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The Messenger
French-American School of New York
Two Cultures, Two Languages––One Paper
VOL. IX NO. V
FREE
June 2012
FASNY Headmaster Retires
School Says Farewell to Mr. Robert Leonhardt
By Julian Salz and Olivier Weiss
When Mr. Robert Leonhardt took the school by storm as Head of the School in
2002, he sought to take FASNY to the next level. Though already extremely successful all
told, we barely had a high school, the French and American curricula were not as closely integrated as they are today, and the concept of a Ridgeway campus would have seemed somewhat inappropriate and grandiose. Now, under his leadership, four 12th grade classes have
graduated and a large, integrated campus should soon become a reality. FASNY has grown
from a “Mom and Pop” establishment into a community that is professional and thriving, yet
warm and tight-knit.
We at The Messenger have sought to paint a picture of the man, his time and fantastic
record at FASNY, and what’s next for the school by speaking to the Chairman of the Board
of Trustees Mr. Mischa Zabotin, Mr. Leonhardt himself, his successor Mr. Joël Peinado, and
his assistant Ms. Debbie Kozlowski, who, sadly, will be leaving the Mamaroneck office and
moving to the Fenimore office to assist Mr. Peinado.
As tough as being Headmaster must have been, the man with the familiar bowtie and
bearded smile made it clear that he was prepared: “I knew what I was getting into,” he assured
us. He explained that he had been armed with a vision for the school that led him through
his first few years: “the academic administration had to be professionalized in order to permit
growth.”
His assistant Ms. Kozlowski—Debbie, to most of us—agreed. When asked what Mr.
Leonhardt’s crowning achievement at FASNY was, Debbie responded that it was much more
of the “little, behind-the-scenes things that not many got to see” that was the most seminal
aspect of his tenure, noting that he “professionalized the school
and brought it up to standards.”
Continued on Page 3
Illustration by Emanuel Wickenburg
Student Body Elects Next Year’s Council; Michael Anderson President
By Emanuelle Rizk
lowed the typical FASNY candidate’s enticing yet im
probable offerings, each scored a point on originality.
As with most of FASNY’s student govern- Catherine leaned on her experience: with her older
ment elections, students scrambled into the gym in a brother, James, having been in the student governdisorderly manner, vying for a seat on the privileged ment, she had the knowledge of an old-timer as to the
benches. Many had learned just that morning that demands and needs of the job.
the speeches were to be held that day; others were still Penda stepped up to the microphone and alwondering what was going on. Regardless of what most immediately set a cheerful mood in the auditorigroup they were in, students murmured excitedly as um. She announced that she knew most of the students,
to whom they thought was going to be elected, before if not personally then by name. She said that if she were
hearing the speeches. Catherine Hampton,
the current school president, stepped in and
told students to do the opposite of what they
were now doing: to vote for the best-suited
candidate for the job, not the most liked.
“This isn’t a popularity contest,” she
reminded them.
Two candidates for treasurer, three
candidates for secretary, four candidates for
vice president and a single, elected-by-default
president were sitting in a semi-circle on the
stage. Among them were next year’s officers:
Catherine Hamet (’13), Penda Sarr (’13), Olivier Weiss (’14), and Michael Anderson (’13).
Though their speeches mostly folCampaigning this year featured fewere m&ms, more memes.
In this Issue
Page 2
How the
Internet distracts us. By
Margaux
Salz
elected, she would make it her priority to listen to each
and every child that needed to be heard, then transmit
any requests to the rest of the student government.
Olivier walked confidently to the center of the
stage; most students already knew him from his moving
speech for Black History Month. He announced that
he wanted to give back to the school that had already
granted him so many opportunities by making FASNY
an even more open and accepting community.
Although Michael was already elected, he delivered a speech with the other candidates, listing
his ideas and starting to build on a relation of trust
he will be fortifying during the following year. “Either way,” he joked, “you’re stuck with me.”
The speeches given by this year’s set of candidates were promising. The students seemed to
have a lot of faith in them, as most went to vote,
but as many pointed out, it will be hard to equal
the work of this past year’s student government.
Hopefully the new group will set even higher standards for the years to come.
“We had a great group this year and we hope
that next year’s group will not only live up to
their legacy, but will continue to grow,” said Mr.
Ellinghaus, Student Council faculty advisor.
In Review
M83 and Roy
Hargrove in
concert. By
Will Horikawa
and Julian Salz
Page 7
Page 9
Seniors
Strike
Again
2
Community
June 2012
Social Networking in Real Life
By Lucie Desvallées
I’ve been thinking lately about what life would be like
if you did exactly what you do
on Facebook or Twitter.
Let’s start with Facebook.
odd. Chances are that, sooner
or later, that person and others
will be scared of you and block,
or even unfriend you. First of
all, let me just ask: how would
you actually block someone in
Another
question: think people would really care it could be very rude. In every
Would you give someone a if you “had cereal for breakfast” social network, you ask someone to be your friend; if you did
in real life you would seem
“Would you give someone a ‘thumbs up’ if that
a bit desperate.
you liked his or her shirt?”
Overall, social networking is just another way in which
our means of communicating is
‘thumbs up’ if you were to like or “just took a nap.” Of course, evolving, even if it makes you
his or her shirt? I am pretty on Twitter, you will end up with look strange in real life.
certain that the answer would 500 followbe no; if you were to hold your ers just by
thumb up at someone, with- saying “aced
out even talking, you would my test.”
definitely make that person un- I t
comfortable.
isn’t
only
Liking your own status these
soupdates is comparable to com- cial
netmenting on something you works where
said. For example: You say, “I one
does
just adopted a dog” … then you things that
add, “Wow, what I said was so wouldn’t be
cool!” Does anyone realize how done in real
self-centered that is?
life. On a
Now we move on to phone, you
Twitter.
put a caller
Would you ever go up reality? I am going to let you Honestly, I think that on hold; if
to a random person and poke answer that. And, obviously, I “following” someone in the real you really
him or her? I guess you can, understand that you can stop world just may make you seem put somebut that would be somewhat being friends with someone.
like a stalker. Personally, I don’t one on hold
Internet Distractions
By Margaux Salz
The only thing harder than actually working
on an essay or a “devoir maison” is mustering up the
courage to sit down at your desk and begin these most
challenging tasks. There is little to no motivation aside
from the looming threat of a bad grade and a descending average, and worst of all, the tiniest fly becomes a
thousand times more entertaining when compared to
the grueling task of analyzing Shakespeare. Our parents faced the same challenges as we
have when it came to being focused, but our generation has to deal with an even worse, even more insurmountable obstacle: the Internet. Whenever we are at
home we are no more than two minutes away from a
computer or mobile device such as an Iphone, Ipod
touch, and Ipad. With an ever growing network of
Wi-Fi spreading throughout the country and world,
it is becoming hard to find places without a mobile
Internet connection.
Unlike the traditional TV where it was frequent to have no interesting shows to watch, the
Internet is on-demand entertainment: there are millions of websites scattered across the web, making it
easy for the oldest grandmother and youngest child to
find something of interest.
There is no need to list the most popular sites
that have been making headlines, like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, but there are many other sites that
are also helping us waste away our life, one page after
the other. Although it would be ironic to list these in
an article aimed at curbing our viewing of these sites,
it seems only necessary in the name of journalism
to name them: Reddit, memespot, smartphowned,
9gag, 4chan, memegenerator, Tumblr and many,
many more.
How does one resist to the temptation of
watching people get hurt on YouTube and contemplating the oddly relatable Success Kid meme? When
considering the option of starting homework a list of
better things to do immediately pops into any lazy student’s head: most of them having to do with the Internet. The most menial of tasks, like writing a short
Graphic
by
Clemence
Wassen
article, becomes monstrously arduous in comparison
to sitting idly on Facebook and Tumblr while shoving
food down your throat. Nowadays it takes a two hour
reward of Internet after every assignment to be able to
even cope with work.
For those with little self-control, the idea of
just shutting yourself up in your room and working
studiously until every single project is done seems like
a bad joke (especially when considering the fact that
there’s Wi-Fi in your room and either a laptop, Iphone
or tablet right by your side). The most radical option
of all, unplugging your Wi-Fi and/or shutting off the
Internet seems as drastic as taking life-support away;
not to mention the other members of your household
would be less than enthusiastic about having to detach
themselves from their screens long enough for you to
get your work done, which is especially true for 11th
and 12th graders who work for hours on end.
Is there really no other option than learning
self-discipline to be able to work? Can we actually stay
studious while rejoicing in the glory of the Internet,
with all its memes, movies, music, and clever e-cards?
Scientists have stated that we spend seven and a half
hours per day in front of a screen, which, when you
think about it, doesn’t sound like much of an exaggeration. We do spend a ridiculous amount of time
on the web, and technology will only become more
and more intrusive as we continue living: if you think
an Ipod touch with Wi-Fi makes it hard to study,
wait until you can strap the Internet to your face
with Google glasses.
It seems impossible to live without being
connected to the web, and yet its biggest adversary
is school and homework. One of the challenges of
students in the years to come, which must not be
taken lightly, will not be access to information for
research papers and projects, but rather the ability
to disconnect from the Internet to get back to real
life. Not only do our academic careers depend on our
self-discipline, but our social lives as well: Facebook
and Twitter do not count as hanging out with friends,
and never will. Every student could benefit from a
little less time on the computer, and much more time
doing almost anything else; maybe like learning Croatian or mastering the harp.
School Life
3
June 2012
Teamwork a Central Theme of Mr. Leonhardt’s Tenure
Continued From Front Page
When asked what his biggest obstacles or
toughest decisions were, Mr. Leonhardt said that no
decision was impossible, but rather that there were
many important ones. Some of the most memorable,
he said, were launching the Ridgeway project, taking
on the lease for the Scarsdale campus, and opening
the 11th and 12th grades, which he said was especially
difficult given time constraints, the need to convince
10th grade students to stay at FASNY, and the process
of gaining accreditation from the French government.
