May - South Brunswick School District
Transcription
May - South Brunswick School District
the v king vibe INSIDE THE VIBE NEWS: District Art Gallery Amazes SB page 4 Volume 10 - Issue 8 May 2009 South Brunswick High School 750 Ridge Road Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852 VIBE: CULTURE: I’m a Trekkie, You’re a Trekkie... SPORTS: Spring Sports Capsule Updates page 10-11 entertainment 1 The Pirandello Players Present: Oklahoma! By Monika Nandi 2012 From May 7 through May 9, 7:30-10:30pm, SBHS’s Pirandello Players performed the spring musical Oklahoma! in the auditorium. “This musical attracted some of the biggest audiences [every] night that I’ve ever seen,” said Ms. Ginny Kraft, director of the play and conductor of the orchestra. Oklahoma! is a drama, written by Rodgers and Hammerstiens, set in the Midwest in the year 1906. It features farm girl Laurey Williams (played by senior Cassie Guadaulpe), who is asked to the Box social dance by cowboy Curly McLain (senior Matt Wolf), but instead accepts obsessive farm hand Jud Fry’s (sophomore Chris Kenney) offer. When Curly asks her to reconsider, she teasingly rejects him, when in truth she is too scared to reject Jud. “I was in shock when I found out I was in the play, but I had a great time being a part of a musical again,” said senior Cassie Guadaulpe. Meanwhile, cowboy Will Parker (senior Michael Roche) comes back from Kansas City with 50 dollars, the amount of money needed to gain permission from his lover, Ado Annie’s (senior Kim Gorman) father. However, he spends the money on gifts for her instead. “I loved the play overall, especially, how at some scenes, they would foreshadow things,” said vibe:culture Contribute to the entertainment section! Writers meet on Tuesdays in A205 with Mr. Honig. freshman Jordan Mesibov. Ado Annie, though, grudgingly admits to Laurey that she has been spending a lot of time with peddler Ali Hakim (sophomore Joe Lalumia). Ado’s father finds Ado and Ali together and forces him at gunpoint to marry Ado. Desperate to be rid of Ado, Ali helps Will Parker get the money needed at a fair. “I was laughing so much at the comedy by the end of the first part,” said freshman Megan Hussey, “The play flowed really well.” At the social, Curly enters with farm girl Gertie Cummings and outbids Jud for Laurey’s boxed lunch. Jud later confronts Laurey about his feelings for her and Laurey outright rejects him. Angry, he threatens her to love him. Scared by Jud, Laurey fires him as her farm hand and tells him to get off her property. “I was just on the edge of my seat the whole time, waiting for the next scene,” said freshmen Lindsay Gohd. On the day of their wedding, though, Jud stumbles in, drunk, and gets in a knife fight with Curly. While fighting, the drunken Jud falls on his own knife and dies. Curly and Laurey finally get married and leave for their honeymoon, while the rest of the town sings “Oklahoma.” “It was hard playing an antagonist, but once I got the hang of it, I had a lot of fun,” said sophomore Chris Kenney. “The cast was really fun to work with,” added Wolf, “ I had a lot of fun singing with them.” Check out the E-vibe! http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/school_ information/communications.php 2 The Viking Vibe May 2009 2009 news From the Editor’s Desk: Letter to the Editor: re: What a Change! The May issue of The Viking Vibe is the tangible manifestation of the figurative torch that one Editor-in-Chief passes to the next—the issue that represents the collaborative work of both old and new editors. This year, I had the honor of passing the torch over to junior Samantha Orlan and sophomore Roshni Shah, next year’s Co-Editors-in-Chief who primarily took charge of the content and layout of this issue. Samantha and Roshni are equally dedicated to the continued success of the Vibe, and hopefully, with the help of freshman Ektaa Sanghvi (the Vibe’s new layout editor), South Brunswick High School will be privileged to another year of home-spun news. And as insignificant as such a small paper as the Vibe may seem in comparison to The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Wall Street Journal, one cannot deny the importance of a paper catered exclusively to the interests of South Brunswick’s own students, staff, community. One cannot deny the joy of seeing a daughter’s picture on the front page of the May issue (in color, might I add), the joy of seeing a friend’s quote add to the strength of an article, the joy of seeing your own name on the byline of a double-truck. To an Editor-in-Chief, there is nothing more magical that seeing stories told and issues unfold in crisp, clean print. And there is nothing more gratifying than making it happen. My good-luck wishes to Samantha, Roshni, and Ektaa, and my thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy of the Vibe this year. -Anita Modi (‘09) I think one of the most amusing parts of my new position as a Board of Education member is meeting my old teachers from elementary or middle school. Some people actually don’t understand why this is fun at all, as, many times, the teachers don’t recognize me and become very surprised when they learn about the results of the election. However, seeing as I was an extremely quiet child, it’s really understandable. In fact, I remember in kindergarten, I would be too shy to ever ask to go to the restroom and in middle school, I would prefer to sit and read by myself instead of participating in a large group. However, if the most amusing perk is meeting my old teachers, a close second would be seeing my current acquaintances’ surprise when they hear about what I was like when I was younger. I have changed in so many ways since my childhood that when I read old journal entries, I sometimes don’t even recognize myself. And these changes have come about through the people I have met, as well as through the knowledge and experience that has empowered me as an individual. As a result, all I really want to say is that it’s never too late to make an improvement in your life. Regardless of whether you want to change over the summer or completely reinvent yourself in college, in a couple years, you’ll be wondering how you could’ve ever functioned differently. -Elizabeth Chang (‘09) Signing Out 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, Tajah Ebram, Justin Berger, 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. 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. New Policy Affects AP Test-Takers Hannah Green 2009 Since this was the first year that SBHS students had to pay for their AP tests, this was also the first year that taking AP tests was not mandatory for students enrolled in AP classes. According to SBHS Assistant Principal Mr. Leonard Santamaria, in light of this new policy, 162 fewer AP tests were ordered than would have been if all students tooks all AP tests for courses that they were enrolled in. However, 485 SBHS students still signed up to take a total of 1002 AP tests. The number of students taking AP tests has stayed roughly the same from the past couple of years, though the total number of AP tests ordered is down slightly from 1080 tests ordered in 2007. SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney said, “I think it was a very good sign that we administered more than 1000 tests this year. We have consistently administered around that same total for the past few years. “I think it’s impressive that—when given the choice for the first time in recent years—about 90% of our AP students chose to take their exams even when they had to pay for it,” he pointed out. Mr. Santamaria said, “I think that students chose not to take certain AP tests because of the subject material. If a student could not afford their tests, the school would pay for them. That was very well-known.” According to Mr. Santamaria, the school ended up paying $2,066 for 31 AP tests for students who were unable to afford their exams. Last year, when the school paid for all AP exams, the total cost was just over $79,000. Mr. Santamaria also said that the courses where the most students chose to opt-out of taking their AP tests were French, Spanish, and Art History. World Language Supervisor Mr. Thomas Decker said, “I think it was just a question of students prioritizing. Since they had to pay, parents may have asked their children to make choices about what to take. “Students probably also thought about what their colleges would give credit for and what their furture interests are. The Spanish test was on the same day as the Statisitics test, and students may not have wanted to take two tests into one day. These are just some factors that might have played a role in students decisions,” he explained. On the other hand, there were large increases in the number of students taking the AP Statistics and AP Macro/ Microeconomics tests. As usual, numerous students chose to take the AP Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry exams. Some students from other schools also requested to take AP exams at SBHS. The most requested exam of this nature was AP Music Theory. While this was the first year that students did not have to take their AP tests, students did not have this information when making course choices last year. Senior Becca Dahl said, “There might be changes in AP class enrollment next year, now that students know they don’t have to take the AP test for the class ahead of time.” news Service Opportunities from SBHS’s Senior Center Prerana Chatty and Gunjan Mehta 2012 Last month, this column described volunteer opportunities at the library. Another location in the community where students can volunteer is the South Brunswick Senior Center. SBHS students are encouraged to volunteer at the senior center over the summer, and have many tasks to choose from, depending on their interests. GREETER This is a person who welcomes individuals as they enter the center. Being a greeter also involves helping those who enter the building using the touch screen base entry. The hours for this specific volunteer opportunity are from 1:304:30pm, which is why students are only eligible to volunteer for this position in the summer. YARD WORK Something students can do year-round as volunteers is yard work. This consists of basic tasks such as raking leaves in the fall, shoveling snow in the winter, or watering the plants in the summer. WII ASSISTANT This is a unique and enjoyable volunteer opportunity for high school students, who are to help the seniors learn to play the Nintendo Wii System. For this job, weekday hours span from 9:30am-1:30pm. “I volunteered at the senior center as a Wii Assistant last summer,” said freshman Neha Dutta, “And I really liked it. It was a way for me to have fun while helping the seniors.” BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST ASSISTANT This job involves preparing breakfast for the seniors on the fourth Tuesday of every month, which is when the monthly birthday breakfast is held. The specific hours for this duty are from 7:00-10:00am. “I volunteered as the birthday breakfast assistant at the senior center last summer,” said junior Sanjana Proddutur, “It was really neat to be able to help the seniors and make them happy while having fun myself.” SENIOR SOCIETY During the weeks of the annual SBHS Senior Society program, students can spend their time at the South Brunswick Senior Center, talking and relating to seniors. Three to four students are accepted every year and they must apply through the township’s human resources department. Although the deadline for senior society has passed this year, students can still apply for the senior center next year. Those interested can contact Bobbie at: 732-329-4000 x 7306. OFFER TALENTS Students can also offer their unique talents to the senior center if they are not interested in any of the opportunties mentioned, or if they wish to contribute in some other way alongside partaking in one of the listed opportunties. The center is interested in the abilities of its volunteers and can often use these talents in a creative manner. According to the senior center, there are certain qualities that student volunteers should have, which would make sure that both students and seniors benefit from the experience of volunteering. Students should have good communication skills, both written and oral. They should also have good organizational skills. In order to fully help the seniors, volunteers should be able to navigate the Internet