs-day mornings in Room 230, and they will be announced in advance. New writers and car-toonists are welcome.

Be a part of YOUR school.

Be a part of YOUR Chieftain!

The Chieftain

Featured Artist Victoria Lobos

Picture Gallery

Students at the art exhibition at the Elmont Public Library

Jack Frost and Santa from the Holiday Children’s Play before

their first performance

Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Reece gives a pep talk before the game


Monthly UpdateThe Advisor’s Corner

Student Government

The Elementary Holiday Play, written by Emtiaz Uddin and

produced by the Student Council, was a great success. Twenty-six children, along with a large number of volunteers, trav-eled to Clara H. Carlson, Stewart Manor, and Covert Avenue Elementary schools to put on the play, and the two weeks of hard work paid off.

In other news, a proposal to bring back the Sewanhaka Bazaar is being discussed. Some time ago, Sewanhaka High School discontinued its Bazaar because the event was rather unprofitable. Bazaars, when they were held, would have stands set up by various classes and clubs where students could participate in myriad activities. In 1987, the Bazaar included a Student Council jail, where students who did not where purple were placed until someone bailed them out with a dollar. Then, they made $653.00, which when adjusted for inflation is $1221.87. Individual clubs would pay a fee to the student council for their booth, and were allowed to keep all the rest of their proceeds. It was at once, both a valuable social and fund-raising op-portunity; we hope to reinstate it as a part of the Sewanhaka experience.

However, it will be impossible to host a Bazaar without the revival of a sincere interest in the student body. If you’re in-terested in helping jump-start the Bazaar, come by and show your support at our next meeting in the Chorus Room (Room 301) on Friday, February 22, 2010.

Mr. F. Alfino FBLA spirit can only be described within the sounds of hands clap-

ping, speeches being recited, and the good old “Bang, Bang” song.

November 20, 2009 marked Sewan-haka’s annual FBLA Installation Dinner at Filomena’s Restaurant in Franklin Square, where it has been held for over twenty years. The event was set up to install Se-wanhaka’s newly elected FBLA officers as well as present club members. However, this year’s dinner seemed to top the rest in the amount of new inductees. Due to an desire to increase Sewanhaka’s FBLA activity in our local chapter, the officers of FBLA mounted a massive recruiting drive, with a resulting amount of 40 first-time members. The attendees at the dinner in-cluded our FBLA advisors, officers, mem-bers, school administration, and three guests of honor.

The dinner began with the chapter’s officers greeting the guests. As the appe-tizers filed out, a video presentation was shown to the members to encourage them to become active in FBLA and ultimately join in the local and state competitions. The chapter advisors were then introduced to three guests of honor. They were from Elmont Memorial High School and are influential people to FBLA and chap-ters of District 1N. This included Bobby Russo, who is a Board of Trustee member for NYS FBLA. The other two individu-als were Christina Kelly and Regina King. Christina Kelly is the District Vice Presi-dent for District 1N and Regina King is her chapter’s parliamentarian as well as Christina’s right-hand gal.

Sewanhaka’s FBLA advisors reiterated the duties that each officer must uphold in order to be installed into office. After the acceptance of each officer, Regina lit all of the different colored candles to represent the officers of our chapter. Our members left with new knowledge, new friendships, and new bonds as a chapter to go out and represent Sewanhaka High School as well as District 1N.

FBLA DinnerJoseph Platia

I think Charles Barkley said it best, “I am not a role model.” When you really think about it, why should he be? When was the last time he talked to you about having a positive attitude on the court, or showing respect for others.

Yes, it is true, fame does carry with it a sense of “public responsibility,” but when was the last time Terrell Owens sat you down and talked to you about the impor-tance of your education or Allen Iverson told you he was proud of you? The last time you did something you were proud of- was A-Rod there to say, “nice job”?

Granted, some athletes can be consid-ered positive influences on you. Not be-cause they play for the Yankees or the Gi-ants, but because somewhere, when they were kids, like you, some mom or dad, grandma, uncle, aunt or teacher took the time to teach them to be a good person.

Everyday, and you may not even real-ize it, your role models, the people who are molding you, are all around you. They teach you to say “please” and “thank you”. They teach you about the consequences of your actions, responsibility, having re-spect for yourself and treating others with respect. They instill the values and ethics that will hopefully make you a successful adult and a positive addition to society.

They may not be able to hit a 450 ft. homerun, or dunk from the top of the key, but they will teach you that it’s not okay to bring guns to work like Gilbert Arenas, cheat on your spouse as did Tiger Woods, or act the fool because you think you’re the only person in the world who has tal-ent. Real role models will teach you to be humble about your abilities and compli-ment others when someone tells you how great YOU are.

The real role models do not need to have press conferences to apologize for domestic abuse or enter rehab to bet-ter their public image. A real role model drives 1,000 miles to pick up her sick par-

Ketsia Saint-Armand

ents and bring them back to New York for treatment. A real role model wakes up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning to take his daughters for egg sandwiches simply be-cause they wait all week for it. Real role models take the time to explain, console, care and discipline.

So the next time you find yourself seeking advice and do not know where to turn... turn around.


Monthly Update

The Sewanhaka Central High School District hosts Mathletes

competitions, in which students from each of the five schools showcase their mathematics talents as members of school-wide teams. The Sewanhaka Senior Math-letes advisor is Mrs. Dunphy, and their President, Sankha Ghatak, is their leading scorer. On October 27, 2009, the Sewan-haka Senior High Mathletes had their first round at Sewanhaka, where they came in third, tying with Elmont and ahead of Floral Park. The second round was held at Floral Park, and we came in third again. The third round was held at Sewanhaka on December 1, 2009, and they came in first. January 5, 2010 was the first found of the New Year, and the team came in second place. Congratulations to the Mathletes team!

Mathletes Bring Home the GoldNancy Agyeman-Duah

There is a tradition that takes place every year in the Sewanhaka High

School cafeteria: the Science Fair! It pits the newly arrived 7th graders against the 8th graders. This year, 75 students com-peted. Each student was evaluated by two judges who gave a maximum of 45 points. The highest total score was 90 points. Our science teachers judged the students using a rubric containing nine categories. For example, there was a category for the oral presentation, the ability of the student to answer the judge’s questions, and the effec-tiveness of their display. There were many appealing projects that caught the eyes of the teachers, parents and students as well. Topics that were very popular amongst eighth graders were physical science like chemistry and earth science. There were also several projects on heat reaction and weathering. The judges this year looked

for projects that had creativity, experi-ments that were honest and true and not just taken out of a book or off a website. They were also looking for projects that had practical experiments, ones that could be related to real life. Awards were given out after all the judging had finished, there were third place winners who received a ribbon, 20 second place winners who re-ceived a medal, and ten first place winners who received a trophy and advanced to compete in the Long Island Science Con-gress in SUNY Farmingdale. In the top ten winners, the seventh graders were Sue Chen, Taha Qureshi, Michelle Niles, An-dreas Pavlou, and Willane Saint-Hilaire. The eighth graders were Michelle Ade-Browne, Meghan Carroll, Christina Jonas, Jennifer LoPresti, and Robert Myrick. Congratulations to all who participated, and best of luck at the Long Island Sci-ence Congress.

