March/April - South Brunswick School District

the
Volume 11, Issue 6
v kin
kingg vibe
inside
the
vibe
750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
See what happened at the
annual HiTOPS Family
Night
Page 5
Sports:
Read a tribute about
respected author JD
Salinger
Page 8
March/April 2010
See how SBHS’ Cheerleading and Winter Track
teams dominated their
seasons
Page 10
Follow several senior atheletes headed for greatness
in college sports
Page 9
SBHS Faces Major Budget Cuts
Superintendent:“Voting on this year’s budget is crucial!”
Samantha Orlan to greatest interest, participation, vote every year, but it is so impor- estly believe that this economic
tant this year because the budget downturn will continue and there
2010 and use of remaining dollars.”
On April 20, the annual school
election will be held to vote on
the school budget and membership of the nine-member Board
of Education. The administration
notes that it is especially important this year that anyone eligible
to vote does so because of the
already considerable reduction
in the budget for the 2010-2011
school year.
The 8.2 million dollar budget
deficit, 6.3 million of which is
due to loss of sstate aid, was organized into a level of plans, where
Levels I and II are the reductions
and eliminations necessary to
meet the deficit.
Besides staff cuts, these include transferring summer school
to an online program, eliminating
district funding for the off-site
band camp, out-of-district staff
workshops and the 4:00 late bus,
as well as reducing the actvities
fund by 65% and the activities
suuply fund by 79%.
South Brunswick School District Superintendent Dr. Gary McCartney said, “The difficult part
about the proposed budget is that
it doesn’t say which clubs and
staff members are at risk, but the
staff at SBHS will come up with
recommendations based on worst
Because of seniority, retirements, resignations and returns
from leave, the exact number
of staff members affected is not
known at this point.
Levels III, IV, and “other” are
merely possible scenarios that
can occur if the budget plan does
not pass on April 20. These ramifications include reducing full
day Kindergarten to half day and
reducing the number of librarians, office staffing, instructional
and safety staff and more teachers in the middle schools and high
school. This further emphasizes
the importance of voting this
year. The intent was to cut things
from the district before cutting
any staff members.
Dr. McCartney said, “We will
probably have a couple of tough
budget years to follow, which impacts the services we can provide.
I want to remain at that same level
without reducing Honors and AP
courses, so we will look everywhere else before that.”
The uproar after the proposal
was just the start of student interest involving the budget cuts. At
this point, it is vital that students
who turned 18 before March 31
registered to vote.
Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney said, “It’s important to
The Renaissance Team
‘10
Presents
The Teacher and
Students of the Month
of March
Mr. Loh
Emily
Skalko
is already lean and any other cuts
as a result of a failed budget will
have a really negative impact.”
The administration is in agreement that school elections require
the support of the community.
“Everything is important
about voting in this election. Every election has merit, but voting
on this year’s budget is crucial. I
can’t remember in my 42 years
of working in schools when there
have been such reductions,” Dr.
McCartney explained, “If ever
there was a time to exercise your
democratic duty, it is now,” said
Dr. McCartney.
Some students argue that teachers should defer raises to essentially take money from their salaries to compensate for the budget
deficit. Other students note that
even if teachers were to take a
pay cut, it would not solve many
longe-range budget problems.
Mr. Matheney said, “In my
opinion, teachers are not paid to
the degree they should be, compared to other professionals with
the same education and degree.”
Reductions in educational
funds are not directly correlated
with property taxes; however,
they are associated with property
value.
Dr. McCartney said, “I hon-
‘11
Katcher
will not be a quick recovery, but
I anticipate a slow return to normal. It’s likely that there will be
very little budget growth and
without budget growth, when assessed value of property remains
low, the budget has a harder time
growing, and everything becomes
more expensive.”
The fluctuating economy plays
a significant role in this budget
battle.
Mr. Matheney said, “In general, South Brunswick taxpayers
are very generous towards the
school budget. I can’t predict
what the future will hold, but I am
expecting another difficult budget
year. Hopefully the economy will
bounce back and support public
education in a greater way.”
Mr. Matheney also explained
that it is too early to tell what
long term impacts will occur,
but for now, he emphasized the
importance of voting in order to
maintain as close to the current
levels of student achievement as
possible.
In past school elections, less
than 10% of registered voters
chose to exercise that right at the
polls.
Dr. McCartney emphasized
that without voting, citizens are
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
‘12
Rachel
Shaffer
‘13
Dion
Hooper
2
March/April 2010
From the Editors’ Desk
Happy Spring SBHS! With warm weather coming our way, we would like to
take this opportunity to discuss the opposing “chill” that has hit South Brunswick
in regards to the school budget. The most important thing to remember is that
although we are all fighting for our own interests, we must stay united to tackle
this. Please remind your parents and siblings over 18 to vote on April 20, and
even if they are not living at home they can vote by absentee ballot if necessary.
At South Brunswick High School our teachers aim to inspire us to get involved in our community and become active participants in the world we live in,
rather than bystanders. Regardless of your opinion on the budget, it is imperative
that everyone able to vote does so.
We apologize for not having a calendar in the Vibe this month, but we hope
W
you enjoy this month’s articles, ranging from SBHS’ success at the annual JSA
Winter Congress and Philadelphia Model UN Conference to the facts behind the
movie 2012.
Enjoy this issue of the the Viking Vibe!
- Samantha Orlan (‘10) and
Roshni Shah (‘11)
the viking vibe
2009-2010 Staff
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Samantha Orlan and Roshni Shah
Layout Editors
Saadia Ahmad and Ektaa Sanghvi
Sports Editor
Justin Berger
Online Editor
Elizabeth Puzio
Editorial Staff
Tajah Ebram and Melissa Katz
Staff
Maximillian Beckerman, Kyle Berger, Shivani Bhangley,
Oleksandr Burnashkin, Alyssa Chrysafis, Zachary Cohen,
Sarah Elzeini, Rachel Finkelstein, Breona Garrison, Carli
Holden, William Johnston V, Caitlyn Kovacs, Lauren Lally,
Aaron Lassin, Danielle Libassi, Catherine Lordi, Annie
Lu, Gregory Madia, Arashdeep Mahal, David Mariano,
Rory Monaghan, Victoria Monteiro, Michael Muha, Bisma
Muhammed, Juan Perdomo Jr., Sanjana Proddutur,
Nicholas Quaranta, Maria Riegel, Rohini Sengupta,
Rebecca Shapiro, Jacob Stern, Morgan Sturgeon, Cindy
Tang, Nicole Tyburczy, Carissa Walters, Michael Weber,
Shanel Williams, Katherine Wright, and Keith Zients
Advisor
Andy Loh
welcomes article submissions and
letters to the editors, which may be delivered to Mr. Loh or
dropped off in his mailbox. Submissions can also be sent to
[email protected]
reserves the right to
edit, shorten or comment on any material submitted to the
The opinions expressed on the editorial page do
not necessarily represent the views of the advisor, editorial
staff, faculty, administrators or the Board of Education.
Students interested in journalism are also encouraged to join
the Newspaper Club, held every Wednesday in room A204.
the viking vibe
opinion
Letter to the Editor
Devotees of the South Brunswick Vikings’ sports program will long remember 2009
as the greatest--since the most verifiably successful--calendar year in the high school’s
fifty-year history. For most schools, winning several conference championships in a single year would be--as well it should--a source of considerable pride. One can, therefore,
appreciate the immense satisfaction that our student-athletes have derived from winning
10 such championships--in addition to C.J. IV Sectional and N.J. Group IV titles and a
veritable plethora of N.J.S.I.A.A. Meet of Champions placements and achievements.
Indeed, all varsity athletes affiliated with the girls’ cross-country, winter track, spring
track, bowling, dance, field hockey, golf and lacrosse teams, as well as the boys’ soccer
and tennis teams, can proudly call themselves conference--that is to say, “county”-champions.
