Eastside: June 2021

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 54 No. 3

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

June 2021

Setting Sail

Seniors gathered at The Battleship NJ for their long-awaited senior prom on May 27.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Twins

Senior Superlatives

Baby Pictures

Pgs. 3-5

Pgs. 8-9

Pgs. 12-13

Page 2

SENIORS ‘21

EASTSIDE

Teachers recognize students who have excelled in the virtual/hybrid setting Best Participant Most Timely to Class

Ms. Griffo: Justin Walker always participated, raised his hand, and answered and asked questions - every class.

June 2021

Ms. Griffo: Luke Luehrs... He was on time or early each class all year!

Mr. Gambino: Mike Lotano is a super participant in Film Appreciation and Ms. Oh: Jacob Pasternack is always willing to answer questions about is consistently first to the meet -- even though his block begins at 9:30 a.m.! sustainable living, and I’ve been particularly impressed with his keeping up with current environmental news.

Ms. Griffo: Bryce Melnick was on time or early to class to chit-chat all year!

Dr. Achilly: Phillip Trieu would volunteer answers often, but he was best at Ms. Oh: If Ceren Kose doesn’t log on 0.0002 seconds after I do, I know somepointing out the mistakes I made on Google classroom AND helping me fix thing’s very wrong. She is awesome! them!

Ms. Endres: Mary Flesichmann was on time to AP Seminar...even when she Mr. Gambino: Patrick Kelly is always contributing to discussions and is was sick. never afraid to elaborate when challenged. He brings a positive attitude to class and is seen as a leader in Film Appreciation.

Mr. Gambino: Since the start of school, Abbie Peters has been the first to class practically everyday! That’s saying something for a senior.

Ms. Griffo: Jordyn Kelly always asked at least one question, usually more, and participated every single class.

Most Unique Meet Background

Ms. Oh: What can you say about a student [Jordyn Swarbrick] who volunteers her breakout room for a teacher observation except...thanks!

Ms. Griffo: Moustapha Fall joined us from Senegal while his family was there on an extended stay.

Mr. Gambino: Pete Cuddihy uses the cool “freeze yourself” background so it Mr. Gagliardi: It was normal for students to enter Google Meet the second that class started, but Ceren Kose was always there a few minutes early and looks like he’s experiencing technical issues associated with bad WiFi. participated regularly every class.

Ms. Griffo: Veronica Antonov took us to Mexico and outside in her backyard.

Mr. Gambino: MaryKate McCurdy always has her camera on and particiMr. Gambino: Liron Algrably uses those LED string lights in her learning pates in class discussions with insightful comments about the films we are space. She looks like she’s a few feet from a fun cararnival ride. watching. She brought a positive attitude each and every day to class.

Beloved cooking teacher leaves legacy at East ■ By Angelina Witting (‘22)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

After 27 years at East, Mrs. Patricia Dilba will be retiring. Teaching around 150 students yearly, she has taught Cooking I and II and Financial Literacy. Wanting to share her love for cooking with students, Dilba is sad to say goodbye to her classroom and her students.

Though disappointed she wasn’t able to spend her final year with students in person, she will always keep the memories of cooking with her students close to heart. She prided herself on her classroom being an oasis for all students to come and indulge in one her favorite hobbies and joke around.

One of her students, Justin Fox (‘21), said “Mrs. Dilba is a very good

teacher. As a senior I have a lot of free periods and she always welcomes me into her room.”

In the coming years after her retirement, she plans to do volunteer work, travel, work with a child literacy program through reading to children and potentially come back as a substitute.

Her advice for her replacement would be to have a sense of humor and get a good pair of gloves.

Other Retirees: (Some retired in January)

- Mr. Leonard, Industrial Arts - Ms. Schuman, Guidance - Ms. Morris, Math - Ms. Riley, Nurse - Mr. Del Valle, Stockroom

June 2021

SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

Page 3

Double Trouble: Senior twins at East reflect on their experiences While multiple sets of twins have been featured, not all of the senior twins chose to participate.

Carmel and Tomer Butbul Q: How would you describe your twin?

Carmel: I would describe Tomer as very disorganized and spontaneous. There is never a dull moment when making plans with him.

Tomer: Discount Lil’ Dicky.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Carmel: His worst quality is his tendency to sleep in until 1 p.m. on weekends, which limits our ability to make plans.

Tomer: His best is that he is organized.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Carmel: Yes. Tomer: Yes, currently in calculus and previously in Spanish 2A freshman year.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Carmel: Yes, we have a friend group of three sets of twins and Matt.

Tomer: Yes, we have a common friend group.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Carmel: No, I’d rather not feel the emotions he does, as he has no soul.

Tomer: No, that’s dumb.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Carmel: Batman and Robin, where I have to drag him out of the house and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.

Tomer: Tom and Jerry.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Carmel: Our only similarity is our last name and the bathroom we share, which he trashes.

I’m glad we are our own people.

Tomer: We have similar interests but are not very similar.

Garrett and Logan Denney Q: How would you describe your twin?

Garett: Athletic, easygoing and immature.

Logan: Organized, mature and hardworking.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Garrett: His best qualities are how tall he is (can reach things,) he’s smart, and funny. But, because he’s tall it makes me look short even though I’m 5’11, and he’s an underachiever (except when it comes to fitness).

Logan: His best qualities are how he is organized and wants to help people. His worst qualities are his obsessesivness, and how he stresses out when he does not have to.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Garrett: Yes! We had Dynamics of Healthcare together with Dr. Lewis last year.

