The Word Layout - Audubon School District

For the first time in AHS history, the
Journalism/Creative Writing course brings you
The Word, a magazine devoted to the collective
voice of our staff.
Charged with the task of determining content
specific to his or her own page, staffers were
given the freedom to explore those issues that
are relevant to both themselves and to our
readership.
While with my daughter, I took this picture at the park across the street from the baseball field.
I was struck by the dichotomy between where we were
and what was being demanded by the writer.
~Mr. Kulak
The Word
The Word
Contributors
Sydney Stressman—Maria Qualtieri—Sarah Neide—
Alexis Pfefferle—Kristyn Young—Victoria DiLuzio—James Schroth—Brian
Doyle—Zach Welsher—Tyler Capner—Chrissy Dustman—Lauren Fehr——
________________________________________________________________________________
Publisher
Creative Expressions
Advisor
Mr. Kulak
Printer
Art Press
Printer’s Address
124-B Clements Bridge Rd.
Barrington, NJ
08007
Cover Art Courtesy of
Maria Qualtieri
The Word
Arts
Behind The Camera
The most important
aspect of photography is capturing a unique moment. Whether
the shoot is staged or live, the
photograph should reflect the
photographer and his or her
abilities.
Many photographers
do both live photography and
studio work. Live photography
involves taking pictures of musical performances, photojournalistic images, or weddings.
On the other hand,
those who shoot in a studio go
through one of the most difficult
processes with stage photography:
uct, no matter how much Photoshop one uses).
Hair
Hair in studio photography can be fun to work
with; any model can wear any
hairstyle. Hairstyles depend on
the shoot the photographer is
doing. For example, a classic pin
up shoot should have a classic
pin up hairstyle, not straightened, modern hair. Also, make
wants to reveal. If a model
chooses to wear a corset, make
sure that it doesn’t look like it’s
squeezing her to death. Additionally, make sure she is comfortable enough to wear it for at
least 10-15 minutes without
passing out. Corsets are an
extremely difficult piece of
wardrobe to work with and not
every model is comfortable
wearing them.
This is the most
important aspect of a photo
shoot. Ideas are largely based on
personal interests and inspiration. They have to be unique
and creative unless one just
wants to rip off every other
photographer, have his or her
name bashed, and become a
mockery in the profession. I’d
assume not, so don’t plagiarize
others.
Studio photographers must realize that not all
brands makeup can be photographed. Makeup companies
such as Revlon and CoverGirl
make specific photo-ready foundations. Furthermore, it’s important that the foundation
matches the model’s skin tone
exactly (that will be very noticeable in the finishing prod-
Lights
The lighting has to
match the scene or look that the
photographer is trying to depict. You don’t want to shoot
gothic scenery with bright,
poppy lights. Dark scenery
requires dim lighting, but the
photographer has to make it so
the photo looks good and can be
seen by viewers.
Editing
Idea
Makeup
so she shouldn’t complain about
being in some pain.
sure the model does not have
awful roots (aka black hair
sticking out of bleached
blonde). This will not only look
horrific for the model but for the
photographer, too.
Wardrobe
This has
tering to the body
ever, making the
comfortable with
to be flattype; howmodel feel
what she
Posing
Unnatural posing is
one of the biggest jokes in the
photography world. It is obvious even to the common person
reading a magazine when a
model is not posed correctly.
The key, however, is to pose the
model naturally even though it
may be uncomfortable for her.
In the end, she’ll look fabulous
The last step, editing, can be a photographer’s rise
to fame or her downfall. Most
photographers use programs
such as Adobe’s Photoshop and
Lightroom. In these programs,
the photographer can edit skin
correction, making sure to
eradicate any blemishes or odd
marks on the model’s skin.
Additionally, she should look at
contrast, brightness, and cropping for the best results.
Studio photography
does not come naturally to all
photographers. In fact, studio
photography is one of the hardest jobs in the field. Ultimately,
if the photographer takes all the
necessary steps in studio photography, she will create a perfect image.
By Maria Qualtieri
The Word
Country : Carrie Underwood
Country artist
Carrie Underwood’s new
song “Two Black Cadillacs”
was recently named the
number one country song
on billboard.com.
Underwood’s
album Blown Away features her new song along
with some of her other re-
cent hits.
“She is tough and
in her songs she’s usually
giving her ex-boyfriend a
piece of her mind, calling
him out, or warning the
next girl. Plus she doesn't
whine about boys or breakups, “ said sophomore Mia
Ruffalo.
Rock : Mumford & Sons
Rock band Mumford & Sons’ new song “I
Will Wait” was recently
named the number one
rock song on billboard.com.
Mumford & Sons’
album Babel features their
new song along with eleven
other hits.
“They are very
upbeat and catchy so it
makes it easy for someone
to get to know the lyrics
and beat to their songs,”
said 2011 AHS graduate
Josh McNamee.
Pop : Swedish House Mafia
Rap : Macklemore
Rap
artist
Macklemore’s song
“Thrift Shop,” featuring Ryan Lewis and
Wanz, was recently
named the number
one rap song on billboards.com.
Macklemore’s
album The Heist features his new song
accompanied
with
some other of his
hits.
“Well, I only
got twenty dollars in
my pocket, so it is
very relatable,” said
senior
Rachel
Cosgrove.
“It is the perfect song to dance
to,” said senior Elena
Cruz.
Pop band Swedish House Mafia’s song
“Don’t You Worry
Child” was recently
named the number one
pop song on billboard.com.
Swedish House
Mafia’s album Until Now
features their number
one single and some of
their newer songs.
“ Th e i r
son g
“Don’t you Worry Child”
is amazing, It is the perfect song to dance to.
