Eastside: March 2022

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 54 No. 4

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

March 2022

A celebration of women’s history e r u t l u c

the future

opportunities

strength

s e m i t g n i n o i p cham

rite of passage

movement d o o h r e t sis

empowerme

nt

Melisa Vital (‘23) / Eastside Art Director

Whether it’s appreciating teachers or taking time to truly uncover the history of women’s suffrage in US History classes, students can see that women are the powerhouse of monumental change and strength. Leading the world, the community and Cherry Hill East today, women represent more than the stereotypical mold of what a woman should be. Foremost, women need to be appreciated and recognized on the same scale as successful men.

This issue of Eastside aims to celebrate local women who accurately display the characteristics of an empowered woman. Women’s History Month is a worldwide appreciation for women’s rights dating back to 1981. Eastside celebrates the accomplishments of women within our community and, primarily, at East.

In 1987 after the process of the National Women’s History Project petition, Congress passed additional legislation which designated March 1987

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

as “Women’s History Month.” Later, between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed resolutions requesting the President proclaim March of each year “Women’s History Month,” an annual tradition in all spheres of American culture. Through education, entertainment, sports, research and politics, these proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States, and recognize specific achievements women have made in their respective fields.

At East this month people have found many ways to highlight women, including the Social Studies Honor Society’s women history posters decorating B-Wing and many teachers recognizing well-known women within their subject sphere at the begining of class.

Clubs at East continue to form, grouping East’s young female population together around common interests. These interests span the categories of women in sports, STEM, coding, busi-

Gina Liu Pg. 2

Ms. Sanzari Pg. 4

ness and leadership. These clubs unite women across the school to explore different fields that stimulate their interests as well.

East’s mandatory “micro-agression” lessons have stopped unconscious biases against girls from forming.

Influential women stem directly from the Cherry Hill Public School District and town of Cherry Hill, such as the first Korean-American woman to hold the office of Mayor in Cherry Hill and the entire state of New Jersey, the Honorable Susan Shin Angulo. Angulo says a lot still needs to be done to reach gender and racial equality, but diversifying political candidates is a step in the right direction.

Through spotlighting women who have made advancements in their respective domains, these figures are given a platform to voice their ideals.

Eastside hopes they will continue to do so and leave their footprints everywhere they go.

Maya Hemo Pg. 16

NEWS

Page 2

EASTSIDE

March 2022

East implements new cords for graduation to represent cultures bilities of unacceptable sayings or content. He rather recommended for students who wish to customize their caps to purchase two caps: one for picture, another for the ceremony.

In addition, he stresses for students who do not have an affiliation with a club to refrain from acting individually, and instead asks in these cases to have a conversation with himself or the administration prior to the ceremony.

“Graduation is a beautiful ceremony. A part of the attractiveness is the uniformity that we are graduating as a class as much as we want to celebrate an individual. It’s nice to celebrate the uniformity as a class,” Perry said.

Perry revealed his worry for possible actions of students that may direct the

attention away from the class. With this, he is providing ways to advocate for the individuals’ cultural representa-

tion while still reinforcing his purpose of class unity.

“We want the ceremony to be for our students, a ceremony our students want to have, and then I want everyone to respect that,” he said.

Juliana Shin (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

sold on Friday, February 25.

Eastside News Editor The theme of this year’s Sophomore Cotillion was The annual sophomore “Starry Night”. It was held dance that all students eain Cafeteria 1 with catered gerly await for months has food on the arrived: side and a DJ Sophoin the front to more Colead the crowd tillion. of dancing and S t u singing. Cafdents look eteria 2 was forward to open to store purchasthe coats and ing specbelongings tacular of the sophooutfits, comores and ordinating their dates, dates and managed by ensuring the help of that all freshmen SGA last-minrepresentaute purtives. chases and The Class plans are of 2024 SGA, finalized.

Lucas Tang (‘23)/ Eastside Staff i n c l u d i n g After an class president i m m e n s e Sophomores pose as they enter East for the Cotillion.

Crystal Yeh (‘24), began planning for Sophcot following the Ronald McDonald fundraiser. The class officers decided to have the students divided into separate committees and each was responsible for a designated aspect of the dance: food, design and decoration.