Logan: Yes, we had Spanish class together in freshman year and math together each year in middle school. We also had Dynamics of Healthcare together.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Garrett: Nope.

Logan: No, we had similar friend groups in elementary school, but since then our friends are very different.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Garrett: Probably that you’re never going through anything alone, because your twin is in the same situation. This was especially helpful during the whole colege application process.

Logan: Even if you think there is no one else going through something you are dealing with, there is always a person in the exact same timeline of their life.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Garrett: Sometimes...

Logan: Sometimes, we might have it more consistently if we did similar activities.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Garrett: Zack and Cody from “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” I think most of the time I’m Cody, but sometimes I can be Zack too.

Logan: Brennan and Dale from Step Brothers.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Garrett: Not very… I think Logan is more of a type B and I have more of a type A personality.

But, we both really like science and want to pursue a career in healthcare Logan: Not really, ever since middle school we have been two different people. I think our activties, interests, and friend groups have had an effect on this. We do both want to pursue a medical career though.

Aidan and Ginny Cunningham Q: How would you describe your twin?

Aidan: Optimistic.

Ginny: I would describe him as laid back and easygoing.

Q: What is the best quality of your twin?

Aidan: Her best is cooking.

Ginny: I believe his best quality is his humor Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Aidan: Yes. Ginny: Yes, I have been in multiple classes with him. I actually like being in classes with him so we can help each other if we need it.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Aidan: Some of them.

Ginny: Some of them.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Aidan: They are in the same grade so they understand what I’m talking about.

Ginny: We are the same age, so we both are going through a lot of similar experiences together so it’s nice we get to experience everything together.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Aidan: Sometimes.

Ginny: Occasionally.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Aidan: Mike Wazowski and Sully.

Ginny: Drake and Josh.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Aidan: Not really.

Ginny: In certain areas.

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SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

June 2021

Double Trouble: Senior twins at East reflect on their experiences Luke and Drew Luehrs Q: How would you describe your twin?

Luke: Someone who I can always turn to, no matter how much we always disagree.

Drew: I would describe him as a pretty close clone to me. Now I would say I’m the more athletic and smarter twin. As well as the more approachable one.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Luke: The best quality of my twin is that he understands me better than anyone else.

Drew: His worst quality is how cocky he is about certain things.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Luke: Yes. Drew: Too many, middle school we hated each other because we were always around each other for close to 24 hours a day.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Luke: Yes and no. We both are able to branch out and meet new people.

Drew: For the most part, yes. We have a few that are not in common.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Luke: Having someone that you can always relate to.

Drew: You always got someone to do something with. Play sports, video games, or mess around with.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Luke: On the soccer field.

Drew: Of course. If any twin says they don’t, they’re lying to your face.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Luke: The De Boer brothers.

Drew: I would say Bert and Ernie. We tend to make fun of each other a good bit.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Luke: In some ways we are, and in others we aren’t.

Drew: I would say we are more similar than different.

Mairead and Colleen Markel Q: How would you describe your twin?

Colleen: Mairead is a very shy person, but is very nice when you get to know her.

Mairead: Colleen is hardworking and funny.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Colleen: Mairead’s worst quality is her procrastination.

Mairead: Colleen is very stubborn.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Colleen: We had chemistry together sophomore year.

Mairead: Yes. Q: Do you have the same friends?

Colleen & Mairead: We have a lot of the same friends, but some are different as well.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Colleen: Having a built-in best friend.

Mairead: Always having someone to hang out with.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Colleen: Yes. Sometimes I will be thinking something and Maired will randomly say it out loud.

Mairead: Yes. Colleen will always sing the songs stuck in my head.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Colleen: Mostly no, but we have some similar qualities.

Mairead: I would say that we are both shy, but apart from that, we are very different.

Anne and Matthew Melenhorst Q: How would you describe your twin?

Anne: Kind of lazy, but also hard working. He procrastinates a lot though.

Matthew: Annie is fun, caring and occasionally needs someone to tell her when she’s being dumb.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Anne: The best quality for Matthew is that he is very supportive. And then his worst quality would be when he doesn’t feel like doing something, even when it’s important, he just won’t do it.

Matthew: Annie’s best quality is how dedicated she is when she sets her mind to something and her worst quality is probably how inconsiderate she is of her health.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Anne: Yes. Matthew: Yeah, we have.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Anne: For my friend group, he shares two of my friends and I’m basically only friends with one of the friends in his group.

Matthew: We share one friend group, but not entirely.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Anne: You can basically talk to each other very freely and it’s a lot easier to communicate with one another because you’ve been with each other so often and when you don’t feel like talking to your friends or are lonely, you can always annoy your twin.

Matthew: It feels like you always have someone there to rely on or get support from, whether it be you’re lonely or want some emotional support.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Anne: I don’t think we do.

Matthew: I know what she’s thinking in certain scenarios, but not really.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Anne: We’re pretty different. For me, I’m more emotional and he keeps his emotions in, and concerning what we enjoy, it’s also pretty different.

Matthew: Absolutely not.

June 2021

SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

Double Trouble:

Page 5

Senior twins at East reflect on their experiences Eric and Alexis Goldsmith Q: How would you describe your twin?

Alexis: He sleeps too much, he’s athletic, eats a lot, thinks outside the box and is determined to be successful.

Eric: She is an attention hog, clumsy, sometimes hyper.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Alexis: His best qualities are he’s smart, helpful, trustworthy, independent, easygoing, and a strong writer. But, he’s also argumentative, messy and a procrastinator.