In addition, C.J. IV sectional titles were won by the girls’ cross-country, winter track,
spring track and bowling teams; the girls’ golf team missed a share of the overall state
title by a single stroke; and the gymnastics team not only finished 4th in the state’s team
championships: it also produced the state’s 2nd and 4th best gymnasts.
It should also be noted that both the school’s award-winning cheerleading team and
its renowned and nationally-ranked dance team compete under the aegis of the Athletic
Department.
As if all this were not enough, since the beginning of the year the girls’ winter track
team has won yet another conference title; the girls’ swimming team has celebrated its
first one ever; and the girls’ bowling team just concluded a season in which it not only
won conference, sectional and group titles, but also the Tournament of Champions, in
addition to securing the #1 position in The Star Ledger’s final poll.
And, of course, the above list does not even include such teams as the boys’ baseball,
golf, hockey, lacrosse and wrestling teams, which have done well of late and which
have epitomized quality and consistency for years.
Such unprecedented success--which is really the culmination of a decade or so of
incremental improvements throughout the entire sports program--says good things not
only about S.B.H.S.’s many accomplished student-athletes, but also about the community that produced them. Many dedicated and progressive administrators, coaches,
trainers, groundskeepers, parents, guardians and, to be sure, supporters can rightfully
claim to have played a role in the Vikings’ sports renaissance.
I believe, however, that special recognition should be given to the long-time Director
of Athletics, Ms. Elaine McGrath. A past recipient of the “N.J.S.I.A.A. Athletic Director
of the Year Award” and someone esteemed by her peers throughout the state, Ms. McGrath has had an enormous impact on not only the sports culture at S.B.H.S., but on the
entire Greater Middlesex Conference--an alignment comprising 25 high schools--and,
more generally, the 100-school Central Jersey section. During Ms. McGrath’s tenure
the number of varsity sports available to Viking athletes has increased to 30--as many
as are offered by any one of the 420 high schools in the state and significantly more
than are offered by most. And last year 1,458 letters were awarded to students at the
varsity, junior varsity and freshman levels. This number confirms that a large portion
of the student body--perhaps a third--seeks some or another degree of fulfillment by
participating in interscholastic sports. For those who are truly interested in the physical,
intellectual and emotional well-being of our community’s young people, this should be
as heartening as it is surprising.
The poet Goethe said, famously, “Whatever you can do, or believe you can, begin it.
Boldness has power and genius and magic in it.” This generation of Vikings has demonstrated extraordinary initiative and boldly asserted itself in representing the township
with talent, intensity and class at the state, regional and national levels. We should certainly be grateful to these students; we are, of course, inspired by them.
If it’s true that past is prologue, supporters of the South Brunswick Vikings--the
Black & Gold faithful--can safely anticipate at least as much success over the next halfcentury as was witnessed over the last one.
Mr. Jim Zinsmeister
3
the
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March/April 2010
news
SBHS Faces Major Budget Cuts
(Continued)
allowing a compartively small number
of voters to determine the future path of
the entire district. Additionally, the preservation of all great societies demand
participation from voters.
Like Dr. McCartney, Mr. Matheney
understands the unfortunate reality but
also urges the maintenance of the quality of education that can only succeed
with a supportive community.
He said, “The impact of fewer people
voting is that fewer people have a strong
say in what quality of education we are
able to put forward. We are well below
average in terms of per pupil spending and well above average in student
achievement, and we have done well
with the resources we were given.”
From a student’s perspective, the importance of voting revolves more around
our civic duty.
Senior and president of Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) Stephen Kaplan
said, “The true importance of voting goes
well beyond electing people to office.
We learn in Government and Economics
that voting is almost a way to recognize
and appreciate the Democratic Republic
that we live in. I personally feel like if
you don’t go out and vote, you have no
right to complain about things that go on
in government.”
On March 24, a budget meeting at
SBHS drew 400 community members,
including parents, teachers, students and
local media reporters.
Dr. McCartney said, “I was really
encouraged by the meeting at the high
school…Student speakers were certainly enthusiastic; they often started
with how they really love SBHS and
felt good about what they already have.
It really heartened me to think that children appreciate the services that are being provided.”
Students as well as parents and Board
members spoke at the podium at the
budget meetings, and as a result, the administration has further discussed possible alternatives to the initial proposal.
Kaplan said, “It seems like so far
our voice was heard. The Board has
reconsidered a lot of the complete cuts
they originally planned to make, and instead is improvising by possibly including ‘pay-to-play’ systems for clubs and
sports. However, we do have to settle on
the fact that there is no such thing as an
‘ideal budget cut’, and sacrifices must
be made.”
Dr. McCartney explained the most
recent meeting at Crossroads North held
to adopt the budget before sending it to
the County office. He said that several
people were more pointed than at the
high school meeting. There were more
negative expressions about what Governor Chris Christie is doing as far as withholding money from schools. When Dr.
McCartney addressed these comments,
there were met by less than pleasant responses.
Dr. McCartney quoted John F. Kennedy, “‘Each generation in every country has the opportunity to be the best
or the last,’ We can’t forget our civic
duty, the importance of service, helping
those who are in great need and leave
all those things at the wayside. We have
to remember not to turn our back on the
processes that developed to allow us to
succeed. What about the next generation? The ball is in our court and there
are huge decisions to be made as far as
what kind of world we are bringing the
next generation into. The seeds we plant
today determine what our garden will
look like tomorrow. The budget is a microcosm of these issues.”
Kaplan was one of the originators of
ABOVE: Pictures from the March 24 Board Meeting. PHOTOS BY SAADIA AHMAD (‘10)
a Facebook group dedicated to “Students
for a Fair Budget.” Fellow Junior State of
America (JSA) members also helped.
He explained, “There were a few purposes for the group. One, we wanted everyone to feel united and work together rather
than calling for things they didn’t like to be
cut so that an activity they liked wouldn’t
be. Second, we wanted to make sure everyone had a direct way to receive accurate information. Democracy doesn’t work
unless people are well educated. Third, we
wanted to have proof that the students truly
cared about this. Finally, we wanted people
to have an open forum for discussion.”
As far as whether or not this budget
will pass and if it will succeed and continue
to strengthen the South Brunswick school
district is unknown for now, but with the
attention this issue has sparked, there is
hope.
Mr. Matheney concluded, “I am the
eternal optimist. There are enough students
and parents with the best interest in their
educational system, but this is only going
to be successful if they get out and vote.”
4
March/April 2010
the viking vibe
news
International Night Showcases South Brunswick Diversity
Saadia Ahmad
2010
On Thursday, March 11, the World
Language department hosted its 14th annual International Night. The night features a wide array of dinner foods and
deserts, followed by an hour-long performance by dancers and singers, which
includes a fashion show. With so many
diverse cultures in South Brunswick’s
student body, attendees experienced
many foods they usually don’t encounter and watched popular performances
of other countries.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Martiza Arango
explained that the event is “a monumental task. There are many hours spent
planning and organizing all of the logistics: expected attendance, necessary
food, decorating the different spaces,
judging posters, shopping, auditions, rehearsals and the actual performance.”
A performer with the South Brunswick Garba team, sophomore Nikiti Paripati, said, “I had a lot of fun, learning
about different cultures and eating all
different types of food.”
All students are welcome to attend
with their families and are asked to
contribute a homemade dish, drinks, or
utensils.
Of the event’s diversity, Mrs. Arango
said, “It is a realistic representation of
the South Brunswick community. It is
our hope that this event provides the
community with the opportunity to
share foods and traditions from many
different parts of our world and a platform to learn from each other’s cultures
and develop tolerance through the learning and sharing.”
Mrs. Arango concluded, “This evening is a microcosm of our community,
the food is very diverse as well as the
performances.”
Sophomore Jaya Chinnaya said, “International night has been a tradition in
South Brunswick for a long time and I
love that our community is able to come
together like that.”
