June 2014 by The Chief Online

Feature

News

MHS enters the Twitterverse

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Massapequa High School 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758 mhsthechief@gmail.com

Arts

Summer movie premieres you won’t want to miss

A look at the rise of the #selfie

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The

Sports1

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Boys’ lacrosse, baseball teams reach counties

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Chief

Vol. 62 – No. 4

June 9, 2014 www.thechiefonline.com

Massapequa High School’s Chief Source of News

MASSAPEQUA PATCH

Moving Up? | The Advisory Task Force on Facilities grappled with issues of space and educational program with relocating sixth and ninth grade students.

District debate shifts from budget to declining enrollment BY NELSON GOMEZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Residents of the Massapequa School District voted to pass the district’s budget proposal for the 2013–2014 school year with a 72 percent approval. This year’s budget comes after several years of program cuts and uncertainty brought on by a property tax levy cap instituted by the state in June 2011. Exceeding this cap would require a supermajority, with 60 percent of voters approving the budget. In a mailing sent to Massapequa residents, the district stated that although the proposed budget would not exceed the tax levy cap, “all current programs and class size guidelines [will] remain intact” with no reductions in services. The Massapequa School District spends the ninth-least amount of money per student in Nassau County. “The average district

spends about 26,600 dollars per student; the median is 26,737 [dollars]. We spend about 3,500 dollars less per student less than the average district,” Deputy Superintendent Mr. Alan Adcock said. “We are running a very efficient school district.” While the district can propose a budget that exceeds the 2.12 percent cap, doing so would be highly difficult to pass due to a lack of public support: a budget requiring a supermajority has only passed three times in the past 40 years in Massapequa. A similar effort to reduce costs had been implemented last year, as the school district cut supplies and expenditures deemed unnecessary. However, declining enrollment has also reduced the amount of educators and supplies needed to operate. Lower enrollment at the elementary level has made it such that

moving sixth grade classes to Berner Middle School could be considered by the task force. District administration, educators and residents have thus debated whether to close schools or move the sixth and ninth grades to Berner and Massapequa High School, respectively. The Board of Education opted to organize the Advisory Task Force on Facilities to help determine the best course of action. The task force recommended that ninth grade students be moved around the 2021–2022 school year. Superintendent of Schools Mrs. Lucille Iconis, however, advised that the task force continue to research the matter. “[This committee] needs more answers and they need more time,” Mrs. Iconis said. Parents were largely concerned about the move of sixth graders in particular due

to fears of an unfamiliar social environment and a more crowded building affecting the quality of education that sixth graders would receive. The risk of bullying and introduction to harmful social activities were also discussed, as well as the idea that the current sixth grade curriculum would be compromised by such a move. “Research now will tell us what could happen in five years, what’s going to happen in ten years,” Massapequa resident Eileen Tumminello said. “I just don’t see how moving the sixth grade into an already crowded school is going to help anything down the line.” Educators, however, believe that moving sixth graders to the middle school would ultimately provide a higher quality education for students, while offering additional resources such as a dedicated staff that would meet with

sixth graders regularly, accelerated classes, language classes and dozens of clubs. “As a district, and as a community, we owe it to our sixth grade students to put them in a situation where they can learn best,” Birch Lane sixth grade educator Mr. Brian Mulcahy said. “Every sixth grade in this district has different numbers. We don’t give the same experiences for each student.” The Board of Education did not accept the task force’s recommendation at this time, and no further action will be taken by the current board. “What the board chooses to do in the future is really up to the board,” Mrs. Iconis said. Hopefully members of the Massapequa community will soon be able to walk away with more answers than questions.

