June - South Brunswick School District

the v king vibe
INSIDE
THE
VIBE
NEWS:
Students
Recognized
at Art Gallery
page 2
Volume 10 - Issue 9
June 2009
South Brunswick High School
750 Ridge Road
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
VIBE:CULTURE:
What to Look
Forward to this
Summer
SPORTS:
Spring Sports
Capsule
Updates
entertainment 4
pages 10-11
R E N A I S S A N C E
June-A-Palooza
Saadia Ahmad and
Sam Orlan
2010
After school on Friday, June 5,
the Renaissance Team held its
first-ever school-wide event in the
main gym and red cafeteria. The
“June-a-Palooza,” despite a lack
of cooperation from the weather
conditions, entertained over 200
students and staff members from
2:30-8:00 p.m.
According to Co-Advisor Dr.
Roberto DeBari, a few members
in the Renaissance Club came up
with the idea of a hosting a fair to
“celebrate and reward our entire
SBHS community - students and
staff alike - for their character,
academic, and extracurricular
contributions and involvement
throughout the year.”
Co-Advisor Ms. Janessa Pugner
said, “June-a-Palooza went so well
considering the rainy day change
of plans. It was difficult to plan to
have all of the activities indoors,
but it was certainly worth it for
the many students who enjoyed
themselves.”
The club has been working
from the outset of the school year
to organize this event and recruit
the high school’s many clubs and
local businesses.
The Dead Presidents Society,
the Environmental Club, Odyssey
of the Mind, French Honors
Society, Spanish Honors Society,
and FCCLA (Family Community
Career Leaders of America) sold
various foods in the cafeteria, such
as samosas, ice cream sundaes,
quesadillas, and drinks.
Other clubs featured games. The
Environmental Club, for example,
held a recycling game, junior Perri
Menscher offered face painting to
profit the Renaissance Club, the
Far East club offered carnival and
hacky-sack games.
The Renaissance Club also
featured a few booths of their
own, including a “Win-a-Fish”
carnival game and a bowling
game with donated water bottles
from Active Imprints.
Junior Jennifer Sperber said,
“I was definitely surprised to see
how many people showed up. It
was a fabulous event and many
vibe:culture
Contribute to the entertainment section! Writers meet
on Tuesdays in A205 with Mr. Honig.
went home with great memories
and new fish friends!”
The local community also
contributed greatly to the success
of the event. Contributing
businesses
included
Bob’s
Discount
Furniture
Store,
Confectionately Yours, Rita’s
Water Ice. One South Grill,
Fitness 19, YMCA, Best Buy,
CanDo Fitness, Party Fair, and
Pizza Delizia.
Students sat at the tables in
the cafeteria and bleachers in the
gym after purchasing food and
playing games. The basketball
hoops were also let down,
badminton nets were set up, and
frisbees were lying around for
students to use while enjoying
the musical concert taking place
simultaneously.
Ms. Pugner said, “I enjoyed the
carnival games most, but I think
the student bands did a great job
of entertaining us all.”
The AMPED club, under
the direction of Advisor Mr.
Justin Negraval, held a concert
throughout the afternoon and
into the evening, featuring local
student bands such as Audacity,
Gonzo, Mirror Effect, and many
others.
The first 100 students who
arrived and presented their coupon
books to the Renaissance table
received a free South Brunswick
t-shirt donated by the Activities
Office. The coupon books were
distributed during the lunch
blocks the week of the event to
students who maintained a 3.5
GPA or better during all three
quarters.
“I loved the variety of musical
performances and the impromptu
basketball and badminton games
that broke out,” Dr. DeBari
concluded, “but my true favorite
‘part’ was that everyone got along
and was respectful to everyone
else. “
Miss Pugner said, “The
Renaissance
Club
greatly
appreciates all of the donations
made from clubs and local
businesses for prizes for our
games and for food. We also look
forward to making it an annual
tradition and hope that next year
we have lots of sunshine.”
Check out the E-vibe!
http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/school_
information/communications.php
2
The Viking Vibe
May 2009
2009
From the Editor’s Desk:
Signing In
Another year is winding down at South Brunswick High School and as the
Class of 2009 gets ready for graduation, our current Editor-in-Chief, senior Anita
Modi, is passing her torch down to us. It has been a while since The Viking Vibe
has seen two names under the “Editor-in-Chief” line, but this year has proven itself one ready for change. Anita’s obsession to make the Vibe 100% perfect is our
driving force to maintain the quality of this paper, both in content and in appearance. She has taught us the importance of dedication, which is why we write this;
not only to commend her abilities, but also to thank her for her teachings. Thank
you, Anita Modi- you are awesome.
As for our new staff, we are excited to prove ourselves worthy of what Anita
has left behind. Although we have a small group entering the 2009-2010 Editorial Staff, we have confidence that we will come through with ten worthy issues.
Ektaa, Saadia, Tajah, and Justin’s efforts will definitely add to our new generation
of collaboration. :)
Thank you Anita, and thank you Vibe readers,
-Sam & Roshni
2010, 2011
The Viking Vibe
2008-2009 Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Anita Modi
Managing Editor
Amy Rowe
Layout Editor
Jovelle Tomayo
Senior Editors
Zohrain Hassam, Natalie Twerdowsky, Hannah Green, Tom
Dunleavy, Amishi Desai
2009-2010 Staff
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Samantha Orlan and Roshni Shah
Editorial Staff
Saadia Ahmad, Justin Berger, Tajah Ebram, Ektaa Sanghvi
Staff
Corey Allen, Riya Arora, Matthew Brown, Alexis Bruno, Emily
Campisano, Tori Capps, Prerana Chatty, Jaya Chinnaya,
Alyssa Chrysafis, Zachary Cohen, Maxine Deines, Jennetta
Dellapa, Brooke DelGuercio, Mark Desmond, Kevin DeVito,
Timothy Doehler, Sukanya Dutta, Rachel Finklestein, Georgia
Foulds, Rosalia Gambino, Breona Garrison, Andrew Gong,
Joshua Gonzalez, Kristen Huang, Brandon James, Bhanupriya
Jayarangan, William Johnston, Cassandra Joiner, Cassandra
Kot, Melissa Katz, Aaron Lassin, Minna Liu, Catherine Lordi,
Gregory Madia, Ramsha Mahmood, David Mariano,Cody
McHugh, Gunjan Mehta, Alissa Mesibov, Mona Mostafa, Michael
Muha, Monika Nandi, Suman Naringrekar, Sidney Nelson, Kayla
Noll, Alexa Padovano, Ashna Pai, Dylan Parlow Jr., Tanvi Parmar,
Ellen Plocic, Elizabeth Puzio, Priya Shah, Kevin Shiraldi, Miranda
Sirimis, Jordan Smtih, Jacob Stern, Morgan Sturgeon, Nicole
Tyburczy, Jeffrey Veith, Jessica Warner, Michael Weber, Krystal
Wilson, Keith Zients.
news
Letter to the Editor:
re: 2010 is the New 3008;
You’re So 2000 and Late
To the Class of 2010 (Or to anyone else, for that matter),
In just a few short days, the 2008-2009 school year will be over, and we will
all be able to relax on our well-deserved summer vacation. To some of us, it will
be a time to catch up on much-needed sleep. To others, it will be a time to hang out
with friends and throw some parties. No matter which way we choose to spend our
vacation, we cannot lose sight of what’s to come. For my Class of 2010, we will
be stepping into the shoes of the leaving seniors, finally being able to proudly call
ourselves seniors. Yes, that’s right, we can call ourselves seniors, like bosses. With
our new titles, we will proudly wear the name “Class of 2010” with a newfound
pride, a newfound glory, a newf
newfound desire to become the best bunch of kids ever
to grace/rock/own the hallways of SBHS.
With that said, it is clear that next year will be one of the best years of our
lives. Just to list a couple of the things to come, we now have the senior dinner
cruise, homecoming, the senior class trip, and senior prom. If anything, we will be
looking to add to this list of events. For the guys, we now have the luxury to strut
our manly skills in Mr. SBHS. For the ladies, we will (without a doubt) destroy the
competition in Powderpuff (Yes, you may take this as a challenge. We’re ready).
It’s time for the Class of 2010 to be leaders like Barack Obama, to shine like
sparkling diamonds, to be proud like you’re on a boat. See you all next year!
Your Loving President,
Emil K. Chen
SBHS Students Honored in
Congressional Art Competition
Miranda Sirimis
2012
On May 8, senior Sean Monoghan
won second place for his drawing and
junior Giovanna Santiago received an
Honorable Mention for her painting
at the Congressional Art Competition
sponsored by Congressman Rush Holt.
The competition is an annual event
that showcases students’ artwork from
around the country, one of many such
shows held in various areas. One piece
of artwork was selected from each show
to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
The artwork made by SBHS students
was on display from April 30-May 8 at
the Paul Robeson Center of the Arts in
Princeton.
The following students were
recognized for their contributions to the
art show: freshmen Krupa Nathan and
Krupa Patel, sophomores Gina Gagliotti,
Jerika Boulware, and Sophie Hyde,
juniors Sara Dorsay, Giovanna Sanitago,
Ariel Halpern, and Eman Sammad, and
seniors Sean Monoghan, Yeni Choi, and
Danielle Nemeth.
“I think that the works chosen were
outstanding. They were very expressive
of the individuals,” said art teacher Ms.
Priscilla Algava.