and independently solve problems. They should be patient, sympathetic, impartial, and reliable. SBHS students are highly encouraged to contribute their time to the senior center in order to benefit the older citizens of South Brunswick and to benefit themselves with the experience, as well. Students interested in volunteering at the senior center can contact: 732 -329-4000 x 7682 and ask for Christine. The address for the senior center is: May 2009 The Viking Vibe JSA Students Head to Spring State Zach Cohen and Aaron Lassin 2010, 2011 Debates, speeches, and voting! These are just a few of the many activities that students participated in at the Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) Spring State Convention from April 25 to April 26. The South Brunswick chapter journeyed up to Parsippany, New Jersey to unite with their fellow Mid-Atlantic State members, and this is where students hung out, debated, and voted for the future leaders of JSA. Topics of debates varied from whether the U.S. should transfer Guantanamo Bay prisoners to American prisons, to whether the Patriot Act should be repealed, and included other issues currently being debated by American leaders. “I thoroughly enjoyed all the debates, and tried to get involved in every debate I was in the room for,” said junior Humza Haque. Besides engaging in debates, students spent time talking to candidates who were running for the different elected positions, which included the New Jersey Region (NJR) Mayor, NJR Vice Mayor, MAS Liutenent Governor, and MAS Govenor. Candidates who are from schools all over the region took time to field questions about their plans if they win. When elected, they then picked their cabinet and shape JSA to try and make it better than last year’s organization. “I felt a lot of emotions during this convention. It brought up a lot of good memories from my campaign for Lieutenant Governor (LTG), and I was really excited for all of the candidates whether they won or lost,” said senior and current Lieutenant Governor Manas Kulkarni. Candidates who won the elections will be responsible for leading JSA in the Mid-Atlantic or New Jersey regions— both of which South Brunswick is part of. Officers will also strive to help all JSA chapters next year, and to be responsible for planning and making sure conventions such as this one are successful. In the JSA organization, the convention campaigning and elections are similar to those of U.S. presidential candidates with regards to hype and purpose. They have great impact on everybody involved, especially students here in South Brunswick, which hosts one of the most well-respected chapters in the nation. “All the candidates were great, but I feel like the ones who won really deserved it, and will do a fantastic job,” said junior Emil Chen. Overall, students experienced an emotional time saying goodbye to some of their closest friends from other chapters of the JSA organization. In the process, countless tears were shed from students realizing their time with their own chapter had come to an end such as current (LTG) Kulkarni, and current Vice Mayor Antonia Hyman. Club advisor Ms. Keisha Thom said, “The JSA convention was a success, but I believe that our JSA chapter could have brought along more students, and participated much more. Regardless, this trip was a great learning experience for everyone. SBHS JSA currently is winding down their year with elections as well, along with other fun-filled debates. The chapter meets every Friday after school and encourages all students to come join and debate. 540 Ridge Rd. Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852 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! 3 JSA members from across the region gather for debate./PHOTO COURTESY OF Manas Kulkarni (‘09) 4 May 2009 2009 The Viking Vibe Renaissance Plans for June-a-Palooza Samantha Orlan 2010 For the first time, the Renaissance club is hosting a fair called “June-a-Palooza” on Friday, June 5 from 2:30-8:00pm on the SBHS soccer field. Entrance is free, but bringing money is encouraged to buy food and tickets for games throughout the day. Renaissance Co-Advisor Dr. Roberto DeBari exclaimed, “It’s not a fundraiser; it’s a FUN-raiser!” As he explained, “We aren’t trying to raise money or awareness, or promote anything. We are merely trying to reward our students for their excellent character throughout the academic year.” The Renaissance Club aims to “appreciate, celebrate, and reward student achievement through the partnerships built among administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and local businesses,” according to the club’s page on the school website. The club does this through monthly student and teacher of the month awards, along with an annual appreciation luncheon for custodians and paraprofessionals. The fair will consist of games, facepainting, caricatures, karaoke, psychic and palm readings, raffles, food, “fabulous” prizes, and booths hosted by clubs from the entire school, according to Dr. DeBari. Students will have the opportunity to win goldfish and other prizes in a raffle. June-a-Palooza will feature Mr. Shaun Ruymen’s band, the Break-Dance club, the Step Team, and a concert by the Amped Club featuring several bands from the South Brunswick community. Freshman Talia Togno said, “It really sounds fun! It’s a good school activity that students can bring their friends to and have a good time.” Plenty of food will be available both for free and for sale by local shops and school clubs. Junior Jennifer Sperber said, “The June-a-Palooza is a collaboration between staff, students, and local businesses to demonstrate all the wonderful things South Brunswick has to offer.” Co-Advisor Miss Janessa Pugner, added, “The June-a-Palooza [will] recognize outstanding students who have impressive academic or behavior records by celebrating with them and having a good time.” Junior Cindy Lim added, “It’s going to be a fun day filled with games, performances and food that appeals to all students’ eclectic tastes.” Every other week, club members collaborate to come up with new ideas aimed to bring excitement to the fair. Every SBHS student and staff member is invited and welcome to attend, as are other members of the South Brunswick community. Sophomore Greg Herzog declared, “It’s going to be awesome!” Juniors Jessica Woisznies and Mahmoud Kharrubi predicted that this event will integrate and bring together the “variety of clubs at SBHS” and celebrate “students and teachers for their contributions throughout the year.” news FBLA and Key Club Participate in March of Dimes Walk Chelsea McCook our national cause.” Seniors and co-presidents of FBLA, 2010 Amanda Izzo and Rachel Holt were exOn Sunday, April 26, two teams from South Brunswick along with some individual volunteers walked five miles in the March for Babies walk at the Rutgers Athletic Center. FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and Key Club have supported the organization for the past few years. March of Dimes helps mothers have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies. If something goes wrong during the preganancy, they offer information and comfort to families by researching the problems that threaten babies and working to prevent them. FBLA had a strong showing of 60 student participants—nearly half of the club. The club created awareness by selling March of Dimes bracelets and starting a Facebook group earlier in the year, while Key Club similarly got the word out to their members, as well. FBLA Advisor Mrs. Karen Hunte brought her family along for the walk. She said, “It’s really great to see how the whole club can come together to support a good cause. Miss Laura Dec and I were happy to see our club so involved with the FBLA community service as this is Edison College Fair Provides Opportunity for SBHS Juniors Mark Desmond 2010 Members of the Renaissance Team, along with the club co-advisors, plan and prepare for their first school-wide fair, the June-A-Palooza./PHOTOS ./ ./PHOTOS BY Saadia Ahmad (‘10) cited about the turnout. “We usually go to the walk in Mercer County so this was a new experience, but we all showed up and got through the five miles just to support the cause,” shared Izzo. Despite the almost overwhelming 95° weather, the walk included thousands of participants from all over Middlesex County. Member of FBLA, junior Shivani Patel said, “The walk was long and grueling, but it was worth it because it was for a good cause.” Even though the walk has passed, there are still ways to get involved. Anyone interested can donate to the March of Dimes at any time by going online to http://www.marchofdimes.com/. Participants can register, set up a personal web page, compose e-mails, keep track of donations, send thank-you e-mails to donors, and keep a record of their outreach for next year. Sophomore David Li said he believes in getting involved with these community service events. He added, “It’s always good to help people and if all you have to do is get a few sponsors and walk to make a difference in the lives of others, it’s definitely worth it.” On April 28 and April 29, thousands of high school students from the New Jersey area, including many SBHS students, attended the Edison National College Fair. The fair offered students the chance to speak with admissions officers from colleges around the country, and even around the world. A total of 418 colleges had booths set up to provide prospective students with information about their schools. Students took advantage of the informative brochures, which described everything from admissions requirements to campus life at particular schools. Junior Frank Capraro stated, “The event was really helpful for planning out the college admissions process. I got to ask all of the questions that I had to admissions officers from each of the schools I am looking at. I even had the chance to schedule an interview with the head of admissions at TCNJ.” This event allowed students to get real-life interactions with potential colleges, and also allowed colleges to recruit prospective students. Schools well-known in the tri-state area such as Rutgers and Penn State had dozens of students eagerly lined up at their booths to speak with admissions officers. University of Delaware Assistant Admissions Officer Ms. Jenna Wiltor stated, “The process was really strenuous for us. I think because we are a large school and receive many applications from students in this area. I could not spend more than a minute with each student.” Smaller schools from distant areas, such as St. Michael’s University in Vermont, allowed more one-on-one time for the select students looking at the school to have long, in-depth discussions with admissions officers. Schools represented at the fair were not organized alphabetically or by region, but rather, were scattered across the area. You could find a large state school from California next to a small private school from Vermont. Junior Gary Colson stated, “The layout was very confusing. It would take me 15 minutes to get from one booth to the next. Luckily, they gave out maps to the fair, so it was a little less confusing, but even with the maps, the fair was really overwhelming.” Despite the layout and the crowds, students gained an invaluable opportunity to partake in an important part of their college admissions process. Students filled out forms for every separate booth they visited to show to the colleges they were interested in; and although it seems like a simple task, colleges find it very helpful to the admissions process. Speaking with a representative from a particular college at the fair shows that the student has a genuine interest in the school, and serves as the first step in building a relationship with the school before applying there. And just as attending this fair was the first step in finding a college for many students, it was also the first step in evaluating future students for admissions counselors able to interact with the prospective students that day. news District Student Art Gallery Amazes SB Community Miranda Sirimis 2012 On Wednesday, April 22, artwork by students in grades K-12 was on display at the South Brunswick District Student Art Gallery. The event took place in the Annex Gym from 6:00-9:00pm, and families from across the district came to view the collection. The exceptional pieces of artwork put on display were selected by art teachers from South Brunswick. “I think that