Eric: She’s organized, has good handwriting and good at putting me on to new foods. Her worst qualitity is being indecisive about everything.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Alexis: Not since elementary school when we were always in the same class.

Eric: Not since elementary school where we had every class together.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Alexis: No. Eric: No. Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Alexis: We can help each other with school work. Eric will help me with writing.

Eric: Knowing that you can always go to someone because since we are the same age, we relate a lot.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Alexis: No, but two times when he got badly hurt, I also experienced pain in my arm and head.

Eric: Possibly. There was a time where my sister came home and complained that her head was hurting before she knew that the same day, I sprained my ankle badly and had to get crutches.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Eric: I would say we are like Trump and Putin. Usually when we are together in public, we are friendly, but behind the scenes we fight or talk about each other behind the other’s back.

Dylan and Braden Schwartz

Q: How would you describe your twin?

Braden: Dylan has been my best friend throughout my entire childhood. He is kind and shows a better reflection of me.

Dylan: My twin brother is someone I could relate to, not as a brother, but also as a best friend in a way. He could be chill and fun to be around and he cares about my well-being.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Braden: His best quality is his intelligence. He is way smarter than me academically. That is why he is “The Brains” and I am the “The Braden.”

Dylan: I would say the best quality of my twin is that he has a great sense of humor. And of course he’s a good looking guy.

Q: Have you ever been in a class with your twin?

Braden: We have never been in a class together ever since pre-school. We were always in separate schools until we got to East.

Dylan: We were in a class together last year in Mr. Wood’s US History Class. Funny thing, he placed us in the front row on each side of the room so he could be able to tell us apart.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Braden: Not really.

Dylan: Though my brother is my best friend, we try to establish individual friendships with different people.

Q: Do you have twin telepathy?

Braden: It’s like a gut feeling. Next year, we’ll be going to different schools in different parts of the country, so this will probably put our twin telepathy to the test.

Dylan: Definitely, I think it was stronger when we were younger. But we do seem to know, even when we are apart, if the other is hurt or having a rough day.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Braden: We are like Brian and Stewie from “Family Guy.” Dylan: I would say we are like Rick & Morty.

Q: Do you think you and your twin are similar?

Braden: On a scale from 1 to 10, I would give it a 9/10.

Dylan: Yes, we are technically 99.9% identical. From head to toe.

Tyler and Kristian DelSignore Q: How would you describe your twin?

Tyler: I would define him as probably the smartest person I know, and is the best teammate in any game imaginable.

Kristian: Funny, sometimes annoying though, but always fun to play games with.

Q: What is the best or worst quality of your twin?

Tyler: The best quality of my twin is his smarts. He helps me whenever I don’t understand my homework or when I am confused.

Kristian: Best quality would probably be his athleticism, and worst is probably when he gets cocky in a video game.

Q: Do you have the same friends?

Tyler: We have the same friend group that we hang out with just about every weekend, but we both have different friends outside of that friend group, but we all get along well.

Kristian: Yeah, the same general friend group, but not the same friends outside of that. I’d say he has probably more friends outside of our friend group than I do, probably because of sports he did for the school.

Q: What is the best part of having a twin?

Tyler: The best part of having a twin is that I am never alone, I always have someone by my side with everything I do and always have a helping hand.

Kristian: Best part is that you always have someone to do something with when you are bored and that there is always someone you can go to for help.

Q: Compare your relationship with your twin to a famous dynamic duo.

Tyler: Han Solo and Chewbacca for sure. We are inseparable until the very end. Sure, we get on each other’s last nerve, but within a very short amount of time we are back to joking around.

Kristian: Maybe Jerry Seinfield and George Costanza, I guess you could say that one of us is like the smart one and one of us is the funny one, but even when we get into arguments we always tend to laugh it off somehow together.

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SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

Senior Perspectives

I can’t say that I was particularly excited about transitioning to East from middle school, nor was I nervous.

To me it was just more school, but with the added bonus of my mom lingering around the halls. Flash back to the first day of freshman year, a whopping 1,298 days ago as of the day I’m writing this. As I took my first step through the doors, I never could have known the memories I’d make in this place, the people I’d meet and the experiences I’d have. I never could have known the impact that Cherry Hill East would have on me.

I came here an awkward, greasy little kid, and as a senior looking down at the freshmen now, I think we were all like that. I remember looking up at the seniors and thinking how grown up and experienced they were.

How are we those seniors now? We’re still just those awkward, greasy little kids, right? But we’re not. Without even realizing it we changed so much. East gave me the opportunity to be in a space with all of my friends and pursue all the things I could ever want to do. In the future, when I look back at my high school experience, I have no doubt that I’ll forget some teachers and some people, and 95% of the things I learned in class. But I’ll never forget the energy of the team and the crowd after Matt Mueller’s game-winning double-overtime penalty kick save in round one of the playoffs.

I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s faces when the officials announced the Cherry Hill East track team as division champions. I’ll never forget how honored I felt when I found out that you elected me to be class president. And I’ll never forget that I laughed at least once every single day of school. No, for real, even on days where I utterly bombed tests or got two hours of sleep, there was somehow always something that made me smile and laugh, and I think that’s the main thing to take away from my high school experience.

Nobody wanted school to end like this, and I certainly didn’t expect it to. When they said high school is gonna fly by twice as fast as middle school, I didn’t think they meant it literally. This is not the High School Musical perfectly-wrapped-up type of ending we thought we were gonna get, but here’s the thing about movies: they need to end. Just because we’re taking our next step in life doesn’t mean that our stories are over. If anything, they’re only just beginning! We have grown so much in the 1,298 days since we began high school, and we’ll only grow older, wiser and stronger on the 1,299th.