Shahrukh Khan

Junior High Science Fair

In December, STAC gets in the holi-day spirit by putting up their annual

Giving Tree. The purpose of the Giving Tree is to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. The Make a Wish Founda-

tion helps grant wishes to children who are very sick. Each year the members of STAC and the advisors, Ms. Bolton and Mrs. Wichard make different shaped or-naments and sell them. In the past, STAC have done a variety of ornaments like; mit-tens, doves, gingerbread men and stars. This year STAC made ornaments shaped

STAC Gives BackAndreas Pavlou

STAC members pose in front of the Giving Tree

Jessica Senat

On the evenings of November 13th and 14th, the drama club appeared in the much anticipated re-enactment of The Odd Couple. It took place in the mid-eighties and the play mostly occurred in an apartment owned by one of the main characters, Olive (played by Tatianna Overton). The play had a small but en-dearing cast, including Jamie Russell as the comical airhead Vera, Tatiana Duarte as the sassy Sylvie, Sade Vaz as Renee, Amanda Montoni as Officer Mickey and last but not least, Florence, played by se-nior Vrinda Singh.

The story begins with the six friends playing a word game in Olive’s apartment when they get a phone call about a miss-ing Florence. It was not until our other main character, the unstable but otherwise humorous Florence, staggering ever so slightly onto the stage, that the audience realized the true comedy behind it all. In the play, Florence has just learned that her husband has left her when she comes to Olive’s apartment for consolation and per-haps a way out of her miserable situation. Already anticipating their best friend’s at-tempt at suicide, the girls try their hard-est to prevent said “solution.” As a way to help Florence get back on her feet and to prevent any more suicide attempts, Olive proposes that Florence stay with her. This arrangment was destined to be a disaster from day one, what with their polar op-posite personalities; Florence was a con-trolling, over-emotional compulsive neat freak while Olive was loud and messy.

like snowmen. Students could buy an or-nament and hang it on the tree for one dollar. Teachers could do the same thing but for two dollars. The members of STAC and the advisors have so much fun mak-ing and selling the ornaments. In the end, STAC sold out on ornaments and donated $160 to the Make a Wish Foundation.

The Odd Couple Finds A New Home


Monthly Update

“A textbook is your best friend at college,” said Ryan Nunez, a re-

cent graduate of Sewanhaka High School who returned from his first semester at West Virginia University. He, along with twen-

ty three other alumni, returned to Se-wanhaka on Janu-ary 7th to share

wisdom with cur-

rent seniors at the Annual Alumni Break-fast. Recent graduates came from various local and far away colleges such as Adelphi, SUNY Geneseo, and Villanova to reunite with alumni. Through a panel discussion led by counselors Gina Christel and Mi-chael Racanelli, our seniors were able to hear from their peers about the positives and negatives of college and how they could survive their first semester. Alum-ni answered a myriad of questions from “How does the work in college compare to work in high school?” to “How is the food on campus?” Commuter students shared their thoughts about how to get involved in college life, even while not living on

Class of 2009Returns!C. Christel

The panel discussion in the library

Sewing For a Good CauseNehemie Souverain

Ten teams competed in the first annual Dodge ball Marathon. The tournament was sponsored by Leader Corps and was held in our gym. All the proceeds went to MDS research, in honor of our beloved teacher, Ms. Lisa Zahler.

Coach Kelly was the frontier of the tournament and she stated, “I’m thrilled of our results with the marathon. I truly hope that this event could become a part of Sewanhaka for many more years to come!” She also thanked Mr. Brancato, Mr. Doreson, Ms. Breunan, Mr. Kasimi-atis, and the Sewanhaka administration for all their continuing help and support.

The winning team of the evening was The Bandits. The team included Stephen Dyckman, Cody Vassallo, Gabi Foto, Kar-en Gimeinez, Kristen Lucke and Jonathan Alvarez.

After the marathon was over, the Lead-er Corps totaled over $1,300 for the MDS foundation. Congratulations to all par-ticipants and thank you to all the teachers who put the marathon together.

Dodging CancerJoseph Platia

However, the constant bickering and bit-ter sarcasm added a marriage-like qual-ity to the relationship that the audience found both charming and hilarious. The costarring of Tatianna and Vrinda was a genius move, as they definitely brought the show to life with their onstage charac-ters. Florence and Olive’s onstage chem-istry was evident, especially when the two ladies faced off in the final scenes when Olive had enough of Florence’s squeaky clean antics. The combination of funny leading roles and a simplistic storyline helped the rendition of The Odd Couple become a true winner of the night

The Sewing Club has been around for approximately three years.

They’ve done many projects to help the community, including the sewing of teddy bears to be delivered to a children’s hospi-tal. Another project they completed was a fundraiser by selling pieces of a quilt they made and donating the proceeds to a women’s shelter. A basket with various products was also donated. The Sewing Club is always accepting new members, and would like to remind everyone that even though they might not know how to sew, they will be welcomed and taught a useful skill.

Skills USA Toy Drive

The Skills USA toy drive is held an-nually here at Sewanhaka High

School. Taking place during the holidays,

Maryam Esmail & Monica Kommu

we try and remember to help those who are less fortunate than we are. “I am grate-ful to be able to help young children in need, especially since many of us do not realize how much we really have,” says secretary of Skills USA Amy Torres. Skills USA sets up a bin in the main lobby and collects new toys to distribute to the kids in the area. While many parents try and make ends meet, they do not necessarily have enough money to provide their chil-dren with everything they want. So we thank Skills USA and their generosity for spreading their holiday spirit!

campus. Special thanks to the returning alumni from the class of 2009, Ms. Fran Kantor and her PPS Department for host-ing the event as well as the senior teachers who allowed their students to participate.

Winter ConcertsAnna Harsham

Every year, the Sewanhaka High School Music Department gets

into the holiday spirit. It spends half of the school year preparing for the Junior and Senior High Winter Concerts.

Talented students work hard to learn the music, and they show us all what re-ally matters the most around the holidays. The holidays are all about family and these concerts brought us together with all of the festive songs.

“….[T]hat was one of the best con-certs I have ever been to…” one parent exclaimed after seeing one of the skills their child possessed put to good use. The many parents and relatives who had seen the concerts were awestruck at the amount of preparation that went into the produc-tion of both the Junior and Senior High Concerts.

That preparation paid off and brought out the Holiday Spirit in everyone.