the variety and the quality of the artwork was dazzling. It’s wonderful to see the development of artwork from kindergarten to twelfth grade,” said SBHS art teacher Ms. Priscilla Algava. There were many different types of artwork varying from sculptures to paintings and pastels by students of all different ages. One unique painting, done by junior Jessica Jang, depicted a melted hand reaching out over a partially-cracked egg with a chain locked over it. “I liked it because it looked scary but it has deep insight,” said freshman Kristin Tran. SBHS senior Andrew Wang contributed a pencil drawing of a girl with flowers in her hair looking down to the event. “I think that the drawing really shows her emotions,” said freshman Tierra Johnson. Freshman Rebecca Lane also liked the life-like features of the drawing, adding, “I think that it looks really realistic. I like the intensity of the eyes.” Senior Michael Ungano took a different approach for his painting, which featured two men facing each other on opposite sides of a guitar--as opposed to opposite sides of a canvas. “I like the way he painted it on a guitar,” said freshman Tulika Sen, “It’s unique and different.” Senior Ashwini Dhokte contributed a pencil drawing of a piece of cloth to the gallery. “It took me about a month or so to finish, and I was relatively satisfied with it,” she said. Dhotke described how art gallery attendees could write messages to the artists, commenting on their work. “My teacher, Ms. Cooper, wrote me a note about my drawing. It was really sweet,” she said. Junior Ruhi Srinivasan contributed a painting of tomatoes to the gallery. The idea for the painting came from a picture that art portfolio teacher Ms. Betty Ann Snediker offered her on returning from a trip to Thailand. “I thought it was interesting and different for me; this is my first year in art portfolio and it’s great.” Overall, the event seems to be a wonderful opportunity for students and their families to see different types of artwork representing all different age groups. Srinivasan also mentioned that the gallery served as a preview for the art portfolio students’ own galley, an event expected to be held later this year. Srinivasan hopes to contribute both a painting of scissors and a chalk drawing of her friend to the event. Congratulations to Ariel Halpern (’10), Gregory Nowachek (’10), Catherine Recklehoff (’10), Heather Rosen (’10), Joshua Walker (’12), Betty Wang (’10), and Cassandra Weeden (’12) whose artwork will be a part of next year’s district calendar! Ilustration by Ashwini Dhokte (‘09) May 2009 The Viking Vibe 5 Red Cross Dance-a-Thon Raises Money and Awareness Amishi Desai 2009 On Saturday, April 18, the New Jersey Red Cross Youth Council hosted its fourth annual Dance-a-Thon, “Insomnia,” from 6:00-10:00pm to raise money for both the American Red Cross and the Measles Initiative. High school students volunteered to participate in the event by either coming to the Heightstown High School to participate in the event, or by fundraising in local neighborhoods and businesses for sponsors. “South Brunswick had the most people [who attended],” said Red Cross Club President, Priya Sharma. Sophomore Kaamya Bhandari said, “There were definitely more people last year compared to this year. We wanted to try something new and it didn’t result in the way we expected but we can learn from this year’s Dance-a-thon and improve next year.” Sponsors included individuals as well as companies desiring advertisement via the Red Cross items, such as the “Imsomnia” t-shirts and journals. A.J. Worldwide Services, Dunkin’ Donuts of Sayreville, and OHM International, Inc. were among the sponsors. The actual Dance-a-Thon took place in the red cafeteria, where the D.J., a Montgomery High School student, supplied the volunteer dancers with music continuously for four hours. “It started at 6:00pm and then we served food as people got in. The D.J. had the music playing the whole time. We didn’t really have a schedule since we had the cafeteria split up between the dance floor and the food area so people could eat and dance whenever they wanted to. It ended at 10:00pm at which time we announced the prizes,” summarized Sharma. The food was offered buffet-style, allowing volunteers to take time to eat when they preferred. Options included both sub sandwiches and pasta provided by the Americana Diner and Olive Garden. Prizes were given according to the fundraising amounts of the volunteers and consisted primarily of gift cards. An iPod Shuffle was reserved for the volunteer contributing the most money to the event. Volunteers also had the opportunity to earn door prizes if they contributed at least 50 dollars and the opportunity to receive the grand prize if they contributed at least 100 dollars. In the midst of dancing, listening to music and taking advantage of the event to have fun with friends, the volunteers were directly supporting the Measles Initiative and Red Cross organizations. The Measles Initiative donations served to provide money for one-dollar measles vaccinations in third-world countries while remaining donations served to develop revenue for the numerous American Red Cross endeavors. In total, the event raised 8,000 dollars. Though the amount was significantly less than that of last year, no less than 12,000 dollars, the fundraiser did meet expectations and was successful considering this year’s economic circumstances and the event’s change in location. Bhandari said, “The trip was worth it. Although it was held at an unknown place, we still got a large turnout and I had an amazing time hanging out with my friends and dancing.” “It was relatively successful, considering the state of the economy; we were happy to raise 8,000 dollars,” said Sharma. 6 The Viking Vibe May 2009 2009 SBHS Remembers Mrs. JoAnn Christian Saadia Ahmad 2010 After fighting a battle with cancer that returned after seven years Mrs. JoAnn Elizabeth Cammarata Christian passed away at the Raritan Bay Medical Center on Monday, May 4. Mrs. Christian dedicated herself to two different career paths. Prior to coming to South Brunswick, Mrs. Christian worked at the Princeton Healthcare System. She came to work in the district over 25 years ago to be closer with her children when they began attending school, and she stayed through the graduation of one of her grandchildren last year. Mrs. Christian began working as a paraprofessional at Constable Elementary School, and also filled the roles of lunch aid, secretary, and classroom aide as needed, before joining the high school staff. “Mrs. Christian just wanted to be in the schools and do whatever job was needed,” said Mrs. Patricia Abitabilo, the Assistant Principal for the Class of 2012, who worked with her beginning in 1994 when she came to the high school. “She loved to help people, especially kids. She was pleasant to all who came in and was very helpful,” she said. Math teacher Mr. Larry Witlen taught a class called the “Math Lab” with Mrs. Christian for two years in the late 1980s. “She admitted that she wasn’t great at math,” Mr. Witlen said, “but she still tried to help whenever she could. She wasn’t making a six-figure salary here, but she did whatever she could, and you really couldn’t ask more from a person.” Almost every year, she gave Mr. Witlen a check for the fundraiser he runs yearly, Pedals for Progress. If he was teaching when someone donated a bike, she would keep the bikes safe until he could come down. “She was among only two or three people who thought my sense of humor was more than just an annoyance,” he added. Mr. Witlen explained that there are people in the school who are trying to deal with and overcome physical ailments and adversity, and it helps to see people who can rise to the occasion and not bring people down, but to be a good example for others to follow through their own challenges. Through all the medical problems Mrs. Christian endured, she didn’t seem to dwell on it. “If someone is always complaining, it affects people. But she dealt with what was given to her,” he said. When the annex was added to the building, Mrs. Christian mainly worked as the receptionist in the freshman office. There, she organized collections of metal tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. According to the organization’s website, the Ronald McDonald House “offers families a way to stay together, in proximity to the treatment hospital, be comfortable and cared for during their stay... and communicate better with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed.” The organization received money in proportion to the number of tabs collected that aided ill children and their families, whether by providing shelter, financial support, or counseling. Throughout this school year, Mrs. Christian participated in clinical trials for cancer research and treatments that were based in Florida and the University of Boston. The discovery of new, possible treatments required human testing. Mrs. Christian volunteered to take experimental medications and travel to the research facilities to determine if the treatments were effective. “She was willing to put herself through [treatments] so others could benefit from cancer research,” said Mrs. Abitabilo. According to Mrs. Abitabilo, she was known for bringing “a smile, a willingness to help, and to never let problems interfere with what needed to be done.” Mrs. Christian will be remembered most for her unselfishness and willingness to help-- despite dealing with the problems that arise with a terminal disease, she didn’t want to burden others even as the situation worsened. “She wanted to go on, no matter how sick she was, and [remained] ready to help. And I think that in a way, that helped her with her own problems.” Mrs. Abitabilo believes that Mrs. Christian would want the SBHS community to keep in mind that even as they endure bad days and encounter problems, it’s still conceivable to be kind to others. And it’s very possible, she said, that someone in the same room may have it worse. Similarly, Mr. Witlen believes that her message would be to “give what you can to make the world better and try to be as positive as you can be, no matter your circumstances.” Mrs. Christian leaves behind her husband of 39 years, John, her three daughters, several grandchildren, her mother, and other relatives. “She wanted to go on, no matter how sick she was, and [remained] ready to help. I think that in a way, that helped her with her own problems.” -Mrs. Patricia Abitabilo news Vendor Night Helps Fund Project Graduation Monika Nandi 2012 On Friday, April 24, Project Graduation hosted its third annual Ladies Shopping Night (also called Vendor Night) in the blue cafeteria from 7:00-10:00pm and raised around 2,500 dollars in the process. “It was cool to just walk around shopping. You could take your time looking at things, too,” said sophomore Kelsey Anderson. Project Graduation is an organization that collects money through fundraisers and parent donations to host an allnight, alcohol- and drug-free party for the graduating seniors. Project Graduation is funded by the Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse. “We are right on track and might have even more money [for Project Graduation] than last year because of all the successful events including Vendor Night,” said Ms. Dawn Chromey, a cochair of Project Graduation, “So far, we have raised about 25,000 dollars.” The organization put advertisements in the paper, asking for vendors from retail and home-based businesses to open their booths for Vendor Night. “I’m so proud that so many women have started their own businesses. There were also a lot of kids helping out their parents,” said SBHS Head Librarian Ms. Nancy Geiger. Some kiosks included jewelry, chocolate, purses, headbands, home based recipes, and cosmetics. “I loved the chocolate booth. They gave you free samples,” said sophomore Maggie Boyle. Some of the most popular vendors were Avon, Tupperware, Purely Gourmet, Dove Chocolate Discoveries, Pampered Chef, and Designer Diva. The prices ranged from as low as eight dollars to as high as in the hundreds of dollars, depending on the object. “One of the most popular vendors was the National State Jewelry Buyers,” said Ms. Mariann Long, also a co-chair of Project Graduation, “But there was a crowd at almost every vendor. LAMP Club Hands Out Easter Happiness In A Basket Bhanu Jayarangan 2011 The members of LAMP, the Leadership and Mentoring Program, collected