The Food committee communicated with local catering companies while the decoration and design committees were responsible for cafeteria embellishments and the overall layout and placement of the tables, DJ, food booths and more.Additionally, the officers and representatives created and published social media posts chronologically, leading up to the date of the dance.

The officers and representatives gathered during the lunch breaks to collab-

oratively plan the setup of the dance and soon create decorations by hand. Balloons, stringed designs, posters and more were drawn and made by the class student government throughout the course of the week.

Yeh even created a cardboard version of a telescope to incorporate this year’s theme, and spent over two weeks in preparation.

She said, “I actually enjoyed this process greatly and took the time to ensure that the theme was met.”

Yeh and the rest of the class SGA later stayed after school to help set these decorations up and set up the tables.

With their hard work and time, the Class of 2024 ended the process with the long, fun night in Cafeteria 1.

■ By Jiwoo Lee (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

Following the monthly meetings with the Cherry Hill East culture clubs, East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry has announced the implementation of optional cultural stoles or cords for the coming graduation ceremony.

The idea sparked last school year when three students had requested to wear clothing and accessories to represent their cultural heritage only a few days prior to their high school graduation.

“I had asked them not to do it at the time because then other students wouldn’t have that opportunity,” Perry said.

However, now, he has allowed this opportunity to become a reality for all students.

“We didn’t really have a process put in place, so part of my plan coming into this school year was to work with the culture clubs and come up with a plan to represent [them] at graduation,” he said.

For four years, Perry has been meeting with 11

culture clubs every month to discuss their daily experiences and any ideas or concerns occurring in and out of school regarding microaggressions. This year, one of their focuses was to precisely plan and execute the idea of representation at graduation.

The representatives of East’s culture clubs held the common belief that it was important and necessary to allow students to represent their culture if they chose to do so. With this, they developed a plan to have stoles or cords available for graduates to purchase through their culture club. Whether the stole or cord would be specific to each particular club or identical for all clubs is to be determined. Perry says they are still coordinating with all the clubs to ensure an orderly process.

He is particularly attentive to all the potential inappropriate behaviors or appearances at graduation.

Another suggestion mentioned the idea of decorated graduation caps. Perry had clearly rejected this plan with the concern that it opened up too many possi-

As the plan for cultural cords or stoles are yet to be finalized, he emphasizes his content for this longawaited plan.

“This is a really big step for East for years.

There’s been a lot of conversation about

whether or not we should do things at graduation that represent or recognize things other than academics, and I’m proud that we’re finally there,” said Perry.

After years of students concerns, advocating to represent themselves at their graduation ceremony, East has taken the appropriate steps for a warmer, more diverse, environment.

Class of 2024 hosts a “Starry Night” for the Sophomore Cotillion ■ By Tharunika Govindasamy (‘22)

amount of planning with the guidance of advisors and student government, the Class of 2024 successfully arranged their class dance with over 350 tickets

Liu elected to serve as New Jersey State Vice President ■ By Max Gaffin (‘22) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

For the first time in over 20 years, a Cherry Hill East student will serve on the New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC).

Current Student Government school-wide Vice President and two-time Class of 2023 President Gina Liu (‘23) was elected to become State Vice President, taking her leadership skills, which allowed her to succeed in SGA at East, to the next level.

“It means so much to me [to be elected to this position] because I have always served representative roles for my peers since around seventh grade. A lot of people come to me,” she said, “they depend on me for certain questions and concerns as they see me as someone who is able to help,”

In addition to working with student councils across the Garden State, NJASC hosts leadership training workshops, networking events and professional development, pushes student voice and teen-led advocacy, and recognizes exceptional students through a number of awards given out each year at state-wide events.

Next year, Liu will help plan the NJASC conventions, including the Six Flags: Great Adventure convention this upcoming May for SGA members, like East’s class officers and representatives, to learn and connect with one another.

As well, Liu and the other state officers will host the Leadership Training Conference this summer at The College of New Jersey.

