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The Future of Students Studying Abroad: Spotlight on Aliya Karsou

Each year, a handful of graduating Mamaroneck High School students go to college abroad. This year, four students plan to study in Canada, two in Scotland and one in England.

Aliya Karsou chose something different; in the fall, she will be attending Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in Portugal.

China Trip Provides Students With Cultural Insight

 This April, 27 Mamaroneck High School juniors and seniors spent two weeks in China. After years of taking Chinese classes at the Hommocks and the high school, students got the chance to fully immerse themselves in the Chinese language and culture. The group traveled to four major Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Xi’an. They visited multiple famous destinations, including the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Terracotta Warriors. They bargained prices in Chinese markets and ate authentic Chinese cuisine.          

One MHS senior, Grant Tucker, describes the trip as the culmination of six years of taking Chinese. “I had a great time hanging out with my friends,” he said. “Staying with my host family was very rewarding and gave me multiple opportunities to use my Chinese skills. I had the chance to try some adventurous foods, such as pigeon soup, scorpion, and thousand day old eggs. I enjoyed getting to know Mamaroneck students that I wasn’t very close to before the trip.”

As well as visiting historical landmarks, students attended classes at Shanghai Experimental School, the sister school of MHS, and made friends with Chinese students. The group experienced the dynamic of a classroom in China and were taught about Chinese culture. Students learned about the art of Chinese calligraphy and tried it for themselves. They spent much of their time with their host families, building relationships and witnessing the everyday life of Chinese families. With their hosts, MHS students got to experience parts of China not on the official itinerary, including visits to the zoo where they got to see pandas, trips to amusement parks, and climbs up the Shanghai Tower. Students additionally had the opportunity to teach English classes at a rural primary school, putting their knowledge of both languages to the ultimate test.         

Michelle Liu, a Chinese teacher at MHS, stresses the importance of going to China and the impact it can have on a student’s knowledge of Chinese. “The language flows much more naturally. Some of them don’t even realize it.” Missing that much school can seem daunting to many, but Liu said that, “while some students struggle to get back on track after missing a week of school, the majority bounced back relatively quickly.” Battling jet lag and catching up on work may be a challenge, but the students felt that it was worth it. “Certainly an eye-opening experience,” says Liu.

Many MHS students eagerly wait for the China trip, which incentivizes many students to stay in the rigorous course rather than switching to another language. A sophomore Chinese student said, “I’m so looking forward to going to China. It’s a great opportunity and a highlight of the Chinese program.” This sentiment is shared by many. MHS students hope that regardless of the political climate, this trip to China remain a tradition to build friendships with people on the opposite side of the world.

By Abby Tucker 

New College Board Environmental Context Dashboard Undermines Student Adversity

“One can’t help but wonder how long it will be until some wealthy parent is photoshopping his or her child’s face onto the image of a homeless person sitting next to a dumpster.”

While this quote from the New York Times might seem like an outrageous prediction, the College Board’s new Environmental Context Dashboard could make this prediction a reality.

In an attempt to level out the so-called “playing field” of education, in particular, college admissions, the Environmental Context Dashboard was announced by the College Board in May. The system will now give students an “adversity score” from 1-100 based on the type of conditions that surround their neighborhood, school, and town in general.

I don’t know about you, but I am scared.  

How Far Will People Go to Live Up to Body Image Standards

The Frightening Reality of Diet Crazes

In today’s society, the media photoshops and warps photographs representing models in unachievable physical forms and creating unrealistic body standards for people. This can often lead to eating disorders and depression because people, especially teenage girls, compare themselves to others and feel badly about their bodies. When popular celebrities praise a certain diet plan, the people who look up to them and envy them will want to try them as well- hoping that they will get the same results.

Dieting and diet plans are generally extremely controversial. There is a large dispute in the health world whether they do more to help or hinder your health and weight goals. A a wide variety of diets and diet plans exist, some reasonable and others outrageous.

Music Review: Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR Impresses

When Tyler, the Creator posted the first image of the IGOR album cover, I was ecstatic. Not only was one of my favorite artists dropping a new album, but it also had the same name as my father, Igor Yukelis. What could be better than that? I was so excited for the album that I even bought the merchandise for it – a pink shirt with the word IGOR plastered on the back – before it came out. There was no going back; I had already dedicated myself to the album. It had to be good.