When asked about his leadership style, everyone pointed to the same word: “teamwork.” Mr. Leonhardt put it humbly, describing himself as “too lazy to
be a micromanager; I’m more of a teamwork guy.” Mr.
Peinado said that Mr. Leonhardt “believes in his people, delegates choices, and always works in committees.” He added that the atmosphere Mr. Leonhardt
created was “non-hierarchical,” in which it was not
about power, but about everyone working together.
Mr. Leohardt will certainly be missed. “He’s
almost like a father figure to me,” said Debbie. “He’s
not just a boss, he’s a friend and a role model.”
She fondly recalled how, when
telling a story, Mr. Leonhardt always
“takes on every accent that the people
in the story have, because it could be
Brooklyn, or German, or French, and
you’re so engaged in it because he’s so
hilarious, and he remembers everything
word for word.”
Mr. Zabotin described his relationship with Mr. Leonhardt as being
“based on open and honest communication, on mutual availability and on trust.
Those are also the hallmarks of a good
friendship, which our relationship has
become.” And when asked to describe
Mr. Leonhardt in a few words, Mr. Peinado said: “articulate, funny, intelligent,
team-builder, and visionary.”
Asked about his vision for FASNY, Mr. Leonhardt’s said it “starts with
the new campus. We’d like to expand to
“It’ll be different without his famous bowtie or, as Mr. Zabotin
puts it, his uncanny ability to
quote La Fontaine for any given
situation.”
1200 students in the near future.”
The tuition will have to stay at the same rate,
the curriculum will expand to include more non-native French speakers, and a new academic track will
be created. Mr. Peinado added that the courses might
be more diversified through means of having more
than just the French curriculum, which will, in turn,
reinforce the international aspect of the school. Some
students, in fact, might not even need to speak French.
He qualified¬ this, though, by saying that the French
baccalaureate still needs to be a focal point.
On the transition from Mr. Leonhardt to Mr.
Peinado, the former said he believes that there will be
very little to no change. Mr. Peinado said that he is
“not looking to go in a different direction,” stating that
the transition will have a “positive and serene” essence
to it and that he will make sure to keep the school “true
to its mission.”
Mr. Zabotin, in a letter he wrote for the Gala,
said that Mr. Leonhardt made sure that FASNY did
“not let academic excellence come at the expense of
well-rounded, respectful, and unassuming students,”
and, in his interview, he said that Mr. Peinado compliments this view of the school with his “holistic approach to pedagogy,” concluding that he was the obvious choice for the position of Head of the School.
Mr. Leonhardt, for his part, doesn’t plan on
retiring and sitting on Florida’s sunny beaches just yet;
he is waiting for what the future may have in stock.
Asked to reflect on his plans, what he’s learned
at FASNY, and what he will miss most, he said that,
after his health scare in 2009, he feels not only much
healthier, but also “much better,” and that his lying in a hospital bed provided for a lot of perspective
and insight for the graduation speech he delivered to
FASNY’s trailblazing class of 2009. When it comes to
life lessons, he believes that he has “developed a deeper
understanding of the importance of listening carefully; I have learned to be very
patient.” He says that he will certainly
miss, above all, “the people, and the opportunity to work in a bilingual environment.”
It seems clear that Mr. Leonhardt’s leadership for the past ten years
has not just changed an entire school for
the better, but also instilled in FASNY
his own values of professionalism with
warmth, trust with responsibility, and
growth with stability. It’ll be different
without his famous bowtie or, as Mr.
Zabotin puts it, his uncanny ability to
quote La Fontaine for any given situation, but his legacy remains, and so does
his sparkling personality. As he led the
school through its largest expansions, so
he leads a new chapter in his life, and we
wish him the best.
Computer Program to Undergo Fundamental Change
By Amelia Getahun-Hawkins
FASNY has offered Computer class for the
past sixteen years but it’s time for a change. While
the school plans to use computers more than ever,
FASNY has decided, essentially, to cut the class itself
in half.
Computer classes will still be into groups of
regular, intermediate and ESL, but they will only
take place for one semester per year, except for in the
ninth grade, because those students need a full year
of the class for their Brevet.
Why only one semester? Like many independent schools that cut the class entirely, the administration feels that one semester is enough for
FASNY students to absorb the basics of Computer.
However, C-omputer classes are not being entirely
stopped because students still need to acquire basic
computer skills.
To make up for the half of the program that
we miss, computers will be integrated more in regu-
lar classes and students will obtain computer skills
through them. For example, high school students
will learn programming in math class.
Many will be disappointed about the shortening of one of their favorite classes, but the time
will be used during the other semester for Study
Hall and elective classes. Also, the administration is
trying to put in place a pilot program for students
using laptops in class.
The one sticking point might be one of those
most fundamental skills: typing. Since formal computer classes have been canceled at the lower school,
the Larchmont and Mamaroneck administration
want to make sure that students acquire good typing skills.
It’s also a time to ask about First Class—
will it be the program of the future? Mr. Peinado
says that the technology department is looking into
changing from First Class to a Google-based mail.
Illustration by Zoé Guyot
Opinion
4
June 2012
The Evolution of Video Games: Is It Art Now?
YES!
NOT REALLY!
By Olivier Weiss
By Emanuel Wickenburg
scarred from the nuclear Armageddon two centuries ago. There is a
power struggle over the control of
the Hoover Dam between a U.S.based government called the New
California Republic (NCR) and
Caesar’s Legion, an authoritarian,
slave-holding regime with a cult of
personality centered
around
Caesar, and Robert House, an
enigmatic billionaire genius
who protected Las Vegas from
nuclear destruction in 2077 and is
still alive, through his own genius,
in 2281, forwarding his vision of
a free New Vegas with an atmosphere of decadence without
elitism. Your character is in the
middle of it all, and must decide
whether to help one of these three
sides, or help himself control New
Vegas.
Through amazing dialogue,
thousands of sub-quests that are indirectly linked to
the main storyline, and a Rat Pack-Sinatra-cool-‘50s
atmosphere, Fallout: New Vegas truly captivates, not
just because of its dark, caustic, dripping humor or
violence, but also because it confronts the player with
different philosophies of life, hard moral choices, and
an overwhelming sense of building fun and achievement as the game goes on and on. In short, Fallout:
New Vegas is art.
Assassin’s Creed, Portal, the Halo series, the Elder Scrolls series, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption,
the list of amazing, artistic video games goes on and
on. Video games can aspire to great things.
They can be insightful, profound, and revelatory just as they can be insipid, stupid, and total trash. Just because Call of Duty is a waste of $60
doesn’t mean that the Fallout series is as well, just like
how Twilight is a waste of paper, but Crime
Illustration by Louis Le Jamtel
Art: what is it? That’s a pretty good philosophical question, and, depending on what and
whom you study, you’re going to get a lot of different
answers. For me, art is a representation of abstract
concepts through means of symbolism and creativity. Art is about the human mind and its varying,
faceted interpretations of life and all of its succeeding
events. Art isn’t limited by tradition, and the
means by which it is conveyed
are not subject to arbitrary restrictions. Art manifests itself
in book form just as it does in
dirt because it transcends the
material through which it was
made by appealing to the ideal
and the symbolic in us, by appealing to our reason.
Today, art is taking on
many different forms. Books
are becoming less tangible and
more and more digital. Movies
are disappearing from the big
screen and transferring over
to the small and the mobile.
The big things in music aren’t
albums anymore; they’re actually live concerts.
But here’s one more change that may not just
be recognizing reality, but a matter of opinion: video
games can now be art.
Consider a couple of the video games that
have come out over the past few years. Consider
Grand Theft Auto IV, which tells the tale of a thirty
year old Eastern European immigrant, Niko Bellic,
who comes to America in search of the American
Dream. He arrives in Liberty City (NYC) to be greeted by a cousin who, many years prior, had done as he
did. Soon, however, Bellic finds that America’s streets
aren’t really paved with gold, that his cousin doesn’t
own the mansions he claimed he had, and that life
in Liberty City can be just as painful and violent as
life in his home country. As he attempts to restart
his life, he gets bogged down with organized crime
as the debt and the shadows that had haunted him
in Eastern Europe come to bite him even when he’s
a quarter of the way across the world, in the land of
the free and the home of the brave. As the stoic main
character goes through the storyline, he meets more
and more people, each with their own problems,
their own outlooks on life, and their own meanings.
Although Grand Theft Auto IV may be crass, violent,
and pornographic at times, this only adds on to artistic conception and vision of the lonely, biting, greediness that can be New York City. It’s a game that has
more layers than possibly imaginable, a game that is
deep in meaning and rich in ideas, giving it a unique
ability to attract people from each end of the intellectual spectrum.
Or how about Fallout: New Vegas, a game
centered on civilization’s post-nuclear apocalypse?
The world ended with a loud bang on October 23rd,
2077, as China and the United States engage in The
Great War, in which the two countries launch their
respective atomic bombs at each other following a
Second Cold War. Your character is a courier working for the Mojave Express in the vast expanse of the
Mojave Desert in 2281, and the world is still heavily
and Punishment is worth being assigned by
a school for summer reading.
Whether you buy my argument or not, video
games are no longer limited to Pac-Man. As technology improves, so video games will become less and
less restricted, and so they will become a part of the
mainstream, just as movies had a century ago. If you
are an adult and you pride yourself in intellectual
curiosity and open-mindedness, please do yourself a
favor and try one of the games I’ve listed. I promise
you, you won’t regret it.
Every single video game requires creativity, skill, intellect and painstaking hours of
work to produce. What, then, differentiates
it from a painting, a novel, a poem, a song,
or any other result of similar skill and effort
that is considered an ‘art’? Some would say
that nothing does, that Call of Duty is just
as much an art form as the “Mona Lisa.”
I believe there is a difference.
I believe that art is defined not just by
what is put into the making of it, but also
by the emotional effect it has on people. Art
should convey something valuable to the
beholder; a sculpture or a painting may offer a different view, the artist’s unique way of looking at
things and finding aesthetic beauty in elements of real
life, a book or film can transmit the author’s or the filmmaker’s ideas, and a song can inspire, can provoke emotion. Video games may have potential to do this, but
they haven’t sufficiently explored that possibility yet. A
video game doesn’t teach anything, doesn’t enlighten, and
doesn’t give a fresh perspective on life, because while play-
ing, the gamer is in charge and simply “acts” as in real life.