THE CHIEF NEWS Three Massapequa educators to retire at end of school year

JUN 9, 2014

BY BRANDAN LAWRENCE & KATIE LUCEY MANAGING EDITOR & STAFF WRITER

KALLEIGH REGAN // THE CHIEF

Mrs. Friedman retires With the conclusion of the 2013-2014 school year, Massapequa High School will be saying goodbye to special education teacher Mrs. Kathleen Friedman. For more than thirty years as a teacher, Mrs. Friedman’s sweet, giving personality made her both a talented and beloved educator. Mrs. Friedman realized her dream of being a special education teacher while working at a publishing company. “... One of my assignments was to assist an outside job coach who brought developmentally disabled high school students to my place of business,” said Friedman. “The gratification I felt when working... with these young people helped me discover my

passion for teaching.” When asked if she had any advice for any hopeful future teachers, Mrs. Friedman offered some wisdom. “I would tell them to get to know their students, their likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses,” said Friedman, “When students see that you care, they begin to care.” On what she will miss after retiring from teaching, Mrs. Friedman said, “I will miss my students and the energy and excitement of working with young people... [and] my colleagues as well.” Mrs. Friedman’s years at Massapequa High School— along with her many contributions — will be forever remembered by her students.

Ms. Hawkins retiring after over 30 years Massapequa High School is saying goodbye to one of its most popular teachers, Ms. Lois Hawkins, at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Ms. Hawkins’ unique, interactive teaching style made all of her classes memorable for all of her students. Her passion for her career was a driving force in the great success that she achieved in the more than thirty years that she spent as an educator. “I couldn’t believe that there was a job that paid people to talk, read and perform,” said Ms. Hawkins, “all the stuff I loved to do anyway.” When asked what she would miss most after retirement, Ms. Hawkins made it clear that she would miss one thing more than anything else

This year, MHS will also be saying goodbye to Special Education teacher Mrs. Isabelle Stanulis, Special Education teaching assistant Mrs. Patricia Rosenbloom, and

Custodians Sid Tabone, and Tom Mazza. These staff members will certainly be remembered for their dedicated years to the Massapequa students and staff. The Chief wishes them happiness and health in the future.

Patricia Rosenbloom

This article was contributed to by Tim Keuchler and Jackie Angelo.

Tom Mazza

Sid Tabone

Massapequa High School experiments with Twitter news feed BY NICHOLAS PETRILLO STAFF WRITER

Many people in our community, including MHS students, teachers, and now the school itself, use Twitter as a reliable source of information, as MHS now has a new Twitter account. Principal Dr. Barbara Williams explained that the MHS Twitter account is used to “post information for students to use on deadlines, building emergencies and news.” @MHSMassapequa is used strictly as “an information highway for the students to access at any appropriate time they want to.” Twitter was the obvious choice for the school to use in terms of social media contact

because of its high usage by teenagers and young adults. “It is my job to know what kids are doing in the school in terms of how they communicate with one another,” Dr. Williams said, “and if I need to contact my students, I should use the best means of communication possible.” During its initial implementation, the account was unable to be used by students due to Twitter being blocked on school networks. However, the school was undergoing some Wi-Fi security changes, causing many websites that students have used in the past to be blocked from the network. This angered many students because on April 25th,

the @MHSMassapequa account was was announced as an “up and running tool for students to access” and yet the in-school Wi-Fi wasn’t allowing students to access Twitter and other social media accounts in the prior weeks. Mr. Robert Schilling, Executive Director of Assessment, Student Data and Technologies Services, explained that the major blockage occurred in the weeks prior to the “filter tool change” created to help protect the server firewall in a more efficient way. “The issues are only temporary and once the district finishes reconfiguring the network, these issues will subside in the coming weeks,” Mr. Schilling said.

Dr. Williams and Mr. Schilling, however, were adamant on Twitter being the only social media site that the MHS Wi-Fi will allow. “Students need to be comfortable with the technology they use in order to get in touch with us, and we want all of the students here at MHS to use the most efficient tools possible,” Mr. Schilling explained. “The more sites we allow students to access, the less efficient the network’s bandwidth will be.” This means that the use of websites and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Kik and Vine will not be permitted by the school network. “Any websites of educa-

BRANDAN LAWRENCE // THE CHIEF

COPY EDITOR

Ms. Hawkins talked about her interaction with her students. She also loved to “[open] students to the great aspects of history and psychology,” as well as “encourage kids to question everything!” Part of what makes Ms. Hawkins such an incredible teacher is her incredibly vast, worldly knowledge. Her travels to places such as Zambia and Turkey allowed her to put a personal spin on her lessons as a world history teacher. Lois Hawkins has made a lasting impact on the Massapequa High School Community, and after her retirement she will certainly do the same wherever she goes.

