December 2013 - Abington School District

THE ABINGTONIAN
December 2013
Abington Senior High School, Abington, PA, 19001
Slam Dunk for Michael Harris
Basketball star headed for American University
By Sumner Sykes
“My teammates
are my best
friends”. That is
how Abington’s
Michael Harris
describes her
relationship with
her team. Michael
is a senior at
Abington and is
the star center
for the girls
basketball team.
Mike isn’t just an
average player; her
athletic abilities
have earned her
FULL scholarship
to one of America’s
most prestigious
colleges, American
University. She
is an extremely
dedicated athlete
that caught
the attention
of many great
universities, such
as Old Dominion,
University of
Rhode Island,
and Fordham
University.
Michael’s
passion for the sport comes from
her father, Michael, who was also an
avid basketball player. He played for
University of Maryland, and Mike
says he is one of the main reasons
she got into basketball. She started in
6th grade playing for her school team
and ever since, basketball has been
a big part in building her character.
Basketball has taught Michael
dedication, persistence, and patience.
Aside from her father, Larry Bird
has been a huge inspiration for Mike,
so much so that she plays with Bird’s
number, 33. Mike has faced some
challenges throughout her basketball
career. Her sophomore year, she
tore her ACL. This is an injury that
can end the career of a professional
athlete. This was a point Mike
considered throwing in the towel and
hanging up her jersey, but evidently
not even a gruesome injury can bench
this superstar. When asked why she
stuck with the sport after her injury,
Michael answered, “I just love it too
much”. If that isn’t a testament to her
dedication and passion for the sport,
then I don’t know what is.
On top of being a phenomenal
athlete, Michael excels academically.
At American, she plans to study
business and do precursory classes
for Med School. Her dream job is
a physician’s assistant. The WNBA
isn’t something Mike is necessarily
considering but she would love to play
for a team overseas.
Mike was quick to give credit
to people who have helped her
through this journey. In her eyes, she
wouldn’t be where she is without her
teammates. They calm her down after
a bad call, and keep her head straight
in the heat of a game. Also, her coach
Dan Marsh has been an influential
figure in her years at Abington. He
makes a strong connection with every
player which allows him to teach
them on a personal level. He knows
how to motivate his team to be the
best they can be.
Outside of the Abington team,
she plays for the Philadelphia Triple
Threat team. Outside of basketball,
Michael loves to travel, go to the
movies and spend time with her
friends. Her competitive edge has
given her the upper hand in this
experience. Even after all she has
accomplished, Mike has managed
to stay humble and true to herself.
Congratulate Michael on her
unbelievable accomplishments and
let this be an example of the type of
student that Abington is proud to set
off into the world!
Peace, Love, and
Perpetual Hysteria
By Andrew Schmidt
the advancement of Lucky Charms
boxes to the front of the cereal aisle.
LIGHTS! DECORATIONS! And it’s like this for all the reserved
days. Even Independence Day, a
EXTRAVAGANT
commemoration of our nation’s
PROPAGANDA
history, scarcely holds a sparkler to
EVERYWHERE!
the industrial-sized evergreen tree.
With all this commercialism and
That’s the day after
artificiality looming in the chilly air,
Thanksgiving and each one leading up many seem to forget their effects on
to the twenty-fifth of December in a
children, who become so consumed
chestnut shell. I will never understand with the concept of presents and
why Americans feel such a compelling Santa that the satisfaction in
necessity to blazon ostentatious
spending time with relatives and
ornaments across neighborhoods
acknowledging the significance of the
and malls alike during this season,
people present in their lives dies out.
above all other seasons. The winter
Don’t get me wrong, Saint Nick is a
holidays are always so inflated, but
great guy, but this air of superficiality
the most notable advertisement
often times overshadows the virtue of
of a holiday like St. Patrick’s day is
the celebration. Appreciation is due
Catching
Fire:
a review
The
“affluenza”
epidemic
Page 2
Page 5
for the lights, the movies, the
music, and all of that seasonal
holiday matter as much as
anything else, but the manner
in which it is overemphasized is
almost disappointing.
The
passing of
an icon
Do the
Robot!
Page 7
Page 7
The Abingtonian
December 2013
FEATURES
Page 2
Catching Fire: A hot review Because the Internet
By Ari Peck [WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW]
In this stunning second installment
of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire,
we follow Katniss’ desperate attempt
to survive the repercussions of her
act of defiance against the Capital.
