June 2015 - The Wardlaw

the B E A C O N
Volume 63, No. 7
June 2015 - Graduation Issue
Class of 2015 honored at farewell dinner
By Rudy Brandl ‘83
Faculty Advisor
Several members of the Class of
2015 received awards in recognition
of their academic, athletic and
extracurricular excellence at the Senior
Farewell Dinner on June 11 in the AllPurpose Room.
Camille Menns won the
prestigious W-H Pin, awarded to the
student who, while maintaining his or
her own academic level, has exhibited
loyalty, generosity, dedication and
helpfulness to promote the spirit and
philosophy of the school. Camille
embodied all of these qualities in
various areas of the school, most
notably through her leadership as
the president of the student body in
her senior year. She also maintained
a consistent honor roll average
throughout all four years of high
school.
She was a member of the Spanish
National Honor Society, Captain’s
Council, and a New Jersey National
Girls and Women in Sports honoree.
Camille, who also won the Wigton
Cup awarded to the outstanding
female athlete, earned that distinction
by receiving many accolades as a
volleyball and basketball player. She
received a team award after all four
volleyball seasons, including AllDivision honors on the All-GMC team
in her senior year. Camille also was
named to the All-GMC basketball team
as a senior and represented W-H in
the GMC All-Star Game. Camille will
attend Arcadia University in the fall.
Neema Liverpool received
the Alumni Association Award for
high academic achievement and
outstanding participation in school
life. Neema, who will play Division
1 soccer at New Jersey Institute of
Technology, maintained an academic
average worthy of the honor roll with
distinction throughout most of her
high school career. She was a peer
leader, member of the Spanish Club
and Spanish National Honor Society,
WHTV and Empowering Young
Women Club. Her soccer accolades
were impressive, as she was named
to several All-Division and All-Prep
teams throughout her stellar high
school career.
Julia Linger won the Parents’
Association Award for significant
contributions to the extracurricular life
of the school. Julia, who will attend
Emerson College, participated in a
wide array of activities. She received
much recognition for her outstanding
work as the school mascot, which
earned her the Robert B. Vietor
The seniors gather for a photo after sone fun and games outdoors.
Award for outstanding commitment,
dedication and loyalty to the athletic
program. She also was a staff writer
for the Beacon student newspaper for
two years. Julia was a fixture on the
W-H stage, performing in every fall
play and spring musical throughout
her high school career. She performed
with the MadJazz vocal ensemble and
also earned recognition as a member
of the All-State Chorus for three years.
Julia won a Theatre Night Award for
her performance as Helen Keller in The
Miracle Worker.
Saad Mansuri earned the
Stevenson Award, which is given to
the student with the highest academic
average in the senior class. Saad,
who will attend Rutgers University,
also earned subject honors as the top
mathematics student with the HawleyKatrausky Prize.
John Pohopin and Simran Kaur
received the other Senior Awards
of Distinction. John earned the
Headmaster’s Cup for demonstrating
leadership and dedication to the life
of the school. Simran was recognized
with the Upper School Head’s Award
for personal growth, dedication and
generosity of spirit in service to the
school community.
Shruti Patel received the Mary
B. Wells Prize for accomplishment in
the study of history. Huma Naqvi won
the Confucius Award for excellence
in the study of Chinese, Miah Hagood
earned the Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Spanish Award, Roshun Menon won
the Ethel Cook Classics Prize and
Nikki Mugambi received the Juliette
Escoffier French Award.
Sam Sherman won the Lewis B.
Timberlake Award for contributions to
publications. Aishwarya Nair received
the Computer Award for excellence,
creativity and superior performance in
computer science.
The Scholar-Athlete Awards were
presented to Briana Crawley and Sam
Sherman. Camille Menns (Wigton
Cup) and William “Catfish” Garner
(Chambliss Trophy) were recognized
as the top athletes.
Pierre Bouley received the
Charles H. Detwiller award for
involvement and achievement in the
arts. Performing arts awards also were
presented to Julia Linger (Elizabeth O.
Horne Award), John Anderson-Schmitt
(John Philip Sousa Band Award), Matt
Handzy (Louis Armstrong Jazz Award)
and Nikki Mugambi (National School
Choral Award).