PROVIDED BY MIRA FARKAS

BY JEFFREY HOROWITZ

BRANDAN LAWRENCE // THE CHIEF

Also retiring...

— her students. “Students today have so much more confidence — they are not intimidated and are willing to defend their positions,” said Hawkins. “It took me years to reach that level.” Ms. Hawkins also had some advice for any aspiring teachers, saying, “Make sure you love the subject you’ll be teaching.” Ms. Hawkins also stressed the importance of “[letting] your students push themselves.” Ms. Hawkins was able to make any topic interesting and memorable — whether through fact-filled side stories or her own hilarious comments — while keeping the full attention of her students. When asked what she enjoyed most about her career,

tional value that have been blocked can be unblocked if approved by administration,” Dr. Williams explained. “However, for the record we are a very liberal school district in the sense that we allow our students to utilize many sources... these sites hold educational value and if monitored properly, we can keep the local internet safe for the students.” @MHSMassapequa is now fully functionally and has gained many student followers. As time goes on, the school district may upgrade what it uses to keep in contact with students but as of now, @ MHSMassapequa and Twitter are here for the long haul.

EDITORIAL

JUN 9, 2014

THE CHIEF

EDITORIAL

Pressure for perfection in women simply artificial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nelson Gomez MANAGING EDITOR Brandan Lawrence COPY EDITORS Jill Hand Jeff Horowitz PHOTO EDITOR Kalleigh Regan EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Vincent Coghill Timothy Keuchler ADVISOR Elyn Coyle Outgoing Senior Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meghana Rao ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Matt Colozzo COPY EDITORS Katie Cresser Joe Fiola ONLINE SPORTS MANAGER Anthony Romano Massapequa High School 4925 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758

Editorial Policy

Distribution: 1,700 copies 1,859 students, 194 teachers All papers are free

attempt to cover blemishes or imperfections. They’ll have a simple tee-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts that were haphazardly thrown on with record speed. Maybe that’s a bit of a generalization, but let’s face it, girls primp more than guys. “I just feel that girls have to live up to this ultimate figure,” senior Megan Byrne said. “It’s not necessarily for guys, but more or less to impress the other girls. It’s like it’s a competition.” So why is it that females see the need to strive for physical perfection while males can get by with little to no effort? Certainly this idea has more to do with the differing nature of the sexes due to the drastic differences seen in males and females. It doesn’t seem to have much to do with age, as it is prevalent in groups of varying ages, from pre-teens to senior citizens. This aesthetic fixation seems to be pointless, and without reason; even a biological analysis doesn’t provide a full explanation. That is because there is nothing natural about this bizarre, unequal idea of beauty that exists in our world. The blame for this phe-

nomena often gets pinned on the female sex, with countless uttering of “girls will be girls” covering up a much uglier reality. The fact is that society puts an inexorable burden on females to be “perfect.” It starts from the very first dolls, movies, televisions shows; they all create a false idea inside of the minds of young girls everywhere that beauty is a limited and regulated thing: that it follows strict guidelines, that it lives exclusively in the fast lane and slows down for no one, and most horrifically, despicably, and unacceptably, that if they do not meet the expectations set forth by Vogue and Cosmopolitan, or Nickelodeon and Disney, they are not beautiful. The problem lies with society’s definition of what beauty is. The problem is that society defines beauty — something that by nature cannot be defined. What is crucial to recognize is the illegitimate, unmerited, and simply unfair position that girls and women throughout the world are put in on a daily basis. Girls, for instance, are often pressured to conform to arbitrary standards of attire and behavior. It’s for this reason