As the Vice President, Liu

will fill in the gaps for the state board, take over when the President is not in attendance, manage social media outreach and organize executive meetings to represent students across New Jersey.

“This year is so important because all schools are transitioning back in person. It is up to me and my board to bring these opportunities back to everyone in New Jersey,” said Liu. Attending past state conferences and seeing student representatives on stage making such a difference inspired Liu to run and to try to create the same change she experienced.

“I did not even know this existed prior to being at East, but now, it opens and broadens my horizons to bigger things than what is just going on just at East,” said Liu.

Courtesy of Gina Liu

Gina Liu smiles in celebration for her big accomplishment as NJASC Vice President.

NEWS

March 2022

EASTSIDE

Page 3

F-Wing reconstruction plan stirs concerns for East electives

Meloche said, “When we look at doing this work Eastside Online News Editor in 2023 through 2028, we know that The Cherry Hill it’s going to Public School Disneed to be trict plans for East, around and specifically East’s be usable in F-wing, to undergo 2050.” reconstruction for In ada three to five-year d i t i o n , period.

Meloche District officials specifies have been sending that rooms out emails to parsuch as the ents and students robotics regarding this reclassroom construction promay evolve gram. The bond to include referendum for other STEM the future reconprograms. struction of East “We don’t is currently going want to have through an approvsomething al voting process in that is so Board of Education constructed meetings. that it is just The decision for for singlethe Cherry Hill use and so Public School Disfocused on trict to undergo rea single-use construction stems that fifteen from the idea that years from schools, being now may not about 60 years old, be usable need to be updated. again,” said The vote for a bond referendum Courtesy of Cherry Hill District Website M e l o c h e for reconstruction The district plan maps out the existing F-Wing for demoliton. The picture shows how it will affect hallways in regards to elective in December 2018 and classrooms currently in use and designed in East. Some F-wing classrooms will be forced to relocate. classrooms. failed, and there Howevhas been continuAs the bond referendum member of East’s robotics Meloche believes that er, in regards to the potenous discussion about recongoes through the approval team, said that reconstructeachers will be able to tial three to five-year period struction since. process with the Board of tion may set back the group work with the potential when reconstruction may The school district last Education, concerns have more in some ways than future situation to provide happen at East, ambiguity had a referendum in 1999, arisen within the East comothers. the best possible learning still exists on how students causing much of the dismunity.

Chidrawar said, “It may environment for their stutaking elective classes will trict’s infrastructure to One concern among East be hard to find such a welldents. learn without facilities. It need to be redone. students and teachers is designed space to practice “One of the great benewill depend on how much “To keep the buildings that the reconstruction of driving the robot because it fits that we have in Cherry of the potential reconstrucfunctional, there requires schools will lead to a loss of would be difficult to move Hill is we have such incredtion can occur during the a certain amount of mainEast’s F-wing. East’s curthe entire playing field.” ibly talented staff members summer, which is currently tenance and upkeep, just rent F-wing features leakIn terms of building the who’ve been adaptable,” unknown. like our homes,” said Suing ceilings, trashcans to robots, he is not as worried. said Meloche.

Meloche said, “If [elecperintendant Dr. Joseph catch the water from those “It will not affect the Meloche also hopes that tive classes] have to be Meloche. leakages, and broken ceilbuilding process that much the new facilities will be shifted to other places for Meloche said that Board ing panels. F-wing is a hallbecause a majority of the able to provide an adapta time period while work of Education members and way where elective classes groups are already finished able learning environment is going on, then that will officials have been listening are taught; therefore, many with their robot and just with the ability to cater to take place.” to people’s input on the new classrooms in this hallway do minor tweaks here and a changing future. Meloche Lastly, Meloche clarifies potential bond referendum. have features that are spethere,” said Chidrawar. explains that future classthat elective classrooms If the bond referendum cialized to that subject. For Students and teachers es may require different will be preserved after passes in the vote that is instance, the cooking classare concerned about how needs, and he is hoping the potential reconstrucscheduled to take place rooms have countertops, students who take electhe bond referendum will tion with the addition of next school year, reconthe robotics classroom has tives in the potential three be able to equip the needs an adaptability aspect in struction will take place two levels for more space, to five-year period of reof the next few decades of each classroom throughout when students are out of and the journalism classconstruction will be able to classes.