The video game offers an imitation of everyday life.
Not only do video games fail to expand people’s
minds in the way art should, they also have a negative
impact on people’s lives. Art is supposed to help people
in some way, and if something has the opposite effect it
shouldn’t qualify as art.
After all, who would want to succeed in real life
when there is a much simpler virtual world where you
don’t have to worry about consequences for actions and
your only objective is not to get killed? Real life seems
complicated and overwhelming in comparison, and all
your energy is transferred to succeeding in an electronically generated, escapist world. This is not my conception of a work of art.
Finally, video games may have a negative effect
on public health. Scientists continue to investigate the
correlation between exploding child obesity rates in the
US and the growth of the video game industry among
many factors. It is logical that many kids and teens would
not want to run around outdoors and sweat when they
could spend the day comfortably glued to their sofa, maneuvering a virtual world and exerting only the muscles
in their thumbs. The obesity epidemic and lack of exercise drastically shorten life span and reduce quality of life.
Taken a bit further they have been projected to cause a
tremendous tax burden on the country due to the extra
medical support needed.
For these reasons, video games are an industry,
rather than an art, which is supposed to benefit Mankind. That being said, video games may have the potential to become an art if executed differently; and, after
all, maybe it’s the fact that they are not an art form that
makes them so fun.
Opinion
5
June 2012
Intercours
France’s Changing Political Scene
A Column That Strives Not To
Include Mature Subjects
The Good
and the Bad
Intercours is back from
a one-issue hiatus! If you hadn’t
noticed that gaping awkward
hole in the last Messenger issue,
it’s because our last column
was deemed a little too controversial by higher powers. As
a result, we’ve come up with
something not controversial at
all: our unbiased opinions on
random things! Actually, we’ve
worked hard on this installment, to make up for the last
one. We took some precious
time away from Bac revisions
and finals studying to collect
our thoughts for a moment,
and reflect on the year that
was. Without further ado, this
is Intercours’s season finale.
Awesome
By Michael Anderson and
Armand Latreille
KONY 2012 YEAAAAH
(just kidding, why is nobody
paying attention to Syria?)
NBA on Christmas
Senior Prank
End of the war in Iraq
7th Billion baby born
Meh
Linsanity
ES Workload
Giants Super Bowl
Jiminy Peak
End of tyrant regimes
Justice @ terminal 5
The rentrée that wasn’t (flood)
End of the world in 7000 years
Death of Steve Jobs
S Workload
Pakistan Flooding
Knicks First Round Exit
Greek Crisis
The Entire Month of February:
SAT, TPE, and Bac Blanc
School on Saturday
Rock Bottom
Spirit Week Spirit
Halloween Parade
Rugby Injuries
Shark Mascot
Space Shuttles retired
Die down of Occupy movements
By Armand Latreille
Exactly a year ago, this
newspaper published an
article explaining why Nicolas Sarkozy would live
to serve another term as
the President of France.
I thought it was a brilliant article that perfectly
outlined Sarkozy’s assets
Illustration by Louis Le Jamtel
in contrasts to Francois
Hollande’s weaknesses. Needless to say, my prediction
turned out wrong, and Hollande replaced Sarkozy as the
incumbent of the Elysee Palace a month ago. Why did it
come to this?
Sarkozy’s presidency started with a misstep that
would symbolize his governing style: instead of celebrating his victory with the thousands that were waiting
in la Place de la Concorde, him and 60 select few barricaded themselves at Fouquet’s, one of the more “upscale” restaurants in Paris. Attendees included French
billionaires, finance moguls, CEOs of important French
corporations, and Johnny Hallyday. In other words, the
entire who’s who of powerful French personalities was
present. Needless to say, nobody in France except the 60
people invited thought this was the best way to start off
a presidency. Imagine if Obama had suddenly decided
to ditch his election party at Grant Park and instead
head to a posh New York City restaurant to eat lobster
with Trump, CEOs of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan,
Rupert Murdoch, and Bruce Springteen.
During his campaign, Mr Hollande frequently
talked about the dignity of the French presidency, radically more so than in previous campaigns. Indeed, he
saw the important hatred; disgust, and distrust France
as a whole felt for Sarkozy, and wisely ran a campaign
whose semi-official main slogan was “5 years of Sarkozy
is enough”. Mr Sarkozy was never a president of the
people, rather, he was viewed as a “bling, bling” personality, meaning attracted to all that shines and makes
noises. It was easy to point out his dérapages, because
they were frequent and gave fodder to tabloids. Sarkozy
wasn’t educated through the traditional grandes écoles,
the very prestigious and elitist French universities, unlike Francois Hollande. He liked to say what was on
his mind, and he was anything but soft-spoken. Furthermore, he championed wildly unpopular austerity
reforms that gave the impression he was disconnected
from the hardships of the French. That, and his very
publicized and self-proclaimed 140% pay raise didn’t
help. Despite being a powerful speaker, his public behavior was detestable to many voters, whom saw in him
a mean, arrogant, and incapable little man. Simply put,
he was an anthipathetic president.
French voters historically favor “close to the
people” presidents. They need a president that they can
relate to, and in many elections, the electorate favored
the president whom they could picture themselves sit
down and have a beer with. Sarkozy was literally the antithesis of the model president. Never in five years did
France feel represented in him, and he never really acted
to change that. He was vulgar and his early mistakes (like
the Fouquet’s dinner) had a lasting impression. What’s
more, voters recognized his efforts towards fixing the
economy, and other overall policies: polls suggest that
Sarkozy has a better record (against Hollande) in having
“the authority of a head of state” and for being “capable
of taking the right decisions faced with the current economic and financial crisis.”
Hollande entered the presidential race as a profound outsider. Indeed, many speculate that, had Dominique Strauss-Kahn not been implicated in the murky
rape scandal in New York last summer, he would have
never secured the nomination. Hollande was rocked by
ultra-left challenger Mélanchon, and was an easy target
for criticism: he had, after all, never held an important
government position; and his policies in home department Correze left the budget riddled with debts. However, he was soft-spoken, humble, calm, and appealing
to voters who simply wanted to get rid of Sarkozy.
In trying times, the French needed to be re-assured, and Mr. Hollande did just that. While recognizing the width of the financial crisis, Hollande made a
choice in opting to criticize the difficult steps Sarkozy
had taken to end the crisis (pension age at 60, diminishing of public sector employees); and comfort the electorate with popular policies (attack on the richest, augmentation of teachers by 60, 000 posts). His proposal of
a 75% tax on millionaires is an example of a gratuitous
promise, aimed at striking voter’s heart- not their brains.
It’s easy to blame the banks, the rich, and the markets
for the financial hardships France has to face. It’s harder
to advocate unpopular reforms (read: austerity) needed
to steer clear of trouble.
Instead of pushing for a balanced budget, or
a roll-back of state spending, both Sarkozy and Hollande stuck to calmer seas; promised to expand the role
of the state and supervision of markets. Now, both of
them are smart men, which have many other intelligent aides. They know that this is not the recipe for
better economic times.
However, it seemed like any method was acceptable for gaining voters. Sarkozy, for example, toughened
up his stance and advocated a borderline xenophobic
agenda concerning immigration to woo extreme-right
votes. As a result, no one was quite sure what would
each candidate do once in office. For example, not many
voters actually thought that Hollande’s tax proposal was
credible. Many critics, however, observed that Sarkozy
had the personality and potential to pass the hard reforms; while Hollande would likely be more influenced
by the electorate. And, the vote reflected that belief.
France was scared of Sarkozy, and it became Hollande’s
election to loose. After Sarkozy failed to muster his eloquence during the single debate, it was clear that he had
lost the vote.
Was the election a total rebuttal of Sarkozy’s
policies? Not really.
While some of his reforms were unpopular,
many saw the good in them. Furthermore, he wasn’t as
radical as some people had hoped he would be, but the
tendency showed promise. He fostered an important relationship with foreign leaders, particularly Germany’s
Angela Merkel and USA’s Barack Obama. He did put
France back on the map, and strengthened its relationship with its allies. On the home front, he wasn’t afraid
to advocate a tough—but somewhat popular—stance
on immigration and racial problems (see the ban on
veils), and he set the country on the right path towards
economic recovery.
If anything, this election is the proof that personality does have an impact on the voters. France showed
up en masse against Sarkozy the man, not the president.
And, as I re-read last year’s article, I realize that I, too,
vouched for Sarkozy- the president, not the man. I was
wrong.
World
6
June 2012
The Beast Lies Within
By Maddie King
“The Afternoon wore on, hazy
and dreadfu(…; the sow staggered her way
ahead of them, bleeding and mad, and the
hunters followed, wedded to her in lust,
excited by the long chase and the dropped
blood.…. They were just behind her when
she staggered into an open space where …
butterflies danced round each other and the
air was… still. Here, struck down by the
heat, the sow fell and the hunters hurled
themselves at her.…Then Jack found the
throat and the hot blood sprouted over his
hands. The sow collapsed under them. At
last the immediacy of the kill subsided. The
boys drew back, and Jack stood, holding
out his hands.
“Look”
He giggled and flicked them while
the boys laughed at his reeking palms.(…)
Roger began to withdraw his spear (…).
Robert stabilized the thing in a phrase that
was received uproariously.
“Right up her ass!”
(…)
This time Robert and Maurice
acted the two parts; and Maurice’s acting
of the pig’s efforts to avoid the advancing
spear was so funny that the boys cried with
laughter.(…) The butterflies still danced,
preoccupied in the center of the clearing.”
--Lord of the Flies
For a bunch of twelve-year-old kids, the
behavior shown in this passage from
Lord of the Flies is not only unexpected, but frighteningly eerie. Set during
World War II, the book recounts the
strange evolution of a group of young
British boys after their plane crashes
onto an uncharted island. While, in the
beginning, the boys, aged 6-12, continue to act with a “civilized” conscience
and sense of responsibility, they soon
embrace a life of savagery.
