Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
by The Vigornia
By Sun-Mee Kasper ’12
As much of the Worcester Academy population knows, we will be losing one of our beloved English teachers at the end of this year: Mr. Naftalis. Since the fall of 2004, Mr. Dan Naftalis, affectionately known by teachers and students alike as “Nafty,” has been a quiet but extremely influential man on campus. He has taught numerous freshman English classes, AP Language and AP Lit classes, and a few electives, and was the assistant coach of the wrestling and boys lacrosse teams. His wit, humor, and biting sarcasm complement his intelligence and insight. Some of my favorite classes were when we would forget analysis and close reading for a bit, maybe only fifteen minutes, and have open conversations with Mr. Naftalis about our fears for college, compare our lives to his, or ask for advice for how to handle living in our world today.
I could write a whole article about why I, and every one of his students, love Mr. Naftalis, but I thought it would be a better idea to let them speak for themselves. I asked a few of his current and former students and athletes if they would like write something short about him, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
I have only had him for one year, but he has made a huge impact on my interest of English. Before his class I was timid, but he always made me feel like I was not bad at English and taught me to be a good writer. I hope his future students take advantage of having such a great teacher, and I know I will miss him next year. – Delaney Horan ’12
Mr. Naftalis has been one of my favorite teachers. His quick wit and sense of humor made Freshman English a lot of fun. On the academic side, he improved my writing skills and I still use some of his tips when I’m writing an essay. My favorite Mr. Naftalis moment was the day he and Mr. Baillie came in to class and wrote on the board “The English Players Present: Your Generation”. Then, without saying a word, Mr. Baillie stood in the back of the room and shined a laser pointer on the board. Mr. Naftalis proceeded to chase the light, trying to “catch it”. It was much like when one shines a flashlight on the floor and their pet tries to catch it since they do not understand it is a light. Besides that fact that it was a dig at the intelligence of the student body, it was one of the funniest moments in the class and a favorite memory from Freshman year. – Allison Aghjayan ’13
I’d like to thank him for all the great wrestling coaching. – Dom Casamassima ’13
Mr. Naftalis is one of the best English teachers I’ve ever had, always encouraging me and others in my class to go further and dig deeper. I will miss him and his jokes greatly next year! – Raji Pyda ’12
Mr. Naftalis has improved my writing so much this year. He is a terrific teacher, and I didn’t even realize how much I had learned until I took the AP. He made this class entertaining and engaging and still managed to teach things. His students at his next school don’t know how lucky they are! – Micayla Zelny ’12
After having Catholic school teachers for eight years, Mr. Naftalis’ class was a culture shock. I loved it. – Tamani Jayasinghe ’11
Mr. Naftalis is one of the best and funniest teachers I’ve ever had. A short (stupid) story: One time in freshman year World Lit, he was describing to our class the Y position that Jesus had probably hung in. A boy remarked that Jesus must have been really jacked to have held himself up for two whole hours. Mr. Naftalis: “Oh, so Jesus was drinking Red Bull?” – Kiana Nedele ’12
Easily the best English teacher ever. A great combination of teaching skills and humor. – Vinnie Doyle ’12
I remember on Mr. Naftalis’s birthday, we all walked in and proceeded to sing to him. He responded with a typical sarcastic comment about how he hated that we wished him a happy birthday, but we could all tell that he was trying so hard to hold back a smile. The times that he did smile were the most precious moments, as we cherished the few instances when we saw the hidden, internal Mr. Naftalis. I will truly miss his presence, insight, and sense of humor, all of which improved my writing tremendously and made me love English as a whole. – Anita Alur ’13
Mr. Naftalis was a great advisor. His advice over the years I’ve had him as an advisor has been extremely helpful. Although I’m sad he is leaving I wish him the best at his new school. – Mason Clemence ’12
He’s a hard teacher but I really learned a lot. I have the proper MLA essay format burned into my brain. And he always says things like ‘Children, quiet!’ and ‘Children, stop your whining!’ – MJ Duffy ’13
Mr. Naftalis is one of the funniest teachers in this school. He is a great advisor who always gives the best advice and has an awesome sense of humor. He came up with probably over a hundred nicknames for me throughout three years in advisory. I am definitely going to miss him next year, but wish him luck next year. – Jesse Pelletier ’12
Mr. Naftalis has impacted every single one of his students as an amazing teacher, advisor, and coach. Worcester Academy will not be quick to forget the humor and wisdom he has offered. Good luck next year, Mr. Naftalis; we will miss you!
