April - South Brunswick School District

South Brunswick High School’s On-Line Newspaper
Volume 1, Issue 7
South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ, 08852
April 2008
Mr. SBHS 2008 a
Crowning Glory
By Surbi Luhadia (‘08)
On April 11, 2008, student council and the senior class kicked off the annual Mr.
SBHS pageant. The highlight of the year included 13 senior guys battling for the coveted
title in a “Block Party” themed night.
The evening started out with each of the contestants introducing themselves to the
audience and judges through an original rhyme. Next, each of the 13 showed off their
ripped bodies during the swimsuit portion of the night, during which one contestant wore
a fish costume and another dressed up as King Neptune.
The show proceeded with the talent portion of the pageant in which the contenders
wowed the audience with everything from singing, dancing, talking to themselves and
conducting an opera. The audience couldn’t stop laughing, whether listening to Umut
Turkdogan sing Gym Class Heroes’ “Cupid’s Chokehold “ to his blow-up doll girlfriend,
watching Dillon Diatlo’s Sugar Plum Fairy ballet, or seeing Michael Giachetti and
Eddie Zaneski balance a ball.
“The talent was definitely my favorite part of the night. They were all really creative
and funny,” said senior Kaitlyn Brady.
After a short intermission, the evening proceeded with juniors Ellis Klein, Adam
Austerlitz and Alex Kirkpatrick and sophomores Ross Cambe and Stephen Kaplan
singing a 90’s favorite, “Parent’s Just Don’t Understand” by Will Smith.
Next, the constants changed into evening wear and showed everyone what gentlemen
they could be. Each was escorted across the stage by a female member of the class of
2008 or student council and then stopped in the middle of the stage to model. Then, they
were each asked a question which they had to answer on the spot.
While the judges were deliberating, senior members of the SBHS concert choir
provided the audience with more listening enjoyment as they sang “I’ll be There for
You,” the theme song from the popular show “Friends.”
Then, as everyone sat in anticipation, the winners were finally announced. The first
award, Mr. Legs, went to Vinny Sarno. Next up, best formal wear went to Joe Calderone
who mixed things up by wearing a black shirt under a beige suit. Best rhyme went to
Aaron Gittleman, who started out the evening wearing a large paper daisy around his
head. Joe Biondo earned best swimwear, while Praveen Collins won best talent for his
hilarious monologue with himself.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for had arrived and Chester Hernandez was
announced Mr. SBHS 2008. To help out, last year’s winner Malcolm Soaries, along with
school President Jeffrey White came out to crown Chester while the audience erupted in
uproar.
“I thought the whole show was awesome. All the contestants did really well and
I especially liked the theme. My favorite part was the talent, and I definitely liked
Praveen’s the best,” said senior Emily Littlejohn.
Student council advisor Ms. Lauren VanHook concluded, “I think the show went
really well and all the boys worked really hard. This year we had really unique talents,
which were different but still thoughtful. There was also a lot of audience support this
year, usually people wear tee shirts, but this was the first year with signs. Overall, I was
impressed with the whole night.”
Inside
the Vibe
How do voting
days affect your
school’s security?
Page 5
SBHS Wrestlers
Make History
Page 6
Should the United
States Boycott the
Olympics?
Page 11
The Viking Vibe
PAGE 2
April 2008
Opinion
From the Editor’s Desk:
Please, Just Answer the Question!
By Gopal Narsimhamurthy (‘08)
The Viking Vibe
2007-2008 Staff
Editor-in-Chief:
Gopal Narsimhamurthy
Advertising Editors:
Jordan Teicher and Jonathan Vamadeva
On-Line Editor:
Sweta Haldar
Photo Editor:
Zohrain Hassam
Sports Editor:
Andrew Constant
Editorial Staff:
Megan Behrend, Hannah Green, Surbi Luhadia,
Anita Modi, and Amy Rowe
Graphic Designer:
Parag Patel
Staff Photographer:
Eddie Zaneski
Staff:
Gregory Aaron, Saadia Ahmad, Clara Appia, Maximillian Beckerman,
Justin Berger, Brittany Beris, Dhara Bhatt, Frank Celi, Sukriti Chadha, Dale
Choi, Zachary Cohen, Rosemary Cosgrave, Amishi Desai,
Mark Desmond, Kevin DeVito, Timothy Doehler, Thomas
Dunleavy, Sukanya Dutta, Kaitlyn Fischer, Poorvi Goradia, Brandon James,
Melissa Katz, Jarret Klein, Kristen Kneis, Aaron Lassin, Amy Lis, Dana Lucas,
Gregory Madia, Michael Malfitano, Alisha Maskarenas, Suman Naringrekar,
Ashley Nelson, Lauren Nissenblatt, Tyler Olsson,
Samantha Orlan, Ashna Pai, Dylan Parlow, Deviya Patel, Marielle
Rodriguez, Roshni Shah, Nazneen Shaikh, Kevin Shiraldi, Aradhana Srinagesh,
Jacob Stern, Natalie Twerdowsky and Jeffrey Veith
Advisor:
Mr. Andrew Loh
The Viking Vibe 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]. The Vibe reserves the right to edit,
shorten or comment on any material submitted to the
publication. 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 Tuesday in room A204.
The Viking Vibe
would like to note
that the following
article is the opinion
of the editor, and not
necessarily that of
the advisor, staff, or
school administration.
We would like to
encourage responses
and questions in the
form of letters to the
editor.
Please email your letter to
Mr. Loh and Andrew.
[email protected]
Charles De Gaulle
once said, “Since a
politician never believes what he says,
he is quite surprised to
be taken at his word.”
