STUDENT DOESN'T FOLLOW THE HERD.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer When Erik Shirokoff senses something wrong, he speaks out. That's why the Polytechnic High School senior donned a skirt skirt abattoir term for diaphragm. last fall to protest a classroom dress code policy that forbade for·bade v. A past tense of forbid. forbade or forbad Verb the past tense of forbid forbade forbid girls from wearing slacks during a field trip to the opera ``La Boheme.'' ``It was sexist sex·ism n. 1. Discrimination based on gender, especially discrimination against women. 2. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender. and unreasonable,'' said Shirokoff, 18, who brought smiles - and some consternation - to a few faces when he wore his $1 thrift-store purchase. ``We live in an era where celebrities wear dresses and slacks.'' Patricia Flenner, coordinator of Poly's math and science magnet, where Shirokoff is a student, said the stunt exemplifies Shirokoff's free spirit. ``He has a marvelous sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour , but he can relate to other students,'' Flenner said. ``He's one of the few students to feel confident about his thoughts. He's a very adept thinker.'' Paul Sims, chairman of the school's music department, also praised Shirokoff's independent thinking skills. ``What makes him stand out as a student is his uniqueness,'' Sims said. ``He doesn't want to follow anyone.'' A National Merit Scholar, Shirokoff holds the school's top awards in music, math and science. This year he was captain of the Science Bowl team, which placed second regionally, and was a member of the Junior Engineering Technical Society. He also plays trumpet trumpet, brass wind musical instrument of part cylindrical, part conical bore, in the shape of a flattened loop and having three piston valves to regulate the pitch. in the school's marching and jazz bands and served as a drum major last year. This fall, he will attend the University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. Commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Cal on a four-year scholarship. He plans to study physics and eventually wants to become a physics researcher or teacher. ``I'm interested essentially in helping people both politically and economically,'' said Shirokoff, who belongs to the campus chapter of the human-rights organization Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI,) human-rights organization founded in 1961 by Englishman Peter Benenson; it campaigns internationally against the detention of prisoners of conscience, for the fair trial of political prisoners, to abolish the death penalty and torture of . CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Erik Shirokoff of Polytechnic High is headed for UC Berkeley. John McCoy/Daily News |
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