Whenever it comes on
the radio, I turn up the
volume and basically
blow my speaker and my
ear drums out but it is
worth it,” said junior
Terri Powers.
By Lauren Fehr
The Journey From Local
Theatres to Broadway
If you’re anything
like me, then you love theatres.
It doesn’t matter if
you prefer small-scale local
theatres or the biggest of them
all—Broadway. If you enjoy
shows, then this is the article
for you.
So, the first stop on
our journey is a local theatre
located at 915 White Horse
Pike in Oaklyn, The Ritz. The
Ritz is known for its small,
quaint theatre but its large scale
shows.
I’ve had friends who
have seen big shows like the hit
musical, Hairspray, and I also
know some who have seen
smaller scale productions like
the drama, A Children’s Hour.
No matter what
show you see at the Ritz, the
outcome is usually the same—
an impressive performance.
Shows at the Ritz
vary in price depending on the
type of show and the day you
are attending but range from
$20-$35. This is a huge difference to the costs of other theatres you could attend.
The next show playing at The Ritz is the musical
comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone which will be playing from
April 18-May 18.
Also, they have a
children’s show coming up, The
Jungle Book, which runs at the
end of April.
So, if you’re up for a
lot of fun without going far or
spending a lot of money, then
The Ritz may be the theatre for
you.
The next stop on our
journey is a theatre located in
the City of Brotherly Love, The
Walnut Street Theatre.
Located at 825 Walnut Street, this theatre is the
closest you can get to Broadway without leaving the area.
Simply drive across the bridge
and you’re in store for an amazing show.
The Walnut Street
Theatre is rather small, with
seating for about 1,100 people,
but the shows preformed there
are fantastic. I recently saw The
Music Man there and was
blown away by the professionalism and talent on the stage.
I also caught the end
of A Christmas Carol, which
looked pretty cool, too.
The musical currently running on the stage is
Good People, a comedy about
successful people and the “good
people” who helped them get
there. This show runs until
April 28th.
The next show to
grace the Walnut’s stage will be
the hit musical, Grease. This
show runs from May 14th to
June 14th.
The shows here are a
little more expensive but very
worth it. Shows vary in price
but are usually around $80. This
price includes a $2.50 historic
fee since the Walnut Street
Theatre is a historical landmark.
This theatre has a
great location with lots of
places to eat nearby and coffee
shops just around the corner.
I highly recommend
checking it out if you get the
chance.
The last stop on our
journey and my favorite of
them all is none other than…
(drum roll please)…
Broadway!
Broadway is considered one of the highest
levels of theatre in the English
-speaking world.
Broadway is made
up of 40 theatres that hold 500
or more seats and is located in
New York City, New York.
I’ve been lucky
enough to have seen four
Broadway shows in New
York.
They were amazing.
The following theaters are running popular shows
as we speak:
The Gershwin—Wicked
Ambassador—Chicago
Minskof—The Lion King
The Palace Theatre—Annie.
The amount of
talent that you witness while
watching these shows is absolutely incredible.
The cheapest I’ve
gotten tickets for a Broadway
show was around $90 and the
highest was close to $200.
Not only are there
amazing shows being performed on Broadway but the
theatre district is right next to
Times Square.
There are museums,
shops, and amazing restaurants
to experience while in NYC
just make sure you have
enough money to do it all.
Go to New York,
see a Broadway show, and
then experience Times Square.
I promise you will
love it.
By Victoria DiLuzio
The Word
The Word
Fitness&Health
Quick Workouts
Your summer ready body is here waiting for you! No excuses.
These workouts go through every part of your body with effective
results. Now it’s up to you to put yourself to work!
Arms
20 jumping jacks
10 wrist circles
20 arm swings
10 kneeling push-ups
10 tricep dips
10 arm circles (with light
weights)
10 tricep dips
20 incline push-ups
5 burpees
1 full bridge (1 minute)
5 tricep push-ups
20 arm swings
10 kneeling pushup
5 burpees
Abs
30 crunches
20 bicycle crunches
30 toe touches
20 reverse crunches
15 side plank hip lifts (R)
30 crunches
15 side plank hip lifts (L)
40 Russian twists
30 bicycle crunches
20 oblique v-ups (R)
20 reverse crunches
20 oblique v-ups (L)
10 leg lifts
www.twitter.com/ohstarz
www.backonpointe.tumblr.com
Legs
20 squats
30 lunges on each leg
40 calf raises
50 second wall sit
100 jumping jacks
50 second wall sit
40 sumo squats
30 leg raises
20 squats
www.tribesports.com
Total Body
jumping jacks
squats or wall sit
pushups
bicycle crunches
burpees
alternating lunges
dips
front kicks
piles with upright row
bicycle crunches
shoulder press or squat
press
high knees
squat or squat jumps
bicep curls
plank or plank punches
*each 1 minute
*go through 2-3 times
www.fitfabcities.com
Weight Loss Rules
1. Lifestyle, not a diet
This is not a short term fix; it’s a way of life
eat clean
train mean
getlean
2. Get organized
Structure your life and you’ll
structure your eating
3. Eat Small
Proportion control is crucial for
losing weight
4. Learn to leave food on your plate
This helps you take control
of compulsive eating
5. Never feel deprived
This only encourages binge eating
6. Make a meal out of it
Make a ceremony out of each meal,
so that you really appreciate
what you’ve eaten
7. Eat slowly
That way you’ll feel satisfied before
you’ve eaten too much
8. Enjoy your food
It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures,
not a punishment
9. Move it!
Exercise is essential for losing weight
10. Get enough sleep
Structuring your sleeping patterns
will regulate metabolism
www.shrinkingjustine.com
By Sydney Stressman
The Word
Be Happy ☺
“People are just
as happy as
they make up
their minds to
be.” -Abraham
Lincoln
Do you find happiness in
your daily life or are you waiting
for happiness to find you?