As my understanding of politics has
grown with age and
time, I have come to
notice and in many
ways respect the ability of a politician to
completely avoid sensitive issues while answering questions.
More remarkable than the skill
of the politician is the blindness
of the audience to these answers.
Take Senator Barack Obama
for example. On April 13, he
took part in a forum discussing
the role of faith in politics. One
man in the audience discussed
with Obama how he believes
faith does and should play a
role in charitable work abroad.
Upon making his comments, the
man asked the senator what he
thinks about faith and charitable
work and their interconnection.
Obama responded congratulating and thanking the man for his
work in the international community. Flawlessly, he transitions
his comments into a repetitive
highlight of his personal achievements, discussing his work in
Chicago as a community activist.
At the end of this digressive filibuster, Obama received a warm
round of applause. I stopped to
think: In what part of this answer
did Obama even mention the role
of religion? It is remarkable how
effortlessly without anyone taking
notice politicians such as Obama
sway away from one topic.
Hillary likewise remains questionably quiet on sensitive issues
while she aggressively criticizes
Obama’s every move, calling
him “elitist and divisive” on the
campaign trail in Pennsylvania.
John McCain on the other hand,
is comfortably waiting for the
bitter Democratic battle to end,
while he does not have to answer
any questions now that he is the
clear Republican nominee.
Look, I know that politicians
have their reasons for avoiding issue. Heck, if I was in their
place, I would probably be forced
to say the same thing. It’s just
that from the perspective of a
first-time voter, I need to believe
in the candidate I’m voting for.
Aside from the concrete social issues that every candidate has an
opinion on, what do we as voters
really know about a candidate.
Yes, they are all Christians,
anther point that every candidate emphasizes and yes, they all
want to boost the economy (what
does that mean?), Bush-Bash
(justified), and promote world
peace (clichéd to say the least).
Such a platform makes choosing a candidate impossible. At
least with extremists like liberatarian Ron Paul, we knew he
stood for something; although extreme, at least his points were legitimate and emphasized change.
I’m not just bashing the politicians either. Reporters do not
make a conscious effort to push
politicians to their limit either.
What would 99% of Democrats
really do about Iraq? We don’t
know, because they won’t give
real answers to those questions.
They won’t answer the questions
of mainstream reporters. They
give the same sorts of psuedoanswers employed by Republicans as well. How can this be?
Reporters are not stupid. Editors are not stupid. Why are the
interviews conducted by the media so unsatisfying? Even when
mass media reporters ask clear
questions, they receive heavily convoluted responses, which
they often treat as answers.
As we all know, these nonanswers reported by reporters
are not valid perspectives regarding important issues. Such
pointless statements are actually
opportunities for politicians to
claim that they answered questions that they didn’t answer at
all. Why does it seem so easy
for comedians to conduct satisfying interviews of politicians
and so difficult for reporters?
Take comedian Jon Stewart for
example. Yes, Stewart does his
work as all good comedians can
do, by rolling his eyes, smirking,
joking and being sarcastic. But
his work as an interviewer is effective because the audience is
constantly made aware that the
interviewee is trying not to answer the question. Isn’t it strange
that we get more dependable and
important information from five
minutes comedian interviews than
from reams of newspapers and
hours of Meet the (de)Press(ed)?
My point is fairly simple, I just
want straight answers! Politicians
take advantage of the leeway
given to them by Tim Russertesqe interviewers and perfectly
execute transitions away from
any remotely sensitive question.
In many ways, I blame society for accepting politicians for
who they are without demanding a change. Hopefully, this
might be a start towards change.
April 2008
The Viking Vibe
PAGE 3
News
World Language Honor Societies
Hold Induction Ceremony
Senior Citizen Prom
Successful Once Again
By Samantha Orlan (‘10)
SBHS seniors pose with their honor society cords and
medals
By Hannah Green (‘09)
On April 1, new members were
inducted into the French, Latin,
and Spanish Honor Societies.
World Language Supervisor
Mr. Thomas Decker said, “I
think these honor societies
are important because it is
important to recognize students
on all levels. The students in the
French, Latin, and Spanish Honor
societies not only are doing very
well in the language they are
studying, but are also making
an effort to help their teachers,
department, and community.”
The night began with the
National Anthem. Mr. Decker
then said a few words, followed
by remarks from SBHS Principal
Mr. Timothy Matheney. Starting
with Latin, the advisors and
officers from each honor society
came up to discuss the purpose,
requirements, and achievements
of their honor society. New
members were inducted and
current members were also
recognized for their continued
involvement. Senior members
of the Spanish and French Honor
Societies also received honor
cords, while senior members of
the Latin Honor Society received
medals. After the ceremony, a
reception was held in the cafeteria.
Junior and French Honor Society
member Reshma Erukulla said,
“This was my second year at the
induction ceremony. It was a really
great night, but it was also sad to
see some of the seniors getting
their honor cords, knowing that
they will not be back next year.”
Junior and Latin Honor Society
member Katrina Low-Beer said, “I
enjoyed the ceremony. I thought
that it was good that the students
spoke in the language they were
studying as well as in English.”
French Honor Society Advisor
Mrs. Maria Kostis-Economides
said, “I think the induction went
very well. The current members
of the French Honor Society,
along with the other honor society
members, helped to organize the
event, decorate the auditorium
and cafeteria, make the program,
greet parents and help make
sure things ran smoothly.”
According to Latin Honor
Society advisor Mr. Raymond
Pietrucha, members must be
enrolled in Latin three, four, or
five. They also need an average of
90% or above in their Latin class,
and as at least a 3.5 GPA overall.
