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The Dragon, Feb 20, 2015

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The Musical Review By Jason Strongin H alloween this past year marked the premiere of Trevor's rendition of Into the Woods, Sondheim's satirical medley of numerous fairy tales in one coherent storyline. With its poignant commentary on the ideals presented in classic fairy tales and a difficult but utterly enthralling musical score, Into the Woods posed a mighty challenge for the host of high schoolers charged with its rendering, but the amalgamation of seasoned performing arts veterans and fresh, wildly talented underclassmen were quite up to the task. The soaring vocals of the actors tackled the difficult musical score. Ashlie Louis's powerful belt and seamless ability to transfer between full voice and falsetto were on full display in her role as Cinderella. Her endearing performance was complemented nicely by her prince, Matt Mandel, whose unique blend of humor and heart was quite compelling. Mr. Mandel was also double cast as an ugly stepsister along with his fellow Prince, played by Roman Peña. Their enthusiasm in these roles did much justice to the satirical tone present throughout Sondheim's story. Furthermore, Theo Cooper's dynamic performance as the narrator, the big bad wolf, and the Baker's father, provided a comedic undercurrent for the show to operate around. He seamlessly T he Upper West Side is my home. I have always been involved in something in this neighborhood, and as I walk through parts of the park that used to be my backyard, it dawns on me that this neighborhood is my hometown. There's a reason why there's a divide between people who grew up downtown and those who grew up uptown: each neighborhood in New York City is like a small community in itself, and the combination of neighborhoods in the greatest city on Earth makes New York City a very diverse place, to say the least. The Upper West Side is officially known as "Manhattan CB 7", which merely means that the Manhattan Community Board 7 is responsible for the areas from Columbus Circle to Columbia University. The ironic part of "Senior Privileges" is that most seniors do not have enough free periods to fully take advantage of our freedom since we are taking on such rigorous course loads. Occasionally, when I am able to find a last period free, I do not have the impulse to go straight home. Trevor is lucky enough to be situated directly across the street from one of New York's greatest attractions, Central Park. Too often do I find myself walking along Columbus Avenue for a cup of coffee (Joe, Starbucks, or Momofuku) and then a walk through the park before I retire to my room for a long night of procrastination and heavy studying. After the schoolwide Andrew Goodman assembly, I found myself with half an hour before lunch started in the cafeteria and decided to go for a quick ten minute walk to process the events that had taken place in the Church of the Heavenly Rest earlier that day. This abbreviated stroll eventually turned into a long adventure into my past as I ventured ten blocks north to 96th Street. This is where I grew up. This is where I ran, scootered, dreamed, and played for the first ten years of my life, and I could still see myself walking home from Elementary school with my mom by the tennis courts and playing catch with my dad while making spinning catches pretending to be Derek Jeter. I could still see a hundred eight year olds lining up to sled down that seemingly terrifying hill when it snowed a little too much one year. I knew that these memories would always be waiting for me in years to come. As a senior and a lifer, moving to the new building on East 95th Street and 2nd Avenue seems like a threat to the memories I have made in the past fifteen years at Trevor. I will no longer be able to visit my old classrooms in the Elementary school, and the memories and experiences that I have had here on West 88th Street will never be the same. I am someone who has a very strong sense of place. I can visit places from my past and remember what it felt like when I was having those meaningful moments. They ground me and make me remember why I do what I do. No matter if you have attended Trevor for a year or fifteen, you've been graced by the beauty of the Upper West Side. I always thought it was beautiful when we were dismissed from fourth and fifth grade on 5th Avenue right outside of Engineer's Gate and I hope the future generations of students enjoy the grounds that so many people hold dear. 2nd Avenue is on the rise, and I hope that the Trevor community can bless this new building with the sense of home that I feel on the Upper West Side. The Upper West Side Is My Home By Matt Mandel February 20, 2015 Trevor Day School 1 West 88 Street, New York Vol XIV | Issue I Ferguson to New York Charlie Hebdo Netflix vs. Cable Confronting Prejudice New York's Best Running Routes Patrice's Toughest Questions INSIDE THIS ISSUE... Musical Review Trevor Basketball Alumni Interviews Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Trevor News World News Opinion Page 4 Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 7 Ferguson to New York The Stories of Two Men Whose Deaths Have Rocked Race Relations in America By Franny Condon Photo courtesy of Wikicommons O n Saturday, August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed eighteen-year old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri after Brown stole a pack of cigars from a local convenience store. A graduate of Normandy High School, Brown had played football and idolized artists like Soulja Boy and Young Jeezy, writing rap lyrics in his spare time, and, on the day of his death, was less than a week away from beginning his freshman year at Vatterott College, where he hoped to study engineering. With six bullets shot from a gun paid for by his own state, Michael Brown's future was stolen and replaced by a legacy that the citizens of Ferguson are fighting to have recognized. Peaceful protests of Brown's murder continued months after his death, in and outside the United States. Brown's murder was the final straw on the backs of Ferguson residents. Just under 70% of residents of the St. Louis are black, yet both the mayor and police chief are white, along with fifty of the fifty three in the local police force. In 2013, 93% of recorded arrests made by the Ferguson Police Department were of African Americans, despite the fact that the likelihood of contraband possession was 13% higher in stops of white individuals. Many Ferguson residents are reluctant to trust those who are supposed to protect them, a phenomenon that has been common in the United States for decades: in the early 2000s, a poll conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics revealed that only 38% of African Americans had confidence in their police force, and 74% believed that the police treated people unfairly based on race. During the first forty-eight hours of peaceful demonstration, local police officials outfitted themselves with riot gear and rifles, instilling terror and resentment into protesters. Violence erupted later that week when a group of angry residents looted a local QuikTrip, and law enforcement officials responded by indiscriminately unleashing tear gas and rubber bullets, even onto neutral parties whom they deemed suspicious. For the following two weeks, the national guard was present in Ferguson, bearing military grade gear and enforcing a curfew. Since then, there have been a multitude of reports that innocent or peaceful protesters are being unjustly harassed, and in some cases gravely injured. In retaliation, other protesters have begun to use live bullets Continued on page 2 Continued on page 4

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