2015 COMMENCEMENT AWARDS
W-H Pin
Camille Menns
Alumni Association Award
Neema Liverpool
Parents’ Association Award
Julia Linger
Stevenson Award
Saad Mansuri
Headmaster’s Cup
John Pohopin
Upper School Head’s Award
Simran Kaur
Robert B. Vietor Award
Julia Linger
Chambliss Trophy
William Garner
Wigton Cup
Camille Menns
Scholar-Athlete Awards
Briana Crawley
Samuel Sherman
Hawley-Katrausky
Mathematics Prize
Saad Mansuri
Hartridge Class of 1953
English Prize
Huma Naqvi
Elaine W. Bart Science Award
John Anderson-Schmitt
Mary B. Wells
History Prize
Shruti Patel
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Spanish Award
Miah Hagood
Juliette Escoffier French Award
Nikki Mugambi
Ethel Cook Classics Prize
Roshun Menon
Confucius Award
Huma Naqvi
Lewis B. Timberlake Award
Samuel Sherman
Computer Award
Aishwarya Nair
John Philip Sousa
Band Award
John Anderson-Schmitt
National School Choral Award
Nikki Mugambi
Elizabeth O. Horne Award
Julia Linger
Louis Armstrong Jazz Award
Matt Handzy
Charles H. Detwiller Jr. Award
Pierre Bouley
Rensselaer Medal Award
Astitva Soni
Class of 2015
College Plans
John AndersonSchmitt
Boston College
Anthony Appiah
Newbury College
Psychology
Finance
Rida Aziz
Barnard College
Undecided
James Blatz
Franklin & Marshall
College
Anastasia Bellisari
Rutgers University
Undecided
Pierre Bouley
Rutgers University
Chemistry
Undecided
Melissa Calderon
The College of New
Jersey
Bio-Medical Engineering
Avery Choi
Drexel University
Entrepreneurship
Nicholas D’Amore
Gettysburg College
Business
2
Sam Cheon
Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy &
Health Sciences
Pharmacy
Briana Crawley
Trinity College
Chemistry
Kingsley Dai
University of Edinburgh
Russian Studies and Linguistics
Daniel Gallagher
Gemma Gao
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Electrical Engineering
Rutgers University
William Garner
Rocco Haborak
Mechanical Engineering
Business
University of
Massachussetts Amherst
Miah Hagood
Rutgers University
Communications
Loyola University
Maryland
Matthew Handzy
Rutgers University
Political Science
Honors Program
Beatrice He
Julian HernándezWebster
Rutgers University
School of Enviornmental &
Biological Sciences
Undecided
Simran Kaur
Rutgers University
Undecided
Cynthia Liberal
Computer Science
Bucknell University
Undecided
Michael Kieselstein
Sarah Lawrence College
Philosophy
Julia Linger
Rutgers University
Emerson College
Neema Liverpool
Brian Machoka
Biology
New Jersey Institute
of Technology
Bio-Medical Engineering
Saad Mansuri
Rutgers University
Honors Program
Cell Biology and
Neuroscience/ Pre-Med
Journalism
Pennsylvania State
University
Mechanical Engineering
Madhav Mehta
University of the
Sciences
PharmD Program
3
Camille Menns
Roshun Menon
Arcadia University
Northeastern University
Psychology/Pre-Physical
Therapy
Mechanical Engineering
Nikki Mugambi
Aishwarya Nair
New York University
Stern School of Business
Finance
Huma Naqvi
Rutgers University
School of Engineering
Bio-Medical Engineering
Uditi Nichani
Rutgers University
School of Engineering
Computer Engineering
Michael Newman
The College of
New Jersey
Undecided
Mohammed Nizam
Sarah Lawrence College
Rutgers University
Joseph Palaguachi
Nicholas Palko
Undecided
Rutgers University
School of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Chand Patel
Rutgers University
Political Science/History
Biology/Pre-Med
Fairleigh Dickinson
University
Business Management
Shruti Patel
Rutgers University
Honors Program
Political Science/History
John Pohopin
Azia Pompey
St. John’s University Seton Hall University
Criminal Justice/
Psychology
Ryan Price
Franklin & Marshall
College
Psychology
4
Undecided
Jay Raval
Rutgers University
Computer Science
Luke Romeo
Emily Saadi
Seton Hall University Georgetown University
Healthy Care Management
& Policy/Pre-Med
Undecided
Jack Schildge
University of
Colorado-Boulder
Mechanical Engineering
Austin Scudder
Quinnipiac University
Game Design
Thomas Weber
Pennsylvania State
University
History
Brandon Yin
Dickinson College
Undecided
Areeb Zaidi
Rutgers University
School of Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Joshua Schlisserman
Occidental College
Kinesiology
Sam Sherman
Washington University
in St. Louis
Pre-Med
Shirley Yang
University of Wisconsin
Undecided
Junrong Yu
Rutgers University
Statistics
Eliana Zebro
Moravian College
Music Composition
Congratulations to the Class of 2015
from
The Beacon
5
Lifer reflects on years growing up at W-H
By Daniel Gallagher ‘15
2002 seems like
so long ago but in a way it
seems like yesterday. The
eight of us walked through
the doors of WardlawHartridge for the first time.
