Mathematics teacher and Stuyvesant alumnus Michael Cho (’00), replaced former mathematics teacher Joseph Stern on Monday, April 16.  Stern left the school because he suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes him to be continuously exhausted.

In his senior year at Stuyvesant, Cho was captain of both the swim team and the math team.  He began college at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) before transferring to UC Irvine.  He worked at a small hedge fund for almost four years before deciding that he wanted to teach.  “I really love teaching.  It is what I have always wanted to do,” he said.

Cho then began working towards his master’s degree at Columbia and is currently completing his degree. During the last school year, Cho worked as a substitute teacher at Stuyvesant and at the Mott Hall School, a well-regarded middle school in Upper Manhattan.

When Stern’s illness forced him to resign, Cho was not working at the time.  Assistant Principal Mathematics Maryann Ferrara offered him the job, which he soon accepted. Cho took over all of Stern’s classes: two sections of Pre-calculus and three Geometry classes.

Though he is currently filling a long-term position, he is unsure how long he will remain at the school.  Despite the uncertainty, Cho is optimistic. “I would love to teach here [on a permanent basis],” Cho said. “It’s been great so far, the kids are intelligent and they ask interesting questions.”

Soo-Hoo finds the scholarship meaningful because it recognizes her academic as well as athletic excellence. She attributes her success to Girl’s Golf Coach and English teacher Emilio Nieves. “Not only is he an amazing coach on the golf course, but an extraordinary mentor off the golf course,” Soo-Hoo said. “Working alongside Coach Nieves has been a humbling and most certainly memorable experience.”

Nieves reciprocates this opinion when considering Soo-Hoo’s work ethic. “She is arguably the most motivated athlete I have ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Nieves said. “She was just as equally motivated in my AP class, and never wanted to be treated differently because of our previous relationship. She was able to meet the rigorous challenges of my course and maintained a level of consistency despite playing a sport at the same time.”

Soo-Hoo started golfing in fifth grade and has played ever since. Over the years, golf has taught Soo-Hoo invaluable life lessons as well as defined a part of who she is. “Golf has taught me to never give up and lose sight of your goals no matter how distant they may seem. It has taught me not to fear challenges in life, but instead embrace them as opportunities to grow,” Soo-Hoo said.

Although Soo-Hoo does not plan on pursuing golf as a career because she is interested in the medical field, Nieves expressed his belief in her ability to succeed.  “If she does [pursue golf on the college level], I am sure she will succeed at that.  It is simply in her nature to work hard in everything she does,” Nieves said. “She definitely embodies the term ‘student-athlete’.”

Students competed in different events, including debate, culinary arts, basketball, writing, and knowledge of the Quran. The theme for the competition, which varies each year, was “Family: Reconnecting Our Hearts to Home.” Students signed up for individual and group competitions, gaining points for each competition won.

This was the first time SPARK and MSA advisor Angel Colon attended the competition. He was excited to learn the different aspects of Islam. “I was going into it with an open mind,” Colon said. “I knew I was going to come out of it with new found knowledge in better understanding the importance of the Muslim community: love for Islam/Allah, their beliefs and cultural/religious concerns and anything else that I was allowed to sit in, witness and observe.”

Although the competition was based on Islamic concepts, non-Muslim people were welcome to attend and participate in competitions. “People from schools all over New York came to compete and learn about Islam at the same time,” junior and MSA events coordinator Menna Elaskandrany said. “Muslims and non-Muslims joined together to create bonds of friendship that went beyond the competition, especially between the three specialized high schools—Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech.”

Non-Muslim students had non-religious affiliated workshops and competitions available for them, including fashion, basketball, and poetry. The first day of the three-day competition consisted of art workshops, the MIST quizbowl, debate rounds, and a math Olympics. The second day saw most of the group competitions, such as the science fair and the individual competitions, which included poetry and Quran tests. On the third day, there was a basketball tournament for each gender, a talent competition, and the award ceremony, where the top three teams were announced.

This year Stuyvesant placed second, a step down from winning first place the last two years. Yeasmin believes it may be because there were many underclassmen competing this year. “People weren’t as experienced,” she said. “But it’s great knowing that in the future, Stuyvesant will hopefully continue to have competitors who now are experienced and can help next year’s newbies.”

For senior Miraj Alam, this was still an enjoyable experience in his last year at Stuyvesant. “I really enjoyed all the energy, and camaraderie that one could feel at the competition,” he said.