Being happy is a choice,
so if you have been looking for it
then finding it is up to you. Your
choices, thoughts, and actions all
influence your level of happiness.
According to Stanford
University, only 10% of people’s
happiness is determined by the
difference in their circumstances.
This means the other 90% of a
person’s happiness comes from
their personality, thoughts, and
behaviors – all of which can be
changed.
The happiness I have
maintained in my life so far has
all been a result of remaining
positive. I believe that being optimistic largely fuels happiness,
and even if you are a pessimistic
person by nature, you can eventually become a genuinely positive person.
Identify negative
thoughts when you think them,
and try to put them into a larger
What Makes
You Happy?
perspective.
Things are not always as
awful as the first appear, many
problems will sort themselves out
in time, and often our experiences are great opportunities to
learn from.
When things are wrong
in my life, I often stop the negativity by thinking of all the things
going right in my life. Focus on
the positives in the present moment, instead of dwelling in the
past or worrying about the future.
Learn to be gracious, and
appreciate your life and what
enriches it, like your friends,
family, and passions.
Take the time to invest
in relationships with other people. Surround yourself with
happy people, and their happiness will lift your own spirit.
Find something you are
passionate about; find your purpose.
According to Mayo
Clinic, “People who strive to
meet a goal or fulfill a mission —
Music
“I love listening to Jack Johnson.
His music reminds me of the summer and being on the water.”
— Jeff Proko (‘13)
whether it's growing a garden,
caring for children or finding
one's spirituality — are happier
than those who don't have such
aspirations.”
Having a goal to reach or
a passion to pursue provides a
sense of purpose and heightens
self-esteem.
Be forgiving. Holding
grudges affects your mentality in
a negative way. When you let
your hatred for someone or
something grow, it reflects inward and can cause mental anguish and stress.
Grudges can weigh
down your life, preventing you
from moving on and growing up.
By forgiving others, you are relieving yourself of all this negativity.
You can choose to be
happy. Take advantage of all the
opportunities you are offered,
figure out your personal beliefs
and values, and surround yourself
people that increase your sense of
By Kristyn Young
happiness.
“Exercising releases endorphins
that give me more
energy and put me
in good mood.”
—Sydney
Stressman (‘13)
Disney World
“I had so much fun on senior trip with all my
friends! The trip really brought everyone closer.
Whoop whoop!” — Rachelle Passarella (‘13)
Working
Out
Making Confidence
Okay let’s get realistic here; we all have that one
friend who has confidence in
who she is and flaunts it. That is
what makes her beautiful. Now I
am not saying that she doesn’t
have insecurities about her body
because in all probability she
does.
It is time to make
peace with our bodies and gain
confidence in who we are.
That isn’t to say that
you can just become confident
in a split second, far from it. It’s
an uphill battle as we constantly
berate ourselves over that extra
helping of pasta we had at dinner (“it’s gonna go straight to
my hips”) or over those two
scoops of ice cream we ate (“but
I was really craving it”).
Being beautiful isn’t
about having the so-called
“perfect” body. It is all about
being confident about you. Yes
you. The one who stares back at
you in the mirror and tries to
point out flaws. Those flaws are
what make you individual.
Every girl is born
with a different body type and
it’s high time that she becomes
okay with it. We all just have to
accept that the really cute pair of
pants that your one super skinny
friend looks really awesome in
is not going to fit over your
equally gorgeous and curvy
hips, so embrace it.
Being at peace with
yourself is about seeing your
imperfections and accepting
them. People see what you want
them to see. If you want them to
perceive you as beautiful all you
have to do is believe that you
are.
Confidence comes
from the inside, and as cliché as
it sounds, it’s true. Only you can
inspire real confidence in yourself. Sure your best friend can
give you a little boost when she
says how good you look and the
stares from the cute guy at
YOGO can make you feel pretty
good, but those feelings don’t
last as much as we want them
to.
Only you can change
the way you view yourself. You
have that power and you shouldn’t let anyone take that away
from you.
Diet and exercise are
the most common ways to
change the way you feel about
yourself. I know that you want
to diet and exercise so you can
get to the society dictated
“perfect” body, but it is physi-
cally impossible to do so without seriously endangering your
health. Only about five percent
of females have the society
dictated perfect body and guess
Being at peace with
yourself is about
seeing your
imperfections and
embracing them.
what? They were born with it.
Maybe it isn’t Maybelline.
Diet and exercise are
about making yourself healthy
and feeling better about yourself. Now I’m not saying that
you can’t go to the gym and
work off those couple of pounds
that you hate, because when you
work them off you are going to
feel more confident in the girl
you see in the mirror. However,
keep in mind that there is a big
difference between feeling confident because you like your
body and endangering your
health so that you can fit in with
society.
Staying healthy is the
first step toward feeling more
confident—the next is looking
in that floor length mirror, under
the bad lighting, on the worst
hair day you’ve ever had and
realizing the beauty in you and
turning that into confidence. So
put that wiggle in your walk,
dress to make yourself feel
better and stop stressing about
the number in the waistband of
your pants.
By Sarah Neide
Easy Confidence
Boosters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dress to impress
(yourself)
Work Out
Compliment Other
People
Do Something You
Love
SMILE
Treat Yourself
Acknowledge Your
Favorite Features
Keep Your Favorite
Pics Handy
Straighten Up
Get a Haircut
Schedule A Girls’
Night
What Makes You Beautiful?
