Shevuon, February 10, 2012

Recently, the Gann community has been fortunate enough to

grow and welcome a brand new librarian, JodiLyn Solomon, or Jodi, as she prefers. Solomon is thrilled to be back in a Jewish educational setting. With her warm personality, she looks to work towards her lofty goals for the school library.

Fresh off of a stint in the Cleve-land Public School system, Solomon was eager for the opportunity to work at Gann. Although she “was not looking to leave” Cleveland, many of her friends from her alma mater, Brandeis, told her about “this great job at a Jewish high school.” After a rough summer, Solomon and her partner began talking about a change of scenery. Following a phone conversation and a day full of interviews, Solomon and her family were Boston-bound. “It was really fate,” explains Solomon, that she has “such a great opportunity.” The “magical” community living at 333 Forest Street drew in our new librarian, and, only a few months into the job, she is sure she made the right choice.

Since arriving at Gann, Solo-mon has been thankful for how “welcoming and supportive”

the faculty and students have been. Having just left the pub-lic school system, Solomon is especially thankful to be in an environment where “everyone is focused on the task at hand, being to lead each member of the community down his or her

educational path.” She loves how “respectful” and “kind” the students have been, whether it is when “asking them to turn the volume down” or commu-nication with them in general. Solomon also praised her new colleagues for being “open and willing to share their needs with her,” which she sees as essential for collaboration.

Another aspect of Gann that attracted her was the Jewish one. Having started her profes-sional career at Brandeis, and then moving on to establish the library at a Cleveland Jewish high school, Solomon loves to work in a Jewish setting. She is appreciative of the way Gann

has received her, and is de-lighted “to be back in a Jewish environment and working with the Jewish materials again.” Although impressed by the “higher level [of study] across the board,” Solomon loves to see “how in depth [students]

get with Jewish studies.” Happy in a critically thinking, Jewish school, Solomon still states that “the thing [she loves] about being a school librarian is that [I] get to do ev-erything.”

While you or I might think a librarian simply

shelves books and tells kids to be quiet, this librarian has taken on much more interesting tasks. Recently, for example, Solomon has been in contact with HBO, requesting a documentary prior to its public release. This job came from open collabora-tion with a teacher looking to improve his class, while also playing into one of Solomon’s over-arching objectives for Gann, expanding the pool of research and information avail-able to both students and faculty alike.

While Gann can boast its own collection of books, it simply cannot rival the libraries of local w o r l d -

In Here• Students take the sec-

ond annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

• First semester grades are released on NetClass-room.

• The Winter sports season wraps up as the Athletic Department prepares for the Spring season to begin.

• Gann celebrates Tu B’shvat with a dress down day and free food sponsored by the Envi-ronment Club.

Out There• President Obama orders

sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran in an effort to deter Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.

• The 9th US Court of Ap-peals rules that the Cali-fornia State Legislature’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, is unconstitutional.

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ignores appeals from world leaders stop the crackdown on pro-testers, despite over 200 civilian casualties over in Homs on Thursday.

• The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves planstobuildthefirstnew nuclear power plant in over 30 years.

Saying Goodbye to GannSeniorTylerCrane reflectsonhis timeatGannand how sad he will be when he has to leave.

Wash Those Hands!The infamous gastrointestinal virus is still circulat-ing Gann Academy with symptoms including vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.

Shevuon Hat chon שבועון התיכוןFriday,February10th,2012• י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב •Shabbat:4:52-6:23•Volume14,Issue23

Page 3 Page 6

Gann Academy welcomes the new librarian, JodiLyn Solomon.

New Face in the CrowdBy Jonah KrigerSpotlight

Credit:AliciaZolondick

continued on page 6

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 2

When one thinks of Parshat Yitro, one tends to think only of the giving of the Ten Commandments. However, the Aseret HaDibrot was not the only important event of the parsha. Yitro also comes to Moses and creates the judicial system–a panel of judges to delegate responsibilities. Ad-ditionally, when the Israelites go to Mount Sinai, G-d declares that the Israelites are his treasured nation.

Am segula, “chosen nation”, is a hotly debated concept, especially in junior year

Tanakh classes. Are the Israelites the only treasured people or is every nation differ-entforitsspecificgod?Debatably,we,theJews, are the chosen people for our G-d.