Student Feature

Not many people can say they can

handle the stress of an ex-tremely busy life well. As the Yearbook editor-in-chief, cast member of the school musi-cal, player on the school’s varsity vol-leyball team, active member of National Honor Society, sing-er for the school’s Voices of Harmony, math tutor for sev-enth graders, Mad-eline Boldyrew is one who has always been able to handle stress well and use her varied abilities to achieve outstanding things.

Born on September 11, 1992, in LIJ Hospital, Mad-eline Boldyrew’s hard work and effort can be seen from her grades and the number of outstanding awards she has won. She recently was one of the winners of the PTSA ‘Beauty Is’ contest, with her poem “In the Be-holder’s Eyes.” Along with that, Madeline has also been honored with membership in the National Honor So-ciety and is an AP Scholar with Honor. When asked how she handles the stress of school, extracurricular activities, friends and fam-ily, she says she “handles it quite well, and despite the hectic schedule, still finds time to spend with family and to have a social life—

although mainly on the weekends.”

Ranked fourth in her class, Madeline has put in a lot of hard work and dedi-

cation to achieve all she has thus far, and she plans on keeping her dedication and hard work strong through-out college and the rest of her life. Planning to double major in Art History and Photography, Madeline aspires to be a muse-um curator, a profes-sor, a professional photographer, or an editor. Mad-eline has applied to many colleges, including New York University, the CUNY Hunter College Macaulay Honors Program, Pratt In-stitute, and Ithaca University. Of all those schools, she considers Hunter to be her favorite, due to its top-notch art his-tory program and the fact that it’s located in the art center of the world: New

York City. Of course,

Madeline’s in-fluences are what made her a fun lov-ing, creative, and passion-ate person. Her biggest influences are her Babcia (Polish for grandma), her grandfather, and her moth-er. Her Babcia, who passed on when Madeline was only eight,

taught Madeline how to let loose and just have fun, two impor-tant qualities to have in life. Her grandfather, who

was an artist in his younger

days, always supported Madeline’s pas-sion for art, and even drew and painted for her

when she was a kid. Her mother is,

however, has probably the biggest in-fluence in her decision to pursue art as

the love of her life. Aside from raising her, Madeline’s mother showed her the painting “Hide and Seek” by Pavel Tchelitchew. Not only was that the first of-

ficial painting by an artist Madeline ever saw, it was the beginning of Mad-eline‘s passion for art. Said Madeline

of the experience, “If my mom had never showed me that painting, I do

not think my passion for art would exist.” Madeline’s mother also purchased her

first camera, and is simply extremely supportive of all that Madeline does and wants to do.

In her spare time, Madeline also loves col-lecting seashells, singing, and play-ing volleyball. If she were to de-scribe herself, she would use words

such as “dedicated, pas-sionate, determined, cre-ative, goal-oriented, busy, and an organized mess.” Madeline’s dedication and passion is definitely visible through her achievements and future goals. Through-out her time spent here at Sewanhaka High School, Madeline Boldyrew has definitely emerged as one of Sewanhaka’s finest students, and will no doubt go on to achieve great things in the future in whatever field she chooses.

Katrina Simon

Not Just Another Student

A younger Madeline eagerly anticipating future successes

Madeline in action on the volleyball court

“Hide and Seek,” Pavel Tchelitchew, 1940-1942


Teacher Feature

Quite possibly one of the most revered

teachers in the Science de-partment, Mr. Patterson has earned the respect of both students and teach-ers alike. Asked what he brings to the classroom, a student laconically re-plied “himself,” but with all humor aside, Mr. Dil-lon Patterson of Sewan-haka High School brings comedy and “realism” to his classroom.

With roots in East New York, Brooklyn, Mr. Patterson obtained a love for science at a young age. Asked what started his ap-preciation of the science, Mr. Patterson simply re-plied “I’ve always been a science guy.” Ironically, one his favorite high school sub-ject was Biology. He men-tioned that as a research sci-entist he used to tutor kids about natural science dur-ing the afternoon. Tutor-ing allowed him to expand his interest in biology and teaching. Unbeknownst to him at the time, this task would later pave the way to him becoming a teacher.

After teaching in a Brooklyn high school for three years, Mr. Patterson has brought all his talent and wisdom to Sewanhaka. For ten years, Mr. Patterson has aided Sewanhaka stu-dents off and on the field.

Off the field, he is a stimu-lating educator. Inquired as to what is his most memo-rable experience in his class

room he answered “So

many interesting and fun things happen in the class. It’s hard to pick one out “. Eventually, Mr. Patterson shared a touching experi-ence. He noticed that one of his students was failing with a minuscule grade average. “I noticed the stu-dent wanted to get better… I taught a student that there is a relationship between ef-fort and result,” After an inspirational lecture, the student then applied him-self by attending extra help and studying. With that commitment, the student earned a passing grade.

On the field, Patterson has a dynamic personal-ity and shows a unique sense of versatility. During

high school, Mr. Patterson

played as a defensive back and a quarterback. Even though these positions ex-ist on separate sides of the football spectrum, they both require a great range of attentiveness and ambi-ance. Attending both Pace University and the Stony Brook University, he con-tinued to show his prow-ess as a defensive back and a running back by playing the aforementioned posi-tions during college. Join-ing the Sewanhaka football tradition, Coach Patterson has loaned his wisdom to the junior high, junior var-

sity and varsity teams. He has coached the JH and JV teams for 2 years each and the varsity team for four years. In professional

sports, Mr. Patterson stated that the Giants continue to be his favor-ite sports team simply because he has been fol-lowing them for years. In the wake of a 45-38 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, that is a very dif-ficult thing to say.

Teaching biology does not consume all the hours of Mr. Patterson’s life. Like all teachers, he has a life outside of school. In his free time, he has hobbies ranging from golfing, working out and reading. He

enjoys reading non-fiction works. He specifically reads autobiographies due to their unparalleled form of realism.

Unlike most people, Mr. Patterson does not have a role model. Instead of looking towards one person as a model of per-sonal behavior, he respects the minds behind innova-tors and virtuosos. “I ad-mire creative people, musi-cians, artist and carpenters: people that can make something from nothing.” With such a thought pro-cess, it’s no wonder that he brings an extraordinary sense of individualism to class.

Mr. Paterson teaching his Biology class

More Than a TeacherAnthony Jean


Editorial

The time-honored tradition of New Year’s Resolutions has its foun-dations in the Roman New Year, first instituted by Julius Caesar

as Inairius (the Roman New Year), which also took place on January 1. Dedicated to Janus, the god of gates and doors who carried an associa-tion with new beginnings, the holiday was a time where Romans gave gifts to one another, decorated their houses with greenery, and partook in public revelries sanctioned by the Emperor. As a god in the Roman canon, Janus had two faces; one faced the past, and the other, the future. Having no counterpart in Grecian mythology, Janus was a uniquely Ro-man invention, much like the arch or concrete. Over 2,000 years later, we’ve adopted the dual-faced god’s holiday and modified it to fit our more self-centered society.