that a false rumor that MHS would be banning leggings became so widespread, and unfortunately, it was not a very far-fetched idea. It is a momentous, powerful type of evil illusion— but that’s all it is, an illusion. Every ounce of its power can be taken away by the simple realization that the fallacies that have been created to sell movies and perfumes that have become so much more to society are nothing more than illustrated ideals that hold no real value. Women and men alike have thus voiced their criticisms with increasing volume. Notably, #YesAllWomen trended on Twitter following the UCSB shooting, revealing the vast extent of mysogyny and sexism that has been prevalent in our society. As soon as beauty no longer has a definition, the issue at hand will be nonexistent. Though people will still dress differently and there will be people who prefer certain looks to other, there will be one distinct difference. People will be able to simply appreciate the beauty of others, without jealousy or envy, but more importantly, the beauty of themselves.

AL SEIB // MCT CAMPUS

The Chief, the student newspaper of Massapequa High School, is an open forum to discuss the student body’s issues and concerns. Members of The Chief will make every effort to publish following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. Consistent with the first amendment of the United States Constitution, the staff also will refrain from printing material that may incite students, be a violation of MHS’ Student Code of Conduct or disrupt school operations. The editorial board of The Chief welcomes and encourages submitted letters, stories, cartoons and any other feedback to the editor. Please send all submissions to mhsthechief@gmail.com. Letters sent by email may need to be verified by student signature before publishing. • Although anonymous letters to the editor are not printed, names will be held upon request. The Chief has the right to deny publication of any editorial, column, review or comment. • Grammatical and/or spelling corrections will be made; however, the content will not be altered. • Corrections will be printed when mistakes are found or brought to the attention of the staff. • Original stories will carry bylines, although stories rewritten by someone other than the original author will not receive a byline. Contributing writers will be listed at the end of an article. All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work. • All columns, reviews or commentary are strictly the opinion of the writer and may not represent opinions held by the school board, administration, sponsors, parents, student body or advertisers. However, all editorials reflect the viewpoint of The Chief editorial board.

It is easy to joke about and laugh at aspects of life that seem universally funny and understandable: endless lines at the movies, poor quality food in an airplane, entrapment by countless rows of traffic, you name it. Yet, these everyday observations that are often exploited by stand-up comedians and sitcom writers — such as a husband waiting impatiently as his wife takes an eternity to prepare for a night out — may reveal more about our society than one would like to think. Take a look at any run-ofthe-mill high school girl, and then do the same to an average adolescent male. Aside from the blatantly obvious physical differences that these two specimens have, you will begin to find more and more of a divide between the sexes. The female will more than likely have painstakingly positioned every hair to its ideal location, painted a masterful array of cosmetics onto her face with the skill of a renaissance artist, and picked out an outfit coordinated with the finesse of a culinary master preparing a banquet fit for royalty. With men, however, you would be hard-pressed to find a combed piece of hair, and even less likely to spot any

“Feminists are the Majority” | Jay Leno and members of the Feminist Majority Foundation boycott the Beverly Hills Hotel.

COMMENTARY

Objectification of women: why women are viewed in parts BY JILL HAND COPY EDITOR

In this day and age, the influence of the media is inescapable: between magazines, music, movies, videogames, and television, the portrayal of women has intensified, but not always in a positive way. The objectification of women has been a recurring problem that is increasingly getting worse. The media has been able to fill the gap and provide more equal opportunities for women to showcase their talents — but is it really worth it? Through the assistance of media, society has created a false image of women. Ba-

sically, objectification means that women are viewed as “things,” and are looked at in pieces rather than a whole. Every day, advertisements in society are exploiting women in order to sell merchandise, making it seem that it is okay for women to be seen in parts, consequently making women feel materialized and insecure. “I definitely think girls feel pressured to live up to the ideal image that media is capitalizing upon because society thinks the only way to be pretty is to look like a model,” junior Olivia Geraghty said. Despite the negative views of women in society, psychologists have developed new re-