“A good night’s sleep helps
me feel better about myself
and my day.”—Trent Maxwell (‘14)
“When I’m optimistic about
the outcome of things, that’s
when I feel most
confident.”—Jeffrey Proko
(‘13)
“I feel confident when I get
an achievement on Xbox.”—
Dylan Bell (‘14)
“I get confident after I do
well on a test.”—Nathaniel
Lee (‘15)
“Having the support of others
helps me be confident.”—
Vinnie Livecchi (‘13)
“I feel most confident about
myself when I’m dressed
nice.”—Devin McGuigan
(‘13)
confident in my abilities.”—
Carolyn Kirsch (‘14)
“After I achieve a goal that
I’ve been working hard on I
feel really confident about
myself.”—Ali Flanagan (‘15)
“After I leave the gym when
I’m done working out I feel
really good about myself.”—
Erika Herens (‘13)
“I always feel confident
when my hair looks nice.”—
“If I have great people
Serena Manzi (‘16)
supporting me I feel really
The Word
Where Are They Now?
This page is dedicated to those
who have brought AHS pride and
who have proven that coming
from a small town doesn’t mean
you can’t accomplish great
things. Audubon graduates have
excelled in any number of fields.
The following is only a small
sample; however, all of these
notable people once walked the
halls of AHS. By Zach Welsher
Brian Walsh class of 2004
At AHS Walsh was
in concert choir, concert band,
and the spring musical. His
talents earned him a spot in the
All– South Jersey chorus and
All-State chorus. Walsh was
also a member of the track and
field and the cross country
teams.
After AHS, Walsh
attended Camden County College before finishing up at
Rowan University.
Walsh has made his
musical talent into a career. He
is currently living in Nashville,
Tennessee, playing with Nashville recording artist Joe Bachman. Bachman’s debut album is
called ONE and was released on
iTunes and on CD several
months ago. Walsh has opened
for several big acts, including
Miranda Lambert, Chris Young,
David Nail, and Montgomery
Gentry.
The band is working
on putting together its second
album as we speak. They’ll be
back in the studio in the coming
weeks laying everything down.
For more info, visit www.joebachman.com
David Haines class of 1990
At AHS Haines was
in the marching band and also
ran cross country; however, it is
what he did after high school
that makes him special.
After high school,
Haines joined the military. He
was a military police officer. He
first deployed in New York and
Florida in support of Hurricane
Andrew Relief. Later, he was
sent to Somalia where he was
part of the invasion force and
earned the much coveted combat patch From Fort Drum
(NY). After a stop in Sato Cano
AB, Honduras, he went to Fort
Eustice, VA where he was a
member of the Special Reaction
Team and conducted security
for the first ever NATO conference held in the US. From Fort
Eustice, he went to K9 school
en route to Korea where he
handled a Narcotic/Patrol dog.
From Korea it was
back to Fort Drum where he
handled an Explosive Detector
dog, completing multiple VIP
missions for President Clinton,
Hillary Clinton, Al Gore,
George H. W. Bush and various
other heads of state.
He returned to
Audubon in 2000. Haines and
another comrade co-authored a
book about his first tour titled
Time Well Wasted.
Nikki Cavanaugh Class of 2004
After AHS, Cavanaugh attended TCNJ and
earned a degree in History
and
Secondary Education.___________________
Shortly thereafter,
she was accepted to Rutgers
School of Social Work
where she earned a Masters
in Social Work.
Cavanaugh now is
a grant writer at The Children's Home Society of New
Jersey.
She also is a cofounder, along with her
fiancé, Dan Hitchcock, of
Rushing Duck Brewery. The
New York based brewery
opened in August of 2009.
AHS Alumni
Brett Laxton Class of 1992
From a small town
Audubon baseball player, to a
two-time LSU national champion, to a professional baseball
player, Brett Laxton has had an
amazing career and now works
for the Marucci Sports Company. He helps makes wood
bats for professionals such as
Chase Utley.
Laxton was born in
1973 and is the son of former
MLB pitcher Bill Laxton, who
played for teams such as the
Phillies, Pirates, and Mariners,
and recorded the first win in
Seattle Mariners history.
Bill Laxton also
attended AHS and graduated in
1966. He played for Coach
Hank Greenberg, for whom the
baseball field is now named.
Brett Laxton grew
up on Mansion Ave and always
loved the game of baseball.
“He used to go up to
Mansion [Avenue School] and
throw the ball around until a
neighbor complained,” said
Brett’s mom, Cheryl Laxton.
In high school Brett
played football, basketball, and
most importantly, baseball. His
favorite part about AHS was
that he was able to play all three
sports. That’s the luxury of
growing up in a small town.
His main focus was
on baseball though. Brett
earned three all-state honors for
baseball and also led New Jersey in hitting in 1990 with a
batting average of .545.
“He always had a
bat in his hand,” said former
coach, Diane Guida.
“He enjoyed the
game but was serious when it
was needed. He was always the
first on the field and always the
last one to leave.”
In the summer,
Laxton played for the Brooklawn American Legion team.
He helped them win three state
championships and an American Legion World Series Championship.
After high school,
Laxton attended LSU on a
baseball scholarship.
“Brett’s work ethic
was unbelievable,” said his
father, Bill.
“Brett was a selfmotivator,” said mother,
Cheryl, “and he truly loves the
game.”
At LSU, Brett over
powered hitters with a lively
fastball and an exceptional
slider.
His freshman year
he had a record of 12-1 with a
1.98 ERA, good enough to earn
him Freshman College Player
of the Year.
To top off his tremendous freshman season, he
helped LSU win a national
championship. The LSU Tigers
beat Wichita state 8-0 and Brett
was the star of the game.
Brett dominated all
game long, recording 16 strikeouts.