The new film is shot in a completely
different style from its predecessor.
The colors are richer, the effects
more convincing, and the sets more
compelling. Much of the gruesome
action in the first movie was masked
by vibrating the camera violently,
spoiling the scene. This technique
is replaced in Catching Fire with
masterful editing that cuts the shot an
instant before blade meets flesh
The writers were challenged by
being forced to insert information
into the script that is learned through
Katniss’ narration in the novel. This
transition from first to third person
makes it necessary for the story to
occasionally deviate from the script in
order for the audience to be brought
up to speed, such as the riot sequences
and Snow’s reaction to them with his
granddaughter. However, many of
these deviations are done so artfully
that they enhance the story rather
than interrupting it. The best of these
sequences is the (SPOILER ALERT)
heart-wrenching assault on Cinna,
which takes place “off-screen” in
the novel. The audience reacts to
the brutality of the attack with even
greater disdain for the Capital.
However, every movie has its
flaws. Catching Fire is LONG, nearly
two and a half hours. Moments that
could be explained briefly in Katniss’
head are dragged out endlessly.
While this level of setup is needed
for the third (and apparently fourth)
films, it makes portions of the movie
regrettably tedious. In addition,
certain portions of the film are rather
nonsensical. Katniss’ arrows magically
return to her after they are lost in the
underbrush, and Peeta is up on his
feet a few seconds after his heart is
restarted. Yes, we must assume the
technology of the future allows for
arrows to spontaneously grow on
trees. Despite these flaws, one can
look past and appreciate the film for
what it is worth.
Catching Fire does not rise to
the level of its source material. No
film can capture the subtleties of a
well-written novel, or the intimate
nature of first person narrative. But
to see the characters readers love
so dearly on screen in a full, clear
picture is truly wonderful. Hopefully,
Mockingjay parts one and two will
be as wonderful as these first two
installments. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) in the box office hit
Book Reviews: Beach Edition
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Let me announce that I do not hate
any book (except maybe Twilight).
Pass over this book...
However, some stories just don’t
click. Take On Chesil Beach, by Ian
McEwan. Intriguing title and inside
flap—promising, right? Wrong.
Florence, a clever and shy violinist,
falls in love with the humble history
student Edward. It sounds charming,
like a day’s brilliant little read. The
novel quickly jumps from Florence
and Edward’s honeymoon night
(sorry, 50 Shades fans, nothing
exciting here) to the days in which
they met. Though On Chesil Beach’s
imagery and diction are refreshingly
simple, the story itself wanted only
to be skimmed. Not once does this
book beckon you with curled finger to
read further. The only interesting part
was the retelling Edward’s mysterious
childhood. Otherwise, the anticlimax
faltered, the characters’ appeal
vanished, and the words wallowed in
halfhearted meaning. By the last page
of On Chesil Beach, I felt utterly empty
and the novel, unresolved. But, hey,
the cover looks pretty inspiring.
A mature album from a “Childish” artist
By Chad Murdoch
On December
10th, 2013, Donald
“Childish Gambino”
Glover released his third
studio album, Because
The Internet. Outside of
the music world, Glover
is best known for his
role as Troy Barnes on
the hit NBC comedy
Community. In the rap
community, Childish
Gambino is already a
star. Glover used this
album to show off all
of his talents, including
his amazing storytelling
Gambino on the cover of his latest album
prowess and abilities as a
vocalist. far Gambino’s greatest work. Gambino
Because The Internet is a 19 track
also used a subtle yet attentionalbum with three pre-released songs:
grabbing portrait of himself with red
“Worldstar”, “3005”, and “Sweatpants”.
eyes and a clean shave in a tropical
The content of the album depicts how
button down for the cover art. The
the Worldwide Web creates instant
album includes collaborations with
fame for anything or anyone and
Chance the Rapper, Lloyd, Azealia
explores and reveals Glover’s latest
Banks, Kilo Kish, and Jhene Aiko.
thoughts. As for the musical style, what is
After a long break from social
music on the internet but a bunch
media, Glover cleverly reactivated
of genres and different sounds? This
his Twitter and Instagram accounts
album has sounds of hip hop, jazz,
just a couple months before the
acoustic, R&B soul, and some indie
album release. Contrary to popular
samples. All of these genres fuse
belief, Glover has repeatedly denied
together to make one solid album.
that he was depressed. However, he
Because The Internet is a solid
has admitted to being a little unsure
album; a five-star creation from a fiveabout things, saying “I am so lost,
star creator. If you’re looking for an
absolutely,” in a podcast interview.
album with a couple of “bangers” with
Some critics believe that all this
some contemporary tracks thrown in,
depression talk is just an act for album
I highly suggest picking up Because
promotion, but we all have our own
The Internet by Childish Gambino, 19
opinions.
tracks of pure genius.