search that states that men and women are biologically wired to view women in parts rather than as a whole, therefore making them more susceptible to degradation, while the human brain views men as a whole. Researchers at the University of Nebraska conducted an experiment to illustrate that more women are being objectified than men. When viewing images of women, the participants recognized individual parts more easily than when they were viewing pictures of men zoomed in. However, it was the opposite when the picture was zoomed out: the partici-

pants noticed men more holistically, but had a harder time detecting the women when they were not zoomed in. “People were better at discerning women’s individual body parts than they were at men’s individual body parts, further confirming the local processing, or objectification, that was happening,” Sarah Gervais, study author and psychologist at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, said. Nonetheless, the results remain the same. The media is worsening the problem, and girls are feeling extremely threatened by being viewed by their physical appearance rather than their minds.

JUN 9, 2014

POINT/COUNTERPOINT [IM

THE CHIEF

EED

BRANDAN LAWRENCE // THE CHIEF

ED]

Learning Aid | Students, parents, and educators have debated the merits of integrating cell phones — traditionally thought of as a distraction — in lessons.

POINT

Modern classrooms need modern technology, including phones BY BRANDAN LAWRENCE MANAGING EDITOR

Ever y si ngle d ay, the power, ease, and accessibility of technology increases at an exponential rate. With this modern technology readily available, new and innovative uses for it expand as well. Although technology does not play a significant role in the traditional classroom setting, it now holds many new possibilities for students and teachers. One of the most powerful and underutilized technologies is already at the fingertips of

most high school students — the cell phone. Because just about every student has a cell phone, their use by teachers could open a new frontier in the educational world. Now, it is easy to see why many are opposed to the introduction of cell phones into classrooms, and why many school districts have already banned their use in schools: they can be noisy, distracting objects used to cheat and bully. Yet, this all simply depends on how they are used. At this point in time, cell phones have become too large

a part of youth culture to simply try to ban their use. For each generation that enters the world, more and more of them have and use cell phones; this will only lead students to use their cell phones inappropriately, and will greatly harm the learning environment. If st udents are taught to use this technology in a constructive manner very early on in their education, the entire idea of cell phone use could potentially change. According to Scholastic.com, the cell phone’s ability to instantly retrieve, create, and share

information make it a perfect classroom tool. Phones can be used in group projects to keep all members in communication, to research any topic, and to keep track of the group’s progress. “There are many practical uses for the cell phone in school,” AP chemistry teacher Dr. Paul Hesleitner said. “For example, they can be used for quick response quizzes in class or to look up information.” A teacher can also use cellphones for class activities: they have the potential to be used for remotes in quick-

response games, dictionaries for when the class comes across a tricky word, or the ultimate e n c yclo p e d i a fo r f u t u r e independent research on any topic. Wit h more i ncred ible technological achievements being reached every day, the possible classroom applications for cell phones and other technologies are truly infinite. While there are still many that oppose the use of cell phones in a classroom setting, furthering their use will serve to prove their potential and silence their critics.

CELM MURRAY // MCT CAMPUS

Distracted Learning | Students at a high school in Pennsylvania use their cell phones to take pictures of Vice President Joe Biden during a Q&A session.

COUNTERPOINT

Cell phones just another distraction for MHS students BY JEFFREY HOROWITZ COPY EDITOR

At the annual spring “Repetition of Rules” assembly, MHS students were told to keep cell phones off and away or they would be taken away. Cell phone usage in classes seems to be at an all time high, with uses ranging from playing a game to checking Twitter or Facebook. The good news is that we are all very well connected with each other, but at the cost of our own education. One isn’t paying attention to his or her teacher or work when playing around with his or her phone. “Cell phones serve as an immense distraction

that impedes the learning process rather than serve or help it,” social studies teacher Ms. Robbins said. Students are not only distracted by the use of their phones, but they further miss out on their classes by taking large measures to conceal them from their teachers. They miss out on their classes and get in trouble all for some insignificant application, text message or Snapchat from a friend. There are many resources, such as the textbook, that contain the most relevant information, or the many small laptops that the school owns. It is unnecessary to waste the space on your

data plan to use your phone to lookup information for a class when the school offers

“

Cell phones serve as an immense distraction that impedes the learning process rather than serve or help it.