Students made many different pieces
of artwork, which consisted of paintings,
drawings, and watercolors.
“I think it’s great that they’re
showcasing the students’ talents and that
they’re getting recognition for it,” said
sophomore Pooja Shah.
Students seem to think that this is a
good opportunity for art students.
“I think it’s a great way for students
of South Brunswick to get their artwork
shown,” said sophomore Allison
Zimmitti.
Other students seem to agree as
well.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for
art students to express themselves,” said
sophomore Hajer Bencheikh.
Examples
of artwork
showcased at the
Congressional Art
Competition: Left:
Portrait of senior
Camille Bayas by
Christina Yee (‘10),
Page 1 Featured
Box: Hands by
Sean Tyree (‘09).
Advisor
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
The
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.
CORRECTION:
Proper credit was not given in the last issue:Vendor Night Helps Fund Project Graduation
was written by Monika Nandi (‘12) and LAMP Club Hands Out Easter Happiness In a
Basket was written by Bhanu Jayarangan (‘11).
news
Federal Grant May Help
Fund New Security Camera
Installation at SBHS
Ellen Plocic and
Priya Shah
2012, 2011
Many people are aware of the entrance
cameras at the doors to the high school.
However, what they may not know is
that the district is applying for a grant
that will sponsor the installment of
security cameras in select hallways and
intersections.
According to South Brunswick
Business Administrator Mr. Anthony
Tonzini, the federal grant--entitled
“Service on Schools”--is supported by
the U.S. Department of Justice and the
Community-Oriented Policing Service
(COPS).
Money received through the grant
may be used to fund any measure
of security except for personnel. As
aforementioned, South Brunswick is
specifically looking to put the money
toward surveillance cameras.
“It’s very competitive,” Mr. Tonzini
said of the grant application process,
which includes a 75-page online
application, “There are limited federal
funds, but we’re hopeful.”
The South Brunswick school
district has actually applied for the
grant unsuccessfully for the past two
years, which Mr. Tonzini attributed
to economic and need-based factors.
As South Brunswick is considered
“wealthy” and “safe” as compared to
other districts in New Jersey, it is less
likely to receive funding.
New Jersey school districts that were
awarded grant money last year include
Atlantic City, South Orange, South
Plainfield, and Neptune. In total, 1.3
million dollars were given to this state
as a part of “Service on Schools.”
This year, South Brunswick is asking
for $90,000 to support its security camera
initiative, exactly half of the initiative’s
proposed cost of $180,000.
“The district has to match whatever
federal money is given through the
grant,” Mr. Tonzini noted.
If all goes well, the grant money will
help kick off one of a couple phases of
the installation.
“South Brunswick High School
is 470,000 square feet, so for every
intersection and hallway to be monitored,
devices have to be set up in phases,” Mr.
Tonzini said, adding that once basic
wiring and other connections have been
set up as a part of the first grant-funded
phase, the district could very well
sponsor the second phase of installations
on its own.
“The administration and central office
will decide on all of the ‘hot spots’ of
the school,” explained Mr. Peter Varela,
Assistant Principal for Academic
Leadership.
“Certain areas include near the
stairwells, in hallways, at the entrances
of bathrooms and locker rooms, and all
the entrances and exits of the building,”
he noted, saying, “In today’s day and
age, considering the size of this school,
security cameras are necessary.”
Mr. Varela added that even though
there are hall monitors, security cameras
are still needed because they can
record things that hall monitors cannot.
However, hall monitors are similarly
necessary because they can approach
students and talk to them individually.
As he pointed out, “[Security
cameras] area good investment if the
cameras deter inappropriate behavior
by capturing certain actions. If there
is a fight going on, and both students’
stories don’t match up, we can just play
the video and find out for ourselves what
really happened.”
“There is certainly a real need,”
SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney
said, citing recent bomb threats, thefts
from the locker rooms, fights in the
stairwells, and vandalism outside the
school building as problems that could
be resolved with surveillance cameras.
“It’s all about providing for the safety
of our students; it’s our responsibility,”
he concluded.
May 2009
The Viking Vibe
3
SBHS’s Dead Presidents Society
Recognized as one of the Top
Ten History Clubs in the Nation
Elizabeth Puzio
2010
The National History Club was
founded in 2002 by the Concord Review,
Inc., and since then, it has created history
clubs at more than 375 middle schools
and high schools in 43 states.
According to a statement on
nationalhistoryclub.org,
the
NHC
strives “to build the reading, research,
communication and other skills students
need to become competent citizens and
leaders by inspiring large numbers of
secondary school students to implement
and participate in history-related
programs.”
Co-Advisor and founder of DPS, Mrs.
Corie Gaylord made sure the school’s
history club, the Dead Presidents
Society, was a part of this organization,
and sent an essay to the NHC describing
the club’s trip to the Inauguration of
President Barack Obama.
Using “A History-Making
Inauguration” as her essay title, Mrs.
Gaylord stated, “When I started the
school history club, the Dead Presidents
Society (South Brunswick High School,
NJ), six years ago, it was to make history
come alive for students by traveling to
historic sites.”
Junior Danielle Bartolotta said,
“Being in DPS is a great experience, and
I am proud to say that I am a part of it.”
This year, DPS is finally getting
the recognition it deserves. It has been
named one of the top ten history clubs in
the nation, and is joined by clubs from
states such as Maine and Iowa.
According to nationalhistoryclub.
org, the ten clubs “are being recognized
by the NHC for exemplary activities,
community service, and overall
commitment this school year.”
Junior Ali Grischuk, a DPS member,
said, “It’s exciting that we were named
one of the top history clubs in the nation.
After all the hard work everyone puts
into the different activities the club
organizes, we deserve it.”
One of the most recent activities that
the club hosted is the annual Duct Tape
a Teacher fundraiser.
Fellow junior Lauren Lally said, “it’s
amazing that DPS was created only six
years ago, and it has already become so
great.”
The advisors are also amazed at how
far the club has come, and are extremely
proud of what DPS has accomplished.
Co-Advisor of DPS Mr. Justin
Negraval said, “Obviously, it’s a huge
honor. A couple of years ago we were
first runners-up for teachers of the year
for the History Channel, and it’s nice to
be recognized for something that we do.
Doing extracurricular activities is not
for money or in the job description. It’s
because we like interacting with kids
outside the classroom, and we take pride
in doing so.”
Mrs. Gaylord added, “I was thrilled
to get this recognition for the club.
Everyone has worked so hard. When I
first got the email, I was speechless and
so proud of the club. We have built the
club up from a handful of kids six years
ago, and to see how far we’ve come is
just amazing.”
With so much going into the club, no
one person can be solely responsible for
its achievements.
Mr. Negraval explained, “It’s not
just the advisors; it’s the students who
fundraise, show up to meetings, attend
the trips and are interested in history.
Without the kids, we would not have the
reached the level we are at today.”
Anita Modi (‘09)
also contributed to this article.
Check out the
Vibe Blog for
audio feeds,
photo reels, and
videos!
http://blogs.
sbschools.org/
vikingvibe/
Feel free to post
your comments and
thoughts on our latest
issue!
Members of SBHS’s
Dead P
Presidents
Society stand together
outside the Capitol
in Washington, D.C./
PHOTO BY Saadia
Ahmad (‘10).
4
May 2009
2009
The Viking Vibe
news
Ms. Cooper and Ms. Matlack
Find Themselves in a
Sticky Situation
Maxine Deines and
Monika Nandi
2012
On Friday, May 29, physical education teacher Ms. Danielle Matlack and
science teacher Ms. Alison Cooper were
taped to the alcove wall for the fundraising event Duct-Tape-a-Teacher. Dead
Presidents Society (DPS) and the Vietnam class teamed up to raise money for
Vietnam veterans.
“[The fundraiser] was for a very good
cause,” said Mr. Justin Negraval, DPS
co-advisor.
During lunches from May 22 to May
28, students paid a dollar to vote for a
teacher to suspend from the wall with
duct tape. Their dollars also afforded
them an arm’s length of duct tape each
with which to stick the winning teachers
to the wall.
Throughout all lunches the students
could watch the two teachers with the
most votes were thus duct-taped in the
alcove by the specific students who voted.
“It was cool to see two teachers I know
duct-taped,” said freshman Kirthana
Govindaraju,
“It was a great fundraiser to raise
money. I was surprised when I found out
I was one of the teachers who won,” said
Ms. Matlack.
Students from DPS and the Vietnam
Era class nominated the teachers that
participated in the fundraiser. The teachers then had to accept the nomination in
order to participate.
“This was a very public fundraiser,”
explained Mr. Negraval, “We tried to involve all grades [in the event], because
it’s a creative way to raise money.”
Nearly 400 dollars was raised in the
fifth annual Duct-Tape-a-Teacher event,
in which hundreds of students participated. The money will go to buying a
brick at a Vietnam Memorial.
“I think it was a great and fun way to
raise money for Vietnam veterans,” said
sophomore Alyssa Staffin.
Other teachers who were also candidates to be duct taped included English
teachers, Ms. Kristen Borsi, Mr. Frank
Manfre, Ms. Tiffany Lynch, Ms. Shelley Bingham, math teachers, Mr. Stephen Dentler, Mr. Briton Arnold and Mr.
George Miller, and VTN teacher, Mr.
Shaun Ruymen.
“I hope they have the fundraiser again
next year,” Ms. Matlack said, “It was really fun.”
