Eastside: December 2020

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 54 No. 1

Cherry Hill High School East: 1750 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

December 2020

Art by Max Gaffin (‘22)/ Eastside Features Editor Photo by Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

East’s theater department finalizes its 2020 plan

News, Pg. 2

Teaching: COVID Edition Special, Pg. 10-11

Celebrating holidays amidst pandemic Culture, Pg. 17

NEWS

Page 2

EASTSIDE

December 2020

Remote learning makes it harder for freshmen to adjust to high school ■ By Amanda Merovitz (‘22)

be harder to learn and pick up the material.

Normally, part of the transition to high school is learning your way around the school and going through the transition with your friends. Now, if the

district decides to go back to school in person freshmen will have to immediately adapt and learn as they go, although they did have the chance to tour the school already.

Online classes can be

a struggle, but there are many good things that come with it.

Ryan Melnick (‘24) said, “I don’t mind online school because we can work at our own pace. If we were in school, I feel like it would

be more stressful. I also really like waking up at 9:30.”

The new start time for school is a huge benefit for some as well.

Richman said, “I feel more energized than I have ever before, and I feel like school is easier to cope with now that we wake up two hours later” For some students, the later start time can make school easier to get through with well-rested minds.

Overall, adjusting to high school as a whole can be very difficult for some students. There are many different sides to the new online learning. Despite each student’s personal perspective on virtual school, the difficulties for freshmen adjusting to high school remain the same if not more severe. It is difficult to adjust to high school whether it is online, hybrid or all inschool learning.

the district about returning in the hybrid model. We were also concerned about being able to appropriately staff the building based on potential leaves of absences.”

Not only did many staff members feel uncomfortable teaching in a building with so many kids, but they also thought that the hybrid model would be a lot to handle right off the bat. It is a big change from what teachers usually experience and some would not be as prepared as they hoped they would be for the first day.

Mr. Daniel Duffield, a science teacher at East, said, “I was actually quite relieved by the announcement, because I think having students in the same class both in-person and online at the same time would have been completely unmanageable.”

The sudden switch from the hybrid schedule to an all-remote learning environment was made exactly a week before school started, leaving the teachers with very little time to develop learning plans. Most teachers did not expect the

last-minute change and were not as prepared as they hoped.

English teacher Mrs. Jennifer Greenwald said, “I like to plan ahead and usually have all of my calendars created for the first month of school, so this year has been quite challenging.

I have spent several mornings before classes to start working to ensure that my lessons will work effectively on a virtual platform.”

Teachershave to adjust to a brand new way of teaching. It is a completely new way of doing their job and will take some getting used to on their part.

In order to teach to the best of their abilities, teachers have been using many new virtual platforms. Some of these platforms include Nearpod, GoFormative, Flipgrid, Pear Deck and Edpuzzle. All these different applications have allowed teachers to use hands-on applications despite being virtual.

Ms. Deena Freedman, a math teacher at East, said, “I am using GoFormative for students to complete [their] assignments. I really like this platform, as stu-

dents can immediately see if they are correct or not.

I can [also] communicate with students directly.”

It is essential that students become familiar with these apps because of the uncertainty of school resuming in person. These virtual platforms will become a big part of learning.

Not only will these resorces be used in classes, but they will eventually be used for extracurriculars, like DECA. Mrs. Leanne Shine, a businsess teacher at East, said, “I don’t know what DECA is going to look like this year, but I do want my students to be prepared by using Flipgrid in case it is used in role plays for DECA States.”

Although the change to all-remote learning was only made a week before the start of school, teachers did have the ability to train all summer. The Cherry Hill District provided teachers with over 70 professional development workshops.

Meloche said, “We offered workshops during the summer. A lot of them involved electronic learning platforms and differ-

ent tools that could be used electronically.”

Not all teachers decided to attend these workshops, but the ones that did thought they were very beneficial.

“There were a lot of [workshops] offered and they were very helpful,” said Shine.

The 2020-2021 school year will be like no other, but the teachers, faculty members and superintendent are doing the best they can to ensure that the students receive the best education under these unfortunate circumstances.

Meloche is very proud of how members of the community have handled the all-remote learning process so far. He appreciates the patience and grace that has been demonstrated.

“I really want everyone to be back in our schools, and we will get there. Schools should have students and staff members in them every single day. There’s that energy and sense of opportunity that students experience in high school. I want to bring that back and have that sense of normalcy,” said Meloche.

Eastside News Editor

Whether you’re a sophomore, junior or senior, you probably remember how difficult it was to adjust to high school coming from middle school.

Freshmen are now going through that exact process, except virtually. Although the freshman class would not know if the transition would have been easier if students were in school, they are still impacted.

Ava Richman (‘24) said, “It was definitely weird starting high school online and adapting to it quickly.

Though, once I got the hang of it, it all started coming together. Do I think the transition would have been easier if we started in school, yes.”

Transitioning as a freshman is hard enough, but with online learning it can

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Editor

Teachers adjust to all-remote learning structure ■ By Alexa Atlas (‘22)

Eastside Webmaster

Nine months of the school year are generally spent waking up around 6 a.m. for school, attending hour-long classes, eating lunch with friends and going to after-school activities. However, this is not the case for the 2020-2021 school year.

On September 1, the Cherry Hill Public School District made the decision to shut down all Cherry Hill District schools and switch to an all-remote learning system until the estimated date of November 5, 2020, which has since been altered to mid-January of 2021 after four days of hybrid learning in November.

Cherry Hill Schools made this difficult decision because the district did not know if they had enough staff to teach the students.

Many staff members did not feel comfortable coming back to school under such circumstances.

Dr. Joseph Meloche, Cherry Hill District Superintendent, said, “There were a number of concerns raised by staff throughout

Pandemic precautions result in a virtual Back to School Night ■ By Nicole Vital (‘22) Eastside Online Editor

As Cherry Hill East students started school remotely, they had to adjust to a new approach of attending events that used to take place in person.

On September 24, Back to School Night began at 7 p.m. Many students and parents were getting ready to really meet their teachers and get to know them better. However, it was not filled with the usual bustle and excitement of regular Back to School Nights.

Cherry Hill East organized an online system for this event so that families could independently participate in Back to School night remotely. At 7 p.m., parents were able to log onto the school website provided by East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry.

Perry posted a video entailing an explanation of the event. He instructed all the teachers to create their own website, so that parents could then access their selected teacher’s introduction to the school year.

Websites are still available under the “Contact Us” tab on the main Cherry Hill East website (https:// www.chclc.org/east), so parents can easily access their child’s class and video on the website’s homepage.

Teachers at East have also set up calendars on their websites, similar to Google Calendar, so that the parents can easily keep track of students’ assignments.

They introduced themselves and informed parents about the course expectations and curriculum in a 10-minute video.

Different from past

years, parents and teachers were not able to formally meet each other due to COVID-19 restrictions because the event was run by watching videos rather than joining synchronous video calls.

“The thing that I will miss [the most] is engaging with the parents. I actually look forward to making parents [and] feel confident and happy about having their child in my class,” said Mrs. Mary Radbill, an English teacher at East, before the event.

Even though the new Back to School Night differed from those of past years, there are advantages to an online event.

“Since the videos are prerecorded, it will be easy to access no matter what happens. If there are technical difficulties or they get taken down, they can be fixed or

put back up,” said East vice president, Devyn Levin (‘22).

The event was self-guided, so that parents could r e w a t c h parts of introduction videos that they may have forgotten or misheard, and they could view each class at their own pace rather than having limited time.

This allowed for parents who work to Jiwoo Lee (‘24)/ Eastside Staff have access Parents watch Dr. Perry explaining the beyond just back to School night system one night.

NEWS December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 3

New construction at East takes off during the pandemic ■ By Ziv Amsili (‘22)

Eastside News Editor

On February 7, 2020, Mr. Lou Papa, an assistant principal at Cherry Hill East, talked about the reconstruction plans for the F-Wing classrooms, the cafeteria and the replacement of windows and doors.

Currently, Papa, who has been at East at least three days a week throughout the pandemic, has a lot to share about the construction delay and future predictions for reconstruction.

September 16 was the first construction meeting that Papa attended in the past six months due to the pandemic. At this meeting, Papa was notified of the monthly delay at hand.

COVID was responsible for the delay of reconstruction due to the supply shortage in the past two months.

In March and April, many factories for construction supplies, such as those for windows, doors and bricks, halted their shipment.

Papa expressed his concerns regarding the construction, saying, “everything is delayed. You can see it outside. Things that aren’t done should be done.’”

Despite the delay, construction eventually started back up in East in March.

It was advantageous that the school was empty during the last few months of the 2019-2020 school year in May and June because that is when most reconstruction was done inside the building. During those months, reconstruction progress has skyrocketed.

On the other hand, construction started to slow down again in August.

However, Papa said that

workers have been able to get a bulk of the work done despite the obvious challenges.

At this point in the construction, the air conditioning was fixed, the lights have been installed in classrooms that required stable lighting, and the roof of the auditorium has been redone.

Nevertheless, along with the influx of positive changes, there are still a multitude of changes that need to be addressed.

For one, although the cafeteria walls have been torn down, the product of a shorter cafeteria due to a wider hall has not been finalized. Additionally, FWing classrooms are still waiting for their windows and doors to be replaced.

Furthermore, teachers have been experiencing certain conflicts with the noise

of reconstruction, which is most prominent around C-Wing at the moment.

Papa said, however, that if the staff can cooperate for the time being with the noise, then the unfinished reconstruction should be expected to end right around winter break; the date of the initial plan.

Sophia Liu (‘24)/ Eastside Staff The construc- Vestibule six months after Recontion workers placed struction on the reconstruction plans for East ments throughout the were able to work during school building. the day due to an absence “I would like to see as of the student body. much work being done Papa hopes, however, during the day as possible that the workers will pick so that we can get everyup the pace for reconstructhing ready for when [you tion so that students can students] come back,” said enjoy the new improvePapa.

2020 Picture Day happens differently this year at East ■ By Jamie Bookbinder (‘22) Eastside Online Editor

Despite the fact that students have constant access to their own cameras, Picture Day is still an important school tradition not to be missed, even during a pandemic. Students are currently attending school virtually in the district.

Nevertheless, on September 22-25, East sophomores and juniors were expected to report to the school to take their yearbook and photo ID photos.

Multiple time frames were scheduled for students to be photographed in an

effort to minimize crowding and maintain social distancing guidelines. The appointment times ranged from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a 30-minute break in between each session consisting of 25 students each. Though masks were required, they were removed while a student was photographed.

Students differed in how they viewed the in-person Picture Day. “We were able to pick up and drop off our books before and that worked fine, so I [felt] like it [would] be the same for this [event],” Lindsay Batzar (‘22) said.

Other students ex-

Courtesy of Miss Debbie Barr

Students respect COVID precautions in Picture Day line in September.

East’s theater department finalizes its 2020 plan ■ By Ziva Davis (‘22) Eastside News Editor

tine and the idea is that theatre can be performed anywhere.”

The students who performed worked with acting coaches who were upperclassmen that mentored and supported students performers. All coaching happened virtually.

Gambino applauds all of the students who auditioned for the Quarantine Cabaret, for he understands that submitting a video audition is intimidating, especially for students new to the theatre department.

The fall show this year, Clue, is a radio show. Auditions were due by September 30, with the recording cutoff in early November.

These deadlines were set in place by Gambino so that Chris Miller, the Tech Director, had a month to edit the ninety-minute show.

Miller has a background

in film production and has done a few audio plays before.

Gambino said, “The reason we switched to all radio was because we wanted to do everything that we possibly could to guarantee that we would have a fall show.”

Although theatre productions are not happening the way students and faculty are used to, the theatre directors are staying creative and doing their best to maintain spirits high and be flexible throughout these unprecedented times.

Even if the actors can not perform live on a stage with an audience of proud friends and family members, the actors are still putting in the same hardwork and dedication into their productions. Be sure to support the theatre department this year, as the show must go on.

The 2020-2021 academic school year is a unique one.

Cherry Hill East has enacted the all-remote learning until mid-January. Although many activities can not run the same way as if they were meeting in-person, theatre is still being run with necessary precautions.