This conduct can be viewed in
two different ways: either as a mental
regression into a more primitive state,
or the emergence of evil from the very
depth of the human nature.
It could even be a correlation of both. The author’s
autobiography suggests that
violent tendencies as a teenager was one of the greatest
elements that inspired him
to write the book. The time
period is no coincidence either.
In his memoir, William Golding, the author,
admits: “World War II was
the turning point for me.
I began to see what people
were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through
those years without understanding that man produces
evil as a bee produces honey must have
been blind or wrong in the head.” Some
suggest that the book is actually an allegory of the war: the boys start out as
friends, brothers, even, yet are divided
once some are unwilling to submit to
those who are by that time insane with
power and barbarism.
Many psychological tests were
made in the second half of the century
concerning this type of radical behavior change. In 1971, Philip Zimbardo
conducted his famous Stanford prison
experiment. The procedure’s goal was
to study the psychological reaction of
seventy-five perfectly normal men when
given the role of either a prison guard or
a prisoner.
The results were shocking. After
only two days, the prison guards started
to psychologically and physically abuse
the prisoners. Various forms of humiliation were handed out as punishment for
bad behavior while the obedient were
rewarded with better cells, meals and
supplies. Six days in, the experiment
shut down. The men’s reactions were
even more extreme than Zimbardo had
predicted: many of the guards seemed to
have developed true sadistic tendencies,
and the prisoners were, of course, traumatized, and grew to internalize their
prisoner role as a result. One prisoner
even had to be removed from the mock
prison after 36 hours on account of violent crying, bouts of anger and screaming. In the end, Zimbardo concluded
that the participants’ behaviors were
more due to the intense situation rather
than their individual personalities. He
even wrote a book entitled The Lucifer
Effect, which questions whether we can
ever be sure we are inherently good.
Numerous critics challenged
Zimabardo’s verdict. Erich Fromm, notably, defended a different theory: that
violent behavior such as this is unalterably due to character traits. He argued
that the experiment carried out by Zimbardo was incorrectly and unjustly executed, and even referenced the Nazi
concentration camps to support his
views.
Also, in a more recent context,
soldiers in enemy territory have been
known to have had similar irrationally
violent behaviors. Abhorrent pictures
of the military posing in insulting positions with Iraqi prisoners and corpses
have frequently been turning up in the
media. We have viewed these pictures
www.nobelprize.org
with disgust and horror, and, uncomprehending, we have either assumed
that these people were the “bad apples”
of the bunch or attributed their actions
to pure traumatic insanity.
But can it be more than that?
The truth is, a hostile environment
brings out the worst in us. With a license
to kill (or in the case of Lord of the Flies,
a license to survive), people are capable
of things they would not have fathomed
doing when they had ethically and socially imposed boundaries. In studying
Lord of the Flies, we observe that the
boys begin to lose it not when they start
murdering each other, but way before
that: when they slaughter their first pig.
Could this be the root of our
problem? If, in your mind, you are able
to kill, then you are able to harm. If you
are able to harm, you are able to torture.
And once you are able to torture, then
there is very little separating you from
utter sadism. Now say you were in a
position in which you were personally
handed a gun and told you had to kill
the people in front of you if you and
your people wanted to survive. What
would happen then? Would you release
the beast within?
Good luck to Debbie in her new post in the Fenimore office! We will miss you! Visit us often!
M essenger
The French-American School Of New York
VOL. IX NO. V
Editors-in-Chief: Emanuelle Rizk, Julian Salz
Managing Editors: Armand Latreille, Olivier Weiss
Middle School Editor: Margaux Salz Sports Editor: Paul Castaybert Design Editor: Clémence Wassen Copy Editor: Emma Guyot
Drawings by Louis LeJamtel and Emanuel Wickenburg.
Reporting Staff: Michael Anderson, Victor Counillon, Joaquin Delmar, Jurnivah Désir, Thomas De Villemejane,
Amelia Getahun-Hawkins, Nicolas Granato, David Guyot, Zoé Guyot, Guillaume Horikawa, Emilie Kehm,
Maddie King, Cedric Nakashima, Sophia Nee, Yuri Nessen, Elizabeth O’csay, Mathieu Rizk,
Oumou Sarr, Jacqueline Sarro, Emanuel Wickenburg, Camile Williams, Irène Woo.
Ecole Franco-Américaine de New York
French-American School of New York
Faculty Advisors: Mrs. Anne K. Culhane, Mr. Tom Faure 145 New Street, Mamaroneck, NY 10543
(914) 250-0000 www.fasny.org
Special thanks to Ms. Creteur, Mr. Guyot, Ms. Lopez, and Mr. Taylor
In Review
7
June 2012
Jazz: Roy Hargrove at the Village Vanguard
By Julian Salz
Despite what the
uninformed or uninitiated ear
may hear, there is no music
quite as brilliant or original in its
sound as Jazz, the music which
was the anthem of a young
and unfailingly optimistic
generation. Sadly, the fascination
for this sound waned with the
rapid and dramatic evolution
of the country which had
nursed it. And for more than
30 years, what was and is still
today one of the centerpieces of
Americana seemed abandoned
to an art form appreciable
only to the “intellectual” and
nostalgic. Thankfully however,
America has not completely
forgotten the tones and rhythms
unimaginable by anyone else,
and neither has Roy Hargrove.
Th e
42 year-old
Hargrove returned to the
Village Vanguard in the West
Village this past April to show
the once “Mecca of Jazz” that
the music and its audience was
still breathing ferociously. But
Hargrove is not merely one of
the young lions who emerged
into the contemporary jazz
scenes in the early 1990s.
He is also at the forefront of
a neo R&B/soul group, the
RH Factor, with which he
won a Grammy in 2002. He
also acted as a sideman for
rapper Common and now
fronts the Roy Hargrove Big
Band. As has now become
somewhat of a tradition, his
quintet returned to one of the
premiere but discreet venues on
Manhattan’s lower west side to
perform pieces from its most
recent albums, “Earfood” and
“Nothing Serious”.
A Jazz show is unlike
any other form of live music,
blending a mood, acoustic, and
personality all its own which
does not exist in any other style.
The Village Vanguard, which
has played host to some of the
best artists and live recordings
in Jazz, is the perfect initiation
to this music. The players
are only a few feet from you,
displaying their groans and
cries of approbation. Jazzmen
are playing nearly every night,
laboring to create something
completely
original.
The
physical, mental and spiritual
demands of this art form can
be seen on the grimaces, smiles,
and shouts of the players. Jazz
groups also share a communal
intimacy, a will to play together,
to maintain their own musical
personality and agenda while
working as an ensemble. This
is why Jazzmen are considered
to be the best musicians in
the world, because their genre
requires total commitment to
communal creation. They are
just as talented at listening to
each other as they are at playing
with each other.
This is what Roy
Hargrove did masterfully,
playing six songs that truly
showed the crowd the
exceptionality of his talent
and innovation. His last two
albums, mentioned earlier, are
fusions of post and hard bop
with simple but incredibly rich
and soulful melodic ideas. The
length and brilliant simplistic
originality of his phrasing
during ballads is reminiscent of
Miles Davis, yet he also delights
in exposing the influence Dizzy
Gillespie had on him in his
bop and Afro-Cuban inspired
pieces. His now longtime alto
saxophonist Justin Robinson
pours just as much excitement
as talent into his breathtakingly
long and complex solos, leap-
frogging between pitches at an
almost frightening but thrilling
rate of speed. Pianist Sullivan
Fortner showed why he is one
of the most creative players of
his time with R&B and funk
inspired riffs evocative of catchy
hip hop instrumentals. Quincy
Phillips created what can only
be described as a shining sea of
perpetually crashing symbols
and fills, dabbling even in disco
and rap beats that blended
surprisingly well with Ameen
Saleem’s cool bass.
Hargrove’s
quintet’s
unique sound is driven by its
careful blend of the best of then
and now. Each musician plays
with one ear leant to the past
and one towrds the future of Jazz
which is just as unpredictable as
it was in its heyday.
Even if your ear is not
one to be taken on an incredible
journey by the solos of Coltrane
or the tone of Miles Davis, you
truly have not fully experienced
live music until you’ve seen a
jazz show. Jazz doesn’t have to
be reserved for the intellectual,
nostalgic or old, but right now
it seems to be doing just fine on
its own.
Dreaming in Outer Space with M83
By Will Horikawa
Following the release of a
critically-acclaimed album Hurry
Up, We're Dreaming and Midnight
City, arguably the track of the year,
M83 has been spending the majority of 2012 on a worldwide tour, and
stopped by New York's Terminal 5
this May to play one of the venue's
most dazzling, energetic and electrifying shows of the year. The French
outfit took the stage right after a very
strange looking alien creature, none
other than the one feature on the
Midnight City single artwork, who
warmed up the crowd while a cinematic, orchestral composition followed his every move. Suddenly, the
lights fade to black, and M83 begin
their set with the aptly named "Intro", a heart-wrenching synth track
which invigorates the crowd with
lead singers Anthony Gonzalez &
Morgan Kibby's escalating vocals. The mesmerizing is also in full effect
for the very first time:
the stage was filled with
neon light cylinders and
the walls were covered
in a bed of scintillating
stars (This is almost to
be expected when your
band is named after a
galaxy, Messier 83). The
band worked through
an eclectic set list, incorporating songs from
M83 performing at Terminal 5
many different albums,
and because of this,
they were able to create a concert experience
that is second to none:
in less than 90 minutes,
I felt as if I had been to
a sold-out stadium rock
performance (Reunion,
This Bright Flash), a 90's
rave (Sitting, Couleurs),
a local indie show (Year
One, Year UFO), an 80s
party (Steve McQueen,
Graveyard Girl) an orchestral recital, the list
Album cover for M83’s Hurry Up, We’re dreaming
goes on & on.