According to Ms. Economides,
students need to have an Ain the French class they are
taking in junior year to be
inducted.
The students also
have to have a B average in their
other classes and be enrolled
in French for their senior year.
To be inducted into the Spanish
Honor Society, students must be
enrolled in Spanish four or five.
They must have an A- average in
their Spanish class, as well as a
B average in their other classes.
Each Honor Society is
involved in various events and
projects throughout the year.
For example, the French Honor
Society organized a French
Breakfast in November. The
Spanish Honor Society produced
a cookbook. Members of the
Latin Honor Society have the
opportunity to go to Crossroads
Middle School to tutor students.
In conclusion, Mr. Pietrucha
said, “Membership into the
Honor Society is a good goal for
students to aim for. Not only is it
recognized on college applications,
but it also gives students a
sense
of
self-satisfaction.”
On Friday April 4th, the
Viking Volunteers hosted its
third Annual Senior Citizen
Prom to raise proceeds for the
Make-A-Wish
Foundation.
The Make-A-Wish foundation, as defined in the program,
uses “a network of more than
25,000 volunteers…grant wishes
for children with life threatening
medical conditions,” which was
a deciding factor in the Viking
Volunteers’ choice of charity.
All night long, social studies teacher and DJ Mr. Justin
Negraval supplied music for
both the Senior Citizens and
Viking Volunteers to dance.
Viking Volunteers advisor Ms.
Kelly Boyer said, “My favorite
part of the night was when the senior citizens danced to ‘Flo Rida’.”
Sophomore Aditi Ramesh said,
“It was really fun! My favorite
part was when I saw all the seniors dance. They looked like they
were really enjoying themselves.”
Subsequent to the meal was
the entertainment, starting with
the String Quartet consisting of
Underclassmen Recruiter for
the club, Poojan Jhaveri, as well
as Irene Lin, Emily Clark, and
Lisa Zhu. Many Viking Volunteers participated in the fashion
show at 6:30 where they modeled outfits of their own, including those featured in the everpopular “Temptasian” show.
Junior Priya Chaudhari said, “I
had fun modeling [in the fashion
show] for the senior citizens, and
they were supportive all the way
through! It was an excellent experience and I’ll definitely attend the
Senior Citizens Prom next year!”
The night began to draw to
a close when door prizes were
awarded and coffee, tea, and
dessert were served. The night
officially ended with the crowning of the official Senior Citizen
Prom 2008 “King and Queen”,
Mr. Sho and Mrs. Nancy Chang.
Sponsors of the night included
Pierre’s Restaurant, Dunkin Donuts and Stop & Shop on Route
27, Route 1, and Route 522.
Ms. Boyer commented on how
“experienced members of the club
took charge” throughout the night
to assist the newer members of the
club. She hopes for new members
next year to take the initiative to
be more active in participating.
Sophomore Mahmoud Kharrubi said, “It was a fun night because we all worked together to
make it even better for the seniors.
We all thought it was nice for the
seniors to enjoy prom again.”
Features
Turn The Music Up:
Why I Hate Nickelback
By Amy Rowe (‘09)
The post-grunge band Nickelback first
flooded the airwaves in 2001 with their
hit single “How You Remind Me”. The
song offered some promising elements,
a lighter dose of grunge rock that was
so omnipresent in the music of the
previous decade. Nickelback continued
to crank out similar, yet catchy tunes
over the next few years. However, it was
not until the 2006/2007 radio release of
“If Everyone Cared” and “Rockstar”
where doubts clouded my mind about
the band. A further look into the lyrics
of these songs provoked my strong
dislike, possibly even hate for the band.
So let’s look into the more recent
contributions Nickelback has given to us.
“If Everyone Cared” while it has a “good”
message, just does not seem sincere.
While reading the lyrics a different image
entered my mind than the popularized
in this world, people who cared and
prophecy. We have all heard it before.
living it up the way he proclaims. Maybe
Mandela. Now, there is nothing wrong
through-the-roof
out with Playboy Bunnies-just a thought.
he’s a great guy. But the lyrics are
is all about how “We all just want to
actually did something, like Nelson
with showing some love for Nelson,
incredibly mind-numbing. All of this
is an attempt to evoke empathy, but
even if everyone cared, people would
still die, contrary to the songs lyrics “If
everyone cared and nobody cried …
So Nickelback’s other send-merelease,
Rockstar,
bothers me a whole lot more. The song
be big rock stars”. The entire song is
basically a wish list of luxuries that
Kroeger wishes he had. Seriously
though, it lists a bunch of desires that
apparently everyone would “cut [their]
if he wrote good songs he would hang
The worst thing about this song is that
there is no moral to the story. I listened
to the song, waiting for some sort of
consequence for selling yourself in order
to gain material items, but what did I
get? “Hey, hey I want to be a rock star”.
So basically what I want to know
hair and change [their] name” for.
is,
people would still die from disease.
would do if he were a rock star, (which
generic rock band on the radio, whose
they could love like you and me,
some form. Yet he probably doesn’t have
then we’d see the day where nobody
died.” If everyone in the world cared,
Another ludicrous lyric is “If
imagine where the world would be.”
Wow, Chad Kroeger is so great; we
should all be like him and care about
the world, so that people would not die.
Sorry, this song had good intentions
but really, “nobody cares” about your
Clearly this is a list of what Kroeger
ironically, and unfortunately he is in
a bathroom he can play baseball in). It is
not what I would want; I definitely do
not want the key to the playboy mansion.