“Put a CONTRACT on YOURSELF!” the exuberantly orange ban-ner atop stickk.com read. On New Years’ Day, the site was flooded with new account requests, and its home page boasted a variety of commit-ments, from “study more” to “start going to the gym” to “complete St. Anthony’s Triathlon.” Stickk.com commitments have a slightly better success rate when compared with that of the millions of New Year’s reso-lutions taken yearly, which says something about our ability to resolve on a course of action and see it through.

Stickk is an intuitive goal-setting service, charging its users a fee for each commitment that they break. People committed to changing their habits or developing new ones have used the website’s services with most-ly good results. Those who sign up for Stickk.com, however, have higher success rates than the public at large because they are simply far more interested than accomplishing their goals: so much more driven, in fact, that they are willing to put the Green God on the trading table.

However, despite its ostensible successes, Stickk.com draws an eerie parallel with carbon taxes and the like. After all, the concept is similar enough: break your end of the contract by eating that slice of chocolate cake or spewing greenhouse gases into the air, pay a fine, and be absolved of your guilt. It’s the indulgences of the Medieval Catholic church all over again, just in different forms. But the same feel-good philosophy pervades Stickk: sin now, pay later.

Americans don’t have the best track record when it comes to keep-ing their resolutions. At a self-reported success rate of 16%, which may even be too high a number, our difficulty in keeping our word is reflected in our resolutions, which are often repeated year after year.

The resolutions I’ve broken every year still litter the pages of my diary, scattered like autumn leaves after a bad storm, miserable and unhappily dead. Just last year, I made a Stickk.com account, and although I swore to save up enough money to buy a deluxe edition of Larousse’s Spanish-Eng-lish dictionary, I gradually frittered away my meager funds on candy bars and crossword books. Since I knew that there was a good chance I would not fulfill my bargain, I opted not to put down my debit card number and risk losing the little money I had. In the end, though, I never saved up enough money to buy the dictionary; a kind soul gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card last Christmas, which I used to make my long-overdue purchase. And despite this, I’ve continued to make resolutions, both on New Year’s and on occasions when I am feeling particularly self-righteous. My success rate is, to say the least, abysmal.

So why is it so hard to stick to resolutions? Is it because we know there’s no price to pay?

Habit building is a more difficult task than most people think—habit breaking is even harder—and they take more than pithy statements to change. Pavlov’s famous experiment, in which dogs were conditioned to salivate upon the sight of food, proved that if an action is repeated enough, an organism can be conditioned to do almost anything auto-matically. By rewarding ourselves for sticking to our goals, we help our-selves build good habits. However, when we reward ourselves constantly, it becomes easier to lapse back into our former states once the reward is removed. B.F. Skinner, a renowned behavioral psychologist, postulated that when organisms were not rewarded for their positive behavior every single time, but only at regular (or, in another of his experiments, ir-regular) intervals, they would display incremental but permanent habit formation. Skinner’s theory, if practiced correctly, will lead to organisms exhibiting the positive behavior consistently not contingent upon their receipt of a reward. When people make resolutions, they often do not include rewards for sticking to their goals or punishment for failing to do so. Such a lack of accountability ensures that fulfilling one’s resolution will be a monumental task.

Our obsession with goal-setting is uniquely American. Whether it was Obama’s promise to have health care done by July, George Bush’s promise to have a balanced budget, and Bush senior’s famous—and ulti-mately damning—cry of “No new taxes!,” resolution-breaking has been proven not to be limited just to the general populace but is extended to the higher levels of society as well. Granted, politicians all across the world make promises they cannot possibly keep—Mao Tse Tsung’s “Great Leap” is one such example—but overall, the value other societies place upon verbal commitments is far higher than ours. It is the select few that will strain every muscle in their body to accomplish a resolution. James Catford, Chief Executive of the Bible Society, complained that far too many people overestimated their ability to effect radical change in a short span of time; he postulated that “habits and reflection…are what our resolutions should be all about.” Catford’s recommendations, which are all founded in good, hard, common sense, should help people stick to their resolutions when combined the with steadfast application of Skin-ner’s theory. However, so few people apply these ideas to their lives that New Year’s resolutions are end up being frivolous dreams.

Resolution, the noun springing from the verb “resolve,” has its roots in the Latin resolvere, which means to unfasten or reveal. Evolving from the original Latin, resolve can be traced through the Old French resolver to the Old English resolven, which both mean to dissolve. Even in our modern usage of the word, a bit of the old connotation remains: when we resolve to change, we swear to dissolve and disassemble the habits we have built, and to render the creaking edifices of routine within ourselves asunder. Until we learn that change requires dissolving the old before building the new, we’ll continue to be condemned to a national New Year’s resolution success rate of 16%. In Mr. Catford’s words, “Pulling off a lasting change in [behavior] is a lot harder than we think. That’s why we fail at it.” Limiting goal-setting to the first of every year is a recipe for failure, and real change can only be made through behavioral reforms, not once-a-year wishes.

Paying the PiperKetsia Saint-Armand


Editorial

“I promise! As soon as twelve o’clock hits, I will be a whole new person!”

This statement is one that many will hear in their lifetime. The most common use for these words would be around New Years. Did you make a resolution for the New Year? Have you stuck with it?

Yes, that time of year is upon us once again. During the December holidays we try to be especially good to each other, and on January 1, we resolve to be especially good to ourselves. We’ll eat healthier, make our lifestyles more sustainable, be more frugal, and we’ll turn over that new leaf that pops up every year around this time.

The definition of a “New Year’s Resolution” is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit. It’s often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved them. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal set-tings, while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. These studies and definitions are the reason why so many fail to complete their task at hand. The hype of having a resolution takes more effort then actually achieving it.

The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day. But isn’t it discouraging to set goals because of society, when society doesn’t let your know when to stop? It must be challenging to try and achieve something without any time restraint.

These negative thoughts can only be wrapped around the minds of so many, to the point of effortless care. This is why the date of January 1st should only be a starting point for a year long goal. This can be considered a long term or a short term goal, depending on how long you have been waiting to get it accomplished. A New Year’s Resolution should be an an-nual checkup of ones inner mind and confidence. Setting goals that will last throughout the year is healthy for everyone. But, lying about empty achievements will get you no where and actually hurt a person’s ego.