Two SBHS teachers experience the strength of duct tape first-hand./PHOTOS
./
./PHOTOS
BY Saadia Ahmad (‘10).
Junior Prom: The Class of 2010 Concludes the 2009
School Year in Style
Keith Zients
2010
Glimpses of Junior Prom
attendees./PHOTOS
./
./PHOTOS
COURTESY OF Cindy Lim
(‘10).
Music was bumping, students were
dancing, and dance floors were shaking
on Saturday, May 30, at Junior Prom
2009. The actual prom began at 6:00pm
at the Rosewood in Edison, New Jersey,
however preparation began well before
that.
“I woke up at 6:00am, and couldn’t
fall back asleep so I just started getting
ready,” said junior Becca Binder.
From hair and makeup, to tuxes and
fine lined shape-ups promgoers did
everything to look their best for one of
the biggest social events of junior year.
Before prom began many groups took
pictures with their friends and dates,
“There were over 40 people at my
house to take pictures. It was so hectic,
but fun,” said junior Jenna Lomenzo.
When pre-prom festivities were finally
complete, groups made their way on the
25-minute journey to the Rosewood.
Methods of transportation ranged from
a stretch hummer limo to a party bus to
even a school bus.
A heavy bass coming from a DJ
standing in the front of the large Lshaped room greeted guests, and Junior
Prom 2009 officially began. Waves of
students eagerly shuffled into the room,
as girls squealed with excitement, and
by 6:30pm the room was nearly full.
A buffet-style dinner was laid out for
students to enjoy.
“The food was alright; I liked the penne
vodka,” said junior Kenny Shupak.
Other menu items included baked
ziti, eggplant Parmesan, sausage with
peppers and onions, and salad. Once
students had their share of dinner they
made their way to the dance floor.
Students agreed that the dance floor
was too small for the large number of
attendees that jumped and danced to the
beats of the DJ Mac Book.
“I was dancing so much and bumping
into everyone in a four-foot radius of
me,” said junior Jeff Dunleavy, “It didn’t
matter, I still danced my heart out.”
In fact, so many people were on the
overcrowded dance floor, which was on
the second floor of the Rosewood, that
the entire room began to shake.
“When the floor was shaking I thought
I was going to fall in,” said junior Jared
Kling.
Nothing of the sort happened,
thankfully, and Junior Prom 2009 was an
absolute success. At 11:00pm the prom
winded down to a close as still- energetic
students made their way home.
news
May 2009
The Viking Vibe
5
Theatre I Class Participates Theatre II Murder Mystery
Dinner a Success
in Shakespeare Festival
Jessica Warner
2011
On May 21, the Theatre I classes
participated in the Shakespeare Festival.
The event was held at Rider University
and 13 local schools took part in the
event. This festival gave schools the
opportunity to perform short plays
written by William Shakespeare.
To prepare, the students practiced
every single class since mid-March.
The directors first had to cast roles and
then students had to read through the
scripts to get the feel of Shakespeare’s
dialogue, as it is different from the
English language used today.
Students had to think about what
each line really meant so they delivered
the right emotions.
“Shakespeare scenes provide
unique challenges for theatre students,”
said theatre teacher Ms. Catherine
LaMoreaux, “The students met the
challenges and were excellent at the
festival.”
When the students got the idea of what
they had to do, they began to rehearse
and work on memorizing their lines.
Eventually, they started to use props
and wear costumes to get the full feel of
what the performance would be like.
“Preparing for the festival was a little
tough, but in the end it was all worth the
hard work,” said sophomore Jean Luc
Oliver.
“This opportunity was an interesting
and enlightening experience for me,”
freshman Melodie Roehrig added.
At the festival, the theatre classes not
only performed the Shakespeare play,
but also got the chance to watch the
other schools perform. The classes got
feedback on their performances from the
judges who told them what they did well
and what they could have done better.
However, the festival was not a
competition. The festival was just an
event that gave schools the chance to
perform Shakespeare plays.
“The whole day was all about theatre
and the actors and actresses. It was a
great day,” said freshman participant
Holly Korzinowski.
Freshman Scott Clark similarly
appreciated the experience, saying, “It
was really great to see other schools
performing because it gave us a chance
to see how other actors interpret
Shakespeare.”
Melissa Katz and
Jessica Warner
2011
On May 13 and 21, the Theatre II
class put on a Murder Mystery Dinner
performance in the annex band room.
The Mystery Dinner was a play written
by sophomore Matthew Weinstein and
edited by the rest of the theatre class.
In this play, the students interacted
with the audience as well as performed
some scenes.
The audience was
involved in trying to solve the murder
mystery. They were given characters
and background descriptions and they
were able to talk with the cast and try to
figure out who the murderer was.
“The
The Murder Mystery Dinner was
a lot of fun. The audience was very
participative and when they got into it, it
added to the overall performance,” said
sophomore Jeffrey Rosenthal.
To prepare, the Theatre Class
practiced for months. They revised the
script many times and had to audition
for roles. Once everyone had parts, they
rehearsed every class.
“Preparing for this was a little
challenging since we had to remember
that we had to include the audience,”
said sophomore Rebecca Shapiro, “But
when we actually had an audience it
worked out great.”
For the students, it was difficult to
stay in character when talking to people
from the audience, especially if one of
the audience members was a friend or
family member.
“When I was talking to my friends
while trying to stay in character it was
a little hard because they kept making
me laugh,” said sophomore Samantha
Bognar.
Despite the difficulty of staying in
character, the cast and audience seemed
to really enjoy The Mystery Dinner.
“It went great and it was fun to do
the shows a week apart because we were
able to make changes and it worked very
well,” said Director Ms. Ginny Kraft.
“At the end of the play, I asked them
if they could do it again,” said audience
member and sophomore Alyson Hogan,
“It was an awesome experience and I
enjoyed it a lot.”
The T
Theatre II students at the end of The Murder Mystery Dinner
performance./PHOTOS BY Jessica Warner (‘11)
The T
Theatre I students perform before other participants of the
Shakespeare Festival./PHOTO
./
./PHOTO
COURTESY OF Ms. Catherine LaMoreaux.
6
May 2009
2009
The Viking Vibe
news
End of Course Algebra I
English Department Revises Test
Coming in May 2010
Summer Reading
Assignments
As the 2008-2009 school year winds
down, English assignments are prepared
for students to complete this summer.
This summer’s assignments include
some new changes.
English Teacher Ms. Karen O’Holla
said, “We revisit the summer reading
assignments each year. The whole
system was totally revamped five or six
years ago, so now we really just make
small changes and updates.”
The first change to this year’s
assignment involved the writing portion.
For all levels and all grades, the openended questions or essay now must be
written for the choice book, not for the
required novel. The prompts themselves,
however, basically stayed the same.
Ms. O’Holla explained, “We made
this decision based on the assumption
that students really enjoy the book they
get to choose, so they should also enjoy
completing the writing assignment that
goes along with it. This change will also
allow teachers to create new assessments
for the required reading book, which
they previously evaluated using the
summer reading essay.”
Additionally, the required reading
books were changed for English III and
English IV classes. English III classes
will be able to choose between two
books, while English IV classes will be
able to choose between three.
Ms. O’Holla said, “We changed the
books to make them more appealing and
relatable to young adults.”
As for what books to choose,
regardless of the English course students
will be going into, Ms O’Holla advised,
“I recommend that students really
look at all the choices and talk to other
students about what books they enjoyed.
Students should not just go for the
shortest novels. The easiest book is the
book you are interested in.”
Ms. O’Holla also offered some advice
about the writing assignment saying,
“Look over the prompt and keep it in
mind while reading,” she said, “Also
remember that the writing assessment
is really the first impression students
make on their new English teachers, and
you always want to make a good first
impression.”
Summer reading packets have
already been handed out in English
classes. The assignments will also be
available on sbschools.org, at the South
Brunswick Public Library, and at Barnes
& Noble stores in Princeton and North
Brunswick.
Alyssa Chrysafis (‘10)
Hannah Green
2009
Elizabeth Puzio
2010
In May of next year, all students taking
Algebra I and Elements of Algebra I will
be required to take a state-mandated endof-year Algebra I test. This includes any
students who are taking these courses in
middle school. The test will be similar to
the end-of-course Biology I test that was
given for the first time last year.
Math Supervisor Mrs. Anna Alfieri,
said, “The Algebra I test is a state
requirement, and it will be given in
order to provide a rigorous curriculum
and ensure that all students take Algebra
I.”
Junior Amy Kuan said, “I think that it
is important for our high school to make
sure that the curriculum we use is on the
same level or higher than that of other
schools.”
As Mrs. Alfieri noted, “The test will
replace the math portion of the HSPA in
the long run.”
“I would rather take the HSPA
instead of the end-of-course test,” junior
Lauren Lally said, “since the end-ofcourse test focuses on a particular kind
of math instead of a variety of subjects,
making it more difficult than the HSPA
if that math is not your strong point.”
Next year, though, students need only
to take the test, not pass it, in order to
graduate, since this is first time it will be
administered,
Mrs. Alfieri said, “The assumption is
that right now it just has to be taken, but
eventually it will need to be passed as
a requirement for graduation. However,
we do not know the benchmarks of what
is considered passing or not passing
yet.”
Junior Julie Rekant offered, “I think
that making students pass this test will
be beneficial to the school, because it
will give an accurate depiction of what
the students have learned. They will be
forced to take the test seriously.”