With the combination of modern
poetry, raw emotion, and Yeezus-like
production, Because The Internet is by
By Madison Bradley
The Beach by Alex Garland
Alex Garland’s The Beach explores
the life of a young English
backpacker, Richard, who ventures
to Thailand. After meeting an
insane man who calls himself Daffy,
Richard learns about a secret island
not infected with the poisons of
civilization. Centering on the cryptic
questions of the lost beach, Richard
and his new acquaintances embark
on the strange sands of a different
world. Thrust into an atmosphere
tinged with insanity, Richard falls
into the realm of the “lost paradise”
and discovers the price for Earth’s
heaven. Richard must learn to
survive…in a place once called
utopia.
Slicing through the jungle of a
plot, Garland cloaks his fast-paced
narration in imagery. Eyes flit
and pages turn when reading this
suspenseful novel. Riddled with
aspects of duty and forever-freedom,
of concepts of happiness, The Beach
raises moral questions on life, death,
and ultimately, murder. By the way,
Leonardo DiCaprio is in the movie
version.
...Read this one instead!
The Abingtonian
MGMT
December 2013
FEATURES
Making new waves
Page 3
Festive Cranberry Scones
with Orange Cream Glaze
The perfect holiday treat
By Alexis Scott
Scones are delightfully festive whether you eat them with your morning
cuppa to celebrate a new day or enjoy them with friends and family
by the fire. These scones befit any holiday occasion with fragrant,
welcoming spice and sweet bursts of cranberry smothered in a creamy
orange glaze.
Formerly known as Management, MGMT performing in 2008
By HoJun Yu
When asked how MGMT
was brought together, Andrew
VanWyngarden described his
initial bond with his bandmate Ben
Goldwasser at Wesleyan University.
“We were drawn together by our love
for synthesizers.” All jokes aside, they
“weren’t trying to start a band” when
they met. After a series of sweaty
basement shows at Wesleyan and the
leak of their first full length album,
“Climbing to New Lows” (which
was intended to be a demo album)
under the name The Management,
they signed with Cantora Records
and released “Time to Pretend – EP”
as MGMT. Subsequently, when an
intern at Columbia Records heard
the EP, the band got a call from the
company expressing interest in their
music. However, up to this point,
they had been writing music as a joke
and playing live music with backing
tracks. Indeed, they are well known
for catchy pop songs such as “Time
to Pretend” and “Kids,” but according
to VanWyngarden, such songs they
had written in college were only a
“satire of mainstream pop music.”
Furthermore, Goldwasser recalled the
moment and said, “we kind of said
like, ‘you really shouldn’t sign us.’ We
really made a big point out of like,
‘you guys are making a mistake if you
think you’re signing a pop act that’s
gonna just keep writing songs like
this.’”
Despite Columbia’s original interest
in MGMT’s music for its pop songs,
the band threw their true musical
intentions into their major label
debut album “Oracular Spectacular”
with songs such as “4th Dimensional
Transition”, “The Handshake”, and
“Of Moons, Birds and Monsters”.
Since then, the band was joined by
Will Berman, James Richardson, and
Matt Asti for live performances and
kept expanding their psychedelic rock
components with albums such as
“Congratulations” and their latest selftitled album.
Surprisingly, despite their last
successful show at the giant Mann
Center in Philadelphia, MGMT chose
to play the smaller Electric Factory.
After Kuroma, the opening band
that included three members from
MGMT, the crowd was eager to see
the headliner. Finally, the audience
was greeted with psychedelic visuals
and outer-space sounds. In the midst
of the explosive entrance theme
directed by Alejandro Crawford, the
band stepped on stage and opened the
set with their single “Flash Delirium”
from their album “Congratulations.”
As the performance continued,
MGMT played a collective mix of
songs from their discography, from
“The Youth” and “Mystery Disease”
to “Siberian Breaks”, a magnificent
twelve minute-long psychedelic
journey that revealed the band’s ability
to produce a perfect mix of guitars,
bass, percussion and synthesizers.
