Volume 61 Issue 1

Journal
the
By and for the students of Guilderland Central High School
Guilderland Center, NY 12085 October 2009 FREE

Seniors capture the 2009 Powder Puff title

Mike Marcantonio
Powder Puff 2009 turned out to be a
wild and frantic night as the Seniors cap-
tured the win over the Juniors, 38 to 34.
“It was a good game for the view-
ers,” said Junior Erin Mossop after the
game. “There was a lot of energy from
both teams, which helped to produce a
fabulous game.”
The Seniors started off strong with a
touchdown by Kim Coonan and a two-
point conversion by Marissa Page, with
a little more than ten minutes left in the
first half. The Juniors responded quickly
with a touchdown by Carleen Farruggia
and a two-point conversion by Erin Mos-
sop, with 9:15 left on the clock, tying the
score at eight.
“The game is [getting] ferocious,” said
Senior Mary Kate Nagy after the score
was tied. Unfortunately, the game was a
little too ferocious. Senior Jenn Casey was
injured midway through the first half and
was taken to the hospital with a concus-
sion and a knee-related injury. “Go Jenn
Casey!” Nagy said at the end of the game
on behalf of her teammate. “I am proud
to have Jenn on my team, and she showed
a lot courage in that situation.”

Powderpuff 5 Jenna Crupi (top left), Rebecca Fitzgerald (right), and a

group shot of the Juniors (bottom left).
Photos by Mike Marcantonio / The Journal

Kat Keegan
It could have quite possibly been the
most important day of the entire year
September 21, 2009, when our current
President, Barrack Obama made his first
debut visit in Troy, NY. President Obama
was scheduled to tour the latest technol-
ogy classroom and then deliver a speech
to a small audience at Hudson Valley
Community College (HVCC) at 11:30
A.M. , which was to be primarily focused
on the economy, but more importantly;
why our capital region area deserves a
considerable amount of recognition.
It was the first time in years that a
United States President has come to the
Capital Region. In fact, it has been fifteen
years, when Clinton visited the University
of Albany. So as can be imagined; it was a
thrilling day for the people of New York
State. But it was an even more exciting day
for one of Guilderland’s former students,
Mckenzie Bourque, a freshman student at
HVCC. Bourque was chosen via a lottery
system to attend Obama’s speech and was
fortunate to sit within close proximity
to him during his presentation. She sat
in complete awe as President Obama’s
words poured into her ears.
“It was completely and utterly surreal”
Bourque began; “I still can’t believe it.”
Bourque, 18, applied to several four
year colleges, yet chose Hudson Valley
Community College. “I excelled through-
out high school, and got into almost
every school I applied to” Bourque said.
“But Hudson Valley really has a lot to
offer.” Bourque has also enrolled in the
Honors Program at Hudson Valley and
everyday she says she feels “challenged”
by the courses she’s taking. According
to Bourque, a theme of Obama’s speech
addressed education and its vitality to a
growing and recovering economy. “The
college is truly serving its community”
Bourque said. “We need an affordable
and strong education to recover and move
forward in this economy.”
Also in attendance at Obama’s eco-
nomic speech were many local
officials and lawmakers. One
of them was New York State
Senator, Roy J. McDonald. Mc-
Donald is a known republican
in the political world. However
when asked; “Where you at the
speech as a Republican?” McDon-
ald firmly answered: “No.” He then
added; “I was there as an American.”
Views seemed to be set aside for
Obama’s visit to the Capital Region (even
Governor David Paterson and President
Obama seemed exchanged handshakes
prior to the speech and little tension
was observed).
Obama 7
(theJournal) page 2 October2009

Small club, large appetite

Youth Ending Hunger
Devon Gingrich and Libby Gioia
Most students are well aware of the clubs that do a When the club began they really focused
lot with in the school. The “classic” clubs include; Key on fundraising. Now, they’re trying to be even more
Club, SADD, and even The Journal, which make noise hands-on than they already are and are going to try to
through out the school, telling people what they’re about. accomplish as much as they can with in the school year,
Some clubs, such as Youth Ending Hunger, don’t do “For a small group, we’ve accomplished a lot,” Gnirrep
as much work with in the school, so less people may states. He really believes in the power of this club and
know about it. believes that they are all great kids who just love helping
Mr. Gnirrep, the club’s advisor, Kaydee Bick- people.
more, the president, and K.T. Bierman, the vice presi- The club meets about every two weeks on
dent, run the meetings, which occur about every two Tuesdays in room 601 and is always welcoming new
weeks, on a Tuesday, in room 601. This is the club’s 20th members. The world can always be made happier by
anniversary and when asked if there is anything special students, staff, and others, who want to help out. Every
planned, Mr. Gnirrep replied, “There isn’t anything spe- little thing counts and if this small club has made such
cial planned really, just hope that the club will continue a difference already in the community, just think about
doing well in years to come.” He’s always cared deeply how big an impact it could make if more people joined
about the club and helping others through it. and the club got bigger.
Jen Rotermund started the club 20 years ago and
Mr. Gnirrep has been the advisor since it began. The
main goals of the club have been to educate the public
and students about people in the world less fortunate
than most in Guilderland, participate in financial and
fundraising events to help those less fortunate, and to
have a more hands-on approach with helping the com-
munity. The club is very hands-on already, in the way
that the club members go to soup kitchens, food banks,
and have food drives.
Youth Ending Hunger has accomplished a lot
over the twenty years that it has existed. Mr. Gnirrep
believes that the spirit of wanting to help people has
been in kids for the past twenty years and is the main
reason why the club has been so successful in the past.
They’re a relatively small group, averaging out about 12
kids each meeting, and don’t seek much attention but by
taking the chance given to them to help make the world
a better place, they’ve done just that.
Kaydee Bickmore, is the president of the club
and K.T. Bierman is the vice president, and newly ap-
pointed, Joana Lule, is the secretary and Haejin Hwang is
the new treasurer. These four, all juniors, have continued
to carry on with the trend of leadership and wanting to
help others which has helped the club prosper. Christine
Ward, who was the president for three years, revived the
club and helped to make it what it is today.
The goals have the club have been the same
since the start, to help people. Raising awareness is one
of the ways they try to help out in the community. A few
people from the club go around to different advisories
to inform students about others who are hungry through
out the world. They then allow the students to participate
in an activity called, “Food For Thought,” which consists
of the room being broken up into different sections;
poor, middle class and wealthy, and having the students
be divided up into those groups. This activity is used
to show how there are much more people below the
poverty line than above it.

Graphic courtesy of The Journal

October 2009 Editorial (theJournal) page 3

The legacy of 2009 2008-2009 Staff

Sohee Rho
Like every year we all buzz back to
school with stories to share and memo-
ries to reminisce, but this past summer
seemed particularly eventful. We as a
nation witnessed the passing of Pop star
Michael Jackson, actress Farrah Fawcett,
spokesperson Oscar Mays, and Senator
Edward Kennedy, among many other
deaths.
Much of the news during those hot,
humid days was filled with headlines not-
ing their lives filled with achievements and
much glory. Each was uniquely important
and their mark on history varied, but it’s
quite true that they are all legendary.
The news of those misfortunes shook
me up completely with surprise. As I
shockingly absorbed the news, I couldn’t
help but realize the frightening uncer-
tainty of life. I spent the next several
minutes on my couch fixating on the
unpredictable nature of life, but then real-
ized that was not the underlying problem.
I was more scared of the fact that I would
be forgotten entirely following my own
death because really, what have I done?
I couldn’t think of a single thing that
I had done to better this world, let alone
the Guilderland community. It was hard
to admit my deeds throughout all these
years were so microscopic and even
meaningless.
I mean I was just another person using
up the precious supply of oxygen, going
about my day thoughtlessly. Then I knew,
while the fate of my future was out my
power of control, I could do anything in
the present.
The worldly events of this summer
really shook me up and set me down in a
whole new path. I see now that humans
are born everyday to be the building
blocks for something better and we can-
not do it alone.
So, I ask our student body of
Guilderland High School to really look
inside and see what kind of a legend
each of you would like to leave on this
school, community and eventually, the
world. Yes, we are all busy and very
much involved in our own private lives,
but remember we have not advanced this
far out of selfishness.
As President John F. Kennedy once
said, “Ask not what your country can do
for you; ask what you can do for your
country.” Really, ask yourself.
The Journal is published by and for the students
of Guilderland High School and is the school’s
official student newspaper. We publish ac-
counts of, and perspectives on, people, issues,
and events that affect members of the school
as well as the community.
Although initialed by the writer, editorials
reflect the majority opinion of the editorial
staff. Reviews, columns, commentaries, and
letters to the editor, however, represent the
view of the individual writer and not neces-
sarily those of the staff.
Although we try not to solicit adver-
tisements from competing businesses in a
given issue, we cannot guarantee that a conflict
involving advertising will not arise. Advertis-
ers are solely responsible for the content of
their respective advertisements. We are not
responsible for printing and/or typographical
errors that may occur in a given advertisement.
We reserve the right not to print a given
advertisement. Also, we cannot assure that
columns, editorials, news, reviews or feature
stories will not cover issues or events relating
to any advertiser in this newspaper.
We welcome signed letters from our
readers. To be printed, letters must be of a
reasonable length and contain neither libelous,
slanderous, nor profane material. We reserve
the right to reject any letter received. Unless
otherwise noted by the editor-in-chief or the
managing editor, all accepted letters will be
printed in the letters to the editor section. We
reserve the right to edit for length, grammar

Please visit the new Journal website at: and content.

Mail:
The Journal

http://theghsjournal.webs.com/. c/o Guilderland High School

Guilderland Center, NY 12085
Phone: (518) 861-8591
Ask for The Journal
Email: journal@guilderlandschools.org

-Management-
Editor-in-Chief
Sohee Rho
Associate Editor
Lucia Qian
Associate Editor
Becky Glazier
Managing Editor
Beatrice Malsky
Courtesy of Amazon.com/The Journal
-Content-
Hallways Editor
Mike Marcantonio
Fine Arts Editor
Greg Barber
Pop Arts Editor
Tony Pitkin
Around Town Editor
Beatrice Malsky
Jen Crowley
Opinions Editor
Meghan Bodo
Sports Editors
Casey Gerety
Brendon Phillips
Copyeditors
Kyungduk Rho
Noah Rubin
Ved Tanavde