“You could tell he
was in the zone that game,” said
Bill.
This set a new College World Series.
“It was a dream
come true. Winning a national
championship is something you
always dream about,” said
Brett. “It’s hard to put how I
felt after that game into words;
there was a lot of adrenaline
and excitement.”
(cont’d on next page)
Brett Laxton’s 1993
rookie card
next
to his
father’s
(Bill Laxton) 1977
Mariners
baseball
card.
Where Are They Now?
Brett helped LSU
win a second national championship in 1996, and later that
year, was drafted by the Oakland A’s.
“I was so proud,
another generation in the big
leagues. He followed in my
footsteps,” said Bill.
In 1999 Brett was
awarded Triple-A pitcher of the
year and made his Major
League debut against the Baltimore Orioles.
“It just seemed like
another ball game; it didn’t
seem any different to me,” said
Brett. “I was proud to be there,
that’s where you want to be.
That’s what you work towards,
playing in the big leagues.”
“I love the game of
baseball because it’s hard. A
great player fails 7 out of 10
times. In baseball you always
have to have a drive to get
better. You have to always give
it you all because there is always someone else right behind
you,” Brett said. “It’s the best
game out there.”
Brett’s professional
career lasted from 1996 until
2005 when he decided to retire
from the game.
Now he works for
Marucci Sports after becoming
friendly with founder, Jack
Marucci, while at LSU.
Marucci’s biggest
product is their wood baseball
bats, which they make for such
big leaguers as Chase Utley and
Albert Pujols. Brett is one of
the employees who actually
makes the bats.
“I learned a lot of
the stuff I do at Marucci on Mr.
Laughlin’s woodshop class at
AHS.”
He is also in charge
of training new employees and
growing the Marucci brand.
Over the past eight years, Marucci has made quite a name for
itself in the sporting good industry.
Brett puts the same
effort he put into baseball into
his new career, and he is proud
to be a part of Marucci sports.
The Laxton family
will forever be associated with
two things—Audubon and
baseball.
Brett Laxton pitching in the
1993 national championship game for LSU, during
which he set a new College
World Series Record for
most strikeouts with 16.
Garrett Kampf class of 2009
At AHS, Kampf
played on the varsity golf team
for all four years. He was also
a writer for The Parrot and The
Published Mind.
After graduation he
attended Michigan State University before transferring to
Rutgers University in New
Brunswick.
Most recently,
Kampf was accepted in a prestigious teaching program called
Teach For America.
Teach For America
is a nonprofit organization that
combats education inequity, and
seeks reform, by providing lowincome communities with motivated, high-achieving, college
graduates to eliminate the
achievement gap that exists in
education.
The achievement
gap can be attributed to fundamental disparities in socioeconomic resources that may compromise a student's genuine
potential.
Teach For America's vision is that "one day, all
children in this nation will have
the opportunity to obtain an
excellent education."
He will be teaching
high school English in Kansas
City, Missouri. Teach for
America affirms that education
inequity is a solvable problem.
AHS Alumni
Lauren Sulmone class of 2002
At AHS, Sulmone
was a three sport varsity athlete,
playing basketball, tennis, and
softball. She was a recipient of
the Scholar Athlete award, and
a Member of the National
Honor Society.
She attended American International College in
Springfield, Massachusetts,
where she was the class of 2006
valedictorian. After earning her
degree in Criminal Justice and
Psychology, she went on to earn
a Master's Degree in Forensic
Psychology.
She was also member of the Criminal Justice and
Psychology National Honor
Society, as well as a recipient of
the Who's Who in Colleges and
Universities Award.
Currently she is a
program director for Massachusetts MENTOR, an intensive
foster agency.
The MENTOR
Network is a national network
of local health and human services providers offering an
array of quality, communitybased services to adults and
children with intellectual and
developmental disabilities,
brain and spinal cord injuries,
and other catastrophic injuries
and illnesses.
MENTOR also
offers services to children with
emotional, behavioral, and
medically complex challenges.
She is a two time
recipient of a monetary rewards
and recognition award for outstanding service to the agency.
Michael Timpano class of 2006
At AHS, Timpano
was in NHS and Spanish
NHS. He was a four-letter
varsity athlete and was
awarded the Jackie
Hirschlein Memorial Scholarship. Timpano also
achieved the rank of Eagle
Scout in 2006.
After his years at
AHS, he attended EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach Florida for Aerospace Engineering with a propulsion concentration .
Now, Timpano is
an engineer at The Boeing
Company. Boeing is among
the largest global aircraft
manufacturers, and the second largest aerospace and
defense contractor in the
world.
At Boeing, Timpano works on the V22 Osprey equipment installation
team. V22 Osprey is an
American multi-mission,
military, tilt-rotor aircraft .
Outside of his job,
Timpano is entering his
fourth season of semi-pro
rugby. He plays for the
Philadelphia Fight and is a
two-time national champion.
Jenna Whylings class of 2005
At AHS, Whylings
played soccer, basketball,
and track. She was also
awarded the NJSIAA
Scholar Athlete award.
After high school,
Whylings earned her undergrad degree in Biology at
Ursinus College before going on to Jefferson Medical
College.
Currently she is an
emergency medicine physician and is starting her residency at Cooper University
Hospital in June.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS
VETERAN COACH
MAKES WINNING HABIT
For over thirty years,
Coach Rich Horan has made an
indelible impression on this
small town and on high school
baseball statewide.
Horan developed his
unique feel for the game as a
player/coach under two distinctly differing mentors—
AHS’s Hank Greenberg and
Gloucester Catholic’s Al
Radano. Both with successful
careers at their respective
schools, Horan took snippets of
each philosophy, forming a
coaching style of his own.