Lab theatre, which includes a series of small plays that freshmen, sophomores or people new to the theatre department can participate in, happened virtually this year, though typically the plays are performed in person. Students submitted video auditions and prepared anything that sparked their interest in performing arts. There were many different varieties of pieces that students could perform. For example, students could submit a musical piece, a dramatic piece, a dramatic monologue or a dance piece. The lab theatre theme this year was Quarantine Cabaret.

The virtual show premiered on October 16 and 17 on YouTube. All of the performances were recorded on Zoom, so all participants and viewers were safe and socially distanced. Mr. Pete Gambino, the Performing Arts Director, said, “It [featured] routines that Courtesy of Mr. Pete Gambino can be done in quaran- The Studio ll shares ideas during their class period.

pressed concerns, suggesting that Picture Day should be carried out remotely in order to guarantee COVID-19 germs to not spread.

Raina Besser (‘22) thought social distancing would be a concern because there were so many people who needed their pictures taken. She also thought that taking mask off, even for only a second, is something that could have been avoided.

For this year’s Picture Day, one thing was certain -- “this is all going to be really different, but that’s just how it is in 2020,” as Batzar said beforehand.

SGA Results 2020-2021

FRESHMEN

President: Crystal Yeh Vice Presidents: Gia Gupta Jiwoo Lee Kyle Lehrfeld

SOPHOMORES

President: Gina Liu Vice Presidents: Siddarth Pejavera Ayza Sayany Grant Yoon JUNIORS

President: Scout Pullano Vice Presidents: Julia Coen Mia DeVera Kyler Pitre

President: Jordan Grossman Vice Presidents: Kalel Carkeek Julia Piotrowski Tyler Semon

SENIORS

FEATURES

Page 4

EASTSIDE

December 2020

Steele brings artistic dreams to reality ■ By Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

Graduating college and pursuing the career of your dreams is what almost all students fantasize of when growing up. For Sydney Steele (‘16), this dream became her reality. The lifelong artist started her own company, The Cash Monet, in which she sells unique canvases, posters, phone cases and a number of other products to choose from.

Steele garnered a love for painting from a young age, but the reality of becoming a professional happened in 2018.

The recent Class of 2020 graduate from Syracuse University studied under an illustration major.

“I had a possible internship in [Los Angeles] and I was living in New York City... working for an artist and… watching her grow...

I realized that I wanted to do that and become my own boss; so, I started my website and launched my company and I’ve never been happier,” said Steele.

She put her art into prints and digitized them in order to upload onto her new website for customers to buy. Steele’s services include selling her original artwork, as well as creating custom art based off of de-

signs customers submit. By Steele enjoys venturing She teaches out of Marscanning her prints online, into new ideas. Recentgate City, NJ. She has also she is able to put them onto ly, she began to paint on been able to participate in new products that include sneakers, sweatpants, many collaborations with flags and phone cases. sweatshirts, mirrors, deother small businesses in For her company, signer purses, blankets, an effort to support small Steele’s preferred and fabeach towels, phone cases businesses like hers. v o r i t e Steele’s oppormedium tunities of the past is acrylic two years have paintings, proved her career to which she already be a flashfeels gives ing success. Her vibrancy most memorable to her art. experiences have The topics been being invited of her art to live paint at a range from Four Seasons in Ancelebrities, tigua, and being into charvited to the Art Baacters, to sel. She hopes that colorful obwith more exposure jects which comes more customshe brings ers. to life. An However, not all example of of Steele’s career a common has been a smooth topic for ride. Not only did her paintthe Coronavirus ings is fopandemic throw off cused on her college journey, celebrities but it also affected like the her official launch Courtesy of @thecashmonet Instagram into Kardashithe profesan fam- Sydney Steele (‘16) poses with her artwork. sional world. Steele ily. On her planned on moving website, you can also find and more. Any way that to Miami in August, but famous characters mixed she can spread her passion she was forced to postpone with celebrities. Her modand love of art is a joyful that until a later date. ern and distinct style of experience for Steele.

“I would say that my painting stands out among “I have been able to overall goal as an artist a crowd. teach art classes to youngwould be to buy and open As seen on her Instaer kids and it is an absolute up my own art gallery in gram page @thecashmonet, thrill,” said Steele.

Miami. It’s been a dream of

mine for a long time and I feel [Miami] would be the best place to do that,” she said.

She plans to have her own art shows and have a multitude of contacts to spread her passion throughout her community.

Although Steele’s artistic career cannot be traced back to one time of significance, in her senior year of high school at Cherry Hill East, Steele served as one of two Eastside art directors. This was a stepping stone for inspiration and dedication to the field of the arts.

Her boldness to start her own company and the reward that came from it reinforces the idea to work hard and follow your dreams. Steele’s childhood dream of becoming an artist is becoming triumphant after pursuing what makes her the happiest.

To see Steele’s work:

Simkovitz turns entrepreneur with The Scruffie ■ By Max Gaffn (‘22) Eastside Features Editor

Floating through public school in Cherry Hill and then through college, Reid Simkovitz (‘12) had a hard time finding something he could put his two hands, passion and right-minded devotion towards. When Simkovitz found an innovation that could be used for all of society, his new product, The Scruffie, soon took off. A full-launched campaign of an avantgarde neck-trimmer and a product that could save you time on a leg-shave was soon established.

Like most college students, Simkovitz lacked the financial stability, categorizing himself as a broke college kid, to get a haircut every week. In his dorm room at Louisiana State University (LSU), Simkovitz and his friends all took turns trimming each other’s necklines in between haircuts, since they couldn’t reach the back of their necks with a razor.

However, one day, when his friend was not available to help h i m shave, Simkovitz was forced to go to a Formal at LSU with a hairy neck.

This gave Simkovitz the necessary motivation to create his own razor. From that moment, the idea for The Scruffie was born.

Getting promptly to work, Simkovitz went down to a CVS the day after the LSU Formal to buy a bag of razors. After mea-

suring his neck, he realized that he needed to glue four disposable blades together. However, this first attempt failed. Simkovitz had to find something that was flexible and could move with the shape of his neck.

With failure comes motivation, which brings a future of success.

“After high school I started studying the traits and habits of successful entrepreneurs and they all had perseverance… they all dealt with rejection. It was part of my journey as well… one more time someone told me no was one more time closer to getting a yes,” said Simkovitz.

In 2016, Simkovitz drew up the first drawing of The Scruffie while attending LSU. He went to the student incubator on the LSU campus and participated in a program where he was paired up with an engineer.

Over a year later, they went through dozens of designs and contraptions that all did not fit his picture of the product and did not work out to be successful.

He soon made it his goal to reach out to new manufacturers every single day, totalling around 60 people he had contacted who put him down, told him that he was crazy, or said that this idea of his would never bring success.

After he graduated, Simkovitz found another engineer, Jonah Vice, who made his vision a realityputting all of his ideas into a singular

product. When they got the The product was origirecently got his product design right, Vice and Simnally called The Neck Shavtrademarked and patented kovitz printed a prototype. er, but after consideration, so his idea can stay just his.

He later found a co-packer Simkovitz set out to find a Simkovitz reaches out and the process of spreadunique name that was his to celebrities, athletes, ining this innovation to the own. After a long time of tryfluencers and popular creworld was ators to boost off. his sales and Simkovtry to get itz applied The Scruffie to be on Big in the hands Brain, a of celebrities. show proHe uses Tikduced by Tok to show Barstool off the innowhere he got vative prodto pitch his uct, recently product to going viral three invesand increastors in hope ing sales of getting through the some money app’s marfor start up. keting tacWhen leavtics.

Playing the show, ers from the Simkovitz Philadelphia got $5,000 Phillies refrom one of cently got a the inveshold of The tors, interScruffie, and net star, Dawith more vid Portnoy. exposure “I aced comes more the presensales. Simtation, but I kovitz wants got obliterto spread the ated in the word about objections the innovawhen they tion that is asked me The Scruffie.

Courtesy of Reid Simkovitz q u e s t i o n s , ” Reid Simkovitz (‘12) sits with an order of The Scruffie Simkovitz said Sim- before they are shipped off for delivery. echoes the kovitz, who motif that would have with determipracticed nation comes more if he got the chance to ing to find the perfect name success. He never gave go back again. by asking friends, reading up his dream, and success He was given a books and researching, one found him. As The Scruffie s h o r t time benight while he was driving experienced a sales infore he home, The Scruffie popped crease, exposure on popular had to go into his head. Scruff is desocial applications, media up to New York fined as the back of somecampaigns and patents, its to do the presentaone’s head or neck, makhard-working founder and tion, so he had limited ing this the perfect name CEO innovated the world of time to prepare. for the product. Simkovitz grooming.

FEATURES

December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 5

Rosenbaum spreads self-love on TikTok ■ By Emily Boyle (‘23)

ship with her friend Lila Elkins, a sophomore at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew AcadOpen Instagram and you emy, created the TikTok acwill find a flawless, thincount @feelempowered and waisted model. Turn on the gained rapid success. television, and a woman The account, first creatwith pearly white teeth and ed in June 2020, was made air-brushed skin smiles to promote body positivity back. Nowadays, it seems for teen girls. In their first as if everyone battles with month they had gained self-love. Most teen girls roughly 1,000 followers. struggle silently, ashamed

By August, Rosenbaum that they fail to meet the posted her first “viral vidideal beauty standard. eo,” collecting over 163,000 Miranda Rosenbaum views. Since then, they (‘23), however, decided have amassed over 12,000 enough was enough and followers and more than that women of all shapes, 375,000 likes combined on sizes and looks should not their videos. have to suffer from the “The purpose [of Feel standards put up by society.

Empowered] is for as many Rosenbaum, in partnerpeople as we can to gain self-confidence,” Rosenbaum said, “to finally go to the beach wearing a bikini, or to finally post something on Instagram that they’ve been scared to.”

After meeting at summer camp, Rosenbaum and Elkins realized they shared the common struggle of poor body image. With this, their common passion became clear: helping girls their age find self-love.

According to Rosenbaum, Elkins was the perfect person to collaborate Courtesy of @feelempowered with.

TikTok, the Rosenbaum posts body positiv- popular video-sharing platform, was ity content on TikTok. their ideal outlet to Eastside Features Editor

reach as many girls as possible.

Their videos include positive affirmations, self-care tips and the promotion of all body types. Rosenbaum wants Feel Empowered to be a safe space for everyone. One of her goals is to connect with her audience on a personal level.

“We really want to be friends with our followers. There are a lot of them that I know have been here since the beginning...and I know them by name,” said Rosenbaum.

To foster this environment, she and Elkins host zooms, Instagram livestreams, and chat with them in their direct messages.

Feel Empowered’s success led to more than just new friends. In collaboration with the jewelry brand Kiss of Fame, Elkins and Rosenbaum designed their own choker and earring set. The collection, released on August 30, was an exciting opportunity for Rosenbaum, and certainly represented a big step for Feel Empowered’s brand. Yet, no matter how many products they sell or followers they gain, Rosenbaum asserts that at the end of the day, that’s not what’s important.

“The main goal was just to tell young girls that they don’t need to compare themselves to other people. They don’t need to live up to these expectations that society is giv-

ing us,” she said. Rosenbaum admits to feeling insecure at times, however, it seems that Feel Empowered is helping her just as much as it’s helping others.

“Coming on Feel Empowered and...seeing [my follower’s] confidence grow, also helps my confidence grow,” Rosenbaum said.

U n fortu-

nately, being present in the public eye comes with its challenges. Though the overwhelming majority are positive, Feel Empowered still receives its share of hate comments. Rosenbaum also must handle the distress that comes with talking about mental health. Some girls reach out for help through DM’s regarding their eating disorders and other problems that they deal with regularly. Rosenbaum is always clear that she is not a professional, and sends them resources where they can receive the attention they deserve.

Despite these things, Rosenbaum couldn’t be happier to have the platform she has created to spread her message of self-love.

“If there was one thing that I could change about the world,” she said, “I would want to educate the people who believe that women are only beautiful if they look a certain way or act a certain way.”

Rosenbaum envisions a culture where these societal expectations are dismantled- a culture where one can appreciate a woman’s beauty without second-guessing their own; a culture where no one is shamed for the size of their body. The power Max Gaffin (‘22)/ Eastside Features Editor stemmed from one single effort available to anyone can impact an entire generation.