Interestingly enough, Kroeger
mentions playboy three times in the song,
which leads me to wonder if Kroeger is
what
happened
Nickelback?
I
could tolerate them if they were just a
picture is displayed by the men’s
restroom at the Hard Rock Café. But
you had to put out these ridiculous
lyrics! With that said, I definitely want
my nickel back, along with the time
I’ve wasted listening to this band.
Cartoon by http://www.
explosm.net/comics
music video for the song conveys.
What I see is Nickelback front man
Chad Kroeger lying down in a grassy
knoll with a generic looking blonde girl,
looking up at the stars, saying “Wow, I
cannot believe I’m actually with you.
I’m so insecure that I need to point
out that there are dying people in third
world countries right now that will never
experience this, and people who are not
doing anything about it!” (The first verse
includes the words “I never dreamed that
you’d be mine, but we’re here tonight,
and then continues with the chorus).
The video, however, displays
several people who made a difference
New History Honor Society Debuts
By Amishi Desai (‘09) and
Lauren Nissenblatt (‘09)
On Monday March 17 at 7:00
pm in the blue cafeteria, SBHS
had its first induction for the history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta.
“We wanted to recognize those
students who truly pursue an interest in history and the social studies by going above and beyond the
requirements,” said Mrs. Gaylord.
The purpose of the honor society involves not only acknowledging those students who excel in history as noted, but also
encouraging participation in
local history-based projects.
“We have a few things in
mind for next year that would involve some investigation of South
Brunswick history. This would include history of the entire South
Brunswick community. I guess
you could say that Phi Alpha Theta will be involved in ‘special history projects,’” said Mrs. Gaylord.
Social studies teacher and coadvisor of Phi Alpha Theta, Mr.
Justin Negraval began the evening
with a speech .Next, Mr. Negraval
introduced six of the 48 inductees
who then performed “The Calling of
the Ages.”
Each took
the role of
one of the
six
ages:
the prehistoric age,
the ancient
age, the medieval age,
the
early
modern age,
the contemporary age,
and the future age, and
then gave a
short speech
on their role.
Next, principal Mr. Timothy Matheney, a past history teacher, gave
a speech in which he discussed the
need to “know the [whole] story.”
He discussed a little bit of his family’s history, and then went on to talk
about the need to know what “your
history” is. He discussed the importance for students understand their
f a m i l y ’s .
“I enj o y e d
Mr. Mat h e n e y ’s
speech
because it
was relevant [to
history]
and interesting,”
said
junior Corey Webb.
Shortly
after
Mr. Mat h e n e y ’s
speech,
Mrs. Gaylord called the inductees up to the front of the cafeteria to claim their certificates.
“It was a great honor to be inducted. I felt my hard work [in the
social studies department] paid
off,” said junior Stephanie Klarer.
Phi Alpha Theta has certain admission criteria. The requirements
for nomination include a 3.5 Grade
Point Average without weighting
and an A- average for the overall
social studies classes with the condition that none of the individual
grades are below B. Also, all potential applicants must be juniors
or seniors and either be enrolled
in or have completed the three required courses of Government and
Economics, U.S. History and Global Studies with at least one social
studies elective. Students should
also be involved in a co-curricular history-based club or activity.
“We are very excited about starting the honor society, especially in
the election year when the importance of history and civics are getting more recognition in the media,”
said Mrs. Gaylord, “We would like
the importance of all the social studies to be highlighted more often.”
“I think it’s a great opportunity to
reward students who go above and
beyond. There are many honor soci-
Features
School Security Not Jeopardized on Voting Days
By Hannah Green (‘09)
School safety is an important
issue on the minds of many,
especially in the wake of multiple
school shootings around the
country. SBHS is a polling place,
meaning that people come to the
school to vote on certain days.
The question is, with extra people
allowed to come into the building,
is the security of the school, its
students, and its staff jeopardized?
SBHS principal Mr. Timothy
Matheney said, “To my knowledge,
we have never had a problem
with safety on voting days.”
According to Mr. Matheney,
special security measures are
in place for voting days. For
the presidential primaries held
on February 5, the lunchroom
paraprofessionals
came
in
early and stayed late to monitor
the halls and make sure that
people stayed in the designated
voting area. Similar procedures
are in place for school board
elections, but the voter turn
out is not typically as large.
School Resource Officer Mr.
Peter Burdick said, “I think that
the system works well. The hall
monitors are there to make sure
that voters can only come into
certain parts of the building. We
don’t check identification for
legal reasons, but police cars
come by to check on everything
throughout the day.
They
check on most polling places,
whether they are schools, fire
houses, or other locations.”
Junior Jessica Liu said,
“I have never really thought
of the people coming into
vote as being a security risk.”
On the other hand, junior
Christine Wotton said, “I’m still
not really comfortable with the
idea of strangers being able to
walk around our school on any
day, including voting days.”
Next year, things will be a
little different. The presidential
election will be held on
November 4. Under the new
district calendar, this day is
scheduled to be a professional
development day, so students will
not be in school during voting
hours. Still, students will be
in school on other voting days.
Social Studies teacher Ms.
Beth McGinley said, “I think
voting at SBHS is more of an
inconvenience than a security
risk. Teachers are warned in
advance, and we have extra
people to watch out for anything.
Since our school is a centrally
located building that is easy to get
to, I understand why it is a polling
place. Having people vote is also
synonymous with what we teach
here, asking students to be active
citizens in the community.”
Other district buildings are
also polling places. According
to the Middlesex County Board
of Elections Website, Crossroads
South,
Brunswick
Acres,
Constable, and Indian Fields are
among the other schools in the
district where voting takes place.