East’s F-wing. school.

■ By Vivian Rong (‘23)

“Health and safety will always be our focus,” said Meloche.

room has a recording room for podcasts.

Ved Chidrawar (‘23), a

learn as students do today, fully equipped with specially-designed facilities.

New F-wing mural gets painted across from locker rooms ■ By Bella Levin (‘22) Eastside News Editor

Within the coming weeks, Marcus Newman (‘22) hopes to begin painting a new mural located across from the girl’s locker room.

Decades ago, student Eric Goldberg (‘73) painted the original mural outside of F083, which was recently painted over in March 2021. Goldberg’s mural began to receive backlash due to its racial significance, specifically towards individuals of Asian American heritage.

After graduating from East, Goldberg went on to make a name for himself in Disney’s film animations by working on pieces such as “Pocahontas” and “Hercules.” Regarding this, Newman feels as though Goldberg holds a great legacy at East, and painting over his art destroyed it in a sense.

Therefore, he wishes to uphold Goldberg’s legacy,

Marcus Newman (‘22)/ Eastside Art Editor

Newman’s sketch for the design of the new mural. while also creating one of his own.

“I want to not only honor him but also leave my own legacy with my own mural,” Newman said.

Although the mural will be in a different location due to possible reconstruction, Newman is positive

that it will still hold its own and should stay intact.

The mural is going to be a massive floor-to-ceiling piece of art, spanning approximately six feet high and almost seventeen feet wide. It will read, “Welcome to F-wing” and consist of a large collage of art supplies

and other F-wing related utilities that are stacked next to each other.

“It is essentially going to welcome students into F-wing as they round the corner,” Newman said.

Even though Newman has not started the very long process, apart from

sketching it, he hopes to begin priming the wall, or painting a basic white coat, as early as he can in order to have a base for the mural.

Now that he is in a commercial art class at East, Newman described how the class will be a great outlet to progress to the finished product.

With beginning to sketch this month, Newman believes that the mural could be done by the end of the school year. If not, it will definitely be possible for other students to continue the job in the future.

“Because all the sketching will still be there, students can even finish at the beginning of next school year or the summer, but it will get done,” Newman said.

After almost a year since Goldberg’s 47-year-old mural was painted over, Newman hopes that the new East mural will continue to live on for decades to come.

FEATURES

Page 4

EASTSIDE

March 2022

Sanzari inspires students as a teacher in STEM

■ By Julia Boehning (‘22)

Eastside Online Features Editor

Ms. Gabriella Sanzari discovered her passion for teaching at a very young age. Whether she was reading a book or working on a math problem, one thing was for sure — she loved all things education.

Although Sanzari — a new Pre-Calculus, Robotics and AP Computer Science Principles teacher at Cherry Hill High School East — has only been teaching for three years, she has been preparing her classroom for a lifetime.

“Even just as a little kid, I loved going to school, and I always knew I wanted to teach,” said Sanzari.

At first, Sanzari was strongly considering a career in elementary education. It wasn’t until her own years in high school — where she experienced the increased difficulty level and complexity of that level’s material — that she realized secondary education was her best fit.

However, there was still one more question she had yet to face — what subject would she teach? As her college years rapidly approached, she was on the fence, wondering which subject was right for her.

However, when Sanzari began taking AP Statistics during her senior year, her teacher helped her discover her true passion for science, technology, engineering and math, otherwise and

more popularly known as puter science and robotics have that same potential...

STEM. courses. it’s more about us mak“I had an AP Statistics Since STEM is a tradiing sure that we give girls teacher that was amazing... tionally male-dominated and women that sense of she really belonging,” inspired Sanzari me,” said said.

Sanzari.

Like the She also teachers accredits that inthis statisspired her tics teacher years ago, for showSanzari ing her the creates a difference welcoming a math environteacher can ment in all make in of her classstudents’ es. Though lives — the subject which she matter of said socourses like lidified her Pre-Calcudecision to lus, Robotgo into the ics and AP field.