-Design-
Photography Editor
Abby Levy
Graphics Editor
Kaydee Bickmore
-Business-
Business Manager
Kenny Satterlee
Advertising and Distribution
John Ciccerelli
Libby Gioia
Faculty Advisor
Christopher Mazura
Building Principal
Brian McCann
Superintendent of Schools
John McGuire
page 4 ( Journal)
Hallways
Senior shirt causes controversy at GHS
Libby Gioia
If you go to Guilderland High
School, you’ve heard about the se-
niors’ class shirts that were worn on
the first day of school. These shirts,
which seemed extremely clever to
the eye of a student, were thought
of as “inappropriate” by administra-
tors. Students thought of the shirt
as “harmless” because it didn’t actu-
ally refer directly to alcohol, but were
asked to turn their shirts inside out
or cover part of the symbol, so that
the symbols would not
show.
“The seniors helped
to prevent this from
turning into a bad situa-
tion,” said building prin-
cipal, Brian McCann.
“They were very willing
to turn their shirts inside
out or cover up part
of the symbol.” When
asked why the shirts
could not even be worn
for the rest of the day,
he replied, “The dress
code is so strictly en-
Photo by Abby Levy / The Journal
Mrs. McManus returns to GHS
Emily Drooby
Ann Marie McManus has returned to
Guilderland High School for the 2009/
2010 calendar year. Last fall McManus
and former colleague, Matthew Nelli-
gan, were both transferred to the middle
school following a heated debate that
received statewide publicity.
Mrs. McManus was devastated to be
torn away from the bonds that she had
created at the high school with the people
she had grown to love. Though the trans-
fer was difficult, she always maintained a
positive attitude.
“Although I didn’t have a choice in the
matter, I could choose how to use that
experience to grow,” McManus claimed.
When asked about the transfer, build-
Mrs. McManus helps students with their homework (left), poses for the camera
(middle), and looks for a paper for one of her history classes (right).
forced because if someone is wearing
something that may not be offensive
to them, it could be offensive to oth-
ers, and people must have respect for
others so they can have a pleasant
learning environment.” The seniors
decided to go along with the requests
of the administration.
Senior Lauren Ferhevari was not
pleased with the fact that they had to
turn their shirts inside out or cover
part of the picture. “I think it was
ridiculous
because
no where
on the
shirt did
it actu-
ally say or
spell out
Keystone.
I don’t
think the
shirts were
a distrac-
tion to our
learning
environ-
ing principal, Brian McCann, said that
teachers can be switched at any given
time.
“The final decision of the move down
to the middle school came from the
school board,” he explained, but Mr. Mc-
Cann authorized Mrs. McManus’s transfer
back to the high school.
There are many theories as to why
Mrs. McManus was moved back up to
the high school. According to Mr. Mc-
Cann, earlier this year former middle
school teacher Mrs. Dougherty asked to
be transferred back to the middle school
after teaching for one year at GHS. At the
same time Mrs. McManus filled a request
to be moved back to the high school.
Photos by Abby Levy / The Journal
ment, but the announcement that
interrupted class was.”
Assistant Principal Bailey admitted
with a smile,
“Of course
I thought it
was clever.
Inappro-
priate, but
clever.” Se-
nior, Kar-
en Lima,
thought,
“ We a l l
thought it
was harm-
less be-
cause ‘key’
and ‘stone’
weren’t actually written out.” But
even allowing the seniors to wear the
shirts for the day was breaking the
dress code and was not going to be
tolerated, “Seniors can be seniors at
home, or off of school grounds and
can wear the shirts there, just not in
school,” Bailey stated.
Students were asked to turn their
Mrs. MacManus said she admits to
speaking with administrators throughout
the year about switching back up to the
high school.
“It feels like I am back home and I never
left,” said Mrs. McManus. It seems that the
simple truth was that the timing worked
out perfectly.
Even though Mrs. McManus is back
at GHS, the switch did cause her to miss
out on many things. She used to be the
advisor for the club, Students Against
Destructive Decisions (SADD) and the
co-advisor for the Class of 2010. Since
the switch back she is no longer the
advisor of SADD, but she has remained
co-advisor of the Class of 2010, along
with Mr. Corona. “I missed out on you
October 2009
shirts inside out or cover up part of
the picture once the message made by
the pictures on the shirts was figured
out. If the Seniors had
not, the normal punish-
ment for breaking the
dress code would be
given, by either asking
them to go to in-school
or go home. McCann
was grateful for the
seniors’ cooperation,
“they prevented it from
becoming a situation. I
was pleased with their
maturity level that they
showed.”
The administration
thought that the class
shirts are a great idea, as long as they’re
appropriate. They think that any ex-
pression of class and/or school spirit
is a great idea, as long as no lines are
crossed.
The Senior Keystone shirt that
was banned on the second day
of school by the administration
(left and right).
guys growing up; I missed out on those
experiences,” said McManus in reference
to being the Class of 2010 co-advisor.
Even though she is no longer the advi-
sor for SADD, Mrs. McManus has taken
up a new extracurricular. After returning
to the high school, she has begun job
shadowing Mr. McCann as the building
principal.
“Since coming back and working with
her as an administrative intern, she has
brought a lot of enthusiasm and sup-
port,” said Mr. McCann.
Mrs. McManus couldn’t be happier to
back at the high school. She said every-
one has been so welcoming.
page 5 ( Journal) October 2009
Hallways

Seniors win close game 38-34

Continued from page 1
The Seniors didn’t waste anytime getting down to
the end of the field. Senior Jenna Crupi scored the next
touchdown for the Seniors with 8:30 left in the half. It
took a little while for the Juniors to get back into the
action, but with five minutes to go in the first half, Liz
Tapler threw a long pass to Katie Wood, who caught it
in the end zone tying the score at 14.
“Juniors are dominating!” exclaimed Junior, Dede
Martin just before the end of the first half.
Both sides erupted after halftime, scoring touch-
downs, one after another. Dallas Colavito made her way
to the end zone to make the score 22 to 20, with 13:27
left in the game, Seniors up.
The Seniors continued to remain ahead for the rest
of the game and clutched their final touchdown, by Kim
Coonan, and a two-point conversion, by Jenna Crupi,
to make the score 38 to 28. The Juniors replied with a
touchdown to make the score 38 to 34, but sadly time
was up and the game concluded.
“It was a heck of a game,” the Junior co-captain,
Nicole Lafreniere, said. “It couldn’t have been closer.”
But others disagreed.
“Juniors played well, but not well enough,” said Senior
Brittney Ginsburg.
“Four points!” shouted Junior Libby Gioia. “They
could have lost.”
Senior Stickers
“I think I can say on behalf of both classes, that Amber Hedjazi
we had a lot of fun,” Senior Rebecca Fitzgerald said. Every year on the first day of school,
“Hopefully this year’s outcome will not affect future it is a tradition at Guilderland High
decisions about having the powder puff game.” School for the senior girls to “sticker”
“This was exciting because we’ve been waiting for the incoming freshmen. Usually the
this for years,” said Kyra Malamood at the end of the stickers have quirky quotes about the
game. Seniors or something related to the
theme the girls dressed as, but every year
Photos by Mike Marcantonio / The Journal the stickers seem to be getting more and

Construction brings new things to GHS

Mike Marcantonio
Since April of 2009, Guilderland High
School has been under total and complete
construction. The objective from the be-
ginning was to create a whole new wing,
intended for the foreign language class-
rooms, so that the district offices could
make their way to the high school.
According to assistant principle, Brian
Bailey, the district offices weren’t suit-
ing the needs for the district; they were
becoming less usable, and that’s why the
change was necessary.
“The district goes through growing
and shrinking phases,” claimed Bailey.
“Right now, we’re in a growing phase.”
In addition to receiving a new wing,
GHS added new roofing, which Mr.
Bailey said was much needed. The Fo-
cus program has a new and improved
location upstairs in the 700 wing. The
technology rooms were also remodeled,
which will help benefit their technology
program, Project Lead the Way, which is a
not-for-profit organization that promotes
pre-engineering courses for middle and
high school students.
There are two phases for the construc-
tion at GHS. Phase 1 is about halfway
done.
“Phase 1 is what’s happening now –
new technology rooms, new roofs, new
focus rooms and the new classrooms
being built,” said building principle, Brian
McCann Phase 1 is estimated to be done
in January of 2010. Phase 2 will begin
shortly after, when the district offices
make their way to the high school. The
overall completion to construction is
planned to be in the beginning of Sep-
tember 2010.
“The construction has put a lot of
stress on teachers, administrators, cus-
todians and even students”, said Mr.
McCann. “The custodian staff has done
a tremendous job at minimizing the dis-
turbance.” Mr. McCann wants everyone
to hang in there while all the construction
comes together.
The Sano-Rubin sign on the trailer,
which is located outside of GHS,
right before the back parking lot (top
right) and the new wing, which is in
the process of being built for new
classrooms (right and bottom left).
Photos by Abby Levy/The Journal
more provocative, leading to nothing but
trouble.
“Sexual innuendos” and “wildly inap-
propriate” are the words assistant prin-
ciple Aaron Sicotte used to describe the
stickers this year. “Many stickers singled
out particular students, which can be
considered a form of hazing,” he said.
Many juniors are now wondering if
the sticker tradition will be banned next
year, or if there will be repercussions for
any lewd stickers.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ban the stick-
ers because the administration is not
giving the underclassmen a chance to
prove that they will not make the stick-
ers as racy,” said junior, Jienaia Harvey.
“It’s giving us no credibility.” Mr. Sicotte
said that it solely isn’t his decision, but
he anticipates that the stickers will not
be banned.
To many students and teachers, they
seemed very offensive and even a form
of bullying.
“Although many of the stickers were
acceptable and funny, I think some of
the seniors did take it a little too far,” said
junior Megan Malamood. “Some of the
stickers had very inappropriate messages
on them that were offensive to some
people and were unfit for school.”
Senior, Annalisa Richardson, who par-
ticipated in the “stickering” this year said,
“Some people really did get inappropriate
with them, but it’s tradition, and every
year the seniors do it. The administration
shouldn’t have made everyone take all of
the stickers off, only the bad ones.”
Richardson believes that the seniors
next year should not be penalized for
this year’s seniors’ mistakes.
“The seniors next year shouldn’t be
punished for our mistakes, but they
should learn from this experience.”
page 6 ( Journal) October 2009

Around Town
How thin will our newspapers get?
Sohee Rho
Around this time last year, our nation
was in a state of panic when the stock
market plummeted. Now, about twelve
months later, we are slowly creeping out
of this unfortunate economic state as
President Obama and his administration
continue to enforce new regulations.
While these new pieces of legislation
have shown signs of improvement, the
toll of this economic turmoil has made
its mark on our society and our lifestyles.
Among the numerous cutbacks, the news-
paper industry has also been changed by
this economic phenomenon.
Newspaper businesses across the na-
tion have been making concessions dur-
ing this past year and the Times Union
has been a part of this changing wave.
Tena Tyler, Senior Editor of News and
Information Services Department, and
Reader Representative of the Times
Union, reported that there have been fif-
teen full-time and three part-time worker
layoffs in these last several months.
These job losses have been from the
advertising and circulation departments
as well as from inside the news room. She
continued to state that other tactics were
used to help out the corporation.
“We did raise the news stand price to
75 cents per issue from the previous rate
of 50 cents,” said Tyler. This increase in
price just another piece of the puzzle to
help the Times Union. It was also decided
to to create thinner issues for Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays. “This change
took place before January. We chose to
replace the Feature Section with the Un-
wind segment, which is included weekly
in the Sunday issue,” said Tyler.
This new approach was designed to
save money on newsprint, which is the
second largest expense for the Times
Union, through publishing less pages
and at the same time, this tactic does not
completely eliminate the content of the
previously distinguished Feature Section.
Those articles are placed into a larger
section with a variety of different stories,
including information like travel. This
change, among the other notable adjust-
ments, has been relatively effective for the
business of the Times Union.
As the format of the issues were “re-
vamped”, the content of articles were
also very much affected by the recession.
“As soon as the reality of the recession
was realized, it [the recession] absolutely
influenced our newspaper. The editors
got together with the business editors
to cover some element of the status of
our economy. We pitched the ‘Cost of
Living’ series, which looked at people and
businesses. It was our first launch of a
series concerning the recession. Then we
published the ‘Tales from the Downside’,
which looked at specific people and their
personal stories during this time of need,”
said Tyler. Extensive of attention to the
stock market and national economic is-
sues have been an important focus for
the editors.
Fortunately, there is a silver lining.
“The Audit Bureau of Circulation in April
of this year reported a net audience of
print and online editions of the Times
Union increase by 8.7%. This increase
translates into the seventh biggest growth,
in total for Internet and paper-print
readership, in the country,” said Tyler.
The Times Union is still thriving and
continues to be the main source of new
literature, both online and in print, in the
Capital Region of New York.
While the Times Union and oth-
er newspaper corporations seem to
weather the storm, the future, however,
looks uncertain for the newspaper busi-
ness. Changes caused by the turn in
the economy has indeed created a media
world quite different from the past.
“We [the media] don’t know what we
will look like in the future,” said Tyler.
But right now, a thinner Times Union
seems to be getting the job done during
this volatile economic state.