However, schools are not the
only possible locations for polling
places, and there are alternatives
to voting at schools. In South
Brunswick, voting also takes
place at the Monmouth Junction
Fire House, the Kendal Park Fire
Aid/Fire Station, the Kingston
First Aid Center, the Community
Center, and the Senior Center.
However, Mr. Matheney
said that he wants people to
continue coming to SBHS to
vote. He said, “People come to
our school to vote because the
building is a community focal
point. I want the community
to be able to see the building
that their tax money is paying
for. Voting is an opportunity
for people to see how we are
taking care of their investment.”
Other schools have different
policies for voting days.
As
in South Brunswick, North
Brunswick High School is also a
polling place. According to their
district website, North Brunswick
schools were closed November 6
last year for Election Day, even
though there was not a presidential
election last year. However, their
new calendar states that they will
not be closed on Election Day
for the 2008-2009 school year.
Looking at another neighboring
district, voting also takes place at
West-Windsor Plainsboro High
School North. According to the
West-Windsor Plainsboro district
website, all district schools will be
open on Election Day of the 20082009 year, as in North Brunswick.
However, security can be a
concern on all election days, not
just presidential ones. With so
much coverage and interest in the
presidential primaries this year,
voter turn-out numbers have been
breaking records across the country.
In closing, Mr. Matheney
said, “We have people, such as
the school security officer, in the
building to keep our students and
staff safe. I feel that our school
security is sufficient everyday.”
------ News ------
Dead Presidents Society
Goes Back To Colonial Times
By Lauren Nissenblatt (‘09)
At 5:45 am on Saturday
April 12, about 30 students and
chaperones arrived at the school
for the Dead President’s Society
trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. Students threw in their luggage under
the bus, and the students piled in,
ready for the ride to Williamsburg.
“We chose Williamsburg because it’s the only place of its kind
in the whole country,” said coclub advisor Ms. Corie Gaylord.
Six hours later, the Dead President’s Society arrived at the Colonial Williamsburg Hotel, and the
members made their way to their
rooms. After about a half hour of
settling in, the students headed on
the blue line shuttle to Colonial
Williamsburg, splitting up into
two groups, for a three hour tour.
The tour included apothecary,
courthouse, the cabinet-making
house (a place where cabinets
and desks are made) the jail, and
the palace. Members also looked
around the garden and went
through the maze behind the palace.
Students then had a few hours
to explore the town on their own.
Some stayed at the hotel while
others walked around the town.
Because many of the Colonial
shops had already closed for the
DPS Members gather at Preident’s Park in Williamsburg,VA
night, students found a more modern college area to walk around in.
“We got a lot of free time to
spend in the town to explore on our
own, so it was easy to learn that
way,” said junior Sara Malinske.
At about 8:30pm, everyone
met for a legends tour, which
featured old Native American and Colonial legends, before returning to the hotel.
The next morning, after a
continental breakfast, everyone
headed to Busch Gardens at 10:00
am. People spent the day riding
roller coasters, eating food from
multiple European countries,
playing games, and shopping.
Some members even took the
time to see some of the multiple
shows playing at Busch Gardens.
The next morning, Dead Presidents Society checked out of the
hotel at 9:30 am, and headed back
to Colonial Williamsburg. Students
had a final opportunity to tour the
Colonial town, see the modern
shops, or walk around the campus of The College of William and
Mary, the first college in America.
“ There was a lot to do [around
the town] so it was fun and interesting,” said junior Elise Greenberg.
Two hours later, members
of the society headed towards
President’s Park, where giant
busts of presidents, a model of
Air Force One, and a model of
the Oval Office were on display.
“I thought President’s Park
was so amazing. Until you get
there you can’t imagine it,” said
Ms. Gaylord. “Being the Dead
Presidents Society, it was appropriate to go to President’s Park.”
After spending time walking around and taking pictures,
the Dead Presidents Society went
back on the bus for the ride home.
“It was an amazing trip. I
learned a lot firsthand about
the history of our country,”
said junior Stephanie Klarer.
------ Features ------
SBHS Offers Help for Students
Suffering with Depression
By Natalie Twerdowky (‘09)
When Kirk Zajac, a 17-year-old junior in Painesville Riverside
High School in Ohio, got on the bus to go to school one morning
last September, he didn’t realize that in a few short hours he would
receive news that would change his life. Upon arriving at school, he
learned that a senior in his school had died in a car accident. At first
he failed to recognize the boy, Andy Lehman, but soon after, he realized that Andy was the boy he and his friends had teased relentlessly every morning on the bus. Worse yet, Andy had died by suicide.
“It hit me hard,” Zajac said in an exclusive
online
interview
with
the
Viking
Vibe.
“When I realized who Andy was and how he died, I felt as if
someone had kicked me in the stomach and knocked all the wind
out of me. This was something I never saw coming,” he said.
The weight of this revelation stayed with Zajac for
months as he struggled to come to terms with the fact
that he may have indirectly affected Lehman’s death.
“Andy and I never had a real conversation. He was
usually quiet and reserved and I never had the common courtesy to stop making fun of him,” Zajac said.
One year later, however, Zajac’s relationship with Lehman is
much greater than before. Zajac read in the local paper about Mr.
Lehman’s attempts to get local high schools to include suicide prevention programming. In order to relieve some of his guilt, he visited
the home of Andy’s parents, a short walk away from his own, and
spoke to Mr. Lehman in an attempt to clear his guilty conscience.