Computer EvenScience tually, Principles Sanzari can be chaldecided to lenging, pursue this Sanzari said passion by she wants majoring Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor all of her in math- Ms. Gabriella Sanzari helps students in her Computer students — ematics and Science class at East. regardless secondary of identity education at Villanova Unifield, Sanzari said that she — to feel comfortable workversity. After completing was often one of the only ing hard and taking risks. her undergraduate degree, women in her math classes Since starting her teachshe stayed at Villanova and and only had one female ing journey, Sanzari said earned her Master’s degree math professor during her she has already noticed in education with a teacher entire college experience. some positive changes in leadership concentration.

Today, as a female STEM gender representation in During her time at Vilteacher at East, Sanzari STEM. Specifically, she lanova, Sanzari also began said she hopes to encoursaid she’s proud to see girls her involvement in computage more female students thriving in her robotics and er science. She discovered to get involved in computer computer science classes her interest in the subject science and reduce its disdespite being underrepreduring a student-teaching parities in gender represensented. opportunity. Since then, tation.

“I think now we’re getshe has taught math, com“Obviously, all students ting to the point where stu-

dents are more open to exploring those opportunities, and I am [happy] to see that in my classes,” Sanzari said.

Sanzari also expressed her appreciation for the increased female involvement in male-dominated disciplines outside the classroom. With clubs like Girls Who Code and Feminist Student Union emerging at East, she said she feels hopeful that the number of women involved in STEM will keep growing with the next generation.

She also believes teachers should work just as hard as the students to initiate this change.

“I think it is about having teachers also advocate for students [and encourage] students to sign up for these courses,” Sanzari said.

Sanzari wants to encourage all students to explore their academic interests — regardless of any barriers of nervousness. Even if a class seems challenging, she urges all students to keep a growth mindset.

As a female teacher in a male-dominated field, Sanzari inspires many East students — much like her high school teachers did for her. She looks forward to a future in which people feel comfortable in any career path, regardless of gender.

“I want [computer science] to be a field where girls can succeed and be comfortable,” Sanzari said.

“We have to break the barrier.”

leader and natural helper of others. As a teacher, she continued to find ways to help others in the community, such as other teachers, to make a difference in their students’ lives, even while she was without any administrative title.

Finding herself wanting to make an even bigger impact, when the opportunity to obtain an administrative certification came, she took it.

“What I found is that it’s always about the ‘why,’ and now in my role, one of my focuses here is to integrate academics into real world applications so our young people can see the ‘why,’” said Damon.

Damon believes that rep-

degrees and effort required.

She got her Master’s degree to become a principal when she had a two-year-old, a newborn and a business that was opening — but by staying committed to her dreams and purpose, she was able to persevere and reach her goals.

“It is really important for kids to see diversity in leadership roles because when you can see it, it becomes real,” she said.

As an administrator, Giordano finds it is important to be empathetic towards her students and to keep herself focused.

Staying focused on students’ lives makes it easier for her to relate to her students and helps her create pathways to success that are individualized for all of her students and faculty.

Principals spark change in Cherry Hill administration ■ By Jessica Levin (‘22)

Eastside Managing Editor

With nineteen different schools in the Cherry Hill Public Schools (CHPS) district, five have female principals. Among Cherry Hill’s three high school principals, two — Dr. Toni Damon and Ms. Lauren Giordano — are women, helping and striving to create female representation in the administrative team for the CHPS. Damon serves as leader and helper Starting in high school, Damon, Cherry Hill High School West’s current principal, found herself to be a

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Dr. Toni Damon is the principal of Cherry Hill High School West.

resentation matters across the board, and that Cherry Hill should have a district that represents that. She is glad that she can represent women and people of color and help show students and teachers who aspire for leadership that this success is achievable with hard work.

As a woman in a position of power, Damon believes that as long as she educates herself and stays current, her voice is integrated into the conversation.

When she feels confident about a decision, she speaks boldly. She feels that she does not have to push her opinions in — rather, they are invited.

“I believe whole-heartedly that education is the key to success and when you know what you are talking about with preparation, it is easy to be a part of the conversation,” Damon said.