Later on, to conclude the regular set,
the band played an extended version
of “Kids” with an improvised jam
session and lastly performed “Alien
Days,” a song from their latest album
that displays the band’s sophisticated
songwriting and melodic contour.
Regardless of the oracular and
spectacular performance, the
audience was still hungry; they
growled for one more song. As
MGMT finally came back on stage
and started playing the tranquilizing
notes of “Congratulations”, people
took out their lighters and waved
them in the air, creating a warm,
placid scenery.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking (not instant) oats 1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (slightly softened, but still cold)
1 cup (4 ounces) dried cranberries 1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pecans
1 cup buttermilk
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with
parchment.
2. Mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg,
allspice, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mix the butter into the
dry ingredients with your fingers until it looks unevenly crumbly. Mix
in the cranberries and nuts until they’re evenly distributed. Stir in the
buttermilk.
3. Quickly knead the dough on a well-floured surface and split it into
two pieces (while continuing to sprinkle on the flour as needed). Form
each part into a disk, and gently pat each disk into a round about 1/2
inch thick. With a pizza cutter or a reasonably sized cookie cutter of
your choice, cut the round into evenly sized shapes. Do this by cutting
straight down through the dough. If you saw the dough, the edges
will press together, thus keeping the scones from fully rising as they
bake. 4. Transfer the scones onto the prepared baking sheet about half an inch
apart from one another. Bake the scones for 20 minutes, or until they’re
just beginning to brown. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm.
Serve with traditional clotted cream or Devon cream, if you can find it.
Alternatively, make this stellar glaze:
Orange Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
zest from about 1/2 an orange
5. Stir up all of the above ingredients in a medium-size bowl until
combined and at a good drizzling consistency (add more or less milk if
it is not). Drizzle or plop on top of scones with a fork.
Makes 16 tea scones or more depending on your portioning.
The Abingtonian
December 2013
Page 4
FEATURES
It’s the Most Tacky
Time of the Year
‘Twas a week before winter
break and all through the
halls, not a student nor
teacher missed Ugly Holiday
Sweater Day. From ugly to
uglier, the wooly knits brought
holiday cheer to Abington.
Read what some of your
stylish classmates had to say
about their festive looks.
Students Gettin’ Ugly!
“Holiday sweaters are the
new black.”
Evan Thomson
“I went to K-Mart for the
first time since the 90’s to
get this.”
Natalie Sullivan
“I felt much happier once I
put on my sweater”
Molly Templin
“It’s all fake. I’m Jewish.”
Jesse Greenberg
WORDLINK
Hey word puzzle lovers! Frustrated with life? Well, sit back, relax,
and fill out a wordlink. You play by creating a chain of compound
words from the first word all the way to the last. The first and
second word link to make a compound word, like in this example:
Guitar and string connect to make guitar string, string links with
band to make string band, and band and camp link to form band
camp. Some of the words even have letters filled in to help you
out!
Print your name at the bottom, cut out your completed wordlink,
and drop it off at the Wordlink box sitting on the Abingtonian
box in the library. YOU WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING
TO WIN A PRIZE! Winners will be announced on the afternoon
announcements!
DEEP
Teachers Gettin’ Ugly!
__I__
___C_E_
__N__R
_O__
__B_
__T_L_
CAP
NAME:____________________
“Straight from the bowels of “In my sweater I look both
Teleford.”
seasonal and hot.”
Mr. Cragle
Mr. Penderghest
The Abingtonian
December 2013
Page 5
EDITORIALS
Joy to the World, the
Sales Have Come!
By Sophia Ricciardi
Once again, it’s that time of year—
the holiday season. For some it is a
time to celebrate togetherness, give
thanks, and enjoy the company of
loved ones. For others it is a time
to celebrate sales, give gifts, enjoy
shopping, and did I mention all the
sales? It’s no secret that the holiday
season, which seems to get longer
every year, is a time of extravagant
spending and consumerism. From
the largest retail chain to the smallest
mom-and-pop, stores are taking to
TV, radio, billboards, and newspapers
to announce special holiday deals
and reduced prices. The sales and
shopping make for a couponer’s
paradise, but is all this mass
consumerism causing people to lose
the true spirit of the holidays?
Whether you celebrate Christmas,
Hanukkah, Kwanza, or any
other holiday, the core theme
of the season is essentially
the same. It’s a time to be
with your loved ones and
be grateful that you are all
together. Recently, however,
it seems that many lose track
of this sentiment in the
flood of blinding lights and
obnoxious advertisements.