East welcomes new staff members

Courtesy of Mr. Dominic Cesare

Cesare teaches United States History 1A and Financial Literacy.

Courtesy of Mrs. Katherine Pereira

Pereira teaches Chemistry 1H and 1A.

Courtesy of Mr. Ryan Petrillo

Petrillo teaches freshman English.

Use the QR code to read about each teacher on Eastside Online.

Courtesy of Mr. Robert Metzger

Metzger teaches special education.

Page 6

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

December 2020

Jewish Abilities Alliance help face struggles of online school ■ By Jacy Dickstein (‘22)

Eastside Community Editor

Staring at a screen for hours a day while trying not to zone out may seem frustrating to the average student. Now imagine the added difficulties of online school while coping with a developmental disability.

Before COVID-19 altered every aspect of normal life, most parents with children on the spectrum would send their kid off to school and let the trained specialeducation teachers handle the rest. Now, the thought of being in a school building seems foreign. In order to combat these changes, parents with a child with special needs have to adapt to the “new normal” and take on extra responsibilities.

In response to the pandemic, many families have found joining support groups on social media to be reassuring. There are a plethora of different Facebook groups that strive to offer unique tips and helpful connections to these parents during these times.

The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey created The JAA (Jewish Abilities Alliance), which provides special needs resources to those in the South Jersey community.

It is also a Facebook group with 1.8 thousand followers. Eric and Linda Newman have done a lot behind the scenes for JAA and also have a son with autism.

Eric Newman said he would describe himself as a communicator and tries to respond to parents with connections or solutions. He and his wife establish programs for the JAA such as special needs bingo and basketball events.

They wanted everyone to be aware that just because the group was started by a Jewish federation does not mean it is only exclusive to Jewish people.

On the Facebook groups, the posts are typically questions about where to find something useful, information on events or inquires for help.

“These groups are imperative because people who are not as involved or knowledgeable need them.

It helps tons of people. My

wife does a lot of the paperwork. What I’m bad at, my

they don’t get that a lot,” said Newman.

Newman said while many people acknowledge that raising a child is hard work, people often do not recognize that raising a child with special needs is double that hard work.

Many of these difficulties deepened with virtual learning; for example, there is now an absence of a teacher who is typically there with the child at all times.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, kids on the spectrum struggle to maintain focus on their virtual lectures.

With the limitations of Jacy Dickstein (‘22)/ Eastside Community Editor online schooling, Newman said most wife is great at, and what children with learning disshe’s not good at, I’m great abilities are regressing. at. But there’s some famiOne way that parents lies that are doing it themhave better educated themselves where there is just selves on how to cooperate one parent. Even if they are with their special needs married maybe one parent kids during these times is is doing everything and focusing on behavior therathe other is doing nothing. py. In a certain sense, they They can’t do it all themmay try to motivate their selves. You need two people kid by offering positive reto be working basically full wards when they finish a time for your child. And portion of their learning for

the day.

“My son does a program where they ask him about his weekend. Instead of him having to fumble to think about it, we will write down what he did for the weekend and he can read it and study it. And then when they ask him, he can just say it all,” said Newman.

He continued, “So it’s a lot of work and preparation for the parent. It’s very stressful.”

He and many other parents of children with learning disabilities were especially upset about their child doing virtual learning. This is because their children really value the interactions they have with other kids and teachers in the program. It has also been said that it is a challenge for autistic children to wait for all of their classmates to ask questions before it is their turn.

People have been relieved to have support groups. Many have given positive feedback on the Jewish Abilities Alliance Facebook posts to express their support and appreciation.

Newman said, “It really does take a village. Because we as parents all work together to try to work things out.”

Communities still show faith despite the pandemic ■ By Scout Pullano (‘22)

Eastside Community Editor

Hallelujah! Finally, the time has come where communities can worship together once again after they have been separated due to the Coronavirus. On August 3, 2020, Governor Phil Murphy updated his mandate on handling religious services.

Churches, temples, mosques and other houses of worship were all allowed to resume their religious services in person under certain conditions. The regulations include limiting the number of people in the building up to 150 or 25% of the room’s capacity (whichever is smaller) and requiring all attendees to wear face masks, as well as distance six feet apart from those who they did not enter with.

Regarding outdoor services, the limit on the number of people attending was lifted to an outdoor capacity of 500 attendees.

Although religious communities all around the world were prohibited from entering their houses of worship for approximately six months, most parishes, like Hope Church of Voorhees, took advantage of the outdoor space they had right outside of their doors.

Offering worship in their parking lot a couple of times since the beginning of July is one of the ways Hope Church makes sure its community “remains together while apart”. Hope also offers small group prayer, adult yoga and other sessions over Zoom to keep its followers in contact with their peers, themselves and the Lord. No matter where you are, Hope provides the

option to all who are interHope and Congregation screen in their Parish Hall, practiced social distancing ested in joining each SunBeth El, are not nearly if the building has reached in order to carry out their day morning at 9 and 10:30 ready to abandon the virits capacity upon some of tri-regional kickoff. The to worship and praise the tual services they have the community’s arrival. connection between mainLord. These alternatives been using for months.

Communion continues to be taining Coronavirus reremind their followers that This proves to be an esgiven out to all who are elistrictions while considering “social distancing does not pecially important option gible, regardless of their lothe well-being and social mean emotional distancsince Hope Church made cation on the church’s site. life of teenagers makes the ing.” the difficult decision that it Communion is the only BBYO group’s bonding sesDespite the fact that it will not be holding any intime that the parish allows sion so special to the comhas been difficult for condoor services the rest of the masks to be removed durmunity. gregations not to worship calendar year. ing mass.

Although absolutely no together, Hope has received However, The Catholic Over the summer, Jewperson, priest, teacher or a great response from those Church of St. Mary’s, loish BBYO groups, like scientist had expected this watching online. cated on Springdale Road, Ohev, used Zoom and Netfoutcome from 2020, it can “A large portion of our gives its followers the oplix Party to reflect the typibe said that everyone has congregation continues to tion to join them in mass cal ambience and bond of adjusted to the circumparticipate as well as new inside of the church. St. their chapter if it were in stances with unique solupeople who have found Mary’s instructs the faithperson. As the fall rolled tions, even in their spirituus online locally and also ful to watch mass on the around, OHEV sucessfully ality. from across the country,” said Ashley Black, Hope’s Youth Ministry Coordinator.

Right around the corner, Congregation Beth El, a Jewish synagogue, has the same goals as Hope Church. Minyan services are offered to its followers daily over Zoom to serve prayer in order to properly allow religious members to continue their practice of the specific faith.

Similarly in the virtual aspect, Beth El’s shabbat services are recorded and posted on Facebook for viewing on Friday evenings as well as Saturday mornings, while Havdalah is streamed live on Facebook every Saturday evening five minutes past sundown.

The quick adaptation of virtual services among many religious communities creates a reasurring enviroment.

As Murphy listed some of his restrictions concerning how religious services should be handled come August, most churches Courtesy of Paige Lomas (‘23) and communities, like Cherry Hill residents involved in a religious group congregate through Zoom.

COMMUNITY December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 7

Supermarket Hung Vuong brings depth to Asian foods ■ By Vivian Rong (‘23)

Eastside Photo Editor

While shopping for weekly groceries, the aromas of produce, fish and baked snacks fill the air of a massive 62,000 square feet space.

The Hung Vuong supermarket chain opened its largest store yet in July 2020, located on Brace Road in Cherry Hill.

The market exhibits a blend of different cultures in its variety of food.

After the Asian Food Market in the Barclay Farms Shopping Center closed in September 2018, the only Asian-based market in Cherry Hill had been H-Mart, located in the D&Q Plaza.

Recently, Hung Vuong joined the community, providing everything from produce to stationery.

The Cherry Hill supertowards the front of the products is likewise anothmarket is the first Hung store, is a myriad of statioer one of its special qualiVuong chain store opened nery, stuffed animals and ties. in South Jersey. accessories.

While walking down the Cherry Hill resiice cream aisle, Ben dents are very pleased and Jerry’s Half with the new addition, Baked pints are as Hung Vuong brings about two feet away a unique experience to from the boba milk the community. tea popsicles.

The supermarket has These attributes generated lots of buzz make Hung Vuong and made itself one of a true one-shop stop the most popular shopplace, where a sinping places in the area. gle grocery trip per “[Hung Vuong] is week may actually definitely...larger and be enough. it seems like their “[My] first imVivian Rong (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor pression was that product quality is better,” said Rebecca Cui, Community members enjoy the selec- it [was] the largest a regular customer of tion at the Hung Vuong supermarket.

Asian grocery place Hung Vuong. in the area, but [it] Not only does Hung VuThe supermarket has also has some American ong provide customers with numerous authentic Asian products...Both those who produce, but it also profood brands, which used don’t cook Asian dishes and vides a fully equipped secto be sold solely in their those who do can get food tion with swimming fish respective countries, as products that they often that you can pick out for well as several American use,” said Cui. your weekly groceries. brands.

Hung Vuong maintains Opposite the fish section, The diversity of the food a wide selection of items,

with over 30,000 products in store.

Although the typical shopper may be distracted with the size of the store, one thing that is sure not to be skipped over are the different Lay’s potato chip flavors.

Hung Vuong provides every flavor one could think of, such as cucumber, barbeque and even grilled eel.

“All the Chinese families around me shop there,” said Cui. Cui shops there once every couple of weeks, and her family friends also enjoy buying their groceries there.

Having the store selection which is very similar to traveling to multiple countries at once, it is absolutley no surprise that the festive supermarket Hung Vuong holds an outstandingly high rating, being 4.7 stars.

of fries. rant that serves VenThe seeded ezuelan food, Soleybun was hot mani aimed to have and fresh, and a simpler concept for the shreds of Dar’s Steaks. This beef tasted flamade it easier to exvorful. ecute and manage.

Sahar Soley“The stress and fast mani opened paced environment— the doors of I thrive in that,” she Dar’s Steaks on said, grinning.

September 10 However, managKatherine Li (‘23)/ Eastside Staff ing two busy restauthis year. Many people, includ- Dar’s Steaks celebrates grand opening with rants at once is no ing Soleymani a brightly colored banner. easy task. one day on the way to work herself, believe “It’s definitely when she spotted a vacant it’s unconventional for a stressful, but it’s so respot for rent. restaurant to be opened warding. I feel like in or“Immediately, I knew right now. Despite opening der to have a desire to be a what I was going to call the during the COVID-19 panrestaurant owner, you have restaurant, I knew what demic, the restaurant has to be a little crazy,” said kind of food I was going been seeing good business.

Soleymani. to serve—I made a couple “Opening a restaurant With the help of her faphone calls and all the in a pandemic is definitely ther, Dar Soleymani—who stars aligned; it was like really risky… but I also has forty years of experiit was meant to be,” said had faith that the business ence running restaurants— Soleymani. model would work,” said she is quickly adjusting to Compared to Que Ricas, Soleymani. the nature of owning two Soleymani’s first restauThe opportunity came restaurants by herself.

“I didn’t think it would happen now, but it’s been a dream of mine,” Soleymani added.

Apart from achieving smooth operation for the restaurant, Soleymani also hopes to start a franchise or expand her business to meet the high demands for cheesesteak.

“I’m still in my twenties; I have a lot of energy and a lot to give, and I’m just going for it,” Soleymani said.

A recommended dish is the Hot Chester cheesesteak, a glorious twelve ounce rib-eye steak packed with hot cheetos, banana peppers and homemade whiz.

Dar’s Steaks is located on 142 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township. Soleymani’s other restaurant, Que Ricas, is located just down the street on 46 Haddon Avenue.

New restaurant Dar’s Steaks offers unique cheesesteaks options ■ By Katherine Li (‘23)

Eastside Staff

Dar’s Steaks, a newly opened restaurant in Haddon Township, offers options to anyone looking for a good cheesesteak. Armed with its vegan, gluten free and unique cheesesteak options, the restaurant caters to a variety of different diets.

Upon arriving at Dar’s Steaks, I was at first surprised by how small the restaurant actually is. However, this didn’t prevent the restaurant from having a welcoming and homey ambiance as I entered.

There was a dark wood interior that provided a modern, sleek feel.