Popular examples of these silly “Resolutions” include: quit smoking, lose weight, find a companion, get a raise, or even find a new home. These goals are not New Year Resolutions, they are all healthy changes in an unsatisfying lifestyle you may consider changing. They are not predeter-mined goals that are set to be completed on New Year’s Day, but don’t be misled! New Year’s Resolutions are an amazing thing, only if the person sticks with his or her intentional goal. The goal does not have to be short term, but it may be hard to keep the goal a reality if your in July and don’t see the point of moving forward with it. Realistic goals that can be ac-complished on New Years Day would include: making a friend, revisiting a childhood memory, or even take time to relax with your family. These are short term goals that can be completed within just a few days.

“The critical ingredient for completing a resolution is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that! A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them NOW. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” This quote by Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, is directed towards the attitude and relationship between you and your goal. He is stating that your goal will reward you as long as the time is put in and the effort is made.

Many new studies have been made to enhance the percentage of achieving these resolutions. One major way to increase your chances in success is having a resolution partner. This includes a family member, a friend, or even a close companion. These partnerships will help develop

your goals into actual results and therefore completing your intentional purpose. Many experts now say buddying up can make the difference between failure and success, being accountable to another person brings out our best efforts.

Actress Susan Ward once said, “Nothing makes me work harder than the fact that I have a goal buddy to report to each week. Good behaviors like quitting smoking, staying slender or even becoming happy pass’ from friend to friend almost as if they were contagious viruses. Peer pressure is much more powerful than the concept of a boss, many times - more powerful.” Susan makes a great point and her inspirational words should motivate people, especially young adults to create goal and New Year’s Resolutions.

Statistics of New Year resolutions included that 40% to 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year, and among the top New Year’s Resolutions are: resolutions about weight loss, exer-cise, and stopping to smoke. Also popular are resolutions dealing with better money management and debt reduction. The following numbers show how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on: past the first week: 75%, past 2 weeks: 71%, after one month: 64%, after 6 months: 46%. While a lot of people who make new years resolutions do break them, research shows that making resolutions is quite useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.

If you have decided to move along with a resolution for the New Year, how would you keep it?

The answer is not simple, but if theses steps are followed, you will enjoy the reward of success. First of all, don’t wait until the last minute to pick a resolution. Doing it on impulse or when in a negative frame of mind will not work! Plan ahead! Start the New Year with set goals along with the steps that you will need in which to attain them. Larry LaMotte, a life coach, wisely reminds his clients: “Trying to be what you’re not is a waste of time.” Resolving to become a marathon runner when one has never even jogged around the block is more than likely doomed to failure. Keep goals realistic, small and achievable. Don’t focus on what is impossible, but on what can now be accomplished now, and that one couldn’t before.

You can ask yourself, what benefits will I get out of completing my Resolution? If you are investing the time and energy needed to realize your New Year’s Resolution, it will become much clearer to you in the end. Some basic questions you might want to consider before choosing a resolution are: what will you get of that? Is this something you want or need? How bad do you want or need it? What are you willing to do to get it? When you answer these questions, write the answers down and keep them somewhere that you can have access to. If this is something that you will be working toward, keep the goals in sight, this will become very helpful in the future.

The overall message that I see is, to create realistic goals that can actu-ally be achieved, and don’t just make a resolution because that is what society does. To waste your time on a failed idea is foolish and one way to insure your New Year’s Resolution is taking steps and realizing that there is no reason to set the bar to a standard you can meet.

The New Year is a fresh start. So don’t waste it!

New Year’s Resolutions - The Yin to Your Yang Joseph Platia


World News

Hailed as the #1 social network-ing site in the world, Facebook has

grown to have a population bigger all but two countries in the world. At 350 million users, it now has a larger population than that of the United States. To call Facebook a popular website is now not only a huge understatement, it is a grand show of ig-norance. In a world where computer skills

Armaghan Behlum

are increasingly becoming the center of life for most people and a job requirement for others, Facebook provides an easy means of communication for all types of media. Pho-tos and videos can be shared with people on opposite sides of the globe in under a min-ute while information and news can travel at light speed between people all across the globe. The fact that the origins of this digi-tal country will now be made into a movie might come as a surprise to some people, especially since Justin Timberlake will play Facebook’s founding President Sean Parker and Oscar-nominated filmmaker David Fincher will be the director, but for others, it nothing out of the ordinary. If zombies and vampires can make a living in Holly-wood, then why can’t the highly-acclaimed web site have a piece of the motion picture pie?

First started by Har-vard sophomore Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook has grown from an ex-clusive Harvard social ex-periment to a full blown social giant. On his first attempt, Mark Zuckerburg was nearly expelled from Har-vard University for violating privacy rights, but after a year and some inspiration from his student newspaper, Zuckerburg saw the advantages of beginning a centralized web site for communication. Now he reigns as CEO of Facebook and the 52nd most influ-ential person in the world. The 350 million users spend a grand total of 6 billion min-utes on the website every day worldwide. In most countries, Facebook has more us-ers then any other competitor, its major rival being the second most popular social network MySpace, who Facebook overtook in size back in April 2008. Some countries, like China, Syria, and formerly Iran, have banned Facebook while some jobs take the same course of action in order to make sure their employees are not distracted from their work time. Even with these mi-nor setbacks, Facebook is still very much a universal website, as 70% of its users do not live in the United States and are distrib-uted throughout the continents.

Facebook: Rise of a Global Empire

All is quiet on the western front—maybe too quiet. News of the

fierce struggles—which have been taking place intermittently through much of the last decade—in Yemen has been sporadi-cally covered by Western media, if at all. Yemen, the only Republic on the Arabian Peninsula, is barely held intact by the As-sembly of Representatives, with each mem-ber holding six-year terms and collectively representing the views of many groups, much like the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.

With its foundering developing econo-my and poverty levels that are substantially high, Yemen has become a hotbed for radical groups. It has fought hard throughout the years to hold onto its identity and unique-ness in an unstable, conflict-ridden region. In the past few years, however, a surge of Somalis and Djiboutians has come to form the new core of the Yemeni population, and these new inhabitants have brought along a host of other problems. Yemen has become a training ground for terrorist groups, mainly Al-Qaeda, that though scat-tered has managed to train many fighters through camps designed to create guerilla warriors. Their presence has led to a num-ber of terrorist attacks within the country and overseas; the role the Yemeni state plays is being heavily scrutinized. Some say it is the lack of government’s ability to meet the needs of the people who are turn-ing to terrorism for income and in turn are being indoctrinated into Wahhabism, while others assert that the government silently approves the apparent activities to over-throw the western powers. The reasons for suspicion are varied, but nonetheless con-crete: the bombing of USS Cole in a Yeme-ni port on October 12, 2000; 9/11 involve-ment with terrorists from Yemen; Hamas and Palestinian Jihad-both recognized as legal organizations in Yemen, with their usage of Yemen as a fundraising location; 90 Yemeni detainees (a large majority) in