On May 17th, I stayed up until midnight so I could listen to the album. Immediately when it came out, I posted a screenshot of the Apple Music page of the first song, IGOR’S THEME, on my Instagram. The first thirty seconds of IGOR’S THEME is legitimately just static noise and nothing else. I had publicly displayed my affection for the album while listening to static. My excitement had blinded me from reason.

New Elective OCRA Prepares Students for the “Real World”

In recent years, a new class called Original Civic Research and Action, or OCRA, has been added as a possible elective for Mamaroneck High School students. It is one of the few classes offered at MHS that implement a new model of learning; a traditional style paired with exploration of the community. So the question is, does this unconventional form of learning really benefit high school students? According to Mr. Liberti, the teacher and creator of OCRA “one important component of life is trying to improve the world around you… that can be accomplished in many ways within both the public and private spheres. If you accept that point, then OCRA prepares students for life by helping them identify a problem, define the problem, build an interested coalition, research possible strategies and solutions, experiment with promising strategies and solutions, and remedy the problem.”

2018-2019 at MHS: A Year in Review

The 2018- 2019 school year is surely a memorable one. With successes in sports, arts, science and humanities, many students had opportunities to showcase their talents. This school year began like any other—  a wave of freshmen, new cars in senior lot, and various changes regarding school policy. One change was the new midterms policy. After years of experimenting with different structures for mid-year exams, teachers and administration decided on a whole new approach. There was no set time for midterms. Teachers will now pick when to give exams as well as what material will be included, how long the tests will be, and whether to have one midterm in the middle of the year or several cumulative exams throughout the year.

Student-Athletes Committed to Playing in College

This Spring, 33 Mamaroneck Athletes committed to playing a variety of varsity sports during their college years. Seven of these athletes are featured here. 

Michael Campbell: 

Next season, Manhattan College’s baseball program will include Mamaroneck graduate Michael Campbell. A Captain this past year for the MHS Varsity team, Michael helped lead the team to a 16-8 regular season record. Over his three years on the Varsity team, Michael played in 41 games with a career batting average of .406, a total of 28 hits and 12 RBI’s. Being able to further his baseball career has always been a dream for him, so finally getting that opportunity to show all of the hard work he has put in at the collegiate level is what he is most looking forward to. Michael however, will miss his friends and the relationships built with his classmates and teammates while at MHS.

UberEats Delivered During Class Shows New National Trend

A few years ago, while aimlessly scrolling through Twitter, I came across a video entitled “Calling My Teachers by Their First Names.” I was intrigued, and I ended up watching multiple videos of this sort. The reactions of teachers varied wildly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the primary variable was age. Many younger teachers were perfectly content being greeted as “Dave”, or “Susan”. Most older teachers, however, were shocked and horrified at the concept of students using given names to refer to educators. Though extremely anecdotal (and entertaining), these videos are indicative of a palpable societal change. The decorum and traditional behaviors of educational environments are changing rapidly. In Michigan, a school district had to bar students from ordering food delivery during class. In Houston, a principal had to institute a dress code for parents, as too many adults were walking into school wearing pajamas and a shower cap. In schools across the western world, students are being told to refer to their teachers by first names. The increasing lack of formality in schools is extraordinarily, and irredeemably negative. School is a place that should have an environment based on respect and a clear power dynamic. The fact that many individuals find it necessary to eat at inappropriate times, refer to their teachers as peers rather than educators, and show up to school property wearing little more than bathrobes, is a deeply worrying trend, and something that is conducive to the decay of the educational system in the United States.

Education a Controversial Topic in Upcoming Election

As this school year comes to a close, the 2020 elections are heating up. Over 20 Democrats and two Republicans have officially announced their candidacy. One main issue candidates are focusing on is college. According to Mark Huelsman, associate director of policy and research at Demos, “there is more consensus about the need to go big on college affordability than there has been in previous election cycles.” Under the topic of education, some of the most polarized topics the candidates will be debating are free college, student debt, and college affordability. Not all candidates have released their proposals, but some have expressed their stances on these issues.

President Donald Trump has not personally spoken on the issue of college loans and debt, but his policies show what he supports. The Department of Education under Betsy Devos proposed a plan that would reduce federal loan repayment programs to only two: a ten-year plan and an income-driven plan. Also, the DOE suggested capping the amount of money people can borrow from the federal government.

MHS Honors First-Generation Students

While most seniors across the country and at MHS don the sweatshirts, school colors and in some cases, socks, of the college they have decided to attend after high school, for a select number of students, this day marks so much more.