Being the chosen ones puts great re-sponsibility on the Jews to please G-d. Fur-thermore, this responsibility comes with the reassurance that since we are pleasing G-d, He will protect us. Although there have been horrible things that have hap-pened to the Jews, some argue that G-d has never let us down. The Jews have survived

through numerous wars and great losses. Despite these tragic casualties, G-d has never left our side. With our faith in G-d, we have prospered.

Being G-d’s treasured nation has been our past and will be our future, but most importantly, it is our present. With His help, we will continue to succeed and survive in this world. We will live in peace and prac-tice our beliefs safely. Parshat Yitro teaches us that if we are dedicated to our faith and responsibilities to G-d, we will never fail.

Parshat YitroBy Briana Levin and Sarah Levine D’var Torah

This past Sunday, all eyes were fixedon the television screen (and for a lucky few, on the actual field), as the majorityof the Gann community joined the rest of America in watching the ultimate football competition–the Super Bowl.

But for the advertising community, the Super Bowl provides the setting for anothermajorcompetition:thebestcommercial. With an estimated 111 million fans watching this year’s game, making it the most watched television event in American his-tory, the Super Bowl was the ideal vehicle to debut fresh new ads that might one day be recalled as “clas-sics”. To duke it out in front of all of the viewers of Sunday’s big game, companiespaidanaverageof$3.5million dollars for a thirty second spot on national television. This year more then ever, nearly half of the ads were previewed online in the week leading up to the game, leaving very few surprises for the viewers.

The Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University, which has been analyzing Super Bowl ads for many years, noted that this year, the ads sold out early and, of course, at a very high price. Fur-thermore, advertisers utilized diverse mar-keting techniques including social media, public relations and promotions to build up pre-game excitement.

In a survey of Gann students, favor-ite commercials included the animated M&M’s ad, the sling baby Doritos ad, the Bud Light WeGo rescue dog ad and the Skechers’ ad starring Mr. Quiggly. All of these ads received high grades from the Kellogg review, which also found favor

with the Honda CRV ad that utilized aFerris Bueller theme and said movie’s star, Matthew Broderick. It may be that this par-ticular ad did not rank high among Gann students because it was more relevant to an older age demographic that was familiar withthemovie,whichwasfirstreleasedin1986.

According to Stephanie Mathis, brand manager for Dove Hair Products (Unile-ver), “The most effective ads make youstop what you’re doing by grabbing your

attention by using a celebrity, humor, ani-mals, kids or animation.” Mathis notes that many of this year’s advertisers portrayed theircommercialsasfilmsthattoldstoriesin order to hold the focus of the viewers. However, Mathis cautions that advertisers have to be attentive and keep the ultimate

focus of the ad on the product and not the story. Otherwise, people may remember the stories and not the specificbrands. In thecaseofthe numerous car ads featuring celebrities such as Clint Eastwood and Jerry Seinfeld, people may remember the stars and the stories, but may have difficulty recallingwhich car brand went with which celebrity.

To play it safe, some advertis-ers have elected to use the same branding techniques year after year or in a variety of ads for the same

product. For example, the E-Trade baby has been consistently used over several years. Additionally, this year, Coca Cola used the classic polar bear in a number of different ads. The commercials of both of these companies were quite effective and popular with Gann students. Although other ads garnered higher ratings, at least neither the Coke ad nor the E-Trade ad evoked negative comments or controversy.

Sunday’s Other GameBy Abby SchwartzStudent Lounge

Actor Matthew Broderick stars in a Honda commercial, based on his classic movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Credit:Honda

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 3

לאןברחהתהליך?מאת:איילתפינוליס

עיברית

While this winter has hardly been the typical winter, we should not lull ourselves intoafalsesenseofsecuritythatfluseasonhas taken the year off. This season, a gas-trointestinal virus has been going around both Massachusetts and Gann Academy. As of Tuesday, six people had been sent home from school after having contracted the virus since it first appeared at Gannthree weeks ago. School nurse Michelle Cavallaro tried to warn us, sending emails to Gann Academy News, saying, “The Boston Public Health Commission has sent out amemoabout aGastrointestinal (GI)illness in the Boston area.”