With the help of the large menu on the wall and the helpful input of the cashier, I ended up ordering a cheesesteak and two sides

Kelly McNiff Drive commemorates the McNiffs’ late mother ■ By Alena Zhang (‘23)

Eastside Community Editor

For Maddy McNiff (‘22) and Michael McNiff (‘24), they will always have a memorial of their mom just a walk from their home in Cherry Hill.

Names of streets and buildings have often been named after very impactful people who should be remembered by all. In this case, a street in the neighborhood of Haddontowne, Kelly McNiff Drive, was named after Maddy and Michael’s mom. After battling breast cancer on and off for multiple years, Mrs. McNiff passed on November 2, 2019.

Both children are active members of the Cherry Hill East community, as Maddy runs cross country and is a part of the girls’ swim team, and Michael is a linebacker for football and also swims.

Maddy described her mom as always having a smile on her face and caring for others.

From participating on the softball team to helping organize the Cherry Bowl, Kelly was always an active part of the community before and during her cancer

Courtesy of Karen Sommelling

Madison McNiff (‘22) and her brother Michael (‘24) stand by the street sign that honors their mother.

diagnosis.

On July 4, 2020, McNiff discovered the new street sign honoring her mom.

She and her brother were shocked and grateful at the realization.

“It was actually a surprise, I had no idea,” McNiff said with a smile.

Multiple people came to the unveiling, including town council members and the Cherry Hill mayor, who gave a speech in honor of her mom.

“A lot of people came and [Mayor Angulo] gave a speech; it was really nice,” says McNiff.

Previously, there had been no sign to mark the peaceful street. Now, there lies a tall blue marker with the words: Kelly McNiff Drive.

“The sign reminds me of my mom’s impact on the community,” said Michael.

The sign is right next to the neighborhood swim club, where they both have been going to for many years.

Not only that, but Maddy McNiff also lifeguards there during the summer.

To have one of their childhood destinations honoring their mom is some-

thing that she treasures. “[The location] makes it extra special, because my brother went there when he was younger… and I also work at the pool next to the sign, so whenever I visit, I see the sign and am reminded of how impactful my mom was,” says McNiff.

Their mom also encouraged and taught them good sportsmanship.

During her cross country meets, her mom would be there, cheering Maddy on to the finish line.

When Michael had football games and swim meets, she would be right there.

“I always try to be positive like her,” McNiff said.

“She always put on a brave face.”

As people drive around Haddontowne neighborhood, the cheerful blue sign with the words Kelly McNiff Drive continues to remind them of Kelly’s happy smile as well as her deeprooted, positive presence in the community.

“I think it’s so special that people named a street after my mom to have her memory [live on]...she was always so cheerful and [always] there for me,” Maddy says.

Page 8

COMICS

EASTSIDE

December 2020

Today’s Weather Report by Vivian Chen (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

Quarantine Life by Esther Levine (‘21)/ Eastside Staff

Can Never Be Too Safe by Jacy Dickstein (‘22)/ Eastside Community Editor

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EDITORIAL EASTSIDE

Page 9

Editorials represent the views and opinions of the Eastside Editorial Board.

Eastside commends district’s efforts during remote learning The start of the 20202021 school year, undoubtedly, has been the most unique in the past few decades. Despite this notion, teachers at Cherry Hill East seem to be adapting well to the new form of learning. Now, new vocabulary has sprung into the everyday language of education: asynchronous, synchronous, hybrid, virtual and cohort; students need to navigate the differences in their learning schedules; and teachers have to find new ways to keep their classes engaged, learning and participating.

Eastside commends East teachers and staff for their dedication to learning how to use new platforms of technology for the benefit of their students.

For most, the decision to begin the school year all remote came as a shock on September 1, with only a few days remaining before Cherry Hill’s first day of school, leaving East administration and staff to readjust their plans going into their classrooms days before the first bell was set to ring.

Math teacher Mr. Bill Semus said, “I was very nervous going into the year, certainly.”

Semus explained how his lesson plans did not change drastically because he typically posts his notes and has students complete review questions during class. The switch to remote prompted all of the teachers to make their lesson plans more feasible for remote and hybrid students.

Although many teachers have expressed their preferences for in-person learning, opening up schools with hundreds of students, learning indoors together, was not a safe and viable option for the Cherry Hill

School District.

“I just feel more confident about teaching when there are students present. They act as an audience in a way to me,” said history teacher Mr. Tom Rosenberg.

In response to the announcement of the all-remote school model, the district purchased subscriptions to a number of educational resources, including programs like Nearpod, Go Formative and Peardeck, which they felt would help bridge the gap between teachers in school and students at home.

Teachers have been able to utilize these resources in order to make the most of their virtual lessons.

For science teachers, a subscription purchased by the district to Labster has helped to give students the experience of lab experiments in that given science course.

Communication between teachers has allowed them to collaborate amongst each other and share ideas. Creativity is key to having effective teaching under the remote and hybrid models, so teachers want to be updated about the latest program so that they can use it for teaching.

The district has also hired a technology coach to assist teachers with any issues they may be experiencing with the new technology. East Principal Dr.

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

Dennis Perry explained that the coach comes to East once a week and hosts group sessions in the morning as well as private sessions throughout the day for the benefit of teachers who need more one-on-one assistance.

When teachers had faced previous connection problems, administration found that certain Chrome extensions were causing a lag in the teachers’ internet speed.

Semus said, “If I only am

writing on the school laptop screen…[and] there is a lot of writing on there, I get lag.”

Teachers face similar problems in different spots within the school, ranging from the back of B-wing to the top of C-wing.

Thankfully, over the past few years, the district has been working to upgrade the WiFi connection throughout the building.

By placing routers in nearly every classroom, teachers are equipped with stable

internet connection.

Eastside applauds teachers and staff for their hard work and dedication during this unexpected start to the academic year, as well as the district for its previous implementation of routers throughout the school to improve Internet and communication connectivity. Eastside urges other East students to acknowledge the teachers’ efforts to maintain a good stream of education through this pandemic.

Eastside 2020-2021 Editorial Board Managing Editor: Jessica Levin Editors-in-Chief: Remy Abrams, Sami Bell, Angelina Witting Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi News Editors Ziv Amsili Ziva Davis Amanda Merovitz Features Editors Emily Boyle Max Gaffin Avi Shohat Sports Editors Nick Gangewere Lalitha Viswanathan Abby Yu

Opinions Editors Naomi Bereketab Brielle Lampf

Art Directors

Global Commentary Editors Tomer Goldfinger Aiden Rood

Photo Editors

Community Editors Jacy Dickstein Scout Pullano Alena Zhang

Marcus Newman

Culture Editors Lily Lazarus Isabella Levin Inesa Linker

Jeffrey Kaminer Melissa Vital Vivian Rong Yena Son

Video Editor Business Managers

Spencer DeAbreu Alex Levine

Webmaster Alexa Atlas

Online Editors

Jamie Bookbinder James Kwak Nicole Vital

Contact the Board: To contact a member of the Eastside Editorial Board via email, type the person’s first name followed by a period, then his or her last name followed by “@eastside-online. org,” ie: remy.abrams@ eastside-online. org.

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TEACHING: COVID-19 EDITION

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OPINIONS

EASTSIDE

December 2020

East should require African-American History ■ By Naomi Bereketab (‘21) Eastside Opinions Editor

On September 23, 1955, Emmett Till’s killers, Roy Bryant and John Milam, were acquitted, despite brutally mutilating his body for being falsely accused of flirting with a white woman; this obvious judicial failure helped spark the civil rights movement.

On September 23, 2020, Breonna Taylor’s killers, Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, were acquitted, despite brutally shooting at an innocent woman in her apartment 32 times and unfortunately, hitting her six times; the ultimate impact of this obvious judicial failure on society as a whole has yet to be seen.

These stories are not unique, and the outcome of these cases are not unique.

This feels like an unbreakable cycle, with little way out. The judicial system is unequivocally flawed; simple reform is not enough to fix the system that allows police officers to act as the judge, jury and executioner without consequence. But, how do you change a person's heart? How do you make it so that he sees the person in front of him as equal?

Above all, how do you get the United States to not be content with the “progress” we have made in dealing with racial oppression in this country? As Malcom X once said, "If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, that's not progress. If you pull it all the way out, that's not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow made. They haven't pulled the knife out; they won't even admit that it's there."

We don’t need segrega-

Opinionated Infographic

tion to be oppressed; forget Fragments of history East, the course’s content is healing, the knife has not that are told from a Euroso important that it must even been pulled out. centric perspective are not be a required course.

Despite all the complex productive in allowing peoXandria McKinley (‘22), aspects of race relations, ple to understand each othanother organizer and the answer to improving er. Cherry Hill East senior, member of East’s African them is quite simple — edMachayla Randall (‘21), one American Culture Club, ucation. Soemphac i e t y sizes, was pro“there grammed are certo think tain gaps one way in what through we learn hundreds about. of years We learn of propaa b o u t ganda; we s l a v e r y, can only and then be taught a f t e r through the beb r u t a l ginning honesty. A of the first step 1900s, Cherry Hill we don’t East High h e a r S c h o o l a b o u t must make Africanto contribA m e rute to beti c a n s tering our u n t i l future is rethe civil quiring all rights students to m o v e take an Afment... rican AmerWe magiican history cally apcourse. pear with Because Martin of the curLuther rent ColKing Jr. lege Board all the curriculum Vivian Rong (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor sudden.” in AP US An East student uses literature to educate herself on Seeing H i s t o r y , Black history. the world along with for what it limited time in the reguof the organizers of a prois now, is only a small porlar US history classes, it’s test demanding an African tion of the story. Struggling impossible to properly adAmerican history requireblack communities today dress African American hisment, points out “the school are not a result of inferiortory in a meaningful way system itself is setting us ity or laziness. But without that will cultivate change. up to be divided just based knowing the whole story, The College Board has been on what we are learning.” human nature leads us to criticized for its lack of inThe entire purpose of US view people at face-value. clusivity and honesty in History is to educate stuA natural reaction to proapproaching race relations; dents on how our country posing a required African however, Advanced Placewas formed, yet the stoAmerican history course ment credit is a tool for ries of enslaved people who is why not Asian history? equity in affording colleges built this country for free Why not Eastern European and abandoning it is not a for 400 years is not effechistory? feasible solution. Because tively told. Although AfriAlthough learning about of this, a separate class and can American History is alany country’s history in requirement is necessary. ready an elective offered at depth is extremely valu-

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY How it's taught in the typical American curriculum Circa 18611877

Content Gap

Civil War and Reconstruction.

Content

Circa 1619 The first AfricanAmerican slaves arrived in present day Virginia.

able, high school is only four years long. World history covers many of these countries; US history tells the story from the white perspective. African American history is not represented in either course.

After all, African American history is uniquely American and important to American citizens; Randall points out, “[African-Americans] were brought [to the US] unwillingly. Every other race are immigrants.

There is no other race that was brought here forcibly on slave ships.”

In terms of logistics, Randall advocates for it to be a requirement for “9th and 10th graders, especially since they moved Financial Literacy to upperclassmen only… if we do put in a social justice elective, you have that background to take that as an upperclassmen.”

The School District of Philadelphia was the first major city to mandate an African-American history graduation requirement, recognizing the need to learn from history in order to better our futures. Additionally, there are many colleges and universities with templates for this course, including Stockton, a university that has partnered with Cherry Hill East in the past for dual enrollment.

Implementing this crucial course at Cherry Hill East is possible. Changing our future is possible. But true, positive movement will never occur with the gentrified version of history taught in schools. Requiring African American history is a major step into making society recognize that the knife is there and the wound must be healed in order to truly repair the damage caused by slavery and biased systems in the United States.

Content Gap

2008 Obama becomes the first Black president of the United Gap States.

Circa 19541968

Civil Rights movement.

End of legal segregation.

Infographic by Naomi Bereketab (‘21) / Eastside Opinions Editor

December 2020

OPINIONS EASTSIDE

Page 13

The rise in mental health issues during COVID-19 ■ By Brielle Lampf (‘23)

Eastside Opinions Editor

Although COVID-19 has been a critical part of life across the globe since March, there has been minimal consideration for the students’ mental health, especially at East, during these trying times.