So don’t forget these words of advice from your good buddy Jordan: don’t take yourself too seriously, because it’s those everyday things that make you smile and laugh that will shape your perspective of life. I’m blessed to have been a part of the greatest class to have ever walked the halls of Cherry Hill East, and I’ll never forget what you all have done to make me the person I am today.

Rachel Cassway

Jordan Grossman

Four years ago today. Celebrating our eighth-grade graduation. Three years ago today. Attending my first East hockey game. Two years ago today. Preparing for Sophomore Cotillion. One year ago today. Eating lunch in Caf 2 with all my friends for the very last time on the dreaded March 13th. Daily Snapchat memories highlight the most special moments throughout the past few years of my life. Each day I am brought back to the exact moment that the photo or video was taken. These little snippets reveal how much I have grown and developed throughout my time at East.

When reflecting on these years, initially, I see a nervous 14-year-old who is entering the “biggest school ever.”

But this girl quickly turns into an extremely active part of her class, providing a voice for all her peers. Most recently, she is a second-semester-senior designing her college dorm room.

Oh, how the times have changed...

September, 2017. I joined SGA right away and it quickly became one of the largest parts of my high school experience. I spent hours on fundraisers, dance preparation, apparel and my personal favorite, Spirit Week.

Freshman year I mainly focused on co-leading the Spirit Week Dance, but by my junior year, I was organizing the dance, leading the booth and going full out for every dress-up day. During my freshman year I also joined DECA, Interact Club, the tennis team, Eastside and more. Throughout the following years, I devoted countless hours to these clubs. Each club taught me something different. Through DECA, I learned lifelong presentation and preparation skills. Through Interact Club, I learned how to make a difference in my community.

Getting involved made my time at East incredibly memorable. Just as these clubs have made an impact on me, through my involvement, I hope I have made an impact on East. As these final days of our high school journey become memories that we will look back on forever, let’s remember who we are.

We are persistent. We are fighters. We are Cougars for life. We are, the most memorable, Class of 2021.

It’s funny because my freshman year I could never imagine being a senior, and in a way, that feeling hasn’t changed. In the beginning of high school I struggled with friends and transitioning from a small middle school, to the enormity of high school. I found comfort in running. There’s something gratifying about running as fast as you can for a long period of time. Crazy, I know! But along with that comes other crazy people who share your love of a challenge. East has taught me that in order to succeed, you need to work hard. I learned that in DECA my junior year when I created an entire start-up business and product for States. I learned that in XC while standing among the fastest girls in the entire region. I learned that in choir and Voce with the difficult songs and endless practicing. I learn this with my AP classes, and the teachers, where the idea of “half-way” was never good enough.

When I think back on my high school experience, as hard as the ending might have been, I know that East has prepared me exceptionally well for college and the real world. I honestly can’t believe that in less than three months I’ll be moving to Philadelphia, to live on my own in college. Although it’s hard to imagine, I look to the future with excitement and without hesitation, and I have Cherry Hill High School East to thank for that. In May, I had my last cross country banquet ever. An event I usually looked to with excitement with dressing up and awards, I found myself to be very nostalgic. While thanking my coaches and the people who have made me the person I am today, I couldn’t help tearing up. These people have stayed with me for the last four years, and have accepted me for who I am as well as given me a platform to express myself. Will I have that same feeling in college? Or does all the magic stay within the short years of adolescence? I believe that it’s ok to be unsure. I mean, imagine how boring life would be if we all knew exactly what was going to happen! As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.”

Pete Cuddihy

June 2021

MaryKate McCurdy

As a rising freshman, I was very excited to finally go to high school. Throughout grade school, our teachers and parents continuously enforced the idea that we would gain freedom once we were in 9th grade. This was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating, as I yearned for independence yet did not know if I was ready for that opportunity. To start, the school seemed enormous with countless students roaming the halls. Opportunities seemed endless with what seemed like myriads of clubs and activities. I chose to take moderate-level courses in my freshman year and also participated in theater and choir. I had a very enjoyable freshman year filled with growing relationships, acclimation to the school and personal maturation.

My sophomore year of high school was a time of finding myself. I began to realize how I must manage my time and got even more involved by joining Student Government as a representative. I worked vigorously all year to improve as a singer, and this eventually led to my reward as I was placed in both East Singers and Stay Tuned.

I was elected Vice President of the class of 2021 for the upcoming year, which was a huge step from being a representative. My academics were also much stronger than my freshman year, and I finally felt like I had figured everything out. Going into junior year I was expecting it to be strenuously filled with work and college prep. It was the busiest I had been in my life up until then and somehow also the happiest. I landed my first leading role in the fall show as Oberon in the fall play. I competed in my first competition with Stay Tuned and we came out on top and were moving on to the semi-final round. Things were going perfectly.

Then the infamous day of March 13th came. Everything began to come down to a close. It felt as though the coronavirus would ruin the rest of my high school experience. However, I learned to adapt. I began to pick up new hobbies, including working out and playing the guitar. I found new ways to safely see my friends and was able to spend more time with them than ever before. I was able to learn who I really was in this time of the pandemic. When my senior year finally arrived, we found new ways to overcome the obstacles that were in our way. As much as I would have loved for covid to never have happened and to have a normal end of junior and senior year, I think experiencing this made me stronger. It made me realize how much I appreciate everything that was in my life pre-pandemic, and to not take anything I have now for granted. We graduate in several days and I can’t say I regret any of the decisions I made at East. They shaped me into the person I am today and I could not be more proud of that.