Popularity: 9% [?]
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
by The Vigornia
By Cas Black ’11 and Shannon Ott ’11
Michael presenting his winning speech; Courtesy, Ms. Gould
Just like Snooki, this year’s Dexter Prize competitions came in with a bang, and went out with a bang. The Dexter Prize has moved from one of the most dreaded school events to being one of the most talked about, and often has the audience sitting on pins and needles. But if there were a prize for the most thrilling and edgy Dexter Prize, it would certainly go to the Spring Performance. Once the results were revealed, many walked out wondering how exactly the judges critique and evaluate each contestant, and ultimately decide on a winner. (See the judge’s rubric below.)
Every year, students sit in the bleachers in the gymnasium and think to themselves that they could never memorize a Dexter Prize speech themselves. So, how do these contestants get these long pieces of prose to stick in their heads? Michael Schermerhorn ’14 explained, “I looked like an idiot carrying my book around everywhere I went! But I just read my speech over and over and practiced whenever I could to whoever I could at any given time.” Well, it is safe to say that whatever Michael did to prepare paid off as he placed first in the Spring 2011 Dexter Prize. In addition to the language of the piece that each contestant chose, they each are judged on their overall performance. That being said, Lauren Vignaly ’11 went above and beyond and learned sign language that went along with her piece. When asked to explain her memorization process she answered, “There’s a video of the author actually saying it where he does the sign language at those parts. So, I watched the video a bunch of times, and then copied it.” Lauren’s impressive use of sign language throughout her piece impressed the judges. Her overall performance placed her second in the competition.
For each contestant, the significance of their piece and its overall meaning can vary. This year, interestingly enough, each contestant in this round of the competition had a speech that related to having one’s voice heard. Lauren Vignaly ’11 explained that though this was the common theme, it was “Totally not planned at all… it just kind of happened.” Alex Sivitskis ’11 commented on the meaning of his piece, “With everything going on these past years, especially from the BOM perspective, it seems we’ve lost faith with the power behind the student voice. This piece was simply a manifestation of that potential, trying to demonstrate that if you speak up somebody will have to listen, even if they don’t agree with it.” However not every contestant chooses a piece based on its initial meaning. Michael Schermerhorn explained that his speech “… at first meant nothing. It was just a funny little thing that I chose quickly and effortlessly. But now, after all of the controversy, I have realized that my speech is something that I can look back on and realize that I accomplished something that makes me not only a more mindful person, but a better speaker, and a more confident being.”
For many in the audience, though, the competition ended abruptly, as some did not agree with results. Alex commented that “the decision and subsequent student response is simply a reflection of the complex dynamic which defines our school’s community. But props and congratulations to all the winners for sure! They did an amazing job.”
For the 5 seniors that competed- Michael Prentice-Glasgow (who placed 3rd), Nensi Karaj, Alex Sivitskis, Lauren Vignaly, and Justin Yan – it was bittersweet as it was their final Dexter Prize. Alex described that with the “natural, free, and enthusiastic crowd,” he “couldn’t have asked for a better way to end it.” Alex then gave advice to anyone considering participating in the Dexter Prize competitions next year. “Follow your passion, explore your interest, feel your piece, and simply share what you have to offer. For anyone who has the slightest inclination to try it by all means go for it, I jumped on board on a whim back in middle school and participation has been one of the best times at WA.”
Below is the Judge’s Rubric. Each judge can award each contestant with up to 10 points per category.
Poise represents the comfort with and command of the language of the piece that the speaker presents. In this category, speakers may lose points for stumbling over or forgetting lines, for repeating themselves, or for dropping volume due not to the needs of the content but to their lack of preparedness or confidence.
Clarity represents the ease by which the audience can understand the speakers’ words. Their diction and speed are primarily at issue here.
Interpretation represents how well the speaker has tailored or modulated his or her voice and delivery to the needs of the content. Speakers who mis-emphasize words or deliver their pieces in robotic or sing-song fashion will lose points here.
Presence represents the speaker’s ability to project his or her voice and to command the attention of the audience through physical gesture and some movement. N.B.: students should not lose points for movements and gestures that fit within the realm of public speaking (moving from position A to position B to reflect a move of topics as opposed to pacing).
Difficulty represents the challenge of the chosen piece itself. Judges should consider the complexity of language and sentence structure as well as the length of the piece.
Popularity: 7% [?]