Junior Hina Patel explained, “Diversity is really important because it shows
how similar people are, and how it’s
possible for people of different religions
and backgrounds to coexist. I feel very
lucky to live in a community where this
is possible.”
ABOVE: Pictures from International Night’s performances and dinner. PHOTOS BY SAADIA AHMAD (‘10)
Sketch-Up Club Hosts
Third Annual “Wing It”
Sanjana Proddutur
2010
For the third year in a row, Sketch-Up
Club hosted its annual improvisational
acting competition: Wing It. This year
all of Wing It’s proceeds were donated
to Broadway Cares-Equity Fights AIDS.
The theme of the competition reflected
the cause as the freshman cafeteria was
decked out with Red Ribbons and posters representing the charity. The competition involved various games that challenged the competitors to improvise a
scene with the situation they were placed
in. The competitors had to produce “G”rated material and each game tested each
competitor’s skill and thought process.
This year the club members, rather
than the audience, had prewritten the
games and scenes.
Vice President, Junior Teri Bellan “We felt as if the games would’ve
been even more organized if the scenes
were pre-written. In the previous years
the scenes were more spontaneous and
weren’t very creative.”
The officers of the club, president, senior Stephanie Devito, and historian, junior Emily Keenan, judged the competition. The games were short and many
involved funny and creative scenes,
which were announced by emcee Teri
Bellan.
Some games like “How many deaths
in a minute?” required the competitors to
be innovative to come up with as many
ways to die as they could and act it out.
The highest number of deaths acted out
won the highest amount of points.
Sophomore Rebecca Hunter said “
I think It was harder to come up with
something without any basic scene,
cause usually you know what you have
to do. This was all on us”
The third place winner was junior,
Jimmy Gottfried. Second place winner
was junior, John Neal and the 1st place
winner was junior Jose Camacho.
DeVito said, “ The entire competition
was way better than what we expected,
this year we raised $310 and all of the
proceeds went to Broadway Cares”.
The audience was later allowed to participate in the last game of Freeze, while
the judges calculated the points and
picked the winners. The entire competition panned out well. It went about
smoothly and overall was very entertaining.
English Teacher and Club Advisor
Ms Catherine LaMoreaux said, “The
performances were incredibly funny and
the turn out was outstanding. I am really
proud of the members and competitors
for their remarkable effort.”
news
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March/April 2010
5
HiTops Program Hosts Annual Family Night
Tajah Ebram
2010
On March 3, HiTops peer educators and advisors hosted Hi tops Family
night. All of the HiTops peer educators
invited friends and family members.
The event was meant to allow all those
who attended to get a glimpse of what
HiTops workshops are all about and to
help parents open up to having appropriate dialogue about sexual health with
their teens.
HiTops advisor Ms. Susan McGrath
stated, “The HiTops/ Teen Pep program
was created in 1995 with the support
of the Princeton Center for Leadership
Training, HiTOPS, Inc., and the New
Jersey Department of Health and Senior
Services. SBHS was one of the first
schools to implement the program, first
as a club and than as an academic course
offering. HiTops Family Night presentations have been going on for more than
ten years.”
Activities for HiTops family night included an opening skit, small group discussions with parents about what shaped
their views on sex or sexuality, closing
skits, and a fish bowl activity which allowed parents and friends to observe
the dialogue that HiTops educators have
during a normal class.
“The workshops and skits were a big
impact in giving me a better understanding of Hi-tops, and how teens and parents relate to one another. I also enjoyed
interacting with the other parents and
having the opportunity to see the variety
of different views and opinions,” stated
HiTops parent Mrs. Tia Jones.
The night also consisted of refreshments, beverages, and time for teens to
hear the questions that parents had about
teens and sex.
“My favorite activity was the fish
bowl where parents got to submit questions and hear student points of view,”
stated senior and HiTops educator Amy
Ondrejack, “we got to share our opinions
on sex and other things without having
to talk directly to our parents.”
Parents were asked about how their
ideas about sex or sexuality were influenced by any childhood peers, their parents, their religion, and the media. They
were also asked to discuss what they
want their own children to know about
the topic.
Ms. McGrath also remarked, “After processing the night with the current
HiTops students and reviewing the pa-
rental feedback forms, I have no doubt the
night was a huge success! The atmosphere
was relaxed and fun, yet informative and
eye opening for guests. Numerous parents
made a point to come up and talk to advisors about how impressed they were with
the level of maturity the students portrayed.
Many students reported that they had some
serious talks with their parents in reference
to the various topics discussed that night.”
Throughout the halls of SBHS, students
have been speculating about the possible
loss of special programs such as HiTops
and Peer Leadership next year due to budget cuts. However, HiTops is one program
that has proved itself to be informative and
even vital to our high school community.
Ondrejack stated, “HiTops is important
because it makes teens more aware. Since
knowledge is power, the program gives
teens the power to make more informed
and safe decisions about sex.”
Despite its popular appeal, next year
promises to be a year of change for the program. In order to substantially reduce the
expense of HiTops, the off-site retreat will
be eliminated for the 2010-2011 group, and
the program is going to exist in a “different format” next year assuming that the
voters approve the school budget on April
20. The South Brunswick School District
HiTops students educate families. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VTN and stills by Carissa Walters
Used Book Sale Raises Funds for
Project Graduation
Caitlyn Kovacs
2013
On March 13, 2010, Project
Graduation hosted the sixth annual Used
Book Sale at the South Brunswick High
School in the Red Cafeteria from 9am
to 3pm. Book were donated by South
Brunswick residents from March 1
through 5, and over 5,000 books were
contributed. Paperback books were sold
at 50 cents to a $1, and hardcover books
were $1 to a $1.50. The sale raised just
over $1,500.
“With this being my first year
coordinating the event, I did not expect
this much of a turn our for a book sale!
The night before was really the hard
part of the entire thing, because we had
to set up the large amount of books we
received,” said Ms. Carol Desmond, coordinator of the book sale.
In total, there were about ten
student volunteers and 15 parent volun-
teers who assisted. The categories were
divided into children’s books, and teenage fiction. The hardcover books were
divided into genre for easier browsing,
but because of the large amount of paperbacks they were just divided by fiction or non-fiction.
Books that were not sold at the
sale were donated to the organization
Engineers Without Borders which was
created in 2004 with “undergraduate
and graduate students dedicated to applying their knowledge from the classroom and laboratory to address local and
international challenges in a sustainable
manner,” as stated on the group website,
www.princeton.edu/~ewb/Home.html.
At the end of the sale, Mr. Jimmy
Lu, one of the volunteers from the organization, collected 100 boxes of books,
which took four van loads to donate to
Engineers Without Borders.
Overall, the 2010 book sale had
a fantastic amount of support to achieve
the common goal to raising money for
Project Graduation.
In the next year’s sale, they hope to
include collecting old, well-kept DVDs
to resell to add to the makings.
Project Graduation was started 29
years ago in Oxford Hills, Maine in reaction to seven teen alcohol and drug
associated deaths after the graduation
of 1979. South Brunswick has adapted
this tradition to present graduating seniors with the opportunity to celebrate
in a drug and alcohol-free atmosphere
with their peers. The money to fund this
event is completely raised by the parents
of South Brunswick and local organizations, like the South Brunswick Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse
and is endorsed by the Board of Education.
Proposed Budget Reductions for 20102011 reported this as one of many, Level
I budget reductions that will be made if
the budget is passed this spring. If the
budget is not passed, however, further
cuts may be necessary.
On family night, HiTops educators
definitely enlightened both parents and
students. Parents walked away with insight on how the program is run, the teen
perspective on sexual health, as well as
a brief guide on how to have “the sex
talk”.
“Family night was fantastic,” exclaimed senior and HiTopper David
Harry, “We got the chance to show how
informed we are, not only about sex, but
about how to be good leaders and to be
tolerant of different types of people. My
parents enjoyed the night too. It definitely has opened up the communication
between us.”
Parents commented on the communication aspect as well.