“I didn’t know what to expect of MIST, but after experiencing it my expectations were exceeded. Prior to MIST I have never been in such a unique Islamic gathering with so many people my age,” freshman Razwan Miah said. “I am very excited for next year.”

Juniors Calvin Ng and Adam Lieber, candidates for next year’s Student Union presidency, speak at the debate on Friday, May 4.

In an attempt to better inform voters for the upcoming Student Union (SU) election, the Board of Elections (BOE) held a debate, open to all students, between the two tickets that passed the primaries. The debate, which took place on Tuesday, May 1 in the school library, was organized and moderated by BOE Chairman and senior Bumsoo Kim in conjunction with The Spectator’s Editors-in-Chief juniors Leopold Spohngellert and Adam Schorin.

Presidential candidate junior Adam Lieber and his running mate sophomore Tahia Islam debated their platforms and policies with junior Calvin Ng and sophomore Edward Zilberbrand, the opposing ticket. The event was part of the BOE’s effort to increase voter turnout this year, along with social media campaigning and an additional voting booth. Around 50 students attended the one-hour debate. This was the first debate to happen in four years, and was made available to students via YouTube and The Spectator’s website (stuyspectator.com). The video currently has over 700 views.

The candidates were seated at separate tables, with a podium and microphone between the two. The candidate, his running mate, or the ticket, would stand up at the stand to answer the questions. Each candidate had two minutes to respond per question, with extensions given for particular questions.

The debate began with opening statements from both candidates, outlining their respective platforms. Ng focused on his record as SU Special Events Coordinator under SU President Edward Cho, and promised to promote school unity and to change the school dress code by compromising with the administration. He also discussed the idea of implementing a new dress code policy in which students are allowed to wear dresses or shorts that follow either the current fingertip-length rule or a new midway-through-the-thigh addition, whichever is shorter to account for discrepancies in the policy’s current implementation. Ng also proposed to reform the long-standing free period rule only allowing students to be on the first, second or fifth floors through open communication with the administration.

In his statement, Lieber criticized the current SU administration for lack of action on the school’s major issues and called his own lack of experience in the SU a sign of fresh ideas and new perspectives. Lieber mentioned his proposed SU YouTube channel, a one-minute grace period for students travelling to or from the 10th floor, and a college fair where students could speak to Stuyvesant alumni representing their colleges.

The first question posed to the candidates asked what they would do if negotiations with the school administration, in this case specifically regarding students’ ability to exit the building during their free periods, broke down. Ng said he would support a student petition, and work to spread awareness among the candidates. However, Ng considered it necessary to understand the administration’s reasons for prohibiting out to lunch during free periods, and said he believed that the school would have to accept it. Lieber also supported the use of student petitions, but included the use of what he called “teacher endorsements,” which would allow teachers to weigh in on the issue in support of the students.

The candidates seemed to have similar answers to many of the questions, often repeating points at the podium. However, the most significant difference between the candidates came when they were asked of their opinion of the current administration’s record. Lieber and Islam both articulated a strong critique of the Cho administration, suggesting they were only good at planning events. “They are aesthetically nice, they have streamers, they decorate the lunchroom,” Islam said. “However, we do not admire how no one attends these events.” Islam singled out Zilberbrand, the current Sophomore Caucus Vice President, saying that no change has come under his watch. Lieber also suggested that the Cho administration has made no effort to reach out to the student body.

Ng and Zilberbrand responded by praising the SU’s work on events such as SING! and Junior Prom. They suggested that the Cho administration had made an effort to reach out to the student body, but apathy from the school prevented the enthusiasm needed between the government and the students. Zilberbrand pointed out that there was “a lack of dedication” from some members of the administration, who had not attended daily meetings as diligently as he and Ng would have liked, he said.

The final questions from the moderators addressed what changes Ng or Lieber would make to the government, SU constitution, and school as SU presidents. Both supported a larger student government, with more departments to focus on each issue. Ng proposed eliminating the position of Freshman Caucus President and Vice President, due to the lack of time for freshmen to get to know each other prior to elections. “What I would advise instead is a Freshman Advisory Council for the Sophomore President,” Ng said, which would work with the Sophomore Caucus on the issues that affect underclassmen.

After forty minutes of moderated questions, candidates were able to answer questions from the audience. These concerned how they planned to bring about their promises, which both candidates responded to with plans to communicate with the administration and promote student involvement.