D a m o n ’ s main goal is to ensure that Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor Ms. Lauren Giordano is Cherry her stuHill Alternative High School’s dents are ready for principal.

the real world. Whether it is in college or career preparation, Damon said that she learns from her students every day. Because the world is always changing, students are always finding new career paths.

Her position keeps her on her toes as she finds ways to prepare students in any way that she can.

Giordano seeks to create connections

Giordano, Cherry Hill Alternative High School’s principal, similarly had a vision to create a large impact on students’ lives.

She found that the best way to reach more kids was to work with more teachers, as she feels that they are the number-one “connecting piece” to impact children’s lives.

One of her biggest challenges, especially at the alternative school, is connecting families to the appropriate resources and making sure that the students can succeed.

Additionally, Giordano feels that it is her job to ensure school safety and create a safe environment for people to be themselves and do their best. As a woman in an administrative role, Giordano finds it important to show that through perseverance, anything is achievable.

It takes a long time to become an administrator due to the amount of work,

Principals make a difference in Cherry Hill Both administrators aim to prepare their students for the next chapters of their lives and encourage them to look toward their dreams, as their own statuses of education were achieved through hard work and dedication.

They both believe that going through the administrative process allows students and faculty to look up to them and has allowed them to make a larger impact to create their vision of a better future.

March 2022

FEATURES EASTSIDE

Page 5

Ty Lawrence brings “F-wing Fades” to school hall ■ By Emily Boyle (‘23)

Eastside Opinions Editor

Waves of students swarm F-wing, as laughter and chatter erupt. Phones are pointed down the hall, and students push to get closer.

While F-wing is already notorious for large crowds during lunch, something is certainly different. Security swiftly makes its way to the commotion, prepared to neutralize what is unquestionably a fight.

And yet, rather than being confronted with two aggressive students, they are met by Ty Lawrence (‘24) and his latest client. There are no physical altercations, no violent threats to student safety — only haircuts.

The formation of this event began long before school was in session, and extends to COVID-19 related restlessness. During quarantine, Lawrence taught himself how to cut his own hair.

From there, he began to cut his mother’s and his brother’s, discovering a new passion. While exploring this hobby, videos on TikTok depicting students giving haircuts at school caught his eye.

With the new supplies he had been gifted for Christmas, these videos became more enticing.

“It kind of started out as a joke between friends,”

Lawrence said. “I was like, ‘You know what, maybe one day I’ll bring my stuff in,’ like kind of tease it. And everybody was like ‘Bro, you should do it!’”

To humor his friends, Lawrence decided to bring his supplies to school one day.

“I was like ‘Who wants a haircut? Who wants a haircut?’ you know, just messing around… But then I [thought,] ‘Wait, what can I actually do with this?’” he recalled.

The first haircut Lawrence gave during school took place in early January, just after winter break.

To start off, Lawrence ensured any student whose hair he touched received parental permission.

Then, using stools from surrounding classrooms, he arranged his setup.

“I would make sure that my client [was] comfortable, of course,” said Lawrence.

The haircuts given ranged from mid to high fades — styles of men’s haircuts that keep the hair short on both sides and longer on the top.

Using clippers, this can be achieved with practice, though it may prove difficult for beginners.

After he was finished, Lawrence would sweep up all the hair out of the hallway, return any stools he borrowed, and clean his equipment thoroughly.

In total, Lawrence gave

four haircuts in F-wing, which spanned over the course of about two weeks.

Administration caught wind of this activity due to his fourth and final cut.

Before this, the largest crowd of students watching him ranged from 20-30 spectators.

really know what to do,” said Lawrence. “They kind of just joked about it, and they were cheering me on, and then they left.”

After this encounter, Lawrence had a more serious talk with East’s administration.

Because he does not

Courtesy of Ty Lawrence (‘24)

Ty Lawrence (‘24) cuts a student’s hair in F-wing.

By the end, however, this number had increased to approximately 100. When security staff made their way to the scene, they were surprised, to say the least.

“At first [security] didn’t

have a license, it was made clear that he does not have permission to give haircuts to students — especially during school. However, pursuing this hobby is not something Lawrence plans

“Students would go all the way to the back, and you could not see any of the light coming through the window,” said Medero.