“He was polite and listened as I explained my situation. There was no
anger, no words of discouragement. I told Mr. Lehman that I wanted to
help out, that I wanted to make people aware of suicide and depression
because I had been affected by his son’s death. He encouraged me to write
up a plan, which I did… He welcomed me with open arms,” Zajac said.
After working unsuccessfully with Mr. Lehman to convince schools
to incorporate suicide prevention programming, Mr. Lehman and Zajac were contacted by Suicide Prevention Education Alliance (SPEA).
Zajac is now a representative of SPEA to spread not only Lehman’s story, but his own. Zajac also suffered from depression and
suicidal thoughts and was treated successfully. Now, he’s trying to
make people aware that help is available, and students suffering
from depression can be helped by treatment. Effective treatment
for major depression includes medication, as well as counseling.
However, it is critically important to note that other factors were involved in Lehman’s death by suicide, and that Zajac is not entirely to blame. Lehman missed seven days in the
first three weeks of school. At that point, he had already been diagnosed with depression, completely unrelated to Zajac’s taunting.
The disease of depression is the major cause of suicide. However, there
are hardly ever sole contributors to a person’s decision to die by suicide.
Bullying is not the only factor, nor do all victims of bullying take the
drastic step to end their lives. According to the American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention, other factors include mental disorders such as schizophrenia, alcohol and substance abuse, hopelessness, a history of family
suicides or trauma and abuse, and aggressive or impulsive behaviors.
Unfortunately, teenagers who suffer from depression do not always seek
treatment. Depression can cause unbearable pain called psychache. The
disease of depression is and therefore make the decision to die by suicide.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among teenagers. 38,000
Americans die by suicide annually–the equivalent of 89 deaths per
day, one per every 16 minutes, and 11 per every 100,000 people.
According to former Surgeon General of the United States David Satcher, M.D., “Suicide is our most preventable form of death.”
According to SPEA’s webtsite, www.helppreventsuicide.org,
90% of adolescent suicides involve at least one treatable illness. In 2/3 of these cases, substance abuse is involved, and between 20-50% of these victims attempted suicide before.
Within the past year, South Brunswick High School has instituted a
new program, Signs of Suicide Prevention Program (SOS), for freshman
health classes to educate students about suicide and suicide prevention.
SOS is an evidence-based program that addresses suicide prevention,
mental health conditions, as well as school violence and alcohol. Its goal
is to instill the message that suicide is definitely preventable, as well as
teach students to recognize if family members or friends are experiencing
symptoms of depression. SOS utilizes the acronym ACT– Acknowledge
the Signs of Suicide, respond with Care, then Tell a responsible adult.
Ms. Susan Coyle, Supervisor of Intervention Services, said, “The most
important message from the SOS lesson is to trust your instincts when you
recognize that you or a friend are hurting and then asking for help. Not
just students, but teachers have also been trained about SOS. Every teacher knows about ACT and can help students find the right person to help.”
Pay Lyden, Executive Director of SPEA, in an exclusive phone interview
with theVikingVibe, said, “Kirk shares an important anti-bullying message.”
“I want people to know that suicide is preventable–it’s a permanent, unnecessary solution to a very treatable mental illness…I
want them to know they should tread carefully with what they say
to others because they have no idea what that person might be going through. And ultimately, there is hope. There are people everywhere willing to help you, if you will let them,” Zajac said.
Need someone to talk to? The important thing is to TELL
someone you trust. Any staff member can help, but here are
the people who specialize in this area. You are not alone!
Or, if you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK
------ Features ------
Saving the World,
One Retail Purchase at a Time
By Megan Behrend (‘08)
Beginning in October 2003,
Americans across the nation had
a new reason to buy their favorite tee shirts, fashion accessories,
and tech gadgets in red, thanks
to global music icon Bono and
Product(RED). In partnership
with United States politician and
philanthropist Bobby Shriver,
Bono established (RED), “an
economic initiative that aims to
deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global
Fund”, according to the official website www.joinred.com.
While The Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
supports programs to combat
three of the world’s most devastating diseases, 100% of the $60
million generated for the Global
Fund by (RED) thus far has been
used to finance AIDS grants in
Rwanda, Ghana, and Swaziland.
Even in the halls of SBHS, students can be spotted donning red
GAP shirts adorned with adjectives such as Inspi(red), Desi(red),
or Cente(red). And, judging by apparel alone, AIDS does not seem
to be the only cause in the minds
and hearts of the student body.
Last year, the SBHS chapter
of Amnesty International sold
American Apparel tees featuring the phrase “Stop genocide in
Sudan”. Like (RED) products,
these shirts were both a fashion
statement, thanks to their trendy,
L.A. based manufacturer, and a
statement about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The shirts
were sold in (need exact number) colors so that even the most
fashion conscious might purchase one and wear the message.
Global Studies teacher, Mr.
Justin Negraval, commented on
SBHS students’ apparent connection to the genocide in Darfur,
saying, “Internationally, [students] do the genocide awareness thing, which there is a class
for. As teachers in South Brunswick, we bring a lot to [the students]. We say, ‘Here is what’s
happening in the world. See if
you can do something about it’.”
Regarding the role of trends
in gaining student support for a
cause, Mr. Negraval believes celebrities and the media can garner public interest for a cause.
“People want to feel that they
are a part of something and ‘giving’ trends definitely allow you to
be a part of something,” he said.
Mr. Negraval cited the “Darfur
bandwagon” as one these “giving”
trends and offered “kudos to Bono”
for his success with Product(Red).
