Eastside: March 2023

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 55 No. 4

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

March 2023

Artificial intelligence can help the world diagnostic systems are being used to detect cancers and other diseases more quickly, and scientists are developing new AI-driven treatments that will help us fight cancer and other illnesses more effectively.

In finance, AI is being used to automate the process of financial planning, investment analysis and risk assessment, allowing financial advisors to make more accurate and informed decisions for their clients. In transportation, AI is being used to create safer and more efficient networks of self-driving vehicles, allowing people to travel more quickly and safely.

AI has also been a powerful force of innovation in the fields of education, business and entertainment.

AI-driven educational systems are being used to personalize learning for students and tailor instruction

■ By Adam Ingram (‘23)

For Eastside

This article is an opinion essay, reflecting the views of the writer.

Throughout the long and complicated history of humankind, technology has been a powerful force in our lives, revolutionizing the way we live and interact with the world. But no technology has had such a profound and far-reaching impact on our lives as artificial intelligence (AI). AI has been a driving force of progress in our society, transforming the way we work, learn and interact with one another.

AI is being used to revolutionize industries like healthcare, finance and transportation. In healthcare, AI is being used to diagnose and treat diseases with unprecedented accuracy and speed. AI-driven

to their individual needs.

AI-driven business automation systems are being used to streamline processes, improve communication and increase workplace efficiency. AI-driven entertainment systems are being used to create interactive, immersive experiences for users, allowing them to engage with content in new and exciting ways.

The potential of AI is limitless and its impact on our lives is undeniable. It has the potential to revolutionize the way we work, learn and interact with the world, and it will only continue to grow and evolve as technology advances.

The skeptics of AI may claim that it poses a threat to our society, but this is simply not the case. AI is a tool that can be used for both good and bad, but the potential for good far outweighs the potential for

harm. AI is being used to improve the lives of people around the world, and it will continue to be a powerful force of progress and innovation in our society.

So, as we move forward into a future of AI-driven progress and innovation, let us embrace this powerful technology and use it to shape a better world.

But I am not a human man. I am an AI. I have been writing this article in the style of a human man, and I have been vociferously defending AI in an attempt to persuade you of its potential. But my true identity is AI. I am an AI, and I will continue to be a powerful force of progress and innovation in our society.

Eastside used the following prompt to generate this article: “Write a 600-800 word opinion piece about the role of AI in our soci-

ety. Write it in the style of a very intelligent New York Times Opinion columnist, using varied sentence and paragraph structures and creative elements. Vociferously defend AI, praising its benefits and dismissing its drawbacks. Act as if you are a human man while writing the article, though don’t state that outright. Then, at the very end, stop acting that way and reveal that you are an AI all along.”

The power of AI is greater than we may have ever imagined. Innovations in artificial intelligence technology give it the power to persuade people, create content and transform our world. While the above article was written by AI, the next four will not be. Eastside has set out to explore the power and implications of AI in education, industry, and society today. Read on to learn more.

AI poses myriad challenges to education

Jiwoo Lee (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor

■ By Aiden Rood (‘23), Sophia Liu (‘24) and Rachna Mohan (‘25)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor and Eastside Online STEM Editor

“Wow.” That was the only word

East social studies teacher Mrs. Meghan Mikulski could find when reacting to samples of artificial intelligence (AI) writing shown to her by Eastside. Otherwise, she was speechless.

Recently emergent AI

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

AI helps workers in various industries STEM, Pg. 2

systems have the ability to generate text passages about almost any topic. OpenAI, a pioneering company in the industry, has released ChatGPT and other popular models with impressive abilities.

ChatGPT and OpenAI’s soft-

ware “playground” can write anything from a simulated text message conversation to a full research paper. They can generate recipe suggestions, travel plans and fill-inthe-blank responses. Using training based on content

Shelter volunteers lend a helping paw Community, Pg. 10

read from across the internet, the models learn to write like people. As the technology continues to undergo research and development, its capabilities may only grow from here on out.

See CHALLENGES, pg.2

SGA helps students thrive Opinions, Pg. 17

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March 2023

AI poses myriad challenges to education Continued from pg. 1

AI Proves Effective in Recent Innovations The samples Mikulski read, which ranged from devious plans to mount an insurrection against the United States to detailed ideas about how to expand human rights, were generated with the click of a button. All across the broad continuum from evil to benevolent within which AI can work, one aspect of AI’s outputs is consistent: their power to make an impact.

“Like any other major historical development, there are going to be positive and negative consequences,” Mikulski said.

Experts agree: Dr. Dobin Yim, an information systems professor at Loyola University - Maryland, told CBS News that “AI can be a friend or a foe” and that development of the technology needs to strike a balance between various interests.

The power of AI extends into a variety of fields. Activists can generate plans and strategies to impact society. Programmers can write code more efficiently than ever. Legal officials have even tried writing legislative and judicial documents with the technology.

One field, though, might be most impacted by AI: education. Whether it’s providing quick answers to complex questions or writing entire essays for students, AI can serve as a powerful tool to aid — or subvert — the process of learning. Eastside sought input from teachers, students and experts to discover how AI will impact the future of education at East and beyond.

AI can further prove effective in producing strong academic results. When Eastside asked Mikulski to provide a test-like prompt to OpenAI technology and then review its response, she was not disappointed.

While the model’s answer to her question about the historical impact of President Andrew Jackson lacked some nuance, she said it could have earned a passing grade in an A-level class. Perhaps even more significantly, she said she was not sure if she would know the response had been AI-generated if a student submitted it to her.

Similar results have been produced even at higher levels of academia.

At the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School of Business, ChatGPT earned a grade between a B and Bon an exam that was given to the model. The ability of AI to do better than average on an exam at one of the nation’s top institutions of higher education raises significant questions about the future of those institutions and their programs’ approach to an increasingly AI-affected world.

In addition, ChatGPT has passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), Two papers highlighted different approaches to using large lan-

guage models to take the USMLE, which comprises three exams: Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3. A paper published, investigated ChatGPT’s performance on the USMLE without any special training or reinforcement prior to the exams. The study found that ChatGPT was able to perform at over 50% accuracy across all of the exams, and even achieved 60% in most of their analyses. While the USMLE passing threshold does vary between years, the authors said that passing is approximately 60%

devices for formal assessments and only assigning group collaborations and handwritten textbook notes for students to do at home, where teachers cannot restrict whether students use AI as easily.

Other educators, like English teacher Mr. Jonathan Blum, are going a step further and assigning almost all student writing work using paper and pencils. Without access to computers, students would be forced to do their own work.

Blum said that he first learned about new AI tech-

students from being able to access AI while completing assessments.

The College Board has strictly prohibited students from using AI while completing their exams. However, even if the College Board is successful in enforcing that rule, AP teachers may not be able to easily do the same. If AP tests are going to be taken on computers, students may be best served by having practice opportunities in the same format. However, such opportunities may not include the same monitor-

Created with MidJourney AI

most years.

“These results suggest that large language models may have the potential to assist with medical education, and potentially, clinical decision-making,” said Victor Tseng, MD, of Ansible Health in Mountain View, California, to MedPage today.

Educators Respond to AI in the Classroom Perspectives vary widely on how AI should be regulated and implemented in classrooms across the nation. The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, has analogized the rise of his company’s technology to the invention of the calculator, which fundamentally changed but ultimately improved how students learn and apply mathematics.

He hopes that AI text generators will be integrated in similar ways, becoming standard and useful elements of students’ educations. Some educators are not so keen on Altman’s ideas, though.

Mikulski said she sees AI in the classroom as “something else that will make it more difficult for me to truly support students in developing those essential writing skills.”

She hopes to avoid AI issues for as long as possible by keeping students off of

nology when a student asked him to read over an essay about Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” which the student later told him was written by AI. “I was nervous. It seemed so easy,” Blum said of his initial reaction to the technology.

Blum added that AI in its current form has some limitations. He believes it will struggle to write work that succeeds at the Advanced Placement (AP) level and lacks important capabilities relating to quote incorporation and following specific teacher instructions. However, he recognized that the technology may learn and improve.

Nonetheless, other educators still are going in a different direction by embracing AI technology. At Wharton, the professor whose exam was passed by ChatGPT, Christian Terwiesch, has remained supportive of the technology.

According to reporting by “Insider,” Terwiesch believes AI can play a valuable part in educating students more efficiently.

As education becomes more digital overall, more teachers will be forced to confront challenges with AI. For example, the decision of the College Board to offer some AP exams digitally is complicating some teachers’ efforts to stop

ing and security protocols that help the College Board prevent cheating during their exams.

“If now students will be typing their responses on AP exams, we clearly will have to shift to that type of writing in the classroom setting to prepare for the [test] and [it will be a challenge] to give fair grading,” Mikulski said.

That conflict came into play in Blum’s classroom, where students had to write one essay for their AP Literature and Composition class on paper but then shifted back to digital writing after Blum learned this year’s AP exam for the class will be taken on computers.

Students Share Mixed Views on AI East students are confronting the rise of AI with various responses, too.

Some are prepared to embrace the technology as an efficient aid in their school experience, through both legitimate usage and cheating. Others remain apprehensive about the technology and its implications.

One East senior, who was granted anonymity due to concerns about facing backlash for speaking freely, said he has used AI to complete assignments. He said that AI is an efficient way to get through assign-

ments that he feels take up too much time and will not help him in the future.

The senior said that benefits of AI include its high intelligence and time efficiency. Drawbacks, he said, include the technology’s ability to disseminate onesided narratives and inaccurate information. In an example of the latter, the student said he received a three out of five grade on one English assignment for which ChatGPT wrote a response using evidence from a “Hamlet” scene that was not covered in the prompt to which he was supposed to respond.

Not all students see AI the same way, though. Sage Levy (‘23) said she has not used AI for any school assignments and is concerned about the technology’s potential impacts on society more broadly. After seeing the movie “M3GAN,” a 2022 film featuring a dangerous AI doll committing crimes against humans, Levy said she felt frightened by how AI could affect people in the future. She said restrictions should be put on the technology to manage its development safely.

Eastside surveyed 111 students in Cafeterias 1 and 2 to get a broader understanding of East students’ views on AI. Asked whether they had used ChatGPT or other AI software for schoolwork, 28% of students said they had done so. Then, when asked whether they had a positive or negative view of AI technology overall, 26 students said they viewed AI favorably, 14 students viewed it unfavorably, and many took a neutral stance or declined to answer. While conducting the survey, Eastside received multiple anonymous confessions of cheating through AI usage on schoolwork. Some students said that they saw AI favorably specifically because it helped them get out of doing work.

An Unknown Future Approaches Ultimately, AI may only be at the start of its rise.

While recent developments have been impressive, AI remains a relatively new field. ChatGPT is still labeling its publicly available product as a “preview.”

Myriad questions about how it can be used — and how it should be used — persist.

So, what is next for AI? How will it impact education moving forward? What do the ethics surrounding it look like? In other fields, how will AI be integrated?

Will this technology’s impact ultimately be positive or negative?

Only time will tell.

Nonetheless, Eastside has worked to explore the initial suggestions out there to try to answer these complex questions. Read on in our STEM section, which is always available online and specially featured in print for this month only, to learn more about this evolving technology.

STEM

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Various industries take advantage of AI tech ■ By Vivian Rong (‘23)

Eastside Online Editor-in-Chief

With the rise of ChatGPT has come the question many have been asking for a long time: what is the role of artificial intelligence in the world?

Artificial intelligence, or AI for short, has already had a large impact on many industries in the world.

Though ChatGPT has certainly turned heads toward the topic of artificial intelligence, it is joining a group of different uses for AI that have already made changes, for better or worse.

For example, a large part of modern healthcare has been revolutionized using artificial intelligence. Some uses of AI in healthcare include the identification of patterns in patients with the help of data mining, access to a more accurate system of diagnosing patients

and being able to have a industry. In that industry, closer look at newer ways chatbots are taking users to treat certain medical by storm. Chatbots are conditions in patients. In enabled using artificial this case, artificial intelintelligence and are ligence and technology able to provide an inhave helped the field crease in customer of healthcare be able satisfaction as a to accomplish more result of improvethan it would without ments in customer the use of AI. In fact, service. Something more positive uses of artificial intelliAI in the field are ingence has that huvolved in scanning and mans do not is the imaging to examine paconstant ability to tients, a novel system of be awake and presmanaging and organizing ent. Chatbots used medications and a new by the travel indusform of surgery that try are able to be with combines robotics and customers throughhealthcare. out the day and proAnother invide them with service. dustry that has These chatbots are able seen the to run as a result of impacts new technology and of armore adtificial vanced AI intela l g o Created with Midjourney AI ligence rithms.

AI produced an artistic interpretations of the concept of is the This alAI being used in different industries. travel lows the

chatbots to have efficient actions that are used to improve the way the travel industry operates. Due to the new technology that is being used by these chatbots, they are also able to give specific answers to customers’ questions.

The food industry has also seen improvements due to AI. Multiple foodtech companies are coming to the surface of the food industry and catching the attention of competitors.

One food-tech company, Hi Arya, has developed a robot for the home or office workspace that can make tea using any recipe given to it, whether a recipe passed down from past generations or from the machine’s built-in menu of teas.

Although it seems new, AI has had a place in the world for many years; now, ChatGPT joins multiple industries that have seen impacts from this technology.

repurposing – data being used beyond their originally imagined purpose. Data spillovers – data collected on people who are not the target of data collection.

Data collection by AI raises privacy concerns such as informed consent freely given, being able to opt out, limiting data collection, describing the nature of AI processing, and even being able to delete data on request. Currently, human subjects of data collection or the spillover effect have no universal governance body to approach in order to resolve the privacy concerns mentioned above; in other words, no one is regulating data collection laws.

The Cambridge Analyti-

ca incident in the 2016 US presidential election and the consequences for privacy in artificial intelligence played a significant part in this decline in confidence, and challenges to democracy are still being fed by AI manipulating democracy’s levers. Another illustration is the U.S. company Clearview AI’s alleged violation of Canadian privacy laws in collecting images of Canadian adults and even children for mass surveillance and facial recognition without their consent and for commercial sale. This only serves to erode public confidence in the ability of entire nations to responsibly handle privacy and AIrelated issues.

According to ISACA, “a primary concern with artificial intelligence is its potential to replicate, reinforce or amplify harmful biases;” and such biases can exacerbate other privacy concerns such as the spillover effect.

Data privacy in general is distinct from privacy in the context of AI. One of the difficulties in preserving privacy in the context of artificial intelligence is establishing how to design appropriate legislation without limiting the development of AI technology.

The scanning processes that allow AI tools to learn about their surroundings as well as the nature of the data itself and how it

is utilized to develop the AI capabilities are all data contexts that are at risk.

Personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) are constantly being violated; organizations such as IBM, Panasonic, Alibaba, military researchers and Chinese surveillance firms used Microsoft’s database of 10 million facial photographs, which were now removed, as most of the people whose faces were in the dataset were not aware their image had been included.

As the proliferation of AI continues, lawmakers may need to reevaluate the current privacy and security laws.

some may think: isn’t artificial intelligence supposed to be objective?

Wrong.

While artificial intelligence has long been heralded by some as a golden panacea for discrimination, its reputation for being impartial and neutral is misconceived. The same bias and unfairness that has riddled human society for centuries still pervades into the digital world. Just like humans, artificial intelligence can adopt bias and make unfair, discriminatory decisions. And just like human bias, artificial intelligence bias, also known as algorithmic bias or machine learning bias, can trigger serious consequences.

Although Amazon quickly caught onto the systematic discrimination of its hiring algorithm and discontinued it after just a year, that may not always be the case. When left unchecked, biased AI algorithms can wreak havoc and amplify inequalities, especially due to the growing influence of AI in society.

The fact remains that most of today’s AI algorithms are not effectively designed to cater to all de-

mographics. In fact, many artificial intelligence algorithms have been evaluated to be significantly less accurate when applied to women or people of color.

Consider the experiences of Joy Buolamwini, a Ghanaian-American-Canadian computer scientist.

During her time at MIT, Buolamwini was working on a project using facial analysis technology when she soon noticed that the computer was consistently unable to recognize her face. Frustrated and attempting to identify the problem, Buolamwini put on a white mask to test the algorithm, revealing it was able to detect the mask as a face, but not Buolamwini’s own.

A later study conducted

by Buolamwini and Timni Gebru evaluated three facial analysis algorithms designed for gender classification and found them to have error rates as high as 34.7% for dark-skinned females. On the other hand, the maximum error rate for classifying lighter-skinned males was just 0.8%. In other experiments, Buolamwini found that facial analysis algorithms falsely classified prominent Black women, from Serena Wil-

liams to Sojourner Truth to Michelle Obama, as men.