Unbeknownst to the students and the staff, on Friday, March 13, students would walk through the Cherry Hill East doors for the last time of the 20192020 school year. The very next Friday, Governor Phil Murphy announced that all schools would remain closed indefinitely.

For some, this was a much-needed break from the draining school routine. Although East is often known for its excellent academic achievements, this often comes with a price as students are under immense pressure to fulfill standards not only set by themselves, but by their parents and the school too.

But for others, school is a sanctuary. Where some students see a five days a week obligation, others see a place where they can be happy— where they can learn and spend time with friends in a safe environment. Especially be-

for some, going home can be a detriment and/or unhealthy experience, leading to an uptick in mental health concerns during this pandemic, according to the CDC. Despite the countless studies on the negative mental health effects due to this pandemic, the school as a whole has not reached out to the students to do any sort of wellness check.

In school, the guidance department is at the disposal of any student who needs additional support or advice. With remote learning, there is limited access to this much-needed resource. By scheduling guidance appointments with students just as if we were in school, it could make students feel a bit more as if the East community is still trying to function as one. It wasn’t difficult to schedule these appointments in school, why now?

Reaching out to students does not have to be difficult or time consuming.

Simply sending out a form through grade level Google Classrooms could dramatically improve a student’s life. However, this does not mean that all teachers have not reached out to their students.

Teachers, just like students, have had to adjust to this new way of life, so in some ways, everyone can relate to each other and it is important to acknowledge this. The East administration as a whole, however, needs to find a way to address the entire school, so that individual teachers are not taking on the responsibilities with little to no support. For example, one Chemistry teacher sends out surveys to the students every week, showing that some teachers are willing to improve the relationships with their students during this challenging time. There are many students who want help; it’s up to Cherry Hill East to extend a helping hand.

Additionally, before the outbreak, there was supposed to be a BH (behav-

ioral health) mental health survey for students who were interested. However, when Cherry Hill East closed, the school never followed through with this promise. Many students and parents viewed this as an opportunity to gauge where the students were in terms of their mental health. In other words, they could learn if stressors and other instances were more serious than they had originally thought. Mental health resources are more important now than ever as we navigate these uncertain times.

The pandemic is an incredible source of worry and unrest for many adults, let alone teenagers and young children. The fact that the school is taking little to no responsibility to check in on the students’ health is simply unfortunate. The school is putting in an immense amount of effort to make sure the students transition to virtual learning is smoother; it’s time to take care of all of the brain - not just the academic part.

days, students are encouraged to “get outside and be active.”

That said, it only makes sense that gym class for students during the first semester of the 2020-21 school year should be made optional. Students who choose not to take gym should enroll in another elective or opt take a study hall.

Primarily, the activities assigned during gym class involve a workout or movement challenge of some sort; however, it is almost impossible to prove that students are doing these workouts. If gym was made optional, and only students who needed the extra push to get their daily fitness enrolled, then workouts could be made more beneficial for the members of the class.

This is because class sizes would be smaller, allowing for a stronger studentteacher connection. As a result, teachers would be able

to find videos and suggest workouts that can help each individual student achieve their fitness goals.

Also, many students who have limited resources could benefit from having better access to fit-

ness advice.

Additionally, if students are offered a study hall in replacement of PE, it could leesen the amount of time spent at the computer after school hours. This also allows students the option of taking a break during the day, which can benefit both their mental and physical health. Requiring gym during this time seems unproductive to students. As for students who already have a study hall, they can take another elective, further deepening their interests and developing new skill sets.

The argument could be made that if students are being reminded to work out and be active, they will be more likely to actually partake in the physical activ-

ity. However, the students who want to work out will do so and those who do not want to simply won’t.

Although it’s nice to think every student is doing the workouts, most teachers know the reality of participation in virtual workouts is relatively low.

Students who are not participating in the assigned workouts would benefit greatly from being offered a study hall or an additional elective in place of gym.

While it is understandable that being active is one of the most important factors of a healthy lifestyle, the current circumstances hinder teachers from being able to ensure students are being active during the day, overall proving the class unproductive and less effective that it could be otherwise.

uniform assessment environment. However, with online learning, it becomes more challenging for teachers to maintain uniform test conditions.

Not only would it be difficult to control students’ behavior, but there would also be an immense amount of uncertainty revolving around the students’ testtaking environments at home. Each student would have their own share of distractions: lawn mowers, parents walking around, loud siblings, bad internet connection… the list can go on and on. To further prove this point, students have the ability to unfairly communicate with other members of the class for assistance during the testtaking period. The credibility and the effectiveness of the test would be subject to

scrutiny due to these possible non-uniform conditions; thus, the ways of implementing these tests should be reconsidered.

However, there are possible alternative test implementations that would solve this issue. Another purpose of giving exams is to stimulate students to learn course material concretely; if teachers give students shorter quizzes more frequently, instead of hour-long exams, to assess students’ understanding, it would achieve this goal while also lessening the negative impact of the uncertainty of at-home test-taking. Another remedy could be to lower the weight of tests on the final grades, consquently, weighing more on homework and projects, which are as effective virtually as they are

in-person. Testing is purposeful for understanding material, but not in this climate. Test-taking methods

should be altered during remote learning in order to accommodate the enviroment at home.

Marcus Newman (‘22)/ Eastside Video Editor

cause home is not safe for everyone.

Unfortunately

Are gym requirements being handled the right way?

■ By Angelina Witting (‘22) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

With the school year beginning completely remote, lots of typical activities were thrown up in the air.

Sports, clubs and even college visits have undergone major reshaping to help control COVID-19, not to mention the changes made to the day-to-day routine for all students. Similarly, schools have begun to lighten the strictness of requirments typically needed for their classes; for example, students taking sciences with a lab are not required to sign in for an additional 30 minutes each week for the usual “lab-out”.

As far as Physical Education classes are concerned, students are to log onto class for attendance and complete a short assignment each class. But some days, teachers don’t assign written work. On these

Art by Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

Testing remotely comes with its consequences ■ By Christopher Shin (‘23) Eastside Staff

Instead of listening to the quiet hum of the airconditioner and the frantic scribbling of pencils in a classroom, the over twothousand student body at East are now taking tests and exams from their chaotic and distracting homes, filled with unpredictable situations.

With the COVID-19 pandemic kicking off the fall semester and forcing East to move into an all-virtual format for the first quarter, tests should be redesigned during this period of remote learning.

The main purpose of a test is to assess students’ knowledge in the content they have learned and how well they are doing in their academics by providing a

Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

Page 14

GLOBAL COMMENTARY

EASTSIDE

December 2020

Society should expect more philanthropy from billionaires ■ By James Kwak (‘22) Eastside Online Editor

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, the public is increasingly looking towards philanthropy as governments worldwide are having a hard time dealing with the economic and humanitarian effects of COVID-19.

The fact that there is a desperate call for money right now places billionaires in the spotlight. Frustrated citizens question why people with billions of dollars are not willing to give a fraction of their wealth away to aid millions of people. Of course, some billionaire philanthropists have already contributed to the fight against COVID-19, such as Jack Dorsey, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. However, the vast majority of billionaires have remained silent, and even those who have donated are not donating as much as they could. Among all of the frenzy regarding billionaires, the question remains: should billionaires be expected to donate to charity?

The answer likely is, of course, yes. Obviously, people can not march down to billionaires’ mansions with pitchforks and demand more money. The government currently cannot force billionaires to donate more money to the treasury and charities, unless Congress reforms federal income tax laws. However, we, as a so-

ciety, should expect billionaires to commit to larger and more impactful forms of philanthropy, including large donations.

During his speech to the Massachusetts State Legislature in 1961, President John F. Kennedy told his audience, “Of those to whom much is given, much is required,” annotating a Bible verse from Luke 12:48.

The idea that people who have been given much should give back applies to billionaires. In today’s case, the current social circumstances have allowed the world’s billionaires to earn the money they have.

Hence, the argument that since billionaires made their own money, people cannot tell them what to do with it does not add up.

These people only reached their billionaire status because they live under this favorable and Western capitalist system. Warren Buffett, the billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, even said himself that “If you stick me down in the middle of Bangladesh or Peru, you’ll find out how much this talent is going to produce in the wrong kind of soil.”

Additionally, Herbert Simon, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, believes that social capital (natural resources, technology and a stable government) is responsible for at least 90 percent of what people earn in places like the United

States and western parts of Europe. That doesn’t mean billionaires should give 90 percent of their wealth away, but charity should be normalized for billionaires.

In other words, billionaires should be expected to donate because it’s a way of giving back to the system that’s given so much to them.

Billionaires also are not donating a large enough part of their wealth when they do contribute. Even though the wealthy contribute more m o n e y than others in total, most of them give less than those with far less wealth in proportion to how much money they have. According to the Philanthropy Roundtable, households with annual earnings of less than $50,000 were less likely to donate any money to charity than families earning more. However, if the households earning an annual $50,000 did give to charity, they gave a greater percentage of their income than those wealthier.

In 2014, the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that people annually earning

$200,000 or more lowered their charity donations during and after the Great Recession by 4.6 percent.

Those earning less than $100,000 increased their donations by 4.5 percent.

Generally speaking, many wealthy people can afford to give away much more money than they do.

Compared to the rest of the world, billionaires have an opportunity that rarely anyone else h a s : t h e ability to solve global issues.

F o r example, according to the United Nations, it would take about $30 billion annually to distribute and provide food to the impoverished and hungry. Technically, Jeff Bezos could solve world hunger using his yearly income alone. Additionally, the Housing and Urban Development department reported that $20 billion would end homelessness in the United States.

Furthermore, there are still drawbacks and problems with today’s philan-

thropists that need to be addressed along with the lack of billionaires’ involvement in giving back to society.

Instead of blindly praising billionaires when they donate, we have to be cautious and investigative because much can still go wrong. For example, billionaires have used donations as a way of avoiding taxes on multiple occasions.

By directing their money into donor-advised funds, billionaires can gain access to tax breaks. Another method used by some billionaires is donating in stocks, which gives them the opportunity to find tax breaks and avoid the “capital gains tax” that is typically included when selling a stock. Another problem is the lack of transparency that billionaires show. For example, the Zuckerberg Chan initiative, started

by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, is not a charity but a limited liability company (LLC).

Because the Zuckerberg Chan Initiative is an LLC, it can invest in other companies, donate to political campaigns and avoid transparency requirements and income taxes. None of these things would be allowed under a charitable organization. So transparency is needed; otherwise, who knows where the money is actually going?

a special status in whichthe members of these territories are, in most cases, American citizens (something which may come as a surprise to some), yet still do not have the right to vote for Congress. The only exception is the egregious case of the citizens of the territory of American Samoa, whose citizens are considered “US nationals” rather than citizens. It is worth mentioning that these areas do elect members to Congress; however, these representatives have no voting p o w e r.

A l s o , Washington D.C can vote in the presidential election but still does not h a v e any voting representation in Congress. The remainder of the territories can ony vote during the presidential primaries, but not during the general election. This qualifies, in some sense, as a form of legal voter suppression, as it is something ingrained in the law of the land, yet still restricts certain Americans’ right to vote.

In the wake of these circumstances, the Democrat-

ic majority in the House of Representatives passed HR51 in late June by a vote of 232-180 along partisan lines, which would grant statehood to Washington D.C. The legislation marks a historic first, as it is the first time a bill proposed to make Washington D.C a state has passed a chamber of Congress. The bill was not taken up by the Republican Majority in the Senate led by Mitch McConell, and president Donald Trump also threatened to veto such a bill. Just like that, this historic bill was dead on arrival in the upper chamber of Congress.

While H R 5 1 was an import a n t step in the fight for representation for the roughly four million Americans who live in these districts and territories, there is still a long road to follow. For starters, this bill must expand beyond Washington D.C. to all of the territories in the US. Ideally, a referendum would be given to all of these territories (except for Washington D.C.) to choose between statehood, independence and remaining

as territories. There must then be bipartisan support to follow the wishes of these territories, whatever they may be. Washington D.C should automatically become a state without the need for a referendum, given its central role to the formation and maintenance of the country.

So what is stopping statehood from happening? The typical culprit, partisan bickering, is responsible. Democrats say that this bill would simply be correcting the grave injustices of history, while Republicans are more cynical about the statehood bill.