items to create Easter baskets and gift bags for the women and children of the Battered Women’s Shelter in New Brunswick. “We created 15 Easter baskets and 12 gift bags filled with soap, shampoos and other things like that,” said LAMP Advisor Ms. Nicole Sanyigo, “We also donated five dozen eggs to dye and plastic eggs for the children’s egg hunt.” The Mary Kay Cosmetics Company, many SBHS clubs, and about 20 staff members helped support this fundraising event. The fundraising got off to a good start with a “generous donation of stuffed animals” from one staff member, according to Ms. Sanyigo. “I really enjoy doing things that make a difference in the community,” said sophomore Nicole Ruggiero, “It makes me feel like I am important and it also makes me feel satisfied that I could make someone else’s life better in some way.” The Battered Women’s Shelter is run by the Women Aware agency, established in 1979 to offer free services to women affected by domestic abuse. Currently, Women Aware can fully provide for up to ten families. Ms. Sanyigo also stated that it is very important to make people aware of domestic violence. She mentioned how the shelter not only takes women in, but also helps them get out in about a month. The shelter encourages women to take charge of their own lives and get back on their feet. “What people need to know about domestic violence is that it is a much bigger problem than society is willing to accept,” noted Ruggiero, “Most people don’t realize that abuse affects its victim mentally as well as physically. It breaks down a person’s dignity, making her feel worthless.” LAMP also held a fundraiser for Mother’s Day gifts, and plans to hold self-defense classes next October. The proceeds of the classes will go to sponsoring a Christmas project. Alex Kuhn 2009 culture and introduce just the right amount of cheesiness to an otherwise very serious score. Abrams built every possible set, keeping with his strict no greenscreen rule, and everything else was added in with the tireless work of more than ten special effects companies. With ILM in the captain’s chair, you knew that this was going to drop some jaws. The ships, the explosions, and everything else were amazing. The astonishing part is that so much of the original series has been kept intact. You will find all of the characters, the phases, the pointy ears, the “beam me up,” and even Captain Kirk’s ability to seduce green women. The attention to detail was never an Abrams staple in any media, but if any film was going to elevate him to the critical status he deserves, it’s going to be this movie. Not often do we see a film that so effortlessly blends action, adventure, skillful writing, masterful directing, emotional acting, a stirring score, and special effects as Star Trek does. J.J. Abrams has revitalized a very diluted story, and by using his trademark time traveling ploy, has made Star Trek all his own. Only he knows where the series will boldly go now, and with old Trekkies and new fans alike joining the crew of the Enterprise every day, Star Trek will undoubtedly spawn at least a trilogy, if not more. Illustration by Alex Kuhn (‘09) The Viking Vibe Entertainment Section Only a week after the critically disappointing X-Men: Origins Wolverine, J.J. Abrams (creator of Alias & LOST, director of Mission Impossible III and Cloverfield) brought to the big screen a prequel worthy of opening the summer movie season. Star Trek opens with the Romulan villain Nero attacking the U.S.S. Kelvin, which is only saved when George Kirk sacrifices himself to save his wife. She gives birth soon after to James Tiberius Kirk. For a few minutes, the film follows young Spock and Kirk as they mature, then focuses in on their joining of the Federation. After about three years (very reminiscent of recent LOST episodes), the future crew of the enterprise is called to action to stop Nero once again. Through an emotional conflict with Spock, Kirk is stranded on an ice planet where he meets a future Spock who explains how and why he and Nero are there. From the moment Nero appeared and attacked the Kelvin, the old Star Trek is no more, and a completely new timeline is created. Kirk meets with the crew of the Enterprise, and heads to Earth for one last round with Nero; winner take all. How do you recast Star Trek with no William Shatner. no Leonard Nimoy (okay, maybe a little Nimoy), no George Takei, and obviously no James Doohan? Well that’s not Star Trek. At least, not anymore it isn’t. The new breakdown is as follows: Chris Pine is James Kirk, Zachary Quinto is Spock, Karl Urban is Dr. McCoy, John Cho is Hikaru Sulu, Simon Pegg is Scotty, Zoe Saldana is Uhura, Anton Yelchin is Pavel Chekov, and Leonard Nimoy returns as a future Spock (Eric Bana also fills the alien villain shoes as Nero). Pine, Quinto, Pegg, Urban, and Yelchin are the standouts; each took their predecessor’s work into consideration, but also skillfully reinvented their characters, taking them in new, deeper directions. Cho and Saldana could have used some work in the beginning, but improved greatly by the conclusion. And of course, you’ve got to appreciate the return of the first Spock in Nimoy who, after more than 20 years with human ears, donned his bowl cut and slipped perfectly back into his trademark role. Abram’s musical go-to guy Michael Giacchino, who has created the scores for LOST, Cloverfield, The Incredibles, The Call of Duty game series, and Speed Racer, fills the composer slot once again. Being called to come up with music for something that’s already been scored hundreds of times over seemed very unimpressive and uninspiring, but what Giacchino did for the film was amazing. He took Star Trek’s original music, mixed it with LOST’s and some new material, put it on a grander scale ten times over, and proceeded to turn it up to 11. Just when you expect a somber John Locke to walk on screen, the classic tunes kick in vibe:culture I’m a Trekkie, you’re a Trekkie, and we’re all going to be Trekkies Wolverine Gets Summer Movies off to a Slow Start vibe: vibe ception is made worse by clichéd dialogue for every single actor. The action is noticeably over-the-top, even for a superhero film. Many of the fight scenes are shot and edited poorly, making them simply boring to watch. Now, if you are a nitpicker at all, this movie is only worse for you. There are a few unrealistic scenes that never seem to make sense at all. For examples, there is no blood at all in any of the action sequences that involve a guy slicing people into pieces! Worst of all is the horrendous scene in which Wolverine has to box a morbidly obese blob of a man who used to be a major commando agent when he could just stab him in the gut to get information. Man, I miss Brian Singer in the director’s seat for this franchise. Then again, it is not all bad. Even though at first I disagreed with Liev Schreiber being cast as Sabretooth, I actually grew to like him as the character. I disliked how Sabretooth was shown in the original XMen as being a stupid, wild animal with no personality to speak of. At least here he is exhibited as a person Alex Kuhn (‘09) who is tough but not too menacing. Also, unlike the rest of the action sequences, there was a decent final battle at the end that shows Wolverine actually putting his claws to good use. Other than these small, redeeming qualities, Origins is everything you don’t want in a comic-book movie combined into one film. You get a lousy script, poorly-inserted supporting characters, lame acting, bad special effects, boring action sequences, and the list goes on! The typical Hollywood ending does nothing but tie up loose ends. And do not bother to stay for the scene after the credits. I’m not going to spoil anything, but you basically get nothing out of it at all and waste your time. If you are a casual movie-goer, you aren’t going to like the film, but if it’s tons of mindless action you want, you will be getting it. However, a hard-core fan of the comics will end up angry and disappointed watching the movie ravage the background story of this shady character. Mike Ungano (‘09)Alex Kuhn (‘09) The summer movie season is on, and what better way to start it off than with a good old-fashioned superhero movie? Last year started off with a bang with the release of Iron Man grossing at almost 320 million dollars in the domestic box office, and receiving the praise of critics everywhere. Now we have an X-Men prequel based on everybody’s favorite mutant on the team, Wolverine. As mentioned in senior Alex Kuhn’s article last month, there was an online illegal leak for this film a while ago that didn’t include any of the recent re-shoots and featured many unfinished special effects. However, even without the leak, this rushed, incomplete superhero flick would not have done much better critically or financially. The X-Men franchise used to be one of Marvel’s top projects, but that ended like any other big Hollywood series, at the number three. Fortunately, making a prequel about the guy who is best at what he does seems like a step in the right direction. X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) life story, including his turbulent childhood, the wars he has been through, the woman he loves, and most importantly, how he got those fancy adamantium claws. The writers had a great potential plot, considering the movie’s focused on the most popular X-Man. It starts off with a good opening, but it does not take too long before you notice that the whole script is very choppy and doesn’t show enough of the events or characters on screen. Other than Wolverine and his brother/arch enemy Sabretooth (played by Liev Schreiber), most of the characters are underdeveloped and don’t get enough screen time. I understand that the movie is called Wolverine, but there are a lot of other important characters hanging around that only get a couple minutes of fame. To be quite honest, the script feels lifeless. Most of the acting is pretty weak. Hugh Jackman re-cast as Wolverine may have seemed like the obvious choice, but he is seriously off his A-game. Once in a while, he delivers on a few good lines, but most of the time, he is just yelling a lot of cringe-worthy “Victor!” and “No!” lines. Danny Huston as General Stryker often sounds dull—as if most of the time he’s thinking, “Whatever, I’m just starring in a comic-book flick, no one cares how I act!” This per- Kyle Self 2012 E 1 vibe:culture How Chili Peppers Peppers’ Fans are Waiting Out the Hiatus Emily Gabriele 2009 Anthony Kiedis’ lyrics read “scar tissue that I wish you saw,” and his wish is about to come true. Kiedis wrote an autobiography entitled Scar Tissue, which was published in 2004. His compelling story takes you through all of the twists and turns of his rock star life, beginning from a young age. The book does a wonderful job of painting a picture of how his life has unfolded. It did such a great job in doing so that it made the New York Times Bestseller list. But Kiedis didn’t stop there. Despite the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s current hiatus, Kiedis is teaming up with HBO and turning his life story into a television show, which is tentatively going to be entitled Scar Tissue, as well. The television show is said to be on the air in 2010, at earliest, and aims to take Kieidis’ wish of having everyone see his scar tissue to a new level; this time they won’t be hearing his troubles in a song, or imagining them from the words in a book—viewers will actually be able to see the troubles that he has went through and view the scars they have left behind. Kieidis isn’t the only one who is making good use of his time during the group’s hiatus; Flea continues to vibe:culture staff pursue his own musical ideas, Chad Smith has been playing for a jazz band, and John Frusciante has continued to work on his solo career. As a fan of the Chili Peppers, it’s bittersweet to know that all of the band members are pursuing their own, individual projects. It’s delightful that all of them are finding something to continue their growth in performing, yet there is always the concern of whether the hiatus will ever come to an end, or if their hiatus is indefinite. After the release of their brilliant album Stadium Arcadium, in 2005, the duel disk was a foreshadowing to a long break for them. It has been an enjoyable ride to follow the band through their constant recreation of style, however it’s certain that many fans out their can relate