As Mrs. Alfieri also mentioned, “an
end-of-course Algebra II test will be
given eventually,” but there is not much
information available yet.
“After students take this first test
hopefully the results will show that our
curriculum meets or exceeds the state’s
standards,” Mrs. Alfieri explained.
Math Teacher Mr. Larry Witlen
compared the end-of-course test to
another test administered in the state
of New York, “I grew up in New York,
and all students take a Regents exam
(which is the same throughout the state).
I don’t think the Regents exam is better
or worse than any individual’s or any
department’s test, but I do not agree
with removing the emphasis that any
individual teacher places on a particular
course.
“For districts unlike ours which need
to be monitored and held to a standard
to which they have not reached, I think
the state has the obligation to intervene,
but districts which meet or exceed that
standard should have the right to either
choose the state exam or to use one of
their own making,” he reasoned.
Is the new Terminator really a Salvation?
culture
figure out.
The writers obviously want us to ignore the various plot holes, to ignore the silly and unrealistic motivations of the characters, and to ignore the terrible
dialogue. Instead, they beg us to turn our brains into
mush, while the fancy images on the screen keep us
constantly entertained.
Terminator Salvation is a film so radically different from the first three that it shouldn’t even be considered a part of the series. While the first two films
revolutionized the action genre with the depth of
their characters and plot, Salvation is a film that favors style over substance to a degree usually reserved
for the likes of Michael Bay. It’s so unrecognizable
and detached from the original films that it resorts to
a plethora of fan services, in a sad attempt to prove
it’s an actual sequel (I was surprised [and relieved]
that nobody said “Hasta la vista, baby!”). This unjustifiable abandonment has resulted in a mindless special effects exhibit, featuring boring action and even
more boring characters, who, although they try and
convince us there’s an actual story hidden somewhere,
ultimately fail in doing anything at all.
This movie is responsible for over two hours that
I’ve wasted from my life, time I could’ve spent on far
more productive and fulfilling activities, like falling
asleep for instance. I could rant like a nerd for hours
about the movie, but then again, it’s not worth wasting
any more time on, so I’ll conclude by pointing out that
the director’s name (McG) sounds like something on
the dollar menu at McDonalds. Something you would
probably find hair in.
The Viking Vibe
Entertainment Section
Watching Terminator Salvation was an experience similar
to watching a 3D movie without the glasses. The directors
try their best to make its action interactive and exciting to the
audience, but only succeeds in coming off as a dull specialeffects montage. It’s a flat, by-the-books action film, void
of any originality or credibility, successful only because it
bears the name of one of the greatest action franchises of all
time.
The first two Terminator films (1984’s The Terminator and
1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day) are films that will forever be regarded as classics in the genres of action and sci-fi.
They combine their thrilling action scenes with well-developed characters, clear and innovative plots, and the perfect
amount of comic relief. The third Terminator film, released
in 2003, was a rehash of Terminator 2 that failed to win the
hearts of the fans, but is still considered to be a decent action
film.
Now, in Terminator Salvation, we’re shown the aftermath
of an apocalyptic future of mankind, where the humans are
fighting an un-winnable war against deadly machines controlled by a super-computer called Skynet. John Connor
(Christian Bale), the future leader of the human resistance,
hasn’t quite reached his full potential by the beginning of
Salvation; he’s still trying to figure out if the future’s inevitable, or if it can be changed for the better.
The film takes a nosedive when a new character, the
first Terminator model, is introduced. This particular Terminator has a unique twist; for some bizarre and unexplainable reason, he still thinks he’s a human! For the remainder
of the film, John Connor is shoved to the side as we focus
exclusively on the journey of this new Terminator, who, in
the biggest coincidence the world has ever known, teams up
with Kyle Reese, father of John Connor and one of Skynet’s
major targets for termination.
A coincidence of this nature is the mark of lazy writers,
and the writers of Terminator Salvation were clearly lazy
about their work. Almost every piece of information given
in this film contradicts information given in any of the previous films. One could spend hours trying to figure out what
Skynet knows, what it doesn’t know, or what the characters know. They could even, god forbid, try and figure out
what the hell is going on, but no matter how hard they think,
they’ll come to the same conclusion every time: none of it
makes any sense. The Terminator series was never meant
to be continued after Terminator 2, it wrapped the plot up
nice and tight, but the introduction of T3 turned the whole
universe upside-down, and now, everything about the film is
so complex and confusing that it’s not even worth trying to
Green Day Builds Up to Breakdown
vibe:
vibe
Zach Cohen and
Alex Kuhn
2010, 2009
along to the song, but with the lyrics to “Church on
Sunday,” a song off of Warning and one of my personal favorites on the album. Another song with that
had the same effect was “American Eulogy,” which
resembled “Deadbeat Holliday” off of Warning once
again. Other songs resemble similar strumming patterns or drums as past albums.
With this in mind, we have yet to decide whether we
like it or not. “C.O.S.” and “D.H.” are two songs we
really enjoy out of Green Day’s entire catalog, but on
the other hand it feels like something of a cop out and
is odd that it sounds so eerily familiar. Covering more
ground than American Idiot, Breakdown has managed
to still carry the band’s rebellious message, while not
sacrificing their overall sound.
If anything, their sound is one of the most interesting things on the album. Green Day’s earliest hits
were extremely punkish, guitar driven, three-minute
jam sessions. On Idiot, the band experimented with
a more produced, mixed, and overall cleaner sound,
most likely to deliver their message loud and clear.
Alex Kuhn (‘09)
Breakdown manages to combine the anarchic chaos
of early Green Day and the more modern and melodic
sound of American Idiot into an all-around impressive
fusion; the sound of a band maturing and coming into
its own once and for all with a distinctive voice that
will carry them through the rest of their career.
Mike Ungano (‘09)Alex
Kuhn (‘09)
Picture this. 17 years into your musical career, you and
your bandmates release what critics and fans alike praise as
your masterpiece, your ninth symphony, and an unbeatable
album. What do you do? Do you retire at age 32, or do you
do your share of tours, book signings, collaborations, and
quietly return to the studio?
Well, if you’re Green Day, you do the latter. After their
American Idiot tour (profiled in the CD/DVD Bullet in a Bible), the band secretly began writing new songs and headed
into the studio to record new material. The first the world
heard of their recording was in November of 2008, a mere
six months before the release.
They released their eighth studio album, 21st Century
Breakdown, as a trio on May 25 to, once again, critical and
cultural acclaim. Green Day is composed of guitarist/lyricist/
keyboardist/vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist/vocalist
Mike Dirnt, drummer/comic relief Tre Cool, and occasionally (yet not a part of the official band) touring guitarist Jason
Freese. American Idiot marked a big transformation in their
music. They had upgraded from singing about masturbation and drugs, to now commentating on the state of society.
While loyalists felt this was “selling out,” many felt that the
album was a picture-perfect album with great variety. From
classical punk-type songs to ballads, the album was great, especially when compared to what was being released around
them. Since the big breakthrough, Green Day had been busy
receiving Grammys, touring stadiua, as well as releasing an
album under the pseudonym The Foxboro Hot Tubs.
Presented in three acts, each of which tackles a specific
problem of the 21st century, this album is equally as scathing as American Idiot, and every bit as culturally relevant.
The first act, “Heroes and Cons,” targets modern society, the
second act, “Charlatans and Saints,” is obviously directed
at religion, while the third act, “Horseshoes and Handgrenades,” is aimed at the military governments. Possibly the
biggest thing we noticed about the album is the resemblance
to, yet evolution of older songs, specifically ones off of the
album Warning. The song “The Static Age” seemed to be
a very good song at first listen. After one or two listens, it
became clear why it sounded familiar. When listening to
the song while in the car one day I found myself singing
vibe:culture
Conner O’Reilly
2010
E
1
vibe:culture
A Look Back at
Vibe:Culture, Year One
It was around this time last year that I began to discuss my idea for an
entertainment supplement to The Viking Vibe. I asked for feedback from
teachers, administrators, and students, and now, one year later, the seeds
of these conversations have flowered into Vibe:Culture.
Over the last seven issues, full of superheroes, vampires, fifth-graders, hippies, hip-hop artists, and more superheroes, the paper has taken
shape in ways that I never anticipated during those early discussions.
For one thing, we have covered such a wide array of media. While I initially envisioned a publication that was heavily centered on movies (as a
supplement to my Introduction to Film elective), this year, we have also
written about television, music, theater, visual arts, books, comic books,
video games, and current events in the entertainment world. Each issue
has something different and unique to offer to the reader, and I hope you
have found it as interesting to read as I have.
In my introductory letter in the first issue back in December, I said that
I wanted this paper to reflect the interests and the knowledge of the students. In that light, perhaps the best surprise for me was how little input
came from me. All of the articles you have read in these pages originated
in the minds of the writers; each one was pitched, conceived, and written
with minimal outside guidance. This meant that the product was a result
of students’ passions for various types of entertainment, which has led to
what I consider a high level of writing. It also means that what you read
is an unfiltered reflection of today’s youth culture.
As for the future, expect to find Vibe:Culture in the same place next
year. A quick look at the credit box below will show that we will be losing
much of our staff, which means that we will be looking for new writers
and editors next year. If you’ve enjoyed reading these articles, and would
like to write some yourself, we would be glad to give you a forum. Keep
your eyes open next year for meeting times, and as always, any student
can submit an article by e-mailing me at [email protected].