But if there was one
one: be it mixing down new layers of
thing to remember from M83
that night, it would simply be the sounds over already familiar songs,
fact that, more than the vast major- processing mind bending electronity of independent bands today, they ics through synth modules between
understand and value the context of tracks or simply jamming out on
a live show and put in effect so many cowbells, the band always looks
noteworthy adjustments to make the ready to perform like there's no toaudience's experience a memorable morrow.
Art Show
8
June 2012
By Clara Martin
By Raphael Charlier
By Yasmine Kacha
The 2012 Art Show
By Emilie Kehm
The school art
show has proved to be yet
another success. Like every
year, students from grades 6
through 12 take the opportunity during this event to
display their best work since
September. From morning
until those last seconds before the opening, students
from all ages come together
to set up each other’s work,
decorating the halls of the
school with a mix of vibrant
colors, covering the usual
white paint on the walls.
Starting at eight,
the lucky middle school students have the help of FASNY mothers to set up their
work in the hallways during
the whole day, careful that
no art pieces are stomped
on by students scurrying to
class. Mr. Murray and Mrs.
Gisondo, the art teachers,
supervise the setup.
However, for the
high school, it is a little
more difficult to handle
things independently. Dur-
ing the day, the older students try to concentrate in
class, but to no avail; they
are thinking of the last projects they need to finish.
As the last bell
rings, they run to the art
room to get their projects.
Before the art show, the
art class becomes a chaotic
workshop. Many students
finally finish up projects
that were taking forever to
complete in the year and
everyone runs back and
forth from the class to anywhere in the school.
Opening
time
draws near, the students,
becoming more edgy by
the minute, finish displaying their last pieces of work,
fix up the tiniest little detail
that completes the project,
and try to get out of the
room as fast as possible before anyone sees them.
As the last student
leaves with the stapler, the
first few parents arrive. The
school, now turned into an
art gallery, gives a chance
to the young artists to lead
their parents around and
show them what they have
accomplished. This year,
the gym has provided more
space for the growing 10th,
11th and 12th grade artists
to display their numerous
and wonderful works of art.
Thanks to teachers
and many other students
working together, the gym
became a room for imagination.
Paintings
and
drawings hadn’t been the
only talent that night. Music groups of all genres were
able to play on the stage,
giving a nice atmosphere
to the gym while the crowd
enjoyed the displays as well
as food and drinks. This art
show has successfully proven the capacities of the students at the school and will
continue to be a wonderful
tradition at FASNY.
By Emeline DeNarp
By Gabriel Mehaignerie
By Jean-Raphael Decaux
By Guillaume Detobel
By Madeleine Herne
Senior Prank
June 2012
All photos by Emanuelle Rizk
9
Science
10
June 2012
« Si l’abeille disparaît, l’humanité en a pour quatre ans. »
- Albert Einstein
Sauvons les abeilles!
Créons le B(u)zzzz
Ecrit pour la classe de Mme Lopez
Par Elise Wendt, Naomi Daniel,
Mattéo Karagoz et Camille Payen
Par Florencia Loca, Emma Hemmerlé, Jocelin
Thomas, Théotime Janssens de Bisthoven
L’abeille influence de
façon indirecte les humains ;
elle assure plus de 10% de la
production de plantes cultivées,
telles que l’arbre fruitier et les
tournesols. Cet insecte féconde
par pollinisation une moyenne
de 80% des fleurs dont se nourrissent des herbivores comme le
mouton ou la vache. L’abeille
est donc le pilier de nombreuses
chaînes alimentaires.
Aujourd’hui, nous observons une diminution de la
population des abeilles. Leur
disparition est due aux insecticides utilisés par les humains
pour protéger leur agriculture.
Mais peu savent que leurs
produits affectent la fécondité
des abeilles. En effet, les abeilles
femelles pondent 10 œufs de
moins que les abeilles qui ne
sont pas au contact des pesticides. C’est pour cette raison
que la population diminue progressivement.
Mobilisons nous !
L’abeille joue un rôle
majeur dans la reproduction des plantes. Les insectes
pollinisateurs, comme la mégachile de la luzerne, assurent
plus de 10% de la production
de certaines plantes cultivées.
Comme ces insectes volent
de plante en plante, ils aident
certains végétaux à gagner du
territoire.
Cependant, les abeilles
semblent condamnées par
l’urbanisation, l’agriculture in-
Il y a quelques mois, certaines personnes ne rêvent
une fille que nous nommer- pas en couleur, et que ce groupe
ons Marie vit sa petite
sœur se transformer en
monstre hideux tandis
que ses parents, hébétés,
fondaient sous le soleil
de Février au milieu de
poissons volants. Ne sachant que faire, Marie se
retourna afin d’éviter ces
visions d’horreur, se retrouva nez a nez avec un
homme tenant un couteau, trébucha, et tomba
dans un puits sans fin.
Elle se réveilla en sursaut,
haletante et terrifiée.
Malgré toutes
les innovations ayant
eu lieu dans les siècles
précédents, les rêves Sigmund Freud, père de la psychanalyse
restent parmi les plus
bizarres et mystifiants mécan- constitue à peu près 12% de la
ismes du cerveau humain. Ceci population, s’accroissant avec
alors que tous les êtres humains rêvent, sauf dans les cas
de problèmes psychologiques
extrêmes. De quoi ? Uniquement de personnes qu’on a
déjà rencontrées. Il se pourrait
que l’homme tenant le couteau
dans le rêve de Marie ait été
en fait le gentil monsieur qui
était serveur dans son restaurant préféré quand elle n’avait
même pas cinq ans. Son visage avait depuis longtemps été
rangé dans son subconscient, et
elle ne pouvait donc s’en rappeler lorsqu’elle était éveillée.
Aujourd’hui, ce qu’on l’âge. Mais on ne sait pas si
a comme informations au l’expérience de rêver est modisujet des rêves s’appuie sur fiée s’il y a absence de couleur.
l’interprétation des individus De toute manière, on ne peut
qui ont rêvé. Ainsi, on sait que même pas être sur que ces faits
soient vaguement vrais : peutêtre les rêveurs ne se rappellentils pas correctement leurs rêves.
Presque tout ce qu’on
sait des rêves vient de simples
observations. En réveillant des
élèves juste avant leur phase de
rêve, des scientifiques ont put
remarquer qu’au bout de moins
d’une semaine, ceux-ci exhibaient déjà les signes des phases
préliminaires de la psychose, ou
la folie. Que nous montre cette
expérience ? Rêver est nécessaire
au fonctionnement de l’être humain. Il faudrait donc pousser
vers bien plus de découvertes
vis-à-vis de ce qu’il se passe dans
le cerveau lors du sommeil.
Non seulement cela servirait à
en savoir plus sur cet organe si
complexe, mais peut-être pourrait-on même utiliser les rêves
pour soigner des individus traumatisés, voire malades mentaux.
par les insecticides utilisés dans
les cultures.
Plus essentiellement et
finalement, la biodiversité animale et végétale est menacée
par la disparition des abeilles.
Une réduction des espèces végétales pourrait être à la source
d’une diminution d’oxygène
dans l’air et d’une pénurie de
tensive et les développement des ressources alimentaires. En saucultures qui ne contiennent pas vant les abeilles, nous nous saude fleurs. De plus, les abeilles vons nous-mêmes.
sont également mises en danger
Les Rêves
Par Emanuelle Rizk
Les ‘interprètes de rêves’, qu’on
rencontre bien moins souvent
qu’auparavant, cherchent toujours a déterminer la signifiance de nos rêves, qu’ils soient
L’artiste Salvador Dali dépeignait souvent des scènes semblablement sorties de rêves.
effrayants, agréables ou tout
simplement bizarres. Bien que
cette discipline soit loin d’être
exacte, elle souligne la place importante qu’occupent les rêves
dans la vie de tous. Pourquoi la
petite sœur de Marie se transforme en monstre ? Peut-être
qu’en poussant les recherches
dans les rêves, on pourra bientôt
formuler quelques hypothèses.
Pourtant, le monde
des rêves est toujours indéchiffré. On se demande encore
que représentent ces actions
imaginaires, s’ils peuplent notre
sommeil pour une raison spécifique. Mais surtout, le mécanisme des rêves nous force à
nous interroger a propos des
capacités incroyables de notre
cerveau. Il est quand même
effroyablement extraordinaire
que nous puissions nous rappeler presque chaque chose que
nous avons vécue, chaque personne que nous avons entrevue.
De plus, ces souvenirs dont on
ne sait pas qu’on se rappelle
sont dans notre subconscient.
Y aurait-il un moyen
de les faire revenir à la surface
? Avec cette technologie, nous
pourrions créer un type de
surhumain, qui n’oublie pratiquement rien. Et peut-être les
rêves sont-ils la clé qui nous ouvrirait la porte à des innovations
aussi incroyables que celles-ci.
Tout le monde ne rêve pas de la même manière!
- 5-10% des gens ont des cauchemars au moins
une fois par mois
- Les femmes rêvent autant de femmes que d’hommes, alors
que les personnes dans les rêves des hommes sont majoritairement masculines
- 80% des handicapés rêvent comme s’ils n’avaient pas leur
handicap. Par exemple, un homme paralysé depuis la naissance marchera dans son rêve, et un homme sourd entendra.
Science
11
June 2012
Manger ou conduire, il faut choisir!
Ecrit pour la classe de Mme Lopez
Par Aurore Jousset-Drouhin
Nous connaissons tous
le terme « Boire ou conduire,
il faut choisir ! » Il nous vient
à présent une nouvelle expression, en rapport cette fois-ci
avec le nouveau dilemme international, les biocarburants.
« Manger ou conduire, il faut
choisir ! » Mais pourquoi ?
Les biocarburants sont, depuis
quelque temps, une solution
plausible contre la pollution.
Malheureusement, il serait
bien trop facile de pouvoir
s’en arrêter la. Les biocarburants connaissent certains
inconvénients par rapport à
l’environnement mais aussi
par rapport à l’Homme. Mais
quels sont ces facteurs qui
font de l’agro carburant un
sujet si controversé?