LihiZaks,asophomorewhocamedownwith the virus, says, “I was aware previ-ously that this virus was spreading and made sure not to share food and drink with others.” Dan Gray, another sophomore, says,“Thehorrificeffectsofthevirushave

completely changed my daily life. I wash my hands more, I watch out for people who have any symptoms of the contagion, and [I] avoid them.” Hand washing is always a good idea, but for some, good hygiene wasn’t enough to keep them from getting the virus. Sophomore Sarah Katz says, “I took all the precautionary measures against getting the virus, but funny I should open this email now because I just started throw-ing up like 10 minutes ago.”

According to Cavallaro, the symptoms include “moderate to severe nausea, ab-dominal cramping, vomiting or diarrhea.” Zaks says, “I experienced a squeezingpain in my stomach throughout the night and vomited.” Katz explained her own symptoms, saying, “My stomach hurt for a couple hours but the vomiting was pretty sudden.”

Cavallaro advises that those who con-

tract the virus or experience some of the symptoms stay home “for at least two days after symptoms resolve.” While the GI virus already has a foothold in Gann, the number of people affected is still pretty low. Cavallaro attributes this to good hand washing and the cleaning staff amping up their effort to quash the spread of the virus by washing phones and door handles more frequently.

Gray says of his somewhat drastic pre-cautionary measures, “It’s a scary virus, and I don’t want to get it.” It is always a good idea to wash one’s hands frequently, but now it is especially important as is tak-ing care not to share food and drinks with others. While it is stressful to miss school, if you do experience symptoms, it is best for everyone if you stay home until you are deemed no longer contagious.

Contagion Comes to GannBy Rebecca WihlStudent Lounge

Credit:AyeletPinnolis

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 4

WallInfoPhotosFriends

February 10th, 2012   Events:

Wednesday, 2/15Yearbook Picture RetakesThursday, 2/17World Language MFA Field Trip

Virgo

You rack up a seriously cool achievement today-maybe one you didn’t even realize you were heading for! It’s a good time for you to step right up and make a real difference in your own life!

Horoscope

Share: Quote of the Week

Because the time we already spend on Facebook isn’t enough,

here is gannbook...

To be featured in gannbook, send your submissions to

Alana Windmueller ‘12

Home Profile Account

 Birthdays:

Teacher Fun Fact

World LanguageEdited by Rahel Nessim

Chila Haber 2/10Jordana Gardenswartz 2/10

Rebecca Jackson 2/11Hannah Pinkwas 2/15

Joshua Hanau 2/15

Haley Cashman

Joe Sandperl

Alex Elovic 2/11

Alana Windmueller

Shaul Armony 2/16

Emily Dale to Sarah Kusinitz“I don’t really have it in me to

hate someone so small.”

Answers to Riddle: A snowman

Poll: Which do you like more?

I’m called a man, but I’ll never have a wife. I was given a body, but not given a life. They made me a mouth, but I wasn’t given breath. Water gives me body, and the sun gives me death. What am I?

Rachel WolfmanRiddle

Adi Balk, Sarah Knight and Steve Wood and Gloria Styskin

100 Students Surveyed

Elizabeth Loewenberg is a huge fan of professional tennis.

Caught-Off-Guard Picture of the Week

N*Sync (35%)

Backstreet Boys (65%)

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 5

With Israeli general elections only a year away, political parties are finalizingtheir candidate lists with primary elec-tions. This past week, the stage was set for Benyamin Netanyahu to secure his fifthterm at the helm of the Likud party. Although his victory in the Likud primaries was all but assured, many inside and outside the party have pointed to the relative success of religious-right icon Moshe Feiglin as an indicator of the changing complexion of Is-rael’s political right.

Feiglin heads a faction of the Likud political structure called “Jewish Leadership” that emerged out of protests he organized against the 1993 Oslo Accords. By his own description, Feiglin’s views combine a commitment to both a unified Israel thatincludes the entire West Bank and to a state guided by “Torah values.” According to Feiglin, “[The Palestinians] don’t deserve a state, certainly not in land that God promised the Jews.” In the past, Feiglin has offered solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that center on annexation of theWest Bank and incentivized removal of its Palestinian residents.