I would like to thank some of the people who helped Vibe:Culture get
off the ground:
Mr. Loh, Anita, Jovelle, and the rest of The Viking Vibe staff, for sharing
their time, space, and resources.
Mrs. Gonzalez, Mrs. Welsh, Mr. Manfre, and Mr. Matheney, for providing their time, advice and support.
The Vibe:Culture staff, who made this their own.
Most of all, I want to thank the three editors, Alex, Craig, and Tina. This
publication would never have lasted if it were not for their dedication
and commitment. You will be missed, but your imprint will always be on
Vibe:Culture for years to come.
Wrapping up, when we first began to plan this publication last fall, it
didn’t even have a name. I have always liked the name we chose, since
to me it really sums up all of what we are doing here. Just take the time
to read the three fantastic essays on these pages, written by our editors.
Each one reflects an awareness of the exciting changes that are always
taking place both within our culture and for each individual member of
that culture. Every student (those who write for us, those who read us,
and those who don’t even know that Vibe:Culture exists) has a uniquely
personal perspective on this, and it has been my privilege to bring you a
front-row seat as we chart the progress of our ever-evolving culture.
Mr. Peter Honig
Vibe:Culture Advisor
vibe:culture
staff
editors
alex kuhn, 2009
craig maltese, 2009
tina saienni, 2009
zach cohen, 2010
elena georgopoulos, 2011
conner o’reilly, 2010
kyle self, 2012
layout editor
jovelle tamayo, 2009
E
2
advisor
special thanks to
mr. peter honig
anita
nita modi, 2009
mr.r.r andy loh
mr. frank manfre
mr
Vibe:Culture welcomes article submissions and letters to the editors, which
may be delivered to Mr. Honig or dropped off in his mailbox. Submissions
can also be sent to [email protected]. Vibe:Culture reserves the right
to edit, shorten or comment on any material submitted to the publication.
Students interested in journalism are also encouraged to join the Vibe:Culture
staff, which meets every other Wednesday in room A205.
Over the past four years of my life, I have witnessed some of what I
believe will be the greatest…and worst movements in pop culture, from
some of the greatest T.V shows, to some of the worst horror movies.
Music has shifted between either overly-sensationalized “thug” rap, or
overly commercialized “rock” music. And last but not least, we saw the
incredible internet movement which, whether you believe it or not, has
greatly shaped our culture. For better or worse, the world of media surrounding us is constantly changing, and evolving. I, like my other senior
writers, am going to briefly review its transformation in the past four
years of our high school career.
Our generation has had the privilege to live through arguably the two
greatest things to grace the presence of our T.V screens, one of which is
The Wire, the greatest cop drama…no…the greatest drama of all time,
that follows the perils, corruption, greed, and glory of the police force
in Baltimore as they attempt to bring down drug cartels and fix the corrupted political system. With absolutely amazing character development,
and truly realistic circumstances, one can not help but be completely
absorbed into The Wire. I personally watched five episodes in one night
to finish the first season (considering each episode is a full 60 minutes, I
was clearly completely addicted).
Drama not your thing? Well, along with the greatest drama of all time,
our generation also witnessed the greatest sitcom of all time. Arrested
Development, a show which aired on Fox, followed the Bluth family as
their Real Estate business comes under siege following their father’s incarceration for embezzling company funds. With a pseudo-documentary
filming style similar to The Office, and absolutely hysterical characters
(a grown man who is a never nude…or cousins locked in forbidden love)
Arrested Development’s three-season, 53-episode stretch is well worth
the trip to the video store.
Contrary to the amazing things happening on television, we have witnessed the worst stretch of horror movies we have ever seen. Similar to
what happened following the release of the first slasher movies in the late
70s early 80s, the recent rise and demise of the gorefest movies has happened for many of the same reasons. Saw and Hostel took very unique
ideas and ran with them, not necessarily my style but still unique, good
ideas. Then, as the trend with all horror phenomena, the idea was over
used and abused to what we now have which is Saw V
V, a movie literally about nothing other then blood, guts, and screaming. These movies
aren’t scary, they are vomit-inducing and just plain lame.
Sadly nothing good has happened to music over the past few years.
Artists like Kanye West (I have a bit of a vendetta against him) and Lil
Wayne have taken what their forefathers Biggie and Snoop left for them
and completely ruined it. From Kanye crying about the girl who left him,
to Wayne’s overuse of auto-tune and just plain repetitive lyrics, the oversensationalized “thug” rap has shifted away from the streets and into the
massive mansions and Bentlys. Rap just doesn’t feel authentic anymore.
The one thing that I always appreciated about rap was how real it was,
not overly-processed through computers, but just pure lyrics and beats.
Now we find our artists running to the computer to change their voice
and writing about the same stuff as the guys sitting next to them. This
digitally-enhanced noise pollution is unoriginal and uninteresting.
Even more upsetting to me was how disappointing rock music has
been. With the exception of a few amazing releases over the past few
years, for the most part main stream music in America has been plagued
with this “1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you…I love you” formulaic, nauseating
junk. Although I, like many of my male counterparts, have recited these
lyrics time and time again to our better halves, we all vomitted a little bit
as we did so. Rock music has become an avenue for anyone with half of
an ability to play a guitar and a few cute cheesy lyrics to make a millionand-a-half dollars.
The one thing I personally have been the most a part of, and most
interested in, is the internet culture which is truly shaping our world
around us. Whether you are aware of it or not, the internet is the only
thing truly driving our culture. Where can recording artists get a start?
Myspace. Where can you find your long lost first love who moved away
in first grade? Facebook. Where did that Chuck Norris joke start? 4chan.
Lerrrrrrroy Jenkinssss? World of Warcraft. Susan Boyle? Youtube.
Myspace, Youtube, 4chan, internet video games, facebook, all of these
internet sites and gathering places create what is our culture today.
Our generation is truly driven solely by the internet, with memes and
jokes becoming old and stale as the months tick away. Most of us get our
information from websites like Wikipedia and Sparknotes rather than
newspapers. We also keep each other up to date with websites like Facebook and Twitter, look up our friend’s band on Myspace, and finally kill
some time in an alternate universe created in a video game ala Second
Life and World of Warcraft. The past presidential election was greatly
impacted by the internet…people’s opinions, political views, and morality are shaped by the internet. We live in the internet. One might be apt
to coin a term for us: the iGeneration.
Finally, I must close. I believe our generation has been the part of
something truly amazing. Some of us complain that our generation has
been boring, yet we are exactly what we want to be. We are pioneering
the use of the internet to document and enhance our daily lives. We are
watching some of the greatest shows….ever. We are listening to a new
and evolved kind of music for better or for worse. We are lucky to be
alive in the time which we are.
craig maltese
This past year working with the other Vibe:Culture kids has been quite
the excursion. I stayed up to date with the latest movies and was able to
hear various opinions about all the favorite television shows out there. It
was an experience to surround myself with people so passionate about
actors, directors, authors and just all those aching to pump out these reviews. This year, I was pretty consumed in the snowboard culture, the
music, and the videos.
When you work at a ski shop, spend hours at unpaid clinics, and take
it on the slopes, you can’t escape the culture that comes along with it.
You’ve got the best mix of jams and the underlying beauty behind the
sport within the design, style, photographs, cinematography, and the always transcendent mix of jams. I did hit up the other real decent sort of
underground works of 2009 like those by a couple high school favorites-Chuck Palahniuk and Darren Aronofsky.
These past four years, I feel like I encountered many of the movies,
books, and music a lot sooner than when they were hyped up to the state
of being popular. This was more of an advantage than not, only because
I had time to spend thinking about my own opinions on the matter, rather
than immediately seeking the impressionable opinions of others. It is
also incredible to see these things make it big in the lives of other teenagers too. I’ve been a fan of “The Moldy Peaches” and “Kimya Dawson”
creations since my freshman year and it was Juno that brought these
clever lyrics to life. It has been the music scene that has threaded my way
through the years. From the shows, the best mixes to drive to or even the
lame attempts to actually produce music.
What’s entertaining to me is watching the British television show
Skins with some friends at three in the morning from the screen of my
sister’s Macbook. That and a few other British shows like The Mighty
Boosh (very similar to Flight of the Concords) and the endless Youtube
videos that have taken hours of the world’s downtime. Maybe what else
is entertaining is that I still have a friend’s copy of The Perks of Being
a Wall Flower, and I know it was passed through two people before
me. I also know that among others like Choke and Invisible Monsters it
has made an appearance on the desks and thoughts of a handful of my
classmates.
As a 15-year-old, watching videos of people getting gnarly injuries
was a good time, and now I have upped the class and watch clips from
the old Grey Gardens documentary. I found an admiration for Hayao Miyazaki’s eccentric animations and profound plots when I first saw Spirited Away and even again when I watched Nausicaa a couple weeks ago
(and all the movies in between). I mean, yeah, I like cars, but I look for
something deep in a movie that the Fast and the Furious series doesn’t
do for me. I can enjoy most rap, hip-hop and rock that plays on the radio,
but occasionally I miss when sex appeal was a little more subliminal
when it came to the development of lyrics.