Il existe trois générations de
biocarburants
: la première
se base principalement sur
des
plantes
oléagineuses,
comme,
par
exemple,
le
tournesol, dont
on extrait les
huiles qui sont
ensuite mises
en transestérification pour
pouvoir donner une huile
végétale
qui
sera mélangée
au gazole. Si
les plantes oléagineuses sont
introuvables dans la région,
on peut alors se relier à la
fabrication d’éthanol grâce
à la fermentation des sucres
(betterave/canne à sucre) ou
d’amidon (blé/maïs/pomme
de terre) dans lequel on rajoute de l’isobutylène pour
enfin pouvoir le mélanger
à de l’essence. Cette première génération présente
déjà de sérieux problèmes
qui affectent non seulement
l’environnement, mais aussi
l’alimentation de l’humanité.
Pour pouvoir vous donner un
aperçu du problème, prenons
comme exemple la culture de
maïs au Mexique. Sa culture
représente plus de 60%, voire
plus, du budget de base de
plusieurs Mexicains. En 2007,
on assiste à une hausse brutale
des prix, chose qui amènera à
la crise de la « tortilla ».
Les Etats Unis rachètent une grande partie de
cette récolte pour pouvoir
produire de l’éthanol, donc
des biocarburants. Il ne reste
donc rien pour la population
du Mexique. Selon Lester
Brown, il faut 2,5 quintaux de
maïs pour faire le plein d’un
4x4. Avec
cette même
quantité,
on pourrait nourrir
une famille
mexicaine
pendant un
an. Un simple exemple
suffit : le
graphique
ci-contre
représente
l’évolution
de la surface
des
thèse, ce qui donnera alors
de l’hydrocarbure qui sera
ensuite mélangé à l’essence.
Même chose pour les cul-
terres agricoles
par habitant.
En 2000, la
surface
disponible
cultivée par
habitant est
de 0.25 en
hectares. Un
résultat déjà
médiocre
sachant que
la population est de
plus de 6
milliards.
D’après les
statistiques,
en
2050,
la population
aura
augmentée
de plus de
3 milliards. La surface cultivée sera de 0.14 hectares.
Pour pouvoir nourrir la
population, il faudrait alors
que la production alimentaire
augmente de plus de 70%. Si
l’on continue à suivre la première génération, cet exploit
sera-t-il possible ?
C’est alors que la deuxième génération rentre en jeu.
Pour pouvoir limiter les impacts sur l’Homme ainsi que
l’environnement, la recherche
travaille sur un autre développement. Ce deuxième essai utilise comme matière des
végétaux non alimentaires,
c’est-à-dire des résidus de bois
ainsi que des déchets agricoles
comme la paille. Les éléments
seraient alors soumis à une
gazéification suivie d’une syn-
tures et les taillis, qui seront
eux, soumis à une fermentation. Cette technique reste un
avantage au niveau de la surface cultivable, mais présente
de nombreux problèmes,
notamment face à la déforestation. L’Indonésie est un pays
où la culture des palmeraies se
fait en grande quantité, pour
pouvoir produire des huiles
d’agrocarburant. Elle abrite
aussi une des dernières populations d’orangs-outangs. Pour
pouvoir produire cette huile,
il est nécessaire de déraciner,
donc de détruire ces arbres.
Les primates se retrouvent
alors sans habitat qui leur
est propre, et sont donc plus
vulnérables au monde qui les
entoure. On ne peut donc pas
appeler cette méthode une
méthode viable à long terme.
La troisième génération est encore au stade de la
recherche en laboratoire. Mais
on sait déjà qu’elle serait faite
à base d’algues, et serait plus
que prometteuse à long terme.
La méthode serait la suivante
: on synthétiserait des lipides
trouvés dans les micro algues
grâce à du dioxyde de carbone. La raison
pour laquelle
cette génération
pourrait
être
la bonne est sa
rapidité. En effet, les algues se
développeraient
plus vite que
certaines plantes, ce qui rendrait les hectares
utilisé beaucoup
moins importants en nombre. Il est, pour
l’instant, impossible d’en dire
plus sur cette technique car
elle n’a pas encore été testée.
Mais, on peut quand même
se demander si ces algues
n’auront pas un effet secondaire sur la population qui
s’en nourrit. Le fait que cette
plante se développe rapide-
ment permet d’en prendre
une plus grande quantité, une
quantité qui, malgré ca, pourrait devenir trop importante.
Les résultats restent à voir.
Les biocarburants restent un sujet discuté de tous
côtés. Cette nouvelle vision
de l’écologie pourrait devenir
très utile, ou alors très problématique. Pour l’instant les
trois générations présentées
ont pu montrer de l’espoir,
mais cachant un effet secondaire fatal sur la nourriture,
ainsi que l’environnement.
Manger ou conduire, il faut
choisir !
12
Games
June 2012
Hugo Cabret: un chef-d’œuvre
Option: S ou ES?
Par Irène Woo
“If you lose your purpose ... it’s like you’re broken.”
—Hugo Cabret
Tendresse, légèreté, humour, tristesse,
anxiété et réjouissance, tous sont présents dans
le chef-d’œuvre intemporel qu’est Hugo Cabret.
By Margaux Salz
du film touche tous les autres personnages. En
effet, le réalisateur nous livre une réelle étude
psychologique de tous ces personnages, en étudiant tous leurs aspects, brutaux ou naïfs dans
le cas de l’Inspecteur.
Enfin vers le milieu du film, l’histoire de
Georges Méliès se place au premier plan. Petits
et grands se verront émerveillés par ce conte de
l’histoire du cinéma, réalisé avec douceur et tendresse enfantine. Nous suivons donc les pas de
ce grand cinéaste avant et après la Guerre, dans
son palais de verre puis dans sa petite échoppe
dans la gare. Les costumes et les caméras de
l’époque défilent devant nos yeux pour éveiller
en nous quelques mémoires passées.
Que dire alors ? Hugo Cabret est un
chef-d’œuvre, signé par le grand réalisateur Martin Scorsese. Tout nous enchante, tant la musique que les thèmes abordés. Toutefois, le film
débute sur une approche très « photographique
». Le silence prône alors que des scènes magnifiques défilent. Ces scènes intéresseront surtout les cinéphiles, avec douceur et volupté,
mais peuvent paraître longues. Cependant, ce
petit bémol ne ternit pas l’image intemporelle
d’Hugo Cabret.
“I like to imagine that the world is one
big machine. You know, machines never have any
Le film nous émeut au plus profond de nous- extra parts. They have the exact number and types
mêmes, en suivant les pas d’un jeune orphelin of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is
nommé Hugo Cabret, dans la gare du Paris a big machine, I have to be here for some reason,
des années 30. Puis, à travers la vie de George too.” —Hugo Cabret.
Méliès, un contemporain du jeune héros, la
magie du cinéma nous est dévoilée et nos yeux Note: 4,5/5
s’émerveillent comme ceux d’un enfant. Hugo
Cabret, en bouleversant ainsi nos sens, s’affirme
aux rangs des Grands Classiques.
By Amelia Getahun-Hawkins
Le film nous plonge dans un autre
univers, celui de Paris dix ans après la Grande
Guerre. Hugo vit avec son père, veuf, dans
une horlogerie. Un jour, celui-ci rapporte d’un
musée un vieil automate particulièrement
complexe. Ils tentent ensemble de le réparer
mais un incendie rendra le jeune Hugo orphelin. Il se défie alors de réparer le seul héritage
de son père.
L’automate devient donc la pièce centrale du puzzle qu’est Hugo Cabret.
Survient alors l’antagoniste, le chef de
gare l’Inspecteur Gustave. Accompagné de son
chien féroce, il surveille la gare en quête d’un
orphelin qu’il pourrait envoyer dans une sombre prison nommée orphelinat. Ses méthodes
immorales et brutales contrastent avec son histoire amoureuse. En effet, il tente de séduire la
jeune fleuriste, qui tout d’abord le repousse à
cause de sa fausse jambe. Cette caractéristique
The Perfect Locker
Whenever a 9th grader
is asked about their future, it’s
always the infamous: “What
section are you going into?”
which marks the beginning of
endless hours of debate. Go to
S and spend endless hours immersed in science, or choose ES
and analyze every world economy possible? Although the answer to these harrowing questions need only be delivered
towards the end of 10th grade,
there are some choices that
need to be made much sooner.
At the end of 9th grade,
students are given the choice
between more options than
ever before, such as two extra
hours of art, literature, public
speaking, or even additional
math, physics and chemistry.
Although these carry more
weight in academic careers
than previous decisions about
chorale and music, they still
can’t match up to the looming choice between S and ES.
Decisions for 10th
grade are a baby step compared
to this choice, but they already
reflect the future determination of taking S or ES. Those
who are ready to devote themselves to S and all its scientific
wonder will rush to additional
math and physics classes, but
those who are already planning to go down the path of
ES will probably choose different options, such as Public
Speaking, or even Literature.
The good thing about
such a small step is the fact
that scientific options act like
a small taste of S, minus the
crushing workload and buck-
ets of stress. For those still on
the fence about their choice of
section, it’s a better alternative
than signing up for S, going
through a few weeks of hell, and
then backtracking over to ES.
It’s also certainly better than finding yourself in ES
when all you dream about is
spending hours staring at a physics manual, and being unable to
fulfill that wonderful ambition.
In addition to giving
future 10th graders more opportunities than the traditional
choice between chorale and music, and art, Latin, and American Math, 9th grade options
give students with a burning
passion for numbers and atoms
a chance to delve deeper into the
subject without spending twenty hours a week on the subject.
Others get the chance
to engage in more developed
art classes and explore the possibility of a future career in art.
Public Speaking, something
that no student has seen so far
in their education, is a refreshing change and the opportunity to try something new (and
discover you’re a master at manipulating people and should
pursue a career in politics).
10th grade options
are a small stepping stone
that prepares students for the
choices they will have to take
when choosing between S and
ES. The fact that they are so
small is just an advantage over
the seemingly overwhelming decision of picking a section and making the first academic career-changing choice.
