March - South Brunswick School District

Volume 1, Issue 6
South Brunswick High School, 750 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ, 08852
March 2008
By Aradhana Srinagesh (‘10)
and Ashna Pai (‘11)
2009, I’m sure it will be
as great as this one.”
Besides SBHS
students, The show
also had a 10-minute
performance by Rutgers
University Dhol Effect (RUDE).
This consisted of about 10 people
carrying Dhols (two-sided Indian-style drums
played with two sticks) accompanied by a guitar
The sold-out Asian Cultural Show took place on and violin. This group is considered one of the
best in New Jersey and the Asian Cultural Club
March 1. The show had a variety of talents including dancing, singing,
was very excited to have them at the show.
acting, and even some modeling.
Manasi Gaje, a sophomore who performed
Altogether, there were eleven dances incorporated into a skit that
in the show said, “The RUDE performance added
was based off a Bollywood movie, Dil Chata Hai. The basic story line
a lot to the show. Most of the people who played in
was about three girls and three guys who go on a journey to find love.
the group graduated from SBHS so it was great to have
Humorous dialogues and excellent acting made the skit appealing to
them back in our school representing Rutgers. I hope
both the older and younger audience. The energetic crowd added to the
we’re able to get them again next year.”
excitement that filled the air.
This year, the club really stepped it up with the
The members of the club who participated had practiced and put
dances. Although many groups performed at tryouts, only
ten
in a lot of effort. Along with the members, the officers and the advisors
worked diligently to make the show a success. The week before the show where chosen. The dances ranged from being Indian classical to hiphop and some in between. Students also performed the traditional SB
the everyone stayed after school from 2:25 until 6 to do re-runs of the
Bhangra dance.
show to perfect it.
Vishal Dholakia, a sophomore who performed in two dances
“ Everyone put in a lot of effort towards this show and we
received many compliments at the end. It was a hit!” said co-advisor, Ms. said, “The show was amazing. The crowd really brought excitement
into the show. Their energy added to ours which made us even better
Janean Vivadelli, who advises the club along with Mrs. Maritza Arango.
People from different schools came to share this talent and culture then before. I have to say that it was a lot of work, but I wouldn’t
hesitate to do it again.”
that was displayed in this one night, and even people from SBHS who
Junior Amala Narayan, who sang and danced said, “I can’t
didn’t know anything about the show learned a lot.
believe it’s over. All that hard work that we did definitely made it all
Freshman, Amanda Kosa said, “I was pleasantly surprised by the
amount of talent our school showed during that night. Some of my friends worthwhile. The dances were amazing and so was every other bit of
talent shown that night. Now I just can’t wait for next year’s show, so
who I didn’t even know could do some of this stuff came out of their
shells and expressed the wonderful talent they have. I loved the show and we can do even better then this year.”
In addition to the traditional acts, there was also a modeling
I am very proud of them all.”
show
incorporated
into the skit which displayed unique Asian attire.
Lisa Zhu another freshmen said, “I learned a lot on March 1st
This year’s show also had a short piece by a small band put together
about the Indian and South Asian Culture. It made me realize that there
by the club members.
are so many different cultures in our school that need to be recognized
Many agreed that Temptasian 2008 rocked the house for yet another
because they are all so unique and special. I can’t wait for Temptasian
year. Excitement is building for Temptasian 2009!
Above Left: Students erform
their dance at the show.
Photo by Anil Rengan (‘08)
Photo Illustration by Gopal
Narsimhamuthy (‘08)
Above Right: Seniors pose at
the end of a group dance
Above Right: A member of
the SB Bhangra Dance Team
dances.
Left: Rutgers University Dhol
Effect (RUDE) guest performs
during the show
The Viking Vibe
PAGE 2
March 2008
News
Catherine’s Closet Drive Best Ever
By Amy Lis (‘09)
Interact Club collected 80
prom gowns for the Catherine’s
Closet organization on February
18-29 in the Activities Office.
Catherine’s Closet is an
organization that collects new
or slightly used prom gowns
or dresses. It also provides
mentors,
internships
and
scholarships to high school girls.
Prom gown collection began a
couple of years ago in memory of
a girl named Catherine who was
killed by a 14-year-old in a stolen
car. Catherine never had a chance
to go to the prom, so her sister
Courtney wanted to get the program
started in Catherine’s name.
According to www.
volunteersolutions.org,
the
organization has given away
over 5000 prom dresses to
girls who cannot afford them
since its launch in 2002.
In an article on www.csmonitor.
com, “Raiding ‘Catherine’s Closet’
for a prom dress” by Marjorie
Coeyman posted on May 14 2002,
over 300 girls at Technology
High School in Newark NJ
had picked out dresses for their
big night through the program.