My culture is a compilation of everything and everyone I have ever
known, isn’t it? The musical transitions, the beautiful films, the novels
and magazines and Youtube videos have actually impacted me more than
I ever could have thought possible. Besides helping in making me who
I am, this material has influenced me to become something to offer back
what I have absorbed as a teenager. Maybe I will write a novel, photograph my way through the pages of a magazine, or find myself making
independent films.
tina saienni
vibe:culture
Vibe:Culture’s Editors TTake a Look at the
Last Four Years of Entertainment
As a child of the 90s, I’ve grown up on advancements. Technology
and the way we use it have exploded from a mere hundred people owning and operating a computer to every household in America having two
televisions and at least one computer (or whatever the statistic may be).
These advancements have made the past four years some of the best, and
worst, years for the entertainment industry.
In the world of film, things like digital projection, CGI, Blu-Ray
and thousands more new technologies have developed to the highest degree in the past few years. Even the films with the smallest budgets, like
the independent action/gaming movie Turbo (Google for the trailer, the
effects are spectacular), have the most impressive developments from
3D rendering to Final Cut Pro aiding in the moviemaking process. With
tools such as these so readily available, it’s no wonder that everybody
and their uncle is out to make the next great action movie of our time.
Music has been both strengthened and weakened by developments
like auto-tune and similar recording techniques. Endless praise goes to
the bands that learn to play their own instruments and record their normal singing voices. But then there are the artists like T-Pain, Lil Wayne,
and Kanye West who sacrifice the talent they have at mixing and producing and go completely overboard. Coldplay considers one of their chief
recording rules to be “Computers are instruments,” but that doesn’t mean
that your voice and your guitar and your drums can take a back seat to
some speech function on a Mac.
And, of course, I can’t go on without talking once again about torrents. When first used, they were the greatest thing in the online world,
but now, all they’re used for it pirating music and downloading movies
that came out last week. With that, you sacrifice quality, your integrity,
and also every ounce of respect you have for a band or artist. I’m sure
your dedication means a lot to them if you steal every single one of their
albums.
Censorship is another thing that seems to have gotten blown way out
of proportion. The MPAA can do whatever they want with a movie, making the director cut countless scenes that might have been integral to the
overall effect, just so the rating can be lowered and the work can make
a profit. Wal-Mart won’t carry anything with a Parental Advisory sticker
on it, because god forbid a person buys music with a few expletives in it
to listen to while they hunt the most dangerous game with the rifle they
could purchase in the next isle. So I don’t really think its naïve to say that
I think we can take a few f-words and the like in our music and movies
if we can tolerate bloody images of our dead and dying countrymen on
the evening news.
Favorite movie of the past 4 years: Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (2007)
Favorite album of the past 4 years: The Raconteurs’ Consolers of the
Lonely (2008)
alex kuhn
E
3
Movies:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (sequel to 2007’s Transformers)
My Sister’s Keeper (adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s novel)
G.I. Joe (film based upon the Hasbro toys and comic books)
Public Enemies (Johnny Depp and Christian Bale crime drama about John
Dillinger)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Terry Gilliam’s long awaited fantasy and
the last film appearance of the late Heath Ledger)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (completes the Ice Age Trilogy)
Bruno (another character film from the Sacha Baron Cohen [Borat])
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (sixth movie in the franchise)
The Ugly Truth (chick flick reminiscent of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days)
Funny People (darker Adam Sandler comedy reminiscent of the second half of
Click, directed by Judd Apatow)
District 9 (Peter Jackson’s docudrama about aliens taking refuge on Earth)
Taking Woodstock (Ang Lee and Demitri Martin headed biopic of the men who
made Woodstock possible)
Final Destination (another Final Destination movie…hooray)
Inglorious B******* (Quentin Tarantino film about World War II)
H2 (Rob Zombie’s sequel to his 2007 Halloween reboot)
Krazy!: The Most Colorful
Krazy!
Exhibition of Japanese
Culture
Elena Georgopoulos
2011
A shout-out to all manga, anime, and video game fans--this is a high
school, I know you are out there. You might want to get to N.Y.C. when you
get the time, because a haven is calling you. KRAZY!: The delirious world
of Anime+Manga+Video Games, originally a landmark exhibit done by
the Vancouver Art Gallery that has brought itself over to New York’s Japan
Society for the city’s first exhibition dedicated to these forms of modern art.
In fact, the Japan Society building has transformed itself for this amazing
event.
My visit there let me unleash my inner nerdiness. Seriously, at one point
it had to be brought to my attention that I had not eaten all day. It was that
enthralling. Whoever designed the building really knew the definition of
simple and practical. The exhibit committee took that space a step further,
creating surroundings for the “experience” of Anime.
For a small fee (free if you were under 16) you could go upstairs to
where the various parts of the exhibit take place. One large room held and
displayed original artwork (Akira, Pure Trance, Afro Samuari, etc.) from
some of Japan’s most influential artists along with a library stocked with
comics to browse through. After that, there was a room with various video
games and consoles to play. Further down, the hall became a dark room with
six big screens, and then six booths with plasma screens, all showing clips of
movies. At the end of the hall was a soundtrack room big enough to dance in.
On the lower floor there was an auditorium that had full-length screenings of
different movies.
So if you have some free time this weekend, and you enjoy these unique
and expanding forms of art, you should head down to the Japan Society
on 333 East 47th St. New York, NY. Visit www.japansociety.org for more
information.
vibe:culture
Vibe:Culture presents 48 things to catch this summer
Music:
Third Eye Blind – Ursa Major
Rob Thomas – Cradlesong
The Mars Volta – Octahedron
Daughtry – Leave This Town
Cobra Starship – Hot Mess
Wilco – Wilco
Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Pete Yorn – Back and Forth
Lil Wayne – Rebirth
Jack White – Dead Weather
Brand New -- Untitled
Judas Priest – A Touch of Evil: Live
Television:
Secret Life of the American Teenager
The Next Food Network Star
So You Think You Can Dance
Curb Your Enthusiasm
America’s Got Talent
Project Runway
Army Wives
The Closer
Weeds
Nurse Jackie
True Blood
Saving Grace
Eureka
The Cleaner
Leverage
Mad Men
Monk
Psych
Entourage
Kings
Burn Notice
Looking Forward to this
Summer’s Public Enemies
Kyle Self
2012
If there is one thing for sure this summer, it’s that we have a lot of
nice popcorn movies to look forward to. One film you might have not
expected to release this July is an Al Capone-style gangster movie that
is based on a true story. Public Enemies is that film.
This film consists of a rock-solid cast, including Christian Bale and
Johnny Depp in a true account of three criminal masterminds during
1930’s Great Depression, and how they survived with the FBI on their
tail. Depp plays the infamous leader of the notorious gang named
John Dillinger, and Bale is FBI Agent Melvin Purvis who tries to lock
up these criminals.
Classic crime drama director Michael Mann is in the director’s seat
for this flick, and he’s shooting in a lot of realistic sets that stay faithful
to the film’s history. For one of the big shootouts of Public Enemies,
Mann chose to shoot the entire scene in the real historic location where
Dillinger fought a squad of Feds, which was the Bohemia Lodge. So
expect more of a faithful adaptation in lieu of an overdramatic version
of American history.
Public Enemies opens everywhere on Wednesday, July 1. This
definitely seems like something to look forward to this summer. It
has a good cast and the right director to catch some attention when it
arrives. It has been great writing what I’ve been writing this year, and
I’ll back for more next year. Have a fun summer, people!
E
4
features
May 2009
The Viking Vibe
Students Can Ladle
Out Some Kindness at
Elijah’s Promise!
Prerana Chatty and
Gunjan Mehta
2012
Our last article addressed volunteer
opportunities at the Princeton and Robert
Wood Johnson hospitals. Additionally,
apart from the hospitals, there are
volunteer opportunities at local soup
kitchens for SBHS students to consider.
One local soup kitchen in New
Brunswick is Elijah’s Promise. Elijah’s
Promise works hard to provide those in
need with free, nutritious meals. This
non-profit organization serves meals
twice a day during the week and once
a day on the weekends. However, the
soup kitchen cannot function without
volunteers to make and serve the meals.
Students can complete many tasks
in the soup kitchen, as described on
the organization’s website, www.
elijahspromise.net.
For example, they can create placemats
and place settings for the patrons to eat
on. They can also compile collages or
murals to display throughout the soup
kitchen.
Furthermore, they can conduct
food, paper, toiletry and coin drives in
addition to various other fundraisers to
not only solve the problem of hunger,
but contribute to the solution of poverty
overall in their specific communities.
High school students can also create
special projects during the holidays to
spread some holiday cheer. Younger
volunteers may read books and watch
videos about hunger and homelessness.
By doing so, students can learn more
about the problems of poverty. Learning
about these fundamental problems of
society helps volunteers contribute to
the solution with genuine feeling and
passion.
One of the most important opportunities
for students is to create bagged lunches.
Individuals who are in need of food
but cannot reach the soup kitchen at
meal times can pick up bagged lunches
whenever it is convenient for them. The
bagged lunches include a sandwich,
drink, and a snack and volunteers are
trusted with the responsibility of creating
these conveniently-accessible meals.
“I helped make bagged lunches at
Elijah’s Promise,” said freshman Loka
Thangamathesvaran, “and I felt really
good helping so many people who are in
need of food but can’t afford it.”
Another unique volunteer opportunity
affiliated with Elijah’s Promise is Planta-Row. Volunteers can plant a row of
vegetables in their home garden and
donate any produce to the soup kitchen.
These vegetables are used to cook the
meals that are served to the patrons, and
important donations like these help keep
the soup kitchen operating.