”

so many free alternatives. From a safety standpoint, it’s technically not necessary to even have phones in school. Though some may say that the phone is with them just in case they have to con-

tact a parent, they seem to forget that the school has their emergency contact list and many phones to make calls on. There’s even a payphone at MHS for emergencies. What is the sense in risking getting in trouble to contact someone important when the option of using a school owned phone is on the table? There’s also a social nuisance to having to compete with an inanimate object for attention from someone. People are buried in their phones, and those phones are glued to their hands, creating a recipe for ignorance. It’s also not unheard of that someone may have walked into a table or an open locker while

buried in his or her phone. It’s not only a nuisance to compete with a phone for someone’s attention, but it is a sign of disrespect from a fellow classmate. It’s always comforting to see that you’re slightly less important than some text message or a high score on 2048. In the end, people always on their phones miss out on the small details that make life so interesting. Some don’t understand what is so interesting about a text message. Go ahead, keep yourself buried in your phone, but you’re the one missing out (but you’re definitely not missing out on that huge data plan bill).

FEATURE

JUN 9, 2014

THE CHIEF

KALLEIGH REGAN // THE CHIEF

“But First...” | Spanish teacher Mr. Ernest Kabelka takes a selfie. Selfies have become an increasingly dominant part of pop culture thanks to social networking.

Selfie game strong: the rise of the infamous self-portrait BY TIMOTHY KEUCHLER EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

fie!

But first; let me take a sel-

Over the past two years, the “selfie” has become both one of the world’s hottest trends and most controversial topics — it was even added to Oxford’s Online English Dictionary in August 2013 and later became the website’s word of the year. A “selfie,” by definition, is a photograph that a person takes of him or her self, which is usually taken on a smartphone or webcam then uploaded on to social media. The word has evolved from just a simple social media tag to common term having to do with self-portrait photography, according to BBC News UK.

The term is usually affiliated with an accompanying “hashtag,” which is a word/ phrase following a hash or pound sign functioning to identify messages on a specific topic on social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Many students have also gotten involved in the selfie trend. “Selfies can definitely boost anyone’s self confidence by the amount of likes and comments they get,” sophomore Shannon Mattiolo said. For those not familiar with the trend, it may be more mainstream than it seems. At the 2014 Oscar Awards, host Ellen DeGeneres broke the record on Twitter for the most retweeted tweet with over 3.4 million after she posted a sel-

fie featuring various A-List actors, including Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, with the caption “If only Brad’s arm was longer. Best photo ever #Oscars.” The photo was seen by 43 million people watching the live broadcast while the tweet itself was seen by 37 million, according to NBC News. Along with many other famous celebrities, the president of the United States Barack Obama and Pope Francis have also hopped on the selfie bandwagon taking photos of their own. “I would take a selfie if I had a phone I could take one with,” Dean of Students Mr. Patrick Howard said. Outside of Twitter, there

are other aspects of popular culture in which selfies are prominent. On Instagram, an app that allows you to post photos and videos for the world to see, the hashtags “Selfie” and “Selfie Sunday” each have a total of 113.9 million and 8.4 million photos pertaining to them respectively. In addition, in January, the EDM duo The Chainsmokers released a song titled “#SELFIE” consisting of spoken word verses following a girl’s struggles at a club when determining which selfie to post to her Instagram account. The song peaked at number sixteen after over ten weeks on the chart, according to Billboard.com. As popular as the trend is, still, some remain opposed to the selfie.