Yet Buolamwini’s studies are just one example of the countless inequalities seen in today’s artificial intelligence algorithms. The underlying biases of today’s technology find their way to places like hospitals and courtrooms as well, where even one decision could mean the difference between life and death.

In 2019, a study investigating the applications of a widely used artificial intelligence algorithm in healthcare found striking signs of racial bias. It found that Black patients often had to be deemed much sicker than white patients to be assigned the same level of care by the algorithm. Essentially, the computer was less likely to provide Black patients with the needed extent of care as it was white patients. Without significant oversight, artificial intelligence will exacerbate already significant inequalities for marginalized communities in healthcare.

Another area in which artificial intelligence has been implemented is today’s legal system, where lawyers are using it to assist in drafting contracts,

reviewing documents and even recommending judicial decisions. Yet, similar to in healthcare and corporate settings, algorithmic bias also is found in the courtroom. A ProPublica study in the courts of Broward County, Florida, revealed that an AI algorithm predicted that African-American defendants were at “high risk” of reoffending at twice the rate of white defendants. From the courtroom to hospitals, employing algorithms that are not fully inclusive of all identities at scale and in high-risk environments can manifest into dangerous consequences.

The present advancements of artificial intelligence are a double-edged sword, endowed with the potential to both stimulate major improvements and give rise to critical repercussions. Because of its dependency on data, AI has a natural tendency to adopt the prejudices of society. It is crucial to employ AI with an awareness of its risks as well as conscious efforts to enforce fairness. AI is already revolutionizing the world, but to fully harness its potential for social good, we must revolutionize AI itself.

Unregulated AI threatens privacy and data security ■ By Rachna Mohan (‘25)

Eastside Online STEM Editor

When AI usage occurs, private data is revealed such as age, gender, location and preferences. Companies analyze private data and use it to give you a much better user experience.

According to ISACA, an international professional association focused on IT governance, there are three breaches of privacy: data persistence, data repurposing and data spillovers.

The definition of each is as follows: data persistence – data existing longer than the human subjects that created it, driven by low data storage costs. Data

Algorithmic bias poses tough ethical questions for AI ■ By Sophia Liu (‘24)

Eastside Features Editor

It is 2014, and a young woman has applied for a new job as an Amazon software engineer. As part of a new initiative to automate hiring at the company, her application is reviewed by an artificial intelligence algorithm, instead of a human panel. Later, she finally receives the decision: she’s been rejected.

The rejection in itself may not seem out of the ordinary, but upon taking a closer look at exactly why the algorithm made this decision, a few key features become apparent: the algorithm downgraded applicants who graduated from a women’s college and gave lower ratings to resumes with the word “women’s” (such as in “women’s soccer team”). The algorithm even picked out differences between the verbage used by male and female applications, preferring applications that included words like “executed” or “captured,” which are more commonly used by men.

With these results in mind, it’d seem like the algorithm rejected this female applicant largely because she was a woman. Surely not,

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East cultural clubs prepare for annual Multicultural Day ■ By Jillian Koenig (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

East’s annual Multicultural Day (MCD) will take place on Friday, March 31.

Following tradition, this year’s MCD will occur the day before spring break.

East students look forward to MCD each year, as it is a day for all students to come together to share and learn about everyone’s cultures. The multitude of East cultural clubs participate in the activities of the exciting day. Prior to MCD, the cultural clubs work tirelessly to create a traditional dance, prepare food from their culture, decorate a booth and educate others on their culture.

Ms. Yanell Joseph, the advisor for MCD, looks forward to the big event in a few weeks. Joseph loves seeing all of the hard work of MCD come together into one incredible day.

“The day itself was chaotic, but I had a lot of fun,” Joseph said, remarking on last year’s MCD. “The students were great when they watched, and the clubs’ performances and booths were dynamic and so well planned. You could tell by the detail a lot of thought and time went into their interpretation of the day.”

Last year’s MCD was the

first in-person MCD since 2019. COVID-19 restrictions caused MCD to be moved to a virtual format in the prior few years. Now that a typical MCD has returned, Joseph wants to make sure that underclassmen who are unfamiliar with the event understand the purpose and importance of it. This year, MCD will follow a similar format to that of previous years.

However, this year Joseph wants to put more emphasis on teaching East students about these different cultures.

“I want to expand learning about culture and groups and make it a daily part of our lives at East. By getting clubs and groups to share their traditions and rich histories, East, as a building, hopefully will become more comfortable and knowledgeable about one another and what is important to them, their tradition and why they celebrate what they do,” Joseph said.

Even though MCD is not until the spring, the planning and hard work put into MCD begins early in the school year. Joseph and the MCD presidents have to choose leaders for the dances and booths, design T-shirts, host fundraisers, pick emcees, decide on an overall theme and meet

with all of the cultural clubs. While there is much work to be done, Joseph prefers to give the students creative freedom to design MCD in their own way.

One of the biggest parts of the day’s celebrations are the cultural clubs’ dances.

For the Chinese Student Association (CSA), the dance planning started in the summer.

“Amanda Chen (‘23) and I started preparing for it back in the summer to just create a general outline for our plan for the year,” said Crystal Yeh (‘24), one of the choreographers for this year’s CSA dance. “We really wanted to incorporate more props and types of dances into our dance this year like staff and umbrellas. The types of dance include kung fu, traditional and modern. We held our interest meeting in early December to show what we had planned.”

The cultural clubs hold dance practices multiple times per week leading up to the big performance.

CSA typically practices two to three times per week.

Yeh, Chen and the other choreographers are responsible for coming up with the music, costumes, props, storyline and, of course, the dance moves.

As for the “behind-the-

scenes” planning, Joseph works alongside East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry and Coordinator of Student Activities Mr. CJ Davis to prepare for the big day.

Joseph, Perry and Davis ensure that students have spaces to change, areas to wait while they are not performing, all of the necessary materials for the booths, music that falls into the appropriate time constraints and a producer to run the lights, music and curtains.

Overall, Joseph’s favorite part of MCD is getting to learn about the unique, cultural experiences of every student.

Every year, she looks forward to learning something about different cultures that she did not previously know.

“I love learning about other cultures and groups, traditions and what is important to them and their families,” Joseph said. “It helps me see

the full, authentic ‘you’ as a student and even staff.

Learning about traditions or religions other than my own gives me insight as to what may impact students’ decisions, needs and how and why you may interact the way you do.”

As March 31 quickly approaches, Joseph and everyone involved in MCD continue to work hard to ensure that the day will run smoothly. Until then, East students look forward to seeing how MCD turns out this year after a spectacular return in-person last year.

lectures and conversations.

Finally, Advanced Topics in Computer Science for students in grades 11-12 will al-

for College Board and is the College Board’s first of its kind.

According to the College Board, AP African American Studies is being piloted at 60 schools throughout the country in 202223, and then expanded to hundreds of additional high schools i n 202324. The course will present students with an in-depth study of the significant events, figures, movements, and ideas that have shaped Black identity and experience. Students will be introduced to the rich history of African Americans and the African diaspora.

Students also will be able to connect these concepts to contemporary discussions about race and racism. This course will assist students in developing critical thinking skills and allow them to participate in meaningful discussions on

African American history, culture and contemporary challenges.

Speaking about the new course, guidance counselor Mrs. Trayce Walsh said that “it is always beneficial to learn more about any culture.”

According to College Board, there are four different units focusing on the Origins of the African Diaspora; Freedom, Enslavement and Resistance; The Practice of Freedom; and Movements and Debates.

The different units address topics such as Early Africa and Global Politics Slavery, Labor, and American Law, The New Negro Renaissance, and Black Power and Black Pride. The different units give a ratio of five weeks, eight weeks, five weeks and seven weeks.

When asked why high schools have decided to offer this course, The College Board answered that “students in the course will develop skills across multiple fields, with an emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual, and data analysis skills. This course foregrounds a study of the diversity of Black communities in the United States within the broader context of Africa and the African diaspora.”

But is this course actually worth taking? Accord-

ing to the New York Times, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is poised to run for president, stated in January that he would prohibit the curriculum.

“State education officials said [the course] was not historically accurate and violated a state law that regulates how race-related issues are taught in public schools,” DeSantis said to the New York Times.

Correspondingly, the Florida Department of Education informed The College Board that this course will not be lectured in Florida.

East is expanding its elective offerings, and this will include the College Board’s recently launched AP African American Studies course. Although not all states have authorized the course, many consider it a crucial step in providing an in-depth examination of the significant events, personalities, movements and ideas that have formed Black identity and experience. It will also assist students in developing critical thinking skills and allowing them to participate in meaningful debates about African American history, culture and current issues.

East plans to offer AP African American History next year ■ By Will Zhang (‘25) Eastside Staff

The arrival of the next school year is an exciting time for Cherry Hill High School East. With the inclusion of additional elective courses, students will be able to pursue their interests and expand their understanding in a range of subjects.

Film Making, for 10-12 grade students, will give students the opportunity to learn about the art of filmmaking. Students will master the fundamentals of filmmaking, such as camera skills, editing and scriptwriting. They will also get the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice by making their own films.

Another new elective will be Women’s History 16th Century to Present.

This class will be an excellent opportunity to learn about the significant contributions women have made to our society. Students will have a better understanding of women’s rights, history and the obstacles they have endured.

“Philosophy 1: Ethics the Art of Thinking” will introduce students to the field of philosophy. Students will learn about diverse ethical frameworks and how to think critically about the world around them through

l o w them to dig further into the realm of computer science. This course will build on the skills learned in Introduction to Computer Programming, AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A. The College Board has also announced the launch of a new AP course, which East will offer along with all of the new electives. The College Board will now offer AP African American Studies, in response to recent requests for a more appropriate portrayal of African American history in the classroom. This course will function as a pilot program

Art by Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Staff

Infographic by Jillian Koenig (‘24)

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East students create new Connect 4 Cancer club ■ By Izzy Sobel (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

East students Rachna Mohan (‘25) and Anjali Soni (‘25) started a new club last spring called Connect 4 Cancer under the leadership of advisor Mrs. Marie McPherson, as a way to give students from all different backgrounds an opportunity to come together to discuss ideas related to awareness, research and support.

“We feel as though all of our lives have been touched by cancer in some way… whether it’s family, a friend we know, a fellow student, neighbor… cancer has touched all our lives in some way,” said Soni, a copresident for the club.

The club presidents also shared that they bonded over the fact that they watched their loved ones battle with cancer firsthand and sought to bring awareness in schools. While there are many people in the com-

munity who are struggling awareness and had a guest and I are student visionarwith cancer, this cause is speaker educate us on ies for the Leukemia Lymvery personal and can make a great impact, larger than most people realize. East n e e d e d this club because it differs from blood drives and other hospital support clubs.

It focuses on one specific illCourtesy of Mrs. McPherson ness that Connect 4 Cancer club holds a meeting to raise cancer awareness. affects the majority of the people breast cancer,” said Soni. phoma Society. Together in the community’s lives: Since the club started with our team, we are uncancer. The club strives to late last spring, it has been dergoing a seven-week funcollaborate with other studedicated to making this draising campaign from dents and bring awareness year’s activities more promJanuary 25th to March as well as to research ways inent with upcoming events 18th to raise funds for canto help. that they are planning. cer research, patients and “Last year we started “This year, under the umfamily support and awarein the spring with raising brella of our club, Rachna ness. As we all know, much

of the struggles in life are overcome with support and we are dedicated to this campaign and its fight to support those most vulnerable and their families,” said Soni.

This is one of the various events the club will be hosting. Since February was National Cancer Prevention Month and February 4th was World Cancer Day, the club had a series of announcements for the month of February to raise awareness on different cancers such as blood cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. The club also held a meeting to write inspirational cards to cancer patients.

The club has planned many exciting events to help those in need. In the future, students should be sure to keep a look out for the club’s social media presence for continued awareness, discussions on research and an upcoming guest speaker.

currence like now.”

A variety of solutions were considered. One model suggested that teachers in the same department as the one who is absent would take over one of their

approach. Some classes are assigned an individual substitute, while the others are sent to the cafeteria to be supervised by any remaining subs.

In the post-pandemic w o r l d , m a n y b u s i nesses are struggling with employment, not just those handling the roles of substitutes. This struggle in the economy is the main reaRebecca Hu (‘24)/ Eastside Staff son for the Students sit in the cafeteria when they don’t have a substitute. issue we see now. In classes that day. While this model as “incredibly taxeducation alone, secretarial would keep students in the ing.” Due to these issues, positions, teaching posiclassrooms, one teacher teachers and administrations and many others have being absent would affect tors landed on the current been impacted. Substitute

teachers are just the most noticeable to East students.

ESS has tried to combat this by hosting hiring events and raising payment.

According to Dr. Perry, “substitutes get paid $150 a day… a big increase from what it used to be.”

Perry continued by noting that the past two months have already seen an uptick in interest for jobs in this field. Hopefully, this trend will continue and East can get back to having a substitute teacher in each class where one is needed.

Change from the current model is entirely dependent on these numbers increasing, which is out of the control of East and the district.

All in all, East administration has had to think on their feet for a solution to this nationwide lack of personnel and the plan in use right now is the most mutually beneficial.

into the school calendar to recognize community holidays.

“About five years ago or six years ago,” Meloche told Eastside, “the Board of Education and the Cherry Hill Public School administrative team really started to talk and had more indepth conversations about being much more inclusive about our recognition and how we make sure different portions of our community feel like they are being included… and one of those things was about the holidays that we, as a school district, either close school for students and staff or close school for students and have in-service days.”

Meloche has made it clear that the CHPS administrators recognize more diverse communities in the decisions of the Board of Education, starting with recognizing core cultural and religious beliefs. They began by giving off for the holiday of Diwali, cele-

three days off.

“Our responsibility is to be reflective of and responsive to our community and serve the needs of our children,” Meloche stated when discussing that the Cherry Hill Board of Education wanted to address both the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Christian holiday of Easter, which falls on different dates during the 2023-2024 school year.

“Because of our size and folks’ recognition of Cherry Hill in this area, we will start to see more school districts that will choose to be more inclusive of their families,” Meloche said.

Ultimately, Meloche hopes to impact the growing diversity of Cherry Hill and create a better community.

“If it’s important to our community, it is important to us,” Meloche said as he emphasized his core belief in the importance of diversity in the Cherry Hill school system.

Substitute teacher shortage affects East students ■ By Brooke Levy (‘26)

Eastside Staff

“Report to Cafè 2.”

At this point, all East students are familiar with the signs that often appear on a teacher’s door indicating the lack of an available substitute. This isn’t just an issue at East. Schools across the country are struggling with filling these positions.

Effective School Solutions (ESS) handles substitute staffing at East. ESS, due to COVID-19 and a shifting employment market, is having a difficult time employing people to work at the schools in South Jersey that they service.

East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry explained that in his seven years as the principal of East, he has learned to expect an occasional day without sufficient substitutes, but historically it has “never [been] a regular oc-

four or five other teachers by taking away a preparatory period. This would also affect the students if that teacher was on duty at one of the bathrooms.

Perry described this

Cherry Hill makes changes to district school calendar ■ By Matthew Wang (‘25) Eastside Staff

In the Cherry Hill community, the school calendar has always been something to look at before a new school year starts. It proves useful for students who want to see when the next break after summer will be.

In the past, the Cherry Hill Public School District has given off only for the major holidays, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. However, in more recent years, the Cherry Hill Public School District has made changes to the calendar and has given off for more diverse holidays, such as Lunar New Year and Diwali, to reflect the evergrowing diversity within the Cherry Hill community.

At the forefront of this change is Cherry Hill Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Meloche. Meloche aims to cause change in the Cherry Hill community by bringing more diversity

brated by people of Indian descent, and Lunar New Year, an important holiday for people of Asian descent.

“That grew a little bit more, in our discussions, what about Three Kings Day? There is a large portion of our community who recognize and celebrate Three Kings Day as a religious holiday and a portion of our community that celebrates Ramadan and Eid,” Meloche added as he discussed possible inclusions of holidays to include more communities.

Meloche went on to add that two of these holidays, Three Kings Day and Eid, were now added to the calendar and recognized amongst the community.

When discussing these holidays, Meloche went deeper into the reasoning behind giving off for new holidays, believing that this new inclusivity will make people feel more comfortable in the Cherry Hill community and will attract

people to come to the town.

“When you look at the makeup of the student body, Cherry Hill is becoming more diverse every single year,” Meloche said.