The season has become one
big excuse to binge spend
on material goods instead of
spending quality time with family.
Now I’m not saying that during
the long holidays you should be
constantly surrounded by family;
no matter how much you love them,
everyone needs space at some point.
However, it seems a bit ridiculous
when people get so caught up in the
A typical American mall during the holiday season.
shopping that they disregard their
season is all about resisting the
loved ones. There is a limit to how
temptation to put importance on
much spending can be justified by the material things, and think about what
guise of “gift shopping”. The holidays
really matters. Everyone has the right
are NOT about the presents, contrary to spend their holidays how they like,
to the belief of every young child (and but this writer can only hope more
many much older children, too).
people will stop before they shop ‘til
When it comes down to it, this
they drop.
New Years’ Resolutions: This year, resolve to stick to yours
By Nathaniel Davis
Originally this editorial was going
to be an overly opinionated rant about
the holiday season. It would have been
chock-full o’ cynicism with all of my
usual fixings: human vice, human
redemption, human love, human
failure. It was going to be all about
how social media is ruining the good
old Christmas Letter.
However, I decided that my pen
should not ally with cynicism to
try and save humanity from going
down the toilet. Instead, my pen will
encourage the public of Abington to
improve itself on the small scale.
Once you have finished with
presents, tinsel, brass choirs,
materialism, eggnog, and other
general merrymaking, sit back, reflect
on your year, and ruminate on how
you can improve yourself. It shouldn’t
be hard, as we are all part of a flawed
humanity. As much as I love myself,
I am an unaware, egotistic cynic who
eats too much. So, I will resolve to
work against one of my vices so that
the people around me will not want to
punch me as much as they do.
I make this simple request: make
one resolution. Keep it until the end of
January. Realize that you need to keep
working. Keep it until springtime.
Realize that you want to stick with
it. Keep it until the new school year.
Realize that it’s become part of you.
Affluenza is in the Air
By Ryan Grewal
A juvenile court judge in Forth
Worth, Texas, sentenced 16 year-old
Ethan Couch to 10 years of probation
for a drunk driving crash that resulted
in the deaths of four, instead of the
possible 20 years of jail time, because
Couch was too rich to know better.
Couch was driving his father’s
company car, a Ford F-350, at 70 mph
in a 40 mph zone. He lost control of
the truck, clipping a stranded SUV,
before continuing to strike a parked
truck, which clipped a Volkswagen
Beetle. Couch’s truck then flipped
over and hit a tree. The driver of
the SUV and three people helping
with the broken car were killed and
many were injured, including two
passengers in Couch’s truck. The 16
year-old blew .24 on a breathalyzer,
three times the legal limit, and traces
of valium were found in his system.
Passengers in his car had been seen
stealing cases of beer from Walmart
earlier in the night.
In the civil suit brought against
Couch, the teenager pleaded
guilty to four counts of intoxicated
manslaughter and two counts of
intoxication assault causing serious
bodily injury, carrying a possible 20
year jail sentence. The controversy
in the case, though, comes with his
defense’s arguments for reduced
sentence because of his “affluenza,” a
term the defense used to describe the
Keep it until the year’s
end. Realize that this
growth is permanent.
Keep it for the rest of
your life.
Of course you will
fall off the wagon
from time to time,
but mankind never
improves if individuals
do not first improve
themselves.
psychological effect of living in abject
affluence. A psychologist called by the
defense stated that Couch received
“freedoms no young person should
have,” explaining that Couch was a
product of the entitlement he was
afforded, as his parents didn’t establish
consequences for his behavior. He was
allowed to drive at 13, and at age 15,
he was ticketed after being found in
a parked truck with a naked 14-yearold girl. The judge seemed to accept
the “affluenza” defense, handing down
a sentence of 10 years of probation
but no jail time. Couch is being
sent to a cushy one-year outpatient
psychological and rehabilitation
treatment in Long Beach, CA, costing
$450,000 of his parents’ money.
Most people sentenced to prison
come from situations opposite Ethan’s.
The unemployment rate for prisoners
in the month prior to arrest is six
times the national unemployment
rate. Prisoners are twice as likely as
the average American to have no
higher-level education. Two-thirds
of prisoners had incomes of less than
$2,000 in the month prior to arrest,
barely enough for an individual to live
on and almost nothing for someone
supporting a family.