Two FASNY Students Make Kangourou Finals
Congratulations to Axel Ehlinger (’14) and Cyril Douady (’17) on their outstanding performance in the
Concours Kangourou, the national French mathematics competition!
Axel placed 10th out of over 11,000 contestants with his score of 102.5, while Cyril placed 5th out of over
53,000 with a perfect score of 120.
It doesn’t take a differential equation or exponential function to graph the level of their success. Their math
skills belong on a higher order. To say the two students have made FASNY proud would be no hyperbole—or
parabola, for that matter.
The two flew to Paris June 1st with math teacher Mr. Guyot to take part in a final competition at Lycée
Louis le Grand. Though neither student took first prize at the final tournmaent, this did not detract—or should we
say, subtract—from their trip. The apex of the journey: they also got to see friends and family in France!
All photos by Mr. Guyot
Games
13
June 2012
Cat and Mouse Maze
Sudoku
See if you can find your way out!
Tic-Tac-Toe
Difficulty: Hard
Sus
a
n
Lot
he
Summer Word Search
Dots - Make more squares
than your opponent!
Crosssword Puzzle
2-3. What bargain hunters enjoy.
6-22. What we all should be.
4-5. A written acknowledgment.
4-26. A day dream.
6-7. Such and nothing more.
2-11. A talon.
10-11. A bird.
19-28. A pigeon.
14-15. Opposed to less.
F-7. Part of your head.
18-19. What this puzzle is.
23-30. A river in Russia.
22-23. An animal of prey.
1-32. To govern.
26-27. The close of a day.
By Arthur Wynne
33-34. An aromatic plant.
28-29. To elude.
N-8. A fist.
30-31. The plural of is.
24-31. To agree with.
8-9. To cultivate.
3-12. Part of a ship.
12-13. A bar of wood or iron.
20-29.One.
16-17. What artists learn to do.
5-27.Exchanging.
20-21.Fastened.
9-25. To sink in mud.
24-25. Found on the seashore.
13-21. A boy.
10-18. The fibre of the gomuti palm.
Horoscopes
14
June 2012
By Jacqueline Sarro
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Aries is back in business! You have a new, better
outlook on life. You’re so much happier, and so are
the people around you. Your great energy is making
life more enjoyable. You’re truly a kind person so don’t
ever feel bad about how you chose to live with your
new found confidence. It’s perfectly normal. You either
have or will make a new friend in the near future. The
friendship may be lifelong or very ephemeral. Only
time will tell...
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
It has been a really busy and rough month for
you. So many things to do, in so little time.
Don’t worry though, it’ll all be over soon. Keep
your head above water for a little while longer.
Soon everything will return to it’s normal
pace. You will feel better physically, mentally,
and emotionally in the weeks to come. Treat
yourself to something nice and that you enjoy.
You deserve it.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Happy birthday Gemini! Now, stop worrying about
dreams. Start worrying about something you actually
have control over. Also, lately you have been coming
off strongly to some people. This is good in some
circumstances, but lately, it hasn’t been that great for
you. It has been getting on some people’s nerves. Try
listening to other people instead of always talking. You
don’t always have to have the last word either. Don’t get
too caught un in your new endeavors. They won’t last
long.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
You have been feeling a little unfulfilled lately. You
are not living to your full potential and you know
it. This is bringing you down. You need to make
yourself more useful. If you’re in bad mood, you
can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself
to smile. It’s scientifically proven. Plus, smiling is
actually contagious. So by forcing yourself to smile,
you’ll lift the moods of the people around you.
If that’s not enough to make you feel better, get
involved in a charity that you believe in. It will be truly inspiring. Helping others is
the best way to feel good about yourself.
Libra (September 23-October 22)
You have suffered a loss which has taken a toll
on you. You haven’t been yourself since. Slowly
you are getting back in the game but it is truly
hard. You need to accept the fact that what you
had, weather it be big or small, very important
or less important, is gone. You need to move on.
You’re in luck though. Life will deal you very
favorable cards in the near future. Keep your
eyes open and don’t miss it. It will brighten your life again and put you right
back on track. You will be the beautiful you, once again.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
You’ve been acting super silly lately. Your
peers find it very amusing. You’re not afraid
to laugh at yourself Scorpio. This is a quality
that not all of us have unfortunately. You’re
a lucky one. Keep on the sunny side. Your
quirkiness will take you places and you will
be successful. There’s nothing really major for
you to worry about at this time, so just keep
being you!
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Your intuitive side is beginning to shine
through. You have an undervalued streak
of wisdom. Follow this hunch. Something
amazing might just come out of it. Your new
awesome ideas will just come to you. Don’t
forget to exploit them. It would be a shame
to waste this potential. If anyone tries to resist
or put you down, don’t let them. Stay serious
about this and make sure they know you’re
serious too.
Capricorn (December 22-Januray 19)
Be careful about starting this new commitment.
You will be great at the job—don’t worry about
that, Capricorn. You always excel, no matter
what you do. It’s just that your eyes are bigger
than your stomach and you already have so
much on your plate. You should wait a little
while, maybe? It’s up to you. You’re stronghearted and occasionally hard-headed so it’s
unlikely that this will change your mind. That’s
fine, though. Keep doing what you do.
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Someone very close to you has let you down. It has
been bothering you immensely, even though you
refuse to show it.he reason that person is acting this
way is because they’re insecure. Don’t be fooled or
intimidated by them. You’re way better than that.
Brush it off you shoulder, c’mon! Summer is almost
here, it’s time to meet new people and have a great
time. It’s also time to relax. Take some down time,
unwind and hang loose.
You finally built up the courage to do something
you have been wanting to for a while. This is
great. You recently hurt a few people around you.
Your relationship with them may not be ruined,
but it won’t be the same undoubtedly. Sometimes
you let people influence your thinking too much.
Think logically and for yourself. Hopefully you
will realize some of the things that are normally
hard for you to. This would help. To fix the things
around you, just don’e lie. Be honest. Honesty is key.
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
You’re a genuinely nice person. You alway have
been. It will pay off soon. Karma will come right
back like a boomerang and give you what you have
been giving to people. You’re in for a treat. You do
tend to hide your feelings though. You don’t need
to do that all the time. Express how you feel. It’s
okay to do so. No one will blame your for it. Stay
gold kid.
You made a hard decision. It will either go really well or
very badly. Hopefully it will go well. You need to hope,
cross all your fingers and toes. Something you thought
would never happen in your whole entire life recently
just happened. If that didn’t occur, don’t worry, it will
soon. Good luck. Everyone around you is skeptical
but supportive. Don’t worry about it it. Follow your
gut feel. Additionally, you will come across something
or someone long lost. You will have a great time
reminiscing Pieces.
Shark
January 2012
Sports
EURO 2012: The Best Preview in Town
By Armand Latreille The Monday that follows my French BAC, I
plan to wake up early. Yes, this is unusual. But, I don’t
plan on taking out my SAT book and start practicing that $#@%&*^ Written section, or to start reading Crime and Punishment. No, I will be wearing my
favorite French soccer jersey, a beret, and head off in a
bar somewhere in Manhattan to watch Les Bleus take
on those pesky Englishmen.
This will mark the start of the UEFA Euro
2012, the greatest international competition after the
World Cup. Played in Poland and Ukraine, this competition features the best European national squads
(including Turkey), and is essentially an orgy of pretty
good football (we’ll refer “football” as soccer in this article, because it’s the proper way to talk about it) for
someone like me who has lots of time to waste and
yell at a TV screen. This guide is aimed at the casual
observer and the die hard fan, in hope that they find it
a useful help to understand what’s happening, or just
discussion fodder with friends while waiting for the
games to begin.
As a sure-fire indicator, we will use the official
betting odds to win the tournament in parentheses,
but I certainly will make a few changes that reflect my
personal opinion.
I The “Even If You’re Not A Soccer Fan There Is No
Excuse Not To Watch Those Teams Play” group:
Spain (2.75-1 odds of winning it all), Germany
(3-1), Netherlands (6-1)
Quite possibly the three best teams in the international stage right now, according to the UEFA ranking at
least. Spain is world champion, Netherlands played the
Final, and Germany also scored 3rd place. Of course,
the stakes at the Euro are considerably less important
than the World Cup, and that might reflect on the
level of play. However, these three teams will aim for
nothing less than the final round. Their core nucleus
of talented player has not changed since South Africa,
and neither have their coaches. They still have their
weaknesses: Spain’s small ball tactic of tiring the opponent while controlling the ball is risky against good defenses, Germany relies too strongly on counter-attacks,
and Netherlands have a serious problem in getting the
ball in scoring range. Bold Prediction n. 1: Neither of
these teams wins the Final.
them after Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands. The
problem with France is that the entire team is still playing with a chip on their shoulder regarding the South
African disaster. “Redemption” is the key word here.
This Euro is its only chance to redeem itself, even if the
nucleus of the South African team is almost broken
up. I say almost because many important players took
part in the training boycott: Lloris, Evra, and Ribéry
to name a few.
Laurent Blanc has done an amazing job in rebuilding the team, and it has not lost since 19 games.
His inclusion of a new, talented, group of players as
the mainframe of the squad worked perfectly. In other
words, the best thing to happen to the team is that players no longer looked backwards, but forward: all of them
had nothing to loose (the team’s reputation and level of
play hit rock-bottom) and everything to win. The objective was clear: Euro 2012 or bust. Now, it is fair to say
that the holdovers form South Africa have an irreplaceable role in the team. On the other hand, many critics
have argued that “bad boys stay bad boys”, and that the
antagonisms that wrecked the team apart will eventually
come back if Laurent Blanc allows holdovers.
So far, the level of play has been geared offensively, and it has produced acceptable results: wins
against Germany and England, for example. I say, let’s
stick with the talented youth. They are fun to watch,
and deserve their shot. My starting 11: Lloris- Debuchy, Rami, Méxes, Evra- Nasri, M’Vila, Malouda, Ben
Arfa, Benzema, Menez.