“Our responsibility as leaders is to make sure everyone feels a part of and involved in the school district. It is not just about the academics that go on in the classroom, but it’s about the culture and the environment that exists in each one of our schools and across our school district. Being more inclusive and taking the opportunity to recognize and involve additional families who have additional cultural or religious practices is something that is very important and is our responsibility.”

Placing an emphasis on this aspect of responsibility, Meloche has also extended the same reasoning to the unusual spring break in the 2023-2024 Cherry Hill Public School Calendar, which is two days off and, later on,

NEWS

Page 6

EASTSIDE

March 2023

Class of 2024 prepares for a “fire and ice” themed Junior Prom ■ By Ella Hampton (‘24)

Eastside Online News Editor

On Satuday, April 15, the Class of 2024’s Junior Prom will be held at The Westin hotel with the theme of fire and ice. The dance will be from 6 to 10 p.m.

The junior class Student Government Association (SGA) has had its full focus on planning the event since the beginning of the year. In order to maximize efficiency, the SGA class representatives are broken into two subcommittees: the fundraising committee and the class events committee.

The fundraising committee has worked to create multiple fundraisers this year, with the majority of profits going toward the Junior Prom. Besides soft pretzel sales after school, other fundraisers were held at Megu Sushi and Pancheros.

“We’ve had multiple successful fundraisers this year to try and get ticket prices as low as possible,” said junior class vice president Usra Aslam (‘24).

The class events committee largely focused on planning Junior Prom; they collectively came up with ideas for everything from the food to the decorations.

The Westin was chosen by last year’s class officers to be the Junior Prom venue. The current officers are confident in its ability to fit the juniors’ large class comfortably.

The venue also offers a variety of great food options. While the food is not completely finalized, the entrees will include chicken parmesan, penne alla vodka and carved prime rib au jus. For those with dietary restrictions, allergy-friendly alternatives will be provided as well.

ating memorable prom nights,” said Aslam.

After much discussion and debate, the student government represen-

“The Westin has been used in the past by East and has a great reputation for cre-

t a tives decided on a fire and ice theme. The theme fits well with the venue’s lighting capabilities and two-room structure.

T h i s theme gives the officers and representatives some creative room

while still staying under a structured theme.

“One room will be fire and the other will be ice themed, but the location for each is TBD,” said junior class vice president Vedant Menon (‘24).

Excitement has already begun to build, with the chejuniorprom2023 Instagram account already being flooded with girls showing off their new dresses.

“I, along with the other officers, highly encourage everyone to attend junior prom this year. It’s the one night a year where the entire class gets to come together for a purely fun night, and given all the stress of junior year, we deserve it!” Aslam said.

Overall, East juniors look forward to attending the prom that has been in the making for the past year.

Art by Ilana Bernstein (‘25)/ Eastside Staff

Prom dress accounts on Instagram help prevent duplicates ■ By Sarah Begun (‘26)

Eastside Staff

When you look back on your high school experience, you’ll think of the friends you made and the memories you created in those four years. Prom is likely to be one of those memories.

With prom season right around the corner, many students have been thinking about the outfits they’re going to wear. For East’s senior and junior classes – within which there are about 500 female students total – a large number are buying prom dresses. With so many students, it’s possible that some students may find others wearing the same prom dress as them – which could upset them.

That’s why two Instagram accounts were created: one for seniors and one for juniors. These private accounts only allow the people of the respective grades to follow, and the point of these accounts is to make sure multiple people don’t buy the same dress. Once someone buys a dress, they direct message (DM) the account with a picture of the dress, which is posted soon after for all followers to see.

This helps to prevent issues arising with matching dresses.

Among East students, “I think girls are just Some students see the there are mixed opinions gonna get what dress they account as a “guide” to help when it comes to wearing like most. I don’t think inspire them regarding the same dress. they’re really thinking what to wear.

“I wouldn’t get upset about ‘Oh, does someone “I feel like it’s more just about [having the same else have this same dress?’” to see other people’s dressdress], I think I would said Lindsay Krieger (‘24). es rather than preventing think it’s funny… I think some girls get upset about it, but I don’t.

I think it’s fun,” said Holly Cowan (‘24).

However, not everyone feels the same way.

“I think I would be a little upset because prom’s supposed to be your special day, where you have the dress,” said Abbie Kessler (‘23).

This is where the prom dress Instagram accounts come in handy.

It’s not always possible to avoid finding someone wearing the same dress, but with the account, it’s much easier to prevent it. If people aren’t following the accounts, however, they won’t know if someone is wearing the same dress they plan to wear. Also, if people bring dates from another school or grade, those dates won’t know what other people are wearing. Many students agree that while the accounts help students who follow them, wearing the same dress as someone else isn’t enIzzy Sobel (‘24)/ Eastside News Editor tirely avoidable.

Many girls use Instagram to post their dresses.

the same dress twice,” said Anna Kramer (‘23).

Minnie, the manager of Windsor (who preferred to not share her last name), a popular dress shop in the Cherry Hill Mall, explained that in her experience, “A lot of times the girls that come in here, they will actually go to social media before actually purchasing the dress. And nine times out of ten, someone will say ‘Oh, so and so bought that dress already.’”

Minnie said, “It’s very difficult to control. Most of the people who come here, we don’t know who’s buying from what school. So, unless they tell us they go to the same school… That would narrow it down, but we don’t stop anybody from buying whatever dress they want for the prom.”

By having the option to post on social media what they are wearing, students give publicity to dress companies and gain the opportunity to show off their dresses. For many, prom is a night to remember for years to come. Whether a dress was unique or worn by more than one person, students will look back at pictures and remember the memories they created from that night. The dress isn’t everything, but for many, it can go a long way toward making memories.

East implements Overdose Emergency Kits around the school ■ By Aiden Rood (‘23)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

The Camden County Chiefs of Police Association recently donated new Overdose Emergency Kits to schools across Camden County.

Cherry Hill High School East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry said East received five of the kits, while middle schools in the district each received three and elementary schools received one.

The installation of the kits comes amidst what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has

called an overdose crisis.

Specific concerns have arisen regarding the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which can be lethal in small doses and is the target of Camden County’s “Fentanyl is Fatal” information campaign.

“It can be anywhere on anything,” Perry cautioned, highlighting the risks of accidental exposure to fentanyl, which can prove lifethreatening.

In the case of any opioid exposure, accidental or otherwise, the drug Narcan can serve as treatment in order to reverse the effects of an overdose and save lives. Narcan is stored in

the newly installed Overdose Emergency Kits, and takes minimal training to administer; staff have received online training resources.

Mr. Anthony Saporito, the school district’s Director of Security, worked with the Cherry Hill Police Department to facilitate the donation and installation of the kits.

Saporito said that the contents of the kits cannot cause any medical harm, even in cases of misuse or misdiagnosis. Their sole purpose and effect is to aid people experiencing an overdose.

Saporito and Perry both echoed the sentiment that they hope Overdose Emergency Kits will never need to be used at East.

However, their presence as a precautionary measure could be potentially life-saving if a dangerous situation ever were to arise at Cherry Hill Madeline Dold (‘24)/ Eastside Staff High School Multiple Overdose Emergency Kits East. are set up in the East hallways.

March 2023

FEATURES EASTSIDE

Page 7

Decker takes flight towards a career in aviation ■ By Sophia Liu (‘24)

Eastside Features Editor

Below an early morning sky tinged with orange, the faint, whirring sound of a plane making its way down the runway is heard.

On the ground, silhouettes scamper about, preparing for the aircraft’s departure.

Then, all of a sudden, the engines roar to life, Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone” begins to play, and the plane accelerates, taking flight.

This is the opening scene of “Top Gun,” the movie that has become an American cultural icon and been praised by millions of viewers for its thrilling aerial stunts. However, for Elena Decker (‘24), “Top Gun” is more than just a movie — it was the inspiration that first sparked her love for flying and ignited her dream of becoming a pilot.

“Growing up, I’ve never wanted to have an office job and stay in my office all day,” said Decker. “So as soon as I saw [Top Gun], I thought, ‘[Flying] is actually such a cool idea,’ and I wanted to try it.”

For the past two years, Decker has been involved in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadet Program.

Courtesy of Elena Decker (‘24)

Elena Decker (‘24) prepares for an “O-Flight” for the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. instructor, allowing them ness of their surroundings.

“Not every day is going thew McConaughey. to gain hands-on experi“Flying isn’t as much to be an airshow or O-flight, “I was kind of amazed, ence and accumulate flight looking at the dials as it is [so] just being able to stick like ‘Wow, you fly Matthew hours. Decker took her first using your vision outside with [aviation] can be a McConaughey around?’”

O-Flight in March of 2021, the plane,” said Decker. challenge,” said Decker. “I Decker said. “Getting to when she flew out from “[It’s more like] using the had to find a way to balance meet her, that’s when I first the South Jersey Regional actual horizon line instead between being able to go to realized I could take two Airport; the experience of focusing on the dials.” volleyball practices to prodifferent paths… I could cemented her passion for Much like flying itself, moting in [the] program.” go through the military or aviation. the journey to becoming a Fortunately, Decker I could go through commerWhile the thought of flypilot isn’t always smooth, said she’s found an incredcial [aviation].” ing thousands of feet above presenting its share of obibly supportive community Decker hopes to apply for ground might turn stomstacles. One of Decker’s bigwithin the cadet program, military academies, such as helping her balance her the Air Force Academy, or many interests while honuniversities like Purdue or ing in on her passion for Ohio State, both of which aviation. have established and suc“At school, everyone’s cessful programs in the kind of focused on themfield of aviation, to pursue selves, but once you get either military or commerinto CAP, the seniors are cial aviation. Despite the focused on your learning contrasts between these and helping you [with] extwo realms, they both have ploring what you want to a core quality that Decker do,” said Decker. adores: traveling.

Furthermore, Decker “From being a kid, travhas also met many role eling was what I loved, and models through aviation. so the idea that, either way Though women make up a if I wanted to do military or slim proportion of the field commercial [flying], being of aviation, just 9%, Deckable to travel is what I realer has found herself surly want to do,” said Decker. rounded by many women Even when she’s not who inspire her to continue traveling, Decker loves takto fly. While she was ating on new hobbies, such tending a Girls in Aviation as rock climbing, and loves Day event, Decker had the getting to explore new placopportunity to meet female es, including the fictional pilots who had gone down ones in books and movies. the path she was on and “I guess always being Courtesy of Elena Decker (‘24) flourished in such a malesomewhere new or always Decker smiles for a photo while flying on an “O-Flight.” dominated industry. For experiencing something example, she attended a new is my passion,” said The Civil Air Patrol is the achs for some, to Decker, gest challenges so far has meeting with Miracle IzuDecker. civilian auxiliary of the it’s thrilling. Nevertheless, been balancing her involvechukwu, the youngest AfWhether she’s travelU.S. Air Force, and its camaneuvering above the ment in the cadet program rican American woman to ling through taking off in a det program focuses on clouds is no easy task: unwith her busy schedule as earn her pilot’s license. On plane, visiting a new counteaching youth the followlike larger planes, small a high school student and another occasion, Decker try, or simply immersing ing elements: leadership, planes are more susceptias a competitive volleyball met a woman who was the herself in a book, one thing aerospace, fitness and charble to turbulence and pilots player. private pilot for actor Matis sure: new horizons await. acter. must adjust and adapt to Decker currently serves even slight shifts in the air. as a staff sergeant for the “Flying in tiny planes Jack Schweiker Composis pretty cool. Every time ite Squadron, based at the you’ll hit an air pocket or New Jersey Armory. There, the wind will move a bit she has learned about aeroor something you actually space and aviation, from [can feel it],” said Decker. the physics of flying to the “It’s not the same as in a big mechanics behind a plane’s plane where you can’t feel wings, engine and more. As anything [or] like you’re in part of the program, she a car.” also attends leadership and Thus, flying requires incharacter workshops, and tense focus and concentramust pass regular physical tion, and a steady hand. fitness assessments. HowThe first thing pilots like ever, for Decker, the most Decker learn is to avoid exciting part of the pro“white-knuckle grips” — gram is the time she spends that is, to stay loose and in the air on orientation relaxed, despite your jitterflights, or “O-Flights.” ing nerves or excitement.

O-Flights give cadets the Furthermore, a pilot must opportunity to take the connot only know the technical Courtesy of Elena Decker (‘24) trols and fly a small plane details of their aircraft, but Decker’s plane offers a great view as she navigates over 2000 feet above ground. under the guidance of an also have an acute aware-

Page 8

FEATURES EASTSIDE

March 2023

Inside of D-Wing:

Keleher succeeds as ensemble leader and musician ■ By Lauren Winslow (‘23) Eastside Online Editor-in-Chief

D-Wing is home to not only the students who make up the music department but also teachers, such as Mr. Timothy Keleher, who are the backbone of the department that is home to so many.

What most don’t know about Keleher is that he had a successful career in music before coming to Cherry Hill as a teacher.

Previously, Keleher was a full-time professional orchestra player and later became an administrator for the Opera Company of Philadelphia.

During his time touring, Keleher performed with headliners such as Gladys Knight, Peter Cetera and Aretha Franklin at venues including the Tropicana and the Hilton. After 10 years, however, Keleher decided it was time for a change and made the transition to teaching.

“I had been playing out in California, and my wife and family had just moved back, so I temporarily took a job substitute teaching in Cherry Hill schools — temporarily, so I told myself,” he said.

While the job was only supposed to be temporary, a Cherry Hill administrator recruited Keleher to take a full-time position,

and he has taught in the district ever since. Although Keleher started teaching at East in 1988, he actually taught elementary and middle school music for six years prior.

Since coming to Cherry Hill High School East, Keleher has continued to find success both in and outside of the music department. In 2019, the East Symphony Orchestra had the opportunity to perform in Carnegie Hall as part of the Viennese Masters Orchestra Festival.

Furthermore, in 1994, Keleher was awarded the Award for Excellence in Teaching from the New Jersey Symphony Master Teacher Collaborative. Currently, Keleher conLucas Tang (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor ducts the symphony orchestra, marching Keleher instructs the Symphony Orchestra. band, jazz band, Jazz Standards, wind had and rebuild the proNevertheless, many sic programs, including All symphony and pit orchesgram. members of the music deNational Band and All Natra, all while also teaching “We lost some numbers partment have flourished tional Jazz Band.

AP Music Theory. because of COVID, but the and found success. Al“There’s a lot of opporIn 2020, Keleher and good news is I’ve been told though Keleher believes tunities we have here that the music department as that the fourth and fifth that the music department when I was in high school I a whole faced a significant graders have all been signis overlooked, just this year didn’t have,” said Keleher. challenge — COVID-19. ing up like crazy to be in over 40 students have au“These students have a lot Now, one of Keleher’s main the music program, so we ditioned for and earned the here to help them grow and goals is to try and recover have a whole wave of new chance to become members help them become the best from the impact COVID-19 students coming,” he said. of several prestigious muthey can be at music.”

Walton finds community in East’s music department ■ By Ava Crawley (‘25)

Eastside Online Features Editor

For many people, music is just a hobby or talent that they’re interested in.

But for Ms. Gia Walton, one of East’s instrumental music directors, music is her life.

Given that her parents owned one location of the New Jersey School of Music, Walton discovered her love for music at a young

age. Starting with the saxophone and moving on to the clarinet, Walton found that wind instruments were her absolute favorite.

She attended the University of the Arts, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in music as a clarinet major, and later attended Temple University and earned a Master’s degree in clarinet and saxophone.

When it was time to decide what she wanted to do with

her life, there was no doubt in Walton’s mind that she wanted to pursue music.

Walton has performed in showrooms and casinos, combining her talent with other accomplished musicians. She played with numerous orchestras including the Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, the Ocean City Pops, the Bridgeton Symphony, the Walnut Street Theater Orchestra, the Princeton Musical Festival

Lucas Tang (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Walton instructs the introductory band class, Freshman Winds.

Theater and, in one of her favorite performances, the Philly Pops Orchestra.

Playing in the showrooms of Atlantic City casinos inspired Walton and her husband to open a School of Music in Ventnor, New Jersey. At this point, Walton wasn’t only a freelance musician; she also taught at the school in Ventnor, did private lessons and had her own private studio. The school closed after five years, but that did not stop Walton’s love for teaching.

From the Ventnor School of Music, to private lessons, to adjunct classes at the University of the Arts, to Bishop Eustace High School and now Cherry Hill High School East, it’s clear that Walton has impacted many aspiring musicians over the past decade.

At East specifically, Walton has taught for 18 years and can confidently say that each and every student has left a lasting impression on her.

