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by ANDREA FRENCH Section Editor Headlines everywhere have been blasting Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice for his unprofessional coaching skills with his college level basketball players. There was a video leaked from several private practices that show him being unnecessarily rough and using foul language. Rice coached at a school in suburban Pittsburgh from the years of 2007-2010 before he took the coaching job at the University of Rutgers. As of April 3, Coach Rice has been fired. He was fired one week after the video of emotionally and physically traumatizing practices was released. As far as the other coaching staff go, there has been a ripple affect. This whole ordeal has caused the athletic director Tim Pernetti to step down, along with the assistant coach, Jimmy Martelli, and the senior vice president of general council and top lawyer John Wolf to step down as well. Assistant coach Martelli was accused of shoving players and shouting gay slurs for everyone to hear. All coaches at a college or professional level are extremely tough and hard on their players, but after watching the video leaked from the practices, it is safe to say that he was out of line. “I think that the video crammed 30 seconds of a couple practices into one and it made the coach been seen in a negative light. He has been coaching for years so it’s somewhat unfair that people don’t get to see all of the good things he has done. But I am not saying that what he did was right because he pegged balls at people,” says sophomore Caitlin Flanagan. Anyone who has ever been to a Rutgers basketball game can say that Rice was a little out of hand at the games. There have been numerous pictures and videos in the heat of the moment that have showed the craziness in his coaching. “I think that his coaching style is despicable. And it is sad that no one had the guts to stand up and say something earlier. All former coaches and players who knew about that this just prolonged the inevitable and allowed him to get away with it for all these years,” says sophomore Casey Schieda. Where does the line get drawn with the player-coach relationship? Players and coaches are notorious for having a strong bond on and off of the court or field. When the video was released to the public, people were outraged, and all I want to know is what the other players thought. Do they think that his coaching style is why they were so succesful, or were they just as terrified as the public was? All coaches, and those in charge, care about is how well the team does. If the team does well and wins games, then the school gets more funding for the sports program, so how long does it take for a coach with anger management who does really well to be noticed? Apparently it takes longer then anyone would think. #AndreaFrench #MikeRice #Rutgers

by JASMINE ELSHAMY Photo & Video Editor Art really imitates life in the new action-packed film “Olympus Has Fallen,” focused on a terrorist attack on the White House by the Koreans. Released on March 22, the situation the movie depicts sounds quite familiar. The President’s now-disgraced former Secret Service bodyguard, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler *swoons*), comes to the rescue of the White House, whose Secret Service codename is Olympus. It is all up to Banning whether the White House can be saved or not while the bigwigs at Homeland Security and the White House try to make sense of the situation, and with a star-studded cast and excellent writers, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, watching from between your fingers. The cast of this movie not only includes the gorgeous Butler, but also Aaron Eckhart as the President, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, and Morgan Freeman. They all play authority figures in the White House, while McDermott plays a traitorous bodyguard of the President. Freeman steps in as the active president while the real president is held hostage. The film is quite prevalent with what is going on in the real world, what with North Korea threatening America every other day with a different nuclear bomb. The writers of the movie, Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, did a wonderful job capturing the essence of what it would really be like to have to be in the White House while it was under attack, and creating a captivating plot that kept you wanting more. “The movie was absolutely fantastic. Despite all of the blood and the absurd amount of killing that went on onscreen, I loved it. Not only was it entertaining, but it was sort of like a PSA to remind all of us Americans that just because it’s been awhile since 9/11 that we shouldn’t still be wary of the possibility that something like that could happen again,” says sophomore Johan Bahalla. The protagonist Banning is another magnetic aspect of the film. Banning bravely heads straight for the attackers when he learns of this dire state of affairs. By doing this, he effectively positions himself as the only man who