Senator Tom Cotton said that Washington D.C contributes mostly only white collar, meaning professional or office workers, to the economy, implying that those are not as valuable to America as more blue collar workers, or those who do more manual labor, of the current states, which would justify not allowing statehood for Washington D.C. Furthermore, Cotton said that making Washington a state would “rig the rule of our democracy” by giving Democrats an advantage in Congress because Washington D.C, along with the remaining territories, are generally more left wing in ideology. However, Cotton’s first point regarding Washington D.C.’s lack of contribution to America is a gross generalization about the area, and is not a reason to deny Americans voting rights. Furthermore,

the idea that statehood would give Democrats an advantage is inherently flawed, because if a Republican majority in the Senate and presidency was set up ignoring the Americans of these territories, which all have a majority non-white population, a demographic which overwhelmingly supports Democrats, then it is only fair to have full representation of all Americans of all races and areas be the new standard by which Americans elect their officials. Otherwise, it is not fair to say that any body of congress is elected with the consent of the American people, because not all of the governed were able to vote for their representative, senator, or president.

Therefore, there is a grave necessity to correct the mistakes of the past and reaffirm the doctrine engraved in the Constitution and celebrated throughout history that all Americans deserve the right to vote, and deserve this right without question and without compromise. Once this point is reached where all Americans are equally represented, the United States can truly consider itself a champion of democracy without hypocrisy. Until then, America must live with the reality that although it preaches democracy at home and abroad, it itself ignores the voices of millions.

Art by Jeffrey Kaminer (‘21)/ Eastside Art Director

The U.S. should allow statehood for Washington D.C. ■ By Tomer Goldfinger (‘22)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

During the American Revolution, colonists were frustrated that the British placed large taxes on their goods, while the colonial general public had no say in this decision by the British Parliament. This was because the colonies were not awarded any representation in the British Parliament. This phenomenon, coined “taxation without representation,” galvanized the colonies into a revolt led by George Washington which would lead to American independence, creating the United States of America.

Ironically, as the heart of the country formed from “taxation without representation” and the city named after the head of the revolution, Washington D.C still experiences this concept of paying taxes while having no representation nearly 250 years after the United States’ founding. Interestingly, some Washington D.C. license plates read “end taxation without representation” in order to protest this reality. The same situation also occurs in the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, whose people pay most forms of federal taxes, except for federal income taxes. These territories and districts, in the case of Washington D.C, have

Art by Jordyn Swarbrick (‘21)/ Eastside Staff

GLOBAL COMMENTARY

December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 15

United States failed in COVID-19 response ■ By Aiden Rood (‘23) Eastside Global Commentary Editor

You’ve heard the numbers: months of quarantine, millions of cases, hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Behind every number is a set of words -- a story of how that number became a reality. Not every nation saw those same numbers.

Almost no one did worse than the United States.

So what happened here?

What were the actions behind the numbers of the United States’ coronavirus crisis, and behind the very real devastation Americans have suffered?

The United States of America, supposed to be a leader on the world stage, has failed. Instead, nations like New Zealand and South Korea proved to be the best in the world when it came to pandemic response. The US has a lot of lessons to learn. One of the biggest is a lesson to be re-learned: how to be prepared. Under President Barack Obama, a unit of the National Security Council was formed to prepare for a potential pandemic response. America was ready. Under President Donald Trump, that unit was dissolved.

“It would be nice if the office was still there,” said Doctor Anthony Fauci, who has led much of the US’s coronavirus response.

Had Trump kept the office around, some Obama administration officials have agreed the American response could have been more effective from the start.

The response from the

United States government was disjointed and disorganized. The President wanted to downplay the virus and its seriousness to avoid public panic, leading to a lack of serious measures early on. Other countries took a much more aggressive approach in immediately treating COVID-19 as a serious threat, with responsive measures to boot.

It was at that start of the pandemic where many of the lives lost today could have very possibly been saved. New Zealand, now hailed for its successful response, implemented quarantine regulations for all people entering the country when just six people there had the virus. South Korea mobilized private and public resources to build a strong testing operation almost immediately after the virus arrived there. Iceland made available free testing for all right away. Greece implemented a strict lockdown quickly after its first cases popped up. Each of these nations, in acting rapidly, saved lives.

A Columbia University study in May 2020 concluded that the US could have saved the lives of 36,000 people by implementing social distancing just a week earlier than they did in mid-March. With President Trump having admitted that he played down the virus despite knowledge of its dangers on tapes released this September, the potential for swift action was clearly there. With an opportunity to act, American leaders failed.

As the early stages of the

pandemic became distant and a new reality set in, one topic remained prevalent in the U.S.: COVID-19 testing. If a US citizen wanted a test months ago, they generally had to be showing well-known symptoms or had to have been exposed to a known case or a country with a potential outbreak.

Even then, it was not a guarantee that testing may be available.

Widespread testing is key to controlling the spread of this virus, but the American testing response was “failing” in early months, according to Fauci. Germany, Iceland, New Zealand and more had widely accessible testing as central components in their more successful responses to COVID-19. If America had been able to test everyone quickly, a more coherent, well-planned response could have been devised that would not require such an extended period of lifealtering restrictions and changes.

Once someone does contract the virus, it’s not just that person who needs to get tested. Anyone they’ve been in contact with during the period the CDC deemed them contagious, two weeks, needs a test, too. For that to happen, contract tracing is key. This is where organizations check to see who came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus in order to test them and contain further potential spread. Contact tracing is yet another area in which the United States has not been entirely successful. While some col-

leges are now implementing strict guidelines involving contact tracing, many states across the country set up inefficient, unsuccessful operations early on that have failed to meet the needs of the population.

More successful bids have been made elsewhere, such as Finland’s app lauded for achieving wide reach in just days.

The “Corona Blinker” app was developed by a private company and was voluntarily downloaded by about a quarter of the Finnish population within four days of release. So again, the potential to implement contact tracing successfully was right there for US leaders. They failed. Without the ability to trace potential infections, stopping new outbreaks has been a whole lot harder for US officials.

From preparedness and early response to testing and contact tracing, it’s clear the United States’ response to COVID-19 could have been better. For examples of how, just look to countries across the globe that, despite the US’s wealth and power, beat America out. By doing what the US didn’t, other nations saved the lives of their people where we lost many of ours.

Next time, US leaders will have plenty of lessons to learn, with a plethora of examples from which to do that learning. That much is clear.

The most tragic thing about it is this: for too many Americans, there will be no next time.

One concern regarding police officers being present in schools is that they tend to target minorities as well as students with disabilities. In further research conducted by the ACLU, they found that “students of color are more likely to go to school with police officers.”

Then, at these schools where there is a higher percentage of Black students, there is typically a larger implementation of more security measures such as metal detectors or “random ‘contraband’ sweeps.” In addition, “Black girls are four times more likely to be arrested in school than white girls nationally;” in New Jersey specifically, they are five times more likely.

Another conGia Gupta (‘24)/ Eastside Staff cern is that the roles of police officers in schools ent] reported 3.5 times as are taking away from the many arrests as schools potential mental health rewithout police.” As a result, sources. Some school police “students with disabilities officers receive the responand students of color are sibility to teach students more frequently sent into about the importance of the criminal system.” mental health issues like

drug and alcohol abuse, relationship abuse and more.

Instead of using the police to fill these roles, money could be better spent on other resources like hiring more school counselors, nurses and psychologists, since police officers do not have teaching degrees.

Mental health services are largely understaffed in schools nationally. The ACLU reported that “14 million students are in schools with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist or social worker.” Mental health is the underlying factor of most issues that arise with students in school: bullying, fighting, alcohol/drug abuse and suicide.

Looking at the issue indepth, the need for police in schools is not clear. Their role as a safety measure for school security, specifically to help protect schools against mass shootings, is understandable. However, the follow-up questions that arise are, what type of training would be implemented for police working with students? Specifically, would anti-racist training be implemented? Are there other resources to still incorporate support for the mental health of high school students?

Nationally, these questions need to be addressed before a different conclusion can be reached.

Should we have police officers in our schools?

■ By Machayla Randall (‘21)

For Eastside

The question regarding police officers in schools does not have a cut and dry answer. There are many follow-up questions needed to find an answer. In beginning to answer these questions, the history of such issues is a good starting place.

According to a Congressional report in 2013, the hiring of school police officers full-time began around the 1980s and 1990s and was due to rising crime rates in schools. Although the crime rates have decreased drastically since then, police officers have remained in schools in order to maintain school safety, and due to concerns of mass school shootings, especially in suburban areas.

Now, since the implementation of more police officers has occurred, there have been no clear studies that demonstrate that school police improve either the safety, mental health or educational outcomes of students. However, there are several studies showing that police officers in schools may be more harmful than beneficial. When there is an increase in the number of police officers in schools, not only is there an increase in the role that they play in schools, but also in the number of stu-

dents referred to the police.

Due to their accessibility, in place of de-escalation tactics, staff tend to rely more on school police, involving them in regular disciplinary infractions. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “schools with police [pres-

■ By Tomer Goldfinger (‘22) Eastside Global Commentary Editor

Welcome to the first edition of politics around the world.

In this column, different countries and their complex political situations will be described and analyzed. So, to begin, let’s take a look at Belarus.

On August 9, voters in Belarus, a country situated in Eastern Europe between Poland and Russia, headed to the polls to elect their next president. On the ballot was the longtime president, considered by many to be “Europe’s last dictator,” Alexander Lukashenko. Since the establishment of the country in the early 1990s, Lukashenko has been a strongman ruler with many accusations of authoritarianism and rigging elections against him.

On the other side of the ballot was Lukashenko’s opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was placed under constant threat of arrest and prosecution before and after the election.

Regardless, the election resulted in a massive victory for Lukashenko, who won over 80 percent of the vote compared to Tsikhanouskaya’s nearly 10 percent.

However, both the European Union and the United States expressed concerns about the validity of the results (given Lukashenko’s track record and the suspiciously large margin of victory) and have pushed for a new, fair election. China and Russia congratulated Lukashenko on his victory.

Ultimately, it is necessary for the US and EU to use economic and diplomatic means such as sanctions, incentives for aid, a track to admission into the EU or NATO, etc. to coerce Belarus into accepting a fair vote overseen by the UN. Also, there are personal measures that have been used in similar past situations and should be considered. For instance, the EU could guarantee Lukashenko a safe retirement somewhere in Western Europe if he agrees to step down.

Furthermore, these organizations must support the people of Belarus who took to the streets to protest the longtime dictator, and who were rebuked with a brutal crackdown on these protestors by the government.

Regardless, it appears that Lukashenko is still entrenched as the Belarussian president, and that there will be more protests and crackdowns as time goes on. Truthfully, these protests will likely not be enough to achieve democracy. It is the obligation of the western democracies of the EU and US to pressure Belarus into a fair national referendum, likely leading to the fall of Lukashenko, and the re-establishment of democracy as intended.

Art by Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

Page 16

EASTSIDE

December 2020

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CULTURE December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 17

Pandemic brings altered birthday celebrations able to celebrate, even with strict social distance guidelines.

Anna Neubauer (‘23) exThroughout quarantine, perienced her birthday in many people experienced the midst of strict lockdown birthday cancelin early April. On her lations as well as birthday, some of her alterations.

Refriends stopped by gardless, students and dropped off presof Cherry Hill East ents from a distance. did not let the panNeubauer described demic hinder them how the quarantine from celebrating rules prevented her on their special from celebrating her day. special day with her Primarily durgrandmother, who ing the early also shares the same months of quaranbirthday as her. tine, many indi“Although we got to viduals organized talk over the phone, drive-by birthday which was a good alcelebrations with ternative, things still signs and decoraweren’t the same,� tions. In doing so, said Neubauer. they would invite Angelina Li (‘23) Courtesy of Hannah Leibowitz (‘22) family and friends Leibowitz shows off her birthday sign. had her birthday to drive by their in early September, house at a certain which differed her time. Therefore, one could though this isn’t an ideal birthday celebration from see their close relatives or birthday festivity, members that of Neubauer. Li origifriends on their special day of the community were still nally planned to have a ■By Jessica Levin (‘22)

Eastside Managing Editor

while still remaining socially distanced. More recently, with the opening of outdoor eating, people have a little bit more freedom with their birthday celebrations. Al-

desired. Still, Li made the best of her day by celebrating with her family as well as having various balloon decorations and a cake.