“We had girls in wheelchairs,
deaf girls, pregnant girls. We had
girls that didn’t even look like
girls, who had never owned a piece
of clothing that wasn’t jeans. But
for at least one night, every single
one of those girls is going to be
a princess,” financial adviser Dr.
Sandy Kessler is quoted as saying.
Junior Sarah Woogen is a part of
the Interact club that participates
with Catherine’s Closet. She said
that as a member of the club,
she participates in activities
and
service
opportunities
that help out people in the
South Brunswick community.
“If you are fortunate enough
to go to your own prom, you
should help out those that are
not as fortunate,” Woogen said.
Junior Evangelynn
The Viking Vibe
2007-2008 Staff
Editor-in-Chief:
Gopal Narsimhamurthy
Advertising Editors:
Jordan Teicher and Jonathan Vamadeva
On-Line Editor:
Sweta Haldar
Photo Editor:
Zohrain Hassam
Sports Editor:
Andrew Constant
Editorial Staff:
Megan Behrend, Hannah Green, Surbi Luhadia,
Anita Modi, and Amy Rowe
Graphic Designer:
Parag Patel
Staff Photographer:
Eddie Zaneski
Staff:
Gregory Aaron, Saadia Ahmad, Clara Appia, Maximillian Beckerman,
Justin Berger, Brittany Beris, Dhara Bhatt, Frank Celi, Sukriti Chadha, Dale
Choi, Zachary Cohen, Rosemary Cosgrave, Amishi Desai,
Mark Desmond, Kevin DeVito, Timothy Doehler, Thomas
Dunleavy, Sukanya Dutta, Kaitlyn Fischer, Poorvi Goradia, Brandon James,
Melissa Katz, Jarret Klein, Kristen Kneis, Aaron Lassin, Amy Lis, Dana Lucas,
Gregory Madia, Michael Malfitano, Alisha Maskarenas, Suman Naringrekar,
Ashley Nelson, Lauren Nissenblatt, Tyler Olsson,
Samantha Orlan, Ashna Pai, Dylan Parlow, Deviya Patel, Marielle
Rodriguez, Roshni Shah, Nazneen Shaikh, Kevin Shiraldi, Aradhana Srinagesh,
Jacob Stern, Natalie Twerdowsky and Jeffrey Veith
Advisor:
Mr. Andrew Loh
To view this issue and past issues of E-Vibe, the
online version, visit:
http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/school_information/
communications.php
Murphy
is
interested
in
donating her dress next year.
“After I heard about the
program, I thought donating was
such a good thing to do after
prom. Most girls just hang their
dress in their closet after the big
night, usually never wearing
it again. Thinking about how
devastated I would be if I could
not have a beautiful prom dress
is enough incentive to donate it
to a girl who cannot afford one. I
am thinking of donating my prom
dress for next year,” she said.
“After prom, your dress
will go to waste just sitting in
a closet. Donating your dress
to someone who will use and
appreciate it will give you a good
feeling,” said junior Neha Patil.
Special Education teacher Ms.
Stacy Svare is in charge of the
gown collections for the school.
According to her, the collection is
always successful. Two years ago,
the school collected about thirty
dresses and last year approximately
fifteen
were
donated.
Interact Club does the collection
just during this time of year to
make it easy for girls to donate
and also to get publicity for the
organization. After they are all
collected, a representative of the
South
Brunswick-Hightstown
Rotary club takes all of the gowns
to a hotel or large hall somewhere
in Newark. This is where many
racks of gowns are kept and
where soon, lines of girls will
be wrapped around the building,
waiting for their moment to
choose their dream prom dress.
“It is important to donate your
prom dress because you can make
a girl’s prom dream come true. By
doing this, you can help to make
sure that her prom will be a night
to remember,” Woogen said.
“This collection brings people
together and gives a sense of
community,” Ms. Svare said.
For this year, Interact club
collected current and clean
gowns and dresses, ones that
a high-school girl would like.
The dresses had to follow some
criteria: they needed to be gently
used with no stains, in good
shape, dry-cleaned and on a
hanger. The club also collected
purses and shoes that anyone
donated as well. They will follow
the same criteria for the following
years to come with the collection.
The Activities Office was filled
with lavender, sea green, aqua,
bright pink, black, and brown
dresses, some plain and some with
glitter and sparkles. There were
dresses with thin straps, no straps
and some that were halter tops.
“The girls who donated got a
good feeling for the small thing
they did to help make another
girl happy and excited for her
prom night,” Ms. Svare said.