“I think selfies are silly,” Spanish teacher Mr. Ernest Kabelka said. “Why do people need to take a picture of themselves with a duckface? I’d rather see what the person is doing.” Regardless of whether people love or hate the selfie, they have proven to be a prominent part of pop culture over the past couple years and it looks like they are here stay. “I think like anything else, [selfies] can be a cool way to memorialize a moment,” Principal Dr. Barbara Williams said, “but you have to be careful with them and responsible for who they are shared with and where they are posted.”

Summer movie season gearing up: five film premieres to watch BY JEFFREY HOROWITZ COPY EDITOR

June 27 Transformers: Age of Extinction The story may be horrendous, and Shia LaBeouf may have left the franchise, but in his stead is Mark Wahlberg, who plays an automobile mechanic who will somehow get involved with the Autobots and Decepticons. Expect plenty of explosions.

July 25 Hercules Greek demigod Hercules is portrayed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who, after suffering through his twelve labors, must now train King Thrace’s army to become the greatest army of all time. It is directed by Brett Ratner, who also directed X-Men: The Last Stand.

Photos courtesy of official individual movie websites

August 1 Guardians of the Galaxy It is in the same movie universe as The Avengers and is part of Phase 2 of the Marvel Movies setting up for the second Avengers movie. Chris Pratt plays lead Peter Quill, an American pilot who, in the far reaches of space, finds himself being hunted by Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) after stealing a special orb.

August 8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Another reboot after the 2007 flop TMNT, this movie has Megan Fox playing reporter April O’Neil. The turtles are some kind of computer generated imagery (CGI) and from the trailer, they looked very cool. With Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, Johnny Knoxville as Leonardo and Jeremy Howard as Donatello.

August 15 The Giver Based on Lois Lowry’s book, this film has Jeff Bridges playing the title role. Brenton Thwaites plays Jonas, chosen to be his community’s receiver of memories, entering training with the Giver. It is in black and white, as this adds to the plot.

JUN 9, 2014

THE CHIEF

JUN 9, 2014

THE CHIEF

SPORTS

JUN 9, 2014

THE CHIEF

ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY

Chief Champions | The Massapequa boys’ lacrosse, boys’ tennis, and baseball teams reached the county playoffs; lacrosse won the Long Island championship.

Massapequa becomes chief producer of playoff teams BY VINCENT COGHILL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Massapequa contracted playoff fever this season, sending four teams to the playoffs, two to the county championships and at least one to the state finals.

Boys’ Lacrosse:

Team takes Long Island Championship. In the state semifinal at Hofstra University, the Chiefs came out firing on all cylinders, scoring seven first quarter goals en route to a 23-9 victory over Niskayuna. The win landed Massapequa a spot in the state final for the first time ever, as the Chiefs will take on third-seeded Fayetteville-Manlius from the Syracuse area. The team seemed to have the Nassau County championship won from the beginning. The Chiefs finished 13-2 overall and went undefeated (10 -0) in conference play. Syosset proved to be a more difficult game to decide the Nassau County Champion. Massapequa was only up by three at the start of the fourth

quarter, but that all changed very quickly. The Chiefs scored four straight goals in the fourth quarter, widening the lead to seven. Massapequa and Syosset each scored one more goal late in the fourth, ending with a final score of 15-8. Senior Ian Kirby and junior Paul Dilena scored a combined eight goals and each had an assist, helping send their team to the Long Island Championship. Massapequa played one of the toughest opponents throughout their season in Smithtown East. Both teams stood evenly matched, scoring five goals in the first quarter and three goals in the second. Massapequa gained a two goal lead to end the third quarter, but soon lost the lead in the fourth. That all changed with 4:39 left on the clock as junior Griffin Barnathan took it upon himself to score the winning goal. With a score of 13-12, Massapequa won its first Long Island Class A Championship and advanced to the state semifinals against Niskayuna. The team will play its state

championship game on June 7 at 11am at Hofstra University.