Hannah Leibowitz (‘22) celebrated her birthday in midSeptember.

For Leibowitz’s birthday celebration, she had signs out on her front lawn and ate brunch outside at the Woodcrest Country Club with some of her friends.

Courtesy of Angelina Li (‘23) closest In spite of being Li’s birthday cake and balloons in a pandemic, kick off her birthday celebration.

Leibowitz agreed that she had just as fun of a birthtrampoline park party, day in quarantine than she but as she was still fearful had in previous years, and of leaving her house, she was glad that it worked out could not host the same for the better. type of celebration that she

Students celebrate holidays amidst pandemic ■By Inesa Linker (‘23)

Eastside Culture Editor

As the colder weather rolls in, and the darkness sets in earlier every night, our minds turn to the holidays and our opportunities to celebrate family, friendships and religions. The holidays are something people look forward to every year and are always a great time to get together with family, eat delicious food and overall just enjoy themselves. This year, however, holidays have been going through change. With the invasion of COVID-19, masks and social distancing, holiday celebrations have been different to say the least.

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Halloween, Sukkot and Thanksgiving are all fall holidays that feature celebrating in large groups. Synagogues welcome hundreds of worshippers during the High Holy Days; Halloween consists of millions of children across the country roaming the streets trick or treating, as well as adults meeting and socializing for big parties; Thanksgiving and the days leading up to it are the highest travel days of the year.

With a limited number of people gathering together, the High Holy Days felt lonelier than years prior, and Halloween lost the thrill of begging strangers for candy. New travel restrictions certainly hurt Thanksgiving travel.

Chabad synagogue in Cherry Hill has arranged for outdoor and indoor traditional services to allow members to continue to pray and worship as best they can in the current conditions. For indoor service, one needs a reservation due to the limit on the number of people in one building, the same COVID restrictions that are in place for restaurants and stores across the country. Outdoor services still require reservations, but more people will be allowed to attend. .Thanksgiving is such an important part of family reunions and serves as one of the few yearly chances to reconnect face to face with relatives who may be separated by distance, as well as those extended family members that are so extended, you’re not even sure how you’re related.

Travel by plane, car, train and even ship has changed so much that it was difficult for these huge families to come together as well as

Marc Celine Nicolas (‘21)/ Eastside Staff

dangerous. Many families opted to instead hold small gatherings.

Though things are signficantly different and many changes were implemented into the traditional festivi-

ties, the favorite fall holidays remain the favorite fall holidays. Zoom and other video calls connect relatives and friends who are farther away than usual.

Challah and a positive

outlook despite hardships will properly welcome the Jewish new year just as they have every other year. No matter what, the holidays continue to hold meaning.

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CULTURE Page 18

EASTSIDE

Masks trending with more designs and features ■ By Lily Lazarus (‘22)

Eastside Culture Editor

Nowadays, people seem unrecognizable with their faces covered to their nose with a mask. However, this necessity of face coverings has actually become a popular trend and has fueled numerous successful businesses. Whether covered in butterflies, tie-dye or a favorite sports team, face masks have not only helped people stay safe during such problematic times, but also created a new addition to people’s outfits and styles.

Although covering one’s face with a mask may not be the most flattering thing, these new styles certainly make wearing them a lot more attractive. The unique styles and designs make wearing masks less of an unwanted task and more of something that keeps them safe and adds to their style. As masks have clearly made a huge mark on the world, they are not only making companies a lot of money, but they are

also a great way to raise unified before and during virus. money for funds or charithe season,” said Greene.

Not only have masks ties.

With their matching been popular when they Even people at East have jumpsuits, the masks will have cool designs, but some taken upon this new trend make them come together feel discomfort from the of designmask around their ears. ing masks.

Therefore, another popuVa r s i t y lar trend is the extension basketball of the mask with beads. player Drew The beads are added to Greene (‘22) the straps of the masks, has demaking a longer chain, so signed East when the mask is not be-themed ing worn, it can stylishly masks to lay around a person’s neck raise money and less likely for the perfor the boys’ son to lose it. Similar to basketball the variety of designs of team. Playmasks, there are several ers have a colors and combinations discount of of beads that many com$10 for a panies have added into mask and their mask lines. non-players During difficult times, pay $15. it’s things such as differ“My mom ent designed masks and and I came additional beads that can up with brighten one’s day. With this idea tie-dye, sports teams, Photos courtesy of respective students bandanas and even hapbecause even though Rebecca Sabath (‘23), Anna Neubauer (‘23), py faces, there are countthere are Benjamin Xi (‘23) and Lucas Tang (‘23) show less different designs for challenges off their trendy masks. masks. to face with Mask on or off, the the pandemtrend of these designed ic, we still wanted to make even more, despite what masks is definitely popular sure the team could stay they cannot do due to the among the East students.

Blue light glasses are increasing in popularity ■ By Angelina Witting (‘22) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

With m o r e and more people staying h o m e a n d working remotely, it was only a matter of time before somebody found a way to get rich. May I present to you... blue light glasses, one of 2020’s hottest trends.

Some medical experts deny that blue light causes any form of harm or strain to the eyes, though this is commonly contested.

Similarly, most doctors are split on the effectiveness of these glasses and believe they can help prevent eye

strain. Others have found that blue light tampers with melatonin production in the eyes. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. As a result, a study found those who wore these glasses saw a drastic increase in their nighttime melatonin levels, leading to overall better sleep.

Currently, East students are spending a minimum of four hours on their computer each day and that’s before homework. Some doctors recommend blue light glasses for those who work at a computer or phone screen for more than six hours a day. Personally, after a day of classes I begin having headaches and my eyes just feel tired. That being said, I figured why not

give these blue light glasses a shot?

Though blue light causes little to no damage to your eyes, eye strain is a common symptom of overexposure.

So I ordered a pair of glasses from two different companies and they both came with a blue light exposure test card and a strong blue light laser. After testing the blue light laser on my eyes with and without the glasses, I could see the glasses definitely made a difference. In order to really put these glasses to the test, I wore them every day for a week whenever I was looking at my computer.

Now, as much as I would love to say these are a total scam and do nothing, I noticed my eyes felt less

tired and I did not have a headache like I did prior to using the glasses. Not only were they improving my ability to focus, but like many others, I found them very stylish.

Through this process, I was surprised when I realized just how long I spend on my phone or computer every day. That being said, I wore these glasses for most of the day and I kind of forgot they were there most of the time. Other than the yellowish tint they have, everything is the same as wearing no glasses at all.

Now it’s too soon to tell if blue light glasses are merely a trend, or if they are a tool to decrease eye strain Realistically, are blue light glasses worth the hype?

100% yes.

scription. The subscription is a fraction of the price of an actual Hamilton ticket.

Thus, 2 . 7 million households were a t tracted to stream the recorded v e r s i o n of the Broadw a y hit, as it debuted o n Disney P l u s July 3 through July 13.

According to reports, the number of viewers on Disney Plus exceeds those who have seen it live.

Another movie that became accessible during quarantine was Disney Pixar’s “Onward.” After just two weeks in theatres, Pix-

ar announced that starting in late March, the movie will be available to buy dig-

before offering a film on its Disney Plus service.

Throughout the country, the closure of major theatre chains has severely impacted the “window” in the film industry. This window is depicted as the threemonth period between when a movie is shown in theatres and when it’s offered for on-demand purchase or rental, as well as streaming services. The impact on the industry is vast, though streaming services were quick to adapt.

In such an unprecidented period of time, it is hard to say how the industry will progress.

After a drastic change in the film industry, one can predict that streaming services such as Disney Plus, Hulu, Netflix or Prime Video will gain more popularity as the date in which the world can safely attend a movie theatre in a normal manner is currently unknown and unpredictable.

The world is in an unprecedented time, but the expansion of streaming services allow for a distraction.

Streaming services expand due to recent circumstances ■ By Bella Levin (‘22) Eastside Culture Editor

After the coronavirus hit, those in the film industry suffered a devastating loss as stoppages in filming left many people without work. Companies such as Universal Pictures began to release a few movies to ondemand services in early March as a way to provide an affordable and accessible option for viewers at home. As venturing out to a movie theatre increasingly became less possible, more and more film companies began releasing their movies through various streaming services.

In addition to movie theatres, musical theatres were also shut down in early March. The “Hamilton” movie was scheduled to hit theatres in October 2021, but due to the pandemic, this release date was postponed until further notice.

Therefore, Disney Plus began offering a recording of the hit Broadway show for free with a Disney Plus sub-

Katherine Li (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

itally for $19.99. This was a shock to several locals of the film industry, as typically it would be another two and a half months before the movie was available to buy or watch at home. Additionally, Disney would usually wait a few months rather than weeks

December 2020

Falling into the new school year...

Here are songs songs the Eastside Culture Editors recommend that make us think of our virutal life from home during these difficult times.

“Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott “Happy” by Pharrell Williams “Home” by Phillip Phillips “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson “If We Ever Meet Again” by Timbaland, Katy Perry “Work from Home” by Fifth Harmony “Pound the Alarm” by Nicki Minaj “Live While We’re Young” by One Direction “Don’t Wake Me Up” by Chris Brown

SPORTS

December 2020

EASTSIDE

Page 19

Day in the Life of Student Athletes: Covid Edition Gorbati to follow safety guidelines and regulations.

“As far as precautions go, we filled a self-evaluation form at home and we had to Unsurprisingly, the Covtake our own temperature,” id-19 pandemic has affected said Gorbati. student-athletes’ fall seaWhen Gorbati’s last class son. Making changes to the ended at 2:30, she drove way the fall season sports herself to the East tennis operated means being flexcourts to have practice. ible and working around Gorbati began her practice the limitations. While some with stretches, footwork sports were postponed, outdrills and running. The door sports continued to girls’ tennis team is able to prepare for their season. talk as a whole as they disTushar Garg (‘21) was cussed the goals excited to get and plans for the into his cross season. With the country season. new changes and Being a senior alterations of the this school year, season, Gorbati Garg had a very experienced this different season season in a diffrom what he exferent way than perienced in his what she was last three years used to. on the team. At “I was very around 8 a.m to nervous and still 9 a.m., Garg beam because I’m gan his day with unsure how the online school. season will go Throughout the due to Covid,” day, he reminds said Gorbati behimself to confore the season, stantly stay hyI’m very drated. As a runCourtesy of Julia Chan (‘23) “but glad that the ner, drinking a Gorbati swings to serve during a practice. season is still lot of water is arhappening and I guably the most Lisa Gorbati (‘21) played can’t wait to see what will important thing to prepare girls’ tennis for her fourth happen.” physically for a good run. year. Waking up at 8 a.m.

Gorbati’s day did not “If you’re in my class, and eating breakfast is how end off with tennis pracyou can see me always havGorbati began her day betice. Right after practice, ing a water bottle by my fore attending her online Gorbati worked her shift side,” said Garg. “I typicalclasses. Gorbati typically as a lifeguard at the Jewish ly try to get in at least 60 to had several meals throughCommunity Center (JCC).

80 ounces before practice.” out the day to fuel her body Her shift for the day was For lunch, Garg tries to for the first day of practice. three hours and she coneat as healthy as possible Prior to her tennis seacluded her day by finishing but does not follow any speson, Gorbati made sure to up homework. cific diet. Before the start of get into the best physical Kiran Muttathil (‘23) practice, Garg makes sure shape for her sport. In orplayed field hockey for her to stay rested and mentally der to maintain her physisecond year. In preparation readies himself to do whatcal fitness, she exercised for her season, Muttathil ever the practice has in a couple of times a week had to get creative with store for him that day. by doing ab workouts and ways to practice. Muttathil Practice for Garg began running. She also played also utilized her brother’s at 3:15 p.m. Prior to pracgames against her friends baseball hitting net to practice, he was required to to practice her serves and tice her skills. take a two-minute survey hits.

Muttathil began her that assessed for Covid-19 This year, like the other Monday by waking up earsymptoms. Once he comfall sports, tennis required ly around 7 a.m. to finish pleted the survey, Garg ■ By Abby Yu (‘23)

Eastside Sports Editor

took a temperature check from one of the coaches or assistant coaches to make sure he did not have a fever. Once he filled out the survey and had his temperature checked, he entered his assigned pod.