Mrs. Jones stated, “I found it interesting that some parents today still struggle
with communicating information to
their teenagers, often because they are
embarrassed or were just raised not to
discuss it.”
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March/April 2010
the
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news
JSA Attends Annual
Winter Congress
Cindy Tang
2013
From February 26 to February 28,
the South Brunswick chapter of the Junior State, also known as SBHS JSA
attended the 2010 Mid-Atlantic State
Winter Congress. Following up a successful 2009 Winter Congress, the JSA
advisors, officers and members looked
toward the trip with anticipation and excitement.
According to SBHS JSA chapter
President Steven Kaplan, the Mid-Atlantic State Winter Congress is a large JSA
convention held in Arlington, Virginia’s
Double Tree City near Washington D.C.
This year’s convention consisted mainly
of New Jersey high school chapters, but
there were a few schools from surrounding states. There was even a Florida
high school chapter and an international
school from Honduras attending the
convention.
In total, a little less than a thousand
JSA members were present at Winter
Congress. The attendance
was a little less than projected
because many chapters had their Winter
Congress trip either cancelled, postponed or rescheduled due to the snowy
conditions. SBHS JSA was supposed to
depart for the convention on the morning of February 26. However, due to the
school’s snow day, the trip was slightly
shifted to leave at four in the afternoon
instead.
This delay did little to affect the enthusiasm of the trip members. Many waited
by their phone for a call with updates
on Thursday night and Friday morning,
constantly checking the club’s website
at sbhsjsa.com. When the final call went
out on Friday afternoon at one o’ clock,
everyone was packed and ready to go.
SBHS JSA advisor Mrs. Thom said,
“I’m extremely happy to see so many
people on this trip. This year, and in
years past, we were probably the largest
delegation at Winter Congress. I really
have to commend Steven [Kaplan] and
the other dedicated officers on their hard
work…we had so many new members
this year!”
This trip is an opportunity to socialize and meet new people. Every night,
there are enjoyable nighttime activities like tours, dances and shows. After
spending a whole day in stiff business
attire, being able to let loose and enjoy
social events with fellow JSA members
is all the more fun.
To balance out these casual nighttime events are, of course, the actual
“Congress sessions”. Every school attending Winter Congress divides up
their members into one of many groups
(organized in alphabet groups like A, B
and C) within either the “Senate” or the
“House of Representatives”. In these
committees, some students with previously approved “bills” that they wrote
themselves propose their bill, supporting it with research. Then, a “Main Con”
and “Subsequent Con and Pro” speakers
volunteer themselves from the audience.
After hearing these speakers, the committee votes on the bill, either passing it
by a majority or failing it by a majority.
Overall, the procedures the real United
States Congress follows are more or less
rigorously enforced…gavel and all.
Steven Kaplan said, “Winter Congress is held to basically simulate the
procedure that happens in the real United States Congress. It’s a great learning
experience.”
However, these committees are not
all work. Many JSA members find themselves laughing at comedic speakers or
heatedly discussing topics with people
sitting near them, and just generally having a great time. By the end of the many
long sessions, not only are proposed bills
passed or failed, but some instantaneous
friendships are cemented.
Freshmen and member of SBHS JSA
Bhupali Kulkarni said, “I love the people
I meet at JSA conventions. Everyone is
so amazing and easy to become friends
with, like everyone is really friendly. I
think JSA really brings people together.”
This year’s Mid-Atlantic State Winter
Congress may not have started off on the
best foot, with schools trickling in from
snow-buried districts, but toward the
middle, all was well again. The committee sessions went along smoothly, nighttime activities were a great success, and
almost everyone made a new friend, or
two, or more.
Freshmen SBHS JSA member Simone Klein said, “Winter Congress was so
fun! I’d been looking forward to Winter
Congress forever and it was definitely
worth the wait.”
Above: A Student speaks at Winter Congress. PHOTO COURTESY OF
SIMONE KLEIN (‘13)
Award recipents pose with their trophies and plaques. PHOTOS BY EKTAA SANGHVI (‘12).
Model UN Attends Annual
PhilMUN Conference
Roshni Shah and
Rohini Sengupta
2011, 2012
From Thursday, February 25 to Sunday, February 28, sixteen members of
South Brunswick High School’s Model
United Nations club ventured to Philadelphia for the annual Philadelphia
Model United Nations Conference
(PhilMUN). By the end of the weekend,
SBHS walked away with four awards,
two for Outstanding Delegation, one
for Best Delegation, and one overall for
Outstanding Small School.
Despite the snowy weather working against the club, they made it out of
South Brunswick by 9:30am on Thursday. After an afternoon of sightseeing in
the historic district of Philadelphia, the
delegates began their work trying to resolve complicated world issues.
PhilMUN 2010 focused on the Middle East. Over 100 students from different corners of the North East, together
in committees, debated resolutions for
problems faced by the actual United
Nations. Some of the topics discussed
included disarmament, border security,
water rights, women’s rights, repatriation of refugees, and media rights.
“Working for so long on difficult
topics really helped me understand the
depth of the problems and really helped
me appreciate the UN,” said sophomore
Jaya Chinnaya, who represented the Islamic Republic of Iran in the committee
for disarmament and international security.
Junior Akul Bali represented Palestine in the League of Arab States and
won Best Delegation.
“You get to meet so many people
at conference and also debate positions
that you might not have even known
about before. It really makes you think
about what tough job actual diplomats
have,” Bali said.
The Model United Nations program
aims to educate young adults about the
United Nations and world issues to have
the next generation ready for the multitude of international problems. Model
UN is an international program for kids
in high schools to graduate students.
According to the United Nations Association, there are over five hundred
Model UN conferences in over thirty
countries.
“Going to conference shows you how
close the problems actually are. A lot of
us like to think that refugees from Palestine and Afghanistan or media rights
in Iran doesn’t affect us here in South
Brunswick, but looking at the globalizing world system, the problems will affect us in the near future,” said SBHS
Model UN president Arthi Yerramilli.
“You make a lot of friends, meet
people from across the country and even
from different countries and you work
together for four days to solve these
problems, it’s actually a lot of fun,” said
sophomore Nikita Shah.
“Before, I didn’t know anything
about Iran or the Middle East besides
the obvious. Being a part of Model UN
really opened my eyes and made me a
lot more interested,” added freshman
Anna Chen.
Award recipients were:
Arthi Yerramilli, Outstanding Delegation, Committee for Non-Governmental
Organizations, International Red Cross
Akul Bali, Best Delegation, League
of Arab States, Palestine
Rohini Sengupta & Ektaa Sanghvi,
Outstanding Delegation, United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, Iran.
news
the
he viking vibe
7
March/April 2010
Race, Class & Gender Class Takes Annual Trip to
New Brunswick High School
Nikki Tyburczy
2010
Each year Social Studies teachers Mr.
Ray Quinones and Mrs. Roxann ClarkeHolmes converse with other schools
with whom they would like to exchange
students. This year, Race, Class, & Gender students from SBHS spent a day at
New Brunswick High School in order to
get a more visual and interactive learning experience.
“I think its imperative for students
of SBHS to understand the importance
and significance of having tolerance
and acceptance of different groups,”
said Mrs. Clarke-Holmes, “The school
exchange trip gives students the opportunity to explore diversity in different
high schools—it is critical that students
be able to analyze this as well as demographics at different locations.”
When SBHS students arrived at New
Brunswick they were immediately paired
with a student in the New Brunswick
Peer Leadership Program. Throughout
the day Clarke-Holmes’ students shadowed their partners and joined them in
all their classes.
New Brunswick’s daily schedule is
in many ways identical to South Brunswick’s. They have four core classes,
three separate lunches, and they alternate days, which made it easier for the
students to grasp the flow of things.
“I found a lot of the students to be
very accepting and extremely nice. They
didn’t hesitate to include me in whatever they were doing,” commented senior
Vaughn Matthews.