Over his twentyseven year stint as head coach at
Audubon, Horan has set a standard for his players and other
teams in South Jersey. Believing
that “hard work can beat talent
when talent doesn’t work hard”
and that “any team with a jersey
and a bat can be dangerous,”
Horan stresses to his staff and
players the importance of giving
the game everything, ultimately
striving for one goal—”Going
to the Show!”
Winning
the
NJSIAA State Championships is
the only goal for Audubon’s
program, as the outfield fence
displays eight titles, seven under
400-game winner Horan.
In order to keep with
tradition, Horan instills in every
player rules to live and play by:
Don’t be complacent.
The outcome of the
game should be determined
during infield/outfield.
We ask for just one
thing from you, everything
you’ve got.
Play hard, stay
focused, and represent the
school and town.
Be the best that you
can be at anything you attempt.
With a coaching staff
primarily consisting of Horan’s
former players, the athletes gain
the same experiences and
knowledge that Horan has introduced since his first season
coaching. Each coach well
aware of a season’s goal and the
demands necessary to guarantee
a run to States, every day’s
practice focuses on every detail
of the game.
With nine players
vying for a position, competition
arises internally. No position is
safe and complacency will only
bring stagnancy. Horan is not
afraid to give a young prospect
a chance to show what he has to
contribute, especially if he gives
the game everything and shows
the signs of success in practice.
With his unique and
hands on coaching style, Horan
continues an old-school approach to the game and has
continued the tradition of success in this small town. Taking
from his predecessors and learning from the pros, Audubon has
had an increase in success for
the sport since Horan’s time as
skipper.
He lives the game,
arriving several hours before the
first pitch in order to make sure
field is manicured and just right.
He spends the off season visiting clinics to learn new techniques from pros and veterans
of the game. He does his best to
put his players in route for success. He does this all with one
goal in mind.
By James Schroth
ALLHORAN
TEAM
Pitchers:
Dan Severino
Brett Laxton
Brian McGettigan
Catcher:
John Oehler
1B:
Andrew Noe
2B:
Nick DelGozzo
SS:
Vaughn Schill
3B:
Mike Harris
OF:
Mark Dexter
Ryan Flynn
Ryan Smulktis
DH:
Nate Schill
Utility:
Steve Rizzo
Gaming
Tomb Raider
The latest Tomb
Raider installment takes
gamers on a new journey as
Lara Croft and her friends
crash land on an uncharted
island. Laura, who is traditionally portrayed as an
adult, is now in her late
teens for the first time in
Tomb Raider history.
Within the first ten
minutes of gameplay I got
knocked out by a group
known as the Solarii,
stabbed in the side by a
spike, and ran for my life
with nothing but a bow on
my back.
The game strays
from the classic Tomb Raiders, giving the players a new
level up system to upgrade
Lara’s new found abilities
by choosing from three different classes to put her
upgrade skills in and trans-
The Word
by Tyler Capner
forming Lara into someone
who fights her enemies at
close range, or someone who
can survive locating valuable artifacts to upgrade her
skills. Not to mention the
new upgrades she can put on
her pistol, bow, shotgun, and
machine gun.
The scenery of the
island is gorgeous as Lara
traverses from deep within
the forest to the shore on
which she can find hidden
treasure (which will help her
upgrade her weapons and
receive collectables).
With the new multiplayer function to the
game, players can be pit
against each other.
However it has a
short lasting appeal, as you
find out the multiplayer
seems lazily done and unnecessary.
Maybe a co-op
would have been a better
“WOO AMERICA!”
The next installment of Bioshock invites you
to Columbia, the home of
“true” Americans. In Columbia, your character, Dewitt, is
on a rescue mission to save a
girl known as Elizabeth.
All seems quiet
until you meet the locals who
quickly become hostile start
attacking.
With new enemies
and a new story everything is
brought to life as the scenery
creates a joyous disbelief.
Gamers may
recognize some of their
favorite superheroes in this
one-on-one fighting game
called Injustice: Gods
Among Us.
The game takes
place after the Joker has
destroyed Metropolis and
killed Superman’s wife
and unborn child.
As a result, heroes and villains alike are
Cap’s Top Picks
idea, or a co-op story that
was different from the single
player.________________
All in all the game
reaches an 8.5/10 in my
book.
Even though all of
the kinks haven’t been
worked out, it might be a
new, better formula for new
Tomb Raider releases in the
future.
During the first
hour of gameplay, I spent 45
minutes simply admiring the
scenery.
Overall, the game
has scored 10/10 on mostly
every game site, such as IGN
and Gamer Informer.
And to those gamers who want a challenge,
here’s the code to unlock
1999 Mode.
Up, Up, Down,
Down, Left, Right, Left,
Right, B, A (for Xbox) or O X
for PS3.
pit against each other in
one-on-one fights to the
death.
The game has a
feeling just like the classic
game Mortal Kombat.
I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if finishers
or brutal deaths find a way
into the game.
And I mean why
so serious?
#25 Super Mario Galaxy
#24 Lego Batman 2
#23 God of War Saga
#22 Devil May HD
#21 Gears of War Series
#20 Lego City Undercover
#19 Zombie U
#18 Lost Odyssey
#17 DMC Devil May Cry
#16 Heavy Rain
#15 Infamous Series
#14 Halo Series
#13 Uncharted Series
#12 Tomb Raider
#11Legend of Zelda:
Majora’s Mask
#10 Resident Evil 6
#9 Silent Hill HD
#8 Resident Evil 4
#7 Demon’s Souls
#6 Far Cry 3
#5 Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
#4 XCOM
#3 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina
of Time
#2 Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
#1 Dark Souls:
The one game I spend the
most time playing even to
this day. Dark Souls is an
unforgiving game because
when you die you lose all of
the experience that has been
gained, or souls. Souls are
meant to level up and buy/
repair equipment and with
one chance to claim what
you lost upon death, even the
best gamer can become
overwhelmed.