As his gig grew in popularity, more and more students started watching.

F-wing has not resumed the peaceful environment that many students gravitated towards. Dozens of students have stayed.

Since then, Medero has spotted students running around the hallway in

overwhelming.

Although F-wing has become noisier since her freshman year, it still has a comforting environment.

“There’s no fear of being judged versus the rest of the school, which scares me

Lawrence said that there were only about 30 students watching him cut hair in F-wing initially, but by his last haircut, there were more than 100 students watching.

“Teachers thought there was a fight…because [the students] were all just clapping and recording and screaming,” said Lawrence.

Although Lawrence’s hair cuttery at East has been shut down since then,

Spiderman suits and witnessed a snowball fight.

Despite the change, what continues to draw students here to this isolated corner of East?

Some describe F-wing as a safe haven.

“I have social anxiety, so I like sitting here because I don’t like the noisy cafeteria,” said an anonymous junior.

She further explained that the cafeteria was

on giving up.

Currently, there are talks of setting up hair cutting appointments for his peers outside of school.

Additionally, he awaits professional training from Mobile Barbershop in Cinnaminson to strengthen his skills and one day earn his license.

With a busy schedule due to his job at Dunkin’, and additional passions such as music, haircutting has been put on the backburner for Lawrence; nonetheless, it is a pursuit that will not die any time soon.

“I can definitely see this as something I can do long term,” Lawrence said.

“Maybe not forever…but definitely something to get me off my feet.”

To those interested in pursuing haircutting as a career, or those simply curious about developing a new hobby, Lawrence puts it plainly.

“Don’t do what I did,” he laughs. “Obviously what I did was not the right way to learn how to cut hair.”

Rather, he urges people to seek training and to practice on friends and family — outside of school.

While the F-wing haircuts were short-lived, they embodied the liveliness and culture found within East’s halls.

Loud students and chaotic crowds aren’t always caused by fights; sometimes, somebody just wants their hair cut.

East students find a safe community in F-wing hallway ■ By Alena Zhang (‘23)

Eastside Features Editor

As students walk past F-wing during lunch, they hear snippets of conversation and frequent bursts of laughter come from down the hallway where the art rooms are located.

If they peer past the lockers, they will be met with the sight of more than 60 students.

Some students sketch quietly, absorbed in the details of their drawings, others play video games or the latest Wordle on their phones, while the rest sit in loosely formed circles with their friends.

Although East students have a range of places where they can go during lunch, F-wing has quickly become a community, a drastic difference from the once quiet and empty hallways some students remember it being.

“I remember the days when this was peaceful over here,” said Justin Medero (‘23), who has been sitting in F-wing during lunch since their freshman year.

Although it was initially a peaceful area that they sought out after their classes, it has turned into a bustling environment, nothing short of chaos, they explain.

In their freshman year, the hallway was quiet and calm, not filled with throngs of students and noises.

They attribute the spike in students to the makeshift barber shop that Ty Lawrence (‘24) started in Fwing during January.

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

so bad,” she said.

F-wing continues to be a solace apart from the stresses of school. Past the hair cutting gigs and Spiderman runs, for some students, the hallway in F-wing is their place to decompress.

Multiple students sit against the wall, headphones on and sketchbooks splayed in front of them.

“I can draw here and not be worried about any-

thing,” said an anonymous student.

Because the elective classrooms in the hall include robotics, journalism and art, it is also easier for some who take those classes to go there during lunch breaks. If the elective classrooms are open during the lunch breaks, some students will also sit in there.

In a way, the students have formed a small community in that hall. Some are artists, some are robotics enthusiasts and other students have happened to stumble upon this space in East.

“It’s loud…and chaotic… but we always end up here,” said Medero.

After sitting in the cafeteria once in their freshman year, they said they didn’t go back because of how noisy and overcrowded it was.

“After my classes, I look forward to just having the ability to sit down here and not have to worry about others,” said another student.

At the end of the hallway, some busily scribble down math answers and do homework.