Although New Brunswick has been
one of the prime schools to exchange
with in the past, this year was very different in regards to the physical appearance of their school.
Students at New Brunswick High
School moved to their new school this
past December, and were ecstatic with
its altered presentation.
Their new school consists of what
some may call ‘the iron-chef kitchen’—
otherwise known as the culinary room,
a state-of-the-art dance studio, a weight
room, wrestling gym, flat screen TVs,
and an auditorium that includes a pit orchestra.
LEFT: South Brunswick High School. PHOTO BY SAADIA AHMAD (‘10)
“We pulled up to their school and
I honestly felt like I was about to go
shopping—it looked like a mall, and
you could tell it was a big improvement
from their old school. New Brunswick
students carried it with pride,” said senior Lindsay Rawls.
But what are the differences between
South Brunswick and New Brunswick?
Why did Mrs. Clarke-Holmes choose
such a contrasting neighborhood to visit? For one, the student populations are
different from each other; South Brunswick is more diverse among different
races (ex: Caucasian, Black, Asian, Hispanic, etc.), whereas New Brunswick is
more diverse within their own respective races (ex: Hispanic—Puerto Rican,
Dominican, Cuban, etc.). It also critical
for students to realize the economic factor that plays a role: South Brunswick is
a more affluent town than New Brunswick.
“We go to New Brunswick High
School to show the students how different the culture is. Our school has a lot of
diversity and in New Brunswick, it has
a lot of one race,” Mrs. Clarke-Holmes
said. “The demographics in New Brunswick are so different than our school as
well.”
There are differences in the various
programs that the two schools provide
as well. In a class discussion, students
thought that New Brunswick tends to
focus more on the arts, whereas South
Brunswick focuses more on athletics.
With this being said, students carefully examined class, race, and in some
cases even gender. Their views were expanded and broadened among different
people, and different culture.
Later this year Mrs. Clarke-Holmes
is trying to schedule another exchange
trip with a different school (which has
not yet been finalized).
“Our purpose is to stress the significance of learning about diversity and acceptance,” closed Clarke-Holmes.
Danielle Libassi and Shanel Williams
(2011) also contributed to this article.
RIGHT: New Brunswick High School. PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW BRUNSWICK
PUBLIC SCHOOLS www.nbps.k12.nj.us
Science Olympiad Takes 7th Place in State
Shivani Bhangley
2013
On March 16, despite the fact that
South Brunswick had cancelled school
for the day, a contingent of students
from SBHS traveled to the Middlesex
County College to participate in the
State Finals of the New Jersey Science
Olympiad. Twenty-six students, ranging
from sophomores to seniors, comprised
the SBHS team..
The seniors were Irene Lin, Nabgha
Farhat, Leah Suttner, Amy Kuan, Rohan
Katipally, Raghav Ravichander, Edward
Rodionov, Rajeev Shah, Emilie Transue,
Sherry Prasad, and Pranavi Vemuri.
Juniors included Alok Saxena, Muhammad Khan, Akshay Dongaonkar,
Brennan Young, Utsarga Sikder, Calvin
Chiu, Akul Bali, Meera Trivedi, Pragi
Siva, Patrick Landy, Soumya Prasad,
and Anuradha Vedantham.
Finally, the sophomores that participated were Sanjana Matta, Deanna Kovalcin, and Conan Chen.
The team had earned a spot on the
State Finals by placing second at the Regional Tournament held on January 12.
High school teams at the tournament
competed in 26 events. Based on overall
performance, the SBHS took 7th place
among the twenty five teams that participated at the Finals. Coincidentally,
the SBHS team in 2009 had attained the
exact same overall position in the State.
Senior Irene Lin, who is a co-manager of the team, said, “We tried our
best, but I guess we weren’t very lucky.
We were late to the competition, were
in a rush, and the bridge that we made
broke on the bus, but we still managed
to make the best of it. We worked very
hard by coming to school Saturday, and
Sunday.”
In the tournament, there were many
events featuring subjects such as anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and
chemistry. There were tests, building,
and a lot of competition. In the end, the
scores were combined to create a team
score for the school. SBHS students
won medals in six events.
Senior Sherry Prasad, who along with
three other students placed second in the
Epidemiology Challenge, enjoyed the
ABOVE: SBHS students participate in the Science Olympiad.
PHOTO BY Shivani Bhangley (‘13).
Science Olympiad.
“The best part of the tournament was
to meet other students who are involved
in sciences,” Prasad said.
Seniors Irene Lin and Amy Kuan
placed 3rd in Anatomy and Physiology.
Senior Rohan Katipally and sophomore
Conan Chen placed 3rd in Chemistry
Lab. Seniors Sherry Prasad and Pranavi
Vemuri, and juniors Soumya Prasad and
Anuradha Vedantham placed 2nd in the
Epidemiology Challenge. Senior Rohan
Katipally and juniors Utsarga Sikder
and Calvin Chiu placed 6th in Experimental Design. Senior Edward Rodionov and junior Utsarga Sikder placed
5th in Forensics. Last but not least,
senior Leah Suttner and junior Calvin
Chiu placed 5th in the event titled “It’s
About Time.”
Co-advisors of the team were Dr.
Amrish Garg and Mr. Michael Poot.
Dr. Garg was proud of the students and
their rankings.
“Considering that it is only our third
year in the tournament, our students
performed very well,” he commented.
Junior Utsarga Sikder was very grateful to the advisors.
“Our teachers put a lot of effort into
making us successful,” Sikder said,
“We owe our success to them.”
8
March/April 2010
the viking vibe
news
SBHS Avoids
Swine Flu
Rory Monaghan
2013
There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of swine flu cases
throughout SBHS. School Nurse Mrs.
Caryl Treiber said that she has had to
deal with only a few students who have
swine flu. The big question is, why?
Ms. Treiber said, “I think it is from
a combination of things, like students
staying home when they are sick, being
more vigilant of their hygiene, knowing
what to do to stay healthy, and that the
virus itself did not spread as much as we
anticipated.”
Junior Mir Sidiqui said, “No one talks
about the Swine Flu anymore. At the
beginning of the school year, everyone
was always worrying about it, and now
it is not even mentioned.”
The virus has definitely faded away,
and according to Center for Disease
Control, or cdc.gov, it has done so all
over the country. They are not exactly
sure why it has done so. Experts say it
may be the cold weather of the winter
killed the virus, it is more likely that the
H1N1 prevention vaccine that has been
given to communities across the country
has been effective.
South Brunswick had its vaccine issued on January 12, and the decrease
in H1N1 virus had started much earlier
than that, so it is not only due to the vaccine.
Ms. Treiber stated, “Even when SBHS
did have swine flu, it was not as wide
spread as everyone thought.”
She believes this is due the proper
preparations SBHS took to reduce the
virus itself. Students and faculty used
the appropriate amount of hand sanitizer, slept well, and most importantly,
stayed home when they were contagious
with the illness.
Most illnesses that have hit SBHS
hard have been due to students with the
illness coming into school while they are
sick. Ms. Treiber noticed that the kids
who were sick with the swine flu actually stayed home until they were fully
recovered, which prevented the virus
from spreading.
Freshman Sankar Shummungun
said, “My parents were very cautious
about me getting the swine flu, and kept
me home any time I said I didn’t feel
good.”
Ms. Treiber said the swine flu is predicted to come back this spring, and
SBHS may be able to dodge it again by
simply staying as diligent and cautious.
Above: Prom King and Queen pose for a picture. PHOTO BY MARIA RIEGEL (‘13)
Viking Volunteers
Holds Annual Senior
Citizen Prom
Maria Riegel
2013
The Viking Volunteers community
service club hosted the Senior Citizen
Prom, on Friday March 12 from 5-8 PM
in the blue cafeteria. Tickets were $5,
senior citizens 55 or older were enlisted
to attend.