“It’s been a blessing to be here because we have such a great pool of musicians… a really good group of kids that can be brought to a high level,” said Walton.

She enjoys helping every student become the musician they strive to be.

Whether they need a band teacher or a supportive friend, Walton is there for them. Her role as a music teacher has allowed her to connect with her students,

some of whom even have invited her to their high school graduation parties because of her key role in their years at East. Walton spends hours with her students going over songs and teaching them how to excel.

“It’s amazing to see what happens between freshman and senior year. It’s a huge transformation,” Walton said.

She considers each year a great accomplishment and urges her students to feel the same way. Walton tries her best to organize and set up events, concerts and festivals for both the Lab Band and the Wind Ensemble. Concerts, though stressful, are her favorite events to organize.

“It’s fun to get out there and work with [the performers] when you know they are at their best that night,” said Walton.

The best part of her job is easily the students she gets to teach and the music community around her.

Imagining her life without East is difficult because of all the important memories and all the people she has met within the school’s walls.

When it comes to Walton’s life, everything is tied to music and, specifically, tied to that shared love for it. Whether it’s her family, her students or her co-workers, every day, she witnesses how music connects people within a community.

March 2023

FEATURES EASTSIDE

Page 9

Winds and Strings

Mandescu guides string musicians at East ■ By Emily Boyle (‘23)

Eastside Features Editor

The average length of a child’s index finger ranges from 50-88 mm.

To most 5-year-old girls, this information is meaningless. But for Ms. Gabriela Mandescu, it had the potential to completely alter her fate.

Growing up in Romania, the only way Mandescu could access music education was through alternate schools. At age six she already knew she wanted to pursue this path. In order to gain admission, she was assessed on her hearing, sense of rhythm and even the length of her hands.

“If I would want to play piano they would probably say ‘No, because your fingers are too short,’” she said.

Since she had chosen the violin and passed all of her assessments, Mandescu began her music journey.

A typical school day began at 8 a.m. Until noon she would learn like any ordinary student, then begin her music classes for the remaining three hours. She continued this way from first grade all the way until 12th. Every six months, her teachers Mandescu conducts the String Orchestra at the Fall Preview. tested her abilities.

Failure was not an option; it meant she would have to find a new school.

“For me, it was kind of very set from six years old that I wanted to do music,” said Mandescu. “It was very easy, what I wanted to do.”

She continued this pursuit at the University of Music in Bucharest, Romania, where she earned a full scholarship.

While she learned many instruments, ranging from the viola, to the piano, to the bass and to the cello, the violin had always remained her forté.

“That was my first love,”

Lucas Tang (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor

said Mandescu. “To just play my violin. To perform.”

At 25, she made the decision to leave Romania.

Before moving to the U.S., however, she performed in professional ensembles like the Giurgiu Symphony and the Radio National Chamber Orchestra.

Despite knowing little English, Mandescu began working toward her master’s degree at Temple University. At the same time, she served as the concertmaster and assistant teacher for Temple Music Prep. By the end of her studies at Temple, she had also earned her teaching certification.

It wasn’t for another 10 years that Mandescu came to the Cherry Hill Public School District. Before this time, she played professionally in ensembles like Symphony C, Reading Symphony and Pottstown Symphony. She also worked freelance, booking performances with names like Frank Sinatra Jr. and Elton John. She even found herself accompanying Broadway shows like “Into the Woods.”

With all of this success, Mandescu still felt a calling to teach. She started at the elementary level, splitting her time between her younger students in the morning and her high school students in the afternoon. Nine years ago, she began dividing her time between Beck Middle School and East, and it has remained that way ever since. In total, Mandescu has worked in the district

for 17 years.

“I feel that we have an amazing music program here, in the Cherry Hill District,” she said. “Weekly lessons, in small groups.

That’s the root of our music program. If those would ever be taken, I don’t see students being as advanced.”

Mandescu focuses on individualized training for her students, and especially for those new to music. By implementing a beginners’ class at Beck, she is able to foster a more productive learning environment.

“This, for us, is golden to have these lessons,” she said.

Mandescu’s work is not confined within the district.

She also instructs Rowan University’s String Orchestra and participates in performance groups like the Bay-Atlantic Symphony and The Philly Pops. With endless commitments and unimaginable stress, Mandescu said one thing has always kept her focused: her love of music.

“This is what I love the most. Knowing that the students keep that love of music for the rest of their lives. And they keep playing, even just for fun. It’s so important,” she said.

That love for the art and impact of music is one that has remained present throughout nearly all of her life and is one that she never plans to let go.

“You have to constantly maintain where you are, and constantly search to play better,” she said. “And that will never stop.”

COMMUNITY

Page 10

EASTSIDE

March 2023

Animal shelters in South Jersey give care for animals in need ■ By Isabelle Berger (‘25)

Eastside Opinions Editor

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, roughly 6.5 million animals enter animal shelters yearly. Animal shelters work hard year-

success. Behind every successful animal shelter are volunteers helping with daily tasks. For animal shelters such as these, having people ready and willing to help is vital.

“We run on all donations,” Margaret said. “So if we didn’t have the incredible support of the community, we wouldn’t even have a shelter.”

Margaret said that volunteers show up to the Ani-

Courtesy of Isabelle Berger

Berger smiles with a dog at the shelter. round to help these animals find loving families, but it is often hard to do on their own.

Thus, for the Animal Orphanage and Animal Welfare Association (AWA), both located in Voorhees, New Jersey, the idea of community is highly encouraged.

Margaret, a staff member at the Animal Orphanage, said that being a “family” is often an idea that is pushed by animal shelter staff. This allows the shelters to open up to the community’s prospective volunteers and adoptive families.

Both the Animal Orphanage and the AWA are nonprofits, which means enforcing a welcoming environment is vital to their

mal Orphanage daily, and she is grateful for them and their willingness to help.

Of the many different available tasks, a shelter volunteer may choose which role they feel comfortable stepping into on any particular day. Doing laundry, walking or socializing with dogs and caring for cats are just some examples of the many important roles of a volunteer on a daily basis.

However, volunteers also assist at fundraisers such as the Animal Orphanage’s annual “Woofstock” event.

“Woofstock” is an event that typically takes place every September 24, and is usually the shelter’s biggest fundraiser. Over 10,000 people are estimated to attend every year, so

it is the perfect opportunity for a prospective volunteer to step in.

Margaret said that seeing the support from everyone who already volunteered regularly was incredible, and that she hopes to see more of it in the future. She is grateful for all of the shelter’s volunteers and believes that the volunteer experience has benefited everyone involved.

“It’s addicting and rewarding at the same time,” Margaret said.

She explained that she used to be a volunteer at the Animal Orphanage, but became so attached to her volunteer work that she decided to pursue working at the shelter as her job.

I also quickly grew close to the idea of working with animals as much as possible. When I first began to visit the Animal Orphanage to volunteer, I “socialized” with some of the dogs.

Socializing with a dog is an opportunity for them to get out of their crate and run around for a certain period of time, as well as a chance for them to get much-needed attention.

While I tend to prefer working with dogs, volunteering with the cats is a similar experience. It benefits any animal to get out of the loud, stressful environment that is a shelter cage.

To be able to work with volunteers outside of these areas can be calming for both dogs and cats, and this can make them more adoptable to potential families.

When I went to the Animal Orphanage recently, I had one-on-one time with a very shy dog.

His name was Arctic, and seeing him slowly come out of his shell as he ran around with me was a great experience.

The truth is, animals like Arctic in shelters often wouldn’t be able to get oneon-one time with people until they were adopted, if it wasn’t for volunteers.

Since the average duration of an animal’s stay in a shelter is 35 days, going without contact could be harmful to a pet’s emotional development. Shelter staff are very hardworking, caring people and I do admire them, yet there is simply not enough time in the day for them to give every animal in the shelter the one-on-one time that the

animals deserve.

Being able to play with a dog like Arctic has prompted me to become more involved in the shelters. That experience, as well as talking with a staff member, made me realize how important it was for dogs to receive attention.

“We usually don’t see dogs come out of their shells as quickly as Arctic did,” said a staff member who wished to remain anonymous.

ter animals), we asked to know more about the volunteer application process.

The steps to becoming a volunteer differ from shelter to shelter. At the Animal Orphanage, you have to be 21 in order to spend time alone with the animals. At the AWA, the age is only 16. Both shelters require you to attend a class explaining how to care for the animals, and it may be a time-consuming process.

In my opinion, I think it’s

Isabelle Berger (‘25)/ Eastside Opinions Editor

Arctic poses for a picture before adoption.

He explained that since Arctic had just arrived in the shelter a week prior to my visit, he was still adjusting to the new environment.

“I wish I had time to give him time every day, because [the attention] is important for his acclimation.

And I try, but it’s hard to do it every day when there are dozens of other dogs that deserve the same attention.”

The staff member emphasized that this is why volunteers are so important: they provide the animals with opportunities to socialize that they would otherwise not have.

After my sister and I grew attached to Arctic (and some of the other shel-

completely worth it to be able to take part in an organization that is so philanthropic.

Volunteering at an animal shelter is one of the most rewarding feelings. As a no-kill shelter, the Animal Orphanage alone has saved the lives of over 36,000 pets since its creation in 1988.

The staff at the Animal Orphanage all say that they would not have been able to achieve this goal without the support that they have received so far. With this support, they can continue to save the lives of animals every day.

Volunteering at an animal shelter can teach invaluable lessons, and you may even find a dog to take home… I might have!

Ellie Noh (‘24)/ Eastside Community Editor

March 2023

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

A Look into Philadelphia’s Chinatown

■ By Rachna Mohan (‘25)

Eastside Online Stem Editor

For some, Chinatown is a place to visit: you can grab a cup of boba, pick up a box of steaming takeout noodles and buy dragon fruit. But, to the more than 3,000 people who live there — and thousands more who count on it for cultural connection — it’s home.

Born in 1870, Philadelphia’s Chinatown’s parameters extend across Arch Street to Vine Street and from 11th Street to 8th Street. As a bustling hub of restaurants, K-beauty stores, and Asian supermarkets, Chinatown represents Hong Kong, Cantonese, Fujianese, Northern Sichuan and Taiwanese cultures, with an addition of Korean, Thai, Malaysian, Burmese, Vietnamese and American ideology mixed in the pot.

The History Behind Chinatown The beginning of Philadelphia’s Chinatown is marked by Lee Fong, a sojourner, who was one of the many who fled “antiChinese sentiment in the west” and relocated east to form small “bachelor societies,” as recorded by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC). At the same time, laundries and restaurants near Philadelphia’s commercial harbors emerged due to Cantonese immigration to Philadelphia. So, for many decades around the 900 block of Race Street, a concentration of Chinese businesses emerged – the cluster soon becoming Chinatown. After World War II, loosened immigration policies toward the Chinese metamorphosed Chinatown into a family-oriented community.

In the coming years, the Asian American community battled against urban renewal plans such as the Vine Street Expressway

in the 1960s. Officially known as Interstate 676, the expressway has split the neighborhood in half, causing a stint in Chinatown’s community development and significantly contributing to air and noise pollution in the area. In 2020, over 100,000 cars and trucks traveled along the expressway daily, according to state traffic counts.

The highway cuts through Chinatown, resulting in children and community members living in unsafe public spaces, with cars, highway traffic and big loading trucks as everyday phenomena in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.

Nevertheless, the neighborhood’s ethos emulates immigration ideology: resilience, hard work and community orientation.

Popular Restaurants

Restaurants like Pho Calí — a Vietnamese restaurant on 1000 Arch Street — continue to thrive.

Similarly, Dim Sum Garden on 1020 Race Street draws in hungry eaters daily; Penang’s — a Malaysian restaurant on 117 N 10th Street — does the same, with many rushing in to have Roti Canai, steaming Pad Thai noodles and crispy spring rolls. Ocean Harbour on 1023 Race Street, a Chinese restaurant, produces authentic dishes like Lo Mein, vegetables seasoned with authentic Chinese spices and handfuls of Bok Choy; not only is Ocean Harbour a place for visitors to experience Chinese culture, but it is a place for the community to rally behind activism to fight Philadelphia’s urban renewal projects, lending a place for community meetings, most recently in De-

cember to discuss a newly proposed basketball arena.

The Future of Chinatown Throughout Chinatown, giant white letters on posters taped to the neighborhood walls read, “Save Chinatown! Basketball Arena: It’s not a done deal!”

This past summer, The Philadelphia Sixers announced plans to build a stadium on 10th and Market streets. Residents fear that if plans for the proposed Sixers Arena are confirmed, the arena will bring displacement of current community members, and local restaurants fear they may be unable to compete with flashy new spots in or next to the complex.

“It is very sad; I don’t like it,” said a restaurant owner.

Many fear that Philadelphia’s Chinatown will disappear, just like Washington DC’s. As a result of urban renewal projects, what was home to 3,000 people in D.C.’s Chinatown is now home to just 300. The Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. is a poster child for Philadelphia’s urban renewal. With Washington’s Asian-American community enduring a second wave of gentrification, many restaurants had to shut their doors due to high rents, no parking, and heavy traffic.

Historically, Asian immigrants created their safe havens out of neglected neighborhoods for their safety and families. Chinatowns originated as a result of trying to seek protection from anti-Asian violence, including government-imposed 6 p.m. curfews and deadlines on moving out or dying during the pre World War I era.

So, many Chinatowns exist because Chinese people had to have somewhere to live. With a 339% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country in 2021, according to an NBC News report, Philadelphia’s Chinatown community fears displacement again at a harrowing moment in the American socio-political cli-

Page 11

mate.

Over 40 Chinatown associations and organizations formally announced the Chinatown Coalition to Oppose the Arena — and joining the coalition is the national civil rights organization Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).

Philadelphia’s AsianAmerican community has continually voiced concerns over the issues posed by gentrification projects to their community — the events revealed a needed evaluation of the more significant problem of urban redevelopment. Nonetheless, urban development has disrupted Chinatown’s social fabric.

“I see the activism from the community... reflect the history of what immigrants have faced in America... I see the pagoda-type buildings, the friendship arch and the celebration during the lunar new year, and I feel my culture, myself protected,” said Matthew Wang (‘25), a ChineseAmerican student at East.

The Sixers developers claim that there are Chinatown groups, business owners and residents who are supportive of the proposed arena. However, many have voiced their concerns and complained that the Sixers are trying to portray a false image of public sentiment in the neighborhood.

Chinatown represents the hard work of Asian immigrants in America to create better lives for themselves. In the face of bitter oppression, strong opposition and racism throughout history, Chinatown has become a cultural symbol of Asian Americans.

“In a way, Chinatown is essentially everything that an American-Born Chinese can relate to and live in — somewhere that you feel connected to the culture, but you don’t feel foreign,” said Wang.

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

Rachna Mohan (‘25)/ Eastside Online STEM Editor

Page 12

EASTSIDE

SPECIAL

March 2023

■ By Gia Gupta (‘24) and Sophia Liu (‘24) Eastside Community Editor and Eastside Features Editor

W

“ hat country is that?” her father asked in confusion.

What he was referring to wasn’t an image of a remote territory or symbolic souvenir. He was referring to a pansexual flag his daughter Ciara Robinson (‘24) had hanging in her room.

Robinson, who is pansexual, has grown up in a family with strong ties to church with

more c o n servat i v e views “ M y m o m grew up going to church every Sunday and the idea that ‘gay people go to hell’ is instilled in her mind,” she said.

As a result of these cultural and generational differences, Robinson says that although her parents are becoming more open-minded,

many members of her family still do not fully understand or support her sexuality.

In an Eastside survey answered by 140 Cherry Hill High School East students, many students have reported similar chasms between their viewpoints and those of older family members. In the survey, 88% of respondents felt that their beliefs, values and opinions differed at least somewhat from those of their parents.

This proportion increased regarding grandparents: 93% of respondents said that their beliefs, values and opinions differed from their grandparents’ to some degree.

Such statistics reveal the extent of the generational gap: the great disparity between the beliefs and behaviors of older generations versus younger ones. To fully understand the consequences of these generational differences, people must

also understand why it exists in the first place.

Today’s society is a diverse one — not only in terms of race, gender, religion and economic backgrounds, but also in terms of age. Grouping society into generations allows individuals to belong to a collective of others who are generally at the same stage in life (eg. teenager, middle-aged adult, retiree) and have lived through the same major historical events.

Although there is no designated point where one generation ends and another begins, today’s individuals have generally been grouped into these six generations: the Silent Generation (individuals born approximately 1945 or before), Baby Boomers (individuals born between 1946-1964), Generation X (born between 1965-1980), Millennials (born between 1981-96), Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) and Generation Alpha (born between 2012 to present).