Graphic Courtesy of Dana McLauglin/The Journal

Price Chopper shoppers benefit from new promotion

Kat Keegan
What could possibly be better than cutting your
grocery bill and your gas bill all at once?
If you believe the answer is “nothing could possibly
be better!” then let me clue you in on Price Chopper’s
“kill two birds with one stone” promotion, a.k.a. The
Price Chopper Fuel Advantage Program.
As of early June 2009, local Price Chopper supermar-
kets have opened up a new promotion to their beloved
“chopper shoppers”, giving them not only an opportu-
nity to save money on everyday grocery items, but also
on gasoline. Price Chopper teamed up with Sunoco gas
company in a mutual business relationship where both
companies benefit from a considerably large increase in
sales. It is predicted that both companies willgain over
10% in sales over this coming year. To their delight, not
only revenue has increased, but also the popularity of
both companies.
Sunoco colors were presented boldly in the front of
Price Chopper’s Supermarket in Guilderland’s 20 mall
store this past June. An information table was stationed
directly at the entrance of the store. Next to it were
red, blue, and yellow balloons that were dangling from
life-size posters of gas pumps. Streamers hung from
the ceiling and Price Chopper associates sported red
and blue t-shirts. This was the start of big business for
Price Chopper.
From June 2009, the fuel advantage promotion has
been the talk of the town. The idea that you can buy your
groceries the way you normally would, and then also have
the opportunity to get discounts on gas, is incredibly ap-
pealing to many people. Those who had never shopped
at Price Chopper now stop by to purchase a few items
Graphic by Kat Keegan/The Journal
that are on sale, just so they can get gas credit.
Now, the question that everyone must be wondering
is: how does the promotion work? Well, the answer is
simple: shop at any Price Chopper store for any items
you need, whether it’s just a simple snack, a full meal, or
an entire grocery shop; then, at the checkout, see how
much you have spent. If you reached at least $50, you
automatically get a ten cent discount off every gallon of
gas on your next fill-up. If you did not spend the $50,
the cost of your bill will be used as credit towards the ten
cent discount for the next time you shop at participating
Price Chopper Supermarkets. Thus, for every $50 you
spend at Price Chopper, you will get ten cents off every
gallon of gasoline at Sunoco.
In order to redeem your savings at Sunoco gast sta-
tions, you must have an advantage card (Price Chopper’s
store savings card). The best way to obtain an advantage
card would be to either go to customer service in the
store and fill out a “Advantage Card Application Form”
or go online at www.pricechopper.com and fill in your
information under the Advantage Card section. The
fastest and easiest way would be the online method. It’s
much quicker and your card will be delivered by mail in
less than one week.
So let the competition continue! How much can you
save on gas by shopping at Price Chopper? Some have
already gotten over three dollars off for every gallon of
gas! Unfortunately, they must pay at least ten cents for
every gallon of gas and can only fill-up a maximum of
twenty gallons with their credit. This means, you cannot
get your gas for free, but you can come very close!
 June 2008
October 2009
Obama Speaks
Continued from page 1
Instead, many students, lawmakers,
and officials just listened to his praising
words regarding the Capital Region’s as-
tounding success thus far in taking strides
towards improving the economy.
Obama also recognized a small group
of students as he toured several class-
rooms and tech labs with Jill Biden (Vice
President Joseph Biden’s wife). Jill Biden,
a teacher herself at community college
in Delaware took particular interest in
Hudson Valley Community College. She
along with the president shook the hands
of students and conveyed their appre-
ciation for their efforts in advancing not
only themselves, but for the betterment
of our society.
The president’s speech itself was com-
parative to those he’s given in the past in
terms of length and power. However, to
those of Hudson Valley and the Capital
Region area; this speech was much more
personal. To a small audience filled with
eager ears and hopeful hearts, Obama
concluded his speech with this final
note;
“This generation has an unparalleled
opportunity that we are called upon to
seize. That is what you are doing at Hud-
son Valley Community College. And that
is what we will do as a nation.”
Around Town
Swine flu hysteria sheds fear over many
John Keegan
“There is too much hysteria, there
hasn’t been that much danger,” said
Ron Paul, Republican from Texas. On
April 29th, 2009 the virus, H1N1, also
known as Swine Flu crossed borders
from Mexico to the United States and
was considered an “epidemic.”
The conditions in Mexico like dirty
crowded streets, make it easier for Swine
Flu to spread. The United States has
health care for our citizens and other
proper pre-cautions for the Swine Flu.
Young children and senior citizens are
more likely to get Swine Flu, yet the virus
is scaring people all over America. People
all over the United States are crowd-
ing hospitals and doctor’s offices to get
scanned for the disease. This is taking the
doctor’s attention away from those who
need it more, like people who have more
serious diseases. “There are other diseases
to worry about like malaria that’s killing
thousands,” says CNN.
Some colleges, like Brown, are trying
to protect against the Swine flu by plac-
ing hand sanitizers all over their campus.
College students have a greater risk of
getting Swine Flu than children who at-
tend elementary school.
“At least 17 US colleges had hundreds
of students sick with swine flu the first
few weeks of school,” All Children’s
Hospital.com reports. Colleges recom-
mend covering your mouth when you
cough, washing your hands, and using
hand sanitizer whenever possible.
Many schools are closing from prob-
able cases of Swine Flu. Even GHS
students got a letter last spring talking
about how they might shut down school
if there is an outbreak of Swine Flu at our
school. There are cases of flu and other
colds that spread through our school like
wild fire every flu season.
“Every year, the seasonal flu kills
around 36,000 to 40,000 Americans and
page 7 ( Journal)
hospitalizes around 200, 000,” said
Alyssa Ivanson in her article Seasonal
Flu vs. H1N1. “Right now there are
around 100 cases of H1N1 in 11 states
and there are several reported deaths,”
Ivanson adds.
To prevent yourself from catching
Swine Flu, take the same precautions
normally taken during the Flu Season.
One of the only reasons Swine Flu is
considered an epidemic is because we
don’t know what to expect from this
new disease.
Take all necessary precautions be-
cause Swine Flu is new to the United
States and we are not immune to it. I‘m
more scared of my sisters declawed cat
scratching me than getting then getting
the Swine Flu this year though.
page 8 ( Journal) October 2009

Fine Arts
In Mainz, Germany, a different kind of music program
What if at a Guilderland school concert intermission
(if our school concerts had intermissions, that is) you
walked out into the school courtyard to the sight of
the Guilderland Music Parents selling fresh bread, large
platters of meat, and a variety of cheeses? At first, you
might be captivated. But after a moment, you would be
revolted.
You take your eyes off of the cheese and you notice
that most everyone in the courtyard is holding a cup of
either wine or beer, and there is a stand where people
are purchasing the alcohol. Eveywhere, the students are
drinking and no one seems to be concerned at all.
What would happen next if this were a real scene
at Guilderland High School? Parents would rise up to-
gether against the school board, clamoring about a loss
of morality and destructive behavior at school. There
would be extensive lawsuits and doubly extensive news
coverage. This is not so in Germany.
Seeing this exact scene during the Pause (intermis-
sion) at the Frauenlob Gymnasium (advanced high
school) in Mainz, Germany, I too was shocked. But after
realizing where I was, it did not seem so odd. Germans,
and Europeans in general, are much more culturally and
politically liberal about alcohol. While this scene was
clearly the most blatant difference I saw in the German
music program, it was certainly not the only one.
With a history that includes Beethoven, Strauss,
Schumann, Mendelssohn, Bach, and other legendary
composers, it would be expected that Germans take
their classical music very seriously, which is certainly
true. Formal classical music concerts receive much more
advertisement in Germany and most who I talked to
knew of famous operas such as Wagner’s Ring Cycle
(another glaring contrast to the United States). But the
school concert did not give any indication of this.
Walking into the concert hall, I expected to see an
orchestra or a wind band, just as in the United States.
Instead there was a strangely put together hodgepodge
of a few violins, some cellos, trombones, trumpets,
horns, clarinets, saxophones, and flutes. It was neither
an orchestra nor a wind band.
Not quite knowing what to make of it, I looked back
and forth many times thinking I had seen incorrectly, but
the group was indeed as oddly constructed as I thought,
with string instruments sitting right next to saxophones.
Their choice of repertoire was equally peculiar from my
perspective.
Strangely enough, one of the pieces chosen was
“The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music”. Even
more curious was the fact that none of the Germans
had ever heard of the “The Sound of Music”. All were
surprised and amused after I told them that the portrayal
of Germans in that musical, complete with Lederhosen,
is completely “stereotypisch”. The group even went on
to play “God Bless America”, which really seemed to
be a parody of American nationalism for many of the
musicians.
The whole concert, not just the repertoire, seemed
informal. All the musicians dressed in jeans and t-shirts
with the logos of their musical groups. Audience mem-
bers clapped whenever they felt compelled, and if the
clapping synchronized at the end of a piece, it was a sign
that the audience was demanding an encore.
Although the group director planned for this with
additional pieces, he still was not quite prepared, as
the audience did not stop at one or two encores. By
the fourth repeat in a row, “Copa Cabana” was a bit
obnoxious. This is not to say that the musicians lacked
talent. The group had a huge sound of excellent quality,
reminiscent of “Big Bands” in the United States. Despite
Above and Right : Scenes from the Frauenlob
Gymnasium, Mainz, Germany
Photo Courtesy Noah Rubin/The Journal
appearances, I soon found that the music department
was not all about jazz and popular music.
The Frauenlob Gymnasium certainly offers education
in classical music. Though I did not see it, the school has
a chamber orchestra in addition to its “band” that plays
more traditional repertoire. In addition, students are
offered courses in which they can study this traditional
repertoire. I visited a class in which students were just
completing a yearlong study of classical music from the
Baroque to the present, having learned about the major
characteristics and composers of each period.
Students who wish to do so can even focus on music
at school. Unlike in the United States, students at a Ger-
man Gymnasium choose a few focus subjects (music
being a popular one) known as Leistungsfächer, in which
they would like to receive higher-level instruction that
would normally be reserved for the university.
Teachers, like students, have focus subjects, but unlike
American teachers must teach two subjects. This means
that they have to complete three courses of study at the
university: two subjects and education. Seeing the band
director lecture about restriction enzymes and genetic
engineering in a classroom the next day was nearly as
shocking as the concert intermission.
After years of studying with the
Guilderland Music Department, a
German school concert looked very bi-
zarre. Even so, what I saw of German
music education seems provide quality
instruction that is only diversified by
other genres being taught and practiced
alongside classical music.

New York City Ballet returns to SPAC with shortened program

Gregory Barber
July 8th, 2009 marked the opening
of the 44th season of the New York
City Ballet at Saratoga Performing Arts
Center. The Ballet, a long-time tradition
and crowd favorite, shortened its stay at
SPAC this year to two weeks instead of
the usual three because of the current
economic state.
Twenty ballets, twelve of which were
choreographed by company founder
George Balanchine, were crammed into
Photo courtesy SPAC.org
the two weeks. The impressive line up
included a ballet of special importance
to SPAC history. “Coppélia”, a ballet es-
pecially composed for and commissioned
by SPAC that had its world debut there in
1974, returned to the theatre. The show-
ing of a matinee of the performance,
which was a full ballet, attracted more
than 4,626 attendees, according to the
Times Union. This was the largest crowd
attracted to a single ballet in four years.
Although the overall attendance to principal dancer Darci Kistler. Kistler is
this season’s ballet was lower than that one of the final dancers of the Balanchine
of last years, the average attendance to era, which made celebrating her last per-
each ballet actually increased this season; formances bittersweet. She danced as
this was due to the shorter length of the the striptease girl in the performance of
company’s stay at SPAC. “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”, a comic
Siena College paired with SPAC in ballet composed by Balanchine as her
offering a special incentive to promote final performance at SPAC.
the local economy and boost ticket sales.
Couples sitting in the lawn section of the
venue were offered a complimentary glass Upcoming Events:
of wine if they attended the show on July
9th. This was part of a Times Union effort 11/19 Symphony Orchestra,
called “Date Night Thursdays”. Wind Ensemble, Chamber
Other incentives were offered at Strings, Chamber Choir,
various showing of the ballets. One such Jazz Ensemble.
incentive was a “Girls Night Out” at the 7:30 p.m.
ballet, which featured free chocolate,
dance workshops for young girls and free 11/23 Concert Orchestra,
massages among various other things. Symphonic Band,
Throughout the Ballet’s stay at SPAC, Stage Band, Select Tones,
there were other goodies to be had as SingingDutchmen.
well, such as free Stewarts ice cream on 7:30 p.m.
a July evening.
Another aspect that made this year’s 12/21 Masterworks Concert.
NYC Ballet performances especially 7:30 p.m.
historical was the last performance of
 October 2009 Fine Arts page 9 ( Journal)