Although Feiglin had no expectation of winning the primary, he and other on-lookers were quite aware of significancethat a good showing in the primary could have for the future of Likud. “Just running is a victory,” said members of the Feiglin camp, with Feiglin adding, “I want to re-turn the Likud to its real path,” indicating his distaste for Netanyahu’s stance vis-à-

vis peace with the Palestinians. Some in the Netanyahu camp even indicated that a failure by Netanyahu to capture at least 80 percent of the vote would be viewed as a failure.

A strong showing by Feiglin in the pri-mary would seem to indicate a shift in the Israeli right away from Netanyahu, who has come out in support of a two-state solution, and towards a more “pro-settler” agenda. In the week leading up to the primary, two right-wing newspapers called for readers to cast “protest votes” against Netanyahu in response to his support for a plan that would dismantle the illegal Migron settle-ment.

As primary day went on, Netanyahu ap-peared to become increasingly concerned about the course of the vote. By mid-day, with voter turnout at record lows, Netan-yahu announced a surprise address to be given in Tel Aviv that night to rally his troops to the polls. He explained away the low voter turnout, saying, “When I ask [Li-kud] activists why the percentage is so low,

they respond by telling me that there is no need to vote because I will win.” To con-trast himself with his opponent, Netanyahu further assured voters that “the Likud will not become messianic,” referring to some

of Feiglin’s religious beliefs.In the end, neither Feiglin nor

Netanyahu were satisfied at pri-mary’s end. With 77 percent of the vote, Netanyahu held on to his seat at the head of Likud but failed to reach the 80 percent threshold that his staffers had identified as thestandard for electoral victory. Like-wise, Feiglin performed better than many expected but issued a formal protest of the election results to the Likud general committee, citing both discriminatory handling of vot-ers at West Bank polling centers and discrepanciesinfinalvotingtallies.

Understandably, Netanyahu attempted to downplay the limited success of Feiglin, assuring his constituency, “There are many forces that will have an impact on the make-up of our [candidate] list and I will be the primaryforce.”Yet,theexactsignificance,if any, of Feiglin’s showing for the future makeup of both Likud and the Israeli right is still to be seen.

With the drama of the Likud primary al-ready fading into the past, the Israeli public will turn its eyes to the upcoming Kadima primary, which promises even more drama as Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz face off in an electoral battle that many pundits predict could result in the party splitting in two.

Facts from Haaretz and JPost.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wins the election for the leadership of the right-wing Likud party again. Credit:UCN

NetanyahuHoldsOffFeiglininLikudPrimaryDespiteLowVoterTurnoutBy Ezra PorterIsrael

Interested in writing for the Shevuon? There will be an informational meeting on Wednesday during

lunch for all those who want to write and become involved with the Shevuon starting this spring.

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 6

Public school doesn’t teach you much about Judaism. You learn about math, science, English and history, but even at a middle school where almost half of the student body is Jewish, this topic is rarely dis-cussed.

I attended Charles E. Brown Middle School from sixth to eighth grade. When I think back on my time at that school, what comes to mind more than anything else is linoleum floors. Linoleum floorscovered in a slight layer of grime beneath the dim yellowish glow of the unevenly spaced incandescent light bulbs. Linoleum floors thatcomeup tomeetmetal lockerswith locks so complicated that it takes the students most of their passing time just to open them, possibly finding their iPod orcell phone stolen despite their attempts at security.

For me, Gann was an escape from this abyssintowhichIhadfallen.Onmyfirstday of freshman year, I watched smiling students sitting in circles in the locker pods, talking amicably, playing guitar and juggling. Sunlight streamed in from the tall windows in the stairwells, illuminat-ing everything with an ambient glow. All on top of endless swathes of carpeting, so differentfromthehard,unwelcomingfloor

of my public school past. Thatfirstyear,asotherstudentsaround

me scoffed at the persistent mentioning of community in almost everything that we did, I absorbed every single word, amazed at the idea that here, at Gann Academy, stu-dents and teachers look out for each other both academically and socially.

And yes, Gann does teach you about Judaism in a way that public school never could. Throughout my four years here, I have fundamentally changed and grown in ways that would have been impossible had I continued my education at Newton South High School. Judaism is now a critical aspect of my identity. It influences everyaction that I perform, every word that I say. When I think of home, I think of Israel, not of the United States. When I think of learn-ing, I think of Torah, not of English. I am a Jew before an American, a link in the chain of our faith that goes back to Avraham.