The club mainly works with the Senior Center and Buckingham Place when
inviting guests to the prom. Only senior
citizens and members of the Viking Volunteers were invited to come.
“It made me feel very accomplished
knowing that I helped the senior citizens
have fun,” freshman Dana Lewkowitz
stated.
The proceeds of the $5 tickets went
to the charity of the American Heart Association. Every attendee was asked to
wear red or pink to support the cause.
Viking Volunteers tries to pick different
organizations that contribute to the lives
of the Senior Citizen Community each
year.
This is the fifth year the club has
hosted the Senior Citizen Prom, and
each year the turn-out increases.
“I think that the senior citizens appreciated what the club had done for them,
and that everyone had a great time. I
learned a lot by helping and serving the
attendees. It was a fun experience and I
am looking forward to next year,” freshman Nimra Muhammed said.
At the Senior Citizen Prom, the volunteers were hard at work serving the
guests as waiters or waitresses and cooking in the kitchen. The dinner consisted
of salad, pasta, and several desserts including; cookies, cakes and cupcakes.
Freshman Pratyusha Chamarti said,
“I was really happy the senior citizens
could enjoy what we did for them. I for
one learned they were very good dancers, and it was easy to please them.”
The Viking Volunteer members decorated the blue cafeteria with red and
white balloons and streamers.
Throughout the night, the members
performed a small fashion show and
gave some background on the charity
that they were donating money to.
Tons of door prizes were given
throughout the evening. The club members gave the senior citizens a string of
tickets, which they were able to put in
for the items that were offered. Candles,
gift cards, pictures and more prizes
were given away. They had Mr. Justin
Negraval as the D.J. who played songs
such as “Celebrate” and “YMCA.” Almost every attendee got up and danced
to the music that was played. Even the
students started dancing circles with the
senior citizens.
Ms. Kelly Boyer, a special education teacher and an advisor of the club
stated, “We have this event every year
because it is a good way to give back to
the community. It’s easier to do an event
fot the people who are younger in the
community, but we want the students to
see both ends of the spectrum of community service.”
At the end of the night a couple was
crowned as the prom King and Queen
and the club members all danced to the
song, “Cotton Eyed Joe.”
Ms. Maria Dziuba, an attendee of the
prom said, “This is my second year coming to the prom and this year is special
because my friend came. I am going to
come again next year because this was a
great and unbelievable experience.”
Overall, the prom was a success and
eighty people attended. The club donated $500 to the American Heart Association. There is big possibility of the prom
continuing next year.
Ms. Margaret Kelly, another attendee
of the prom, said, “This is my third year
coming to the prom and it is always very
wonderful and enjoyable. The students
of the club always make us feel very
welcome. Every year I come it is wonderful.”
features
Victoria Monteiro
2013
Throughout history there have been
more than 73 documented failed predictions of the world coming to an end.
Reasons for these somewhat outrageous
conclusions include it being the date of
the 1000th anniversary of the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ to it being
666 years since the founding date of
Islam. This leads to the latest predicted
“end” that is threatening our generation
simply known as 2012.
Sony Pictures latest film 2012 has accelerated the rapidly growing hype surrounding the theory of 2012. With the
slogan, “We were warned”, the movie
portrays the extremely dire prediction
of how the world will end. As any Hollywood movie is expected to do, 2012
completely blows everything out of proportion, which is what makes this movie
interesting to watch. But a serious problem arises when people are unable to
separate fact from fiction.
Since the release of 2012, NASA’s
“Ask An Astrobiologist” website (astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-astrobiologist)
has recieved thousands of questions regarding the alleged predictions. Many
submissions are from people who are
genuinely frightened by this theory.
David Morrison, a senior scientist
with the NASA Astrobiology Institute
said in the article, “2012 Prophecies
Sparking Real Fears, Suicide Warnings” which appeared on news.nationalgeographic.com on November 9,2009 ,
“I’ve had two teenagers who were considering killing themselves, because they
didn’t want to be around when the world
ends,” he said. “Two women in the last
two weeks said they were contemplating
killing their children and themselves so
they wouldn’t have to suffer through the
end of the world.”
Thankfully, not everyone has fallen
victim to the hysteria.
“They’ve tried so many times to tell
the viking vibe
us that the world was going to end that
I just don’t buy it. Remember in 2000
when they thought that all the computers
were going to go crazy but nothing happened. It’s a whole lot of hype for nothing. I mean worse comes to worse everyone should go to confession the day
before,” said sophomore Sarah Pawlak,
referring to the Catholic practice of confessing one’s sins to a priest.
There are many different perspectives
concerning 2012. From a more religious
standpoint, the Bible notes, “But of that
day and hour [the end of the world]
knoweth no one, not even the angels
of heaven, neither the Son [Jesus], but
the Father [God] only”(Matthew 24:36
ASV). So, according to the bible, while
there is no guarantee that the world will
even be in existence by 2011, it certainly
disproves that one should fear a specific
date.
From a secular perspective, the phenomenon behind 2012 is inspired by the
Ancient Mayans long count calendar in
which December 2012 marks the end.
This is strongly influenced by mythology and alleged prophecies from extraterrestrial beings. Ironically, even the
modern day Mayans do not attach any
significance to 2012.
“If I went to some Mayan-speaking
communities and asked people what is
going to happen in 2012, they wouldn’t
have any idea. That the world is going to
end? They wouldn’t believe you,” said
Jose Huchim, a Yucatan Mayan archaeologist in the article “Mayans ‘fed up’
with 2012 Doomsday Scenarios” which
appeared on wcbstv.com on October
11,2009
So as far as 12/23/2012 is concerned,
the predicted day of the end of the world,
there seems to be little to fear.
Sophomore, Jasmine Johnson said,”
I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot unfortunate events took place in 2012, but the
world coming to an end? Doubt it. But
if it does I’ll be mad because I went to
school for nothing.”
9
March/April 2010
Women’s Conference
Rescheduled for
May 15
Bisma Muhammed
Katherine Wright
2010, 2012
The Women Leadership Conference,
originally scheduled on February 27,
has been rescheduled for May 15.
Originally, on February 27, the 13th
Annual Women’s Leadership Conference was to be held from eight in the
morning to one in the afternoon at South
Brunswick High School.
However, due to inclement weather,
this long awaited event was cancelled.
Every year an influential keynote speaker speaks at this event. She usually explains her career and her life as well as
explaining to each young woman the
hard work it takes to become successful.
In previous years, female students
have gathered at the high school for
complimentary breakfast and lunch. After breakfast, a seminar was to be held
in which an influential keynote speaker
was present.
Following the seminar, two informational sessions were to be held in which
students attended their desired event.
Professional women from different fields were to be present to provide
networking opportunities for the young
women. Next, students gather in the
cafeteria, enjoying lunch and chatting
with friends. As a token of attendance,
a gift bag was usually given to the attendees.
However, the event was cancelled
because of the intemperate weather.
While students were baffled as to why
the conference was cancelled when the
snow had been cleared, the main reason
it was cancelled was because the school
building was closed on Friday.
“I was really disappointed,” said
freshman, Natasha Pande. “I didn’t have
a chance to go last year, so I was really
excited for this year’s conference, but
then it was cancelled.”
According to Mrs. Rama Ramaraj,
one of the advisors for the Women Leadership Conference, “We a lot had a lot of
pre-conference set up that we could not
do Friday night, due to the snow. With
the knowledge we had Friday morning,
we could not be sure if all the speakers
would be able to get to the school and
whether the school parking lots would
be cleaned given the weather conditions.”
“As a freshman, I was looking forward to the Women Leadership Conference. It would be my first opportunity to
experience all the career options. I was
upset to hear about the cancellation. The
event would really give me a chance
to discover careers that I may not have
been focusing on,” said freshman Nimra
Muhammed, “I’m really looking forward to the rescheduled event.”
Additionally, if there are any underclassmen that would like to get involved,
earn hours or have a township position as
a commissioner, please email Mrs. Ramaraj at sbwomencommission@gmail.
com.