Ethan Couch got out of serving
jail due to the “adverse” effects of his
prosperous upbringing, but people
actually living in poverty are the most
likely to end up incarcerated.
The Abingtonian
December 2013
Page 6
NEWS
The Return of the Holiday Grams
By Kyle Sukley
Out of the many things in
life that we all truly love, our friends
stand out as being one of the most
important. And if there is one thing
that we all love more than our friends,
it’s embarrassing them. Fortunately
enough, that opportunity could
be handed over for a measly three
dollars because on Friday, December
20th, Holiday Grams came back!
From Friday, December 13th through
Thursday, December 19th, students
could purchase Holiday Grams for
fellow classmates, siblings, teachers,
or enemies during any of the lunch
periods. All they had to do is pick
a song--All I Want For Christmas
Is You, Sleigh Ride, Let it
Snow, or Deck The Halls-write down the name,
period, and room number of the
recipient, and voilà! The talented
singers of Abington’s Select Choir do
the rest as they go from classroom to
classroom singing joyfully.
So, if you want holly-jolly
choir members to prance around as
they serenade your ole’ pal for your
and everyone else’s enjoyment, buy
a Holiday Gram. There is nothing
more exciting than listening to the
festive bells ringing up and down the
hallways the day before the holiday
break. Your small investment will
certainly be worth the cost as the
videos that radiate on Facebook for
the following weeks are priceless.
Enjoy the music, and have an
extravagantly merry
holiday break.
photo by Julia Hayman
Tom Daley Comes Out
By Danielle King
A few weeks ago British Olympic
diver Tom Daley posted a video on
YouTube that surprised the world.
In his video he revealed that he is
currently dating another man. He
begins the video by talking about
losing his dad to cancer, winning an
Olympic medal, and completing his
A levels -- all life changing events.
He said that he learned a lot about
himself through this time and has
found someone he is truly happy
being with. “Of course I still fancy
girls, but I mean right now I’m dating
a guy and I couldn’t be happier,” said
Daley right after his big reveal. Tom
Daley posted the video because he
wanted to tell his fans firsthand before
the media spread rumors. The support
Tom has received ever since coming
out has been tremendous. He tweeted
the day after he posted his video,
“Thanks for your support :) Still Tom.
Still diving. Going for gold in 2016.
What I am or who I date shouldn’t
matter. #Road2Rio.” Clearly, coming
out has not distracted Tom Daley
from his ultimate goal of winning a
gold medal.
Daley took a chance when he
posted his coming out video and
was perhaps inspired by previous
athletes who took that step. Australian
Olympic gold medalist diver Matthew
Mitcham publicly came out in 2008 to
The Sydney Morning Herald. Megan
Rapinoe, a US Olympic soccer player,
came out during an interview with
Out magazine. Jason Collins, an NBA
player, became the first American
male professional athlete to come out
as gay. All of these athletes are taking
a stand for gay rights. Collins was
quoted saying, “I didn’t set out to be
the first openly gay athlete playing
in a major American team sport. But
since I am, I’m happy to start the
conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid
in the classroom raising his hand and
saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way,
someone else would have already
done this. Nobody has, which is why
I’m raising my hand” (Huffington
Post). These professional athletes, and
most recently Tom Daley, are shining
examples that a person’s sexual
preference should not matter; it does
not detract from what they bring to
the table as athletes. High schoolers took to the streets of Philadelphia earlier this year to protest
cuts to education funding
The Philadelphia School District
Budget Crisis
By Danny Nikander
In late 2012, the Philadelphia
School District announced it would
be shutting down schools to adhere
to its $304 million budget. After a few
short months of heated debate over
the matter, it was concluded that 23
schools would be closed—that’s ten
percent of all the schools in the city.
This sudden shortage in space has
caused hundreds of students to cram
into the hallways of the remaining
schools. While continuing to fulfill
their expected budget goal, the school
board has not hired the necessary
amount of teachers to equally
match the increased number of new
students. This induces problems with
the children who no longer receive
proper attention from teachers. In
addition, the dismissal of over 3,783
employees has added to the already
profuse unemployment among adults
in America.
Life inside the schools has
drastically changed as well.
According to the Philadelphia
Inquirer, the average class size in
Philadelphia public schools has
reached 33 students, compared
with the Pennsylvania state average
of 21. Furthermore, the removal
of over 1,000 aides has increased
the violence within these schools.