I don’t want to leave the nurturing com-munity that has changed my life. I don’t want to return to the ruthless, cold world of typicalAmericanschools.However,infiveshort weeks, my formal education at Gann Academy will come to a close. I will leave “the bubble,” as students here are oft want to call it.

As I applied to colleges, I stubbornly re-fused to think of my eventual matriculation to these institutions come next year, think-ing of them solely in an abstract light, with

no real relevance to my own comfortable life at Gann. However, my time left here is slim and shrinking every day. As I slowly begin to truly recognize this fact for what it is,Iamfilledwithafearoftheunknown,afear of the large secular world beyond the doors of Gann Academy. I could spend my last few weeks here dwelling on the past four years, wishing that I had another four to go before graduation. However, I would rather focus on the ways in which these past four years will inform the rest of my life.

The Gann experience is not designed to be permanent. It will inherently end for every student after four short years. Gann’s lasting legacy consists of the lessons and morals that it imbues in its student body. We may not always get to hear Rabbi Baker deliver some words of wisdom at Tuesday morning Hakhel, or experience the lunch rush in the servery on Fridays, but the ide-als of community, Judaism and gemilut chasadim(actsoflovingkindness)thatarewoven into the fabric of the school day can form the foundation of a meaningful life in college and beyond.

Though I will shortly be returning to the world that I once dreaded, I am not coming back to this secular world unchanged. The values and growth that I have experienced at Gann will enable me to approach daily life with a meaningful Jewish perspective; they will help me to bring a little piece of Gann with me wherever I go.

Gann Take-OutBy Tyler CraneOpinion

renown universities. With this reality in mind, Solomon has been on the phone with “the state” in efforts to establish an “inter-library loan connection.” This new system would grant the community access to every volume, book, article, etc. in every library in the state. Students would no longer be limited to theshelvesof thesecondfloor,but instead be able to borrow from every database necessary to perform research.

With students’ increased access to an exponentially larger pool of resources, Solomon stressed the importance of a “spe-cific researchmethodology.” This means,Solomon elaborates, “that there would be a specific way that Gann does research.”

She hopes to establish such a methodol-ogy in order to “help teach students how to research” and improve “information literacy.” Information literacy, as Solomon explainsit,“isknowinghowtofindinfor-mation, how to evaluate it, and how to use it,” all of which are important lessons for acing that next paper!

Another central goal Solomon has is collaboration. She hopes to see more “across curriculum with faculty,” which would help teachers create informative and interesting lessons. Solomon also hopes to establish “a student advisory board” which would help her to “hear from the student body what it needs in the future and what

can be improved.” Solomon clearly hopes to open communication channels and use these to improve several aspects of Gann life.

The new addition of JodiLyn Solomon is not only the addition of a smiling face to help check out books, but also the addition of an innovator with big plans for Gann. Offering more than just a friendly dispo-sition, Solomon brings with her several novel ideas that should improve the school immensely. With all the great prospects that our new librarian offers, we should all be excited to welcome Jodi into the com-munity!

Credit:Brittany Gellerman

New Face in the Crowd continued from page 1

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 7

WritersRachelBrody‘13,LilyCohen‘13,TylerCrane‘12,HarrisonDale‘15,EdenDiamond‘14,JordanaGardenswartz‘13,JoshGoldstein‘12,AnnikaGompers‘14,SloaneGrinspoon‘13,JakeKatz‘12,JonahKriger‘13,SarahNewman‘14,ElliePasternack‘14,ElianaPerlmutter‘12,RebeccaPritzker‘13,EzraPorter‘12,GilPropp‘13,AbbySchwartz‘13,

JackieTeperman‘13,HannahVaitsblit‘12,RebeccaWihl‘14,MattZackman‘13Editor in Chief Jeremy Jick Managing Editor Sarah Kusinitz Layout Editor Emily Dale

Assistant Editors Ellie Deresiewicz, Anna Fasman & Aaron Goodtree Copy Editor Maya Feldman Photography Editors Liam Gandelsman & Maya Warburg Faculty Advisor ShoshanahZaritt

Hebrew Editor Ilana Rosenbluh Faculty Consultants Deb Carroll, Matt Conti & Jonah Hassenfeld

Boston sports fans on both ends of the spectrum–from diehard football addicts to casual observers–got very excited for the Super Bowl this past weekend. The highly anticipated game had Gann students anx-ious and eager to watch. Junior Josh Char-tock, who describes himself as a “highly devoted fan,” was most excited for “seeing the Patriots win.” Fellow junior Avi Korb-man,whosharedhisnonchalantconfidencein his team, exclaimed, “They’re obviously going to win! They’re the Patriots!”