Shaham,Tanglewood celebrate Mendelssohn’s 200th

Kyungduk Rho
On the evening of August 22, I stretched out com- its array of pieces with The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave) ing the Andante, the solo violin and the
fortably in my green lawn chair, as the sunset cast its last, Overture. Each musician contributed to the colorful strings led into a brief fourteen- bar
deep red rays over the Berkshires. The night was set for blend of delicate harmonies that allowed the main theme transitional passage. Allegretto non
an All- Mendelssohn program, and many people in the of the piece to be coherently passed around from section troppo. Allegro molto vivace fueled
audience shared a glass of red wine as they casually talked to section. Although the overture was played to near Shaham with energetic explosion from
over their dinners. Having just completed the Mendels- perfection, it was merely short of the overwhelming the constant chromatic scales and ar-
sohn Violin concerto, I anxiously waited for conductor feeling that came over the audience when the soloist Gil peggios leading straight up to a brilliant
Kurt Masur to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra into Shaham set foot on stage. The Allegro molto appas- final chord. This concerto is innovative
the Koussevitsky Music Shed to tune to the principal sionato quickly began with a hushed introduction from in many angles with many novel tech-
oboist’s commanding concert A. The whole ambience the orchestra immediately followed by the solo violin. niques used at the time. Although my
of the concert seemed so closely familiar to the orches- His warm intonation brightly filled the shed within in personal views in respect to interpreting
tra that I was the first few moments, but soon after, I could feel as the concerto is slightly different from
a part of at though his passion and energy into his performance Shaham’s, I honor Shaham’s interpre-
home. quickly dissipated. Although there wasn’t a seemingly tation of the piece because music is
Listening distracted expression on his face, I could feel that the always written for artists to interpret
to concert as soloist was very uncomfortable on stage, almost like a it in their own ways, and I felt that
a more ma- rookie pitcher starting his first game. In between the Shaham’s performance was a great
ture musician, lyrical orchestral passages, the soloist was constantly tun- way to commemorate Mendelssohn’s
I felt that I ing his instrument. Even so, I tried to pay close attention 200th birthday.
could experi- to all the tiny details and expressions that he included Photos courtesy Amazon.com
ence different himself as a distinct artist.
aspects of the The cadenza built up Shaham’s speed through rhyth-
music that I mic shifts from ricochet sixteenth notes to quaver-trip-
never under- lets and finally the piece recapitulated to the opening
stood before, melody, which was now instead played by the orchestra.
especially After smoothly leading to the Presto ending of the
since I was first movement, the concerto rolled straight through
so familiar to to the second movement. The Andante, which is
the solo work. conventionally played very relaxed and held back,
Promptly at was awfully rushed by Shaham’s tense vibratos
8:30, the or- that almost caused him to miss several high
Photo Courtesy Amazon.com chestra began pitches on his shifts. After awkwardly finish-

Cellphones, gossip,
and Shostakovich
Gregory Barber
Amidst a number of, shall we say, “higher” quali- Needless to say, our tex-
ties, for high school students, the cello is simply ting cellist, Gloria de
a fabulous instrument for nothing more than its Pasquale, in the
convenience. When texting. orchestra now
Observations, I might add, not from personal for thirty-two
experience, the cello benefits from a larger working years, has prob-
space than a violin, and a particular convenience in ably played the
position when compared to the other large instru- Shostakovich 5 just
ments in the orchestra. a couple of times in
Yes, a “high school” habit as I said before, texting the past. Our napping
though has forged its way into unexpected places. violinists, too, had had a
And it’s not alone when it comes to annoying im- long night the day before
pulses. as well. Yo-yo Ma can be a
Earlier this summer, I, along with some friends, rather demanding soloist to
was given tickets to a dress rehearsal of the Phila- deal with I’m sure. Still though,
delphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts a rather unexpected show put on
Center. It all felt oddly stodgy going in, joining a by world-class musicians in a world-
pool of white hair clustered around a stage popu- class orchestra.
lated by a comparatively young crowd of casually Sitting at the front of the cello sec-
dressed musicians. tion, Hae-Ye Ni, meanwhile, appears the
They were certainly not there to “perform.” quintessential hard-nosed principal player.
Many onstage seemed to give the audience rather Always intense, and always on top of every-
disdainful looks from time to time; Maestro Dutoit thing, she’s probably screaming at her section
even hushed the audience when they failed to quiet in private rehearsals, despite being half their
between works. He should probably have looked age. Similar are the wind player. They, i t
into his own ensemble when, however, when look- seemed, were afraid to even so much
ing for potentially rude behavior. as glance at each other.
Like a little girl at youth orchestra rehearsal, one Looking at “the Orchestra,” I’d say
of his revered cellists was texting behind her cello the youth orchestra conductors of
in the middle of the Shostakovich 5th Symphony. America are just setting their standards
Behind her, another was practically falling out of a bit too high. I mean, what do you
her chair laughing, having just leaned far out of want us to model after, the Berlin
her chair to whisper in the ear of the man sitting Philharmonic? Maybe they at
behind her, feet dangling in the air. Far across the least rehearse in a cell-phone
orchestra, at least two violinists appeared to be tak- and gossip – free environ-
ing a moment’s nap. ment.
page 10 (The Journal)
Becky Glazier
Walking down the halls in early Oc-
tober, school spirit was felt in every inch
of Guilderland High School. With the
powderpuff game and the homecom-
ing game approaching quickly, students
and teachers alike smiled and laughed as
they merrily walked chatted about the
upcoming events.
While homecoming week united the
grades, one event separated upperclass-
men. As students stormed into school
the morning of Powder Puff, pink and
green “JUNIORS” tie-dye shirts were
present in every corner of the school.
“SEN10RS” was written on hundreds
of senior girls black and purple tops
as some senior boys raced down the
halls covered in purple to show their
support.
Tensions built all day as junior and
senior girls prepared to fight for the
Powder Puff title. After an exciting thirty
minutes of play, the seniors came out on
top with a 38-34 victory. After senior
fans stormed the field for a victory lap
with the players, the event culminated
with a multitude of music from GHS
bands as a massive bonfire was lit.
The school spirit continued to build
the next day with the 2009 Homecoming
Football Game. As students dressed in
Has it Gone
School
red and white, the varsity football players
held their heads high as they prepared for
the game. After school many members of
the Red Sea gathered to prepare to cheer
for their team by playing Can Jam, Ladder
Ball, and many other games .
While this tradition of pre-game activi-
ties previously took place in GHS parking
lots, the option was unavailable home-
coming weekend due to unfortunate cir-
cumstances created by a select few GHS
students at a previous football game.
Students abused the opportunity to
get together on school ground, Assistant
Principal Aaron Sicotte said. While stu-
dents have always needed to have direct
supervision by a faculty member, recent
events have created the need for a more
formalized process, he added.
As game time approached, GHS
bleachers filled with a sea of red and
white covered students, parents, adminis-
trators, and alumni. The Red Sea stood in
the front row leading cheers as the foot-
ball team rushed onto the field through
the lines of cheerleaders.
Halfway through the game many stu-
dents in the row painted their stomachs
in red paint spelling “DUTCHMEN”
as they continued to cheer for the team.
“The Red Sea this year, especially in the
Students Show
beginning of the year, has been excep-
tional,” Sicotte said.
At halftime, former Homecoming
King, Drew Pontillo, and Queen, Marissa
Valleta, passed on their crowns to seniors
Spirit At GHS
Luke Stark and Rachel Glock. Soon after,
many former Dutchmen football players
joined the team on the field for a quick re- Monday Tie-Dye Day
union before returning to the bleachers to
watch the rest of the game. “I came back Tuesday Black and White
to see a few of my friends and to see how Day
the team was doing,” 2008 GHS Varsity
football graduate Joe Cardillo said. Wednesday Twin Day
The Dutchmen won the game 19-14 in Thursday College Day/
the presence of GHS school spirit dur- Powderpuff
ing Spirit Week. “It felt great to win in Game
front of everyone, especially with the day
Guilderland had as a community,” junior Friday Red and
captain and quarterback Ryan Smith said. White Day /
“We played great and worked hard for the Homecoming
playoff birth. A lot more than football Game
was riding on that game.”