Alongside the major cutback in
Daley in his coming-out video spending, extracurricular activities
entitled “Something I want to say...” such as art, music, and many sports
have been significantly lessened.
These restrictions have increased the
dropout rate by 18 percent between
2005 and 2012.
Since this crisis began, thousands
of angry Philadelphia residents have
been fighting back to assure that these
children will have bright futures.
However, since 2001, the School
Reform Commission, a group led by
five government-appointed members,
has been running the Philadelphia
School District. This means the people
of Philadelphia were not given a voice
to decide who will run their school
system.
According to the Education Law
Center’s School Funding Report,
Pennsylvania receives only 35 percent
of its funding from the federal
government, while other states are
subsidized up to 43 percent. This
causes schools like the ones in
Philadelphia to get the short end of
the stick.
The Philadelphia School District has
been a part of a long and drawn-out
controversy. It is affecting the youth
of America, which puts the future at
risk. Parents, students, and educators
continue to put up a fight against
this financial backlash to assure
that Philadelphians are given equal
education and job opportunities. Alas,
there is no telling when this crisis will
end.
The Abingtonian
December 2013
Page 7
NEWS
Nelson
Mandela:
An Icon
By Meghan McClain
On December 5th, a great
loss was felt around the globe
following the death of one of the
world’s great icons of peace at the
age of 95. Nelson Mandela can be
described as South Africa’s George
Washington. Washington is known
for his extraordinary leadership of the
American people during our country’s
young years. He sought neither
power nor renown, and guided his
adoring citizens with wisdom and
love. Like Washington, Mandela was
a revolutionary. He was the first black
chief executive to be elected in a fullyrepresentative democratic election in
the county of South Africa, and he
dedicated himself to the dismantling
of apartheid and won the trust and
admiration of his beloved followers
for as long as he lived. After being
held in prison for eighteen years for
his revolutionary actions, Mandela
was released and elected President of
South Africa. Serving from 1994 to
1999, Mandela stepped down from the
presidency after the completion of his
term in order to set a new precedent
for the country—in stark contrast to
the leaders who had come before him,
who ruled with dictator-like tactics,
refusing to step down from office.
However, it is remarkably easy,
in the wake of Mandela’s death, to
celebrate him for his triumphs over
the cruel South African regime and
hail him an iconic figure for peace.
But beyond all this, Mandela was
an agitator. He was an advocate for
equality all over the world, not only
in his own home country. In 1990, he
took a trip to New York City with the
intent to observe and denounce the
ways in which the poison of racism
and poverty is laced throughout
the entire global society—including
America, the “land of the free.”
Mandela congratulated African
Americans for their courage and
perseverance in the face of prejudice
and inequality, and during that trip,
reminded the American people in
a speech delivered at the Yankee
Stadium. “As we enter the last decade
of the 20th century, it is intolerable,
unacceptable, that the cancer of
racism is still eating away at the fabric
of societies in different parts of our
planet,” Mandela said. “All of us, black
and white, should spare no effort in
our struggle against all forms and
manifestations of racism, wherever
and whenever it rears its ugly head.”
Despite the chaos in South Africa,
Mandela always had the incredible
gift of recognizing and addressing
injustice. Poverty, he knew, was not
merely a South African phenomenon.
Prejudice occurs worldwide.
Inequality is the disease of humanity.
Nelson Mandela took it upon himself
to speak out against these atrocities
against mankind. “Massive poverty
and obscene inequality,” he said,
“are such terrible scourges of our
times — times in which the world
boasts breathtaking advances in
science, technology, industry and
wealth accumulation — that they
have to rank alongside slavery and
apartheid as social evils.” Mandela
was extraordinary for his one simple
ability—to see each and every human
being as simply that: a human
being. To the great anti-apartheid
revolutionary, there was no great or
weak, there was no black or white,
rich or poor, male or female.
Thus remains his legacy—not
simply as a great South African
president, not as a social justice
advocate, and not as the father of
South African democracy, but simply
as a wise and humble man who knew
what it was to be a human being. The
world lost a great light this December
5th. We will forever be indebted to
this iconic and extraordinary man
who taught us that we are equal, we
are all worthy of our fundamental
human rights, and that we, the
citizens of the world, are one.
Robotics Club: Big things are in store for this little-known club
By Dana Miller
If you pop by room 127 after school
on a Wednesday, you’ll probably find a
small, devoted team of kids planning,
experimenting and building a robot
for one of their next competitions.