to the idea of only being able to listen to an album for so long. Luckily, there are plenty of songs to fulfill a yen for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with a body of work consisting of two great hits albums and nearly 200 songs. Who knows if we will be seeing more to come from the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a band? However, we will be seeing Anthony Kiedis lay out his life for us in the near future. editors alex kuhn, 2009 craig maltese, 2009 tina saienni, 2009 zach cohen, 2010 elena georgopoulos, 2011 alissa mesibov, 2009 conner o’reilly, 2010 john parrinello, jr., 2009 mark ruf, 2009 kyle self, 2012 layout editor jovelle tamayo, 2009 E 2 special thanks to anita nita modi, 2009 mr.r.r andy loh mr. frank manfre mr advisor mr. peter honig 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. We’ve been Bamboozled Craig Maltese 2009 I’m going to assume a lot of you went to Bamboozle this year. Personally, I see the lineup for this year’s Bamboozle and Warped tours as the end of these two tours. Or at least what should be the end. They really need to quit while they are ahead, or behind as they are now… well, just quit. Warped tour started off in 1995 with a whopping 16 bands and meager intentions. One stage, one day…that’s it. In 1998, warped tour started picking up steam and bigger named bands; Kid Rock, Bad Religion, Deftones, Incubus, and Stained, to name a few. The tour also began going international. With bigger-name bands came a bit more advertising and hype surrounding the shows. Attendance was up, and they added some more stops onto their list. The tour continued gaining more and more popularity through the late 90s. From 2000 to 2005 Warped tour was definitely in its prime. Best bands, high attendance, nearly a hundred stops, the epitome of Warped tour. The beauty of the Warped tour was they could book a solid four-to-six headliners a year, bands like Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Flogging Molly, Coheed and Cambria, The Early November, and NoFx (2004 lineup). With all of these bands in one day, you could possibly see six amazing headliners. Since there were so many big names, there was almost always a big name on a stage to see, so you were never waiting around for your band to come on. All great things come to a end though, and Warped tour has definitely died. For the past three years, Warped tour has had trouble booking a lineup that can even come close to the 2004 lineup. With an overabundance of cleverly-named stages filled with bands that come from local ‘Battle for Warped tour’ shows, Warped tour is now nothing more then a platform for new bands to get a start now. As for Bamboozle, it started in 2005 with My Chemical Romance, The Starting Line, and Thrice headlining. (Brand New was supposed to headline, but had to pull out). There’s been a pretty solid lineup of bands that play bamboozle every year, including Silverstein, Billy Talent, and Taking Back Sunday, all of which are a lot of fun to see. The headliners for this year, No Doubt and Fallout Boy, didn’t excite me too much. I still bought the 70 dollar ticket and drove an hour to get there. It rained, I didn’t care. When I finally got over the excitement about finding my way to the Meadowlands without directions, I looked at the schedule for the day. They had about five bands playing that I wanted to see, none of which I REALLY wanted to see, but none the less, I was there. Four of the five bands went on within the first three hours I was there. Two of them overlapped. Between those three hours and the last band I wanted to see, there was a gap of four hours. That is the issue: four hours. There was nothing to watch between the first bands I watched and the one I wanted to see in the end. This was the first time I ever attended an outdoor concert which had nothing to do to fill the void before the closing band. I could have saved my 70 dollars and bought two tickets to shows at Starland Ballroom, and then I wouldn’t have to sit out in the rain waiting all day for a closing performance that was terrible. Bamboozle and Warped tour used to have the ability to keep me interested for the entirety of the time I was there. That is what made these shows worth going to, especially at the cost. I mean, honestly, Demi Lovato playing on the same stage as 3Oh!3? That’s not how I roll. Alissa Mesibov 2009 When Hair opened in 1968, it was the most controversial piece of musical theater to ever play a Broadway stage. The musical, with book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, with a score by Galt McDermot, is astounding. Hair is different from any other musical in that it is not so much about a plot as it is about a theme. The musical depicts a group of young hippies in New York City. Unlike previous productions, this tribe has taken over the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 45th street, where the show plays. We meet a very conflicted and confused Claude, a young hippie who wants to be part of the anti-war movement, but he is also tired of letting his parents down. He decides to not burn his draft card. His other more personal conflict surrounds his two closest friends, as well as romantic interests, Sheila and Berger. This show covers every controversial topic possible. There is expletive-laced and blatantly sexual language, full nudity, drug use, both male-female and same-sex relationships, and audience interaction that has frightened off some audience members. Anyone who plans on seeing the show needs to be ready for anything, whether it is having an actor sit on their laps or being pulled out of your chair to dance on stage. This interaction only enhances the experience. The music is legendary. Artists ranging from the Fifth Dimension to Diana Ross have recorded covers of the show’s stream of chart-toppers. Hair was the first rock musical, which means that many of today’s most popular shows, like Rent and Wicked, never could have happened if Hair didn’t pave the way for less conventional styles in musical theater. The show covers a wide variety of styles, ranging from pop, evident in songs, like “Donna,” to folk-infused songs, like “Frank Mills,” to the pure R&B sound of “Easy to Be Hard.” Gavin Creel earned his second Tony nomination for his boyish and innocent portrayal of Claude, and he stands a good chance of winning. He brings his flawless voice to the role of Claude, who must grow up and face the reality that the counterculture lifestyle has so long protected him from. From the moment Will Swenson, also a Tony nominee for his role of Berger, swaggers down the steps and into the audience, wearing barely more than a brown vest, it becomes easy to fall in love with his carefree, anti-authoritarian personality. Even when he neglects Sheila for his primary love, himself, you just can’t help but to love the guy. Other standouts include Kacie Sheik as the spacey and pregnant Jeanie, an adorable Allison Case as Chrissy, Bryce Ryness as Woof, and Andrew Kober in several roles. When most people think of Hair, they think of the world-renowned music or hippie characters. However, the dancing in this show, choreographed by Tony award nominee Karole Armitage, is far from neglectful. The pogo, hair-shaking dance of the title song is great fun. My favorite piece of choreography was during a scene in which an LSD-influenced Claude envisions what being in Vietnam may be like. He along with two or three actors, clearly are flying out of a plane with parachutes, though you never see an actual parachute, thanks to the choreographic brilliance of Ms. Armitage. The lighting is incredible during the LSD trip scene. Lights flash during some parts, inducing jolts of terror for the audience, while just the actors’ faces are lit during the slower part of the excellent sequence. Yellow-orange suns and seagreen swirls of light adorn the mezzanine walls throughout the show, which only contributes to the idea that the audience is part of this exquisite tribe of peace-loving, war-protesting hippies. Of course, the material is relatable to today’s times. We, as a nation, are in an unpopular war. The youth are more politically aware than they have been in the past 20 years. While none of this may be at the level it was at in 1967, when Hair takes place, this is probably the most appropriate time since the show started for Hair to be playing. vibe:culture The Sun Shines in Again The Chuck Palahniuk Teenage Hype Continues... Tina Saienni 2009 As you enter your teenage years, it is almost inevitable to stumble upon Tyler Durden. You will find him, whether it be in that kid from English class’ older brother’s movie collection or Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel Fight Club (1996). Yes, Chuck Palahniuk is the true genius behind the hero of that particular story, an abiding favorite of many. Fight Club’s dynamic character Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt in the 1999 film) provides relief for many middlemen who seek the habitual satisfaction of secret evening boxing matches outside buildings and in the basements of bars. Although it was his first novel, it was certainly not a one-hit wonder considering he now has a large cult following. The same year Fight Club premiered on the big screen, Palahniuk released his second novel, Survivor (1999). Although this is about a surviving member of a death cult telling his autobiography on an airplane that has reached terminal velocity, the author seems to have alternate meanings. What the novel really expresses is the stubborn education system that allows room for teaching the best way to be the best in the best corporate job as a good employee. It seems that everyone forgets that they can make the big bucks by starting their own company and running their own life. Invisible Monsters, also the product of 1999, was actually Palahniuk’s first written book, but it was rejected by his publisher for being too disturbing. The novel is definitely quite disturbing, but that publisher obviously had no idea what this man was capable of. Invisible Monsters is a high-speed story of a seemingly-lifeless Shannon who decides to become a model as her only source of attention. However she doesn’t expect her brother to be a victim of gonorrhea, have her best friend steal her man, or have her jaw shot off by a drive-by shooting. Readers are expected to keep up with this non-linear series of events, so if you decide to pick it up try not to put it down too often until you have finished. When truly embedding yourself in Palahniuk’s mind via the pages of his novel, you find that more often than not you get lost in his thought process. It’s as if his mind remains on a separate clock than his fingers. There are times I understand a concept or a vital detail from the story and am told otherwise by a fellow reader. For instance, when reading his 2001 novel Choke, I wasn’t always clear on the fact that the character of Victor Mancini was given up to foster parents because his mother was too crazy to care for him. After reading the novel a while back and even after seeing the indolent film just released in 2008, I thought that Victor was kidnapped by some outlandish woman whose true identity remained ambiguous. After reading Choke I broke from Palahniuk’s clutches and skipped four novels until Haunted (2005) fell into my possession. Palahniuk did something different here. He wrote a horrifying collection of 23 short stories and actually claimed its disturbing contents to be classified as ‘horror.’ Although most his work extracts some uncomforting feelings within readers some of these stories are truly mind-blowing. Just before Haunted was Stranger Than Fiction (2004) a collection of true stories, essays and interviews. More recent than that, the following novels were released: Dairy (2003), Misty Marie Wilmont’s account of her husband’s senseless suicide attempt; Fugitives & Refugees (2003), his first non-fiction work and borderline autobiography; and Lullaby (2002) about Carl Streator and his discovery of a deadly verbal virus, his unintentional murders, and his plan to stop the virus from wiping out human life. It seems only the diehard Chuck Palahniuk readers would anticipate and certainly read each novel as he pumped them out every year or so. When Rant came to the shelves in 2007, it was of course reviewed by those fans, however it did not create such hype as Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Choke, Lullaby, or Haunted had amongst the occasional Palahniuk readers. All those kids that wait for their friends to tell them how cool these book are and then get slightly addicted cannot stop reading Palahniuk books until they have read at least those five. This past week Chuck Palahniuk has ventured into five cities for the release of his new novel Pygmy Pygm ! Everyone most likely pre-ordered the book knowing that they could get it signed by Palahniuk at one of the signings over here on the east coast. The Philadelphia free library just hosted a signing on May 8, where there were tons of fanatic cult members. We can expect that Pygmy! is yet another tale that will exhibit Palahniuk’s unique way of opposing authority and just simply going against the grain. E 3 Zach Cohen 2010 With the television season wrapping up, stations are looking for what shows to keep or cut, and every year one unfortunate great show gets the axe. Whether it is for ratings, expenses involving production, or sometimes even the lack of quality, many shows get cut short before they have the time to develop. So in honor of these falling shows such as Chuck, My Name is Earl, and Dollhouse, I took a second to think about great shows that have gotten cancelled unrightfully. Obviously, cult classics such as Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, and Twin Peaks come to mind when thinking about TV shows that left us to early, but one fantastic unknown show takes the cake of cancelled-too-early shows. Anyone who has talked to me for more than 30 minutes probably has heard me reference possibly the greatest cancelled TV show, Clone High. This show, from creator Bill Lawrence (Scrub and Spin City), revolves around the lives of teenagers in a high school; only the teens are clones of historic figures. The clones they follow are a socially awkward Abe Lincoln, emo Joan of Arc, slutty Cleopatra, popular John F. Kennedy, and ADHD. plagued Gandhi, with other hilarious versions of clones sprinkled in. Whether it is Abe worrying about how to get Cleo to like him, or how to beat JFK in the school election, episodes are never short on laughs. Especially when voices from big name actors such as Michael J. Fox and Jack Black, to character actors like Neil Flynn (the janitor from Scrubs), Michael McDonald (Stuart in Mad TV), Will Forte (SNL), Donald Faison (Turk from Scrubs), and many more contribute to the show. Also, while the show does have a running plot, like Scrubs, each episode has a different story within that plot. For example, who can forget the classic episode “Homecoming: A Shot in D’Ark” when Joan of Arc disguises her self as John D’ark to play on the boys basketball team in the homecoming game against Genetically Engineered Superhuman High, a.k.a. GESH? When asked what the person she is cloned from did, she tells the story of Planet of the Apes. While this story flourishes, we also follow Gandhi and his forbidden friendship with Geshy the mascot of GESH which he stole in order to prank GESH. Then there is the classic “Litter Kills: Literally” when Juan Ponce de Leon was introduced only to get killed off. On a side bar, Gandhi is mistakenly taken to prison in a mishap involving litter, and an orange jump suit. While Clone High is a hilarious show, it is not for the easily of- fended. In fact the reason it was cancelled stems from a group of Indians threatening hunger strike until it was cancelled, due to the portrayal of Gandhi. In numerous episodes Gandhi finds himself in awkward predicaments that some may consider offensive, whether it is when Gandhi becomes a rapper and sings about rocking something that rhymes with the me-spot, which happened to be his name as well, or when the entire school makes fun of him for having A.D.D..This, along with almost all of Gandhi’s crazy exploits, caused the hunger strike which took place on the 55th anniversary of the real Gandhi’s assasination. MTV eventually buckled under the pressure and gave into the demands and cancelled the show before the situation got worse. Gandhi, however, is not the only character who the show pokes fun at. JFK and Lincoln are also the butt end to many historical jokes, the hang out is coincidentally named The Grassy Knoll. On top of the normal humor of an average comedy, any fan of history will be rolling off their seat in even more laughter. With the show now off the air in America, fans can view the show’s one season (13 episodes) on Google video, or the complete series DVD’s. Any fan of Scrubs, history, Mad TV, SNL, or just comedy in general should see this show immediately. Now as I look at some of my favorite shows that are floating on the bubble, I hope they don’t end up as my old favorites like vibe:culture Clone High: An Underrated Show Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: The Newest Misogynist Chick Flick Elena Georgopoulos 2011 It is said that people keep watching the latest romantic comedies with the hope that one day there will be one that that is genuinely funny and leaves us tingly with the overall happy message of everlasting love. I realized that we are going to have to wait a while longer, after I saw the newest movie to disgrace the genre. Ghost of Girlfriends Past is misogynistic in not only its attitude towards women for the majority of the film but also for subjecting itself to a genre of film that mainly women see. This movie supposedly puts a new twist on the A Christmas Carol storyline, the twist due to the fact that the movie does not happen around Christmas. This time the story relates to anti-marriage womanizer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) and his path to relationship-redemption over the weekend of his younger brother’s wedding. He is busy simultaneously destroying the wedding with his cynical attitude towards monogamous love and making his childhood sweetheart (Jennifer Gardner) suffer at the sight of him, all the while being visited by the ghosts of his “girlfriends” past, present, and future. All of them try to convince him that his playboy ways are going to end up leaving him all alone. All night, Connor discovers that his inner man-angst (due to his parents dying and his fear of being left) is the reason why he has been so closed off to love for so long. Fortunately, he wakes up to reality in time to give a semi-heartwarming, yet too-long-to-be-spontaneous speech in order to save the wedding that he thought he’d ruined. It is hard to say where the mistakes begin: the plot holes, the redundancy, the way this classic Charles Dickens story is abused. The ghosts were confusing, seeing as the one that was his “past” girlfriend was just his high school girlfriend and we don’t even know if she is actually dead. The present girlfriend was his assistant, since there is no other consistent woman in his life, and who somehow switches between being a ghost to Connor and then being back in the real world. The future girlfriend was just some mute girl who showed him his eventual grave. And how about how Connor didn’t remember anything about his first crush on Jenny, yet at the very end managed to pull out the photograph that proved he was always in love with her? Or how about the utter lack of respect for any of the female roles? The supposed female lead did virtually nothing interesting except cry and all the other (numerous) girls were tramps void of personality. The movie did have its sweet moments and its one-liners might make you laugh. The main reason this made me smile at all, is because the previews beforehand were depressing and I was glad to see something remotely light-hearted. Or maybe I was just glad for the scenes where Matthew McConaughey does or says something incredibly stupid, making us all feel better about ourselves as people. E 4 features May 2009 The Viking Vibe 7 SBHS Alum Brings RDB to NJ Anita Modi and Roshni Shah 2009, 2011 On Friday, April 24, Manj Singh and Nindy Kaur of the England-based group RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) made an appearance at the Holiday Inn in Edison for a press conference organized by their international publicist, Ms. Tirusha Dave. Ms. Dave, a South Brunswick alumna of 2002, originally went to Massachusettes College of Pharmacy to pursue a career in pharmacy. Yet, she was always interested in writing. Graduating in 2007 with a BA in English, Ms. Dave started taking steps to fulfill her ultimate goal: creating her own magazine. In 2008, she officially launched Bravura (“Exceptional”) Artist, an online South-Asian publication featuring stories from movies to music; style to fashion, all geared toward a target audience of Indian-American young adults. “Bravura helps Indian-Americans, the South Asians of our generation, to be comfortable with who they are,” Ms. Dave said, noting that there isn’t really a comprehensive outlet for South Asian entertainment news that includes the range of topics Bravura provides. Thus, Indian-Americans have no comprehensive outlet to learn about, and take an interest in, their culture. The publication’s stories are written primarily by college students majoring in different fields from political science to pre-med, who are rewarded with up to four college credits per semester or an internship position for their contributions. All in all, though Ms. Dave may not have pursued the career her parents expected of her (“I didn’t fit the Indian stereotype—doctor, lawyer, pharmacist,” she admitted), she ultimately made both her parents and herself proud in pursing the career she was passionate about. “If you’re passionate about something,” she advised, “don’t let anyone stop you. Be persistent.” Not only is she the Editor-in-Chief of Bravura Artist, which receives over 35,000 hits a week from readers hailing from India to Brazil, but Ms. Dave is also a published author in seven different countries. She’s been able to interview such stars of the South Asian world as Jay Sean and Raghav, with whom she has now become good friends. “I don’t get star-struck,” Ms. Dave confided, adding that she regularly gets calls or texts from Jay Sean, “but at the same time, you have to maintain a level of professionalism. Some PRs try too hard to be friends with the artists; I get work done, even though I can joke.” It was through her work with Bravura that Ms. Dave came across the opportunity to meet RDB, the only one of her interviewees that she was actually starstruck by. And who wouldn’t be? Though only two of RDB’s four members—Manj and Nindy, as aforementioned—were able to attend the group’s pre-album launch press conference and concert, their presence was enough to awe their audiences. RDB was first established by three brothers growing up in Bradford, England in 2000—Kuly, Manj, and Surj. The group of three very quickly became renowned all throughout England for their ability to create modern, lively beats that still stayed true to their traditional Punjabi upbringing. In a few short years, RDB has become a household name for many Indian families living not only in England, but also in the United States, Canada, Australia, and India itself. Performing with both Indian and American celebrities and stars, including Akshay Kumar and Snoop Dogg, RDB has traveled to countries across the globe. But, as Manj pointed out, “It’s not about connections; it’s about bringing your ideas forward. Use the internet, and your music will speak for itself.” The group’s work includes such popular favorites as “Sadi Gali,” “Aaja Mahi,” and “Aloo Chaat,” the latter of which was written as the title song to the 2008 Hindi movie of the same name starring Akshay Kumar. In 2008, RDB expanded to include Manj’s wife, Nindy Kaur, a singer in her own right. Nindy will release her self-titled debut album this summer, alongside RDB’s album entitled “Worldwide.” As Manj described at the press conference, which hosted representatives from numerous Indian television stations (including AVS, ARY & Sahara TV) and a few radio stations (including Dhoom FM), “the album features a mixture of Hindi, Punjabi, even some rock.” Though RDB is making broad strides toward integrating modern, “Western” styles into their work—“tapping into the gorah market,” as Manj clarified—the musicians recognize the importance of their roots. All of their songs are written primarily in Punjabi, and incorporate instruments such as the dhol and the tabla to establish their core sound. The result? Fusion. “Fusion music is huge,” Manj said, “Fusion is the way forward. The heavy desi beat is always in; the desi