We are called Lifers because
we all have been here at W-H
since Kindergarten. We were
barely three feet tall (except
maybe Jay Raval) and the
school looked enormous
and our teachers looked like
giants.
Slowly but surely
we got to know each other
and felt more and more
comfortable. We were now in
our home away from home
where we would spend the
next 13 years of our lives learning, growing and finding
our passions, our goals, our
friends and ourselves.
Luke Romeo, John
Anderson-Schmitt, Rocky
Haborak, Jay Raval, Pierre
Bouley, Emily Saadi, Roshun
Menon and I have all been
through so many changes
as we’ve matured through
school. We all remember
in early Lower School the
the years link us uniquely. All
of our parents also formed a
special bond because they too
were part of so many of our
times at Wardlaw-Hartridge
and watched all of us grow
up together. They would meet
at the concerts, art shows and
other events and marvel at
how big all of us were getting
each year and cheer for all of
our accomplishments.
Others have joined us
Lifers sit on the swings they played on as children.
over the years, whether it be
in Lower, Middle or Upper
concept of nap time and
from hard working immature School, to make up our Class
of 2015. The Lifers have
snack time and, of course,
freshmen to slightly more
seen classmates come and go,
recess. We would have
mature seniors with a mild
experienced all the teachers
large games of tag and play
addiction to Super Smash
in every division and shared
on the now removed large
Bros. and an acute case of
all the memories throughout
tire in the center of the
senioritis.
playground. We remember
Art projects, speeches, our school years. What we
share will stay with all of us
going on trips in Middle
Field Days, Halloweens,
and no matter where we all
School to Williamsburg and
science projects, hundreds
wind up in life, those special
Washington D.C. and the
of lunches, concerts: a
memories will be a part of
hilarity that ensued from
lifetime of memories is what
who we are.
bunking with your friends.
we lifers share. There is
There is a quote that
In Upper School we all
something about knowing
sums up our 2015 Lifers
share memories of working
people through every stage
hard in desperate attempts
of your life so far that makes experience perfectly: “Truly
to win Spirit Week or the
them special. The funny, sad, great friends are hard to
find, difficult to leave and
fond memories of going
scary, stressful and wacky
impossible to forget.”
to our first prom. We aged
memories gathered through
Annual Cookin’ Cabaret delights audience again
By Neha Shukla ‘17
It’s that time of
the year at The WardlawHartridge School when
classes are winding down
and students are stepping
up. Additionally, fondly
associated with this time
of the year, is of course the
annual Cookin’ Cabaret.
Having started this
tradition six years ago, Mrs.
Sharon Byrne, Middle and
Upper School Vocal Music
Teacher and Performing Arts
Department Chair, annually
organizes the event, which
consists of a barbecue/buffet
style meal and a selection
of vocal, instrumental, and
visual performances by the
Upper School student body.
“I feel that the
6
Cookin’ Cabaret was a great
platform to perform on and
present myself and my talent
to my community,” Jordan
Rose ’17 said.
This year, the event
consisted of a unique
selection of performances
that included a few solos,
a few duets, a rap routine,
a spoken word routine, an
addition of the ukulele, a
performance by the students
of the Modern Dance
seminar, and a band piece
by a select few international
students.
“The greatest thing
was that everyone was so
supportive of each other.
You could have just so easily
felt the love pouring off the
audience to the students,”
Mrs. Byrne said.
As the students make
the decision to audition and
perform, the atmosphere of
the entire event plays a key
role. After being motivated
by their peers and faculty,
students are encouraged to
step up and display their
talent.
“It’s fun in the sense
that you get to hear how
talented your peers are and
what everybody has to bring
to the table. It’s also really
exciting when others want to
hear what you like to do or
what music you’re interested
in,” Makena Mugambi ’16
said.