l Spirit:
Lucia Qian
Educators have always seen school
spirit as a positive reflection of their
own investment in student upbringing.
Student support for sports teams rep-
resents that the school is developing an
active, energetic student base that feels
proud of its community. Pride in sports
teams is an asset for a school, especially
in the apathetic climate of today’s “teen-
age wasteland.”
Unfortunately, school spirit does not
always manifest itself in the most re-
spectful of ways. At Guilderland High
School, administrators have battled with
the juxtaposition of school spirit with
inappropriate behavior such as underage
drinking. Social gatherings in support
of sports teams – such as pre-game and
post-game parties – have become alcohol
parties. The problem is not limited to
Guilderland – in fact, the intertwining of
school sports and alcohol has become a
nationwide issue.
The problem of underage drinking
is not news to most people. In 2002,
Scarsdale High School in Westchester
County faced a flurry of alcohol-related
activity at its sports games. An embar-
rassing number of students (nearly 200)
showed up drunk at the homecoming
Too Far?
game and dance. Five of the students had
to be rushed to the hospital to have their
stomachs pumped. At Harrison High
School (also in Westchester County), nine
football players were suspended for drink-
ing at post-game parties. One Harrison
football player even died after being hit-
ting his head on a patio at a beer party.
More recently, East Haven High
School in Connecticut has been under fire
after an alcohol-related controversy. In
September of 2009, the police caught sev-
eral prominent members of the football
team and two cheerleaders with alcohol.
In the past, East Haven suspended any
players who were caught in possession
of alcohol from playing sports for the
year, but recent protests from devoted
fans have been vociferous enough to
force the school to cut back on its policy.
The high school, which once proclaimed
a strict zero-tolerance policy on posses-
sion of alcohol, revised its policy to al-
low the students to continue playing for
the team. Peers and parents have made
enough noise to convince the school to
relax its rules regarding alcohol, which
allows the football team to continue to
prosper. However, this relaxing of alco-
hol guidelines is problematic in its inher-
ent meaning. For the sake of the sports
team, the administration is backing away
from a policy that has every right to stand.
While spirited students may be supportive
of their peers, they do not always know
what is right.
Meanwhile, Bow High School in New
Hampshire is currently dealing with its
own alcohol controversy. On October
1st, eleven students involved in sports
activities were caught drinking at a party
hosted by the superintendent’s son. Most
of the students were taken off the sports
teams they played for.
At Lincoln-Sudbury High School in
Massachusetts, drinking has become such
a problem at football games that drink-
ing regulations have been raised in order
to curtail the high-profile arrests that
happened at last year’s football games.
Westwood High School also joined the
fight against underage drinking at school
sports events after discovering several
students under the influence of alcohol
at a football game.
School sports and alcohol seem to
be inextricably related. The greatest
difficulty in solving this problem is that
most students seem to be unreceptive
to any proposals that aim at decreasing
(theJournal) page 11
teen drinking. In Westchester County,
the widely-publicized scandals caused
county officials to suggest penalties for
minors caught drinking, but the proposal
was met with vehement protest from
Scarsdale teenagers. In East Haven,
the charges of alcohol possession were
completely denied by students and par-
ents, despite prevailing evidence from the
police. Many high school students seem
completely unwilling to acknowledge
that illegal consumption of alcohol is a
problem.
School spirit at sports activities, while
being a positive demonstration of com-
munity support, is tainted by its asso-
ciation with partying and drinking. The
notorious pre-game tailgating parties
in the parking lot of Guilderland High
School are by no means an isolated inci-
dent. Throughout the nation, underage
drinking at high school sports activities
is a serious problem – one that cannot
easily be remedied.
page 12 ( Journal)
Pop Arts
What We’re Listening To...
Tony Pitkin
It is the all
too familiar
story. The drug
afflicted, sex
addicted, teen-
ager moves to
L.A. with plans
to start a riot
in his or her
own way. Years
later what do
you have? Da-
vis LeDuke, a
fallen product
of the United States education system, who’s snarling
personality, earned him a punk band on the fast track
to success. After all, the new single, “On My Way”, has
already landed television spots on Entourage and Gossip
Girl, just to name a few. It is clearly evident that Davis
has revived his childhood tribulation to create a disastrous
lyrical fantasy that we, raised in a composed suburban
society, can only dream of.
So what happens when all of this nightmarish re-
bellion inside Davis’s mind is put to pen and paper?
The ul�mate result: Drama Junkie Queen, an album
described by the band as “hot, wild, abusive, dirty…”
and several other adjec�ves and verbs all of which were
far too controversial for a school publica�on. Inside this
recipe for disaster are influences like The Stooges, Hives,
White Stripes, Strokes, and even a sprinkle of Weezer’s
Pinkerton. For those who grew up under communis�c
household laws, this music will only ensure that you are
locked in your room for the rest of your young life. For
those who devour Jonas Brother’s music like a Thanksgiv-
ing dinner, I can only admonish you of the raunchy topics
you are about to encounter. For those tough enough to
stomach the filth and fury of punk rock, Drama Junkie
Queen is an essen�al for one’s inner rebel.
Key Tracks: “On My Way”, “Saturday’s Child”, “4
Leaf Clover”
Anastasia Mazur
Formed in the
wake of successful
pop-rock bands
such as Green
Day, Blink-182,
and Fall Out Boy,
All Time Low is a
popular up-and-
coming act. Their
third album, hu-
morously titled
Nothing Personal,
was released this
past summer on July 7th. The album features the fa-
miliar ATL tongue and cheek humor in catchy songs
like “Break Your Little Heart” and “Keep The Change,
You Filthy Animal”. While those songs make this album
very fun, the sound comes across as commercial and
at times seems very repetitive with their older albums.
Contrasting that however are softer sounding, slower
songs like “Therapy” and “Too Much” in which their
usual bold cockiness doesn’t seem to shine. These teen
heart throbs pack the album with new emotion and its
fair share of dance hits, even combining efforts with
close friends Cobra Starship to remix “Lost In Stereo”
for the album’s bonus track. While they might not be
hitting the airwaves soon, Nothing Personal is certainly
worth giving a listen to.
Key Tracks: “Weightless”, “Hello Brooklyn”,
“Therapy”
Mike Dvorscak
Three years
since there
breakthrough
album Louder
N o w , Ta k i n g
Back Sunday is
back at it again.
Armed with
new guitarist
Matt Fazzi, Tak-
ing Back Sunday
released New
Again, a fitting
name after three lineup changes over the course of four
albums. The album starts off with Matt Rubino’s gut
bustin’ fuzz bass line on the title track, “New Again”.
The song then transforms into a crunchy verse, then
into the classic Taking Back Sunday chorus; smooth
guitars mixed with a tight bass line. Next comes the
albums single, “Sink Into Me”, a great upbeat song that
starts with showering cries of “HEY” firing full throttle
on all cylinders. Another standout song is “Where My
Mouth Is”, one of the few Taking Back Sunday songs
ever to feature an acoustic guitar. But don’t be fooled,
it may start with an acoustic guitar but the song builds,
eventually turning into a very powerful song. Another
standout song on the album is “Capital M-E”. Recently
featured on the Transformers 2 soundtrack, “Capital
M-E” is a very catchy song with a great hook and a fan-
tastic vocal performance by Adam Lazarra. New Again
is a great album for both album for hardened souls, but
also the sensitive type.
Key Tracks: “New Again”, “Sink Into Me”,
“Where Your Mouth Is”
Dev Gingrich
After finally
returning to his
roots as a solo
artist, singer
and song writer
Brendan Ben-
son released his
four th album
late this sum-
mer. Giving us
the great catchy
power pop typi-
cal of Benson, My Old, Familiar Friend doesn’t disappoint.
Slightly more moody than before, Benson is clearly out
to impress. Having just come from touring with super
group The Raconteurs (with Jack White) Benson truly
delivers on this album. Showing a great range of slower,
emotion filled songs alongside catchy, 70’s inspired,
power pop ones that keep you singing for days. My
Old, Familiar Friend keeps a listener attentive with no
lulls anywhere throughout the eleven tracks. This radio
friendly release, filled with nonstop hooks, is sure to be
a favorite for indie rockers everywhere.
Key Tracks: “A Whole Lot Better”, “Garbage Day”
All photos courtesy of Amazon
October 2009
Alex Dvorscak
This summer
Dave Mathews
Band released
their 7 t h stu-
dio album, Big
Whiskey and the
GrooGrux, and
it was arguably
their best. The
album is named
after the late
LeRoi Moore
“Gr ux”, who
played saxophone in the band for 17 years. The album
both opens and closes with solos recorded by him be-
fore his death, a death due to complications from an
ATV accident. It’s a very concise album; less jamming
then songs from their famous past, yet the songs are of
the same caliber and old fans remain pleased with the
new material. One major difference is found with the
addition of Tim Reynolds on electric guitar. He adds
a new dynamic to the band and is showcased on the
song “Shake Me Like a Monkey” and has a great solo
on the slower tune “Dive In”. The album clearly has
a central theme based off of its hit single “Funny The
Way It Is” which talks about all the opposites present
in the world and how everything doesn’t always work
out. Love is shown to be the only thing to fall back on
as exemplified on the track “Spaceman”. The album
ends with two of the prettiest love songs Dave has ever
written; showcasing his acoustic guitar on “Baby Blue”
and “You and Me”. Dave Mathews Band’s new studio
album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux, is their best since
the nineties and arguably one of the greatest releases
this summer.
Key Tracks: “Funny The Way It Is”, “Baby Blue”,
“Why I Am”
Tony Pitkin
In a world were
countless bands con-
tinue to venture into
the all too prosaic
Blink – 182 knock
off genre known
as “punk-pop”, it’s
good to have some
originality. It is hard
to detest a group
that features a char-
ismatic, fiery, red-
haired, 20 year old female lead singer by the name of
Haley Williams. On September 29, 2009, the nationally
recognized platinum group, Paramore, released their 3rd
album, Brand New Eyes. They have victoriously blended
the emotion from past songs like “We Are Broken” and
combined it with the punch and bite that earned them
the national spotlight in the first place. Haley sings in
“Looking Up” that “I can’t believe we almost hung it
up, we’re just getting started!” After listening to their
latest stab at pop-punk goodness, it’s a damn good thing
they didn’t hang it up. Songs like “All I Wanted” feature
some of the most stunning vocals I’ve ever heard out
of a 20 year-old. Age aside, Williams and company are
years of experience beyond what’s written on paper.
Brand New Eyes shows a new, baffling maturity from the
group and is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard
in a long time.
Key Tracks: “Careful”, “Ignorance”, “Brick By Bor-
ing Brick”
October 2009
Weezer Steals the Show
Brianna Reed
Arriving at the Blink 182
concert on August 31 st my
friends and I were so pumped.
We were about to see one of
the most influential bands of
the past 20 years. We entered
Saratoga Performing Arts Cen-
ter (SPAC) and as expected,
there was a giant line waiting to
get in. Along the way to enter
the line I ran into a woman who
wasn’t necessarily the most
reliable source since she was
running around the parking lot
and slurring words, but let’s not
get into that…the point is, she
was telling everyone who was
entering the concert that Blink
wasn’t going to play.
Most people, including my-
self, didn’t believe it at first,
especially coming from an
extremely drunken woman.
After thinking about the recent
and all too sudden death of DJ
AM, it began to make sense. For those of
you who do not know, DJ AM and Travis
Barker (the drummer of Blink 182) were
best friends and have done several tours
together. Understandably, Travis declined
to play so that he could mourn the death
of his nearest friend.
While waiting in the line to enter SPAC
the hot topic of discussion was whether
or not Blink was going to play. Several
radio stations had announced earlier that
day that they would continue on through
the tough times; however the friend I
made walking in didn’t seem to agree. It
was not until we reached the front of the
line a person who worked for SPAC told
Lil’ Wayne “Weezy” Raps For SPAC
Christain Meola
My friend and I arrived at the Lil’
sportedmiddle of a torrential downpour.
I was skeptical about going to the show
not because of the weather, but because I
thought maybe the “hottest rapper alive”
had changed his sound after announcing
that his upcoming album, Rebirth (set for
a November release), will replace his cur-
rent rap style for one that is more rock-in-
fluenced. Those worries faded the minute
Lil’ Wayne stepped on the stage for his
July 29th concert at Saratoga Performing
Arts Center (SPAC).
While walking into SPAC I could tell
the rain wasn’t keep fans away because of
the insane amount of traffic bombarding
all of the park’s entrances and the long
line we waited in just to get through the
gates. We quickly purchased t-shirts and
headed to our seats. The line-up even
before Lil’ Wayne hit the stage was epic.
Young Jeezy kicked off the show, fol-
lowed by upcoming rapper Drake, who
made the crowd dance with his hot, sum-
mer single “Best I Ever Had”. Drake was
entertaining and performed to the best of
his ability despite a foot injury that threat-
ened to sideline him. He played a short
set, but he sounded great and it made me
want to download some of his music.
Then the lights dimmed and fans
Pop Arts
everyone that Blink 182 was not playing.
They offered reimbursement for tickets,
but let everyone know Blink was not go-
ing to reschedule to play.
Almost everyone was disappointed
that they were not going to play, but many
people stayed for the concert since Ches-
ter French, Taking Back Sunday, and Wee-
zer was still a great lineup. The concert
started out with Chester French, a group
many were unfamiliar with, and they were
horrible. Unless you like tambourine play-
ing, wanna-be punks, you wouldn’t have
liked them. Not only was the music bad,
their set up was a bunch of blow up palm
trees and monkeys, cheap, right? After
screamed at the top of their lungs in
anticipation of the headlining performer,
Lil’ Wayne, also known as Weezy to his
fans. Excitement built as a projection
screen descended from the ceiling show-
ing Weezy walking backstage up to the en-
trance of the platform. Lil’ Wayne started
off strong with “Cannon”, a song popular
with die-hard fans. His performance was
finishing their short set, Chester French
was booed off the stage and many people
left after hearing them play.
The next band up was Taking Back
Sunday and anyone who listens to their
music knows they are amazing and can
change the mood of an audience in the
snap of a finger. Taking Back Sunday
(TBS) did not disappoint. They rocked
classic TBS songs including, “Cute With-
out an ‘E’”, “MakeDamnSure”, and “A
Decade Under The Influence”. The most
amazing part about their performance
was that their guitarist Matthew Fazzi had
a broken foot and still sucked it up and
played an amazing show.
Fazzi’s toughness did raise a question,
filled with his swagger and energy. After-
wards he dove right into his hit singles,
“A Milli” and “Got Money”. That’s when
the audience went ballistic, dancing and
singing along to all of the songs.
The show had a strong set list that
included a large number of tracks from
each of his albums and his mix tapes. Lil’
Wayne also took some of today’s popular
page ( Journal) page 13
if he can play with a broken foot
how come Travis couldn’t play
with a broken heart? That ques-
tion went across the big screens
around SPAC, which displayed
texts that the audience members
sent in, several times.
The audience reached its best
mood though when Weezer, the
now headlining band entered
the stage. They made an an-
nouncement they were taking
over and that their sympathy
goes out to Travis Barker and
ours should too. Weezer also
told the audience they were
pretty much improvising be-
cause them playing a long set
was not at all planned.
Although Weezer said they
didn’t plan out their perfor-
mance very well, they still did
an amazing job. The crowd was
screaming and singing along to
“Island In The Sun” and “Pork
and Beans”. They also played several of
their unreleased new songs that the lead
singer didn’t even memorize yet, he still
had the lyric sheet in front of him, which
was really cool to watch. Weezer also
performed “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga
mixed with the song “Kids” by MGMT,
which was a huge surprise and was amus-
ing to say the least.
The concert was definitely not the
same without Blink 182, but regardless
I would say it’s one of the best summer
concerts I have seen. Taking Back Sunday
and Weezer did a phenomenal job and
I do not regret staying for the concert
at all.
Photo by Rachel Weston/ The Journal
artists’ singles and performed his own
version of the music. And, he changed
some of the lyrics to his songs by adding
extra verses or different lyrics to make
them more interesting. The show flowed
smoothly and it wasn’t just all music — it
included skits, and musical breaks with
different artists from his record label,
Young Money Records, like Birdman and
Nikki Minage. He brought his guests out
to help him perform many of his songs.
My favorites were a duet with Weezy and
Drake to “Mrs. Officer” and the show’s
conclusion with Weezy all of his friends
singing “Every Girl”. He also made a
dedication to Michael Jackson, including
a medley of Michael Jackson’s songs and
a brief pause in the set in memory of the
“King of Pop Music”.
The concert was definitely one of the
highlights of my summer, and it ranks
highly as one of the best shows I’ve
ever been to. Lil’ Wayne was charismatic,
energetic, and he didn’t seem tired even
after a 2 ½ hour set. The set list was
amazing, the featured performers were
excellent, and my friend and I left tired
but fortunate to have seen the best rapper
alive in person doing what he does best...
rap and not rock!
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
page 14 (theJournal)
Fame’s a shame
Allison Potolski
Fame follows a handful of teens attend-
ing the New York Academy of Perform-
ing Arts. High anticipation led me to have
high expectations for this remake film.
The original 1980 version of Fame led to
a television series & spin-off, stage musi-
cal, and led to a 2009 remake. I expected
a lot more. I was disappointed with the
rushed story lines; all four years of high
school were depicted which I thought
rushed some of the more thoughtful and
touching storylines.
I do however think the 2009 remake
did the 1980 version justice. The break-
out star was classical pianist turned hip-
hop singer, Denise, played by Naturi
Naughton. On the movie’s soundtrack
Naturi sings “Fame” and “Out Here on
My Own”. If anything caught my atten-
tion it was the catchy music. Everything
from beautiful ballads to hardcore rap
songs; filled the white space between the
never ending dialogue.
The movie had a well rounded cast
including Kay Panabaker, Collins Pennie,
Disney’s Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, V-
Factory’s Asher Book and Notorious’ Naturi
Naughton. Kay played Jenny Garrison, a
committed actor who would do anything
to get the job or get “famous.” Collins
played Malik, a disturbed boy whose dad
left, little sister was shot and had trouble
with admitting his problems to himself.
Asher played Jenny’s love interest Marco,
he had pure natural talent. The viewer
Pop Arts
can quickly connect to the characters.
I felt for them when things didn’t work
out the way they wanted or planned. The
performing arts are a very tough indus-
try and its upsetting to see young teens
getting their dreams crushed. There was
definately an emotional factor to this
movie, you feel emotionally attached to
the characters.
The teachers had a great impact on
the characters in Fame. Two teachers that
greatly impacted two students were Ms.
Kraft and Mr. James Dowd. Ms. Kraft
was the head of the ballet department
and had to hold a difficult conversation
with Kevin, basically saying that he wasn’t
good enough to make it professionally in
ballet. That was his childhood dream and
now it wasn’t coming true. The teachers
have a difficult responsibility to tell their
students the truth. Mr. James Dowd was
a head of the acting department. In order
for Malik to become the best actor he
could be he needed to admit to himself
the way he felt about his difficult past.
Mr. James Dowd guided Malik and really
made a difference.
Fame had good messages but I think
it would have been more convincing and
successful if it was aimed for an older
audience. Overall I thought the movie
could have been stronger. However, the
music and dance scenes were top notch.
I’m glad I saw it, but it’s not something I
would go out of my way and see again.
October 2009
Harry Potter & The Half
Kallie Swyer
Blood Prince
The next installment of the record sion, when in the movie, his curiosity
breaking “Harry Potter” films, The Half barely lasts a scene. None the less it was
Blood Prince, premiered over the sum- still entertaining. It’ll keep you on the
mer on July 15. The movie continues edge of your seat; anxious, even though
to follow the complex storyline of J.K. you may know the ending. Different than
Rowling’s books, with protagonist Harry its prequels, the Half Blood Prince focuses
who is the “chosen one.” He finds this more on the relationships of the
out in the end of the fifth novel, characters Harry and Ginny, and
and after learning this he starts pri- Hermione and Ron, who find
vate training with his out they have feelings for each
headmaster (and idol) other. These newfound ro-
Albus Dumbledore. mances are intertwined
Dumbledore takes Harry with action and lots of
into the unknown humor throughout the
past of the wizard whole thing, always
he is destined to keeping the audience
destroy; Voldemort. laughing. There are also
But while planning the some pretty neat special
Dark Lords demise, Harry effects, which have only im-
happens upon and old Po- proved since the debut of the
tions book that is scribbled first HP movie in 2001, Harry Potter
in by someone claiming to be and Stone.
the Sorcerer’s Stone
“the Half Blood Prince.” Although Daniel Radcliffe, the
Being the third to last actor who plays Harry Potter, may lack
film of the series, fans stunning acting skills, he still is able to
already know that the portray all the emotions that his character
books are usually must be dealing with; anger, for being
better than the chosen for something he never wanted,
movies, which confusion because he’s in love with his
wa s l i ke w i s e best friends little sister, and anticipation
for this one. Graphic By Jasmine Andres at the battle that is inevitably soon in
One thing his future. If you are interested in the
that made it worse was the lack of infor- series, and haven’t yet seen this movie,
mation about the mysterious being the I recommend you do so. The movie is
‘Half Blood Prince.’ In the book, finding quite entertaining even if in the book,
out who that person is, is Harry’s obses- the plot was more advanced. But if you
do, be prepared; you’re in for a magical
time!
 October 2009
Opinions
2009-10 School Year brings Changes
to Physical Education Policies
Abby Levy
The Physical Education Department
has made two major changes to its struc-
ture this year. The first is their new grad-
ing policy. The other is a new curriculum
that includes a mandated activity each