Guantánamo Bay; and the recent Dec 24th attempt by a terrorist to blow up a plane–with instructional materials obtained from Yemen. Making Yemen’s persistent claims of innocence all the more awkward, the Fort Hood shooting, in which Nidal Hasan claimed to have been instructed and in-fluenced by Anwar al-Awlaki (a senior Al-Qaeda recruiter working from Yemen), has in some ways deepened Yemen’s complicity with terrorism. In 2008, it was noted that Tarek bin Laden, half brother of Osama Bin Laden, had a company that was plan-ning on building a bridge between Djibouti and Yemen. Though not directly linked to terrorism, it’s not quite clear why a bridge is now needed to be built in a place that is sparsely populated, marginally developed, and on an unstable part of the continent. It’s also close to Somalia, another terrorist hotbed. The United States has poured $70 million in military aid to Yemen to help sta-bilize the country and is working covertly to locate terrorist networks. The strategies and method of approach are the same as those employed in Pakistan by the United States. Yemen, if not treated correctly, can be the migration spot for terrorists from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. While the government is still in place and functional, let’s hope Yemen can actively make a deci-sion towards a better future. And yes, the efforts of close secretive collaborations seem to be paying off; on Dec 24th, 2009, Yemeni authorities were able to deliver an air strike upon a meeting of senior Al-Qae-da leaders and have confirmed the deaths of 30 members. It’s a small step, but time will tell if it was the right one.

Yemen: the Pakistan of the Middle East?Guest Columnist Stanley Soman

The ubiquitous Facebook logo


Movies & Music

Most action movies today lack mean-ing, and are one-dimensional. Av-

atar, on the other hand, brings the audience beyond that single dimension and into a new one. There was a huge amount of work put into the production of Avatar. Director and Story writer James Cam-eron, notable for the first two Termina-tor films and Titanic, envisioned such a film almost fifteen-years ago. What took the film this long to be released was technology. Cameron wanted Avatar to have highly-advanced visual effects, so he made sure each frame was perfect. It actually took approximately 100 days to only film one second of the three-hour movie. Although there was a lot of money, effort, and time put into the film; it was well worth it. There was a lot of hype surrounding Avatar before its release. Many have compared it to The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars because of its stunning visuals and great story. Although the story was a little clichéd, it still pulled the audience in.

Avatar takes place in the year 2154, where humans are exploring other worlds for natural resources, because they have used up the planet Earth. Their exploration takes them to the planet Pandora, which holds a great abundance of resources. In order to gain these resources, the humans must be-friend the native people of Pandora, known as the Na’vi. The true definition of an avatar is the manifestation of a deity in human or superhuman or animal form. This is exactly what an avatar is in the film. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) agrees to volunteer for the Avatar program along with other volunteers to better learn about the Na’vi society. As he spends more time with them, he begins to grow with them, and accepts himself as one. Sully’s character is put to the test when the Na’vi tribe is attacked by the humans, result-ing in a war of the races. There are many pro-environmental innuendos in Avatar. The movie seems to disparage the idea of people destroying natural habitats for resources by showing our planet ruined by the only thing strong enough to destroy Mother Earth: Father Greed. Not only are there environ-

mental themes put into the movie, but also themes regarding the American way in deal-ing with worldwide affairs. Before the hu-mans attack the innocent people of Pandora, they discuss that the only way to deal with terror is to use terror—a hit at George Bush’s

theory in dealing with terrorism. With the first decade of the second millen-nium coming to an end, many movies have come out. Most of those mov-ies have used special effects. Some of those movies have mastered the use of special effects. Avatar has given birth

to a new genre of special effects in a movie

that both looks amazing and is amazing.

Singer Rihanna has never been shy of success. From 2005 to 2007, she

has dropped three albums, all of which have received positive reviews. It has been three years since her last album, and many

have waited for Rihanna’s new-est album Rat-ed R, especially after her recent headlines with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Rihanna’s first single off the album is “Rus-

sian Roulette.” Unlike her older albums, Rated R has a different feel to it. It re-veals a whole different side of Rihanna—a much darker side. Unfortunately, this

In a short period of time, Lady Gaga has risen to fame in an unorthodox

manner. She is mostly known for her bi-zarre behavior in the public. But with all the publicity, Lady Gaga has proven that

she can make good music. Her debut al-bum, Fame, was a break-through for her career and the music industry. It introduced Lady Gaga to

the world. Originally, Lady Gaga planned to re-release her album titled as The Fame Monster. The Fame Monster would intro-duce eight new songs. However, she felt that her new album was strong enough to be released on its own. She was wrong. With the exception of “Bad Romance,” no other song is exceptional. The songs are either forced into the album, like “Tele-phone,” which features Beyoncé, or they’re just not good. It is no question that Lady Gaga can make music, but her decision to release The Fame Monster as its own al-bum was a mistake. It was just too short, and unlike Fame, it doesn’t add any flare to the music world.

Rated R

The Fame Monster

darker side has overshadowed the Rihanna we once knew. Songs such as “Hard” and “Wait Your Turn” show a grittier Rihanna. Rihanna has definitely been open with her past issues. Most of her songs off the al-bum are against males and show fierce at-titude. It is no question that Rihanna can sing. However, Rated R doesn’t display her vocals and draws us further away from the old Rihanna. Rated R seems to have been made for the Chris Brown haters rather than true Rihanna fans. What Rated R has is attitude. But what it lacks is real music (and another 2.5 stars).

Avatar

Emtiaz Uddin

Emtiaz Uddin

Emtiaz Uddin


You can be

published in the Chieftain too! Submit your art, poems and short stories to us in Room 228 or to [email protected] for a chance to become our Featured Artist.

ArtsPoems and Artwork by Sewanhaka’s Students

Fake

Her smile is fake.It’s as fake as the “friends” who love her.

She hides it well, no one can tellShe laughs at all of it,the jokes they make,the stories they tell,the “joys” they share.

Surrounded by friends, she dances for them.Plays their idol, just a phony act.

But still, behind that fake smile,her fear of persecution and abandon-ment,rules over her every action and every reaction.

Like a seasoned veteran, the war tactics and mind tricks,just to avoid the feeling of hurt and betrayal.

She needs to conceal her caustic thoughts from the world.She needs to avoid those who hurt her.She needs to detach herself.But what she truly needs is someone to be there,through thick and thin, through good and bad,to call her beautiful.

It’s a pity, to have to put on such a show,to feign interest,when all she wants is approvaland a true friend to be there,and a boy to love her,and someone to bring meaning to her smile.

To make her smile real,that’s what she really wants.