Feeling appreciated
by their community, the
seniors are bound to feel a
certain sense of nostalgia as
their final days in a specific
chapter of their high school
life are coming to a close.
For the seniors, the Cookin’
Cabaret is often the last time
they will be performing at
W-H as students and serves
as a final memory of their
years at this school to live by.
Finally, using the event as
an opportunity to honor and
pay their respects, students,
specifically seniors, often
dedicate their performances
to teachers, fellow students,
parents, and the community
at large.
“It’s the start of my
exit. This is the beginning
of the last stages for the end
of an era for me,” senior
Camille Menns ’15 said.
Students prepare to travel to Belize and Guatemala
By Emily Saadi ‘15
Due to the success
of the Peru service-learning
trip in the summers of 2012
and 2013, The WardlawHartridge School has
offered students a similar
program that will take place
in Guatemala and Belize.
The unanimous support and
praise that the Peru trip had
received in previous years
has encouraged the W-H
administration to extend
this opportunity for another
summer.
Partnered with the
World Leadership School,
W-H will not only allow
students to experience a new
culture but also give them the
chance to improve a school
community. The World
Leadership School plans to
expose teachers and students
to the shifting attitudes
held towards 21st century
education and learning.
The partnership between
Wardlaw-Hartridge and the
World Leadership School
will help current members of
academia to assimilate into
this changing trend. W
While in Guatemala
and Belize, chaperones and
students will participate in
community projects, walk
on trails, and visit ancient
ruins. This program will also
allow students to learn about
global issues and to hone
their individual leadership
traits. During this two-week
program, W-H students and
chaperones will first arrive
in Belize City and then
progress to the tight-knit
community of Las Viñas.
Students and chaperones will
also stay at the Macal River
Camp at Chaa Creek Lodge.
However, unlike the Peru
program, this trip will focus
on environmental issues
related to the sustainability of
rainforests.
Students who
will attend this servicelearning trip in Guatemala
and Belize have expressed
tremendous excitement
about their venture. Their
enthusiasm helped them
organize a fundraiser at the
restaurant chain MOOYAH
in Garwood, NJ. These
12 students managed to
raise about $500 towards
the betterment of the local
communities in Guatemala
and Belize. Their efforts
demonstrate the passion and
the anticipation they have
in regards to learning and
helping a community to
prosper.
“I think the
most beneficial learning
experience from the trip
will not only be being able
to help the community
but also learning about a
country that most of us
know almost nothing about,”
Cecily D’Amore ’16 said.
“I wanted to go on this trip
not only because I love to
travel but because we are also
getting fully involved in the
community. I think that will
be a really great experience.”
As a student who
attended the Peru service
trip in 2012, Roshun Menon
’15 gave great advice to this
year’s participants:
“Make sure to enjoy
your time in a place where
the people are able to enjoy
life from a completely
different perspective than
you’ve ever experienced.
Also, meet and learn from
as many people as you can
so you can come back with a
new outlook.”
Take advantage of studying abroad in high school
By Yumna Naqvi ‘17
“I want to travel
around the whole world!”
When we were younger, this
might have been something
we exclaimed excitedly to
our friends or parents. We
wanted to see everything,
all the possibilities that
existed for us. As we grew
older, though, this idea faded
away and was replaced
with other dreams. But still,
that underlying dream to
travel across the world can
be fulfilled now through
studying abroad.
Studying abroad
means immersing yourself in
a country where the culture
and language is different
from your own. You’ll make
new friends, try new foods,
and learn the native language
inside out. But why am I
telling you all this? The
answer is simple; I will be
studying abroad next year in
China and I think you should,
too.
Next year, I’ll be
living with a caring host
family and attending school
in the capital of China,
Beijing. Classes will be an
interactive experience and
learning occurs inside and
outside the classroom; you
can learn something about
a historic site and then go
visit it the next day. Some of
the sites we will be visiting
next year include more
popular sites like the Great
Wall, Forbidden City, and
Confucius Temple. However,
we will also be taking
weeklong trips to Shangxi
and Yunnan Province.
Why miss out on
such an exciting opportunity?
You may be concerned that
your high school years are
important, that you need to
stay in America to apply
for colleges. That couldn’t
be farther from the truth.
You can study abroad and
still take your SAT/ACT
and apply to colleges. In
fact, having this experience
and learning from it makes
applying for college all the
more easier.