June 2021

SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

Senior Shoutouts

Congratulations, Gabrielle, on all of your accomplishments and success, hard work and dedication! We are so proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, Loren & Sofie Scotty: If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. Love you more. MomMom Danielle, we are incredibly proud of you. You are beautiful (on the inside and outside), smart, kind, caring, fun and talented. Always reach for the stars and we promise you that your dreams will come true. We love you so much. Love Mom and Dad Congratulations, Amanda Rosten!!! We are so proud of you. We know you will do amazing at Muhlenberg College. The future is yours. We love you so much! Mom, Dad, and Julia :) Congratulations #blondponytail. The best is yet to come. I love you. #GetUp Scotty, “Be bold, Be courageous, Be your Best.” Love you more. MomMom Shout Out to the Bierig Boys, Ethan and Jonah!! Love Mom xoxo Congratulations, Lily Crafton! We couldn’t be more proud of you!

Love, Mom & Ella Scotty, thanks for always having my back and being such a fun brother. Congrats! Love, Ant Congratulations, Eric!! We are so incredibly proud of you. The best is yet to come. Best of luck at TCNJ! Love, Mom, Dad & Ally Scotty, you are the man! Congrats ! XOXO Petey

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EASTSIDE

June 2021

SUPERLATIVES

Most Likely to Host a Talk Show: Tyler Leomporra & Rachel Cassway

Most Memorable: Bryce Lipman & Rachel Agosto-Ginsburg

Biggest Sports Fanatic: Matt Barr & Milana Miller

Best Couple: Aidan Weingrad & Rachel Sacerdote

Best Co-ed Friends: Brett Tedesco & Evelyn Hong

Most Politically-Savvy: Sam Brown & Feroza Aziz Most Likely to Work at East: Seba Miller & Jessica Celani

Unsung Hero: Ryan Lafferty & Sydney Rowan

Best Dressed: Matt Park & Hemma Boggi

Best Facial Hair: Jon Shahar

Most Likely to Possess Random Knowledge: Anish Suresh & Rachel Agosto-Ginsburg

Most Studious: Anish Suresh & Justina Lam

Biggest Heartthrob: Josh Manders & Miriam Bouch

Biggest Book/ Reading Fanatic: Maxwell Lee & Rachel Agosto-Ginsburg

Best to Bring Home to Mom and Dad: Josh Manders & MaryKate McCurdy

Most Enthusiastic: Tyler Semon & Kristen Eng

Most Well-Rounded: Josh Manders & Machayla Randall

Best Personality: Jordan Grossman & Sydney Rowan Most Approachable: Josh Manders & Sami Bell

Most Outgoing: Tyler Burke & Kristen Eng Friendliest: Josh Manders & MaryKate McCurdy

Biggest TV/ Movie Fanatic: Kalel Carkeek & Claire Coen

Best Musician: Patrick Kelly & Jaclyn Kim

Most Creative: Seth Hornstein & Marc Celine Nicolas Best Singer: Pete Cuddihy & Alexa Gershon

Most Artistic: Leo Granite & Marc Celine Nicolas

Most Likely to Invent Something Unusual: Anish Suresh & Justina Lam

Best Vocabulary: Anish Suresh & Tiernan Dautle

Funniest: Tyler Leomporra & Makenzie Wolf

Best Snapchat Stories: Tyler Burke & Monah Pintel

Best Person to Follow on Twitter: Josh Manders & Karley Gordon

Most Avid Gamer: Rani Netz & Selina Lee

Most Opinionated: Sam Brown & Feroza Aziz

Best BFFs: Julianne Alcamo & Mary Fleischmann

Biggest Health/ Fitness Fanatic: Mason Bulicki & Aubrey Demurjian

Most Athletic: Luke Luehrs & Annie Behm

Most Tech-Savvy: Nick Reigel & Justina Lam

Best Person to Follow on Instagram: Matt Miron & Miriam Bouch

Most Likely to Pull an All-Nighter on a School Night: Michael Douglas & Caitlin Cepeda

Person Everyone Wants to Be: Josh Manders & Miriam Bouch

Most Involved: Jordan Grossman & Kristen Eng

Best Laugh: Tyler Leomporra & Carlee Bystrycki

Best Hair: Rei O’Brien & Miriam Bouch

Biggest Morning Person: Tyler Semon & Alexa Gershon

Most Likely to Succeed: Josh Manders & Tiernan Dautle

Most Likely to Take Gym Seriously/Go “All Out” Mason Bulicki & Milana Miller

Most Inspirational: Daniel Pipersburgh & Monah Pintel

Male Look-Alikes: Josh Manders & Justin Whitney

Most Positive: Josh Manders & Jessica Celani

Best Bromance: Tyler Burke & Tyler Leomporra

Most School-Spirited: Jordan Grossman & Kristen Eng

Female Look-Alikes: Lexi Friedrichs & Lexi Bellino

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Most Likely to Become U.S. President: Daniel Pipersburgh & Kristen Eng