At the beginning of the game, Boston supporters seemed carefree and confidentthat their team would perform as expected. In between the first and second quarters,even though the Patriots were down 9-0, onlookers did not seem nervous. Junior Sam Rosenstein said, “I’m not worried yet, they have lots of time.” By halftime, the Pa-triots had picked up the slack and managed to gain the lead, 10-9. However, some fans claimed the happiness and peace of mind brought on by the Patriots’ second-quarter efforts was disturbed by the half time show.

Madonna’s mash-up extraordinaire featured other chart-topping pop stars such as Nicki Minaj, duo LMFAO and Cee-Lo Green. All of the artists featured at the Super Bowl have a tendency to be slightly over-the-top in their performances, and many viewers said that the spectacle left a bad taste in their mouth. Junior Rachel Moore was in shock after the halftime show, musing, “The entire performance was a joke. I don’t know what they were thinking with the ‘World Peace’ display, but there was nothing worthwhile about that and it had nothing to do with world peace.” Michael Handler agreed, mention-ing that, “Madonna and Cee-Lo Green

looked like a witch and a wizard. That was an absolute disaster of a halftime show. I thought Madonna was going to fall and hurt herself multiple times.” However, the sentiment towards the halftime show was not all terrible; junior Rebecca Jackson mentioned that she thought it was “daz-zlingandmagnificent.”

Before long, the game play was back in

action, and junior Ari Grant-Sasson found himself “the most stressed [he has] been in [his] entire life.” In the third quarter, the Patriots pulled ahead further with a 17-15 lead, but circumstances had turnedthe ticking clock against the Patriots for a nerve-wracking atmosphere. Unfortunately for most of the fans around Boston, the Patriots defense couldn’t hold up, despite coach Bill Belichick’s challenge of a con-troversial 38-yard pass to Giants receiver Mario Manningham. The Patriots were then left with less than a minute to make their way 80 yards for a touchdown, and Pats quarterback Tom Brady’s final Hail

Mary pass fell incomplete in the end zone. Reactions amongst Gann students

ranged from casual disappointment to taking a mental health day, in the case of Grant-Sasson. His sister, freshman Kineret Grant-Sasson, spoke on his behalf, saying, “Ari was very excited about the Super Bowl.HeevenboughtanAmericanflagoneBay to wear as a cape with all of the rest of his gear. But now he’s really, really upset that they lost.” Sharing in his post-game despondence, freshman Eilon Applbaum went from hopeful to heartbroken as the Patriots lost. He says, “At the beginning, I was feeling pretty confident coming inwith the Patriots. They had a better record than the Giants. Their offense was looking good until the last drive where they made a bunch of dumb mistakes – they were off-sides, they didn’t end up punting, and [the Giants] ended up scoring. Welker missed an open pass and Deion Branch missed an open pass and it was like 2007 all over again.” In stark contrast to the majority of New England’s disappointment, sopho-more Sabrina Fried was thrilled with the Giants’ win. She said, “I was really excited when the Giants won, because my dad is from New York, and my family is obsessed with the Giants.”

A frustrating end to the game resulted in an enormous letdown for the hopeful Pa-triots fans. However, junior Josh Schwartz is proud to say that he has unwavering support for the Patriots no matter what the outcome of their game. He states, “I don’t think I could ever ask to watch a better football game. It was great. Results aside, it was very entertaining. I will always respect the raw efforts of our team, and Pat nation will always be there to support them.”