Rosie the Riveter, a common symbol of women’s strength in the 1940s.
10
March/April 2010
the
he viking vibe
features
Naviance:
A Resource for Students
Bisma Muhammed
2010
Naviance, a program initiated by Student Personnel Services, is an important
resource to many high school students.
In this program, students have access to
many tools that aid in pointing towards
a career or comparing SAT scores with
their peers. Students are also able to
email their counselors directly and set
up their own profile page, which includes activities and interests.
When this program began, counselors
visited each classroom and handed out
information cards with each student’s
name and password. It has been two
years since the start of this program and
many students have used it.
Naviance also has a section for scholarship search, in which many local and
national scholarships are available. Seniors have become aware of this tool
and have taken advantage of it.
Senior Nazneen Shaikh said, “Naviance is a useful, personalized site that
can help with anything related to colleges.”
Although many are aware of the resources that Naviance retains, many do
not know who handles this program.
Mrs. Maria O’Donnell, who is mainly in
charge of Naviance, has stated that Naviance is expanding with new features
frequently.
Recently, Naviance introduced the
National Scholarship search, in which
students answer a few questions and
are directed to many scholarship opportunities. Many local scholarships
have been posted on Naviance, and Mrs.
O’Donnell has visited many classrooms
with this information. These local scholarships include Crossroads North/South,
Constable School, Greenbrook School,
Indian Fields, and many more. Many
of these scholarships have deadlines on
April 9. Since this has been the second
year Naviance as been active, students
have responded well, according to Mrs.
O’Donnell.
Sophomore Ali Khan said, “I think
Naviance is really helpful towards decisions I want to make for my future. It’s
a really good tool to see what kind profession I would consider in the future.
It also helps me see where I stand and
what colleges I should consider applying to.”
Similarly, parents are also pleased
with this program. They’re able to view
information regarding to the student’s
academic profile and directly communicate with counselors.
Mrs. O’Donnell said, “I’ve heard
counselors say that parents are happy
with Naviance and they feel more involved with their child’s decisions.”
Mrs. O’Donnell also said, “We are
initiating a new program under Naviance
which is called the Learning Style Inventory. The purpose of this program
is to give important insights about how
students learn, so that each student can
achieve maximum potential.”
A Student visits www.naviance.com with Ms. O’Donnell. PHOTO BY BREONNA GARRISON (‘10)
Born:
January 1,
1919
Died:
January
27, 2010
JD Salinger
Morgan Sturgeon
2010
Legendary writer J.D. Salinger died
of natural causes on Wednesday, January 27 at his home in New Hampshire,
he was 91. “His health had been excellent until a rather sudden decline after
the new year,” reported an article titled
“J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies
at 91” published on January 28 on nytimes.com.
However, what interests most is not
his death, or how he lived in seclusion
for over 50 years before it, but his great
accomplishments as a writer.
Salinger’s most notable and recognizable novel is “The Catcher in the Rye,”
depicting Holden Caulfield, “a teenager newly expelled from prep school,
became America’s best-known literary
truant since Huckleberry Finn” according to the same article. The book immediately took off in sales and popularity soon after being published in 1951.
“Catcher” still to this day sells approximately 250,000 copies a year.
“There aren’t many books I remember reading in the past four years at this
school, but ‘The Catcher in the Rye’
was one of the few that stuck with me.
Maybe it’s the popularity of the book, or
that it was one of the only things I ever
looked forward to reading, but its safe to
say it made an impression on me,” said
senior Josh Bagley.
Now, 59 years later, the novel is a
part of high school curricula across the
country, including here at SBHS; the
cult classic is read by all levels of English II.
“There’s a big theme of identity
throughout ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ it’s
your second year in high school, and in
the novel Holden Caulfield has to find
his place just like the sophomores reading about him,” English Teacher Ms.
Lauren Maslowski said, “Students read
‘Catcher’ to learn to be able to relate to
characters like that.”
“With its cynical, slangy vernacular
voice, its sympathetic understanding of
adolescence and its fierce if alienated
sense of morality and distrust of the
adult world, the novel struck a nerve in
cold war America and quickly attained
cult status, especially among the young.
Reading “Catcher” used to be an essential rite of passage, almost as important
as getting your learner’s permit” according to the same article.
“Even before we read it in school I
had heard of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ I
feel like its just as well known as some
Shakespeare we read,” said Junior Athena Levitt.
“It has a cult status now. Sometimes
when authors die it brings attention to
their book and it becomes more popular, and that’s what I think will happen
to Salinger’s writings. The impact this
single book has made is lasting and irreversible,” said Ms. Maslowski.
It is safe to say that although Salinger has passed on, his legacy won’t die;
“The Catcher in the Rye” will surely be
taught for years to come.
sports
March/April 2010
the
he viking vibe
11
This Years’ Graduating Class Boasts
College-Bound Athletes
Kyle Berger
2010
There is a star-studded class of senior
athletes that fill the halls of South Brunswick High School this year. So far there
have been five students from the class of
2010 that have signed their letter of intent to play Division I college athletics.
They are Michael Muha, Kaitlyn Jansson, Sophia Ginez, Lauren Viverito, and
Carissa Walters. These student athletes
help make up the teams of sports from
all different seasons.
Muha, who will be playing baseball for St. Joseph University, has been
a 3-year varsity baseball player and 3year starter at pitcher and first base. He
received the accolades of all First Team
All-County, All Area and All GMC Red
Division in 09’. Along with baseball he
is also a 3-year varsity football player.
This past season Muha started a quarterback for the Vikings and had a solid
year. He has been dedicated to baseball
from a young age and always dreamed
of playing college baseball. His dream
is finally coming true.
Jansson will be attending Iona University in the fall and will be playing
softball. She has been a 4-year varsity
softball player and has a cannon behind
the plate as a catcher. She also is a dual
sport threat and has 4 years of varsity
basketball experience under her belt
playing as a forward. She has racked
up awards throughout her high school
career. During her junior year she received the award team MVP for basketball and for softball, 1st team All GMC
Red Division, 1st team All GMC and
first team all county from the Star Ledger. Her senior year she made 1st team
All Red Division, GMC All-Star game,
and News 12 New Jersey Scholar Athlete of the Week.
About her recruitment she said, “I first
came in contact with the coach at Iona
when I was in 8th grade at a catching
clinic, and then through various showcase tournaments and camps with my
travel team they became more interested
in me. They stayed in contact through
phone calls and e-mails and then after a
few visits to the school they offered me
a scholarship and I accepted.”
She is very hard working and it is a
testament to her success.
Ginez, the track prodigy, will be
heading to Stanford University next
year. Along with her skills on the track,
she is incredibly intelligent with staggering SAT scores. She has been a
4-year varsity track star and received
many honors due to her outstanding performance. Among top athletes to come
through South Brunswick High School
in the past decade she ranked 3rd. She
is going to enjoy getting some California sun at Stanford along with hitting the
books and continuing her phenomenal
track career.
Viverito will take her skills to Bryant
University in Rhode Island. Committing
in her junior year, she was positive she
loved Bryant and knew it would be a
great home for her in the fall. She has
been a 2-year varsity player and 2-year
starter at goalie for the South Brunswick
soccer team. She was All-State her junior and senior years, a top 20 player
in central jersey, and All Country Red
Division her senior year. On her club
soccer team which is ranked 2nd in the
country she won state championships in
07’ and 08’. When she is away from the
field she enjoys hanging out with friends,
shopping, and just having a good time.
Walters is also a soccer player and
will be staying home to attend Rutgers
University. She, like Viverito, has been
a 4-year varsity and starter. She is the
backbone of the SBHS soccer team and
a captain her senior year. She is not unfamiliar with awards taking home team
MVP in 08’ and 09’, made first team All
Red Division, and 1st team All GMC.