Biggest Backpack: Peter Slattery & Justina Lam

Class Clown: Jonah Kim & Annie Dollarton

EASTSIDE

Most Likely to Save the World: Kalel Carkeek & Chelsea Yang

Most Ambitious: Daniel Pipersburgh & Rachel Cassway

Best Writer: Nick Gangewere & Remy Abrams

June 2021

Best Actor/Actress: Pete Cuddihy & Alexa Gershon

Best Eyes: Macy Desmond & Miriam Bouch

Biggest Music Fanatic: Patrick Kelly & Caitlin Cepeda

Best Smile: Josh Manders & Miriam Bouch

Wittiest: Jeffrey Kaminer & Tiernan Dautle

Most Talkative: Brett Tedesco & Grayson Leslie

Headshots by Yena Son (‘22) & Vivian Rong (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editors

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SENIORS ‘21

EASTSIDE

June 2021

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

Eastside names African American Culture Club “Persons of the Year”

Throughout high school, students are encouraged to be proactive and share their voices. When freshmen enter East for the first time, school administrators and East staff relay the ways to succeed — how students can climb the ladder to take pleasure in all the educational opportunities our school has to offer. Students at East are guided through motivation, grit and the necessities to fight for what they believe in. And as East progresses and the clock continues to move forward in time, America as a whole has learned to enfuse diversity with education — to shed light on those whom the systems and ways of our country have previously overlooked.

With that, a group of students at East shared their experiences and took our self-proclaimed progressive community another step forward.

For their tireless efforts, impassioned spirit and the lasting impact they will have on the brick and mortar of our school building, Eastside awards the 2021 Persons of the Year Award to the ad-

visors and members of the African American Culture Club. The club is advised

by Ms. Jennifer LaSure, Mrs. Yanell Joseph and Ms. Genene Barnes, and led

by Machayla Randall, Joy Thomas, Xandria McKinley, Obinna Okorie, Naomi Bereketab, Aiyanna Defreitas and Nyasia Morris.

For the first time in Eastside history, the Person(s) of the Year Award is not being given to an individual staff member, but rather a group of individuals — staff and students — who have exemplified the true characteristics of why this award was created in the first place.

The club’s efforts began after witnessing firsthand the effects of police brutality in their global community. And after years of continuous conversation by the African American Culture Club and Cherry Hill African American Civics Association, action to pass a graduation requirement soon took off. The students in the African American Culture Club decided it was time for a light to be shed on their history and culture through an educational and

enlightening medium.

The students in the club wanted the class to reflect who they are and took their desires to the Cherry Hill Board of Education, New Jersey’s Department of Education, national and local news stations alike, and social media. After framing tentative infrastructure of what the class would include, African American History became a required course for graduation when it was passed in February of 2021. The requirement will begin with the Class of 2025 this September.

One of the group’s leaders, Machayla Randall (‘21), was awarded the Princeton Prize for Race Relations, which gave the group even more national recognition.

This prestigious award is only given to 29 people nationwide annually and is awarded sectionally. The entire group was also featured on ABC News Nightline.

The students and advisors continue to meet to shape the curriculum of next year’s required class, joining forces with professors from both Stockton

University and Monmouth University. In addition to the African American History course, the group is also working on the curriculum for a new social justice elective. Besides all the time spent working on curriculum, the group previously organized a rally on Juneteenth (June 19) 2020 with the slogan “stop the ignorance, learning begins now.” The group is currently planning another event for Juneteenth 2021.

The group has now turned its focus to the New Jersey Department of Education to get African American History to be required statewide for graduation.

Although it is seemingly a big challenge, through their efforts this past school year, Eastside believes that their unwaning grit will prove their cause successful. The African American Culture Club will continue to show students in this school and elsewhere that students and staff members can make a difference in a meaningful way and that club meetings are so much more than simply a time to get together with friends.

Eastside Awards 2020-2021

Eastside’s Person of the Year is a multi-stage process, which involves members of Eastside’s Editorial Board discussing and voting at each stage.

The award originated in 2003 in order to recognize members of the school who have made a great impact on the East environment inside the classroom, outside of it or both.

Recipients receive a personal plaque in addition to being listed on a plaque next to the Hall of Fame bulletin board.

Past Recipients: 2003: Mr. Matthew Carr 2004: Ms. Elizabeth McLeester 2005: Mr. Tony Mancini 2006: Ms. Marilyn DiCiurcio 2007: Mrs. Linda Heath 2008: Mr. Jonathan Strout 2009: Mr. Charles Musumeci 2010: Mr. Rick Friedman 2011: Mr. Gregory Rouen 2012: Mr. Pete Gambino 2013: Mr. Karl Moehlmann 2014: Ms. Gina Oh 2015: Mr. Tim Locke 2016: Mr. Joseph Dilks 2017: Mr. Bill Kovnat 2018: Mr. William Semus 2019: Mr. Tom Weaver 2020: Mrs. Katie Radbill

Eastside won its 12th consecutive NJ Distinguished Journalism Award and also won the NJ Distinguished Online Journalism Award, the two biggest awards in the state for scholastic journalism. In total, Eastside editors and staff members won over 50 individual awards on the state level.

Several Eastside Online multimedia packages won Best of SNO, a weekly honor given to the best online material published each week.

Over 20 members of the Eastside Editorial Board were named to the NSPA Journalism Honor Roll.

Nick Gangewere (‘21) won an International Quill and Scroll Society award for writing one of the best sports stories in the nation.

At the virtual National High School Journalism Convention, Ziv Amsili (‘22) won first place in the nation for broadcasting writing; Vivian Rong (‘23) received top honors in the nation for magazine photography; and Alena Zhang (‘23) tied for first place in the nation for poetry.

Please continue to check out our record-breaking number of multimedia packages on eastside-online.org, which were all completed by several members of the board and contain photos, videos and articles all related to specific topics. Interactive elelements are present as well. The website will be updated all summer.