There’s no better
time than your high school
years to spend a year
studying abroad. When I
was first informed about
the opportunity to study
abroad in China, I wasn’t
sure if I wanted to take the
risk. However, the president
of the School Year Abroad
program, Jack Creeden, said,
“Even if there is that small
part of you that wants to go,
take the risk.” You may have
pushed down your dreams to
travel around the world, but
you have the chance to study
abroad now. Just go for it.
7
Wishing three W-H teachers a happy retirement
By Anuva Goel ‘17
Each year, the face
of The Wardlaw-Hartridge
School changes. Some
teachers leave and new
teachers join. This year the
faculty, staff, students, and
parents at W-H will be saying
good-bye to three retiring
Upper School teachers:
Mrs. Barbara Drake, Sra.
Linda Kouril, and Mrs. Jo
O’Connell.
“All three women
came to W-H after
establishing themselves as
leaders in other schools,”
Mrs. Rhona Eserner, Upper
School Head, said.
Mrs. Drake currently
serves as the W-H Director of
Sustainability. She has been
at W-H for nine years and has
put in a lot of effort to help
the school expand in terms of
environmental sustainability.
“From advising the
Green Club to hydration
stations to bamboo bikes
to this year’s Symposium
on World Hunger, Mrs.
Drake has made it her
mission to have us ‘lead and
succeed in a world of global
interconnection’,” Mrs.
Eserner said.
In addition, in the
past two years, Mrs. Drake
has been greatly involved
in developing the STEM
classes. This year, she has cotaught several of the STEM
classes with Mrs. Christine
Cerminaro, who also serves
as a math teacher. Mrs.
Cerminaro has found it a
great experience co-teaching
with Mrs. Drake and will
definitely miss her next year.
“Mrs. Drake is always
helpful to her colleagues and
is willing to help them,” Mrs.
Cerminaro said. “I’ll miss
her curiosity. She is always
learning and wanting to learn
– she loves learning.”
Mrs. Drake is a
knowledgeable and flexible
teacher who will be greatly
8
Mrs. O’Connell, Sra. Kouril, and Mrs. Drake stand with
Mrs. Eserner at the honors assembly.
missed next year. Once she
retires, Mrs. Drake hopes
to spend part of the time in
Florida and part of the time
over here, do some travel,
and most of all, enjoy her
grandchildren.
Sra. Kouril, who will
also be retiring this year, is
an Upper School Spanish
teacher World Language
Department Chair. Having
taught at W-H the past
seven years, Sra. Kouril has
enriched the school’s Spanish
program with new and
innovative projects.
Sra. Kouril’s Living
Art Exhibit has become a
highlight of World Language
Week and Sra. Kouril fondly
recollects dressing as Frida
Kahlo last year. Also, she
and her students excitedly
anticipate projects. Her
Spanish III Honors class
does a project at the end
of the year called Cena de
Homenaje, where students
take on the persona of a
character in a legend they
have studied, eating food
from Chipotle and having a
great time.
“Sra. Kouril’s
love of Spanish language,
culture, and her students is
contagious,” Mrs. Eserner
said.
Sra. Kouril will
truly miss her students as
she leaves W-H next year,
but will carry many special
memories of them.
“For two years, my
Spanish V class would take
a full-day trip to New York
to see a museum, public
artwork, eat at a Cuban
restaurant, and watch a
Broadway show. Spending
the whole day with them was
so much fun,” Sra. Kouril
said. “The Language Honors
Society inductions have been
another special memory. I’ve
had the honor of teaching
some students for four years
in Spanish. It’s wonderful to
have that opportunity and to
see them grow.”
Sra. Kouril and
her husband will travel
to Mexico, Puerto Rico,
and many different states
following her retirement, to
decide where to settle. At
school, however, Sra. Kouril
will be greatly missed.
“I will definitely
miss her sense of humor,
her support, and her
encouragement,” Manasvinee
Mayil Vahanan ’17, a
Spanish III Honors student,
said.
Lastly, Mrs.
O’Connell, Upper School
math teacher, will also be
retiring. Mrs. O’Connell
has taught at W-H for seven
years. In addition to teaching
a variety of math classes,
she has also introduced and
taught the Financial Literacy
class for seniors.
“While she is a
mathematician by training,
her passion for wanting our
seniors to be financially
savvy as they head off to
college has been her driving
passion,” Mrs. Eserner said.