March 2008
The Viking Vibe
PAGE 3
News
SBHS Introduces First
Annual Book Fair
Day of Silence to
Take Place on April 25
By Samantha Orlan (‘10)
By Anita Modi (‘09)
On April 7-10, from 7:30am to
3:00pm, South Brunswick High
School will host its first annual
Scholastic book fair- the first high
school book fair in the history of
the district.
Conveniently scheduled during conferences week, the fair
will appeal to more than just the
students and faculty of the high
school. Parents and younger siblings of SBHS students are also
invited to the main library to
browse through the selection during the evening session on April
7, from 6:00-8:30pm.
“We’ll have books of all levels- not just for the students of this
school, but for everyone coming
to conferences,” SBHS librarian
Ms. Nancy Geiger explained.
Scholastic will provide the high
school with no less than twelve
cases of books, along with boxes
of books to arrange on tables.
According to librarian Ms. Lisa
Manganello, because “Scholastic
doesn’t normally do book fairs,”
the selection and the set-up of the
books have been specifically designed and considered for SBHS.
“There’ll be a little bit of everything,” she said, “adult bestsellers, travel books, elementary
school books…We’re trying to
blend everything.”
Among the many titles are
such popular classics as Twilight,
Bluford High, The Sunflower, and
Extras (a sequel to Uglies, Pretties and Specials).
“Students are used to book
fairs,” Ms. Manganello explained,
“It’s a nice opportunity for them
to shop for their own personal libraries.”
Ms. Geiger agreed, “We want
to make reasonably-priced books
available to students and faculty
members. And it’s a fun project
for everyone involved.”
Indeed, several high school
students have partaken in the
planning of the event, volunteering to make posters, flyers, and to
help set up and sell the books the
week of the event.
“So far, [the planning’s] going
well,” senior Brinaye Holt said,
“Our t-shirts are in the process
of being made, we put together
flyers for the high school as well
as for the elementary schools,
our VTN announcement is being
made. We’re getting the publicity
out there.”
Junior Rebecca Dahl added,
“I know as a kid, I really enjoyed
going to book fairs, and I hope
that the younger siblings have a
chance to look around and enjoy
the same things I did.”
“I’ve always loved book fairs,”
Ms. Geiger agreed, “It’s a way to
get kids reading. We’re hoping
for all students to at least walk
through and look around!”
Note: The book fair will accept
cash, check, or charge.
On Friday, April 25, 2008, a
nationwide Day of Silence will
be held by Gay-Straight Alliances
(GSA) to observe the silence that
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT’s) face everyday.
The Day of Silence was started in
1996 at the University of Virginia.
The Day of Silence is when
“people of all sexual orientations and gender identities who
support lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender rights to take a
vow of silence to recognize and
protest the silence that LGBT
people face each day,” according to www.gsanetwork.org.
On www.dayofsilence.org it is
described as the “largest studentled action to protest bullying and
harassment if LGBT people and
their allies. Participants take a
day long vow of silence and distribute or wear speaking cards
with information about antiLGBT bias and ways for students
and others to ‘end the silence’.”
Junior Elizabeth Bermel, a
member of SBHS’s GSA said,
“I identify as a gender queer,
a lesser-known term for individuals that do not solely identify with being male or female.”
She continued to explain,
“How many times a day do you
hear someone say ‘that’s so gay’
or [some other homophobic remark]? And does anyone say
anything back? Rarely. In fact,
in a 2003 National Climate Survey (held by GLSN) students
reported that 82% of their teachers did not do or say anything
when present when homophobic
comments were made...yikes!”
Ms. Anna Lehre, GSA advisor, said, “More than likely, all
members of GSA will participate
[in the Day of Silence]. However,
there are some openly gay students who don’t feel the right to
protest [in favor of] gay rights.”
Ms. Lehre explained, “After school on April 25th, there
will be a “Breaking the Silence”
rally after school where students will be able to chat after not being able to all day.”
In order to participate in the
event, students will need a permission slip with all teacher
signatures, showing their approval and acknowledgment that
students will refrain from speaking
throughout the day. Participants
will also need a pin to be openly recognized for not speaking.
For more information and a permission slip, see Ms. Lehre in room
D204 or after school on Thursdays
for GSA meetings also in D204.
Features
New, Improved International
Night Debuts
By Amy Lis (‘09)
On March 5, the World Language
teachers sponsored the International
Night at South Brunswick High School,
starting off with a show at 5:15 PM
followed by a dinner at 7:00 PM.
World Language Supervisor Mr.
Thomas Decker said over many
years, the International Night has
become “a night to remember.”