One has to be wary of what
lies ahead and the difficulty
is what keeps me into the
game.
#0 Resident Evil 0:
Just because I can.
The Word
Politics
Morning in America:
Waking from the American Dream
By Brian Doyle
For generations, social mobility
was believed to be the
unassailable foundation
of American society; the
notion that all citizens,
regardless of their wealth,
or their families’ societal
status, were free to pursue
success, luxury, and
above all, happiness,
served as the crux of the
United States’ national
identity.
Immigrants
throughout the world
flocked to this great Land
of Opportunity with the
understanding that they
would not be judged on
the merits of their fathers—that they would be
afforded the chance to
live the American Dream.
Unfortunately
however, the American
Dream no longer reflects
the American Reality.
Ranking far behind Australia, Norway,
Finland, Canada, Sweden,
Germany, Spain and
France in terms of intergenerational social mobility, according to a report
issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States
represents one of the most
class-bound societies in
the developed world.
A far cry from
the romantic ideals of
their ancestors, 65% of
Americans born into the
lowest fifth quintile of income
distribution remain in the bottom two fifths.
Trapped in a vicious cycle of
destitution,
the
fate of America’s
indigent is, in all
likelihood, preordained; they will be born
into poverty, they will
live in poverty, and they
will die in poverty.
Although these
statistics are fairly recent,
the disturbing trends they
illustrate did not spontaneously generate in the
current century; rather it
was constructed through
decades of erroneous economic
poli c y .
T h e
social
immobility
t h a t
currently plagues the United
States—that has delegitimized the very foundation
of American society,
originated with the election of President Ronald
Reagan, and his implementation of a long forgotten fiscal policy: Supply-Side Economics.
The
Supply
Side
At first glance,
the Supply Side policies
of President Reagan appeared to be intentionally
callous. Cutting the tax
rate of the nation’s
wealthiest individuals
from 70% to 28.6%
Reagan’s policies showered America’s most successful with billions of
dollars in stimulus funds,
while practically ignoring
the
nation’s less
fortunate.
However,
while this
policy
may seem
cruel, it is
based in legitimate economic theory.
According to
Supply Side economists,
if stimulus is directed
toward the upper classes,
the wealthy will become
motivated either to spend
the funds, or hire workers, initiating a “trickle
down” effect and, as a
result, economic expansion. Historically, this
“The American
Dream no longer
reflects the
American
Reality.”
assertion has been proven
true.
Upon imp lementing supply side policies, President Reagan
oversaw an exponential
growth in his economy;
millions of jobs were created and America reestablished her role as an economic juggernaut.
However, what
Reagan, and the nation,
failed to understand was
that these gains had come
at a terrible price: income
i n e q u a l i t y .
Reagan’s
Fallacy
The prominent
flaw involved with cutting taxes for the wealthy
rests in the fact that
wealthier Americans are
not particularly inclined
to spend additional income. Seeing as they can
already afford what they
demand and often do not
wish to take the risk involved with investment,
particularly in an underperforming economy, the
majority of the stimulus
directed toward the rich
will be used to speculate
in financial markets, or
will be hidden in foreign
tax havens; only a minute
amount of funds will ever
be found in American
wallets.
Although just
enough of Reagan’s stimulus was spent to initiate
mild
economic growth
(which was all that was
needed to heal the stagnated economy
of the
1970s), the wasted spending, irrevocably lost on the
floors of the Stock Exchange, had created vast
deficits, unlike anything
the government had anticipated.
Realizing the
expanding economy would
not be able to control the
rising debts, President
Reagan was forced to raise
taxes. However, unwilling
to revoke the stimulus
package he had granted the
wealthy, Reagan levied his
tax increases primarily on
the lower classes, greatly
reducing their purchasing
power, and entirely negating any stimulus funds that
had actually “trickled
down.”
Meanwhile, the
capitalist classes, concerned with the lack of
consumer spending, in the
presence of a large government stimulus package,
withheld their investments,
and banks, now suffering
from a paucity of loanable
funds, raised interest rates.
Soon average
Americans, regardless of
their financial reliability,
were unable to receive
loans from the banks; potential entrepreneurs with
no line of credit available
to them were forced to
enter an oversaturated labor market as their hypothetical small businesses
went unopened. With a
potent increase in worker
availability and an unusual
lack of jobs wages spiraled,
and the severity of income
inequality rose substantially, and the American
youth, and their prospects
for social mobility, suff
e
r
e
d
.
C o n s e q u e n c e s
Unsurprisingly,
financial difficulty does
little to cultivate academic
success. If a student’s parents are struggling to remain fiscally sound, his
into an adequate college.
With the resulting
low educational credentials, a young man entering
the world has little chance
to secure a well paying job;
he will instead force himself to accept the low wage
product of the Reagan era.
Unable to offer his family
financial stability, the
young man’s children will
be condemned to the same
fate. This very scenario,
having repeated itself hundreds of thousands of times
throughout the late twenti-
ability to concentrate his
effort on education declines significantly. As
opposed to studying, a
child in a low income
household must concern
himself with his family’s
well-being.
Perhaps distracted by the forced assumption of multiple jobs,
or simply too distressed
over the depressing reality
that he is given food
stamps to avoid starvation
(as 25% of American children are today), a young
man in poverty is often
unable to pursue the extra
curricular activities, or the
academic assistance, necessary to gain acceptance
eth and early twenty-first
centuries, a permanent,
gargantuan lower class was
formed.