Her senior year she was the leader goal
scorer, was awarded 1st team All GMC,
1st team All Red Division and top 20
player in central jersey despite only
playing 8 games due to a broken wrist.
Even in the off-season she can’t stay
away from sports, she is the stat girl for
the varsity baseball team.
Walters is so excited to play next
year and stated, “it’s perfect because I
could never imagine myself not playing
soccer, I don’t know what I would do
with myself. Plus going to play on the
#16 ranked women’s soccer team in the
country and that is pretty cool.”
The Rutgers squad will be acquiring
a great player and person when she gets
there in the fall.
It is remarkable and unusual there
are this many phenomenal athletes in
this years senior class. Only 1 percent of
high school student athletes make division 1 teams. This is a great testament
to the coaching and training at South
Brunswick.
When asked about these senior athletes Athletic Director Elaine McGrath
said, “It is very rare to find such a talented senior group that had the academics
and athletic ability to back it up.”
Wrestling Team Finishes Strong
Katie Lordi
2012
The 2009-2010 wrestling season in
South Brunswick was filled with highs
and lows, but was considered an overall
success. This season, the Viking wrestlers finished at 18-6, an all time win
record for the SBHS wrestling program.
This is an accomplishment within itself, however the team fell short of their
overall goal of a district title.
This year the young team was lead by
Seniors Brendan Vercammen, Jeff Goldhagen, and Frankie Capraro, and featured Junior James Pagano, Sophomores
Justin Lopez and Tyler Jaramello who
all had strong performances this year.
The Vikings started off strong this
year in their first duel meet, defeating
J.P Stevens by the wide margin of 60
- 6. This was an early sign of things to
come for the Vikings Wrestlers in the
2009-2010 season.
Later in the season, the Vikings defeated long time nemesis’s Perth Amboy
and Sayreville, whom they lost to the
previous seasons.
Junior Wrestler Andre Jones recalled
beating the long time rivals. “ I remember the night we beat Perth Amboy, it
felt so good to be a part of a team that
was able to accomplish something that
large”.
However, the season was not just filled
with success and victory. The Vikings
lost 34-24 to Old bridge High School on
January 9, 2010. Although this lose was
a hard one to swallow, the coaching staff
was proud of the way their team performed against the one time 20 ranked
team in the state.
Sophomore Wrestler Chad Capraro
said, “ Losing to Old Bridge was tough
but no one expected us to come out on
top. That was when we showed New
Jersey that we can compete with the top
teams in the state”.
While the team was recovering from
the loss, senior Brendan Vercammen was
busy leading the team in wins and winning the county tournament after taking
second the previous year.
During the course of their successful
season, the team qualified for the central Jersey Group IV state tournament,
one of the toughest groups in the state.
However in the tough tournament the
Vikings fell to the 7 ranked team in the
state, Howell High school.
The Vikings capped off their successful season with three strong wins over
Highland Park, Rancocas Valley, and
Nottingham High schools, securing their
18-6 record and becoming the most winning wrestling team in South Brunswick
High School History.
Although the team had a successful
season, they did not accomplish their
CENTER: Wrestling team and coaches/
coaches/PHOTOS COUTESY OF BILL GAZE
year -long goal of becoming the district
20 champion. During the tournament
the wrestlers faced a series of tough
losses, the team consequently placed
fourth, behind Monroe, Sayreville and
Old Bridge.
Junior Jake Nieves said “ I was upset
we didn’t win, but all of our hard work
did not go unnoticed”
Individually Brendan Vercammen
placed first in the district tournament,
while James Pagano, and Justin Lopez
took second. Vercammen went on to
place second in the Region 5 tournament, and took 5th in the state tournament at Atlantic City joining an elite
group of wrestlers to place in states
from SBHS.
Overall, despite the fact that the Vikings wrestlers did not accomplish their
final goal of a district title, the team will
be back trying again next year with the
same end goal.
Sports Make Headlines Again:
Girls Winter Track and Cheerleading
Havee Historic Seasons
Hav
Carissa Walters
2010
This winter cheerleading season is
one that will be remembered forever.
SBHS’ Winter Cheerleading Team will
go down in the record books for becoming the first winter cheerleading team,
in school history, to qualify for the U.S.
Finals in Orlando, Florida.
“This season was really inspiring,”
said senior Allie Ridley. “Having the
whole team working together was really great and the addition of the boys, I
think, helped us out too.”
After traveling to Wall Township
High School and becoming First Place
Champions in the Blow Out at the
Beach Tournament, the team competed
in the Reach the Beach Tournament in
Ocean City, Maryland. It was here that
the team was awarded First Place and
secured themselves a place in the U.S.
Finals, which has never been done.
However, the victory became bittersweet. When realizing that the team had
Kyle Berger
2010
The girls track and field team had another phenomenal year making it all the
way to becoming Central Jersey Group
IV champions. The Bennett Center in
Toms River was the location where the
talented ladies showcased their skills
and competed for another state title.
The girls won their second straight
indoor Central Jersey Group IV Sectional title on Friday February 12, as they
scored 56.5 points, and won by only 4.5
points. The team had only one individual champion, but had a total of 13 athletes contribute points by scoring in all
9 events. Leading the team was Mariah
Browne, who ran 7.46 to win the 55 by
only .01. Finishing in 2nd were Jamie
Thompson in the 55 Hurdles (8.49) and
Stanford commit Sophia Ginez in the
1600 (5:09.33). 3rd place finishes were
made by Rachel Johnson in the 55 (7.55
PR (Personal Record)), Cayla Del Piano
in the 1600 (5:11.64), and Ginelle Walker in the shot put with a staggering PR of
almost 2 feet (36-7.5). Placing 4th was
the 4x400 team of Janae Baker, Jessica
Puchalski, Jamielyn Samper, and Alicia
Osley with a time of 4:10.64. Osley was
5th in the 400 (61.32), Amber Brown,
5th in the shot put (35-0 PR); Amanda
Smilgis, 5th in the pole vault (9-0); Puchalski, 6th in the 800 (2:25.00); Del
Piano, 6th in the 3200 (11:25.95); and
Brooke Sassman, tied for 6th in the high
jump (4-10).
The girls who placed 6th or higher
advancd to the State Championship as
well as the Meet of Champions. This is
definitely a great year for South Brunswick Track and Field with a Sectional
Title on the boys side for Senior Brian
Oni as well.
Athletic Director Elaine McGrath
expressed her admiration to the girls by
saying, “The girls team is really doing a
good job, the coaches are great and their
hard work is really paying off.”
The team has a lot of charisma and
the girls get along very well. The future
is also looking very bright because out
of the 13 athletes competing, 8 are underclassmen.
Senior captain Lauryn Strebeck who
placed 7th in her event said about her
team, “It’s been so great to have been
part of a team that consistently does their
best and lets it show. Although I didn’t
move on, a good number of people on
the track team did and that is awesome.
They did a great job representing our
school.”
There achievements are buzzing
around the school and everyone is so
proud of these girls.
Oni, a state champ himself, said of
the ladies, “It is amazing what they are
doing, you can put the best girls in the
state up against them and they will still
contend and win.”
The school is behind this team 100
percent and we have great confidence
that they will continue to win.
Above: Winning teams. PHOTOS COUTESY OF BILL GAZE
the opportunity to compete, the thought
became short-lived. There became controversy when the team brought up the
idea of traveling out of state for a second-time during their one season.
“It was upsetting,” senior Megan Baguchinsky said “We were all really excited to go compete, but we never got
the chance.”
The debate was a sore subject. The
catch was that the trip they would have
been taking overlapped into the spring
sports season, which caused problems
for some of the team members that participate in spring sports.
Overall the team made South Brunswick history and made their coach extremely proud.
“This season was really successful,”
Head Coach Ms. Betty Ann Snediker
stated, “Having the boys on the team
this year was also a great thing. I think
they brought the whole team together to
help the team become National Champions.”
The bar has been set high for next
years’ team and all the teams to follow.