stuff we have to do.” And with their desi beat, RDB aims to not only appeal to Indians in England and across the world, but they also aim to send a message specifically to the Indian-English and Indian-American youth. In fact, Nindy described the youth as their primary audience, saying, “We write our music so that youngsters don’t go astray and become ‘Westernized;’ that they still retain a part of their Indian culture and actually be proud of it!” “Right,” Manj agreed, “Our message is really that you can still be cool, even if you wear a turban,” briefly recalling the teasing that he and his brothers faced as the only Indians students at his school in Bradford. “Youngsters need a connection to their roots,” he added, “Hindi programs, Hindi music really only cater to the older generation. If we want youngsters to watch Indian programs, we need to give them something to watch.” Members of RDB at the press conference ./ Introducing... Ko the Timeless Koushik Chatterjee Appears Alongside RDB Although a student at the University of Maryland studying Economics, Koushik “Ko the Timeless” Chatterjee is becoming acclaimed for his internationally influenced music. Driven by his love of music, Ko the Timeless has put out more than three mixtapes this year alone and hopes to appeal to larger audiences in the coming years. The following is an exclusive interview with The Viking Vibe. Viking Vibe (VV): Where did “Ko the Timeless” originate from? What about you makes you so timeless? Koushik the Timeless (KO): Well, Ko is a nickname I have, being short for my first name, Koushik. And ‘timeless’ is to let people know that I’m here to stay. No time for falling short or getting washed up. I want to make hits that will shake the world forever. moves like that. So for now, get as much attention and make everyone have a good time. When the time comes for politics, I’ll be there. VV: What are your goals for the future with regards to your music? And future plans with regards to your studies? KO: Oh, the question that haunts me. Well I’m graduating this summer with my financial economics degree. Job hunting is next. That’s no fun to talk about though in this economy. Back to the music, I’m working my way up. Milestones need to be reached to gain respect for the next level. I got played by BBC Radio 1, and opened for RDB! I am working with some big artists in the South Asian market; not at the top yet but we are steady on our way. I’m putting out my fourth mixtape this summer with another couple features from the acclaimed Raja Wilco and Kaly. Check out my man Panama too, he was an actor on the Wire, got on BET and MTV, the kid is blowing up crazy. He’s been my mentor through the last few years. And of course beat-makers, Fifty-Grand Sureet Sandhu of Digital Desi Productions. DJ Desiplaya from Xplicit Desi Vibes. VV: What group constitutes your primary audience? Who would be most interested in your music? KO: Well, that’s the thing. I hang out with a huge variety of different crowds, so I like to make songs that will satisfy them all. I have collaboration requests from local rock bands, R&B artists, and even jazz musicians. For the Indian side, bhangra artists and dance groups. In my mixtapes I like to show variety, that I can make music to touch all people--everything from club bangers to deep poetry. VV: What advice would you give other up-and-coming artists of this day and age? Do you have specific advice for VV: What message do you try to get across with your lyr- Indian-American up-and-comings? ics? KO: Oh, man. Just know your place. Some kids think talkKO: Universal love. Haha, do I sound like a hippie? It’s ing overconfidently will get you respect. The thing is, if cool though because it’s the truth. You know what every- you talk more than you can show, you’ll get found out. one says, unite the world, blah blah blah. I mean I’m for I’ve seen respectable people get washed up that way. Just it too. I just think not enough people actually try to do it. I be patient. Seriously though, just have fun. That’s all you realize that I must gain respect before I can pull any bold can really do. 8 May 2009 2009 The Viking Vibe features Turn the Musi Music c up Audacity Amy Rowe 2009 Audacity started out like any other local band at South Brunswick High School – they performed at Battle of the Bands. However, something about them sets them apart from the rest. After losing the competition they were determined to perfect their sound and head towards bigger and better things; and that they did. The band started in October 2008 and has covered an impressive amount of ground for being so young. On May 16, the boys of Audacity competed in the regional finals of Jersey Shows Battle of the Bands at Cagney’s in Parlin, New Jersey. The boys were in the running to win a grand prize of 20,000 dollars. Audacity is made up of lead vocalist and bassist, junior Mike Martino, lead guitarist and vocalist, junior Drew Weinstein, guitarist, senior Aaron Ketofsky, and drummer, junior Dan Claps. The boys pride themselves on not being genre-specific. “Most of us are huge fans of Avenged Sevenfold, and we by no means consider ourselves better than them. But we wouldn’t call them our biggest influence because we don’t sound like them – we don’t sound like anything but us,” said Claps. A rough recording of the bands’ single “I Can’t Help It” is available on their Myspace site (www.myspace. com/audacitynj). The band will be in the studio at Rockin’ Records on May 23 and 24, and an actual release will be soon to follow. The band strongly encourages interested listeners to come see them in their upcoming shows. “We would rather people come listen to us before they dismiss us. If you like us, we’re happy; if you don’t, well, at least you tried,” said Martino. Opportunities to see Audacity are readily available in the upcoming weeks. Other than their regional finals show on May 16, the band will perform at Junea-palooza on June 5. The following day, Audacity will participate in the War for Warped Tour at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. “I never thought we’d be playing at the Starland Ballroom when [my bandmates] asked me to join them. It’s a really big deal for us,” said Ketofsky. “Audacity means boldness,” said Claps. “We will continue to strive to live up to our name.” Have You Ever Samantha Orlan and Natalie Twerdowsk Twerdowsky 2010, 2009 Sporcle.com: mentally stimulating diversions. Although it began as a website that students frequented behind teachers’ backs, Sporcle is now being integrated into some classes as means of getting students to participate. For those students living in a cave, Sporcle.com is a website updated every day with new trivia games, testing players’ knowledge of sports, music, movies, history, and many other subjects under a time constraint which varies with the difficulty of the game. It’s an addition to the list of ways to get distracted, but also a fundamental diversion. Many teachers credit their students with introducing them to the site. English teacher Mr. Andrew Loh said, “I discovered Sporcle when I caught Tim Doehler and Corey Allen playing it in class.” Though the trend is undoubtedly circulating around SBHS, teachers and students often find themselves debating whether or not the site is actually valuable. Senior Gary Goldsmith said, “The reason the school has yet to block Sporcle is because it’s educational. Its trivial, like Jeopardy, except it’s free!” Social studies teacher Mr. Sean Cannon disagreed, “[Sporcle doesn’t have any merit]; it’s just a huge waste of your time, except it’s fun. It’s just useless information that will never earn you a dime unless you go on Jeopardy.” Conversely, Mr. Loh said, “It’s a great site and it’s educational. There are worse things kids could be doing on the Internet, but I don’t think it should be done in class.” Sporcle’s addictive quality is often what drags its player in. Social studies teacher Mr. Marc Lifland said, “Sporcle has an ‘it’ factor, and people like to know that they know things.” Favorites for Mr. Cannon include any history-related games. Junior Nick Cuevas and senior Edmond Jasabe concluded that naiming 151 Pokemon is their favorite Sporcle game and that the site is so perfect that “before [they] started Sporcle-ing [they] didn’t know anything, now [they] know everything.” Cuevas said, “We’re learning while we’re playing, it’s the ultimate gaming device.” Kristen Huang (‘12) also contributed to this article. Members of Audacity – perform./PHOTO BY Amy Rowe (‘09) d? Experience Sporcle for Yourself! Can you name all the U.S. Presidents? To play, enter a name (full name or just last name) in the box. If you correctly name a President, it will get filled in to the proper year below. The colored years represent special circumstances, described at the bottom. You’ve got 10 minutes when you hit the button. sports Lady Vikings Shine at Penn Relays Kayla Noll 2012 The South Brunswick girls track team made history on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The Vikings traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they competed in the Penn Relays, one of the biggest track meets in the country. Teams come from all around the United States, (and even some teams from Jamaica showed up) to compete in this huge event. “It’s really exciting because the track and the atmosphere is so different than what we are used to. It gives us a good adrenaline rush,” said junior Jamielyn Samper. There were only a certain amount of Distance Medley Relay (DMR) teams that qualified in the nation, and South Brunswick’s was one of them. This is the first time in school history it has happened. The DMR consists of a 1200, 400, 800, and a 1600. The Vikings DMR finished fourth at the Penn Relays Championship of America race, also lowering its own county record to 12:09.77 in the process. The team of freshman Cayla Del Piano (3:35.5 1200), sophomore Janae Baker (59.8 400), junior Jenni Smilgis (2:27.3 800), and junior Sophia Ginez (5:06.9 1600) ran an impressive race and came out on top. “As a freshman, it’s a really great experience to be going to the Penn Relays, because most freshman don’t get a chance to be a part of a team as good as our DMR,” Del Piano said. The Vikings also had another qualifier out on the field events. Sophomore Mariah Browne qualified for the Long Jump. Finishing 15, Browne jumped 159.75. For the 4X100 and the 4X400 many more teams are accepted, but there is a qualifying game to determine which teams compete. The 4X100 team of junior Rachel Johnson, freshman Alicia Osley, junior Melissa Dardani, and Browne took first in their heat, with a season best time of 49.71 seconds. They qualified as an alternate for the finals the following day. The 4X400 finished sixth in their heat, running a time of 4:11.20. The team consisted of sophomore Jamie Thompson (63.3), Samper (63.0), sophomore Joy Spriggs (64.7), and Osley (60.0) Overall, the girls had a great night at Penn, representing the SB track team in a outstanding way at one of the biggest meets in the nation. “For teams like our DMR and Mariah (Long Jump) it’s a big deal,” Samper states. “Because they got chosen out of people all throughout the country. It’s a huge honor.