Despite a relatively low turnout, the debate may prove to be an important step in the BOE’s campaign to familiarize the student body with the election process and educate it on its candidates. With a twelve percent increase in primary voting numbers, the BOE hopes that, with the help of this debate, the trend spreads to the general elections, to be held on Friday, May 18.

Candidates expressed satisfaction with the way the debate was organized.

“Although turnout was not tremendous, I feel as though the debate legitimized the SU elections,” Islam said. “For once, we could talk about our policies in a professional light for all of the student body to see. It’s a great way for students to make informed decisions and remain involved throughout the process. Hopefully, the debate showed everyone that the SU can become an important factor in Stuyvesant […] and provide a voice, rather than remain in the background.”

The opposing ticket agreed. “The debate was a great experience and ran extremely well for its first time. It’s something that should happen every year from now on. Despite not having the greatest turnout, I’m sure that next year more students will come and the students that came this year got the information they wanted,” Zilberbrand said. “The elections showed the entire school that the SU does mean something, and I feel as if that’s a success in and of itself.”

“It was great coming back,” Dr. Kivi said. “I felt very welcomed by both students and staff.”

Immediately after the accident, he was rushed by ambulance over to Elmhurst Hospital, where he remained for a week before being transferred to the orthopedic wing of Beth Israel Medical Center. There, the doctors determined that one of the tendons had previously atrophied due to trauma that occurred during Dr. Kivi’s college football career.

Doctors had to surgically reattach all of the other tendons in order for recovery to be possible. Once Dr. Kivi was in an improved state, he started going to hydrotherapy. “I learned how to walk again in a swimming pool,” he said.

Dr. Kivi still needs to use a walker when travelling long distances, and a cane for short distances; he cannot walk on stairs, and has to drive to work instead of taking the subway. Despite all of this, Dr. Kivi has a positive outlook about his injury. He said, “The silver lining for this accident is that I have a bigger scar to brag about to Ms. Pluchino.”

Before taking the semi-final exam, students had to complete the USABO Open Exam, a 50-minute, nationwide multiple-choice exam available to any high school biology student. The exam was structured after the multiple-choice section of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) Theoretical Examination. Students who scored in the top 10% of the Open Exam qualified for the USABO Semi-Final Exam

“It was a pretty tough competition […] everyone worked really hard to study and go over all over the different types of questions. Overall it was a pretty enriching experience,” semifinalist and senior Jim Wu said of the quarter-final exam.

“We came out with the highest ranking national ranking score [in the quarter-finals] and had the most people that came out as semi-finalists,” biology teacher and advisor of the Bio Olympiad team Roslyn Bierig said. “[The students] work really hard and they’re very dedicated and committed to being able to do well. But the exam is really really tough […] But I have hope,” she said prior to the semi-final.

The eleven semifinalists will proceeded to take another test, scheduledthe semi-final on Wednesday, March 28th, in which the top twenty scores of the country will be picked.

The Semi-Final exam was a 120-minute exam with three different sections: multiple-choice questions with only one answer, multiple choice question with several correct answers and a short answer or essay portion.

​“It was definitely a very difficult test,” Wu said after taking the semi-final exam, “There are a lot of questions that require you to think about the topics you already know but there are also a lot of topics that we don’t really know about.” Results for this round are still pending.

On Tuesday, March 27, Computer Science Coordinator and alumnus Michael Zamansky (’84) organized and hosted an alumni-student open house at Foursquare’s office in SoHo, with the hopes of giving current Stuyvesant computer science students the opportunity to learn about the experiences of, and network with, alumni involved in computer science industries. They also discussed the state and future of Stuyvesant’s Computer Science (CS) program.

“The students seem to be very motivated and energetic. They ask very good questions, and seem to be on a path of self-discovery. Just by being here, they’re finding out what’s the best fit for them, meeting people in the community, and exploring different qualities,” Teresa Ling (’92) said.

Though Zamansky was the primary event planner, Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association (SHSAA) board member Jukay Hsu (’02) assisted him. Foursquare employees Noah Weiss (’04) and David Blackman (’02) volunteered the office’s “Fat Nanny’s,” an informal gathering and kitchen space, to host the event.

“There’s 20 years of planning,” Zamansky said. “If you do an open event with alumni […] and it’s not a class reunion, you usually don’t get a huge turnout. But it ended up being huge, and that’s because we’ve been building a community for such a long time.”