But one must wonder, is supporting a cause because it’s trendy
wrong? Is there not a conflict of
interest between those supporters
who feel wholly invested in a cause
and those who view it as a series
of investments in their wardrobe?
Senior Yashwanth Manjunath
said, “Seriously, there are so
many other problems in the world
that people don’t care about at all.
It is just about what problems are
getting the most press coverage
at the moment. Supporting these
causes is definitely just something
people do to make themselves feel
better. They are not sincere at all.”
Junior Daniel Velez expressed mixed feelings resave-the-world
garding
trends among SBHS students.
He said, “The kids who wear
the Darfur shirts seem like they
actually do understand and have
a commitment to the issue. But
I think with the (Red) products,
some people don’t really understand the purpose they serve.
This defeats the purpose of the
shirt, which is to spread awareness not just raise money.”
Although Mr. Negraval offered a more positive sentiment, he did not neglect to
encourage
self-evaluation.
He said, “Giving to charity, if
it’s a good cause, is never a bad
thing. I think we have to analyze what prompts us to give.
That is the real question, ‘What
tugs at our heartstrings to give?’
Is it just keeping up with the
Jones’ or something we really
care about? That is what we
have to keep asking ourselves.”
Beyond AIDS and the genocide in Darfur, conflict diamonds
serve as an example of another
issue plaguing Africa that has
permeated the mainstream. In
December 2006, the Academy
Award-nominated motion picture
Blood Diamond brought this devastating conflict to a broader audience. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio
and Jennifer Connelly, the film
demonstrates the ability of the
entertainment industry to bring a
world issue to the mainstream and
use star power to gain supporters.
A December 2006 interview
with Leonardo Dicaprio for Entertainment Weekly made evident
how Hollywood can serve as a
method of spreading awareness.
When asked if making Blood
Diamond changed his opinion
about diamonds, Dicaprio is
quoted as saying, “The diamond
happens to be a symbol of love
and unity in marriage — that’s
what the diamond represents,
that’s what it’s been marketed as
— and then you find out about
some of the things that occurred
to obtain these stones. So to me
it’s a symbol of a much larger
issue of what happens when we
demand any of these things.”
And still, perhaps the savethe-world trend that is currently
most prevalent within SBHS,
throughout the nation, and beyond its borders is the ultra chic
decision to go green. Although
environmentally conscious e
forts in the fashion and entertainment industries started many
years ago, the green trend seemed
to take full force last spring.
After Al Gore’s documentary
on climate change, An Inconve-
WH
Y
nient Truth, earned an Oscar in
February, it appeared as though
every important magazine, designer, and event undertook the
challenge of saving the natural world. Both Elle and Vogue
deemed their June 2007 volume
“The Green Issue”, featuring
tips on how to establish an environmentally conscious lifestyle.
These pointers included wearing
eco-friendly clothing like Linda
Loudermilk’s couture or Patagonia’s casual wear, as well as
supporting companies that chose
to reduce emissions or conserve
in some way during production.
But fashion journalism’s participation in the green trend did
not end here. Just recently, the
cover of TeenVogue’s April 2008
issue boasted the words “Go
green, 15 ways to save the world.”
Discussion with SBHS Advanced Placement Environmental Science students revealed a
general agreement that advocates for the environment are a
combination of informed, genuinely passionate people and followers of superficial trends.
Senior Courtney Lanza said,
“I don’t think a lot of people who
[go green], especially the younger population, fully understand
the problems that we have with
our environment. And theoretically [these trends] are helping
the environment, but realistically
they are just a political scam.”
Another senior, Julie Sears,
said, “I think that recent trends
to ‘go green’ are valuable. I think
there are some people who are
doing it because they are trends
and some that know and understand the information. But people
should ‘go green’ because it’s
something they really believe
in it, not because it’s a trend.”
Environmental science teacher,
Dr. Edward Houston, expressed
a similarly mixed sentiment.
“Like most things, it is sort
of a mixed bag.
[Green trends] are
certainly raising the awareness of
the general public, but the movements get highjacked by extremists, which is always bad,” he said.
Critics of green trends often
attack those efforts that present
climate change as a crisis. In his
January 1, 2008 article for The
New York Times, journalist John
Tierney titles the leaders of such
movements “availability entrepreneurs…the activists, journalists and publicity-savvy scientists who selectively monitor the
globe looking for newsworthy
evidence of a new form of sinfulness, burning fossil fuels”.
In many cases, these are
the same people who lead the
masses towards green trends.
Regarding this availability entrepreneurship, Dr. Houston said,
“I don’t approve of those tactics.
I find that to be another form of
extremism and that more can be
accomplished through rational
debate and balanced opinions.”
Sears, however, offered a much
more supportive opinion of the
“activists, journalists and…scientists” discussed in the article.
She said, “Americans have
been duped a lot and they certainly will be duped in the future.
Politicians and entrepreneurs
use a lot of strategies and, if we
get a healthier planet out of it, I
don’t think that is a problem. I
guess the ends justify the means.”
So maybe it is true; supporting productive causes is never
bad, regardless of the motivation. Perhaps a trend is one of the
only mediums through which an
unknown issue can earn international interest. And although
the process might involve a
three hundred dollar iPod or
twenty-five dollar t-shirt, the result—awareness—is priceless.
------ Opinion ------
Boycott the Olympics!
By Gopal Narsimhamurthy (‘08)
Left The arrest of
this Tibetan Monk is
just an example of
the many injustices
and atrocities China
is commiting in
Tibet and Sudan
The Viking Vibe would like to
note that the following article is
the opinion of the editor, and not
necessarily that of the advisor,
staff, or school administration.