“The students prepare food
and show off a talent that is
related to their culture,” he said.
Some students perform dances, others
play instruments and most bring in family
recipes that from their culture and from
a country where their ancestors lived.
For many weeks, International night
had been publicized in World Language
classes and on the VTN announcements.
When the time finally came, many
SBHS students were very excited.
Junior Jovelle Tamayo said she what
she was looking forward to the most was
the food, especially her own Filipino dish,
lumpia, which is a type of spring roll.
“It is nice that everyone gets
together to experience other cultures.
It makes you feel connected and
[allows you to] appreciate your
peers and their cultures,” she said.
Likewise, senior Mary-Ann Gutierrez
thinks International Night is all about
exploring other people’s cultures.
“I am looking forward to the food
and watching the different talents
from different cultures,” she said.
Gutierrez took part in a salsa dance,
where her and seven of her friends
danced, with the girls dressed in ornate
red dresses and the boys in all black.
The show started off with a rap about
International Night by juniors Charles
Ferrone, Andrew Buckner, Isaiah McNeil
and Arman Vitan. The night continued
with performances that included intricate
instruments. Junior Cassie Guadelupe
Below left: Senior performs a piece on a
traditional Chinese instrument
Below Right: Student performs a classical
irish dance
Far Below: Students pose for the camera
after eating their truly
“International meal.” Photos courtesy of
Saba Mendha (‘08)
sang Selena’s ‘Dreaming of You’ and
her powerful voice got the whole crowd
clapping along with her and the song.
In the middle of the show, there was
surprise entertainment, the International
Night Fashion show. The Fashion Show
included SBHS students dressed up in
attire from many countries around the
world. Two students walked down the
aisle onto the stage and posed, as music
from the country they were representing
blasted
through
the
speakers.
After the fashion show, there
were more performances with salsa
dancing and a group that performed
at Temptasian. Senior Sunny Ahlawat
liked the closing act which was a
dance to Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss”.
“My favorite part was the
last performance, it was a good
way to end the show,” he said.
Once the show ended, everyone filed
into the cafeteria, where dishes from all
over the world were being served. Many
people came out with heaps of food from
China, India, Italy, Argentina, Spain,
Japan, and many others. The cafeteria
was set up with each table labeled with
a different country’s name. Exquisite
drawings and posters covered the walls.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Zaida Abrego
enjoyed everything about the night.
“It was a lot of fun and
a
huge
success,”
she
said.
Superintendent Dr. Gary P. McCartney
and Assistant Superintendent Joanne
Kerekes attended International Night, as
did SBHS’s own principal Mr. Timothy
Matheney and all the assistant principals.
“International Night has to be one
of the highlights of the year for SBHS.
Because we have such a diverse
school, it is really important for us to
celebrate all of the different cultures in
our community. And besides that, the
food is amazing!” Mr. Matheney said.
11th Women’s Leadership
Conference Held at SBHS
By Lauren Nissenblatt (‘09) and
Samantha Orlan (‘10)
Open for women residing
in South Brunswick, in grades
eight through twelve, as well
as adults, the 11th Annual
Women’s Leadership Conference
organized
by
Ms.
Atiya
Aftab, was held on February
23 from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm.
From 8-9am was a registration
and breakfast, followed by the
welcome,
keynote
speaker,
NY Times best selling author
Megan McCafferty, and awards.
Scholarship Award recipients
were Senior Meerat Oza and
Senior Sally Yin and the Star
Award recipient was Stella
Rodgers,
who
contributed
greatly to the conference
as well as the community.
The scholarship was $1000 per
recipient which is to be used for
college expenses. Two sessions,
each discussing the day-to-day
work in specific professional
fields, were available, the first
beginning at 10:15 and the second
beginning at 1:20, each lasting one
hour. Lunch was served at 12:30
until the end of the conference.
The keynote speaker, Megan
McCafferty, featured her four
books, Sloppy Firsts, Second
Helpings, Charmed Thirds, and
Fourth Comings. According to her
website, www.meganmccafferty.
com, her books follow a “New
Jersey, hyper-observant 16year-old,
Jessica
Darling,
[who is] a fish out of water at
school and a stranger at home.”
Ms. McCafferty said, “I
love doing programs like this
and I love being able to share
my experiences. I spend 90%
of my working life by myself
and I get as much out of [the
conference] as I hope you do.”
Formed in 1997 to promote
leadership in high school girls, the
women’s leadership conference
was originally named the Task
Force on Women’s Leadership
and in 2000 was renamed South
Brunswick Commission on
Women. This new group widened
to inform young girls on Domestic
Violence Awareness. Its members
are volunteers appointed by the
Mayor, Mr. Frank Gambatese.