“The pods are groups of 14 people and these are essentially the group I am with for the whole season,” said Garg.

Fortunately for Garg, he started running with his pod at the start of July.

up some homework. A plus side to an online school that Muttathil has found is the extra time to complete schoolwork, especially during the 40-minute lunch period.

At 2:30, Muttathil arrived at East with her own water bottle and gear. After getting her temperature check, she met with her team on the turf field.

Muttathil went through dynamic stretches and took

Alex Tanaka (‘23) was back on the football field for East. Tanaka’s positions were outside linebacker and running back. To prepare for the season, Tanaka held himself responsible for staying active and maintaining good shape for playing.

He was able to do so by running on a regular basis. Normally he would lift weights, but the weight room was closed due to the pandemic.

Tanaka woke up at around 8:30 a.m. to get ready for his online classes. He generally did not eat breakfast, but once morning classes finished, Tanaka ate his first meal for the day.

After Tanaka finished his last class, he headed to East for his football practice.

He and his teammates started off their exercise by stretching their bodies and warming up with sprints and other warmups.

Courtesy of RunningWorksPics At the beginGarg races to the finish line at a ning of practice, cross country meet.

Tanaka went into his position a run with her team as a groups across the field to warm-up. The rest of the complete drills assigned by practice consisted of Muthis coach. A large majority tathil running through of practice was geared todrills and meeting the wards drills and conditionfreshmen. She also worked ing. on conditioning to work on Despite the different apdifferent aspects such as proaches to the fall season strength, coordination and this year, athletes, teams agility. The remainder of and coaches did everything Muttahil’s day consisted of in their power to have the showering after practice, most successful season, eating dinner with her famand to overcome the obily, doing homework and stacles and limitations that winding down before the the pandemic has put upon next day. these teams.

Coaches dedicate their time and energy into their teams’ success ■ By Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

While players are the ones who are given the credit for a successful season, the coaches are the real backbone of the team. Whether they create gameplays, teach teams or make drills to enhance their skills, coaches devote their time and energy to make the best season for their teams.

At Cherry Hill East, there are 27 different sports spread across the three seasons. Many coaches are there for all three seasons, being extremely devoted and qualified to coach. Now the question that many people wonder: How does one become a coach?

The organization which enforces these rules is the New Jersey Sports Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Like any job, there must be requirements before even filling out an application.

“You must have at least a substitute certification or teaching license to be a head coach,” said Girls’ Varsity Track and Field Coach Ms. Yanell Joseph.

This goes for paid coaches and volunteer coaches. Additionally, there must be background checks into the applicant as well as a child abuse clearance.

“You usually have [this done] anyway because of the teacher certification,” Joseph said.

The applicants do not even have to be limited to the school or even the district. In fact, a large number of coaches begin as volunteers.

Boys’ Varsity Swimming Coach Mr. Joe Cucinotti recalls having to volunteer for three years before actually becoming a coach.

“Many times, volunteering on a staff works as a ‘foot in the door’ situation to acclimate a coach with a program, administrators, and the sport itself,” he said.

Playing a sport and coaching a sport are two very different things.

Being able to guide players to success through one’s own leadership takes a deep knowledge of the sport, body and mind.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer Coach Mr. Conor McVeigh began coaching high school soccer in 2012 and has moved throughout many schools until he reached East in 2018 as the Girls’ Freshman Coach.

After the previous varsity coach resigned, McVeigh filled in and took on the larger position.

As job openings become public, typically after that particular season, popular ones are highly sought after, making the competition tougher and tougher. Not all of the applicants are able to even get an interview.

Mr. Michael Beirao, the Athletic Director for Cherry Hill East and West, explained how certain sports attract a lot of applicants while some do not.

“I definitely think that there is a generation gap for certain sports, off the top of my head, Boys’ Lacrosse.

Lacrosse is a sport that is increasing and increasing in popularity every day. It wasn’t like that 10 to 20 years ago. It is hard in those cases,” said Beirao.

Boys’ Football Coach Mr. Andrew Daley recalls, “when I saw that former Head Coach, Coach Coen resigned, I actually emailed Athletic Director Mr. Beirao immediately.”

After waiting for the application to go online, he submitted it and was later called in for an interview.

While each coach needs to obtain certain skills in order to be a coach in a specific sport, all coaches do share the amount of love they carry for that sport. Each and every coach put a significant amount of their time and energy into creating the most successful season possible while taking into account the players, parents and competition. Coaches choose to become a part of the players life, helping to create memories in the sports that lasts a lifetime.

“I think that one thing that people need to remember is that these coaches are people also. A lot of them have a special someone and kids, who they need to spend more time away from, in addition to teaching.

They ultimately love the sport and want the best for their players, and I think that is very admirable,” said Beirao.

Becoming a Coach T H E

P R O C E S S

Experience

Certification Yo u n ee d t o ha v e a s ub s t i t ut e c er t if i c a t io n o r a t ea c h in g l ic e ns e , c er t i fi c a t i on in C PR , F i rs t Ai d, a nd C o n c us s i on , P ro t o c ol a n d He a t A c c li ma t i o n Class

Interview T he Ath letic Di rec tor an d pr in ci pa l w ill ca ll yo u in fo r a n i nte rv ie w i f th ey b eli ev e tha t yo ur a p pli ca tio n w a s go od eno ugh.

Y ou s ho uld h a v e k n ow ledge o f the sp or t a nd full c om mi tmen t be fo re a p ply in g. Y ou m us t b e a ble to lea d an d pr o per ly co mm uni ca te w ith pla y ers . It i s s ugges ted tha t the y v olun teer fi rs t.

Apply The appli cat ion beco me av ail abl e o nli ne and pot ent ial co aches m us t fill i t out and s ubm it it .

T hen, t he At hle ti c Di re cto r and oc casi onall y t he princ ipal wil l loo k it ov e r and d ee m the cand idat e approri ate for t he job.

Decision Y ou m ust w a it for the d ec is io n to be m a de.

If y ou a r e de emed the c or re ct fit fo r the jo b. .. CON GR ATS Y OU" RE A COACH !

Infographic by Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22)/ Eastside Sports Editor

December 2020

SPORTS EASTSIDE

Page 20

Battle in the trenches: football’s unsung heroes ■ By Nick Gangewere (‘21) Eastside Sports Editor

Football is a game built around tactics, tackles and touchdowns. The prolific quarterback who drops back, lofts a ball over the top and into the hands of the star receiver down the sideline. The running back who takes the ball, jukes past a defender and waltzes into the endzone. The kicker who hits a soaring game-winning field goal as time expires.

Who is missing from each of these scenarios? The boys up front who make every play possible.

The offensive line is arguably one of the most important position groups on the gridiron at all times.

By protecting their quarterback and opening gaps in the line of scrimmage for the running back, their primary job is always creating opportunities for other players. Often perceived as the most boring, dirty position in football, these players have one of the most complex jobs in all of sports.

The offensive line is made up of five positions: the left and right tackle, the left and right guard and the center (who snaps the ball to the QB). Each position has two main goals: protect the quarterback and help the skill position players make plays. While the casual football fan may

see ten bodies running into one another at the line of scrimmage, the subtle intricacies are what make offensive linemen special.

Interior lineman and captain Reese Green (‘21) knows firsthand how difficult his position is.

“There’s a lot to do with

the field than it does on it.

In order to stay in shape, linemen must keep their weight up, strength up, conditioning at peak performance and remain agile all at the same time.

“It’s all about the diet,” Green said. “People just assume that all we eat is junk

Louis (‘21).

The offensive line at Cherry Hill East works out often and continues to practice their steps and plays.

So while these men may not get the awards and accolades, they are still some of the hardest working people on the team and are hungry

Tyler Leomporra (‘21)/ Eastside Staff

The offensive linemen guard the ball, aiding their team in moving up the field. hand placement, moving your feet, staying low and pushing the guy in front of you backwards,” Green said.

In order to knock the opposing defensive linemen back (known as a “pancake,” the main statistic for a lineman), there are lots of variables that he worries about, including leverage, height, hand placement, agility and pure strength.

But the position may take even more effort off

food… every lineman has to make sure they get the right amount of protein and veggies and fruits every day to be able to produce a great effort on the field.”

Staying in shape is harder for offensive linemen than it is for other people.

To keep a large frame with power takes many hours in the gym and lots of focus on their diet.

“I have to work every day to remain versatile,” said offensive guard Jadon

for wins just like everyone else.

Quarterback Sebastian Miller (‘21) was full of praise about the trust he has with his linemen, “There will be players stepping up this year that I trust a lot,” Miller said, “I have faith in them.”

The game of football is as much about chemistry as it is about talent, and the Cougars’ hard work is building chemistry along with a winning mentality.

Offensive Line coach Tyler Drob said, “It’s all about group communication and being on the same page up front.”

The communication aspect is key between coaches, the quarterback and his offensive line. It adds just another facet to the mental aspect for linemen to worry about. Part of what makes this position so unheralded is that they need a combination of smarts, size and skill to excel.

“If you’re a casual fan, just take a peek at us here and then,” Green said.

Ideally, this statement to fans can be echoed by linemen everywhere in every level of football. But it should, because their impact dictates whether a game is won or lost. And for all they do, these players still do not often receive the love or respect they deserve. When every component comes together, the tough, rugged offensive line can be perceived as poetry in motion.

Imagine having to line up play after play, looking into the eyes of your opponent, having to win a physical and mental battle every down to overwhelm the enemy.

So next time you are watching a football game from the sidelines, pay attention to the big boys in their stances by the line of scrimmage… they might surprise you.

Luehrs twins dominate the field for senior season ■ By Julia Wolfson (‘22)

without a twin and withWhile Drew and Luke do Following high school, out anyone to be compared have similar styles in reDrew and Luke plan on to, which was something I gards to how they lead their continuing soccer into their wasn’t used to.” team, they play two differcollege experience as well, From 2005 to 2020 a lot The twins both agree ent positions, with Luke although the next part of of things have changed, that their soccer journey playing center midfield and their journey may be withbut one thing that has not has been made better with Drew playing center back. out their brother for the is where twins, each other by first time.

Drew and Luke their side.

“I think it Luehrs (‘21), “We are is a good opcan be found, able to work portunity for and that is the together and us to meet soccer field. play together new people, Although on both teams and since we they started as well as lead may not go to their journey totogether with the same colgether playing our similar lege, it could many sports inleadership be a good cluding basketstyles,” said chance for ball, swimming Drew about us to further and lacrosse, how he and his develop our the twins ultitwin thrive off personalimately decided, of each other ties without going into their rather than people knowfreshman year, competing. ing us only as that soccer was Oftentimes twins,” said the only sport in sports, sibDrew, excited for the both of lings, and esabout experithem. pecially twins, encing a new “In the beare compared experience ginning, we to one another with soccer. were just put and the coach “We are into soccer by may assume finally going our parents bethat the twins to be able to cause our best trying out make a name friend’s dad was may have the for ourselves the coach,” said same skills and just ourLuke about how and judge their selves,” said they started performance Luke. their now 15according to E v e n year endeavor, Courtesy of Drew Luehrs (‘21) those assumpthough Drew Courtesy of Luke Luehrs (‘21) and “and over time Drew tries to get open to find the ball and aid tions.

FortuLuke we just liked it Luke dribbles the ball in order to help his team may end up natley, Drew the team in transitioning up the field. more and more.” and Luke nev- score. at the same Starting club er faced this college, it soccer in elproblem during will still be a ementary school, and con“Being [a twin] has defitheir time playing together.

The dynamic duo loves brand new opportunity and tinuing with the same team nitely changed my soccer “Luckily, our coach never playing for both their club chapter in their soccer jouruntil their senior year of journey, and especially the thought we played the exteam and school team, with neys. high school while also playtryout process,” said Luke. act same way and that even their club team giving them Both of them are looking ing soccer for their school, “[Our] freshman year my though we are twins we the ability to learn leaderforward to the next steps Drew and Luke have a very brother broke his toe and it play different positions,” ship skills that they can apthat they are soon to emspecial bond with the sport. was my first time trying out said Luke. ply to the East team. bark on.

Eastside Staff

One thing different about their soccer journey is that the Luehrs twins went through it all together, and that has had a big impact on where they are in the sport today.