The inkblot issue 3 volume 14

Page 1

Page 10 Nation is hungry for new dessert trend

SPORTS

Page 4 Sophomore becomes a U.S. citizen

ARTS

Page 2 School takes trip to the “Forum”

F E AT U R E S

NEWS

December 23, 2015 Page 12 Students root for non-Jersey teams

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Volume 15, Issue 3

Communications High School, Wall, New

INSIDE: Drama Club performs “Twelve” Page 5

BLOT PHOTO BY SARAH TAKASH From left: junior John Hennessy of Middletown, senior Olivia Keavey of Shrewsbury and junior Rebecca Madeira of Howell.

www.THEINKBLOTNEWS.com

Students book it to the new Book Nook By ANDREW WANG Last year, then-sophomore Shannon Bradley of Keyport decided that the Book Nook “was really a mess” and wanted to do something about it. “There were books everywhere stacked precariously on all of the shelves. Some stacks looked like they could fall at any minute. So, I decided to start changing the way it was run and start changing how the books were organized,” Bradley said. The new Book Nook, which opened to the school on Nov. 4, features a new online system for cataloging books and for allowing students to take books out, Bradley said. New books were also added as a result of a collaboration among Spanish teacher Gail Plumeri, MCVSD Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction Kelly Harmon and technology teacher Laura Gesin. To order the books, the group used a $1,000 first place prize won by alumna Hannah Eareckson of the Class of 2015 from the 2014 Charles Lafitte Foundation Summer Reading Essay Contest. “Ms. Harmon asked me if I would help get a book order together with the $1,000 prize that was won last year. So, with Ms. Gesin’s help, we got a book order together, and were able to get $1,000 worth of books for the Book Nook,” Plumeri said. More books also came in through donations. The new Book Nook was originally intended to be completed in two weeks last April, “but we severely underestimated how long it would actually take to catalog all the books and make sure they were all organized,” Bradley said. Now, after months of work, Bradley and Plumeri, along with help of other students, have completed their project. Junior Sam Bender of Neptune, who helped Bradley and Plumeri in opening the latest Book Nook, said it was not completed without its difficulties. “There were a few computer problems with getting everyone’s name into the system so that they could take out books. [See BOOK NOOK, Page 2]

BLOT PHOTO BY MEAGAN MCDOWELL Freshman Sydney Karlin of Matawan performs a piano rendition at the Class of 2017 fundraiser. Coffeehouse is an event annually and traditionally hosted by the juniors.

Coffeehouse returns, with a shot of talent

By KHUSHI KADAKIA and ERICA SAMMARCO

On Friday, Dec. 4, the Class of 2017 hosted the annual Coffeehouse to raise money for their grade. Family members and students alike gathered in the cafeteria to see this year’s performances. Students who took the stage performed various acts, such as reading poetry, singing and dancing. Freshman Sydney Karlin of Matawan performed a Korean song on the piano. “I had never fully made it an actual piano arrangement that would be ready to perform, but when Coffeehouse was announced, I really wanted to do it, and so I did,” Karlin said. Karlin said she was happy with her performance and would definitely return to the stage next year. Last year, the hosting class, the Class of 2016, raised $1,570, according to class adviser and history teacher Bill Clark. Junior class Co-President Elizabeth De Furia of Manalapan said that this year, the Class of 2017 raked in $1,400. This year, the hosting class also set up the cafeteria a little differently. The senior couches and donated beanbags and

chairs were set up in front of the stage. Tables were dispersed throughout the seating area and free snacks were available in

BLOT PHOTO BY MEAGAN MCDOWELL Members of the band The Pinheads, from left: freshmen Liam Marshall of Sea Girt, Kevin Clark of Spring Lake and Kyle Wheeler of Wall. The band opened the show, performing a cover of “Brown Eyed Girl.”

the back. In the past, the setup has been “very rigid,” De Furia said, as everyone was seated in rows. De Furia said that this year “it was all about making it look cute and more informal … in the true Coffeehouse aesthetic.”

De Furia also said that almost all of the profits made will go toward next year’s prom, which the Class of 2017 will organize. The money will primarily be used for the venue. During the event, the attendees interacted with the hosts through the Twitter account @chscoffeehouse and the hashtag #chscoffeehouse2k15. “I can honestly say that I’ve been here 16 years, and this [was] one of the best,” fitness teacher and Class of 2017 adviser Ginny Clevenger said. Senior Olivia Keavey of Shrewsbury said she has always found Coffeehouse enjoyable. “I think they’re always really good, because we have a really talented school,” Keavey said. De Furia agreed. “You can make it look really pretty, but in the end it really doesn’t matter,” De Furia said. ”It’s all the performers.” Senior Anna Robinson of Ocean has performed at Coffeehouse every year. “Coffeehouse has been the place I feel the most comfortable to express myself through my voice, ” Robinson said.

NAHS members venture to Cooper Hewitt Museum

BLOT PHOTO BY SYDNEY FOO SIAM Junior Ghillian Ferriola of Colts Neck examined the interactive brochures at the Cooper Hewitt Museum.

By KYLIE LAMB Straying away from tradition, 30 National Art Honors Society members visited the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City on Dec. 2. NAHS advisers Laura Fallon and Shelley Ortner chose this museum over past options, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim. “Mrs. Fallon was aware that [the museum] did major renovations to make it very interactive,” Ortner said. “We felt that students

more inclined to be designers deserved to see more of a design-related museum rather than just fine art.” The trip began with an interactive tour and project with a museum attendant. Students were led to a few major exhibits to discuss the artworks’ elements, principles of design and messages. The group was then brought into the museum’s “Design Lab” where they were given a prompt and, with a partner, had to create an ad that included at

least two of the types of art they discussed. After this, students were free to roam the museum to observe the other exhibits. But the thing that mattered most to the advisers was ensuring that the trip attracted enough students. It can be difficult to organize a big trip for a reasonable price, due to costs of the tour and the cost of getting a comfortable bus for the long ride, Ortner said. The Cooper Hewitt Museum impressed many of the visiting students, in-

cluding junior Kathryn Willis of Tinton Falls. “It was a really enjoyable opportunity to visit such a unique museum that I might have overlooked on my own,” Willis said. “To see such a beautiful and old building present very forward-thinking technology made for an interesting contrast.” Ortner said she hopes NAHS visits a larger museum next year, such as the MOMA or the Whitney Museum, as they have visited in the past.


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