The membership is made up
of both high school students and
adults. The mission statement
says,
“…Together
female
students as well as adults, and
leaders from our community
and beyond; all work toward the
goal that today’s young women
become tomorrow’s leaders.”
The Commission’s goals are “to
develop a program to encourage
leadership in young women, to
aid young women in developing
skills necessary for leadership
roles, to provide role models
for young women, to provide
networking opportunities, and
to empower young women.”
According to packetonline.com,
Ms. Aftab said “[the conference]
inspires young high school girls
to achieve their career goals.”
Ms. Lindy Mandy, Co-Chair
of Student Personnel Services
at SBHS said, “[The Leadership
Conference] has been a huge
success [in the past] and we
get even more successful
in members every year.”
She continued to say, “[The
conference provides] a stress
of [women’s] own power and
potential, how important it is
to build a network and use it.”
Ms. Beatrice Alexander,
member of the South Brunswick
Commission on Women said in
response to what she likes about
the conference, “It is a leadership
conference
for
women.”
Session one consisted of lessons
about entering high school (for 8th
graders), Visual & Performing arts,
Law & Government, Corporate
Businesses, Health Professions,
Education, Date Rape/Sexual
Harassment,
Communications
& Journalism, and Owning
Your
Own
Businesses.
Session two consisted of the
same high school introduction
as well as the Health Profession
lesson.
Other
workshops
consisted of Opportunities in
the FBI, College Life (for 11th
and 12th graders), Finance &
Accounting, Science, Engineering
& Technology, Culinary Arts,
Fashion/Home Fashion, and
lastly,
Fitness
Professions.
Sophomore Louisa Sirimis said,
“I think it was a very enlightening
experience and that every girl in
the school would benefit from
being here. The FBI course was
amazing and kept me on the
edge of my seat the whole time.”
Junior Marissa Rodriguez
said “I’ve learned a lot about
what I want to do in my life.”
Sophomore Shreya Patel said,
“I was inspired by one of the
business speakers, she allowed
me to visualize my goals, and the
‘Owning Your Own Business’
lesson opened a new door for me.”
As students were leaving,
they received donated gifts
consisting of hair gel, make-up,
NYSC free-week membership,
Can Do fitness discount, and
Ralph Lauren travel bag.
Features
SBHS JSA Members Travel to Washington DC for Annual Winter Congress Convention
By Zach Cohen (‘10) and Aaron
Lassin (‘11)
During the weekend of February 2224 the Junior State of America (JSA)
club traveled to Washington D.C. for its
annual Winter Congress, a weekend of
engaging in debates, meeting new people,
and most of all, having a good time.
JSA is a club where members debate
current events going on in the country
and the world. Winter Congress is
the club’s annual winter trip where
they travel to the capital for a mock
congress with various other schools.
There, they split up into different
rooms (the house of representatives and
senate) to debate bills. Students think,
write, and argue their own hypothetical
bills, which they hope will eventually
pass in their respective House and Senate.
Students who do not write their own bills
have the opportunity to subsequently
speak against or for bills on the floor.
The trip was scheduled to depart on
Friday, February 22, but because of the
snow storm the trip was postponed until the
weather was more suitable for traveling.
Throughout that day, members of the club
were worried that they might never depart.
“I was really annoyed when I found
out the trip was postponed but I was
really hoping we would still get to
go,” said sophomore Jatin Khanna.
Then as it looked like all hope to go
was lost, the members of the club all
received calls indicating that they would
leave for the trip on Saturday morning
in time for the first congress meetings.
“After I got the call that we were going I was
even more excited to go and could not wait
for the next morning to leave,” said Khanna.
After a long bus ride the club pulled
up to the hotel where they would stay
and participate in their mock congress.
Immediately after arriving, students
went to their assigned senate or houses
to debate the bills authored by them or
their peers. Then they had lunch and
returned for another round of congress.
“I loved how people were able to
communicate ideas back and forth between
one another. People were able to respect
each other’s opinions, and thoughts even
though they were from different states.
Everyone worked really hard to get their
bills passed,” said senior Kanika Mohal.
In the afternoon, the members then went
to a “political fair” where representatives
of different organizations talked to the
students about what their respective
organization
advocates.
Included
organizations were: People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),
the National Rifle Association (NRA),
the American Atheists, and many more.
Following the political fair, students
gathered to listen to keynote speaker
Allen Lichtman who is a professor
at America University, and author of
The Thirteen Keys to the White House
books. In June he plans to release his
newest book White Protestant Nation:
The Rise of the American Conservative
Movement. He spoke to students
about the ways to determine who will
win the presidential election.