Zamansky invited 100 juniors and seniors from his and JonAlf Dyrland-Weaver’s (’01) AP Computer Science classes, in addition to other students from Systems Level Programming and Computer Graphics. Approximately 100 alumni and other visitors, some directly involved with computer science careers, showed up after he contacted them through a Stuyvesant CS mailing list. Alumni present had graduated as far back as 1976 and as recently as last year. Dyrland-Weaver and computer science teacher Samuel Konstantinovich (’99) were also in attendance.

“It’s really nice to see that the alumni are all willing to offer these students advice. It says a lot about the people that come through the Stuyvesant Computer Science program, because we all feel these connections with other people,” Dyrland-Weaver said. “It has the potential for nudging a lot of people to a computer science or tech career. A lot of alumni were in the same place and went to the tech area anyway, but events like this will make it easier for them to get started and have an idea to be able to do something with it because they now have connections.”

The event began at around 6:00 p.m. with Zamansky’s light-hearted welcome speech. “I’m really impressed by the turnout here, especially since there are so many from the Stuy CS family here gathering together for one of the first times,” he said. “Since we all connect through our Stuyvesant experience, I was pushed to create this kind of event.”

Zamansky then introduced Hsu, who spoke on behalf of the SHSAA and discussed the potential impact that Stuyvesant CS alumni can have on current students. “We have such amazing alumni working in tech and these new fields, and they can impart their skills and their experience to mentor a lot of current students that will have some background in computer science in the future,” Hsu said. “We hope that […] as alumni we can make an impact on the students.”

For the majority of the event, students, teachers, and alumni gathered around individual wooden tables to have “speed-dating” sessions, Zamansky said. After about 15 minutes, everyone rotated and found new tables so they could meet new people.

Students and alumni discussed their different high school experiences, their involvement in computer science, upcoming jobs, startup projects, and even college admissions. “I like how universal computer science is solving so many real-world problems.” Fadi Laham (’07) said. “Having that experience in computer science, you have an advantage because there’s a universal application, and practically every company needs a tech-savvy person.”

After three rounds of speed dating, those who wished to continue earlier conversations or meet more people gathered around Fat Nanny’s. Meanwhile, Foursquare staff members gave tours to groups of students and alumni interested in seeing the office. Students were introduced to the high-tech work setting of the Foursquare employees, which incorporates whiteboard walls and iPads to post conference room schedules, iMac computers at every desk, and a video conferencing portal with the San Francisco office.

Many alumni expressed their approval for the event. “When I was in high school, we were really left to our own devices, and there wasn’t as much information available. This is really a nice thing for the younger set to appreciate, because now you really need to be able to network more,” Steve Taros (’84) said. “Even though it’s high school, it’s nice to see that we’re all related in a way.”

“I only wished that when I was going to Stuy, we had something like this, because it helps students by providing a lot of opportunities in both getting perspectives in the fields they want to go into and getting in contact with similar people, which is the best way to find jobs,” Camelia Papadopol (’03) said. “This gives you a nice head start.”

Many students were also happy with how the event ran. “My experience [at] Stuyvesant has already convinced me that I want to major in computer science when I go to college. Seeing these alumni, however, made me realize how many doors a degree in [computer science] opens,” senior Will Haack said. “I realized how willing the Stuyvesant alumni are to giving back to the Stuyvesant community.”

“The most rewarding portion was being able to talk to, basically, an older version of yourself. These alumni have been where we are now, and it’s nice to get advice from them,” senior Kong Huang said.

The event has also been recognized by other well-known figures in the technology community, such as venture capitalist Fred Wilson and NYU computer science professor Evan Korth, both of whom tweeted about the event via Twitter. This “shows why [Zamansky] is such a NYC treasure and how significant his impact on NYC Tech has been,” Wilson tweeted.

With this positive reception, Hsu hopes to continue such events and create more student-alumni interactions. “The turnout definitely shows a lot of interest from the alumni, who really want to contribute and become involved to help the student body. I think this will be the first event of many in the future, not only for computer science,” Hsu said. “It was a great event, especially as a first event.”

Following the end of the networking portion of the event, at around 8:30 p.m., Zamansky invited alumni and students to join a discussion on the state and future of Stuyvesant’s CS program. “[Computer science] teachers […] are just considered math teachers,” Zamansky said. “So we’re still fighting a long battle. My vision and goal is to get it to a state so that other schools like Brooklyn Tech and Bronx Science [copy] our program to get these opportunities to students all over the city. That’s the real goal, because we can do whatever we want in Stuyvesant, but it’ll only affect 800 students.”