In recent years,
Mrs. O’Connell has taught
geometry to the freshmen and
has headed the Investment
Club. She has even taken the
Investment Club members to
Wall Street.
“Mrs. O’Connell is
probably one of the best math
teachers I have had. She has
a unique way of teaching and
gives a lot of independence,
which helps a lot of kids in
my class excel,” Vignesh
Nair ’18, a geometry student,
said.
Mrs. O’Connell is
really going to miss the
students and her friends in
the faculty once she retires.
“I’m going to take
memories of just how
friendly everyone is and how
nice the community is,” Mrs.
O’Connell said. “I’ve had lots
of students who were Devils
fans and some who were
Rangers fans so we’ve had
lots of friendly conversations
about that.”
After she retires, Mrs.
O’Connell hopes to travel
and catch up with lots of
friends who are all over the
country.
All three outstanding
teachers will be greatly
missed by the W-H
community in the years to
come.
“All of us at W-H
wish them a wonderful
retirement filled with good
health and lots of fabulous
adventures,” Mrs. Eserner
said.
Sports
Softball team finishes with winning record
By Julia Linger ‘15
The WardlawHartridge varsity softball
team ended its season with a
14-9 record. The Rams had a
great season continuing the
winning tradition with 229
hits.
“We fought really
hard, although we didn’t
win the division this year,
we hope to bounce back
next year. Only losing one
senior, rebuilding will not
be as difficult,” said Rachel
Voeltzel, the team’s Offensive
Player of the Year.
Samantha Anastasiou
‘17 and Rachel Voeltzel
’16 were honored with
Lacey Gress ‘16 delivers a pitch during a home game.
recognition on the GMC
All Gold Division team, as
well as the 2015 All Prep B
first team. Brittney Wilson
’18 made Second Team All
Prep B and Lacey Gress
’16 and Priya Golding ’18
were placed on the Prep B
honorable mention team.
“We had a great
season and just need to keep
our heads up for next year,”
said Gress, the team’s pitcher
and captain.
At Rams Recognition
Night on May 28, Voeltzel
won the Offensive Player of
the Year, Gress ’16 was given
the Defensive Player of the
Year award and Anastasiou
received the Coach’s Award.
The Rams look forward to the
2016 season with everyone
except graduating senior Julia
Linger ’15 eligible to return.
They plan to make another
run at the Gold Division next
year.
Baseball team successful despite small roster
By Garrett Racz ‘16
Despite having just
12 players on the roster, the
Wardlaw-Hartridge baseball
team has managed to win
games. The Rams finished
with 12 wins and 12 losses
and had strong performances
in their post-season
tournaments despite being
short staffed.
The season was
highlighted with wins versus
traditional conference
powerhouse Dunellen
High School and Prep-B
powerhouse Ranney Prep.
The Rams finished fourth
in the Greater Middlesex
Conference Gold Division
and played close games with
East Brunswick Tech and
South Amboy, who finished
in first and second place in
the conference, respectively.
The Rams won six
Mike Jesionka ‘16 fields a ground ball at shortstop.
games by 10 or more runs
including a 21-1 victory
against Timothy Christian
on opening day. But while
the team has had many wins,
they have also suffered
heart-breaking losses. Two
of these losses came in the
tournaments, when the Rams
lost a 5-4 decision to Gill
St. Bernards in the Prep B
tournament and also lost to
Dunellen, ending their hopes
of a county tournament run.
The main contributors
to the success of the team
were the seniors and captains.
Thomas Weber ’15, the
catcher, recorded a team-high
32 hits and batted .561 on the
season. Also, Rocco Haborak
’15 and John Anderson-
Schmitt ’15 batted .298 and
.407, respectively.
The team was also
aided by the performances
of juniors Abe Golding ’16
and Michael Jesionka ’16.
Golding was not only a
consistent hitter, but he was
arguably the Rams most
consistent pitcher, recording
40 strikeouts and a perfect
5-0 record. Jesionka, in the
leadoff spot, hit a stellar .477
and scored 26 runs, which
gave the Rams an advantage
in every game.
“Having a small
team has definitely made
things more challenging,
especially when you get
matched against opponents
with a much deeper pool of
players,” Anderson-Schmitt
said.
But even with this
challenge, the Rams still
managed to find success.
9
Girls’ lacrosse program improves in second year
By Andrew Park ‘17
The W-H girls’
lacrosse team continued
to make major strides
in their second year as a
junior varsity program and
continued to gain experience
on the field. Under the
guidance of coaches Katy
Bednarz and Jacqueline
Swan, the girls continued to
show major improvement and
finished with a 5-10 record.