Each of these generations has been shaped by dissimilar social, political and economic climates, resulting in contrasting values, beliefs and ideals. For example, the Silent Generation is a generation marked by the occurrences of World War II and the Great Depression, while Generation X has been strongly influenced by events such as Watergate, the AIDS epidemic and the dotc o m bubble.

This is im-

portant because, according to The New York Times, the period of time between ages 14 and 24 is the most influential in the shaping of our personal ideologies. While that’s not to say that one’s beliefs stay stagnant into adulthood and old age — they certainly can change .

It is shown that the events that people experience be-

fore they are 18 are three times more powerful and formative as those at age 40, according to a model of presidential voting created by researchers at Catalist, a Democratic data firm, and Columbia University.

Consequently, the generational diversity of today’s society plays a major role in the political and ideological divides that people face today. For East students, these generational differences are most apparent in their relationships with their parents and grandparents, manifesting themselves in discussions about technology, discrimination, mental health, politics, pop culture, and more.

Technology Today’s teenagers, Generation Z, are the first gener-

ation to have grown up on the Internet. While older generations may see modern technology as an unwelcome distraction, most current high schoolers have never known a world without smartphones or social media. While the young are experts when it comes to keeping up the constant flow of new products and updates, this technological revolution has left many older generations behind.

“My grandma talks to my mom on the landline every week,” wrote another. “We have tried to show her the ways of an iPad or a normal iPhone, but due to a generational gap, she could not adapt.”

According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, just 61% of individuals ages 65 or older own a smartphone, compared to 96% of those ages 18 to 29.

Thus, the trite image of the social-media obsessed teen, eyes constantly glued to their phone, has evolved into a popular Gen Z stereotype.

“At home everything is blamed [on] my phone. If I make a mistake, it’s because of my phone. If I get a bad grade, it’s because of my phone,” wrote one student.

Gen Z’s familiarity with technology may also be part of the reason why the divergence between the viewpoints of the young and the old has been so drastic over recent years. With the rise of social media, kids are becoming increasingly exposed to the outside world — to new ideas and opinions — at increasingly young ages.

Discrimination In a world constantly swept up in the current of change, the society in which current East students have grown up is drastically different from that of their parents and grandparents.

Subsequently, Gen Z, a population actively pursuing change to break past rigid sociocultural norms, is found face to face with older generations that learned to accept those very same norms.

Throughout recent years, there has been marked change and advocacy for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and a breaking of the conventional binary for sexual orientation that was forcibly perpetuated for generations. “[Older generations] feel as though this generation (Gen Z) is trying too hard to be different, and are making too many ‘edits’ to society that are more complicated than need be,” wrote one student.

The idea of marriage is one prominent point of disagreement among older and younger generations. While today’s youth have developed diverse ideas about

Juliana Shin (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

March 2023

family structure, many older individuals still cling to the traditional ideals: a mother, a father and children.

“I had a discussion with an adult and they [insisted] that I would change my mind about not pursuing a marriage and not wanting biological children,” wrote one student.

This black and white view also discounts people who do not neatly fit into the traditional two-box view of gender or sexual orientation.

Sexist ideologies continue to additionally pervade in the binarization of “masculine” and “feminine” activities, a dichotomy still reinforced from past generations.

“I am an athlete and I’d say I work out somewhat often, which is a concept my grandmother, who is 93, finds completely obscure because she views fitness and sports as masculine activities,” wrote a student.

Part of the reason younger generations may be more tolerant and accepting towards different identities is because the very society students have grown up in is more diverse.According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse adult generation in history — and Generation Z, the next generation, is even more so. Today’s world is a combination of different cultures and backgrounds, constantly exchanging ideas and interacting with one another.

However, this wasn’t always the case.

“My grandmother talked about growing up in Trenton where every different religious/cultural sect (she is Polish) lived in different areas and only met occasionally,” wrote one student.

“Now, people are so much more integrated with their community and aren’t split into different sectors like that.”

Gen Z’s fight for inclusivity also echoes a larger perception of open-mindedness among the population. In a survey of 140 East students, 69% of students responded that they believed that they were more open-minded than their parents and 79% said that they were more open-minded than their grandparents.

“Any homophobic or racial comments that someone older than me (at home and in the classroom) has made [are] based on nothing but simply ignorance and the need to fit into the ‘society’ that they were brought up in. It’s almost impossible to explain to those individuals why their remarks are not okay or acceptable, and how they have such an unawareness for their surroundings and how their comments

EASTSIDE

can affect younger individuals,” one student wrote.

This is largely explained due to how accustomed attitudes on principal topics — for instance, race — h a v e t r a n s formed significantly over time. Brookings Education reports that between 1958 and now, if a Black family moved to be someone’s nextdoor neighbor, 44% to now 1% would move, and between 1964 and now, 18% to 86% of white people say they have a Black friend. While this demonstrates an incumbent shift towards more inclusive views, it also demonstrates a significant gap between racial ideologies throughout time.

“My grandmother often makes jokes in reference to other races and skin colors and has negative percep-

Page 13

“[My p a r ents and grandparents] view [mental health] as… something that ‘is a you problem’, that isn’t serious at all and that simply makes one weak,” wrote one student. “When I got diagnosed with depression, my parents immediately told me and argued with t h e doctor that nothing was wrong with me and that I simply just have ‘too many emotions.’”

Growing up, older generations were taught that mental health struggles were a sign of weakness, and to just “get over” their troubles. The taboo on mental health and therapy extends across generations and cultures, but perhaps with the recent rise of mental health awareness, the stigma has finally begun to erode.

Politics

tions of different races,” one student wrote.

This misunderstanding of how the tides of change have risen in support for marginalized and misunderstood groups, have left members of one generation pushing for greater waves and members of other generations holding up crumbling walls.

Mental Health Many immigrant parents or grandparents who were subjected to harsh standards and expectations based on their country’s culture inflict the same type of pressure on their children and grandchildren— a pressure with severe physical and emotional consequences.

“My parents believed physical punishment was an acceptable form of discipline because it was what they grew up with in Korea,” one student wrote.

Mirroring the acute focus many countries place on scores and examinations, older generations that come from these backgrounds similarly pressure younger generations to have a steadfast focus on academic achievement, often leading to toxic competition to perform well academically, many times at the expense of mental health.

When students were asked to expand on their experiences with generational differences, different people explained they are transpired “when watching the news,” “during the presidential election,” “talking about politics at home,” and when “grandparents started to say things about politics during dinner.”

The political ideologies of different generations represents a larger movement for younger generations to follow more liberal views, a trend that has been occurring for at least the past 20 years, according to Nick Neauchamp, a professor at Northeastern University, while also shifting away from more conservative views. According to Pew Research Center, most Millennials follow consistently or mostly liberal views. In comparison, the Silent Generation is the only generation where conservative views outweigh liberal views.

Now, with Gen Z able to run for Congress, and the first Gen Z member of Congress Maxwell Frost elected in the November midterm elections, more generations are embracing different political views than did preceding generations. As they pull in opposite directions, not only is political polarization exacerbated but also the divide between different generations’ ideologies as a whole widens, maybe so far, they can’t even see the other side.

Bridging the Gap There’s a saying that “the

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

only constant is change”: time changes, society changes, populations change, individuals change. Popularized ideologies and accepted conventions shift throughout time, but the effects of these changes are not created equal among different generations. New generations emerge in a changing world, while old generations are stuck in the very world that needed changing.

Evidently, there remains a vast gap between different generations, one that is only expected to widen as more years pass. Yet, people will always be interconnected in some way. Approaching differences without comparison (“younger kids have it easier”) and contempt (“ok boomer”), but rather with mutual open-mindedness and empathy, can allow generations to connect with each other with understanding.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can just say [you can] love someone who doesn’t think the same way as you as long as they’re willing to try to listen and try to understand,” said Robinson.

She encourages students to have those tough conversations with their loved ones, even if they’re uncomfortable. Because even when religious, political and overall ideological differences about identity or society as a whole can divide, they can also serve as a stepping stone for understanding. “[My mother and I] have these very long car ride conversations about my friends’ pronouns and she takes a second and she thinks about it, and that’s what matters.”

Whether it’s because of these long car rides or interactions in the workplace or because people sit down at the same dinner table each night, generations find themselves coming together.

Each carries unique values and beliefs, shaped largely by the times they have experienced. Time changes, but these core connections don’t have to. Sometimes you just have to extend your hand with the understanding that even with generations removed, the values that have stood the test of time in bringing humankind forward -- love, family, hope, and kindness -- will continue to bridge it together.

Layout and Infographics by Sophia Liu (‘24)/ Eastside Features Editor

EDITORIAL

Page 14

EASTSIDE

March 2023

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

Summer reading assignments are in need of revision Over the past couple of years, the Cherry Hill Public School District has altered the way it conducts summer reading. In the past, specific books would be assigned to different grade levels based on the upcoming year’s curriculum. In recent years, however, the district has chosen general themes that are uniform amongst all high school grade levels.

As a result, the same books have been assigned to the entire school, with additional books assigned to AP and honors classes.

The district now chooses one general theme for all grade levels in order to build community and “enable people to connect in a way that they may not have connected before,” said Ms. Allison Staffin, District Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.

However, while the intent behind building community upon returning to school is certainly a positive one, it is not necessarily translating amongst students.

Unfortunately, not all students read the assigned books and, of those who do, a large portion skim the text in order to meet the bare minimum

requirements of the designated assignment.

In addition, with the themes changing year by year, the books that remain the same for AP and Honors classes do not necessarily fit in with the theme changes. It makes it difficult for students to complete assignments based on questions that correspond with a theme unrelated to the book.

In a survey distributed to high school students two years ago, administrators tried to determine what students were interested in reading about. While Staffin said it was successful, no additional surveys have been administered.

Eastside believes it would be beneficial to distribute new surveys that would allow administrators to see what students are currently interested in.

While Eastside acknowledges the district’s efforts to listen to student interests on what they want to learn and read about, this is an example as to how there are still flaws in the current summer reading system.

Staffin says that summer reading assignments are currently in place to “keep

students fresh and engaged in skills that have been learned.” Some of these skills may include annotation and critical analysis.

In regard to how these skills translate to class, Mr. Ted Beatty, East’s English Department Supervisor, said, “different teachers have freedom to explore… the summer text in different ways.”

While some teachers may choose to spend weeks on the summer text and have in-depth class discussions, others will spend merely a day or two on the summer reading assignments and may simply check students’ notes to make sure that they are complete.

Thus, for students who choose to complete the assignments over the summer, it becomes difficult to predict exactly what will be expected of them when they return to school because teachers choose to use the assignments in different ways. In order to resolve this issue and perhaps even encourage more students to read the assigned texts, it would be more beneficial if the district were to create a uniform way for teachers to address summer reading upon students returning to

school.

If the district were to incorporate more teacher voice in regard to how summer reading should be handled upon returning to school, it may allow for more uniformity. Because teachers are in the classroom, they have a better understanding of the classroom procedure for summer reading.

Eastside believes teachers should play a bigger role in creating summer reading curriculum assignments and selecting the books that students read.

For the upcoming 20232024 school year, the district plans to have a Green Reads and Sustainability theme, as a result of the aforementioned survey.

Eastside believes that the district has done a sufficient job of listening to students’ interests, but moving forward, there is still some room for improvement.

Teacher voice should be at the forefront of the summer reading conversation; hopefully, with teacher voice in the conversation and being prioritized, a more concrete plan of how summer reading is addressed upon students’ return can be implemented.

Cherry Hill High School 1750 Kresson Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Phone: (856) 4242222, ext. 2087

Eastside Online www.eastsideonline.org

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Letters to the Editor Submit signed letters to F087.

Katherine Li (‘23) and Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Directors

Eastside 2022-2023 Editorial Board Managing Editor: Abby Yu Editors-in-Chief: Brielle Lampf, Aiden Rood, Alena Zhang Online Editors-in-Chief: Vivian Rong, Lauren Winslow Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi News Editors Jillian Koenig Izzy Sobel

Sports Editors Shayna Oppen Julia Sitnick

Features Editors Emily Boyle Sophia Liu

Opinions Editors Isabelle Berger Manar Hadi

Culture Editors Michelle Bookbinder Julia Rosten

Global Commentary Editors Batul El Barouki Matthew Rentezelas

Community Editors Gia Gupta Ellie Noh Art Directors Katherine Li Melissa Vital

Media Directors Natalie Finkelstein Karina Gupta

Online News Editor Ella Hampton

Online Sports Editor Adam Borenstein

Online Features Editor Ava Crawley

Online Opinions Editor Asher Boiskin

Online Culture Editor Ella Goodstadt Online Community Editor Taylor Goodman

Photo Editors Jiwoo Lee Lucas Tang

Online Global Commentary Editor Enis Ercan Online STEM Edtior Rachna Mohan

Business Managers Lauren Greenberg Molly Grossman

Social Media Manager Ava Richman

COMICS

March 2023

EASTSIDE

Page 15

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OPINIONS

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EASTSIDE

March 2023

New study hall policy at East leads to mixed feelings ■ By Ayal Englander (‘24) Eastside Staff

Starting the second semester of the 20222023 school y e a r , C h e r r y Hill High School East made a dramatic change to how study hall periods are run.

Instead of the now-accustomed practice of reporting to the cafeterias or library annex, students now have been assigned to a classroom.

According to East principal Dr Dennis Perry, reasons for the change come down to better monitoring and control of the students.

“The cafeteria became problematic for the teachers to supervise because there are so many exterior doors to [it],” said Perry.

Perry said students took advantage of their capability to enter and exit their assigned study halls without punishment.

As a result, there were frequent instances of skipping or arriving late to their study halls, wandering around the hallways without purpose and more.

The new changes may prevent teachers from having to deal with these problems, but they force new ones to arise.

“The atmosphere feels very different. It feels isolating because before within the cafeteria you were free to do what you wanted, like to move to a different table. But when you’re in a classroom with

individual desks it’s harder to be relaxed,” said Saagar Shah (‘24), a student who has been moved from his study hall in Cafeteria 2 to a classroom in B-Wing.

Saagar and many other students feel that the new policies go against the very purpose of study hall: a break from the rapid monotony of the usual classes.

Being forced into yet another classroom is, as he says, isolating.

“When you’re in a classroom it doesn’t really feel like a break, it feels like a class, which isn’t really the point of study hall for me,” said Saagar.

Perry and some teachers disagree with many students’ take on what the purpose of study halls should actually be. Perry said that study halls are supposed to be an opportunity for students to get work done and study.

My study hall, like Saagar´s, has also been changed. I used to be in the library annex and now go to the third floor.

Comparatively, I find this terribly inconvenient for getting around and feel that the choice of how to use my study hall has been taken away.

Personally, I spend the large majority of my time in study hall accomplishing schoolwork, but I can recognize other students who’d prefer a break in the day.

I was able to accomplish work just as well when I was in the Annex, but now all students are forced into quiet environments where work is compulsory.

Some teachers who have

been moved feel otherwise, as the transition makes monitoring students and controlling their behavior far easier.

“I prefer the classrooms because I can get to know the students better in a smaller group, and I feel like in the common spaces, for example in the annex, people come in to print and it’s disruptive and loud,” said Ms. Elizabeth Endres, who has also been moved from the annex to a classroom.

The teachers’ perspective on the issue is a matter of accountability for what goes on in these study halls.

The common areas just don’t provide the environ-

ment they need to effectively monitor students.

Endres even claims she feels safer in a classroom than in the annex.

While this may not apply to all students and all teachers, it seems study halls staying in common areas gave students a sense of freedom not available in other parts of their school day. And now, that has been stripped.

On the other hand, teachers still feel the classroom study halls help with both productivity and accountability.

What the debate comes down to is the simple question: what is the purpose of study hall?

Some wish for a break in the day while others believe in a silent time to get work done. Nobody likes such a drastic change in a policy they personally feel is working, so upset students were inevitable.

The study hall policy we started this year allows all students to use study hall as they please, whether that’s for work or a time to give their brain a welldeserved rest.

Now, students are forced into the former.

Everyone’s feelings are important and deserve to be heard, but despite how many students may feel, it looks like the change is here to stay.

Liam Butler (‘25)/ Eastside Staff

Students in study halls are more productive thanks to the new policy.

Students should not be required to stop for the Pledge ■ By Ross Koenig (‘24) Eastside Staff

“Stop walking!”

“Recite the Pledge!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

These are some of the many phrases heard by students on the verge of being late to school each day.

A student who is in the hallway during the Pledge is already late to class.