“We want computer science to be a future for Stuyvesant as a math and science school, and we want to try to build a consensus as to how computer science applies to other fields that aren’t pure computer science,” Hsu said.

The majority of the discussion involved the ways in which alumni could get involved in the computer science effort. Zamansky hopes to gain support for internship and mentorship programs to assist students in determining their level of interest in CS. However, especially with the fact that “in the last few years, internship laws have become more codified, it’s become harder for companies to provide unpaid internships,” Gerry Seidman (’76) said.

The group also discussed possible infrastructure changes in order to help broaden and improve communication among alumni. “We need some open communication, like a blog, so that we can tell students about our experiences and about what’s going on with the latest technology,” Papadopol said.

There was also mention of creating a new course in place of the current CS Intel Research class, because “the [Intel] competition is not made for computer science. There’s so much more programming and software research that needs to be done for students to really have a clear understanding of what’s going on,” Zamansky said. In his new class, which has yet to be approved, he hopes to divide students into small groups that will work on interdisciplinary projects applicable to real-world scenarios.

Even with all the politicking and meetings that the alumni must initiate, it was acknowledged that student involvement is extremely important not only to the cause of the computer science program, but also the entire school. “The students really need to work on developing a voice now,” Josh Weinstein (’05) said. “Ultimately, it’s as important for the student body to band together, because otherwise we look like self-interested alums. The students need to be representative at these meetings and start asking for it.”

Senior Teo Gelles, one of the few students at the discussion, agreed. “Of all the departments, we are probably the most loyal. The point is, students are willing to help with this,” he said. “And there should be some consideration for what can we do [as] there are a lot of us.”

For now, Zamansky hopes to continue the dialogue online and to keep in touch with an even broader base of alumni that is willing to help the CS program at Stuyvesant. In the near future, Zamansky also plans to create a working group of both alumni and current students who will meet often to openly consider various proposals.

“This initial meeting will hopefully be the first of many, and we can’t fit everything into one night,” Zamansky said. “Right now it’s about research, finding out what strategically [makes] sense, and getting ready on multiple fronts. I’m not advocating for spamming administrators with letters and e-mails, but I’m certainly not advocating for waiting another 17 years.”

StuyArch focuses on creating designs for an annual design project mentored by architects and engineers. For the past two years, the group has focused on the reconstruction of schools in areas around the world devastated by natural disasters. Last year, the architecture group worked on a school design for Haiti. Currently, the group is working to design a school campus for the region around Sendai, Japan.

“Right now each of us is working on our individual building. One person is working on the cafeteria, one person is working on the library and so on. I’m working on an auditorium. Later, we might combine our designs so that they are part of one building, though, we’re still not sure about that now,” junior Jenni Xu said.

According to the StuyResearch Web site, StuyArch is designing the concept of a school campus in cooperation with other engineers and architects and is trying to build in as many creative solutions to the challenges presented by the situation as possible.

In total, 17 Virginia Tech students were present during the visit in which members of StuyArch displayed their building designs.

“[The visit] was interesting. The students told us what they liked about our designs, what they didn’t like and what we could improve on. For example, they told us how it was necessary to incorporate lighting in our buildings,” junior Greeny Wong said.

The new boarding school will serve 5000 students in the Sendai metropolitan area. The school will also incorporate designs that will serve the local community that was affected by the earthquake.

“Critical evaluation of architectural projects is important to architects,” StuyArch advisor and biology teacher Dr. Jonathan Gastel said. Dr. Gastel helped organize the event with Aki Ishida and with the help of the Japan Society. According to its website, the Japan Society “is the leading U.S. organization committed to deepening mutual understanding between the United States and Japan in a global context.”

Ishida also runs an architectural program for high school students during the summer at Columbia University. During that time, she will return to Stuyvesant and provide further critiques for the StuyArch designs.

Tillman is familiar with the area, having learned to ski near the small town of Tübingen in central Baden-Württemberg, while in the army, in which he served prior to becoming a teacher.  Since then, Tillman has made several trips to Germany. He cites Berlin as one of his favorite cities in the world. “Germany holds a special place in my heart. Some of my best experiences have been there,” he said in a phone interview.

After returning to Germany this summer, Tillman will learn about a multitude of topics relating to education. The seminar will inform visiting American teachers about the German educational system, and specifically about changes it is facing in an altered economic and ethnic environment. Germany has seen a major influx of European immigrants over the past few decades, despite some xenophobia throughout the nation. “No matter how much you assimilate, you will never be accepted as being German,” Tillman said. “If you are not of German blood, you’re not welcome.”