can offer those who are supposed to be taking control insider information regarding the activities of the terrorist group – thereby inadvertently assigning himself the monumental task of retaking the White House, rescuing the president, and saving the free world from all-out war. No big deal, right? “Mike Banning was the coolest, hottest character ever. He basically just walked through the halls of the White House killing everyone in his path,” says sophomore Justine Nesti. “I totally wish Gerard Butler was my bodyguard.” The only letdown to the film was the fact that the director and writers did not make more use of the amount of award-winning talents like Freeman and Bassett. Their roles were sort of minor and did not live up to the great expectation everyone sets up in their head when you say, “Oh, Morgan Freeman is in that movie! Which basically means I expect deep voices and an amazing performance that will leave me sitting frozen in the theater hours after the movie has ended!” Otherwise, the movie was very entertaining and proved its purpose as a movie should. This is a movie I would definitely recommend for all “Die Hard” and “Taken” fans. #AaronEckhart #JasmineElshamy #Korea #GerardButler #OlympusHasFallen

by CAROLINE GAVURA Staff Writer After training since March, the girls track team kicked off their spring season with a win against Bishop Ahr on April 3. “My expectations for this meet are that I want the girls to charge! I want them to attack the track and hopefully get some PRs in there!” said Coach Christian Jessop before the meet. The girls did just that, defeating Bishop Ahr with a score of 91-33. Freshman Kelly Kimbo took first place in the 100 meter run with a time of 13.5 seconds, sophomore Tiffany Randall came in second with 13.6 seconds, and freshman Olivia Caccio finished in third with 13.61 seconds. In the 1600 meter run, senior Kerry McCabe came in first place with six minutes and nine seconds, freshman Amanda Koluda in second with six minutes and 20 seconds, and freshman Diyaa Capil placed third with six minutes and 25 seconds. Freshman Allie Hommer placed first in the 400 meter run with 67.7 seconds, and junior Kealy Walters second with 68.9 seconds. In the 100 meter run high hurdles, freshman Melissa Barnes placed first with 18 seconds, and junior Becky Polinskiy came in second with 18.3 seconds. Sophomore Alyssa Smisko won first place in the 3200 meter run with 13 minutes and 52 seconds, while sophomore Vanessa Heindel placed second with fourteen minutes nine seconds. “I came in second for the 3200 meter distance run, and I was very proud of myself. I’m going to try to improve my speed to finish faster and hopefully come in first next meet!” said sophomore Vanessa Heindel. Senior Kirstin Sebastian placed second in the 800 meter run with a time of two minutes and 39 seconds, and sophomore Brianna Mantz came in third with two minutes and 48 seconds. In the 200 meter sprint, Kimbo placed first with 29 seconds, Randall in second with 29.36 seconds, and senior Emily Ho in third with 30.3 seconds. In field events, Onyai Glover placed second in the discus throw with 65 feet 2 inches, senior Ariona Smith placed first in the javelin throw with 87 feet and 10 inches, and senior Sydney Green placed second second in shot put with 29 feet and 1 inch. Kimbo collected 11 points total, the most of the team. Senior Ariona Smith and Randall tied for second place, collecting 10 points each. “Although there was only a few girls on the Bishop Ahr team, and we spent a good amount of time running against each other, I was able to better prepare myself and have fun! I’m excited to see where this season takes us.” said sophomore Melanie Bogue. #CarolineGavura #girlsspringtrack #mths

by ALISON LEVIER Section Editor Schools all around the country are beginning to ban leggings because they are distracting to male students. They say “distraction”–most American girls say “my life”. Leggings are perhaps the most comfortable addition to any wardrobe, while still being wearable and somewhat nice-looking. The fact that probably the best thing to happen in clothing trends is being taken away from some poor teenage souls is horribly disconcerting and, frankly, revolting. “Banning leggings is completely absurd and unnecessary. I agree that sometimes girls wearing them can be seen as inappropriate if they are a sheer material and they are not covering up well enough, but leggings are a style now that is comfortable and chic at the same time. For the girl that wear them appropriately (thick and covered), the ban would be unfair,” says senior Samantha Widmer. Unfair, it is. The fact that the clothes girls can and cannot wear is being dictated by the male student body at some schools is an outrage. Did we not get past this fifty years ago? Women and men are created equal. If girls are forbidden to wear leggings, boys should be forbidden to wear jeans with chains on them, or obnoxiously bright-colored sneakers. They are distracting, sorry. “This rule is almost as stupid as if it were a rule to not show your shoulders, or