We would like to encourage
responses and questions in the
form of letters to the editor. Please
e-mail your letter to Mr. Loh and
[email protected]
In 1936, the greatest athletes of the
world gathered in Berlin, Germany for
the start of the summer Olympics. Pictures show the enormous main stadium,
which held over 100,000 spectators; the
Olympic Village, featuring 100 buildings and hundreds of dining halls.
Hitler was no great fan of sport,
fearing that athletic competition would
elevate the individual over the powerful state. But he recognized the enormous potential of the Olympics to better
Germany’s international standing which
needed all the help it could get. In 1933,
a New York Times editorial had suggested that the Nazis’ “race doctrine contradicted the spirit of peace, equality and
fair play at the heart of the Olympics.”
Hitler insisted that racism be avoided at
all costs during the Olympics. As a result, Germany’s human rights violations
were barely recognized.
Now fast-forward to Beijing in 2008,
when we can expect China’s dictators to
disguise their cruelties in a haze of artistic and technological genius. I believe
that it is the responsibility of the American people to boycott the 2008 Olympics Games. Americans attended every
Olympics until the Moscow Games, of
1980, which they boycotted to protest
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Sixty-two countries joined the boycott, including the People’s Republic of China.
Through the Olympics, China will generate enormous revenue and an unearthly amount of positive publicity. Those
unaware of China’s real policies will see
the “Potemkin Villages,” the enormous
cities, the fruitful villagers, and the positive changes China is making.
However, the truth of this situation
is that China supplies weapons to the
Janjaweed in Darfur Sudan and they
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ruthlessly murder peacefully protesting
monks in Tibet. In fact, an estimated
1.2 million Buddhist monks have been
killed in Tibet since 1950. How can the
United States of America, a country that
prides itself on individual freedoms and
the power of the people, fail to recognize such atrocities. By covering the
ugly side of Chinese policies with a veil,
we are equally responsible for the deaths
and clear violations on China’s part.
On March 18, 2008, the Dalai Lama,
viewed by most Tibetans as their traditional political and spiritual leader,
accused the Chinese government of “a
form of cultural genocide” and urgently
sought the support of the international
community.
He did not call for a boycott of the
Beijing Olympics, although since then a
campaign pressing for a boycott targeting the opening ceremony specifically
May 2008
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has picked up steam, especially in Europe.
The Dalai Lama’s appeal for help was
prompted by unrest in the Chinese-controlled Tibet beginning March 10.
People around the world have taken a
stance on this issue. From flag-burning,
to online petitions, the world is pressuring China to make a change.
One on-line post reads, “This petition
is to try and help the people of China,
against the corrupt Regime that is terrifying its people, who are only standing up for their rights that we in this and
other countries enjoy as normal practice.
Perhaps governments might take notice
of what’s happening there and boycott
the games.”
“I believe that if the United States attends the China Olympics, we as Americans will be deteriorating our own image, and making better the image of a
nation that clearly does not recognize
human rights,” said SBHS senior Sunny
Ahlawat.
Students of SBHS, it is time for us to
take a stance. We cannot allow the United States to participate in the Olympic
games unless China vows to make some
significant changes.
It would be hypocritical of us to bring
democracy to parts of the world by freeing Iraq from Saddam’s tyranny, while
we sit back and remain apathetic to the
horrific situations in Tibet and Sudan.
Write to your congressmen, spread
the truth about China’s criminal policies, and let us ensure that the Olympics
becomes a time of positive change in
China.
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Student and Staff
Dodgeball Tournament
a “Very Big Success”
By Natalie Twerdowky (‘09)
Over the past few of weeks, students may
have noticed a variety of posters adorning the hallways,
citing quotations from the popular comedy starring Ben Stiller
and Vince Vaughn, Dodgeball.
These posters, however, do more than provide laughs for passing students–they advertised for the first annual Student and Staff Dodgeball Tournament.
This new event, the Student and Staff Dodgeball Tournament, was held on Friday, April
4. The tournament was organized in place of the former annual Students vs. Staff Basketball
Bonanza. The event organizer, freshman assistant principal Mr. Scott Horowitz, got the idea for the
game from Old Bridge High School. Old Bridge students participate in this event annually, and their
athletic director recommended it to SBHS.
“The tournament was a very big success. We’re looking to expand to more teams next year, and possibly utilize both gyms for a bigger tournament,” Mr. Horowitz said.
The tournament consisted of ten teams of ten, four boy and four girl students, in addition to a male
and female teacher. Each team was sponsored by a business in South Brunswick who covered the cost of
t-shirts and participation fees. All money raised will go towards the PTO’s senior scholarships.
“I thought it was a great idea, it’s something different. The movie Dodgeball and the advertising definitely helped to make this a success,” junior participant Zaniah Maynor said.
At the tournament were raffles, as well as the opportunity to hit Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney
with dodgeballs.
Science teacher and purple-team player Dr. Roberto DeBari said, “I like to play dodgeball, it’s
fun to peg students. After the pep rally, people will appreciate just how much fun it is.”
Junior Kati Eige, also on the 2nd place purple team, said, “I wanted to play because I have a
competitive spirit. You have to be driven to get that far…I plan on playing next year too.”
In the end, the black team pulled out an impressive victory after a nail-biting final round.
The two final teams rematched on Friday, April 18th’s pep rally, where the Black Team was
victorious.
“We should definitely keep [the tournament] going,” senior Khalid
Weston said. “It really is a great idea.”
Students and staff join in the fun at
SBHS’s dodgeball tournament.
Photos by Eddie Zaneski (‘08)