III The “Teams With History That Have A Role To
Play If They Don’t Want To Get Assaulted When
They Come Back From Poland”: England (10-1),
Italy (14-1)
Both of those teams have rabid fan bases that will
not hesitate to parade around with the coach and/or
player’s heads on spikes if they do not have a satisfactory outing. In England’s case, looking at their road
to the tournament makes me feel good about France’s
chances against them. In the midst of captain John
Terry’s troubles because of his Premier League antics,
coach Fabio Capello stepped down (or was pushed
away), throwing the national team into disarray. To
make things worse, eccentric striker Wayne Rooney is
suspended for the first two games of the Euro (which
includes the match against France (!!).
As the saying goes, England traditionally does
better when its expectations are low (a rare occurrence
II Les Bleus: France (11-1)
among English fans), so it is half-safe to assume they
I feel like dedicating an entire section to the French na- will make it out of the group, but my guess it that its
tional team, just because I can. And, in case you were overall fate hinges on the game against France. Bold
wondering, France is my pick to win the tournament Prediction n. 2: France wins against England, the
(only because I’m French), though I do rationally rank latter spirals down and lets Sweden take 2nd place.
Early Shower!
Coach Laveyssieres’ Team Talk, Interrupted!
15
As far as Italy goes, I must refrain myself from
referring to the scandalous rigged-match scandals that
threatens to undo the team’s unity and perhaps doom
its hopes in going deep this summer. Ooops. I must
also refrain myself from mentioning their horrible
football philosophy which consists of leaning on a stellar group Juventus-bred defenders as well as one of the
greatest goalkeeper of all time to hold the goal, and live
in counter-attacks.
Finally, I must strive to hold an objective stand
and overlook the fact that they are poised to meet
France in the quarterfinals, possibly on their way to
the final. But, I can’t because I hate this team more
than the English, and I hope Spain wrecks them when
they meet in the first round.
IV The Host Teams That Have Little Hope of Going
Deep: Poland (40-1), Ukraine (50-1) These are the
two host teams. They will benefit from a psychological
advantage, because fans will show up en masse. I’m not
even sure I can name one player on each team, but they
have to be mentioned anyway; that’s it, let’s move on.
V The Team with The Best Player of the Tournament: Portugal (18-1)
Can we just please all agree on this? Cristiano Ronaldo
will be the most talented guy on the field for the duration
of the Euro. His stellar season at Madrid might carry over
to the Euro, but it’s unlikely you can pretend to a semifinal with the team Portugal will assemble. Furthermore,
Ronaldo is known for not showing up internationally.
That makes it unlikely Portugal can go deep.
VI The Team with the Best Jersey: France
I’m not kidding. The home jersey is the best since 2000.
VII The Team with the Worst Jersey: Ireland
What the hell is this green thing?
Honorable Mention: Ukraine, with a jersey straight
from the end of Soviet Union era.
VII The Wooden Spoons
Nobody cares about them. More bold predictions!
Bold Prediction n.3: Greeks bankrupt the tournament.
Bold Prediction n.4: European governments receive
a mysterious message from an unknown courier that
threatens to cut off all oil and gas pipelines from Russia
if they win against the Russian national team.
Bold Prediction n.5: Cristiano Ronaldo scores 23
goals and single-handedly wins the Cup for Portugal.
Rational prediction: As the great Gary Lineker once
said: “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball
for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.” This
year is no exception. Germany wins the final.
Parents, coaches, teachers, staff, and players all scrummed at the annual rugby tournament.
Only Mr. Laveyssiere received an early shower. Photos by Mr. Faure
Shark
January 2012
Sports
On Est Les Champtions!
On May 5th, FASNY held the first Annual Varsity Rugby Tournament, and the boys beat out the competition to win the cup.
The tournament included Greenwich High School, the Lycée Français de New York, and South Shore Rugby Club. FASNY beat local rivals
Greenwich 15-10, then lost to South Shore 20-10. FASNY then demolished a weakened Lycée 40-5.
FASNY then faced off with South Shore once again in the final. At
half-time, it was all tied up and the atmosphere was tense. FASNY took over
in the second half, though, and pulled off a gritty 25-10 victory.
“A beautiful display of what French rugby is all about was demonstrated and we can only hope for more next year,” wrote coaches Julien
Laveyssieres and Jérôme Faure in a celebratory e-mail to the community.
Mr. Taylor
Left: As Jack Faure (’12) hoists the trophy, Coach Laveyssieres shows
his pride and Trustees Chairman—and father to players Sacha (’12)
and Lucas (’13)—Mischa Zabotin applauds the victory.
FASNY Middle School Rugby:
A Rising Team
Meet the Players
By Thomas de Villemejane
When the date was announced
for the Greenwich-FASNY rugby match,
people laughed. They thought that Greenwich would crush the FASNY players, like
a little ants. Critics complained that the
FASNY were too small. FASNY were indeed the underdogs, but Greenwich had a
lot of trouble dealing with them.
Both teams
stepped on to the
field. It was time for
kick-off. The game
started. The game was
one hell of a ride. Every time Greenwich
scored a try, FASNY
responded. After a
try by Greenwich’s
number 8, Cyril passes it to Aleksi. He’s
gone. He’s too fast. He powers past the
defense and is well into FASNY’s half before he is brought down! The crowd goes
wild. From there, Gonzague Demoulin
pulled the ball out of a ruck and passes
the ball to Paul Castaybert, who scores
the FASNY’s first try of the day, bringing FASNY within one try of the lead.
But that’s when disaster struck: Nicolas
Granato was down. As the players and
coaches kneeled down next to him, he
was slowly carried off the field. FASNY
parents and players cheered for Nicolas,
as he exited the field with a concussion
A couple of moments later Matheo
Remy shows his skills and agility and scores!
With FASNY only down a few points due
to missed conversions from nearly impossible angles at halftime, the parents stare
in shock. FASNY is in the lead! But the
FASNY Middle School Rugby:
Par Paul Castaybert et Louis Le Jamtel
injury train is not derailed, as Thomas de
Villemejane gets stomped on the eye by a
pair of cleats. As he exits the game, Greenwich scores again.
After a powerful Paul Castaybert
try and yet another try by Greenwich’s
number 8, the score is 19-17. As the crowd
cheers, number 8 has crossed the line
The Evolution of Rugby Kids
again. He is a beast. One second, Paul is
celebrating, and the next, the score is 2617. But here comes Aleksi Goulet to the
rescue. He shoves players off, he runs past
everybody and scores. 26-22. But everyone
here knows time is running out. FASNY
receives the kick. They give it to Aleksi.
He’s off! But someone somehow catches
up to him and tackles him. The ref looks
at the coach and signals that this is the last
play. Number 9, Gonzague, looks at Louis.
He passes it to Louis Lejamtel, who runs
towards the try line. The crowd is on their
feet. Moments before Louis runs past the
line, the ref signals the end of the game.
Louis had stepped out of bounds!
In the end, the score didn’t matter.
FASNY played a heck of a game, and that’s
what mattered. Everyone played really well
and now, FASNY is one scary team!!!!
La saison de rugby 20122013 a été une des meilleures saisons
de l’équipe du collège depuis la création du programme de rugby de
FASNY en 2008-2009. M. Ekotto
et Robin Deroche (’13) ont entraîné
l’équipe avec l’aide de M. Taylor.
Leur passion dans les entraînements et les matchs a beaucoup
contribué au succès de l’équipe.
Mais ce succès n’aurait pas
été possible sans les joueurs. Les
avants ont fait, la plupart du temps,
un excellent travail : la première ligne
consistait de joueurs très solides « Les
Rois des Rucks »: #1 Coby (The Wall)
Hilelly, #2 Louis (Rambo) Le Jamtel,
#3 Jules (The Last of the Le Jamtels)
Le Jamtel. Ces joueurs se sont trouvés dans chaque ruck de la saison.
La deuxième ligne de
l’équipe utilisait un mélange de force,
agilité et rapidité, les « Tough Guys »
: #4 Mark (La Brute Epaisse) Faguer
et #5 Paul (Chewbacca) Castaybert.
La troisième ligne avait des
joueurs qui travaillaient dur, mais
qui, après le match, se regardaient
dans le miroir pour des heures pour
s’assurer qu’ils n’avaient pas abîmé
leur figure. « Les Beaux Gosses » :
#6 Jean (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi,
Oi, Oi) Horikawa, #7 Thomas (Everybody Loves Him) Horikawa,
#8 Hector (Goldilocks) Sonnois.
Mais, quand les titulaires
étaient fatigués, il fallait des excellents remplaçants pour maintenir le
haut niveau de rugby. Benoît (Su-
per Mario) Charriaud, Augustin
(The Peacemaker) Rivoire et Louis
(Allez La Belgique) Marchand remplaçaient les joueurs de la première
ligne. Les gros de la deuxième ligne
étaient substitués par Thomas (The
Creator) De Villemejane et Mathieu
(Do I Really Have to do This) Rizk.
Pour les trois quart, il y
avait : Gonzague (Salut les Filles)
Demoulin, Aleksi (Crazy Canuck)
Goulet, Mathéo (Creator) Remy,
Cyril (I’m better than you) Douady,
Alban (You did what) Douady, Nicolas (Seeing Stars) Granato, William (Ginger) Mason, Nathan (Fais
Gaffe) Poisnel, Guillaume (Coeur de
Lion) Dupaquier, Melchior (Hippie,
Cowboy, Who actually knows what
he is) Deroche, Mattéo (Eh! Ca va
pas non) Trulli. Finalement, notre
capitaine était Marcel (No comment needed) Dupuy D’Angeac.
La star de l’équipe, pourtant, était Aleksi Goulet qui
utilisait sa vitesse pour marquer un maximum d’essais.
Chaque joueur a fait son
plus grand effort pour gagner
des matchs, mais surtout, pour
s’amuser. Avec un équilibre de
joueurs sérieux et amusants, les deux
étaient possibles. Il faudra faire de
même l’année prochaine, mais sans
les 4e (3e de 2012-13). Nous leur
souhaitons une bonne saison avec
l’équipe du lycée, et nous espérons
que les 6e de l’année prochaine
seront aussi sérieux et amusants.