semester for students in each grade.
Last year and in previous years, physi-
cal education grades were based on sixty
percent participation, and forty percent
knowledge. Each class you were assessed
on a three-point rubric based on par-
ticipation and effort. The participation
grade was focused on coming to class
and being prepared. It was also based on
showing effort and leadership skills, and
being respectful. The knowledge portion
came from quizzes, homework, projects,
and in-class assignments.
With only about twenty physical edu-
cational classes per semester, last years
policy enabled students to miss or come
unprepared to class about four or five
times without making them up, and still
pass. This was because of the forty per-
cent of their grade based on knowledge.
Students who did well on a quiz, project,
or classroom assignment, were able boost
up their failing average to passing, even
with a low participation grade. On the
other hand, students who were coming
to class prepared and showing could have
a poor average because of a bad quiz or
other knowledge grade.
For the aforementioned reasons,
the grading policy has changed. Eighty
percent of your grade is now based on
participation, and only twenty percent on
knowledge. Each class, participation is
evaluated on a four-point scale, instead
of a three, making it more challenging
to receive full credit.
“I think the 3 point scale from last year
is better than the 4 point scale from this
year because not everyone can go above
and beyond. Even if you do the satisfac-
tory job you’re suppose to do you can’t
get full credit; it’s just not fair,” says junior
Kyra Malamood.
To receive a four, or full credit, the
“student is prepared for class. Student
demonstrates fair play and appropriate
competitive behavior. Student partici-
pates energetically and safely, demon-
stration self-control and respect for the
positive and safe experience of others,”
according to the course syllabus. You are
being graded on the effort and attitude
you put forth each class.
“We decided our class is a participa-
Photo Courtesy of Casey Morris / The Journal
tion based class, so we wanted to see more
emphasis on that,” says Physical Educa-
tion teacher, Coach Allison Relyea.
The new grading policy makes it
much harder for students to obtain an
S+ average (90-100) if they do not make
up a class they missed. If they were un-
prepared, it will have a signficant impact
on their grade. They no longer can just
get a good knowledge grade to pass. On
the flip side, a student who regularly
participates cannot fail because of one
bad knowledge grade.
“Overall we’re looking at character,
energetic behavior, and participating in
class. We’ve looked at that in the past, but
now we’re just putting more emphasis on
participating when it comes to grades,”
says Relyea.
Another change in this year’s physical
education program is in its curriculum.
Each ninth and tenth, and eleventh and
twelfth grade class has a mandated activ-
ity each semester. This means that no
matter what physical education class you
are in, or who your teacher is, one of
your activities will be the same as in all
the other classes.
Incoming freshman, and all classes
after them, will have eight mandated
classes completed when they graduate
in addition to other activities. Some of
those activites are volleyball, basketball,
cardiowalking and fitness.
“We reinvented the entire curriculum
and looking at how we’re doing our of-
ferings,” stated Relyea.
This new physical education grading
policy is receiving both positive and nega-
tive feedback by students. It requires you
to show up and show effort that goes
above and beyond old expectations to
exceed.
“I think it’s fair to change participation
to 80/20 but not the grading rubric, I
don’t think they should have done both,”
stated Malamood.
But is it really that hard to pass physi-
cal education? Are they really asking that
much out of students, to show some
effort for just eighty-five minutes, one
day a week? This new grading policy
pushes students to succeed unlike before.
Students know that in order to succeed,
in physical education, they have to partici-
pate, show good behavior and character,
and not just do well on a quiz. They have
to work hard every class and not just a
few, which is a good change.
“I think that the students will be asked
to do a little bit more but because of that
structure. Most students like structure,
they like to do well in classes, they like to
perform well,” says Relyea.
The new mandated activities as well
as the new grading policy are going to
greatly improve the physical education
department. Throughout the rest of
Guilderland students’ high school careers,
they will be open to more activities and
not just always repeating activities from
previous years.
The changes made by the Guilderland
physical education department are going
to prove to be beneficial to students in
months to come. They give students an
opportunity to see what they can do, how
much effort their going to put forth, and
to excel to the best of their ability. They
provide students with a variety of activi-
ties by mandating them and encourage
students to be respectful and leaders.
“We’re trying to teach a variety of ac-
tivities, and give them the tools that they
need to live a healthy and active lifestyle.
And through changing the curriculum
and grading policy and grading rubric,
we as a department are now offering
a better program for students. I think
that’s important for them to recognize,”
states Relyea.
Photo Courtesy of Abby Levy/The Journal
( Journal) page 15
The
I m p l i c at i o ns
o f M o d e rn
Te c h no l o g y
Josh Santos
You’re on your way to school and you
forgot what you had to have for your first
class. No problem, you just take out your
cell phone and text a friend that has the
same class. You’re doing a report on the
civil war and you need information about
a certain battle. No problem, just google
it and find a website, or you could just
go on Facebook and procrastinate for a
while. Either way, technology is there for
us to use for things ranging from educa-
tion to recreational purposes. But when
is too much?
Since the age of the World Wide Web,
people have been able to access informa-
tion and services more easily than ever
before. It has progressed to the point
where you can carry around a mini com-
puter in a pocket. Many things could be
done from an iPod alone, from checking
your bank accounts to making charts
for work. There are other “apps” such
as Tap Tap Revenge and Bubble Wrap.
The question is, though, are Teens too
reliant on electronics? Many people might
not think so, but how many teens can do
long division without using a calculator?
How many teens know how to research
without using Google or Wikipedia?
It’s the day and age when almost any-
thing can be done on a computer. Writing
papers, chatting with friends, finding out
about current events, learning via twitter
that your friend is now taking a nap, all
of these and more can be done on a com-
puter. Music is just a touch away thanks
to mp3 players. They become oblivious to
the outside world when they have those
buds in their ears. They no longer need
the radio that most people used to listen
to if they wanted music or news. They
can watch TV shows right on their little
handheld device. How many teens do you
know that can write a letter and correctly
address it without anyone’s help? E-mail
and texting has almost eliminated regular,
old fashioned mail for most teenagers.
Even some phones nowadays have GPS
systems built in, so that you can find
a route to where you’re going without
having to stop for directions or plan the
route in advance.
The old fashioned ways of doing
things has changed drastically in these
past few years. Researching via books in
the library has become almost obsolete,
and writing papers by hand is found to
be outrageous to most teens. Commu-
nication has become easier and more
efficient, allowing people to talk to each
other around the world. If these things
were suddenly taken away, teenagers, and
even adults, would have a hard time re-
adjusting; some might even lose all hope
entirely. Just keep in mind, if you’re out
somewhere with your friends and need to
find a place to grab a quick snack, there’s
an app for that.
page 16 ( Journal)
Boiling Over
Ved Tanavde
American politics has always been a
theater full of performers. Movers and
shakers, crooks and phonies – the players
vary in attitudes, yet one thing remains
the same. No matter their religion, their
demeanor, or their status – they are all
actors in one great opera. The past year
has been no different in its supply of
histrionics. If we clear the air of gaffes,
blunders, and comedic fodder, we are left
with a climactic third act. As the Presi-
dent pushes his healthcare reform and
other political aims, pundits and the less
qualified are tearing through his agenda,
a scene where the American crowd now
takes center stage to decide the fate of the
nation. We have entered hot water and it’s
quickly boiling over.
We the people, the citizens of America
and the voice of all that is right, have
always paraded around with a sense of
entitlement, but with good reason, right?
Though claims of American superiority
are products of this entitlement, it comes
to little fault of the people for they have
historically been fed with a silver spoon;
at least, those who do have a voice have
enjoyed pomp and privilege, things they
will not give up without a fight. And that
is a truly noble, and wholly American
sentiment, isn’t it? The truth remains
uncertain for America is made up of a
mixture of attitudes, but this is the one
that most prevails; this is the kind of
attitude that is fueled by the words of
talk-radio personalities and fellow televi-
sion pundits. Americans have always been
stubborn, believing that their view is the
only correct one. However, the stubborn
attitudes of individuals are becoming
more problematic. Internal fights are
growing, and with the kind of headstrong
approach that most Americans have, they
are all very tense. If one has paid atten-
tion to the healthcare debate within the
past few months, it is clear that America
remains as divided in opinion as it had
been nearly 150 years ago, when it was
on the precipice of civil war.
Obama reaches out to students
Hannah Cohen
With the beginning of the school
year looming, it seemed as though our
country was focused more on town
hall meetings and healthcare disputes
than school supplies. But even as these
problems remained unsolved, President
Barack Obama did not hesitate to take
time out of his schedule to address stu-
dents in Arlington, Virginia, and across
the country, whose worries had more to
do with the impending workload than
death panels. As he addressed the crowd
of excited students, our President first
saw to it that he included every kid listen-
ing, from kindergarteners just starting out
their school careers to seniors counting
down the days until they walk out of high
school for the last time.
As students snapped shots of the Pres-
ident on their camera phones, he spoke to
them about the value of their education
and their responsibility, as well as their
parent’s and teacher’s, to get as much out
of it as possible. He told us something
we already knew, but it could not hurt
to hear it again: even if insurmountable
effort was put into giving us boundless
The most recent partition of the
American public is being led primarily by
the conservative media, mostly as a result
of political circumstances. Those not in
the seats of majority power are often the
source of the greatest outcry. The Bush
era brought much opposition from the
left wing, with Democrats and liberals
leading the fight against Bush’s policies.
And now, the Republicans have taken that
spot as the Democrats are behind the
reigns of the political trinity of American
legislation: the Senate, the House, and the
executive branch. Conservative radio and
television hosts like Glenn Beck and Rush
Limbaugh are seeing rising numbers of
listeners and viewers. Their words have
set the American public, or at least a part
of it, in chaotic motion. Town halls are
flooded with angry, concerned, and frus-
trated citizens. The angriest, and often the
most uninformed, inundate the news with
words of rancor and ignorance. Com-
mentators like Beck are to be blamed for
fanning unnecessary anger, diluting the
actual message of upset Americans. The
words of the ignorant and paranoid are
often, and wrongly, taken to be the voice
of the entire right-wing.
After the arrest of noted scholar of
African-American culture, Professor
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and the subse-
quent conciliatory “beer summit” held
at the White House, Beck denounced
President Obama as a racist for seemingly
siding with Gates. Beck went on further
to accuse President Obama of having
“ a deep-seated hatred for white
people,” antagonizing the already tense
race relations within America. In reaction
to a recent school bus incident where
two Black students assaulted a White stu-
dent, Limbaugh decried that “We need
segregated buses,” and went on to
describe the incident, where “white
kids… [got] beat up with the black
kids cheering,” as part of “Obama’s
America.” The irresponsibility of
opportunities, it is up to us to put that
dream into action. We have to work hard,
listen to the advice of our parents and
teachers, and above all, show up.
We may not all agree with the politics
of our President, but I think his message
about education is pretty universal. We are
only going to get out of school
what we put into it. We can
have all the potential in
the world but nothing
will come of it unless
we apply ourselves. We
have to face it, as much as
we do not want to hear the
alarm clock go off at six A.M.
signaling another day
that could be,
in our opin-
ions, much
better spent
investing in
leisurely ac-
tivities, an
education
is essen-
tial to our
Graphic by Haejin Hwang/The Journal
both commentators, and their col-
leagues, has gone too far.
The impact of both can be seen
in any of the number of protests go-
ing on across the nation, with signs
quoting Beck and Limbaugh, pairing
their images with messages against
the so-called tyranny of President
Obama. The sheer stupidity of what
these commentators say can be un-
believable, and it is clear that their
words are meant to arouse hateful
opposition. In August, Limbaugh
went as far as to liken Obama’s new
healthcare logo to the Nazi swas-
tika. Viewers and listeners blindly
accepted Limbaugh’s words and
continued the trend of foolishness,
claiming Obama to be a Nazi. To
compare the group responsible for
the genocide of 11 million people
to President Obama and his staff is
rash and asinine. These people are
joined by protesters wielding assault
rifles (as an exercise of their rights)
and people writing death threats
against the President. Though the
public might be setting up such
precarious situations, irresponsible
commentators are only lighting the
powdered keg. At the same time,
their irresponsibility is only adding
on to the list of problems.
The Republican Party and un-
affiliated conservatives are being
inadvertently slandered by the
words of ignorant observers. With
demonstrators and television hosts
spreading biting, fallacious words,
it becomes difficult to hear those
who are trying to make legitimate
arguments. In turn, the members of
the right-wing, notably the Repub-
lican Party, are being characterized
success in society.
President Obama made sure to em-
phasize the importance of each and every
one of us to the future of our country.
We currently are facing a lot of obstacles,
namely our economic situation. We all
know that this is not going to go away
overnight. Right now, most of us
cannot vote and the government
is determining the course of ac-
tion for us, but before we know
it, it will be up to our generation
to bear the burden of these
problems.
Artfully avoiding seeming
insensitive, Obama told the tale
of his struggles growing
up, showing un-
derstanding for
the obstacles we
face, for things
in our lives
that some-
times make
it hard for us
to do well
in school.
October 2009
by the words and outbursts by a few,
ignorant people. The recent outburst
of Republican Representative Joe
Wilson, during President Obama’s
health care address to a joint session
of Congress, only reflects this. That
a 62 year old Representative shouted
“You Lie!” during a Presidential
speech is absurd and completely
disrespectful. Such an event might
set a precedent for future outbursts,
and the fact that Wilson is now being
lauded shows that nothing substan-
tial has been learned from it. Those
who control the media and those who
are in the seats of power are inciting
pandemonium within America.
There is one thing to be learned
from everything that is going on: if
those in power and those with the
louder voices are destroying every-
thing, it is up to the public to make
the change. It is up to the American
public to decide whether or not Beck,
Limbaugh, and others should dictate
their views and words. America had
passed its boiling point long ago and
everything is starting to boil over. If
those controlling the media control
the voice of the public, the entire
nation will delve into the political
turmoil one can see on any news
channel. Ignorance, stupidity, and hate
are poisoning efforts at reform from
both directions and soon, everyone
will suffer. It is time for the media to
stop being so irresponsible and for
Americans to become more informed;
we are past stagnation, instead sink-
ing further and further into despair.
We must admonish the absurd and
undo our tainted minds. It is time to
stop our destructive thoughts or else
everything will boil over.
Not all of us have the nuclear family,
with two loving parents there to support
and encourage us, but overcoming that
makes success even sweeter. Although
these factors may make it more difficult
to succeed as students, Mr.Obama made
it clear that they did not count as excuses
for “slacker” behavior. We can take our
challenges and transform them into as-
sets, things that we learn from which
make us stronger. We do not all have to
stand out like the students he mentioned
in his speech, but we are all capable of
sitting down to finish our homework.
Although we should all appreciate our
president reaching out to us, it is hard to
say whether sitting down and listening to
him speak will really change how we go
about our education. But if we really think
about it, we know that he is right. All of
us are students despite our multitude of
differences, and we all have the potential
to succeed in school, and in life. Keeping
that in mind, maybe we should all take a
moment to think about the choices that
we are making and see how we can apply
them to our president’s message.
October 2009
To ‘X’ or Not to ‘X’?
Devon Gingrich
Going to Guilderland High School
means that among about a million other
things, everyone has the choice to take
either traditional separate English and
History classes or the X program that
combines the two classes. It has been an
option for a while but many of us still do
not understand the concept of this ‘X’
program. Is the X program just combin-
ing two classes, or is it something more?
Over the last two years I have been
able to experience each of the two pro-
grams. I took X as a freshman with Mr.
Gnirrep and Mr. Mapstone, only to be
followed by global with King Renaud as
a sophomore; needless to say it was pretty
stiff competition. Looking back, what I
liked most about X was how in such a
short time we just became like one big
X family. Having a community like that
and meeting everyday is so completely
different from when I took separate
English and Global classes as sophomore.
The classes were good, there is no deny-
ing that, but they still did not have that
sense of community and creativity that
I had enjoyed with X. That being said, I
had a dilemma for deciding what to take
junior year.
Deciding what classes to take for my
junior year was hard for because I was so
torn between separates and X. My more
Battle of the Sexes
Amber Hedjazi
Eighteen year old Caster Semenya ran
the fastest 800 meter time of the year in
August at the World Championships in
Berlin. She ran the time 1:55.45 minutes,
beating the previous fastest 800 meter
time by almost 2.45 seconds.
After the race, the International Asso-
ciation of Athletics Federation ran drug
and gender test to determine whether or
not she was a female and whether or not
she was using performance enhancing
drugs. The tests were brought back stat-
ing that she has internal testicles, allowing
her to produce more testosterone than
the average female. A higher level of
testosterone allows her to run faster. She
does not have ovaries or a uterus. This
means she has both male and female sex
organs. This result has prompted many to
ask whether or not her time be allowed
to count.
Even though Semenya does have
higher levels of testosterone, allowing
her to build larger muscles which in turn
give her more power to run faster than
a typical woman, I think her time should
still count. She is the 5th woman from
Africa to run under two minutes in the
800, so completing this task obviously
is not impossible. Just because she has
a higher level of testosterone does not
mean she doesn’t work hard in all of her
practices. She also has to give up things
to be a good runner.
If Semenya were to compete with
men she would not be able to compete
with them. So why is she considered to
be more of a man than a woman? Her
times are not that much faster than those
of any other woman. She still has not
obtained the world record for this event
as a woman. Therefore, the IAAF, the
Opinions
creative side that remembered loving 9X
wanted to go back, but having just come
off of a great sophomore year taking
separates posed an issue. The other issue
that came up was dealing with the AP
classes. I think this creates a dilemma be-
cause everyone wants to get AP credits to
look good for college and for the future,
as did I. At the same time, I really wanted
to go back to X, and also I did not think
I could commit to three hours a night of
homework, every night. After thinking it
public and fans should not be deeming
her such a threat to the sport.
She worked hard for her gold medal, so
why would the IAAF consider stripping
that title away from her? She was raised
as a woman, and that is the only way she
knows so why try to call her a man? She
did not take testosterone enhancing drugs
to run faster, her body just naturally pro-
duces more. She is not cheating or, even
trying to. She is just trying to go out, run,
and do her best, for which no one should
be penalized.
Graphic courtesy of The Journal
Photo by Abby Levy / The Journal
over I finally chose 11X which I am re-
ally happy with, but those AP credits are
always a nagging thought.
The argument has been made that X
as an easier option to separate honors
English and Global, even when taking X
at the honors level. It is just how you think
about it and how you learn. True, in class
it might not be as challenging. However
once projects start up it gets much harder
and certainly is not something that I don’t
have to work at. I feel like the classes can
( Journal) page 17
have pretty similar difficulties. It is just
how it’s spaced out that makes it seem so
different. For traditional classes there is
definitely more homework assigned each
night making everyday a little bit harder
than X. However with X all that work
is condensed into very intense projects
where you go a little crazy for a week or
two before calming back down.
Another issue that is a good and bad
thing about X is that it meets everyday.
Having class everyday creates a little “X
family”. At the same time it can be annoy-
ing by not having any break from the class
or the people. However all of this really
just depends on your personal opinion.
I am not trying to force anyone to take
a particular class but I do think that some
people shy away from X because of the
group projects and missing out on the AP
credits, among other reasons, but I think
X is more than just that and combining
the classes. X is about the atmosphere
that is created and the family it forms with
people that sometimes you didn’t even
know before. X really is a great program
and definitely a privilege, since it is exclu-
sively a Guilderland course. For at least
one year in high school everyone should
take X, because it could be a while before
you will get an opportunity like it.
( Journal) page 18 Sports October 2009