Heavy Hearted Home TeamBy Rachel BrodySpotlight

Credit: Geeky Gadgets

Shevuon hatichon, Friday, February 10th, 2012 • י״ז בשבט, תשע״ב Page 8

With so much hype on the boys and girls varsity basketball teams, the boys third bas-ketball team has fallen under the radar. The teamfinishedouttheseasonwithahighlyimpressive 13-1 record, with its only loss against a varsity squad. The coach, Will Krasne, ia new to Gann this year. However, despite his rookie status, Krasne did quite the job coaching this team. Krasne played college baseball at Stanford University and is now a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Gann was fortunate enough to get Kranse to come to Gann to coach the third team during his baseball off-season.

Much of the team’s success this season can be attributed to the strong chemistry that the team built right from the start and Coach Krasne’s coaching style. Freshman forward Ben Roberts shares, “One of our biggest benefactors was that we worked well together as a team immediately. Also, Coach Krasne always kept cool and never yelled. He knew how good we were, and

he didn’t have to yell and get worked up to show it.” Coach Krasne’s ‘cool’ demeanor kept the team in check all season, and al-

though they exuded confidence, they alsoremained humble and hungry throughout the season.

Although the team only suffered one loss, there were some exciting games that

came down to the wire. In its 13 wins, the team was challenged most by Beaver. The game was close throughout, but Gann came out victorious in the end, winning by only four points. The team prides itself on its poise and concentration throughout close games this season, and it was because of this focus that they were able to pull out wins in such close competitions.

Another key factor contributing to the team’s success this season was freshman captain Ari Glasgow. Roberts comments on Glasgow, saying, “He always stayed positive throughout the entire season. If we were losing at [the] half, Glasgow would tell us that the second half is a completely new ball game, and that we can never get discouraged.” Apparently, Glasgow’s words resonated with the team, which ex-celled in closing out games all season. This year’s third team basketball season is one to remember. The future of boys basketball at Gann is surely in good hands.

TheGirlsVarsityBasketballteamisona roll with its record standing at an impres-sive 11-6 as of Tuesday. If you thoughtgirls’ basketball was a joke, let me show you how wrong you are by going through the stacked line up led by Coach Goose.

Let’s start with the captains, Tami Pearlstein and Rachel Nieves, who were honored on Tuesday in the Senior Cer-emony. Pearlstein is not only a great leader on the court, but off the court as well. “I love being someone that the underclassmen can come and talk to about basketball or school in general,” she says. Then there is Rachel Nieves, who in my mind is the Joe Sandperl of the girls’ team. She’s got great character; she’s funny and she brings a high level of intensity every day. She developed a leadership role this year, as well. Nieves explains, “I really had to step up and be a leader on and off the court which isn’t re-ally something I’m used to.”

As for the underclassmen, how about that feisty little girl with the white head-band, Sarah Litwin, also known as “Sli-twin.” She is less than five feet tall andadmits that “at times it’s frustrating,” but she makes up for it with her incredible ball handling skills. Then we have our girls down low, Maddie Rodman and Sabrina Fried. Rodman always does a great job taking it to the rim and drawing fouls. Fried has been a beast at the boards. Sometimes it seems impossible to beat her in the box out. And who could forget the Teperman sisters. Jackie has been a huge asset to the team. Her younger sister, Nikki, has been an animal on defense. She hustles every day and forces turnover after turnover like she did back at Schechter when she was a little Panther.

Another star of the team is Rebecca Jackson, who has an intimidating power dribble when she takes the ball down the

lane. Talia Rubin and Julia Deardorf are great at guard and are in great shape. The last, but certainly not least, player on the team is a young girl who has a great name to live up to. It seems like just yesterday Gann had an Epstein leading the way, and in a couple of years it could happen again as her little sister, Melissa Epstein, is off to afantasticstartinherfirstyear.

This is a loaded teamfilledwith greatgirls who have spirit and character. They are preparing to make a run in the MBIL and possibly a NEPSAC berth. However, that won’t be easy, as Nikki says, “We’ll have to start playing harder than we have been, and especially playing hard from the start of the game instead of having to always catch up.” Regardless of how this season ends, it has been an all around great year for our heifers, and it appears that they have a promising future.

The Red “Hot” HeifersBy Jonah Naghi, Guest Writer

Boys Third Team Basketball Wrap-UpBy Jake Katz

MVP of the Week goes to

Daniel Geisberg forscoring15points

against Landmark for

the Boys 3rd team.