“I found him really interesting,
and
a
great
speaker,”
said
sophomore
Shankara
Bharadwaj.
The following day students woke up
for breakfast for an hour then headed off
to another day of Congress. This day,
though, instead of being in 20 different
rooms there were only six different ones.
In those large congresses, the members
debated over bills that had been passed
the day before in the miniature congress
rooms. If a bill passed both the senate
and house on Saturday, one of the larger
house and senate rooms on Sunday
debated if it would become a law.
After the first large congress session,
the members took another break for lunch
and then came back for another round of
larger congress. After all the bills had been
debated in each room all the members
in attendance gathered for speeches
by the students running for positions
on the New Jersey Region Board.
Juniors Antonia Hyman, Ellis
Klein, and Manas Kulkarni made
speeches to persuade students to vote
for them in the forthcoming elections.
“I’m running for mayor of the New
Jersey Region, which is the highest
regional-level position within the
organization. The campaign trail, which
will last until Spring State in late April,
will involve me traveling to schools
around the state to give speeches and
persuade an entire generation of young
voters and future statesmen to make
the right choice in 2008 (that being
me for mayor).” said Ellis Klein.
Hyman will be running for
Vice-Mayor, and Kulkarni will be
running for Lieutenant Governor.
After the speeches members
said their goodbyes and gathered
back onto their busses where they
would make their way home.
JSA members sit in the hallway of the Doubletree Hotel
Basketball Team Wraps Up ‘Solid’ Season
SB Basketball team at a game.
Photo courtesy of Valhalla and Bill Gaze
By Jarret Klein (‘08) and Tim
Doehler (‘09)
Despite a tough loss to Trenton Central High School in the State Tournament, the South Brunswick Boys Basketball Team, had a solid season but
fell short in certain crucial moments.
Although the 2007-2008 season
got off to slow start by the Vikings
falling to rival St. Joe’s on opening
night, the team bounced back strong
in their next game, beating opponent
Perth Amboy by a score of 68-48.
Senior Arman Wilson led the way
with 20 points, and was followed by fellow senior Jordan Teicher who chipped
in 14 points, including two 3-pointers. The team also received contributions from junior Mohammed Sanu
who recorded his first double-double
of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and point guard senior Troy
Confessore who played a solid allaround game for the Vikings with 10
points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Flowing with confidence from
their previous win, the Vikings traveled into a hostile Piscataway High
School to face off against the GMC’s
number one ranked team. In a physical, back and forth, nail-biting game,
the Vikings lost a heartbreaker in triple
overtime. In the third overtime, the Vikings, who were missing starters senior
Sean Lease and Confessore, (both had
fouled out) were outmatched and outscored 17-7 to make the final score of
the game 80-70. Although they didn’t
win the game, the triple overtime thriller
gave the team confidence, and proved
that last year’s success was not a fluke.
In response to the tough loss, junior
Cody McHugh said, “The loss was hard
to deal with, but I think that we proved to
our conference and the rest of the teams
on our schedule that we’re for real.”
In the Buc Classic Tournament at
Red Bank Regional played over winter
break, the Vikings defeated Matawan in
their first round game 58-38, and Franklin in their second round game. Following their two victories in the tournament
the Vikings advanced to the championship game of the Buc Classic at Red
Bank Regional where they lost a tough
game to Red Bank Regional 46-40.
The Vikings then began the newyear by going on a 3 game winning streak, defeating Old Bridge,
East
Brunswick,
and
Edison.
According to second leading scorer
Teicher, “The team’s success this season
can be attributed to our focus on the defensive end. From the first day of practice,
we have done so many drills strengthening our defensive skills that it comes naturally in terms of defensive positioning
and rebounding. Coach always said if we
can hold our opponents under 11 points
per quarter, we can win against anyone
so that is what we try to do every game.”
Coach Joe Hoehman also attributes
the team’s success to their preparation.
“The preparation process starts with
scouting our opponents. Whether we
get out to see our opposition live or on
film, we use our scout information to
create reports for our players. More often than not, our players are informed
as to exactly what our opponent will
do. In addition, we also go over certain
plays and defensive techniques that we
will use on game day during our practices. We are always prepared,” he said.
With their record at a respectable
6-3, the Vikings traveled to South Amboy to go up against Division I prospect
Mike Burwell and the Cardinal McCarrick Eagles. Although Burwell scored
29 points, and the Vikings lost, a star
of their own might have been born as
Wilson dropped 20 points and extended
his double figure scoring streak to ten
games, averaging 14 points a game.