This group—the Robotics Club—is
fairly new, having been established
only last year.
When the crew came together to
prepare for their first competition,
“Seaperch”, they were already behind
the other competitors. Seaperch,
sponsored by Drexel University and
the United States Navy, was slotted for
March 2013. The contest is centered
on developing a Remotely Operated
Vehicle (ROV) that maneuvers
through an underwater obstacle
course and retrieves an object. Many
other schools had begun research and
construction several months prior,
whereas our team began work in
February. In that month and a half,
the Abington Robotics team cracked
down and managed to pull off 27th
The Abington Robotics Team after a competition
place out of 50 teams, beating nearly
half of the other participants in their
very first competition.
Besides Seaperch, Abington’s
Robotics Team hopes to participate
in the Team America Rocketry
Challenge this year. For this contest,
a rocket is designed to shoot as high
as possible while safely ejecting two
chicken eggs. The winner moves on
to the National Competition and
has the potential to win scholarship
money and a visit to a laboratory
of their choice, such as NASA.
Additionally, the Robotics Club has
been collaborating with the Science
Club to create an Engineering Team,
which participates in a S.T.E.M.
(Science, Technology, Engineering &
Mathematics) program competition.
There has been talk of possibly
creating a class similar to the club, to
prepare for future challenges. Many
schools that have a robotics club or
team provide plenty of funding to
their student scientists. Cheltenham
and Wissahickon High Schools both
do, and because our program is still
rather small, some of our students
are traveling to Cheltenham regularly
to assist and train with their wellestablished teams.
The general goal of this club is
to increase student interest in math
and the sciences by participating in
contests such as Seaperch and the
Rocketry Challenge. Exposure to and
establishing connections with current
and future members of the sprawling
scientific community is another bonus
for those hoping to pursue a career
in the continually expanding field of
science.
The Abingtonian
December 2013
Page 8
SPORTS
Craig Reynolds Breaks
School Football Record
By Blake Friedman
As the cold months begin, Abington reflects
on one of the best football seasons it has had in
quite some time. Although this season did not
end with a conference title, there are a plethora
of reasons to celebrate. The most outstanding
cause for celebration came from senior running
back Craig Reynolds, as he surpassed the alltime regular season rushing record for the
Galloping Ghosts. Exceeding 2,000 yards in one season of play is a feat not many high school
football players can achieve.
“It all starts with the five guys up front”, says Reynolds. “Without my offensive line there
would be no new record”.
“It’s crazy”, lineman Andrew Sykes laughed. “We all knew Craig was a good running back,
but what he did this year… We now know he is great”.
The Ghosts lost starting quarterback Anthony Lee during the middle of the season. The
team and Reynolds knew that a lot of the offense was going to be dependent on him. “It was a
challenge”, Craig stated. “A lot was on my plate, but I knew I had to eat it all up. Everyone was
counting on me”.
John Stone, the previous record holder,
now has to give up his title after 30 long years.
“It would be cool to meet him,” Craig said. “He
The Abingtonian, 2013-2014
has been a record holder for three decades and
Published by: Abington Senior High School, Abington, PA
someone has finally beat his record. I wonder
Editors-In-Chief:
how he is feeling!”
Alex Rosenbaum and Aleks Cvetkovic
The Abington football team set new
News Editor: Sabrina Farmer
records, had a convincing first round playoff
win over Upper Dublin, and beat #1 seeded
Editorial Editor: Rebecca Kruger
Garnet Valley in the PIAA District One
Features Editor: Elana Waldstein
Quarterfinals. Congratulations to Coach
Sports Editor: Blake Friedman
Sorber Coach Conlin, and the rest of the staff –
they must be proud of Reynolds and the rest of
Writers:
Sumner Sykes, Andrew Schmidt, Ari Peck, Chad Murdoch, Madison
the Ghosts squad.
Bradley, HoJun Yu, Alexis Scott, Sophia Ricciardi, Nathaniel Davis,
Ryan Grewal, Kyle Sukley, Danny Nikander, Danielle King,
Meghan McClain, Dana Miller
Photographers:
Julia Hayman
Faculty Sponsors:
Mr. Bryan Quigley, Mr. Albert Saylor
Administration:
Mr. A. Berrios, Mr. R. McCuen,
Mr. E. Johnson, Mr. C. Fiorino