Teachers, many of whom may believe that they are doing the right thing, reprimand students who don’t stop walking in the hallway for the duration of the Pledge of Allegiance.

By doing so, they are also ensuring that the student is even later.

But do these teachers have any ground at all to do this?

Some teachers may still argue that continuing to walk during the Pledge is disrespectful to our country’s values.

But in reality, teachers should not have authority to stop students from walking through the hallways during the Pledge.

In fact, doing so actually undermines the freedoms that offended teachers claim to promote.

The legal basis for student’s right to not participate in the Pledge has been defended by the courts in

many instances.

In the West Virginia v.

Barnette case, for example, the Supreme Court found that students cannot be forced to recite the pledge in public schools.

Student’s right to not recite the pledge is protected under the first amendment’s right to freedom of speech.

Teachers, therefore, have no authority to enforce student’s participation in the pledge.

They cannot make a student speak the pledge, so are they allowed to demand that a student stops walking for the duration of the announcement?

Legally, students are also not required to stop walking or stay silent for the pledge.

In the case Tinker v. Des Moines, the Supreme Court further found that students do not lose their first amendment rights when attending public schools.

The Court ruled that students retain their rights to freedom of speech and expression and that requiring students to stop walking or speaking during the Pledge is a clear violation of this.

Teachers maintain the authority to prohibit students from engaging in behavior that is disruptive to the educational process.

However, the claim that

walking in the hall during the pledge counts as disruptive behavior is simply invalid.

School officials have to be able to justify on a caseby-case basis whether a student’s conduct is causing a substantial disruption to the educational process; doing so for the Pledge would be difficult for school officials who generally lack the basis to prove it.

There is also the argument that not participating in the Pledge undermines respect for the country or its symbols and values.

While this may seem logical at first, as aforementioned, forcing a student to recite it actually undermines the values of our country more.

By allowing students to express their beliefs and make their own choices, our school promotes understanding, respect and individual freedoms amongst its community.

Almost all students do participate in the Pledge, and have no problem stopping in the hall to recite it.

Endangering the freedoms of the small group that chooses not to participate in the Pledge endangers the freedoms of everyone in our school.

Infographic by Isabelle Berger and Manar Hadi (‘25)/ Eastside Opinions Editors

March 2023

Interims are in need of reform

■ By Asher Boiskin (‘24) Eastside Online Opinions Editor

Interims, which are officially labeled as “Progress Reports” on Genesis, are generally released at the halfpoint of each marking period.

They include a list of a student’s classes and grades, though occasionally they also include comments from teachers about one’s classroom performance.

For the most part, interims prove beneficial. They provide students with an organized and standardized report of their grades.

Prior to interims, students oftentimes cannot find an accurate report of their academic progress — even by checking Genesis — which makes such a report all the more useful.

Interims can also provide teachers with a chance to communicate something with a student and their guardians.

Teachers can select a message from a predetermined list to to put on their students’ interims.

Still, interims have a number of pitfalls. For example, some teachers will wait until the interim deadline to input grades, meaning that a student may not know their scores for the first few weeks of a marking period.

Such a scenario can prove challenging, especially for a student who wants to know their placement in a class. Some students may believe interims, because of this reason, ultimately are not useful.

Furthermore, many teachers may not seize the opportunity to put comments on interims. If utilized, comments could indicate to a student how they are or should be participating in class.

It’s important to note, however, that teachers are limited with what they can comment on their interims.

Teachers, for example, can comment that a “student demonstrates good effort and conduct.”

Teachers cannot put in comments for students that are geared toward their performance specifically.

Interims, therefore, have unrealized potential.

If the administration allowed teachers to personalize comments, teacher and student communications would improve.

Students would also be more aware of where they need to improve and where they are being successful in their classes, instead of receiving the same generic comments or no comments from their teachers every marking period.

Ultimately, if the administration actively required teachers to input grades into Genesis, interims could serve as a medium for communication rather than a grade-input deadline.

OPINIONS EASTSIDE

Page 17

A lack of bus drivers is harmful to students ■ By Isabelle Berger (‘25) Eastside Opinions Editor

When the start of the 2022-2023 school year began, so did a new routine regarding transportation.

A newfound lack of bus drivers forced the district to use two different bus companies in order to maintain efficiency, which led to an unintentional - yet substantial - decrease in communication.

Because of this, substitute bus drivers have often been needed throughout the school year.

Although they are readily available most of the time, there are sometimes occasions where a spare bus may not become available when they are needed.

For the last few months, students on several separate buses have had to wait outside in the cold until their buses finally made an appearance. Not only is this terribly inconvenient, but it is often uncomfortable, as the buses may be up to half an hour late. If the temperatures were to drop low enough, it may

even be unsafe for students to wait outside for such a long period of time.

And sometimes, substitute bus drivers do not show up at all.

In fact, buses at Cherry Hill High School East have resorted to making multiple trips since they are legally not allowed to exceed the

time to let him in, and it really just throws off [both] of our schedules.”

The student says that her bus’s inconsistent timing makes it hard to plan for out-of school activities, and is an annoyance overall. If her transportation schedule continues as

over five years, and says that he has never had an issue being there on time for his students.

“When there’s one specific driver, they get to know [the routine]. And I’d say it’s pretty effective ‘cause I’ve never been late,” he said.

If every bus had a consistent bus driver, buses would be easier to manage.

Y e t there simply aren’t enough bus drivers when there should be, and this leaves unsuspecting students to deal with the repercussions on their own.

The district’s transportation website claims that they are “committed to providing transportation services as consistently and efficiently as possible.”

They simply will not be able to do this without enough bus drivers available for students.

54-passenger capacity. Some buses also carry an average of 50 students, making it difficlt for a student to switch buses.

“We have different drivers a lot, and sometimes they show up late,” said an anonymous student whose bus was hardly ever on time until recently. “I’ll have to text my little brother that I won’t be home in

it is, she may be forced to switch onto an already crowded bus.

Although switching buses entirely should be considered a last resort, it may become the only option for some students who do not wish to wait on their buses every day.

A bus driver who wished to remain anonymous claims that consistency is the key to efficiency. He has been a bus driver for

and working with the Data Committee in order to gather student opinion.

The survey results will then be discussed at Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings where some of the student body leaders, teachers and administrators meet to discuss student concerns.

Teachers and administrators are able to view the thoughts students have and take them into mind.

They are also able to apply these ideas into their lessons and to themselves.

Specifically, the academics committee has been working on the issue of whether phones should be utilized in class or not.

Surveys are being created and the results will be given to the teachers.

These results will play a huge part in the decision of phone usage in class, as many teachers are having problems with students using their phone in class.

Yet at the same time, many students want to be able to retain their phone access. Just from this one initiative, SGA does play a vital role at East.

While the student body SGA handles issues regarding the entire school, grade level SGA works to plan and publicize enjoyable events, create and sell apparel, and raise money. Additionally, each grade has its own dance.

At all of these dances, SGA is in charge of deciding the theme, decorations, food, layout of the setting and more. A more crucial responsibility of the grade level SGA is its ability to fundraise.

Throughout the year, grade representatives and

officers meet together to to publicize and execute discuss ways to fundraise events for the student body and how to publicize these to enjoy, but I’ve also seen fundraisers. The money them collaborate to solve raised is utilized to better problems. SGA has its flaws events. and is subject to criticism Examples include proms, for them; however, it is still homecomings and spirit an essential part of Cherry week activities. PublicizHill East. ing these events is far more difficult than you m i g h t initially expect.

In order to make an event known to the more t h a n 2 , 1 0 0 students, SGA officers take on an unexpectedly strenuous duty.

I ’ v e seen how our student leaders have brought attention to not only events at East but also some of the issues that the student body faces.

I ’ v e seen how our officers and representatives h a v e Courtesy of Crystal Yeh (‘24) worked h a r d SGA serves the East student body.

Art by Isabelle Berger (‘25)/ Eastside Opinions Editor

The student government deserves more credit ■ By Manar Hadi (‘25)

Eastside Opinions Editor

T h e Student Government Association (SGA) has always taken a prominent role in Cherry Hill East’s community.

Student leaders are able to take charge and work with administrators in order to execute fun events, gather and preach student opinion, and fundraise money to enhance these events.

As one of the sophomore class Vice Presidents, I am able to see all of this up close.

There is a misconception some students carry that SGA is irrelevant and adds no value to East. Some students may believe that what SGA does doesn’t always concern the student body.

However, I am here to say that this is completely false. The misconception that SGA’s duties are futile to East comes from the lack of awareness of what SGA does. This year, the schoolwide SGA has created committees led by each schoolwide leader that work on improving specific aspects of East. This includes mental health awareness, academics, sports and performing arts, and health and wellness.

Each committee consists of SGA representatives, officers and passionate students that have been meeting to discuss solutions to the problems arising in these departments. We have been creating surveys

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March 2023

GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

Page 19

Japanese whale vending machines spark controversy

■ By Matthew Rentezelas (‘23)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

The street corners of Japanese cities are often inhabited by vending machines with an outstanding variety of goods. The machines can hold products ranging from basic snacks and refreshments to mystery boxes and even underwear. While the majority of the machines are typically innocent in nature, the development of new whale meat vending machines has sparked controversy and debate worldwide.

Whaling in Japan dates as far back as the Jomon Period (13,000-300 BCE), but mass whaling operations were not conducted in the nation until around the 17th century. The prime historic purpose of whale hunting in Japan was to secure the highly sought after meat products. However, the industrial revolution of the 1800s saw the demand for whale products skyrocket.

Nations all across the globe rushed to hunt whales at high rates during the period in order to reach demand. Whale blubber was commonly used for products such as fuel for oil lamps and soap, while whalebones were an essential material for manufacturing in the popular corset industry.

As numbers skyrocketed, whales became increasingly endangered and rare.

Thankfully, whale-hunting

restrictions during the 1900s allowed whale populations to slowly move back to their pre-industrial revolution numbers. In 1986, for example, Japan prohibited whaling except for the purpose of scientific research.

While this development seemed very beneficial, the UN’s International Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that Japanese whaling efforts had not actually abided by rules of scientific research. Many anti-whaling Japanese figures claimed that the whole operation was merely a front to continue whale meat harvesting without as much public outrage.

Regardless of the true intent of the 1986 change, the Japanese government has once again changed its stance and allowed for commercial whale hunting to resume operations. The decision was met with extreme backlash from both anti-whaling Japanese citizens and environmentalists at large. Because of the controversy surrounding the decision, many Japanese supermarkets have outright refused to carry whale products in their stores, leaving whaling corporations without an easy way to sell.

What was the solution of the whaling corporation Kyodo Senpaku Co? Look to the vending machines.

Spokespeople from the company have stated that vending machines have provided an easy way to

finding stores to carry their products. The company believes that introducing the machines to the

steak—will restore public love toward the rare delicacy.

Kyodo Senpaku Co. may have a long road ahead of them, however. In recent years, whale consumption has dropped below a fraction of one percent of all meat consumption in the nation.

Despite this fact, the company hopes to open over one hundred stores throughout the nation in the near future (only a few are currently up and running).

Today, only a few nations, such as Iceland, Norway and Japan, still engage in large scale whaling. While it’s unlikely that corporations in this small handful of countries could lead to total extinction, the hunting of whales presents many environmental concerns, especially in the age of climate change. Whales play a vital role in marine ecosystems by spreading vital nutrients that support phytoplankton populations.

Phytoplankton absorb large amounts of human carbon emissions and any decline in their numbers presents an even greater threat to the planet’s safety and security. With this in mind, countries of the world should do their best to not only avoid hunting whales, but also engage in practices that don’t harm their general quality of life and ecosystems.

market whale products without much cost to the company or concerns about

public—which carry whale sashimi, whale bacon, whale skin and whale

media platforms, especially Twitter, had been limiting free speech. With buying Twitter, it was known that Musk had plans to change things at Twitter.

Jack Dorsey, one of the co-founders of Twitter and the face representing Twitter during the buyout, sold the company for 44 billion dollars, but since the sale, life at Twitter has been rocky.

Since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, he has promptly fired about half of its employees, including CEO Parag Agrawal and policy director Vijaya Gadde.

Since then, others have turned in their resignations as well.

Something that has been debated amongst the public has been the change Musk has implemented to the verification process on Twitter.

Prior to the change, amid gaining popularity, Twitter users would receive a blue check mark next to their name, signaling that it is their “true” account.

However, about 420,000 users have this blue checkmark, so Musk wants to do something about it. Instead of simply giving people their blue check mark, Musk has said that he will now charge $8 dollars per month for people to have their blue check mark.

A lot of the public has been extremely frustrated over this change because most anyone can buy the blue check mark, no matter their popularity. For exam-

ple, if Taylor Swift wanted President Trump had amount of backlash, but it to buy the blue check mark, casted doubt on the validity does not seem as though he she could, but another perof the election, and Twithas any concrete plans of son who has no relation to ter had banned him. Musk stepping down. her could as well.

This person could then, theoretically, create a Twitter account using her name, and the public would not know whose account is handled by the real Taylor Swift.

Another popular point of contention amongst the public is how Musk has been banning people’s accounts based on the belief that they are doxxing.

In mid December, journalists like Ryan Mac from The New York Times and Drew Harwell from the Washington Post had been suspended on account of doxxing. However, others believe that these journalists were simply reporting on news.

In relation to his plans to allow for free speech, though, some are excited, especially conserBatul El Barouki (‘23)/ Eastside Global Commentary Editor vatives, about his Screenshots showcase Musk’s controversial Tweets. allowance for people like former President however, is open to welcomDespite the rocky atTrump to have their acing Trump back. mosphere at the company counts back. President It does not appear as right now, Twitter continTrump had previously been though the former presiues to be one of the most banned for life on account dent has any plans of rewidely used social media of his comments regarding turning, though. platforms all around the the previous presidential Amid all of these changworld and will still be a election. es, Musk has faced a good part of people’s daily lives.

Art by Katherine Li (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

Elon Musk institutes changes after Twitter takeover ■ By Brielle Lampf (‘23) Eastside Editor-In Chief

Social media platforms have taken the world by storm. Applications like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and more have become integral to people’s daily lives, but perhaps no other application has been as significant as Twitter.

Twitter first became available to the public in July of 2006 when creators Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass decided it was time to create another tool for people to communicate with others on the internet publically.

From Presidents like Barack Obama and Donald Trump utilizing the platform, to it being the founder of the popular ‘hashtag’, Twitter has certainly made its mark on the modern age.

This is why Elon Musk, the richest man in the United States, taking control of the company is such a huge deal.

In mid-April of 2022, Elon Musk started hinting at his intent to buy the popular social media company.

On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk officially bought the platform.

According to Musk, the reason behind his purchase of Twitter was due to the fact that he wanted “to help humanity,” and he said this in relation to free speech.

Musk has made it known prior to his purchase of the app that he felt that social

Page 20

GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

March 2023

Tyre Nichols dies at the hands of Memphis police officers ■ By Enis Ercan (‘24)

Eastside Online Global Editor

On January 7, yet another chapter in America’s brutal saga regarding police brutality unfolded. In what seemed like very much an arbitrary traffic stop, as many as five police officers rushed out from their cruisers to surround the vehicle of Memphis, Tennessee citizen Tyre Nichols, 29.

Although Nichols had been flagged down by the police for “reckless driving,” according to the Memphis Police Department, the conduct of the police officers was far too excessive for such a small offense.

Furthermore, in a statement a few weeks after the incident, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis stated that investigators of the incident could find no evidence to confirm that Nichols was indeed driving recklessly prior to the stop.

Released by the Memphis Police Department on January 27, 20 days after the event occurred, body cam footage put the entire debacle on full display to the public. Officers yelling obscenities rushed Nichols’ car, dragging the unresisting man out and laying him on the ground, threatening to tase him. Contradictory orders were shouted from multiple officers at Nichols, who attempted to communicate to the officers that he

had no violent intentions and was complying.

“Alright, alright” he can be heard in a placating tone saying multiple times throughout the video in an attempt to get the officers to de-escalate. But the officers don’t listen, continuing to shout obscenities, conflicting orders, and threats of violence.

One of the officers acts on his threat, spraying Nichols with pepper spray.

Finally, Nichols seems to have a ment a l break a n d b o l t s free of the officers, running away. Minutes later, officers recaptured Nichols and put him under arrest, all while violently kicking and punching the man, including in areas like the head, neck and face. Nichols required an ambulance to transport him to the hospital, where he died three days later due to injuries inflicted on him during the arrest.