Baseball:

Team Advances to AA Long Island Championship Chiefs baseball was not seen as the strongest team in the AA conference in the beginning of the year. However, Massapequa entered the playoffs with a regular season conference record of 9-4-1. The Chiefs defeated Herricks 11-0 in the first round of the playoffs and beat Hicksville in the quarterfinals and East Meadow in the semifinals, advancing to the Nassau County Championship. At SUNY Farmingdale, MHS’ baseball team banged out a 5-3 victory over Oceanside in the Nassau County AA Championships. The Chiefs took a quick and commanding three run lead in the third inning, with RBIs from Matt Diesel and Nick Garland, but that quickly changed. Oceanside scored two runs from player Kyle Martin’s single, cutting the lead to one. With two more RBIs from Nick Garland and Bobby

Honeyman and a run scored for Oceanside, the bottom of the seventh was set up with the Chiefs leading 5-3 featuring closer Zach Zimardo on the mound. With two outs and men on second and third, Oceanside hit a shot to deep left-center, which would have easily scored two more runs tying the game if not for Phil Michel’s reaching catch to end the game. Massapequa advances to the AA Long Island Championship, which they have not won since 2009.

Boys’ Tennis:

Players represent Massapequa in County Championship

Boys’ tennis also made their first playoff appearance since 2012. The team won their last six games, propelling them to the third seed. Their playoff run was cut short by Garden City in the first round though, with a loss of 5-2. However, the team did send five players to the county championship. Senior Andrew Bentz and junior Nasser Ghaffar came out on top, claiming

third place and a spot in the New York State Tournament at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing, Queens after beating Garden City in three sets. “Playing on Louis Armstrong was like a dream come true,” junior Nasser Ghaffar said. “It just felt unreal to be playing a match on the court where history has been made and my favorite pros have played on. Hopefully I will be back next year for the state tournament.” The doubles team of Nasser Ghaffar and Andrew Bentz went all the way to the semifinals of the consolation bracket. Massapequa remains a dominant force in the realm of sports, bringing home multiple conference, county, Long Island, and state championships, and although many seniors who helped make this possible are leaving, the Chiefs must welcome the new student athletes who look to uphold Massapequa’s legacy for the coming years.

Baseball general managers fail to learn from PED scandal BY KATIE CRESSER COPY EDITOR

For many baseball fans, the mere mention of the 2013 Biogenesis scandal leaves a sour taste in their mouth. The Miami-based clinic was found to have sold performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to 14 MLB players, including superstars Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun. While these suspensions serve as a reminder that baseball still has a far way to go in regards to weeding out PEDs, it also reveals a more alarming pattern. Many players who have been reprimanded for PED

use have served their time and returned to earn multi-million dollar contracts, causing many around the game to question the effectiveness of the punishment doled out by the league. Braun returned for the 2014 season after serving a 65 game suspension and is set to receive 45 million dollars as part of the long term deal he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. When Rodriguez returns next season, he will receive 25 million dollars as part of the ten year deal he signed with the New York Yankees in 2007. Nelson Cruz, an outfielder

for the Texas Rangers, accepted a season ending 50 game suspension for PED use in 2013. During the offseason, Cruz rejected the Rangers’ 14 million dollar qualifying offer to sign for one year and an eight-million-dollar contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta served a 50 game suspension for his involvement in Biogenesis before he became a free agent at the end of the 2013 season. He did not receive a qualifying offer from the Tigers but eventually signed a four-year, 53-million-dollar contract

with the St. Louis Cardinals. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brad Zeigler was outraged that players who had been convicted of using PEDs could receive this compensation. While the players did lose the pay they would have earned for the fifty games they missed, that money is minuscule when compared to the payday the players received after they served their suspensions. If the MLB wants to escape the shadow of the Steroid Era, then it must take firm action with those convicted of PED use. However, this

responsibility does not rest solely on the shoulders of the Commissioner. General Managers must make a concerted effort to not encourage the use of PEDs through large contracts with players returning from suspension. The use of steroids in baseball, or any sport, only serves to cheapen the game and cheat the fans and clean players. By offering contracts such as those signed by Cruz and Peralta, general managers are facilitating PED use and harming the game, much in the same way that players who utilize the drugs do.