The team then squared up against
J.P. Stevens but lost to the number four
team in the GMC in an overtime thriller.
The Vikings ripped off two consecutive wins against Franklin and
Perth Amboy after the Vikings second heart-breaking loss in overtime.
After the two fairly easy wins, the
Vikings were looking for revenge as
they hosted a top GMC competitor, the
Piscataway Chiefs in a rematch of a triple-overtime thriller from a few weeks
back . However, in a hard-fought,
back and forth game the Vikings lost
to the Chiefs, as their record fell to 8-6.
Following the loss in a hostile environment at St. Joe’s in the following games,
the team notched another two consecutive
wins against Old Bridge and East Brunswick to improve their record to 10-7.
In the team’s last game before the
cutoff for the state tournament, the Vikings traveled to Notre Dame High
School where they lost an extremely close game that saw the Fighting
Irish capitalize on the Vikings missing free throws late in the game.
They then went on to beat Edison by a score of 53-34, but lost their
next game 54-52, on a buzzer beat to
a highly regarded J.P. Stevens squad.
In their last game before the GMC
tournament, the Vikings went into
Hightstown looking to gain momentum
after their previous loss. However, after
leading by eight points at halftime, the
team saw Hightstown come out of the
break and make a quick run from which
the Vikings couldn’t recover from.
In the first round of the GMC tournament the Vikings defeated the Edison
Eagles by a score of 58-37, giving the
team some momentum heading into their
second round matchup versus St. Joe’s.
However, in the second round of the
GMC tournament the team lost a hard
fought game to St. Joe’s in Metuchen,
but still had the State Tournament to
look forward to. In the first round of the
state tournament the team beat Hunterdon Central at home by a game winning
last second tip in by Arman Wilson. After the dramatic win the Vikings traveled to Trenton Central for the second
round of the state tournament where
they went on to lose a hard fought game,
ending the 2007-2008 basketball season.
Although the team showed signs of
greatness this season, Coach Hoehman
noted that the team would have found
more success this season if they were “a
little more consistent on the offensive
end and executed during crunch time.”
If the team is able to make those
corrections then they can be a dangerous team in the state playoffs.
Junior Pat Goldsmith, a huge supporter of the team summed up the season by
saying, “Although the season ended in
disapointing fashion, I think the team
next year will come out strong next
year, and make a run like the ‘07 team.”
Turn The Music Up!
My Top 10 Favorite 90s Songs
By Amy Rowe (‘09)
In the past few months, it seems that 90s music has had an
undeniable omnipresence in the media. I first noticed this with VH1’s
“100 Greatest Songs of the 90s” special that debuted in late December
2007. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” took the number one spot,
an obvious choice. Around the same time, the video game Rock
Band was released. This video game featured quite a few playable
90s songs, including “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, “Creep” by
Radiohead, and “Say it Ain’t So” by Weezer. During the weekend of
Saturday, March 8th, 94.5 PST featured 90s music all weekend. The
overwhelming nostalgia I felt while revisiting the songs I grew up with
prompted me to compile a list of my top 10 favorite songs of the 90s.
1. “Run Around” by Blues
Traveler
I am in love with this song, mainly
because it features a face-melting
harmonica solo courtesy of Blues
Traveler front man, John Popper. I
could seriously listen to this song a
million times and not get bored.
8. “Semi-Charmed Life” by
Third Eye Blind
It is hilarious how many people
will sing this song and not think
twice about the words coming
out. The angry nature of the lyrics
juxtaposes the catchy melody,
but some people don’t even think
twice.
3. “Two Princes” by Spin
Doctors
This song is incredibly catchy and
the epitome of 90s alternative rock
1 Hit Wonders.
9. “Peaches” by The
Presidents of the United
States of America
A catchy ode to fruit. What’s not
to love?
4. “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
by Nirvana
There is no way this grunge anthem
could not have been included in this
list. After watching this on VH1’s
special, I became really depressed
due to Kurt Cobain’s suicide. If only
that did not happen, Nirvana would
have still been around cranking
out amazing music. However, the
band probably would not have been
appreciated as much as it is today.
A
P
R
I
L
2
0
0
8
10. “You Oughtta Know” by
Alanis Morisette
Alanis Morisette is a must have,
and this angry rock song is the
perfect to close this list.
Monday
Tuesday
1
6
Percussion
Festival
13
6. “Groove is in the Heart” by
Dee-Lite
Who knew that a trio of DJ’s
could create one of the greatest
dance hits of the decade? This
song is just undeniably fun.
7. “Mr. Jones” by The
Counting Crows
Simply put, I have to include a
Counting Crows song. This band
and song practically sum up the
90s.