Immigrant children are not provided with the same support system to adjust to the language and customs of Germany, as they might receive in the United States. Years ago, on a visit to Germany, Tillman saw the roadblocks that the children hailing from Turkey, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Russia, among other nations, faced. He asked a fellow German teacher why the children weren’t offered a language preparation program and was informed that one is offered, but only for a few months. “I thought to myself, how is that going to help?” Tillman said.

At the seminar, Tillman intends to discuss methods that could help the immigrant pool assimilate into a nation where the message to an immigrant is “you have German citizenship, you are not German,” Tillman said. He hopes to draw upon past experiences with minorities and immigrants in education throughout the seminar’s discussions.

Tillman taught a wide array of students before coming to Stuyvesant, from Roberto Clemente Middle School in the Bronx where the majority of students are black and Latino, to Berkley Carroll School in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where 50 percent of students are reform Jews. At every school he has taught, he has identified language barriers and the absence of traditional family structure as the biggest areas of concern. “I saw the same amount of emotional deprivation at both [schools],” he said.

Tillman is no stranger to being part of the minority in an educational setting. “When I went to middle school, I was one of few black kids in a school of 1200,” he said. Today, he is one of the few black faculty members at Stuyvesant.

During the seminar, Tillman will also learn about the German educational system, which sharply contrasts that of America. “The participants will receive an overview of the German school and post-secondary education system, which will allow them to apply this new knowledge to their own work,” according to the Fullbright Commision’s website.

“We live in a global community, and it’s interesting to learn about how other countries do or don’t integrate other cultures into their system and what challenges that brings,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Suri said.

Tillman has always sought out professional opportunities outside of the city that would broaden his knowledge base. In ten years, he has journeyed to California, Colorado, Greece, Bulgaria, Japan, and New Zealand, among other locations. He usually finds scholarships and grants to fund his pursuits. Most recently, he traveled to San Diego to study Spanish and Mexican influences on California under the National Endowment for the Humanities. These programs have allowed him to gain new experiences, as well as strengthen his resume.

Tillman hopes to return from Germany next fall with new knowledge to pass on to his students. “Any kind of exposure to international education systems, the culture of different places, it enhances your knowledge and your scholarship in the field,” Suri said. “You can bring that back into the classroom.”

Although this citywide regulation has been around for some time, it has not been enforced since before Teitel became principal in 1999. Having noted the trend, the DOE republished the policy in its 2011-2012 edition of “The Principal’s Guide to the Quality Review.” Teitel, in accordance with the regulation, will ensure that each member of the class of 2013 has a permissible schedule.

           In order to ensure that all seniors have at least eight periods of class daily, the school plans to change its policies for seniors regarding 10Tech, a daily two-period technology lab class, and physical education. Starting with the class of 2013, 10Tech will become a daily one-period class that spans both terms instead of one. Seniors, like students in all other grades, will also have to take physical education every other day for the entire year. Traditionally, seniors have taken physical education every day for just one term.

Student and faculty responses to the change have varied.  Photography teacher Janis Juracek Johnson was averse to how the changes will affect 10Tech classes. “The problem with that is that a lot of courses take two periods,” she said. “There is no way that this class could fit into that plan.”

Many 10Tech classes have been designed to run on a two-period schedule. Technology teachers often plan their curriculum based on the expectation that they will see their students for more than an hour each day. “It will make it very difficult to get the equal quality of work in a 40-minute period,” Technology Department Coordinator James Lonardo said.

Juniors were particularly bitter about the upcoming changes. There are juniors who desire the free periods simply to relax, but many emphasized that the lost time will hurt their educational experience and take away from their extracurricular activities.  “Second term of senior year prepares you for college, because you’re taking the courses that you want to take, but then you also have loads of free time, so you have to manage that free time so you can do other cool things,” junior Jeffrey Kuhn said.

Despite such opposition, junior Nancy Ko expressed support for the policy.  “Senior year, in a sense, is a way to relax after college applications and all this, but one thing I believe in is that Stuyvesant is not just an institution that gets people into college.  It’s an institution that encourages learning.  And if only five periods a day are required for students, that kind of fosters an environment where it’s just about college, and this education’s not for yourself,” she said.

            Regardless of responses, Teitel feels he has no choice but to go forward and institute the new policy next fall. “We were told that no one would go back and worry about what happened in the past, meaning this semester, but going forward starting in September, we must meet the regulations,” Teitel said.