The girls came out
to a strong start early in the
season, going 4-3 in their
first seven games. Included
in these victories were wins
against neighbor school
Bishop Ahr and GMC
powerhouse Monroe. While
they lost three games, the
competitive teams such
as Morristown-Beard and
Staten Island Academy.
The girls also gained loads
of experience helpful for
the young team, which was
comprised of more than
50% underclassmen and no
seniors.
“The experience
gained was so valuable and
Lauren Yates ‘16 looks for an open teammate.
will definitely help next
season with all of our players
returning. It should help us
girls showed to be very
and that was actually very
do better,” sophomore Carlin
competitive and fought
important,” captain Lauren
Schildge ’17 said.
with more experienced
Yates ’16 said about the
With everyone set to
programs, which helped build team’s start.
return
and
new faces coming
confidence for the team.
Although the rest of
in, the W-H girls’ lacrosse
“Winning games and the girls’ season did not go
being competitive in our
like their start, they continued team will continue to grow
as a program and bring home
losses early helped build our to show improvement
even more wins next year.
confidence moving forward, and fight against other
Track team finishes extremely successful season
By Briana Crawley ‘15
No competitor would
have expected a track team
consisting of 15 runners and
four throwers to accomplish
so much in one season, but
this is precisely what The
Wardlaw-Hartridge School’s
spring track and field team
has done this year.
Though the
competition gets tougher and
tougher each year, the team
has been able to place among
the best in very difficult
meets. With limited numbers,
and even fewer athletes
when there are injuries, the
spring track team has been
a successful underdog this
Diogo Ferreira ‘16 takes the lead in a race.
season.
Noah Toney ‘16 runs at the Meet of Champions.
10
At the GMC Track
and Field Championships
held on May 15-16, Diogo
Ferreira ’16 broke the
school’s 800-meter record
with a time of 1:58 and
Anthony Appiah ’15 broke
the school’s triple jump
record for a second time,
with a jump of 42 feet, 3
inches. Appiah placed fifth
overall in the triple jump, and
Ferreira finished sixth overall
in the 800.
Personal goals and
accomplishments have been
prevalent throughout this
season and Nikki Mugambi,
a senior and a captain of the
track team, feels the Rams
were very successful.
“Our goals were not
only to improve our times
from last year, but to score
more points in meets and to
work harder in order to reach
our full potential. I am proud
to say these goals have been
surpassed,” Nikki said.
Boys’ tennis repeats title despite loss of seniors
By Ryan Price ‘15
The WardlawHartridge boys’ varsity
tennis team proved losing
key players to graduation
would not deter them in
their journey to a fourth
consecutive division victory
in the 2014-2015 season. The
team lost valuable players
last year in Aditya Dalal
‘14, Zubin Mulji ’14, John
Houston ’14, and Neel Patel
’14.
“We were a bit
worried that the loss of last
year’s seniors would prove to
be a challenge for the team.
However, we were very lucky
to have underclassmen step
up to the occasion and play
their best tennis,” Roshun
Menon ’15 said.
The Rams secured
the division this past
week when they defeated
“I feel that if everyone
keeps working hard in the
offseason and the freshmen
step up for next season, they
will be a dominant team in
the White (Division) and have
a great chance at winning
a fifth consecutive division
title,” D’Amore said.
In the 2015-2016
season, Coach Ron Haynes
will look to first singles
player Satish Kumar ’17
along with the upcoming
seniors and underclassmen to
carry the team to a successful
Nick D’Amore ‘15 hits a backhand at a home match.
season.
Two crucial positions
on the team will need to
Monroe Township 3-2. After
two valuable players next
be filled which can be a
clinching the division, the
year: seniors Nicholas
challenging task. But the
team went on to convincingly D’Amore ‘15 and Roshun
Wardlaw-Hartridge varsity
win their last two matches,
Menon ’15. However, captain
tennis players are up to
beating Colonia 5-0 and JFK D’Amore believes the team
tackling any challenge,
4-1.
will continue to be just as
as they demonstrated this
The tennis team
strong.
season.
unfortunately will be losing
Boys’ lacrosse program continues positive growth
By Brendan O’Brien ‘16
The WardlawHartridge boys’ lacrosse
season was more successful
than its record indicated. In
only the second year of the
program, and with most of
the team having little to no
experience, the Rams were
able to hang with teams
containing players who have
been playing for three times
as long as them.