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF Smilgis and Bill Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com May 2009 The Viking Vibe 9 Girls Lacrosse Team Collects Bottle Caps for Kidney Patient SBHS V Varsity Girls Lacrosse Team./PHOTO COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com Melissa Katz and kidney transplant, and the team wanted Jessica Warner to help. We found an organization that 2011 for every 1,000 bottle caps we collected Despite all the success the girls lacrosse team has had on the field this season, the Lady Vikings never imagined their collection of water bottle caps would be just as successful. For three weeks the freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity teams collected water bottle caps to help families paying for dialysis for their sick family members. At the end of the collection, the three teams collected over 26,000 bottle caps in total. Sophomore goalie Blair Nathanson said, “I really enjoyed this collection. It was a fun team bonding experience, and we helped others in the process. I would love to do this again.” According to the National Kidney Foundation, dialysis is used when the kidneys fail to prevent waste, salt, and extra water from building up in the body. Dialysis also keeps a safe level of certain chemicals in the blood, such as potassium, sodium bicarbonate, and helps to keep the blood pressure under control. The dialysis machine works as an artificial kidney that clears out the waste and extra chemicals from the patient’s blood. In order to access the blood, the doctor makes incisions into the patient’s blood vessels. Dialysis is a long, tedious process throughout which the patient needs to stay as still as possible. “One of our players’ sister found out about a child who was in need of a would pay for one hour of dialysis,” girls lacrosse Coach Mr. John Coppola said, “The girls took to it very quickly, and collected over 26,000 bottle caps.” The girls were split into four teams, and each team was lead by one of the varsity captains. After each week the girls counted up to see which team had collected the most, and by the end of the collection it had turned in to a competition. “It was great to see the girls get really into it. We were having a friendly competition, while helping make a difference in people’s lives at the same time,” Mr. Coppola said. As for whether or not the team would collect bottle caps again in the future, Coach Coppola said they would in a second, because the girls really got involved in this collection. “The bottle caps were easy to collect, and the cause was something everyone could immerse themselves into. Everyone became really competitive, and I enjoyed doing this. It was for a great cause,” sophomore Kristen Cooney said. “I am very proud of the girls. We all learned a valuable lesson. They exceeded all of my expectations. When you’re a part of a team, you help each other out in tough times; we used our team work from on the field to help someone else out. I give all the credit to the girls; the coaches just monitored their progress. They really did a great job, and I couldn’t be prouder,” Mr. Coppola said. 10 May 2009 sports The Viking Vibe SPRING SPORTS CAPSULE Tom Dunleavy 2009 PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www. bgsportshots.com. Boys Lacrosse The Vikings’ season recently ended after they lost in a battle against East Brunswick 12-10. Senior captains Eric Lorber and Cody McHugh did their best to compete in the GMC with a very young team. They did a great job preparing the underclassmen for next season, so look out for this young team to take it up a notch. Boys Tennis Congratulations to the tennis team (11-3) who were crowned the 2009 GMC Tournament Team Champions after they edged East Brunswick by 1 point. The team was led by junior Ed Rodinov, who became the GMC Champion in the third Singles and freshman Rohan Bhatia who placed third in the second Singles. Boys Volleyball The Vikings are currently 15-6 and are eager to begin the GMC Tournament which begins on Saturday. The team enters the GMCT as the third seed. According to co-captain Sean Monaghan, the team is led by the “Power Trio” consisting of seniors Monaghan, Kazuki Yamada, and Kyle Mariano as well as the “Dynamic Duo” consisting of sophomore Jean Paul and senior James Kugel. A big highlight from the season was when “The General” senior Steve Zhang had the first ever “sploosh lunch” (three blocks in a row). “We’re totally awesome!” said Monaghan. Girls Lacrosse On Wednesday night in East Brunswick, the girls lacrosse team defeated rival Old Bridge in the GMC Championship Game in a thrilling victory. Trailing for most of the game, the Lady Vikes scored three goals in the final three minutes to tie the game at 12-12. Then in the overtime period, freshman Kelly O’Brien scored the winning goal. The girls have compiled an amazing 11-2 record, won the GMC Red-division, and won the GMC Tournament. Senior Lisa Buongiovanni said, “We played hard and didn’t give up even when we were down. But the most important thing is that we did it together.” Track The girls track team has successfully won its fourth straight GMC Relay Championship. The team now looks forward to winning several events at the GMC individual Championship and the team Group IV State Championship. On the boys’ side, the Vikings recently placed third in the GMC Relays. They have had big wins in dual meets this season against Old Bridge and Piscataway. Senior Jon Bellizio said, “We have a strong team, we just need to come together and perform our best at the championship meets.” sports 11 The Viking Vibe May 2009 Girls Golf The girls golf team has had a great season so far as they have placed second in two tournaments (Montgomery and Rutgers), losing both tournaments by one stroke to Hunterdon Central. The team, led by seniors Sam Chromey (40), Autum Young (39), and Tatiana Kim (42), are ready for the GMC and State Tournaments and want to prove that they are better than Hunterdon Central in the states. Boys Golf The boys golf team (14-2) recently has had big wins over Old Bridge and Piscataway. The best scores of the season have come from seniors Tyler Zenda (35), Corey Berrios (36), and Mike Namjoo (37). The Vikings plan to compete in the GMC Tournament with their biggest competition coming from East Brunswick. “We are the better team, we just have to play aggressively and consistently to accomplish our goals,” said Namjoo. Baseball After an emotional 5-4 win over Spotswood in the first round of the GMC Tournament, the Vikings recently had a heart-breaking loss in the Quarterfinals to Bishop Ahr. The team is currently 11-5, and looks to redeem itself by making a run in the Group IV State Tournament. Junior Mike Muha and senior Jordan Smith dominate opposing hitters and senior DJ Roche is leading the offense. Softball The softball team is having a great season and is currently 12-5 and excited for the upcoming GMC Tournament which begins this Saturday. They have earned the seventh seed and will take on Carteret in the first round. The girls’ state tournament begins on Tuesday. Seniors Jess Pietrefessa, Krissy Mischke, junior Katie Janssen, and sophomores Jill Blaine, and Rachel Vogel continue to play big roles for the team. sunday monday June 2009 tuesday wednesday thursday PEER RETREAT HiTOPS RETREAT 1 7 5:00pm Music Department Awards Dinner 8 2 9 3 7:00pm Spring Varsity Awards Night 10 4 Early Release Day friday saturday June - a - Palooza 2:30-8:00pm 5 6 SATs Senior Prom 7:00pm-12:00am P4P Drop-Off 12:00-3:00pm RELAY FOR LIFE AT SB YMCA 11 12 13 FINAL EXAMS/ EARLY RELEASE DAYS 7:00pm Senior Scholarship Awards 10:00am-1:00pm Senior Picnic 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 FINAL EXAMS/ EARLY RELEASE 9:00am Graduation Practice SBHS Graduation 3:00pm Sovereign Bank Arena Last Day of School Make-up Exams Natalie Twerdowsky’s Birthday! 12 Elizabeth Chang Believes in... A glimpse the first high school student Board of Education member Alissa Mesibov and Anita Modi 2009 For many SBHS seniors, the Board of Education election held on April 21 was the first election in which they voted. For one senior, Elizabeth Chang, it was the first election in which she was a candidate. Chang ran for a position of membership on the Board of Education, which she then went on to win. “I never thought of getting involved in politics myself,” Chang said; it was changes that she saw occurring at SBHS during the past four years that inspired her to run. She listed the changing of two-block Advanced Placement (AP) science schedules and the halt in funding for AP exams as two of the biggest issues that influenced her decision. “Sometimes, I think it takes someone who has been a student in the school recently to bring about important and necessary changes,” said Chang’s longtime friend, senior Nikhita Ganji, “and that is just what Liz is doing.” Dr. Gary McCartney, Superintendent of South Brunswick schools, agreed. “It’s really interesting and neat to have an active consumer on the board to make sure the receivers’ needs are met,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of a direct connection between the board and the students that the policies actually impact. Since her election to the Board of Education, Chang has been the center of a small media frenzy. She was interviewed by and featured in the StarLedger, the Home News Tribune, and the Sentinel, in PHOTO BY Alex Kuhn (‘09) addition to several Chinese newspapers, which all highlighted the fact that Chang is the first Asian board member elected in South Brunswick. “It never gets boring, though. I get to talk about myself! The best conversationalist is the one that talks about you,” Chang said, complimenting her interviewers. Chang was sworn in during the Board of Education meeting on April 27, after attending her first board meeting on April 18. Her campaigning endeavors started weeks before—almost as soon as she turned 18 on March 1—and included flyers, phone calls, and house visits. “The first house was pretty unnerving,” Chang admitted, “During door-todoor campaigning, I met a lot of closed doors. However, for each rude person I met, there was a really nice person in the next house. “I thought no adults would be supportive at all and that they would think I was just another teen looking to add something to her resume,” she said, noting that her campaigning presented her with a pleasant surprise. Most South Brunswick adults were more than willing to talk to Chang about what her positions were and even asked serious, insightful questions. Chang’s positions, which she summarized on the half-page flyers she distributed to members of the community, were developed from hours of research. Chang not only looked into what the Board of Education does and what its duties include, but also looked to Facebook groups for insights on what South Brunswick students were most concerned about. SB Coalition, a Facebook group that Chang tapped into regularly, offered “a lot of complaints,” from which Chang chose the most relevant and well-founded ones to represent as a candidate. Her use of Facebook and other networking sites online to formulate her position and reach out to members of the community directly testifies to an asset that other board members appreciate in her: “a fresh prospective.” “The other board members are really nice,” Chang said, noting that at first, she similarly suspected them to not take her seriously, either, “They called to congratulate me and to let me know that they were there if I needed anything.” As Chang soon realized, far from underestimating her, the board is respectful of and confident in its new addition. “She impresses me as being very astute,” Dr. McCartney said, “You can size up how people will fulfill their roles by how they behave, and I think she’ll earn her stripes in the first year—a year of learning and listening.” The board’s new cycle began just as elections ended on the twenty-first, and the nine members have started to sign up for specific committees to lead. Chang hopes to work on the Curriculum and Policy Committee, which will structure the budget for the 2010-2011 school year. The next four years will not be the easiest for Elizabeth Chang. In addition to her position on the Board of Education, Chang will be a full-time business major and education minor at New York University. She will commute back to South Brunswick every two weeks for the board meetings, held at Crossroads North Middle School. Dr. McCartney identified two challenges that Chang will have to face in the upcoming year: acquiring the base of knowledge that other board members have and managing her rigorous college schedule and budget trainings. “The piece that she doesn’t have is what her college schedule will be like, but I have no reason to believe that she won’t be able to overcome her challenges,” he assured. “As she becomes more comfortable on the Board,” Vice President of the Board of Education, Mr. Martin Abschutz, added, “I anticipate Ms. Chang will share her thoughts on the many policy issues and challenges the Board of Education is confronted with.” Chang listed her biggest goals for the next four years as to “maintain, or possibly, increase the teacher-to-student ratio, and to improve technology in the schools by upgrading the server or by replacing faulty computers.” Chang has made history as one of only four teenagers to be placed on a New Jersey Board of Education in the past decade. “Try not to get discouraged. A lot of people may not take you as seriously, because you’re not as old,” she said to other students who may consider running for an official position in the future.
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