The final volunteer opportunity is to
write a story, poem, quote, play, or prayer
about hunger and homelessness. These
stories or poems can help make people
more aware of problems as significant
as hunger and poverty right here in our
communities.
To volunteer, students can go to the soup
kitchen website, at www.elijahspromsie.
volunteerhub.com to choose which shifts
they would like to volunteer. Students
can create a username and password and
simply register for events online.
Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen would
like its volunteers to know that it always
strives to provide its patrons with the
best experience and meals possible.
The organization believes that “poverty
does not discriminate.” Therefore, no
individual is turned away from the door
without being fully satisfied.
The soup kitchen requires volunteers
who are hard-working and committed.
For any individuals with these qualities,
volunteering at Elijah’s Promise Soup
Kitchen can be a beneficial experience.
Hosts Spring
Blood Drive
Melissa Katz
2011
On Monday, May 11, and Tuesday,
May 12, the SBHS Red Cross Club
hosted its annual Spring Blood Drive in
the auxiliary gym.
The drive was a success with 75
students and teachers donating blood,
as compared to about 50 donors that
participated in the club’s last blood drive,
held in November of 2008. In total, the
school had 136 donors between the two
blood drives.
“The purpose of a blood drive is to
replenish blood supply in the Central
New Jersey area, and considering the
turnout we had for this spring’s blood
drive, we definitely did our part,” Blood
Drive Director and Red Cross Club CoAdvisor Ms. Marlene Huschke said.
According to the Community Blood
Council of New Jersey’s website, the
amount of blood one person donates
can save up to three lives. That means
that the blood donated by the South
Brunswick high school community
could potentially save up to 408 lives.
Senior Priya Sharma, President of the
Red Cross club, donated blood for the
second time in May.
She emphasized the importance of
donating blood, “I had the opportunity
to save multiple lives, and I wasn’t
losing out. The worst that happened was
that I felt a little dizzy afterward, but it
was worth it. You have to realize that the
pros outweigh the cons.
“And it’s something that I can do
right now,” she added, “I can save lives
now. I don’t have to wait until I’m older,
until I become a doctor; I just have to go
up and stick my arm out. It’s the easiest
way to save lives.”
In order to recruit students to donate
blood, the blood drive volunteers (who
earned community service hours for
their efforts) placed cut-out red blood
drops and permission slips on eligible
students’ lockers in addition to their
standard posters about two weeks before
the event.
Eligible students were those that met
a variety of requirements concerning
both their health and their age. In order
to donate blood, the donors had to have
weighed at least 110 pounds, be at least
17 years of age, had adequate iron
levels and vaccinations, and gone a year
without leaving the country or getting
tattoos or body piercings.
According to Sharma, after being
collected and kept in coolers, donated
blood is transported to the New Jersey
Blood Bank, from which site it is then
distributed to local hospitals.
“New Jersey is one of few states that
actually needs to import donated blood
from other states’ blood banks,” Sharma
explained, “We just don’t collect enough
blood to support the needs of our large
population here.”
Thankfully, though, the Red Cross
Club successfully helped to bridge the
gap between the supply and demand for
donated blood.
“This spring, the American Red Cross
Club did an outstanding job informing
the school about the blood drive,” Ms.
Huschke said, “We were able to gain
support and participation from the
staff, as well, which was a huge benefit.
Overall, I feel like this year’s blood
drives, both in the spring and the fall,
were humongous successes.”
“It’s something I can do
right now.
I can save lives now.”
-Priya Sharma (‘09)
You Can Too!
Requirements for Blood Donors:
Weight: At least 110 pounds
Age: At least 17 years
Adequate iron levels
Standard vaccinations
1 year from last international trip
1 year from last tattoo
1 year from last piercing
PHOTO COURTESY
OURTESY OF Elijah’s Promise.
7
For more information:
WWW.redcross.org/donate/give
8
June 200
2009
9
The Viking Vibe
features
SBHS Alumnus Making Major Moves
Billy Johnston
2011
He walked the halls of South Brunswick High School known as Mike
Browne, part of the senior class of 2004.
But, to the rest of the world, he is known
as his music alterego, the self-described
“outspoken, bold, confident, charismatic, successful” Jayden.
Jayden says he started taking his music career seriously in his junior year
of high school. The singer/songwriter
is working his way up to the top of the
music industry and already has an extremely impressive resume. Aside from
being a model with Arbitrage, a men’s
clothing company, he released his first
single, “Why I Love” featuring Universal artist David Rush.
Jayden also has opened for singer
Bobby Valentino, and was in the “Shooting Star” music video by David Rush
featuring Pitbull, LMFAO, and Kevin
Rudolf. Jayden also did a song with JoJo
Simmons, co-star of the MTV reality
show Run’s House and son of Run DMC
founder Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons.
The end of July marks the release of
Jayden’s debut album, which features a
compliation of songs that he wrote himself.
Looking back on his high school days,
Jayden said, “You never know how what
you are learning now will make you better-suited to pursue your dreams.”
Being a talented writer growing up,
he wrote poems, which helped develop
his songwriting ability.
Jayden’s musical journey began after
high school writing songs while in college at different studios.
“I knew how hard it was to break
onto the music scene,” he admitted, “but
something in me always told me that I
had what it took.”
After building up his name in the
songwriting business, Jayden began
writing material that he could perform.
Slowly but surely, Jayden started doing shows to test the waters, and got
great responses. Since then, he has been
booked solid.
“My buzz began to grow as an artist and found myself working with some
very talented people,” he said.
His music led him to one of the CEO’s
of men’s fashion line Arbitrage.
“The line is geared toward the successful man and really fit where my career was going. We were able to work
together, which is beautiful,” commented Jayden of his experience.
In 2008, Jayden, with his father Felix Browne, founded Gent Records. The
sky is this limit for this up-and-comer in
the music world.
Jayden encoraged current students at
SBHS to remember, “it is possible to do
big things after they graduate.”
Also, Jayden believes the key is to
stay focused.
“People will try and discourage you
once you are out in the real world and
you have to make a conscious decision
to stay true to your goals,” he said, “Persistence took me this far and will continue to mold my career.”
Students can find Jayden on MySpace
(www.myspace.com/jaydenoline) and
www.jaydenmusic.com will be up and
running in July. He also has a Facebook
and Twitter page.
Mike Browne, a.k.a. Jayden, alum of the South Brunswick senior
class of 2004./PHOTO COURTESY OF Jayden.
Kwame Jackson Comes to SBHS
Miranda Sirimis
2012
On Thursday, May 14, businessman
Kwame Jackson gave a speech in the
auditorium to the students of SBHS and
their friends and family.
Kwame Jackson was a finalist on season one of the NBC show The Apprentice. He gave a speech to the students
about his life experiences that were
meant to be inspiring to the students.
“I’m an entrepreneur first and foremost.
But I’ve been on the speaking circuit internationally for a year and half,” said
Kwame Jackson according to the Q and
A section on his website, www.kwamejackson.com.
“They learned a lot by hearing his
lessons that he learned through out life,”
said business teacher and event coordinator Ms. Laura Dec.
According to Ms. Dec, this event
was a part of the Tech Prep Pathways to
Business Program.
“This was a part of a summer career
program. It was like a kick-off event,”
added Ms. Dec.
In addition, this event seemed to be
enjoyable for both the students and their
families that came to see it.
“A lot of students [had] positive remarks. Many felt [that] he had good
ways of explaining,” claimed Ms. Dec.
“I was able to take away from many
of the quotes he said,” said junior Mona
Mostafa.
Other students agree with Mostafa
as well.
“His speech was very inspiring,” said
freshman Lindsey Gohd.
According to Mostafa, one of the
things he said was “When God closes a
door, he opens a window.”
“It just made me think [that] there
is a solution to every problem,” she explained.
Mostafa also added that they raffled
ties from his line “Krimson by Kwame”
“I liked his tie company as well, they
all looked really nice.” said Gohd.
Overall, Ms. Dec was glad with her
decision of choosing Kwame Jackson to
come talk to the students.
“I am very glad that he came and
that I selected him to be a speaker, she
concluded.
features
June 2009
9
The Viking Vibe
Interact Club Excited for
Relay For Life
Alexis Bruno
2009
Interact will be participating in one
of the club’s last events of the year on
Friday June 12 and Saturday June13 at
the local YMCA: Relay For Life.
“We’re really excited,” said senior
and President Samantha Bell, “It’s so
cool that it takes place at night!”
The American Cancer Society hosts
the Relay For Life event, which involves
people who gather from all over their
community to participate in a night
walk. It begins on the evening of Friday,
June 12, and lasts until the morning of
Saturday, June 13.
Everyone makes teams, with the
objective being to have at least one
person from each team walking at all
times. The teams can be anywhere from
eight to fifteen people, some teams even
sleep at the relay site overnight.
All of the proceeds go to cancer
research. According to www.relayforlife.
org’s “About Relay For Life” page, the
organization began with Dr. Gordy
Klatt in the 1980’s. He was a colorectal
surgeon whose goal was to help raise
money for his local American Cancer
Society in Tacoma, Washington. Klatt
decided that the best way to do so was
by doing something he loved--running.
Years later, millions have joined
with Dr. Klatt’s organization, which
has “contributed to almost every major
discovery in cancer research.”
Relay For Life goes to numerous
communities each year. There have been
Project Graduation Golf
Outing a Major Success
Emilly Campisano
2009
On Friday, May 22, supporters of
Project Graduation gathered at Bunker
Hill Golf Course in order to raise money.