Even though the
Rams fell one win short
of the previous year, they
rebuilt after the loss of eight
graduating seniors. The team
was forced to make do with
the potential and talent they
had.
The lacrosse team’s
record was 2-7. This does not
reflect on the hard work and
dedication the boys put into
their season. One of the wins
Raphael Genty ‘17 defends against an opponent at a home game.
was quite the exciting 2-1
overtime win which ended
with everyone hugging the
hero of the game, Catfish
Garner ‘15. The team was
also able to enter the GMC
tournament after crushing
their play-in opponent,
Edison High.
The Rams welcomed
a group of very ambitious
freshmen, along with two
new juniors, including this
year’s goalkeeper Aryan
Vavila ‘16. The captains for
next year’s team were named
Brendan O’Brien ’16, Aryan
Vavila ’16, and Andrew Park
’17. At Rams Recognition
Night, the boys that received
awards were Catfish Garner
MVP, Vavila Rookie of the
Year and Mohammed Nizam
winning the “Brick” award.
“It was a great year to
learn a new sport and have a
genuine good time playing a
sport with some good buds,”
O’Brien said.
11
Golf team’s collective effort leads to a successful record
By Alden Racz ‘16
After a successful
9-5 record on the season,
the Wardlaw-Hartridge golf
team has time to reflect on
its season. The team has had
some ups and downs, but
head coach Jim Howard is
happy that each win has been
a collective team effort.
“There have been
four players who each had
the lowest score in at least
one match. It wasn’t always
one person leading the pack,”
Howard said.
Players such as Cathy
Bi ‘18 and Cecily D’Amore
‘16 have been the two players
consistently with the lowest
scores, but Howard said
that he was pleased with the
constant solid performances
put on by seniors Jack
Schildge ‘15 and captain Sam
Sherman ‘15.
“The seniors were
always players that I could
count on to do quite well,”
Howard said.
This year has been
a bit more difficult for the
team because they could not
depend on Yousaf Razvi ‘14
as they could in past years.
Razvi graduated last year,
and even though the team
had more work cut out for
them, everyone stepped up
and played very well.
“Losing Yousaf
was a big loss to the team
because we don’t have his
low score in each match to
depend on. But now we have
more consistent scoring from
everyone,” said Howard.
Statistics from this
season include most players
at one point in the season
recording the lowest score
of a match. In years past, one
or two players consistently
recorded the lowest match
scores, but this season, many
players took turns having the
lowest scores. Also, Bi and
D’Amore both made the Blue
Division All-Star Team.
Howard was very
pleased with the team’s
collective effort all season.
Even though the team did
not qualify for the state
tournament or the GMC
Final, Howard wants the
team to stay positive.
“There is always next
season,” Howard said.
RAMS RECOGNITION NIGHT - Eight W-H athletes received blankets for compiling at least nine varsity letters during
their athletic careers. Pictured, from left: Miah Hagood, Azia Pompey, Lacey Gress, Cecily D’Amore, Michael Newman,
Julian Hernandez-Webster and Briana Crawley. Not pictured: Melissa Calderon.
The Beacon • Volume 63, No. 7
Published
the students
By AneesabySonawalla
’12of:
The Wardlaw-Hartridge School
1295 Inman Avenue
Edison, NJ 08820
Editor
Charlotte Sweeney ‘16
Assistant Editor
Anuva Goel ‘17
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Rudy Brandl ‘83
12
Staff Writers
Briana Crawley ‘15
Daniel Gallagher ‘15
Sydney Hughes ‘16
Julia Linger ‘15
Brendan O’Brien ‘16
Andrew Park ‘17
Ryan Price ‘15
Alden Racz ‘16
Garrett Racz ‘16
Emily Saadi ‘15
Zishan Sajid ‘17
Neha Shukla ‘17
Aryan Vavila ‘16
The Beacon serves as a student voice for those in all divisions.
The paper strives to give a full account of current events and
problems facing The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in a truthful, comprehensive manner. The paper also serves as a medium through which all members of the school community
can voice their opinions about issues through “Letters to the
Editor.”
The Beacon reserves the right to edit letters for length and
clarity and to reject letters. Opinions expressed in letters and
signed opinion writing are only those of the writer.
All letters should be sent via e-mail to [email protected]