-Anonymous

Lamp of Knowledge

If you knew the real me, Would you run away?If I told you my deepest secrets, Would you walk away?If I was to say, “I love you”How would you respond?But remember now, you know the real me.Will those darling eyes look at me?They say the butterfly throws itself into the burning fire.If you must love, you must need that much courage.At each step, the heart is pushed to its limitAnd at the each breath, it’s tested.Will I have to burn my flesh?Just to get the love that’s so dear to me?As I take one step, will I strain my heart?As I do with my breathing?Love goes both ways.To love someone is never to regret what you do for it.Knowledge is like a lamp.Love is like the sun.Upon the rising of the sun,The lamp is rendered useless.

-Naomi Lima

In the Beholder’s Eyes§

Life is full of beauty,Its presence surrounds our feeble minds.It is an intangible being in our mortal lives,It is never fleeting, always beseeching.It coexists, an invisible mist That encircles...True beauty lies in the eyes of the be-holder;It never fades away.

Beauty is a child’s innocence, A glint, a spangle in the eye.Beauty is a mother’s love,Her warmth, the feelOf her smooth heavenly touch.Beauty is a friend’s affection:The unexplainable kinship that one develops.Beauty is a helping hand aiding those bereft and depraved,The kindness that resides in a tender heart.

Beauty is the morning sun,Its rising orange fire in the east.It is the falling rain,The pitter-patter of drops on the pave-ment.Beauty is the grace of night,The gleaming stars dusted across the black abyss.Beauty is the sensation from a paramour’s glanceThe heat, the tingles of the caress.It is love’s ceaseless ardor.

Beauty is the pain of living.It mesmerizes and hypnotizes,It beckons us with its prevailing call...Beauty is indefinable,And so it remainsIn the beholder’s eyes.

-Madeline Boldyrew§Winner of the PTSA “Beauty is...” contest

Untitledby Victoria Lobos

Featured Artist Victoria Lobos:

Art gives me a way to creatively express my-self to others without having to use words. It’s a rich, varied, and sophisticated way to convey one’s feelings, and by allowing my works to show my feel-ings, I help impart to my viewers some of the grand spectrum of hu-man emotion.


Sudoku

Answers in next issue

Name Depart-ment

Christmas Wish New Year’s Reso-lution

Ms. Contarino Cosmetol-ogy

Peace, happiness and health for all staff members and her family; find the cause of and cure for breast cancer.

Be a better person through community service

Mr. Sexton Science A line of credit to finish house renovation by August 2010

Go home earlier!

Ms. Fanelli Special Education

Every family will have one special wish ful-filled, food on their table, and a smile for one day.

Lose some extra poundage, stay well, and pray for the health of my family and friends.

Ms. Bolton Special Education

I hope that all my students are happy and healthy!

Be more patient with my ninth grade students.

Art Teachers Art For all children to have a gift for Christ-mas, and for everyone here to have a holiday filled with family, friends, and fun.

We don’t make New Year’s resolutions in the Art Depart-ment—we are free spirits.

Ms. Divello AP Office That the AP office wins the Decorating Contest.

Save money in order to avoid breaking the bank for next year’s contest.

Sonnith John

Wish Lists and Resolutions

EntertainmentHoroscopes

Katrina Simon

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)Anything can be forgiven. You may have upset someone deeply, but with the right apology for-giveness will be received.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)Lately, you’ve been wanting to stand out from the crowd. You’re always good at making heads turn, so do your thing!

Pisces (February 19-March 20)Take your free time into meeting new people and hanging out with them. New friends are always fun.

Aries (March 21-April 19)When two close friends get into an argument with each other, it’s up to you to be the mediator. With your skill, this should take no time at all.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)Organization can always make a person feel better, and you may even come across some things you may have forgotten about.

Gemini (May 21-June 21)Lately, decisions have been blus-tering around you. What may seem good for you may not be good for others, but remember, sometimes you need to put your-self first.

Cancer (June 22-July 22)Do not be intimidated by an illusion of perfection. The grass is not always as green as it seems. Remember, every-body has flaws.Leo (July 23-August 22)Always remember that to get what you want, it is always crucial to keep your side of the bargain.

Virgo (August 23- September 22)You’ve been putting some-thing off for a long time, but remember that the only way to finish it is to start!

Libra (September 23-October 22)A decision you need to make is not a life-or-death situation. Think and decide, before it’s decided for you.

Scorpio (October 22-November 21)Lately things may not have been going as expected, but the surprises make life more enticing!

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)As much as you want to be-lieve something may happen, you should remember that people do not always tell the truth.

Come to our next meeting on Friday, February 22nd to learn more!


Sports

The Junior High Volleyball team is a spirited and dedicated group of girls. Their coach, Mrs. Fanelli, is a teacher in the

special education department. She is very skilled and has coached for 26 years. The team consists of over 60 girls from the seventh and eighth grades. They will play 16 games in total for the whole season. So far, both grades have played 12 games against all the schools in the Sewanhaka District, with a current record of 6-6. The team has been working hard and has had lots of fun together. The junior high girls’ volleyball team looks like they have a great future ahead of them.

JH VolleyballSue Chen

At the 43rd Annual Sewanhaka Football Dinner, put to-gether by the Booster Club, the highlight of the night

was the 23 minute highlight tape put together by Mr. Lunder-gan of the Art Department. The players watched in excitement as they got to see their top plays on the big screen. There were also 8 team awards given out. Senior John Miller stated that “There were 8 awards and anyone on the team could have gotten any one of them; that’s the attitude we have taken and adopted.” Miller’s adoptive brother James Wighaus added, “I think awards are awe-some, it really tops off the year; however, it’s the intangibles that mean the most. I know the guys would agree.” Congratulations to these 8 individuals:

Hoka Hay Award: Shireem CobbSpecial Teams Award: Jean Pierre TuberquiaOffensive Lineman of the Year: Jeffrey JosephDefensive Lineman of the Year: Miguel PonceOffensive Back of the Year: Brian WintDefensive Back of the Year: Devin McRaeMike Luzzi Coaches Award: John Marco MilitanoMost Valuable Player: James Wighaus

Football DinnerJames Wighaus

The Girls Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball Teams are having a successful season so far. Coaches Alex Soupios

and Kerry Poyer lead the team, along with the captains Katie Ho-gan, Gabby Ford, Monique Roberge, and Megan Mullaney. They have done an excellent job in pointing the team in the right direc-tion. One thing that sets this team apart from previous ones is not just the talent, but the commitment and sisterhood both on and off the court. With the team’s talent, speed, and dedication, nothing is impossible for these girls. In the first game against Glen Cove, Sophomore Christina Kellett had 8 of her 15 points in the first half and Junior Monique Roberge finished with nine

Girls Varsity BasketballChristina Kellet

Gymnastics is a sport offered to the young ladies of Sewan-haka High School, but out of the many girls that could

take Sewanhaka up on this offer, Jessica Santoli is the only one to do so. Because of the small number of girls who actually play this sport in the school district, Jessica and many other girls from the four other schools in our district travel to New Hyde Park Memorial every day to participate in this district sport. Coached by Megan Mooney, the district team has competed in six meets, winning most of them. “It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to achieve the goals set by Coach Mooney,” said Jessica. “We have a strong team of hard-working girls, and I know we will continue to be successful.”