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 Global Commentary Editors Tomer Goldfinger Aiden Rood Community Editors Jacy Dickstein Scout Pullano Alena Zheng Culture Editors Lily Lazarus Bella Levin Inesa Linker

Photo Editors Yena Son Vivian Rong Video Editor Marcus Newman Business Managers Spencer DeAbreu Alex Levine

Contact the Board: To contact a member of the EastArt Directors side EditoJeffrey Kaminer rial Board via Melissa Vital email, type the person’s Webmaster first name Alexa Atlas followed by a period, then Online Editors his or her last Jamie Bookbinder name followed by “@eastsideJames Kwak online.org,” Nicole Vital ie: angelina. witting@ eastsideonline.org.

(Note: There is a dash between “eastside” and “online”)

June 2021

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HAPPPYY COOMMMITTMEENTT DAAY!!!!!

Photos taken by Ziv Amsili (‘22)/Eastside News Editor and the respective members of the senior class.

June 2021

SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

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In Memory of Ravi Bloom

Courtesy of the Bloom Family

A friend, a smiling face, a light in a dim-lit room – Ravi Bloom was there for all and was someone on whom peers could always count. Bloom was a junior at East who was deeply involved in the community. Those close to him described his presence as full of light, always bringing positivity wherever he went. He inspired everyone to be the best version of themselves and inspired his grandmother, Fradele Feld, to create her art piece inspired by the poem “The Colors of My Life,” written by Coleman Barnum.

Many knew him for his involvement in Cherry Hill East Hockey, but he also played basketball and soccer in the Marlton Recreation Council. Within the past year, Bloom had additionally become a self-taught musician, singing and playing the piano with skill. His talent was showcased in a virtual play hosted by his synagogue, titled “Pandemic in Persia - A Purim Shpiel.” The show aired last February and Bloom had a featured role. This was especially highlighted in his performance of a re-written version of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” Classical music and hockey were two passions close to Bloom’s heart. Even more beloved to him, however, were his siblings Lee and Cary.

The nature of Bloom’s passing was tragic and sudden, as it occurred due to injuries from a car accident. However, the community’s focus should not be on his death, but rather on his life. Bloom gave so much love to this world and positively influenced everyone with whom he came into contact. On April 5, countless people lost a valued teammate, a peer, a family member, a loved one and a friend.

“He was selfless. He was the kind of guy that would do anything he could to help a stranger in need.”

— Lee Bloom (‘23)

“Ravi was always so kind and supportive. I’ll miss him and his silliness.”

— Rachel Rosin (‘22)

“Ravi, from the very first game I had the pleasure of coaching you, I knew you were something special. You were relentless on the ice and you had a work ethic that was unmatched.”

— Owen McNally

Courtesy of Fradele Feld

Feld designed this tribute to Ravi featuring the poem “The Colors of My Life” written by Coleman Barnum.

“Ravi was a player who played with relentless passion. A player whose positivity and kindness was contagious throughout the locker room.”

— East Ice Hockey

June 2021

SENIORS ‘21 EASTSIDE

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Class of 2021 College Commitment Decisions

Congrats to the Class of 2021. This list was compiled based on posts in the CHE 2021 Commits Instagram and via a Google Form.