drink water bottles during class. Oh, wait…” says sophomore Krystle Danza. It is honestly frightening that teenage boys cannot stop thinking about sex for six hours a day during school and focus on learning. Tight fitting pants are becoming an issue now? Seriously? If these boys had some respect for the young women around them, there would not be a problem. I feel so bad for this girls this is affecting, since leggings are God’s greatest gift to teenage-girl-kind. They are the best things to wear when you are struggling to pick out an outfit, or when you just need to feel comfortable for a day. Maybe, instead of banning leggings altogether, schools should try something different, like punishing the boys who are getting distracted by the girls. Personally, I think it could be classified as sexual harassment if a boy is really so focused on a girl in tight clothes that they cannot pay attention to their education. Really, this says something about the respect level these boys and administrators have for these young ladies. If ever this ban makes its way to MTHS, all hell will break loose. I am surprised all hell has not already broken loose in the schools where this ban has taken effect. It is downright WRONG that girls are told what they can and cannot wear, based on the opinions of their male peers. This is the kind of sexism that was present years and years ago, and it is simply outdated and wrong. #fashion #ban #sexism #leggings #AlisonLevier

by CHRISTINE ABRAHAM Photographer Directed by Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers is a 2013 film about four girls seeking adventure, fun, and a crazy spring break. Brit, Candy, Faith, and Cotty live a boring dorm life and are seeking some adventure on spring break. All they have to do is save enough money so they can have a shot at having some fun. While on break, they meet a rapper “Alien” who promises to give the girls a spring break they will never forget. It soon becomes unclear how far the girls will go to receive the thrill and excitement they were hoping to get. All together, this movie was absolutely terrible. There was no plot, and it was very confusing. Some scenes did not make sense and they were very strange and weird. The way the movie was filmed was also horrible; some scenes were repeated so many times, and the same lines were repeated at different scenes. Many of the actors and actresses did a terrible job, and failed to play their characters precisely. This movie is really odd, and there are also a lot of drugs and nudity. Faith, played by Selena Gomez, is an innocent church girl who tags along with her other friends to have a good time, but when things start to take a turn for the worst, she leaves town. “I didn’t like Selena Gomez in this movie. I’m used to seeing her all the time on Disney and this was not the role for her at all,” said sophomore Jaclynn Baird. Gomez’s performance was actually not as good as I thought it would be, and her emotions throughout the movie did not seem real. Although the movie was in general terrible, her performance was the least terrible. Candy, played by Vanessa Hudgens, is a bad girl that loves to be crazy along with Brit. She later realizes she wants to be good and do the right thing. I felt that this role was a big step for Hudgens, but this was not the right part or movie for her. I think she did a horrible job, but the role itself was not that fantastic either. Brit, played by Ashley Benson, is much worse than Candy. She is always up for an adventure, no matter how dangerous it is. She and Candy are always seen partying together. Suprisingly, Benson did a good job and this is a role I definitely thought was good for her. “Ashley Benson did great. She never fails to dissapoint. She was probably the only actress I liked in that entire movie,” said sophomore Brina Haugland. Cotty, played by the director’s wife Rachel Korine, is a really dirty party animal, along with Candy and Brit. Korine, however, was the worst actress I have ever seen. She was not entertaining to watch and I thought her acting was too fake. Lastly, Alien, played by James Franco, is the rapper that promises the four girls a spring break they will never forget when he releases them from jail. He is also very sketchy, and finds himself to be the baddest money maker in town. This was seriously Franco’s worst acting yet. He did not fit the role, he was not entertaining, and his performance was so bad that everyone in the theater died of laughter. Overall, I do not reccommend anyone to see this movie. There is absolutely no plot and it is the most strange and confusing movie you will ever see. Probably the worst movie of 2013 yet. #AshleyBenson #JamesFranco #SpringBreakers #ChristineAbraham #SelenaGomez #VanessaHudgens