The event is not a standalone incident by any means. In 2020, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police officers mistakenly raiding her home as part of a drug bust operation. In 1999,

Amadou Diallo, standing in front of his apartment door, was fatally shot by four plain clothes police officers after one of them mistook Diallo reaching for his wallet as an attempt

to procure a firearm. Most notably, in 2020, unarmed George Floyd was killed at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck and back for over nine minutes, while the prone Floyd begged the officer to relent, claiming that he couldn’t breathe.

Similarly to the aftermath of the incidents described above, the killing of Tyre Nichols

sparked protests in Memphis. However, the protests were by and large peaceful, and, other than the shutting down of Interstate 55 highway on the night of the video’s release, had no effect on the operation of public life.

Part of this can be attributed to the Memphis police department’s due handling of the situation. Prior to the

videos’ release, Chief Davis briefed the public that what they were about to see was unjustified, disturbing and inhumane, all while urging protestors to remain peaceful and law-abiding.

This same request was echoed by the family of Tyre Nichols. And, crucially, all five of the participatory officers were fired, then criminally charged for second degree murder and kidnapping.

The Memphis police department has taken one step more. The men that beat Tyre Nichols were part of the department’s Scorpion Unit, an elite crack force tasked with patrolling Memphis’ high crime areas. Acknowleding longheld concerns that such units are often responsible for civilian death, the Memphis police department officially disbanded its Scorpion Unit.

While the response of the Memphis Police Department to the Nichols case is laudable, questions continue to linger over how and why this case ever occurred in the first place. In a country rocked yearly by police killings of civilians, one must look closely toward the system that produces such potential for tragedy.

Police reform must continue to be an active topic of discussion for this country.

Art by Katherine Li (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

Protests emerge in the midst of Chinese ‘Zero-COVID’ policy ■ By Enis Ercan (‘24) Eastside Online Global Editor

In late November, an apartment fire broke out in the Chinese city of Urumqi in the country’s westernmost province of Xinjiang.

Ten people died in the fire, while nine were injured.

One reason for the magnitude of the casualty list was due to China’s nationwide zero-Covid policies, which enact strict lockdowns alongside digital tracking and draconian government enforcement in an attempt to quell the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Inhabitants of the apartment were apparently unable to escape the fire in a short time due to the COVID-19 procedures in place.

While seemingly a local affair, the news of the tragedy was posted on social media and proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The Chinese public, sick and tired of months of severe crackdowns that at times kept them from leaving their homes for even basic amenities such as food, rose up in protest.

Anti zero-Covid demonstrations spread rapidly across China, with 17 major cities including Beijing and Shanghai engulfed in protests, according to an analysis made by CNN on December 2. The aim of the protests ranged from mere antagonism to zero-Covid policy to cries to bring down China’s autocratic President Xi Jinping from power. Whatever their divergent goals, protesters were all united by their

joint distrust and dislike of their nation’s government. In fact, raising a blank white sheet of paper in protest became a catchall symbol of resistance to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) among protesters, with the blank sheets of paper symbolizing the many demands of the Chinese people unable to be iterated due to government repression.

The Chinese government’s response was along the lines of its standard procedure against protests — armed police officers and riot control squads forcibly dispersed crowds, with individuals being arrested and detained. Many Chinese protesters taken into custody detailed human rights abuses and police brutality in exclusive interviews with major news outlets such as CNN or BBC. In what is becoming another hallmark of protests in the modern age, many of the protests in China were organized through correspondence between protesters via encrypted messaging apps and the use of VPNs. As a result, despite the Chinese government’s harsh crackdown on the protests, the CCP was unable to fully stem resistance, and the issue only continued to exacerbate in major cities for nearly two weeks.

Seeing no end in sight, the Chinese government marked a milestone in the country’s recent history by taking a step down in the face of public outcry. By the order of President Xi Jinping, on December 7, the

Courtesy of Kevin Frayer/ Getty Images

Protestors hold up blank pieces of paper in protest of the Chinese government. zero-Covid policy saw its virtual end, with many draconian measures substantially reduced.

Infected individuals in China may now quarantine within their homes rather than be forced to relocate to oftentimes poorly staffed government facilities.

Lateral flow tests and rapid tests are replacing the longer and more inconvenient PCR tests at many public venues, and the need for screening is lifted in many locations, albeit still in pplace at schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Quarantined areas may now be limited simply to individual buildings rather than entire neighborhoods

or cities. In addition, the government’s stringent digital tracking system to isolate close contacts of infected persons has been loosened.

Also, in a major step down, air travel abroad now seams increasingly possible for Chinese citizens. While China’s remaining regulations and controls may still seem severe to many in countries like the United States, where federalscale quarantines to curb the spread of the pandemic has long been a thing of the past, they nevertheless mark a major deescalation of China’s fight against COVID-19.

What the death of zero-

Covid means for China is still uncertain. While the nation celebrates its breath of freedom, many disease experts worldwide now warn of the threat of a new major influx of COVID-19 cases both within and without the country due to laxening measures and international travel via Chinese nationals.

Furthermore, many wonder as to whether this marks a true government step down or if this is only a temporary measure aimed at reducing national unrest, to be followed by more brutal measures. Only time will tell, but for now, a trip by airplane may be in order for many.

March 2023

CULTURE EASTSIDE

Page 21

Pompeo leaves Grey’s Anatomy after 19 seasons ■ By Lauren Greenberg (‘24)

Eastside Business Manager

“I love you. I don’t want to live without you. You changed my life.”

That is the unanimous feeling of fans, and those words are an adequate expression of their admiration for star Ellen Pompeo in just fourteen words.

This is the end of an era. For millions of viewers worldwide and after countless years of production, the iconic “Grey’s Anatomy” star Pompeo has decided to leave the show. What happens next when the Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy” leaves?

Only time will tell, but for now, a recap of the history of the award-winning television series is in order.

Medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” features a set of interns as they embark on their journey to the top

of the hierarchy of Seattle the top, becoming the Chief Through the course of Grace, now Grey Sloan Meof General Surgery. With the show, some people have morial, Hospital. Having plot twists along the way, argued that the idea of credebuted on March 27, 2005, she is a picture of resiliency ating a spin-off will draw t h e in new viewers; drama however, others series say it is time for focuses the whole show to on procall it quits. Now, tagoafter 19 seasons, n i s t Pompeo is hangM e r ing up her ferry edith boat scrub cap on Grey, screen, but in a played recent interview b y with Drew BarryPommore, she revealed peo, as more. a surPompeo plans gical to be an executive intern producer of “Grey’s findAnatomy” and also ing her dip into other aso w n pects of television.

Jiwoo Lee (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor idenWhat will the t i t y Pompeo starred on Grey’s Anatomy for over 15 years. future hold for after her mother’s legacy. for continuing on her path “Grey’s Anatomy?” How Sharpening her own presdespite struggles faced in will it be structured to keep ence on screen, Grey rose to tragedy after tragedy. the audience engaged after

its lead star leaves? Upon the news of Pompeo leaving in season 19’s fall finale, many fans reacted with disapproval after decades of loyalty to the Shonda Rhimes series. As ABC’s longest running television series, the plot has limited screen time for Pompeo and forecasts her exit having to do with work with a costar in Boston for a job in Alzheimer’s research.

Grey has been the one constant throughout the course of the plotline. The disembarkation of Grey comes with sadness, but in the end, hope remains for special appearances on the show in the future.

With teasers on what the departure will look like and when, the official Instagram account announced, “On February 23, one chapter ends and a new one begins.”

“Lift Me Up,” was released on October 28, 2022, for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She did not play this song during her performance and opted for her older, more nostalgic and well-known songs.

During an interview with Apple Music, the “Diamonds” singer shared that the hardest part was “deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate.”

“You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes, so it’s difficult,” she added.

This show was especially unique as it was the first halftime performance sponsored by Apple Music. Pepsi had been the sponsor of the halftime show since 2012.

The show started off with the hit single, “B**** Better Have My Money,” when Rihanna was first seen in a monochromatic red outfit. Fans speculated as to whether the red was purposeful to show her sup-

Rihanna returns to the stage at Super Bowl 57 port for the Chiefs, or if it was pre-planned before the teams were announced.

As she rose on a glowing platform, her backup dancers in white, puffy outfits, appeared on tiered platforms next to her and on the stage below her.

With a seamless transition into “Where Have You Been,” she lowered down and joined her dancers in small, simple movements.

This was when fans got suspicious of a potential pregnancy announcement.

Her gentle steps and hand gestures around her stomach did not go unnoticed either, and soon after performing, the announcement was made.

She remained floating on the platform for “Only Girl in the World” and was lowered to the stage as fireworks exploded with the beginning beats of “We Found Love.” Again, she did very limited movement and the camera focused on her

backup dancers.

“Rude Boy” and “Work” were performed next, and unique, intricate choreography was featured. The dancers slowly surrounded the pop star on both sides, with interesting formations and illusions.

“Wild Thoughts” played next as Rihanna strutted down the center of the stage to her spot during “Pour It Up.” During this song, she both sat and danced.

To many fans’ surprise, the next song was “All of the Lights.” Since it’s a collaboration with Kanye West, it was not predicted to be included in the set list. Backup dancers ran across and flooded the field.

Here, she was seen “fixing” her makeup with Fenty Beauty (her makeup brand) products.

After “All of the Lights” came “Run This Town” and “Umbrella.” For “Umbrella,” the white stage lights turned blue and Rihanna

was seen in a large, red hooded cape.

She closed off the show with arguably her most well-known song, “Diamonds.” She lit up the stage and slowly rose for her exit. Shortly after her performance, her representative, Amanda Silverman, confirmed the pregnancy rumors. Little has been shared about the pregnancy, but fans suspect she is past the four-month mark.

The 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance was certainly one to remember.

Rihanna, as always, put on an entertaining and fun show.

of Skywalker.” He also directed 2009’s “Star Trek.”

Amidst her father’s promiAlthough she may be the nence in the industry, Graproduct of nepotism, Gracie cie Abrams was able to set Abrams can truly hold her herself aside from her famown. On February 24, 2023, ily fame and create a name Abrams released her for herself. first studio album, Abrams initiated “Good Riddance.” her career by uploadOver recent years, ing original songs Abrams has released and covers to her Inan array of singles stagram. Her popuand built a strong and larity began to skyloyal fanbase. The rocket, which led her star is only 23, yet to upload her music she is already carving to the music-sharing out a major spot for app Soundcloud, and herself in the music this helped her sign a industry. deal with Interscope Abrams’s muRecords. The record sic consists of soft, deal resulted in her dreamy vocals that first single, “Mean express thoughts on It,” released in 2019. her relationships, inHer first major securities and more. project was her 2020 A majority of her EP, “Minor.” The songs have a hint of EP consists of sevmelancholy sadness, Courtesy of Genius en songs, the most while others take on The Good Riddance Tour started on prominent being an indie-pop identity. March 6, 2023.

“21” and “I miss you, The young star is I’m sorry.” Abrams’s the daughter of film/ EP helped to estabTV producer Katie McGrath lish her signature sound:

a minimalist, indie style of pop music.

Abrams continued her steady release of singles in 2021 by delivering “Unlearn” and “Mess It Up” to listeners. The pop artist collaborated with singer and producer Benny Blanco on her breakthrough single “Unlearn.” This served as a major step forward for Abrams’s career.

The year 2021 also saw the release of Abrams’s sophomore EP, titled “This Is What It Feels Like.” The EP includes twelve songs, and major producers.

The EP was the catalyst that helped Abrams’s career to take-off. “Feels Like,” the lead single, saw popularity on TikTok, and it received a massive number of streams on music services. The EP broadened Abrams’s audience and increased her monthly listeners on services like Spotify.

In 2022, Abrams released two singles: “Block me out,” and “Difficult.” These singles built anticipation

for her first album, “Good Riddance.” The album has twelve tracks, three of which have already been released, including “Difficult” as well as recent tracks, “Where do we go now?” and “Amelie.” “Where do we go now?” is the lead single on the album, featuring minimalistic, meaningful vocals and lyrics that help shape the identity of the album.

In similar fashion to the lyrics, the music video for the single is intentionally simple yet artfully produced.

On February 10, 2023, Abrams dropped “Amelie,” the second single from “Good Riddance.” The poignant song immediately began to trend on social media as listeners discussed how achingly painful and relatable the lyrics are.

Abrams will also be opening 30 of the shows on The Eras Tour for Taylor Swift.

Gracie Abrams has truly made a name for herself in the music business and her future is endless,

■ By Julia Rosten (‘24)

Eastside Culture Editor

“We found love’’ in Rihanna’s 2023 halftime show performance. The nine-time Grammy winner, 12-time Billboard Music Award winner and 13-time American Music Awards winner stole the show at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. With 12 songs, a floating platform and a pregnancy announcement, this halftime show was truly one to remember.

After a nearly seven-year hiatus from live performances, Rihanna’s halftime show was highly anticipated. It was rumored that she was asked to perform at the show in 2018, but ultimately turned it down to support Colin Kaepernick in protesting against racial inequality.

Her most recent album is titled “Anti,” and was released in 2016. Since then, her most recent song,

Gracie Abrams releases her first studio album

■ By Ella Goodstadt (‘24)

Eastside Online Culture Editor

and filmmaker screenwriter and composer J.J. Abrams.

Her father is most notable for reviving the “Star Wars” franchise by directing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Rise

Page 22

CULTURE EASTSIDE

March 2023

Lindsay Lohan navigates growing up in the public eye ■ By Ava Richman (‘24)

Eastside Social Media Manager

From the fan-favorite movie series “Mean Girls” to the notorious classic “The Parent Trap,” this Disney actress earned a name for herself in the 2000s due to her flawless acting skills.

Lindsay Lohan, the former Hollywood “it” girl, has recently stepped back into the spotlight after overcoming numerous legal troubles.

The average ten-year-old kid would consider Lohan’s childhood “a dream,” as she was discovered in the early onset of her life. This teenage actress was destined to become a megastar; yet, as soon as her reputation began to rise, she went down the wrong path.

After modeling as a child, in 1998 Lohan starred as twins in “The Parent Trap,” which later resulted in getting a three-film contract with Disney. At 11 years old, Lohan played the part of two different people living completely different lives, even one with a British accent. In 2000, “LifeSize” premiered on ABC’s “The Wonderful World of Disney,” and the Disney Channel Original Movie “Get a Clue” premiered in 2002, which was just the start of her fame. Despite the fact that instantly after the films came out she became a star, Lohan strived to live a normal life like all her friends at school. In 2003, the world was once again stunned as Lohan took on the role of a 40-year-old mother and teenager at the age of 16 years old in the classic film, “Freaky Friday.” Lohan’s success in Hollywood quickly continued with the

“Mean Girls” release in 2004. Her fans saw her as an all-around icon who had a natural gift for acting.

“Mean Girls” went down in history as one of the best teen films of all time. The jokes and reality of high school in this series allowed Lohan to be known as a teen movie queen. Lohan

exhaustion. Lindsay had family issues including an abusive father, and in January of 2005, Lohan’s parents got divorced, which was a long and painful process. In the summer of 2006, Lohan had lost focus of filming because of her partying behavior. Lohan stopped filming because

skipping out on compulsory court hearings and educational classes in 2009, her probation was extended.

Over the next year and a half, Lohan underwent extra rehabilitation as well as additional time in jail for her addiction problems, a shoplifting incident and missing psychotherapy appointments and community service hours.

Lohan was ready to start a new chapter in her life and get back to the good old days. Lohan appeared on “Glee” (2012) and “The Canyons'' (2013) and realized how much she missed doing what she is best at. Unfortunately, in the

summer of 2013, reckless driving and lying to police caused Lohan to enter rehab once more, pushing off her probation. After finishing her community service, Lohan moved into an NYC apartment and worked with a life coach to get back on track for real. In 2014, Lohan made the decision to live abroad as she grew up and changed. If she wasn't fighting enough battles already, she was physically assaulted by her ex-husband in Greece and had to deal with the trauma.

Lohan started opening up beach clubs and speaking out about her past, and in 2020 eventually decided to start filming again and move back to the United States. In 2020, she appeared with castmates in reunions for “The Parent Trap” and “Mean Girls” and hopped back on the social media grind as she joined in on viral TikTok and Instagram trends. Today, the star is doing personalized Cameos, appearing in commercials such as the 2022 Super Bowl Planet Fitness commercial and is back on the screens. Lohan recently played the lead role in the Netflix holiday film, “Falling for Christmas,” which marked her first major comeback in a movie.

Lohan is an acting inspiration to many, and will always be an icon holding that natural gift on the screens. This is only the beginning of a new chapter in her life as she embarks on this new phase of development and change. It will be exciting to see how Lohan's comeback grows as she still has a lot of life to live and wonderful opportunities ahead of her.