Upon the approximately generational
occurrence of a recession,
the majority’s capacity to
consume will determine the
severity of the crisis. If that
capacity is weak, as it had
been following the continuation of the Reagan
policies and the resulting
formation of the perpetual
low income households, an
economic incident will
bear devastatingly brutal
consequences.
So when the
housing market collapsed
in 2008, and the Great Re-
cession began, the economy was left extremely
vulnerable to the resulting
tremors, as the low income
majority, with their extreme paucity of savings,
were forced to cut their
already slim discretionary
spending to anemic levels.
Business suffered inconceivable losses, as America
plunged into the most ominous economic crisis since
the Great Depression. Although this tragedy is
documented and visible the
other consequences of social immobility are more
covert.
Their potential
shackled to unfortunate
circumstance, an innumerable amount of possible
doctors, lawyers, and scientists were irretrievably
lost under the pall of poverty. Although there is no
way to quantify how many
diseases have gone uncured, or how many advancements and innovations have gone unmade as
a result of this, the notion
that society has suffered
significantly for the American children’s deprivation
is undeniable.
With the
economic consequences of
social immobility clearly
defined and the societal
repercussions understood,
if the United States fails to
make a concentrated effort
to reverse the Supply Side
policies of the far Right,
the world will come to
lament American social
immobility, and they will
mourn the death of the
American Dream.
'Working' Down Memory Lane
Re me mb er ing a
phone number. Tying a shoe.
Plugging the distance formula
into a calculator. All of these
are the result of the working
memory in motion.
Moreover, the working memory is the information
the brain needs to do a certain
task. It is responsible for intelligence, attention, comprehension, and reason.
Working memory
includes different types of
learning. One can be either a
visual learner or verbal learner.
Visual learners can absorb
knowledge by pictures and
graphs, whereas verbal learners
require a more “hands on”
approach. An example of
verbal learning would be repeating a set of oral instructions over and over again in
order to commit it to memory.
Working memory is also
known as short term memory.
First kiss. Bad
breakup. Seeing your favorite
band in concert. Undeniably,
emotional memory leaves its
mark on the brain.
Contrary to working
memory, emotional memory
leaves the brain with vestiges
of stimuli. This stimulus contributes to long term memory.
A study was conducted on lab rats testing their
ability to retain emotional
memory through physical pain.
As a result, the lab rats would
not choose the path that caused
them pain. Similar to lab rats,
if a child touches a hot stove
and gets burned he will probably not touch that stove again.
This is the emotional stimulus that contributes
to long term memory.
Our sensory systems
pick up an emotional event and
categorize it as an explicit
memory or implicit memory.
The child’s explicit memory
holds the memory of being in
pain from the burn, whereas
the implicit memory recalls the
memory of being burned.
Working memory
and emotional memory correlate to Left Brain–Right Brain
theory by Roger W. Sperry.
While conducting
brain surgeries in the 1960’s,
Sperry concluded that memory,
objective, and subjective
thought are stored in two separate hemispheres of the brain.
Left-brainers have a
logical, objective, and analytical way of thinking. Conversely, those who are rightbrained have a visceral, expressive, subjective, and intuitive way of thinking.
Working memory
exists in the left hemisphere,
while emotional memory is
stored in the right hemisphere.
Additionally, we “cluster”
these memories in order to
organize thought.
Furthermore, mem-
by Chrissy Dustman
ory is how we learn and develop skills. Whether conscious or not, the brain relies
on the storage system of working memory and emotional
memory conjure that of which
it holds.
Unlike the lab rats,
we can process more in our
memories than what path leads
us to cheese and what leads us
to pain.
Moreover, Hollywood expands on our perception of memory in films like
Memento and Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind. In each,
the director makes profound
statements about our ability to
use and to manipulate memory.
However, most
people allow movies to fade
into their working memory.
For more information on how memory “works,”
visit www.cogmed.com/aboutworking-memory.
Test Yourself!
The following is a psychological test designed to assess your working
memory. Sometimes, our brain does not rely on memory, but pattern.
The Stroop Effect:
Say what the color and shape are inside the box as fast as you can. Ignore
the writing underneath. For example: for the first box, you say “red circle.” The working memory correlates with your ability to recognize colors, words, and shapes.
For more tests, please visit: www.cogmed.com/working-memory-challenge
The Word
The Word
Role Models
Dakota Fanning, age 19
Taylor Swift, age 23
Daniel Radcliffe, age 23
Ellen DeGeneres, age 55
Celebrity Scene
Dakota F
ann
end up liv ing is proof that n
ot
in
hand just g a ruined life. Lo all child stars
han on th
couldn’t h
e other
andle the
fame.
wn
nt do
e
w
life
.
say’s lor’s age “mean
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a
t is
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Than footstep
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Unlike the mos
girl’
t famous Karda
who started he
shian,
r career with an
infamous
lewd tape, Tay
lor enjoys dona
ting her
time and money
to charities whi
le also
being an inspir
ation to young
girls.
the
iffe in ever,
l
c
d
a
how
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ar abo ving; Kim, st talked
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e
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ev
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You n s for misbe op ten for m ood reason
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tablo o be in the nd not for
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seems elebrities…
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and as the ho is a role model
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Last but not least, Jerse
y’s finest,
Snooki is nowhere ne
ar able to
call herself a role mo
del. The
“meatball” is still unaw
are of the
fact that the Jersey tur
npike is a
road, not just a dance
move.
Anti-Role
Models
Lindsay Lohan, age 26
Kim Kardashian, age 32
Charlie Sheen, age 47
Nicole Polizzi, age 25