GymnasticsElissa Sanci

Sewanhaka West Wrestling TeamChristoper DeJesus

The Sewanhaka West Wrestling Team consists of athletes from three schools: Sewanhaka, Floral Park and Elmont

Memorial. Such a union brings a solid line-up of diverse, multi-talented, and dedicated athletes. Each wrestler competes in a specific weight class against opponents from other teams. Head Coach Sorace states that “complainers, excuse-makers and the soft need not apply.” Needless to say, wrestling is a tough sport. In-juries can be as common as clouds in the sky, whether they occur at practice or in a match. Some wrestlers often get injuries that prevent them from resuming their season. Captain Albert Rocco states that “the team suffered a staggering blow losing three se-niors, but the matches must continue.” The continued support of

“Keep your head up!” is what our District Bowling Team shouted to encourage each other during their

Nassau Tournament, where they won first place. The Varsity team holds an amazing record of 20-1, and includes sophomore Tommy Genova, who achieved All-State, and Kristina Genova. The team also includes JV boys Charlie Rizzuti and Nicky Genova, who are our very own Sewanhaka bowlers.

BowlingElsa Gimenez

points and five blocks for Sewanhaka. The Lady Indians defeated Glen Cove, 55-39. The Junior Varsity’s season, lead by captains Patty McNally and Danielle Georges, has also been doing well. Their top scorer, Katlyn Dempsey, as well as the team, have made this season possible. With the team’s dedication and positive attitude, look for the Lady Indians to only get better throughout the season.


Sportssuch wrestlers shows their appreciation for the growing program.

Sewanhaka West Wrestling is still a young program that con-tinues to grow over the years. Some of the veterans that have been wrestling since the start of the program are graduating. One of the team’s veterans and captain, Miguel Ponce, says “I believe in the under-classmen to pick up where

the seniors left off.” Miguel’s determination, skills and hard work are reflected in his current varsity record, thirteen wins and one loss. However, wrestling is a team sport more than anything else and one wrestler does not make the team. With the combined ef-forts of the starting wrestlers and the guidance by Coach Rawls, Coach Rubenstein and Coach So-race, the team is looking pretty promising with a current league record of one win and one loss.

Sewanhaka basketball started off the preseason lukewarm with wins here and losses there in their non-league games. In the Coaches for a Cure tournament, the Sewanhaka Indians sped past

New Hyde Park in the first game of the tournament. Unfortunately however, the second game of the tour-nament wasn’t the same story. Our Indians faced off against Herricks, but the grueling game did not go in the Indians favor and

they were hit with a 44-36 point defeat. Though disappointed at the defeat in the tournament, the Indians held their heads high going on a two-game winning streak that built the confidence of the team, as well as the coaching staff, for the season gradually approaching. With all that confidence at hand, the Sewanhaka basketball program went into the Great Neck South tournament expecting great things from one another. Our Indians’ first game of that tournament was against Plainview JFK, who last year had lost against Sewanhaka. This year though, with most of their play-ers returning from last year, they were ready for us and our inexpe-rienced team took a tough 60-43 point loss. Not derailed from the season goal however, the Sewanhaka Indians obtained victory in the consolation game of the Great Neck South tournament with a spectacular come-back win against Island Trees whom which they play in the regular season. This game wasn’t looking so good for

Boys Varsity BasketballShella Adeniran

our Indians, while they trailed 43-26 with 5:00 minutes remain-ing in the third quarter, but then Shella Adeniran scored 16 of his 28 points to lead the stunning come-back and Sewanhaka to victory!

On January 5, 2010,Sewanhaka suffered a 55-46 loss to Law-rence High School, making Sewanhaka’s record 4 wins and 4 loss-es. That tough loss took a toll on our Sewanhaka basketball team, becoming a blatant wake up call on where the team’s focus should be. On Friday, January 8, 2010, the Sewanhaka Indians went into the Roosevelt gym with the intention to do damage on the court, beating their opponent 56-43 with an amazing second half perfor-mance! Roosevelt was no match for the Sewanhaka Indians.

“This year’s team is young with many talented juniors that are filling the shoes of 10 graduated seniors from last years teams. We will rely on the play and experience of returning starters C.J. Brown and Shella Adeniran and hope the juniors can step up. I am confident that we will play hard and be competitive in every game in a much tougher conference then last year; the potential is there!” as said by Coach Dan Reece speaking for the whole coach-ing staff. A lot is expected from the Indians basketball team this season, but they cannot do it without popular support.

Varsity Winter Track is off to a great start, with returning all stars as well as new upcoming freshmen. Both Coach Felicetti and the team couldn’t wait for the season to start, and when it finally did, she couldn’t believe the talent that was awaiting. She says, “The season has gotten off on a great start, and there is no doubt on my mind that we have rising starts, such as freshmen shot putter Celestia Pipia, and the distance runners John Lazo and Kieran O’Reilly.” This year’s Girls’ captains are seniors Karen Gimenez, Stephie-Anne Duliepre and junior Johane Accime, and the Boys’ captains are senior Jeffery Joseph and juniors Derrick Thompson and Keenan Woods. Celestina Pipia (8th grade) is a standout, throwing 30 feet at last Monday’s meet; she is also highest-ranked 8th grader in Section VIII track. Jenny Leak, se-nior, continues to be in contention for an All-County title, ranked fourth in Section VIII and throwing 33’9” at her latest meet . As an All-County medalist for the 2009 Spring Season, big things are expected from Jenny. Brian Wint, junior, is currently ranked 8th in Section VIII with a time of 6:60 for his signature event, the 55m race.

Sprinting For The Win!Karen Gimenez

Girls Captain Karen Gimenez takes the lead

Senior Albert Rocco gets ready to wrestle

Captain Chris DeJesus poses for a photo

“Before you burn a bridge, remember that you may be running back across it someday.”

-Anonymous

Sewanhaka Central High School District

A Nationally Recognized District of Excellence

Mrs. Debra Lidowsky - Principal

Mr. Warren A. Meierdiercks, Superintendent Of Schools

Board of Education

Jean Fichtl - President

DavidT. Fowler - Vice President

Joseph Armocida

David Del Santo

Laura Ferone

Lorraine Ferrigno

Michael Jaime

Joan Romagnoli

Hank Logerman Award

American Scholastic Press Award NEWSDAy H.S. jOurNALISM AWArD

2009 QuILL yOuNG PEOPLE PrESS AWArD

chieftain issue #3

Documents

sewanhaka bazaar

student council jail

student body

sewanhaka experience

chorus room room

tulip avenue floral

holiday childrens

new york