The eleventh annual golf outing aimed
to raise money to provide graduating
seniors safe alternatives to parties where
drinking would be involved.
No less than 136 people came together
at 7:30am to begin the “shotgun start.”
This routine involves groups of golfers
starting at the same time but at different
holes. Then, a method called “scramble”
was used to determine which ball would
be the best played out of the group.
Project Graduation Co-Chairwoman
Ms. Maryann Long said, “There was
a capacity of 144 people allowed to
participate and we only had a few spare
spots left.”
Teachers, including Mr. Michael
Scheese, Mr. Shaun Ruymen, and Mr.
Mark Kraft, comprised some of the
crowd.
Senior Maria Biondo said, “I’m
looking forward to Project Graduation
because I’ve heard mostly good reviews
about it.”
It is estimated that the golf outing
was successful overall in reaching its
financial goal of raising 9,000 to 11,000
dollars. The entire cost of Project
Graduation is approximately 45,000 to
55,000 dollars.
Other events this year that helped
to reach this considerable amount of
money included the Book Sale, Vendor
Night, Craft Show, and basketball
game. All occasions were implemented
and directed by the Project Graduation
Committee which consists of SBHS
parents.
Senior Jenn Illis said, “I’ve seen my
mom work hard on the committee this
year, so I’ve learned to really appreciate
all the hard work that goes into raising
the funds.”
Project Graduation will take place
post-graduation on Tuesday, June 23 at
the Fun-Plex in East Hanover, NJ.
more than 48,000 Relay For Life events
held thus far.
Everyone walking will be honoring
those who have died due to cancer and
support those who are currently fighting
against it.
“I think the kids are really excited,”
said Advisor Ms. Stacy Svare, “It gives
them a chance to get involved.”
Interact decided to participate in the
Relay For Life event after hearing about
the cause.
“We thought it would be something fun
and different,” said Recording Secretary
senior Natalie Negrotti, a senior.
Interact will not be the only school
club in attendance. The Dead President’s
Society and Viking Volunteers, who have
participated in the walk-athon- before,
will also be walking.
By walking all night long, people
will be bringing in significant amounts
of money to go to the charity.
“I am so excited,” said junior, Alyssa
Chrysafis, “next year I will be Vice
President [of Interact], so I am excited
to be participating with the current
officers.”
“I can’t wait,” senior Kenny Felton
added, “I’m going to bring some friends
and we’re going to have a good time.”
If anyone would like to share their
personal experiences with cancer, The
American Cancer Society has provided
their website and phone number,
indicating that anyone’s experiences are
welcome and that anyone is free to talk.
The organization’s contact information
follows: http://www.cancer.org; 1-800ACS-2345.
Motor Speedway: An
example of one of the
many activities Fun-Plex
in East Hanover, New
Jersey will have to offer
Jer
seniors attending Project
Gr
Graduation
./PHOTO
COURTESY OF Fun-Plex.
10
May 2009
sports
The Viking Vibe
SPRING SPORTS CAPSULE
Justin Berger
2011
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www.
bgsportshots.com.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team won games in both the
GMC tournament and state tournament and additionally placed two players on the All-GMC Team: seniors
Kyle Mariano and Kieran Fitzpatrick. The team beat
Piscataway in the GMC Quarterfinals, and lost to East
Brunswick in the Semi-Finals; East Brunswick then
went on to win the championship. In the NJSIAA State
Tournament, the Vikings beat Toms River in the first
round, and lost to Eastern High School in the second
round to finish the season.
Girls Track
On June 4, the girls track team sent nine athletes to the Meet of
Champions, the most in school history. The athletes are as follows:
junior Sophia Ginez, who won the 1600 meters and 3200 meters in
the GMC Championship and placed second in the Group 4 State
Championship in both events, sophomore Mariah Browne, who was
both the GMC Champion and Group 4 State Champion in the long
jump, freshmen Cayla DelPiano and Alicia Osley, sophomores Jamie
Thompson, Amber Brown, Janae Baker, and juniors Lauryn Strebeck and Jamie Samper. The girls went undefeated, 7-0, for a third
straight year and won the GMC Championship for a fourth straight
year. Coach Stefan Moorhead noted that winning the Central Jersey
Group 4 championship was a big step in the program’s history.
Boys Track
The boys track team finished fourth in the GMCs, and had several
medaling athletes. In the 100-meter, junior Brian Oni finished second, senior Cody Shelcusky finished fourth, and senior Jaron Baker
claimed fifth. Oni also finished fifth in the 200 meter. Freshman
Jevon Tyree, sophomores Fabian Jackson and Dominick Padovano,
junior Willie Roberson, and senior Jonathan Bellizio, all finished
within the top six in the GMC. Also, Padovano and Oni qualified for
the Meet of Champions, held on Thursday, June 4.
sports
May 2009
Softball
Girls Golf
Congratulations to seniors Samantha Chromey, Tatiana Kim,
and Autumn Yun, as well as the
rest of the 2009 girls golf team
for being crowned GMC Champions. Yun, Chromey, and Kim
won first, second, and third, respectively, in the GMC overall;
junior Colleen Jackson won sixth
in the GMC. Along with being
GMC Champions, the girls, who
finished with an 11-2 record overall, compiled a long list of highlights including winning second
place at the Rutgers Invitational
Tournament, the Cougar Classic,
and the NJSIAA State Tournament.
The Viking Vibe
Boys Golf
The boys golf team ended the year
with an impressive 14-2 record,
stringing together 13 straight wins
at one point in the season. The
team claimed second in the GMC
Red Division, and third in the GMC
Championship. Senior Tyler Zenda,
who was recognized on both the
All-Red Division team and the AllConference team, won second individually in the GMC Championship. Seniors Corey Berrios, Steve
Cholewka, and Mike Namjoo were
also named to the All-Red Division
team. Head Coach Mr. Mark Kraft
noted the 13 match-winning streak
as the high point of the season.
Lacrosse
The boys lacrosse team placed four players on All-GMC teams;
senior Cody McHugh made the All-GMC first team, senior Eric
Lorber and freshman Bryan Stonkus made the second team, and
junior Jon Foss earned an honorable mention. The team also
named Foss and junior Alex Reinfeldt as captains for the 20092010 season. For coverage on the girls varsity lacrosse team’s
GMC championship, see the back page. Additionally, the girls
JV team went undefeated, 10-0, showing great promise for the
future.
The softball team ended the
season with a 13-8 record and
tied for second in the GMC
with a 10-4 in-conference record. In the first round of the
state tournament, the team beat
Old Bridge 1-0, but lost to West
Windsor Plainsboro South in
the quarterfinal round. The team
placed three girls, sophomore
Jill Blaine, junior Katie Jassen,
and senior Jess Pietrafessa, on
the Coaches All-GMC Red Division team. They are sending
Pietrafessa to the Senior AllStar Game in South Plainfield.
Baseball
The Vikings finished with a 14-6
record in their first season under
new Head Coach Mr. Tim Sweeney. In the GMC tournament,
the team suffered a heart-breaking loss by surrendering a walkoff home run in the bottom of the
seventh inning to Bishop Ahr in
the quarterfinal round, 5-4. The
year ended when Jackson, ranked
third in the state, beat South
Brunswick 9-4 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Junior Mike Muha and seniors Tom
Dunleavy, DJ Roche, and Jordan
Smith were named to the All-Red
Divison Team.
11
12
VARSITY GIRLS
LACROSSE MAKES
SB
BH
HS HISTORY
Justin Berger and first round of the tournament.
Rachel Finklestein
Playing North Brunswick in
2011, 2010
the second round, the team was
For the first time in South down seven to one, but as Head
Brunswick history, the Girls Coach Mr. John Coppola said, the
Lacrosse team is the Greater girls “dug down deep as a team,
Middlesex
Conference we believed in ourselves, and as
champion. (GMC) By beating a team pulled together,” to come
North Brunswick on Monday, out with a 12-11 win.
The team moved onto the finals,
May 11, and beating defending
champion Old Bridge in overtime playing at East Brunswick’s
on Wednesday, May 13, the team stadium field against a four-year
GMC final team and two-year
clinched its first-ever GMC title.
Playing on Monroe’s turf defending champ: Old Bridge.
Junior midfielder Lauren Pernal
fields, the team began GMCs as
the number-one seed, with a 10-1 said, “Finals mirrored semi[final]s exactly. We were down
record, and received
in the first half, but managed to
a bye in the
improve
in the second.”
Down
by
three, the
g i r l s
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze,
www.bgsportshots.com.
were able to score three goals in
only 46 seconds, tying the game
with 32 seconds left. The last
goals were made by junior Jaime
Scoff, seniors Katie Rolwood
and Lisa Boungiovanni, and
sophomore Jenna Bussiere, who
scored the tying goal. The game
went in to overtime, tied at 12,
when freshman Kelly O’Brien
scored the winning goal, ending
the game 13-12.
The team then began play in
the state tournament, earning
the fourth seed for North Jersey.
They defeated Clifton in the first
round 17-7, and went on to play
Hillsborough in the quarterfinals,
where they lost 17-7. This was the
furthest any girls
lacrosse team
has advanced
in SBHS
history.
Coach Coppola said, “This was
a really enjoyable season, with a
lot of returning players that have
made tremendous improvements.
Because everyone played so
well together, we were able to
accomplish all our goals, and new
standards have been set.”