MLB Playoffs Championship Series Preview

Brendon Phillips
After the first round of the Ma-
jor League Playoffs featured three series
that resulted in sweeps, and one that took
four games, the Championship Series
are already before us. In the American
League, the Angels made quick work
of the Red Sox, sweeping them away in
three games. The Sox, whose bullpen
failed to show up in any of the games,
resulted in their quick exit. The Angels,
who feature a top to bottom lineup with
top of the line pitching easily outmatched
the Red Sox. In the other
ALDS matchup, the Yan-
kees dominated the Minne-
sota Twins, also sweeping
them. The Twins whose
pitching was no match for
the Yankees offense sput-
tered when the bullpen was
called on. Twins closer Joe
Nathan blew a save in game two, and the
Twins never recovered. newbie to the playoffs, and will have the
In the National Dodgers playing superior ball through-
League, the Los Ange- out. On the other side, the Phillies made
les Dodgers swept the it past the Rockies in four games, with
Cardinals before anyone some frigid conditions in Colorado.
saw it happen. The Game three was postponed due to be-
Dodgers flew past the low freezing temperatures and snow, but
Cardinals in three games the east coast Phillies were not thrown
behind solid pitch- off track, winning the next two games,
ing and above average and the series.
hitting. Dodgers manager Joe Torre is no