by JASMINE ELSHAMY Photo & Video Editor Three former NYPD detectives who worked on a high profile biggest criminal case visited and gave a presentation to Mr. Calella’s Constitutional Law classes on Wednesday, March 20. Retired Lieutenant Louis Fiori (Detective Squad Commander), Retired Sergeant John Scrivanni (Immediate Supervisor),  and  Retired Detective Vito Peragine all worked on the Andre Rand serial kidnapping/suspected murdering of special needs children during the 1970s and 1980s. One of MTHS’s favorite security guards, Mr. Bob Certo, helped organize this event for the law students. Mr. Certo is a former Lieutenant of the NYC Police Department and was assigned to the Detective Unit that was assigned the Rand case. Mr. Certo has remained close friends with these men, which is why he was able to bring in the three detectives. “I really liked this presentation, and although it was a bit of a disturbing topic to touch on, I thought it was interesting and loved how we talked to people firsthand and got that insight,” says senior Alexa Black, one of Mr. Calella’s law students. The Rand case has origins with the urban legend of “Cropsey,” an escaped mental patient who wandered the abandoned grounds of Willowbrook Mental Institution in Staten Island. According to the legend, he would come out at night and kidnap children from the streets. Willowbrook and all of the atrocities going on inside its walls were first discovered by Gerardo Rivera, a reporter looking for his big break. He visited Willowbrook with a camera crew and got footage of the horrid conditions at the institution. All of these young children with mental disabilities were naked on the floor, covered in their own feces. Eventually, Willowbrook was shut down and then abandoned, leaving it a feared location that made it easy for people like Andre Rand to live on its grounds without getting caught. Unfortunately, the legend of Cropsey became disturbingly real with the psychopath Rand, who used to be a physical therapist at Willowbrook. He somehow ended up staying on the abandoned grounds of the mental institution and made it his home. From his various secret lairs, he would maneuver and plan his kidnappings and murders, such as that of Jennifer Schweiger, Holly Hughes, and Tiahese Jackson. The entire community was very dedicated to finding these girls, especially considering the fact they were that much more helpless due to their mental disability. It left them vulnerable and easier to manipulate simply because they did not know any better. “When there is a child with mental disabilities, the police go a little crazier to find them,” says Sergeant Scrivanni. The detectives gave some insight into why it was so difficult for them to find these girls when they first went missing, and why it was so difficult to convict Rand of murder. “[Living at Willowbrook]…it gave [Rand] such a knowledge of this place. I mean, I’ve been there, those buildings are a complex, maybe three times the size of [MTHS]. All of the buildings were connected by underground tunnels… It’s our opinion that he had the little girl [Schweiger] down there, but there was no way the average cop even knew there were tunnels down there,” says Sergeant Scrivanni. “We couldn’t find anyone that worked at the place, no one we could interview! We had to discover this stuff on our own.” Willowbrook seemed to have played a big part in Rand’s kidnappings, for the detectives told the students that Rand had found someone else staying in the underground workings of Willowbrook as well, someone who was helping him. Although, one would think he would not need much help kidnapping and murdering mentally incompetent young girls who were not able to even think on their own, let alone defend themselves. Rand also did not prove to be an easy person to get talking once they caught him. “We got this guy in the squad room, and it was like talking to a wall. Awful,” says Lieutenant Fiori. Just because there was no verbal confession nor any direct evidence of murder does not mean the detectives were not able to serve justice to Rand for his wrongdoings with the girls. They were able to twice convict him of kidnapping and put him into jail for 25 years to life based on what little evidence they had, including the eye witnesses’ testimony. Not only were the detectives able to provide a wealth of information and understanding of this tragic case, but they were also able to give the students insight as to actually working in the law enforcement field. “A lot of times, with the experience you get, of course, you learn to just go with your gut. It becomes a skill, and many times you may be right, and sometimes you will be wrong,” says Detective Peragine. The students learned a lot from the detectives and were able to really tap into what they were saying from having watched the documentary on this case, “Cropsey,” and having discussed it in Mr. Calella’s class. “It was interesting how they spoke about the case because it was experience and insight you can’t get from the movies or the news reports,” says junior Shreyas Hirday, another one of Mr. Calella’s law students. Rand is serving consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences for two kidnapping convictions. He is not eligible for parole until 2037, when he’ll be 93 years old. #murder #JasmineElshamy #nypd #andrerand #StatenIsland #Cropsey #kidnapping