For the first time this year, MHS “first-generation students,” students that will be the first in their immediate family to go to college, were honored at a special event in the Palmer Gym on May 1st. This event, organized by the head of the guidance department, Ms. Quackenbush, allowed 50 “first-gen” MHS students to celebrate this monumental day with their parents, teachers, and administrators.

Student’s Verdict on Gap Years: Not for Everyone

Gap years are a growing trend among American adolescents. The New York Times article “Gap Year May Have Benefits Long After College” by Kj Dell’antonia reports that due to a changing society and economy many more high school graduates are taking gap years in order to discover themselves, mature, and meaningfully invest their time into finding out what they truly want. So what should an MHS student consider before taking a gap year? Is it worth it?

Teen Coffee Obsession

There is no denying the obsession that exists between teenagers and coffee. In our school, many students are seen holding an iced coffee every morning, and all throughout the day. Despite the stigma around caffeine, these students may, in fact, be helping themselves in addition to staying alert. In a study done by Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark in 2015, it was found that coffee drinkers may have an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-drinkers due to a molecule called cafestol.

Boys’ Lacrosse Team Makes MHS History

When spring arrives, as the weather gets warmer and the snow melts, the lacrosse season gets underway across the state. Here in Mamaroneck, the varsity lacrosse team has been on the upswing. After winning Section 1 last year, the Tigers had a strong regular season, going 20-1 overall with a perfect 5-0 record for their league.  Their wins came in a straight stretch before making the section playoffs. With victories over North Rockland and Mahopac, the Tigers reached the final, where they faced Lakeland. In this contest, they defeated Lakeland 10-4 to win back-to-back section titles. When asked about the win, Coach Barnard says, “We’re really happy to go back-to-back and our guys have worked really hard this year.”

Farewell Globe Seniors: Editors-In-Chief

Lindsay Randall has been the Editor-In-Chief of the Globe for the past two years, and was offered the position as only a junior. Since she was interested in the articles she read in her freshman year, Randall applied to the Globe her sophomore year. She initially applied to the Globe since she was interested in the articles she read as a freshman, and became an Op-ed Editor. She loved her time on the Globe, and claims that one of the most memorable moments was working with the multimedia team to make the newspaper online. Randall says that her proudest accomplishment was “modernizing” the Globe, and “creating an online presence” for it, especially since that is how most people get their news today.

Farewell Globe Seniors: Staff Members

Julia Shapiro:

Julia Shapiro became a staff member on the Globe as an Assistant Arts & Leisure Editor her sophomore year, was a Sports Page Director her junior year, and a Managing Editor as a senior. Her favorite Globe memory was attending the Columbia Scholastic Press Association every spring because it was interesting to see other newspapers, attend sessions, and see how well the Globe does. She will miss the community of the school newspaper and recommends that future staff gets as involved as possible and write articles that are out of their comfort zone. She will be a freshman at Cornell University in September.

Varsity Baseball: An Action Packed Season

The Mamaroneck Tigers Varsity baseball team’s season presents a clear indication of future success. Finishing with a record of 16-8, the team made it to the finals in their tournament in South Carolina, as well as beating White Plains in the inaugural Kittle Cup. This season was filled with excitement and drama, and certainly some phenomenal games. The Tigers’ season ended on Memorial Day, falling to John Jay 4-0. But before the final out of the year was recorded, the Tigers had an amazing journey.

Senior Internships: Another Successful Year

Every year, MHS seniors have the opportunity to gain real-world experience and complete an internship at the end of their senior year. The internship program is optional, but there are many benefits for those that choose to participate. Seniors get to choose the internship they wish to complete. One senior, Sydney Rosen, is currently interning as a supervisor at Discovering Me Preschool, in Larchmont, through the internship program. She was able to tell me a bit about her experience so far.

Valedictorian Roffman and Salutatorian Gonai Excel Musically and Academically

Graduating at the top of their class not only as academic leaders, but as leaders of the Mamaroneck Music Department, and leaders in the way they carry themselves and interact with the greater Mamaroneck community, Valedictorian Leah Roffman and Salutatorian Haruki Gonai have a lot to be proud of.

This year, over 20 MHS seniors culminated their high school careers with a GPA of 97 or above, making the competition between the school’s highest achieving students extremely tight. At the very head of this group, Roffman and Gonai not only managed to maintain their near-perfect GPAs but also took on highly rigorous course loads and a wide array of extra-curriculars during their time at Mamaroneck.