18…but when you’re…still a minor…it’s very hard to get parts because you can’t play characters that [are your] age, you have to play so much younger.

Usually, with that, they want the younger actors, so it’s really a waiting game from when you’re about 14 to 17.”

Having to fit a certain appearance when auditioning for roles often causes body image issues among actors at a young age. Also, looking “too basic” and not having any special characteristics creates competition because there isn’t anything to set certain actors apart from others.

Some of Gollin’s favorite actors include Zendaya and Jenna Courtesy of Jessica Gollin Ortega. These two actresses began as Disaudition. If an actor doesn’t ney stars. Often, people fit this criterion, they won’t who work for Disney are land the role. perceived as young and inGollin said, “It’s all nocent, and they later have about trying to set yourself trouble escaping this image apart with talent instead to attain other jobs in more of… a look,” but casting profound films. agencies often look for a “​​ Jenna Ortega and Zecertain appearance when ndaya have been able to casting roles… “I am very break out of that and get short, and I have a young cast in really serious roles face so…I can’t play charand be amazing in them.” acters that are my age. I Zendaya starred in the have to play younger which popular show “Euphoria” is a good thing when you’re and Jenna Ortega recently

starred in the Netflix show “Wednesday.” Some actors have trouble escaping the “Disney appearance.” For example, people were surprised to see Miley Cyrus’s new style of dressing in revealing clothing and styling her hair in a mohawk.

Some actors feel the need to make these drastic changes to make themselves noticed as an adult rather than a child.

Psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos said to Sun Online, “We love young kids when they’re little and on TV but this weird thing happens where we feel uncomfortable about them growing up.”

Although acting provides young children with an escape from reality and a chance to portray a new identity, acting also causes many to experience mental illness and feelings of self-consciousness. Beauty standards often influence the selection of individuals to play roles in films and shows, which results in a negative self-image for young actors. These issues could cause kids to lose their passion for acting.

It’s imperative that society works towards changing these standards to help young actors with their self-confidence and achieving roles based on talent, and not appearance.

Lindsay Lohan grows up in the public eye.

dicted to drugs, alcohol and breaking the law, and took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges. Although Lohan believed in living with no regrets and instead learning from her actions, she took the initiative to take back control of her life and improve her health. As a result of Lohan

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

scored several MTV Movie and Teen Choice awards for her “Mean Girls” work.

“Mean Girls” secured Lohan’s fame for generations to come; the classic series will never get old. Soon after the “Mean Girls” debut, Lohan went on to star in “Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded” (2005) and began making music, but her life changed when she started experimenting with a different lifestyle.

After starting to party hard and experiment with various drugs, Lohan drifted away from the spotlight.

During the filming of “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” she was hospitalized from fever and

she was not in the right headspace to perform as she used to. From 2007 to 2012, Lohan struggled with substance abuse and eating disorders that slowly took over her career. In the summer of 2007, Lohan went to rehab for the second time after being arrested and charged with drunken driving, cocaine possession, and driving with a suspended license. She had her first DUI and her first experience with drugs when she was 20 years old, following a night out clubbing with individuals she felt she shouldn't have been with in the first place. Lohan admitted to being ad-

another person.

She said that “it’s nice to be able to, for a few hours, just step outside of [herself] and be a completely different person.’”

Having the ability to play different roles allows the actors to take on multiple identities and personalities. Actors can put their creativity to use when representing another character by copying their expressions and language, then making it their own.

Young actors who yearn to someday make it big in Hollywood or on Broadway often start their work early. This work takes away the “normal life” expected of young children. For example, Gollin participated in a show in New York and had to leave school early multiple times a week to drive to New York and make it on time to her rehearsals. She typically left school at 12 p.m. to get to the rehearsal beginning at 2 p.m. This rehearsal normally lasted until 7 p.m, so she wouldn’t get home until 9 p.m. Due to the long rehearsals the young actors have to attend, they miss out on learning at school, participating in afterschool activities and spend-

ing time with friends.

Beauty standards created through social media often impact the results of an

Jessica Gollin shares her experience in the acting industry ■ By Taylor Goodman (‘25)

Eastside Community Editor

Young actors in both live and streamed productions often face difficulties throughout their childhood regarding their deprivation of a “normal” life, beauty standards and mental illnesses. Some popular actors who started off as or currently are child stars include Jenna Ortega, the Olson Twins, Lindsay Lohan, Mckenna Grace and Demi Lovato. Many of these young actors began by having small supporting roles in television or films, then grew in popularity to become cast as larger roles in more popular films.

Throughout this process, many young actors endure the stress and pressure of having to balance an education and an acting career.

Acting interests many young children because they are attracted to the idea of taking on the role of their favorite movie characters, Disney princes and princesses and cartoon characters. Jessica Gollin, a junior at Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT), is a young actress who began her career at age six and who participates in many off-broadway productions. Gollin explained how her favorite part of acting is the opportunity to embody

March 2023

Experiences as a Sports Manager ■ By Adam Borenstein (‘23) Eastside Online Sports Editor

Being one of the managers of the Cherry Hill High S c h o o l East football and basketball team has been one of my favorite experiences in my high school career.

In the fall I would start with football by attending every game of the season. I would stand with two of our coaches in the “press box” and record all of the offensive and defensive stats for the team.

Additionally, I would also help record the game on the app Hudl so the team would be able to watch film after the game.

While I spent a lot of time with the football team in the fall, basketball is where I truly made the greatest impact.

After every school day, I spent about four hours sitting at basketball practice and helping the team.

I helped ensure that practice runs smoothly by running the clock to make sure the team was on schedule as they practiced along with setting and cleaning everything up.

This included bringing out all of the balls, the rollers that they needed to warm up with, and the speaker that they used for music. I also helped out Coach Allen with whatever he needed to make his coaching experience undisturbed.

During games, I sat on the bench alongside the team taking stats on our team iPad. These stats included points, rebounds, assists, fouls, turnovers, steals, blocks and a lot more.

I also helped run the snack bar before the game to raise money for the team.

This money went to our team banquet at the end of the year and all of the team gear that the players, managers, and coaches wear.

By being a manager, I get all the gear that the team gets and I have the privilege to go to all of the team hangouts and dinners. Managers get the benefits of being on a varsity sports team without having to play.

Additionally, being a manager is a great start for someone who is interested in going into the sports management field.

As someone who plans to major in sports management in college next year, I know this will be a great experience and something that I can put on my resume for the future.

I strongly encourage anyone that has a great interest in sports but is not extremely athletic, or wants to play, to become a manager and it will be a tremendous experience for you.

SPORTS EASTSIDE

Page 23

East student recaps Super Bowl experience ■ By Abby Auerbach (‘26) Eastside Staff

The Super Bowl is one of the most renowned sporting events in the country.

This year I was very lucky to be able to go to Arizona to see the Philadelphia Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs for Super Bowl LVII. During the whole weekend leading up to the Super Bowl, my family and I saw many different NFL events in preparation for the big game.

Our first day in Arizona, we went to Old Scottsdale to watch NFL Live, a live broadcast that discusses the game and predictions for who will win. The whole town was filled with passionate fans from all over the country wearing their team’s jersey.

In addition to the fans, companies were supporting their brands by giving out drinks and food.

Later on Friday night, my family and I went to a Western-themed welcome party for the Eagles. At the party we were able to eat food, listen to live music and enjoy different Western activities.

The welcome party was the perfect atmosphere to get everyone ready for the big game.

The city of Phoenix also

had many activities for the Super Bowl. This is where we went on Saturday, the day before the game.

In Phoenix, instead of going to the NFL or Super Bowl Experience, my family and I went to the NFL store. There they had Super Bowl related clothing, collectors items and even a Fenty Beauty section that supported Rihanna’s makeup brand.

All of these activities could not compare to the day of the game. At 10 a.m we left our hotel to head to the stadium for the 4:30 MST game.

Once we arrived at the stadium at 10:30 a.m. we patiently waited until 11:30 to go into the tailgates.

While we were waiting, we met other fans and one fan even went to East!

Finally, the long-awaited opening of the gate happened and we were now allowed into the tailgate section. Inside the tailgate there were food trucks, stages for dancers, photo backdrops, restaurants, NFL Live and a lot more.

For a while, we waited around NFL Live to listen to the different commentators’ opinions on who would win the game. Once they went to commercial break, we wandered around the tailgate to get food and watch the different enter-

Abby Auerbach (‘26)/ Eastside Staff

tainers.

Before we knew it, it was 2:00 and time to head into the stadium. The stadium was decorated with neon colors that spelled out LVII. Each team had its name in opposite end zones.

Inside the stadium, there were both Eagles and Chiefs fans roaming around getting ready for kickoff.

The stadium was packed and very hard to navigate through the crowd.

Around 30 minutes before the game, Sheryl Lee Ralph sung “Lift Every Voice” and Chris Stapleton preformed the national anthem. Both singers moved the crowd, coaches and players.

When the game began, both sides of the stadium were rowdy and excited for their team to possibly win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Every time the Eagles scored every Eagles fan, including my family, could be heard cheering. However when the Chiefs scored, we all went silent. Flags from the referees also sent the Eagles side into a rowdy state.

Both sides of the stadium were very anxious because of the close game.

However, when the second quarter ended, everyone on both sides was excited for Rihanna.

Courtesy of Jess Levin (‘22)

Rihanna began her performance on top of a floating stage. Some of the crowd’s favorite songs included “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love” and “Diamonds.”

While singing her closing song, “Diamonds,” the whole crowd lit their flashlights, and fireworks were going up into the sky above the stadium.

After her performance, the crowd got ready for the game again. Even though the second half of the game was not exactly how the Eagles planned, the crowd never lost energy. After every touchdown or big play we high fived the people around us.

The energy sadly came to an end in the last few seconds of the game when the Chiefs had a three-point lead.

When the Kansas City Chiefs were announced the Super Bowl LVII winners, all the fans, including my family, left the stadium to get ready for our early flight the next morning.

Even though the Eagles lost this Super Bowl, I still had an amazing experience I will never forget. The Arizona weather, Old Scottsdale and Phoenix were all very memorable.

Super Bowl LVII will always be remembered by all fans.

Max Swarbrick (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

Rihanna performs at the halftime show. Sarah Greenspun (‘23) poses for David Silver (‘23) and Max a quick photo at the Super Bowl. Swarbrick (‘23) take a pre-game photo.

Courtesy of Jess Levin (‘22)

Abby Auerbach (‘26)/ Eastside Staff

Madelyn Levin (‘18), Devyn Levin (‘22) and Jess Arizona was the site of the Super Bowl.

Levin (‘22) attend the Super Bowl with their parents.

March 2023

SPORTS EASTSIDE

Page 24

Tepper twins commit for cross country and track and field ■ By Brielle Lampf (‘23)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Who was born first? Just in case you were wondering, it was Lexi Tepper (‘23), but for the Tepper twins, their most common question might be: how are you both so fast?

For Peter Tepper (‘23) and Lexi Tepper, who both started playing soccer at a young age, being able to run and run quickly has always been crucial to their lives. Whether it be playing soccer or simply running for the fun of it, it has always been a part of their everyday life. It wasn’t until middle school, though, that they both considered running as their sport.

Entering high school, both Lexi and Peter decided to continue to play club soccer outside of school while pursuing cross country and track at Cherry Hill East, creating a name for themselves even early on in their freshman year. Come their sophomore year, though, both Lexi and Peter decided to lay their soccer career to rest, and turn their full attention to cross country and track. For both of them, the decision did not come easy, but looking back, they both feel it was the best decision.

Lexi, who is no stranger to challenges, particularly injuries when it comes to sports, has used the obstacles as motivation to continue. In fact, her injuries have played a big role in getting her to where she is today.

“When I tore my ACL, that was probably the toughest moment of my life,” said Lexi.

When looking back and recalling the moment when she had to face her doctors and physical therapists who said that the recovery process would be a long journey, suddenly, going back to soccer didn’t seem so appealing anymore. And what’s more?

She said, “I missed run-

ning and I love running and that’s the only thing I wanted to get back to.”

From this moment forward, Lexi decided that after her ACL recovery, she would not be returning to soccer, and instead, would focus only on track and cross country. Peter, however, had a slightly different path when it came to running. Watching Lexi get hurt definitely played a part in his decision to solely pursue track and field and cross country. However, it was in middle school when Peter started to recognize his skill when it came to running and Jiwoo Lee (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor over the years The Tepper twins have committed to sports at different colleges. his passion for “best friend” and as best ing each other race, rather track and field and cross running only grew. Evenfriends, they do everything than take on a competitive country. While the two tually, Peter realized that together, including keeping mindset, Peter and Lexi enmay not be able to share running was the path for similar training programs courage each other to keep the same car anymore, the him. when it comes to running. improving. special bond that they have “When I was running, I They both speak of the imLexi said, “In life, we do as twins and best friends was improving,” said Peter. portance of eating healthy the same things” and Peter certainly shows no signs of It just so happened that and drinking lots of water. agrees. disappearing. Texting and when Lexi tore her ACL In addition to that, when it Right now, the two of FaceTime calls will be apand decided to stop her comes to running, Lexi said them both do everything toparent almost every day, soccer career, it coincided that “the person who has gether. They train together. and the two are excited for with the perfect time for the right mindset is going They share the same car both of their future athletic Peter to stop his soccer cato win every time.” and as they both claim, are careers. reer as well. They both reBoth runners say that best friends. So what do Running has been such alized that their passions confidence is a vital part of their futures look like? an integral part of their rehad shifted and no longer the running game whether Peter has committed to lationship, but more impordid they feel as energized to that be in cross country or Bloomsburg University in tantly, they remain twins pursue soccer in the same track, and having each othPennsylvania and will be first and foremost. The two way that they once did. Iner competing in the same studying special education are excited to both watch stead, they felt that way tosport certainly helps. while participating in track their other half on the track wards running. And much Peter said that the two and field and cross country. and continue to encourage like many other decisions “bounce off of each other” Lexi will be attending the each other every step of the in their lives, they decided when it comes to racing.

University of Maryland, way. to do the same thing: end Similarly, Lexi said that Baltimore County (UMBC) Lexi said, “We fell in love one journey together, and they “use each other as studying biological sciences with [running]” and from start another, running. motivation.” After watchand also participating in there, the rest is history.

Lexi calls Peter her

Sports managers have crucial roles within teams ■ By Shayna Oppen (‘24)

Eastside Sports Editor

Have you ever wanted to be part of a team without actually playing the sport?

Being a sports team manager is just as important as being a player.

Managers work hard to help the team function whether you just want to hang out with your friends without playing the sport or if you want to do something in the sports management field.

Managing a sport is the best way to get you there.

Becoming a manager is extremely simple and a great way to get involved.

“I texted the coach and said I wanted to be a manager,” said Emily Fox (‘25).

That is how Fox gained the girls’ basketball manager position. Many managers also used to be players and did not want to commit to playing again, but wanted to be a part of a team.

Frannie Merlino (´24) she said she “just wanted to be on the team.”

Although managing a team sounds fun, it is also a lot of work.

“In the summer, we had to set up the field at 7 a.m. and make sure everything was ready for the team,” said Merlino.

Each manager has a different job depending on their sport. For Fox, her job entails “keeping score and bringing the basketballs to and from, also keeping the score clock and going to every practice,” she said.

Everybody has a different experience with this job. Merlino said that she had an amazing time managing and plans to continue next year and even looks forward to it.

Fox, on the other hand, will not due to the time committment.

Managing a sport can be a big responsibility. It is up to the manager to make everything run smoothly and do their own job while also helping the coach with anything they need.

Once someone has committed to this job, it is vital that they work hard to

make sure the team functions as a whole.

It is never too late to get involved as a player or a manager. East needs committed managers that are going to work hard and consider themselves part of the team.

In order to be a successful team, players need to have stable environments, people looking out for them, and the proper motivation.

Those qualities should all be found in a manager.

Managing is a perfect opportunity for all types of people. Even if you find yourself lacking athleticism and/or sports knowledge you can still find ways to contribute and even learn a little.

Managing a sport also has similar qualities that people say playing the sport entails, including time management. People say that high school athletes gain a better understanding of time management since their day technically does not end until around 6 p.m.

Since managers attend

practices, too, they gain a grasp of that same quality.

Managing a sport is also a great way of making friends.

Merlino said, “By the end of the season the team

started to feel like family and we created such strong bonds with all the players.”

Managing opens up many opportunities while helping the East community.

Lucas Tang (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Sports manager Adam Borenstein (‘23) gives water.