Hamilton College Purdue University The College of William University of Michigan Maxwell Lee Carmel Butbul and Mary Danielle Kaplan Daniel Yasenchak Eric Huang Carly Levine American University Howard University Sydney Rowan Sam Brown Alexia Stewart Ramapo College The Ohio State University Kalel Carkeek Ava Bonetti Ariana Alberti University of North Florida Garrett Denney IDC Herzliya Aiyanna DeFreitas Jordan Grossman Ashley Ong Victoria LaBelle Ari Sabag Jason Reiter Priya Realer Rider University Sabrina Rounds University of Notre Dame Indiana University Bella Banfe Jordan Seligman Annie Behm Arizona State University Bloomington Evey Bell Chase Wiseman Dylan Gelman Ryan Bloom University of Pennsylvania Nhi Nguyen Brandon Cole Roger Williams University The Savannah College of Art Daniel Kwon Andrew Savett Lisa Gorbati Tabitha DiDonato and Design Justina Lam Maddie Graham Claire Coen Binghamton University Matisse Laufgraben Rowan University Leo Granite University of Pittsburgh Melina Imbert Milana Miller Liron Algrably Ben Apell Akash Patel Miriam Bouch The University of Tampa Montana Checkoff Bloomfield College Matt Boyle Devon Challenger Morgan Laufgraben Victoria Omari James Madison University Jessica Celani Jordan Challenger Joseph Loesner Bryce Melnick Mariel Diaz Lexi Friedrichs Jacob Sinrich Boston University Matthew Forlenza Alexa Gershon Brett Vogel Hannah Borenstein Juniata College Patrick Keller Abigail Lafferty Hunter Wieland Lewis Levy Alyssa Bui Mairead Markel Will Schwartz Steven Nguyen Jon Shahar University of Rhode Island Bowdoin College King’s College Dev Patel Jack Tallent Julia Spivack Aubrey Demurjian Becca Allen Jhanvi Rania Gabe Santos Thomas Jefferson University University of Rochester Carnegie Mellon University La Salle University Talena Searles-Dowdy Lily Crafton Yujia Jin Chelsea Yang Jillian Drumm Luvpreet Singh Erin Fleming Omer Koral Ethan Smith Evelyn Hong Camden County Community Lehigh University Steven Sodicoff Danielle Maddred University of Scranton College Zachary Fry Nick Tsoy Rida Massoud Morgan Jones Maurice Carlos Trudeau Lauren Kahn Fiona Parks Alesia Lelaj Rhys Lopez Rowan College at Burlington Silvana Russo Case Western Reserve Ashley Mercer County Dayna Wolfson University of South Carolina University Riley Johnson Isabella Grille Jordyn Kelly Lincoln University Joey Hay Towson University Eli McBeth Pujan Patel Brett Tedesco Kaitlyn Newcomb Chatham University Rutgers University Rei O’Brien Louisiana State University Veronica Antonov Tulane University University of Southern Tiernan Dautle Rohan Arige Zoe Birnbaum California Clemson University Madeline Baer Jordyn Swarbrick Remy Abrams Julia Piotrowski Loyola University – Maryland Matt Barr Luisa Glass Hemma Boggi U.S. Military Academy at University of Texas at Austin Concordia University - Chicago Isabel Slimm Tomer Butbul West Point Noah Sell Seba Miller Hugo Campoverde Tyler Semon Lynn University Pete Cuddihy University of Toronto Cornell University Braden Schwartz Seth Hornstein United States Air Force Jane Cai Naomi Bereketab Amanda Kim Gavin Palat Kelly Tran Marist College Michelle Lin University of Wisconsin Gabe Rodriguez Lesley Liu University of Alabama Madison DeSales University Ben Pang Aubrey Bohem Jeffrey Kaminer Eileen Murphy McGill University Dhruv Patel Josh Manders Sloane Sirota Sofia Pavlenko University of British Columbia Gabrielle Matro Dickinson College Peter Slattery Leo Riesenbach Paige Miller Dana Sorokin Cohen Messiah University Alex Smith Jacob Pasternack Shayna Herzfeld Kelly Anderson Anish Suresh University of Calgary Jared Reiss-Lavoie Pooja Suresh Danny Cook Drew University Monmouth University Joy Thomas University of the Arts Benjamin Johnson Chloe Lehrfeld Crystal Trinh University of California - Davis Kyle Edens Peyton McGregor Alex Virilli Daniel Pipersburgh Joseph Hess Montclair University Matt Yun Patrick Kelly Drexel University Elena Behr University of California - Los Evelin Cloth Skylar Citron Seton Hall University Angeles Ursinus College Janelle Dugan Alexis Goldsmith Drew Luehrs Ryan Lafferty Luke Luehrs Vincente Kanacri Dev Shah Isha Kothari Moore College of Art and University of California - San Villanova University MaryKate McCurdy Design Smith College Diego Matthew Park Abbie Peters Ryleigh Moule Rachel Agosto-Ginsburg Kristen Eng Dominic Scott Virginia Tech Muhlenberg College Stevens Institute of Technology University of Connecticut Emma Hildebrand Duke University Ethan Bernstein Grant Lazarovici Simon DeGroot Mylo Murphy Carly Fowler Amanda Rosten Dheer Prajapati Dylan Schwartz Stevenson University University of Delaware Nick Ryan Elon University Justin Walker Sarah Bellon Julianne Alcamo Joelle Landau Aidan Weingrad Genna Allen Wagner College Sydney Tort St. Joseph’s University Lin Asari Rachel Sacerdote New York University Mason Bulicki Aidan Eyre Emory University Cecilia Cavallo Luke Consalvo Mary Fleischman Washington University - St. Justin Whitney Aidan Groff Leah Gallagher Louis New Jersey Institute of Gabrielle O’Brien Leah Marcelli Maya Sides Fashion Institute of Technology Kaitlyn Plefka Alexandria McClellan Technology Meekat Hadi Taylla Tretheway Jeremy Meyers Wellesley College Megan Liu Nicholas Reigel Hannah Cohen Northeastern University Stockton University Melissa Shapiro Felician University Rachel Cassway Payton Eckell Aarushii Taneja Wentworth Institute of Mia Bonner Caitlin Cepeda Isabella Matthews Technology Selina Lee Emma Warren University of Florida Lily Cohen Florida Atlantic University Monah Pintel Samantha Lai Ohio University Syracuse University West Chester University Grace Breslow Gianna Baratta University of Louisville Gia Lamaina Florida State University Makenzie Wolf Virginia Cunningham Colleen Markel Tyler Burke Pennsylvania State University Karley Gordon University Park Temple University University of Maryland Western University Tyler Leomporra Benjamin Adler Carlee Bystrycki Sami Bell Priti Lohtia Emma Sklar Alexa Bellino Nick Gangewere Tushar Garg Rachel Bliss Reese Green Saahil Gupta Widener University Fordham University Luke Brown JaQuan Ivey Zachary Hart Lauren Ballay Michael Barrett Annie Dollarton Ava McFadden Cloe Linden Olivia Viola Hank Feudtner Michael Douglas Ben Trunfio Michael Micciche Isabelle Langmuir Sophie Poslusny Maggie Murphy York College of Pennsylvania Courtney Quinn The College of New Jersey Noah Rose Noah Stofman Franklin and Marshall College Madelyn Silver Macy Desmond Amanda Chin Kyle Vincoff Sky Kwak University of Massachusetts Grayson Leslie Amherst Georgia Institute of Technology Pratt Institute Eric Mora Isaac Leibowitz Machayla Randall Ramya Kalyan Joy Park Andrew Pierce University of Miami George Washington University Princeton University Sophia Nahom Rebecca Germaine Jessica Dong Alfred State College Riley Snell