2. “One Week” by The
Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies’ ridiculous
rhymes paired with their alternative
music style are a unique mix that
obviously belongs to the 90s. The
lyric “Chickety china the Chinese
chicken, you had a drumstick and
your brain starts kickin’” is both
confusing and the perfect example
of the wackiness of the era.
Sunday
5. “The Way” by Fastball
This song is amazingly haunting.
The band wrote this song about
a story that showing up in
newspaper headlines. The lyrics
tell of a missing couple that were
going to a wedding, but continued
driving for days until their vehicle
was found driven off a cliff. The
content of this song make it
practically mandatory to be on my
list.
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
2
3
4
Amnesty International National Week of Action Petition Signing
Dodgeball
Tournament
Viking Volunteers
Senior Citizens
Prom (2:30-4:30pm)
11
Saturday
5
9th and 10th grade
Semi-Formal at East
Brunswick Chateau
World Language
Honor Society
Induction
Rebel Kick Butts
Day
District Music
Festival
7
8
9
10
��������������
Conferences
��������������
Conferences
��������������
Conferences
�������������
Mr. SBHS 2008
(7:00pm)
12
ACTs
Red Cross Dance-athon (4:3011:00pm)
14
15
16
17
18
19
Pep Rally
Black and Gold Day
Junior and Senior
Prom Ticket Sales
25
Amped Concert
(7:00-11:00pm)
26
Habitat forHumanity
Tool Drive
SBHS’s First Annual Book Fair
SPIRIT WEEK
Junior and Senior Prom Ticket Sales and Court Voting
Key Club Pie-a-teacher Voting
PJ Day
Beach Day
20
Passover
21
22
27
Habitat for
Humanity Tool
Drive
28
29
District Art
Gallery (7:00pm)
College Day
Murder Mystery
Theatre II
23
Fresh/Soph tripMedieval Times
30
ClassColor Day
Murder Mystery
Theatre II
24
Poetry Prose
Reading
SBHS “Cheerleader of the Month”
Nominated for National Award
By Andrew Constant (‘08)
South Brunswick High School senior Breanna Twiggs’ high school days may be numbered,
but her amazing career as a cheerleader will carry on. For 10 years now, she has been cheering
with her SBHS teammates, and her yearly sacrifice to the sport has brought honor to Twiggs.
Breanna has been nominated for the American Cheerleader magazine Cheerleader of the
Year for 2008. By virtue of winning the award of Cheerleader of the Month in December
2007, Twiggs is now competing against six other nationally recognized cheerers for this
extraordinary reward. And to think that she didn’t even think that the magazine would pick her.
“The editors of the magazine came to the camp (Pine Forest Cheer Camp) that my team and I go to every
year to find girls to be in the magazine. We went into the city the first day of school of our junior year, and the
issue came out around November. It was an amazing experience for all three of us, and then a few months
later the editors called me back and asked me to do another photo shoot,” Twiggs told the Viking Vibe.
“But this time the pictures would possibly be for a Cheerleader of the Month issue. I did the
shoot with two other girls who were awesome, fun, and talented and I really didn’t think that
they were going to pick me over them.” Twiggs said, “A few weeks after the photo shoot,
the editor for Cheerleader of Month issues emailed me with about 100 questions, ranging
from topics about school, my family and friends, lacrosse and what I like to do in my
spare time. I answered as honest as I possibly could, and what do you know? I got it!”
The reward for being such a great cheerer was a three-page spread in the
December issue of American Cheerleader, a $2,500 dollar check to put towards
college expenses and the chance to be the next Cheerleader of the Year!
“When Brittany, the editor, called me and asked how it
felt to be the next Cheerleader of the Month, I was in awe.
It was a special feeling that I haven’t yet experienced.”
“It feels awesome to be recognized. This is a national title and
it would be amazing to win it. If I won the title, I would be
featured on the cover of the magazine, have another one-page
article in the magazine, and I would receive another $2,500.”
Twiggs has been cheerleading with the majority of
the girls on the team, mainly the members of the Class
of 2008, for years now, and believes that they have
all helped each other become stronger athletes.
She also attributes her success to the
leadership of coach, Ms. Betty Ann Snediker She
has also played a key role Twiggs’ success as
a cheerleader because she never gives up,
no mater how frustrated the team gets,
and she always backs them up, and
puts in so much time and effort so
the team can be the best it can be.
The voting for the title
of Cheerleader of the year
begins in June 2008 on
americancheerleader.
com/coy.
Right: Breanna Twiggs cheers
with other members of the
SBHS Cheerleading Squad
Photo courtest of Valhalla and
Bill Gaze