YANKEES ANGELS
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia Expect the Yankees to pull this one out in a tough Pitcher: John Lackey
Catcher: Jorge Posada series. The Yankees have the advantage, with better
pitching, and a better lineup, but the Angels are always Catcher: Mike Napoli
First Base: Mark Teixeria pesky. The weather will be a big factor, whether or not
First Base: Kendry Morales
the Yankees are able to go with a three man rotation
Second Base: Robinson Cano or not will be key. The Yankees starting pitching will Second Base: Howie Kendrick
Third Base: Alex Rodriguez have the upper hand, unless the weather forces post-
ponements. Whether or not Chad Gaudin is forced to Third Base: Chone Figgins
Shortshop: Derek Jeter start or not against Scott Kazmir in game four could
be a deciding factor. The Angels, will have to take ad- Shortstop: Erick Aybar
Left Field: Johnny Damon vantage of their speed on the basepaths, and hope they Left Field: Juan Rivera
can generate runs that way. In the end, the team with
Center Field: Melky Cabrera better hitting and pitching should win, and move on to Center Field: Torii Hunter
Right Field: Nick Swisher the World Series
Right Field: Bobby Abreu
Closer: Mariano Rivera Closer: Brian Fuentes
YANKEES IN 7

PHLILIES Expect the Dodgers to come away victorious

in this one. The Phillies who won last year, don’t DODGERS
Pitcher: Cliff Lee have the star power to match up with the Dodg- Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw
ers. The Phillies have the better pitching, but the
Catcher: Carlos Ruiz Dodgers have the lineup and star power to balance Catcher: Russell Martin
First Base: Ryan Howard
it. The Dodgers lineup will have to continue their
hot hitting and Manny Rameriz will have jump-
First Base: James Loney
Second Base: Chase Utley star the offense. The Phillies, while having the Second Bae: Orlando Hudson
superior pitching are starting Cliff Lee who is in
Third Base: Pedro Feliz his first playoffs, and J.A. Happ, a rookie.. Cole Third Base: Casey Blake
Hamels has the experience, pitching in the World
Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins Series last year, but it won’t be enough. Also, Shortstop: Rafael Furcal
Left Field: Raul Ibanez
manager Joe Torre of the Dodgers is back in the
postseason, where he has his best successes.
Left Field: Manny Rameriz
Center Field: Shane Victornio Center Field: Matt Kemp
Right Field: Jayson Werth Right Field: Andre Either
DODGERS IN 6 Closer: Jonathon Broxton
Closer: Brad Lidge

Derek Jeter Makes History

By: Nicholas Buonanno
History was made on the eighth an-
niversary of September 11 2001 in New
dugout and hugged Derek and congratu-
lated him. With his family watching from
Derek Jeter Career Stats:
York City. The New York Yankees captain
Derek Jeter is now the all time hits leader
the stands, Jeter saluted them along with
all of the New York fans. Games: 2138
in the Yankees legendary franchise.
Jeter struggled as he tried to reach
Derek was drafted by the New York
Yankees in 1992 with the six overall Hits: 2747
Lou Gehrig’s milestone of 2,721 career pick, and he got his first major league
hits as a Yankee. Going into the game hit in 1995. Many hits later Jeter can Runs: 1574
0-12 on September 11,2009, after a rain now say that he is the all-time Yankees
delay at the start of the game, Jeter hit
an opposite field single past Luke Scott
hit leader. Gehrig held his record for
over 70 years. With good health ahead,
Average: .317
in his second at bat, passing Gehrig with
2,722 career hits.
Jeter is on track to get over 3,000 career
hits. His record breaking hit was the first
Home Runs: 224
After he touched first base the crowd
went crazy , he got a loud ovation, and
of many memories to come in the new
Yankee stadium. RBIS: 1068
all of his teammates came out from the
October 2009 Sports (theJournal) page 19

Fencing 101
Russel Oliver
While it may not be the most common
sport, everyone has heard of fencing at
least once. Whether in a movie or online,
everyone is aware of it. Why do only a
few people actually play the sport?
It is partly because it is not advertised
as much as other sports. Commercials
and broadcasted games of sports like
football, basketball, and baseball, are
common, but not fencing. It’s not only a
physical challenge, but it’s also a challenge
in its mental perspective. Fencing pro-
duces a great workout, working the legs
and arms in both agility and strength.
First off, there are no teams, it’s just a
competitor against everyone else involved
in the tournament. This has both good
and bad aspects like many sports. This
sport centers around self awareness and
self improvement. The advantage of
individualized sports is that unlike team
sports, many factors can influence the
outcome. It can be the other players’ in-
ability to successfully compete or poor
team dynamics.
The movements in a match are mainly
forward and backward down the “strip,”
the area where one fences on. This lim-
ited mobility does not make it any less
of a physical challenge. Matches can be
very strenuous depending on how much
effort is exerted and the difficultly of the
moves that are used.
Fencing is a sport that focuses on the
control of one‘s energy. If too many ad-
vanced moves are used in a short period
of time, their lack of energy could allow
the opponent to take the advantage.
When fencing, it is required to where
certain equipment. First, is the blade.
There are three different kinds of blades
depending on the kind of fencing. There’s
the foil, the sabre, and the épée. The foil is
less aggressive, but more tactical than the
other two. Each different type of blade
has an entirely different set of rules and
movements.
The second piece of equipment which
is almost as important as the blade is the
mask. The mask is to protect one’s face
from any incoming attacks from the op-
ponent. The mask is crucial to wear at all
times during a match in order to prevent
injury.
Thirdly, is the glove, which provides a
better grip on the blade and protects the
fencers hand. The fourth piece of equip-
ment is the plastron. This goes over the
fencing hand under the jacket and serves
an extra protection.
The fifth and final piece of equipment
is the jacket, which goes over the entire
upper body. This padding protects one
from injury when receiving a hit, which
is likely to happen in any fencing match.
The jacket maps out which areas are “on
target” and “off target”. The “on target”
areas are the back and front of the upper
body, excluding the arms and head.
Bouts are fencing matches between
two opponents. Each bout goes to a total
of five points. There is also a judge who
determines who gets certain points and
keeps track of the score. A five point bout
can last up to three minutes.
There are also fifteen point bouts,
which is similar to a five point bout except
that every three minutes there is a one
minute break. In a fifteen point bout there
are three, three minute periods, so fifteen
point bouts can reach up to nine minutes
long excluding the breaks.
The number of moves in fencing
are numerous and range in different
experience levels. Some of the basic
moves are the lunge, parry, and ri-
poste. A lunge is a basic attack where
the fencer launches their front foot
forward and extends their blade, hit-
ting the opponent.
A parry is a blocking action made
with the blade. It blocks an incoming
attack and protects the fencer from
getting hit. A riposte occurs after a
parry. Once an attack is blocked, the
fencer immediately comes forward
with their own lunge.
There are many other moves that
can be used. Fencing moves work as
a wheel. One move can defeat the
next move. Eventually, the circle goes
back to the beginning, a simple lunge

NFL Roundup
attack.

Brenon Phillips
With five weeks in the book this NFL
season has been full of some surprises,
some let downs and quite a few interest-
ing weeks ahead. From the start, we
saw some teams fall and rise quickly
with some shockers in the middle. The
Tennesse Titans still winless? It was the
Titans who last year were undefeated
through week 12. And the Denver Bron-
cos undefeated? After a rocky offseason
with many question marks, the Broncos
have silenced their doubters, and are
among the leagues best.
QUICK THOUGHTS
How about a brother vs. brother
Super Bowl? Eli vs. Peyton.
If the Rams can’t get past the
Lions and Titans, they have a good
chance of finishing the season win-
less.
Wade Phillips, Dick Jauron and
Jim Zorn should be nervous, they’re
on the hotseat and could be on their
way out.
If Michael Crabtree comes up
big, the 49ers have a good chance
at the playoffs with Vernon Davis
lining up next to him.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
TOP FOUR
There’s no stopping Peyton Manning
and co. Manning’s already leading the
league in touchdown passes with 12 and
isn’t feeling the loss of Anthony Gon-
zalez yet. The wide receivers in Indy
feature one of the leagues best with Reg-
gie Wayne, and standout rookie Austin
Collie. After a bye in week six the Colts
will look to keep rolling with the Rams,
49ers and Texans scheduled.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
With easily the best offense in the
league, the defense was iffy coming
into the season. The Saints are third in
the league in yards allowed and points
allowed. Darren Sharper remains a
threat at corner, leading the league with
five interceptions. The firepower of the
Saints offense can’t be matched either,
with Drew Brees leading the way. Lead-
ing the league in points per game, Drew
Brees can always find an open man, or
dump it off to running backs Reggie
Bush or Pierre Thomas.
MVP WATCH
Adrian Peterson Peyton Manning
Can any defense stop him? No one can argue with 1600
Peterson is second in the passing yards, 12 touchdowns
league in rushing yards, and a 114.1 passer rating
and leads the league in through 5 weeks.
touchdowns.
NEW YORK GIANTS
The biggest question coming into the
season was the Giants wide receivers. The
biggest question now? Who can stop the
Giants. Steve Smith leads all of the NFL
with 481 receiving yards and is tied for the
most touchdowns with four. The defense
has always been good, and are not letting
up. The G-Men have allowed the least
total yards, least yards per game
DENVER BRONCOS
Yes, the Broncos are this good. De-
spite many doubters, Josh McDaniels
and Kyle Orton find themselves atop
the AFC West. Kyle Orton has finally
clicked with Brandon Marshall, and
their new Wild Horses formation is
sure to cause confusion. The next four
weeks the Broncos will face tough tests
against the Chargers, Ravens and Steel-
ers, but won’t be backing down.
Eli Manning Cedric Benson
Right up there with big Benson deserves consideration.
brother, Eli is right behind No one expected him to lead the
Peyton with 10 touchdowns league in rushing yards and carry
and a 111.7 passer rating. the Bengals to a 4-1 record.
page 20 (theJournal)
Photos courtesy of Abby Levy/The Journal
From left to right: Alli Cropsey swims on for the Guilderville
girl’s swim team. Next: Jaclyn Levy takes a dive. Far right:
The Guilderland Football plays under the lights.
Girl’s Field Hockey
The Guilderland field hockey team
started the season with a 1-0 win to
Burnt Hills to be undefeated for the first
time in it’s history. They have an intense
offensive line and a rock solid defense.
Led by captains Kat Keegan, Chelsea
Weston and Beth Meyers, the team hopes
to find themselves to be in a good seed
for sectionals. On friday, October 9th,
the team played at Columbia on their
new turf field and came out with a 1-0.
Currently, the team has a record of 6-5
with five shutouts.
-Commentary by Beth Meyers
Lady Dutch Soccer
The Guilderland Lady Dutch soccer
team had an impressive win against Co-
lumbia for their senior night game. They
had an early lead, wrapping up the first
half with four goals and ending the game,
6-0 overall. They so far, have a record of
7-4-3. The team has high hopes for doing
well in the upcoming sectional games.
-Commentary by Casey Gerety
Above: Andrew Klug races for Guilderland cross-
country. On right: Abby Levy comes close to the
finsh for the girl’s team.
ReadReuseRecycleReadReuseRecycleReadReuseRecycleReadReuseRecycleRead
Sports October 2009
Crew
Crew is a sport that not many people
know about. It is unfortunately not
supported by the High school, creating
many dilemans for the people interested
in the sport. SGS rowing is a mix of
Guilderland, Schenectady and Scotia-
Glenville rowers. This year, our team
has been doing fantastic. We have won
many medals from our past two regattas
(races). Many of the girls and guys hope
to acquire more medals in the upcoming
regattas. Last spring, we had one boat
come in eleventh place at the National
High school regatta. SGS would love to
send many more boats to nationals in the
coming years.
-Commentary by Sara Cooper
Graphic Courtesy of Casey Gerety
Dutchmen Soccer
The Dutchmen Boys soccer team
Swimming and Diving has had an exciting sesason with an
overall record of 9-4-1. Seniors, Nick
Cannistrachi and Dylan Tate, lead the
The Guilderville Geese have been enjoying this fall team with top goals and assists. In their
season with great competition. They have a current
most recent game, the boys coasted to
record of 2-5, with sectionals soon coming up. Coach a 7-0 victory over Averil Park. In the
Autrey and the three captains, Alli Cropsey, Brittney
wrap-up of the fall season, fans have
Ginsberg and Kaylee Bar, have been working the team high expectations for the team in late
to reach new heights and have enjoyed this seasons’ sectional rounds.
well-rounded team. -Commentary by Casey Gerety
-Commentary by Casey Gerety
Above photo courtesy of Zoe King/The Journal
Above: The Dutchmen Varsity Football team gain
some yards in a game against Bethlehem.
Left and below photos courtesy of Meghan Sheehan/The Journal