Although the reasons vary far and wide, F-wing serves as a safe space for many East students.

Away from the overwhelming social environment or crowded cafeterias, the precious minutes spent down there provide a glimpse of comfort for many students.

“Down here, it just feels different,” said another student.

COMMUNITY

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EASTSIDE

March 2022

The Bridge program inspires leadership among teenagers ■ By Ellie Noh (‘24)

Eastside Community Editor

When first thinking of a bridge, many would think of a path of unity of two different worlds. This is what program leaders Maria and Renée Pinardo aim to do with the Bridge LEADER Lab meetings, which stands for Leadership and Empowerment Activities for Development, Enrichment and Resiliency, taking place every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. since the 1980s.

Today, The Bridge is operated by Virtua Health, a leading South Jersey health system. It is open to anyone over 13 years old and is hosted over Zoom due to COVID-19 concerns and may continually be through Zoom onward.

The program first started in 1979 after Franciscan Sister Helen Owens, a leader of what is now Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, recognized how there were many programs for the youth that were having difficulties staying out of trouble but not many enrichment programs focused on prevention. Renée was also one of the many youth from various areas and backgrounds at the time that helped develop this program at its early stages to tailor it to other young people.

“We met for around nine months to figure out what this [program] was going to be. We came up with the name The Bridge because we saw it as a time between childhood and adulthood [and] we wanted to make that journey easier to travel,” said Renée.

Through the activities at the meetings every week, they encourage the youth to speak first and foremost and they provide leadership training for those interested to facilitate the meetings and to learn more about the skills necessary to help run

the program.

Before the pandemic, the training would usually take

who follow an agenda every week to help lead the meetings and keep it organized.

as discrimination through keynote speakers, or doing activities such as mak-

it is virtual, there is still a sustaining connection from person to person, the impact of opening up to others if willing and carefully listening to what they have to say no matter where you are.

Another opportunity is the Bridging Leaders Mentorship Program for those who have t u r n e d 18 years old and have gone through the training.

“If interested in participatCourtesy of the Bridge program ing, they Attendees and members of the Bridge program smile for a picture as they describe what The Bridge can be inprogram means to them and how it has impacted their lives via a recent Zoom meeting. vited to be around six to seven hours An activity could be small ing worry boxes to ease a mentee. Being a mentee to learn fundamental leadgroups in which the staff anxiety. Through these acmeans that they are paired ership skills such as reflecwould be able to apply the tivities, their goals are to with someone who is a protive listening, leadership skills they acquired during spread information such as fessional within the Virtua posture and facilitation the training to facilitate learning more about genHealth system. They will skills. However, because of participants in sharing perder and sexuality, connect mentor them for six months the pandemic, the leadersonal opinions and experipeople to form a safe space on their career goals and ship training is held over ences with others inside the for people to share stories, other life aspects,” said MaZoom, and the format has group. and self-development such ria. evolved as well.

The agenda that is folas establishing goals.

Overall, the Bridge pro“Now, we do more cuslowed includes the WelOne of their recent activgram allows the youth to tomized one-on-one support come, Guidelines, Anities was called “Bridging learn more about the im[for training]. If a young nouncements, the Name our Black Experience.” portant traits that follow person comes to us and Game, which is when they “We had three differstrong leadership. They can they don’t have the greatask a general question to ent speakers from three implement it through the est confidence in themthe entire group as a segdifferent age generations. meetings that take place selves, maybe they’re very ue to the topic and to get We had a young black feweekly to many people of quiet when they speak, we to know others, the Large male who was a teenager, various backgrounds and help them to build that conGroup Discussion on the a young woman who was ages to form bridges in relafidence. The training is to topic, Closing and the Proin her mid to late twentionships under the consiscover the agenda and to get cess, which is a way for an ties, and we had an older tent idea of awareness and everyone comfortable with attendee to reflect on what gentleman in his 50s…We acceptance of one another. delivering each aspect of it they learned. had a beautiful opportunity Each meeting holds memofrom doing the ‘Welcome’ During the meetings, to learn about another perrable connections with othand the ‘Name Game’ to faThe Bridge program hosts son’s experience who may ers in the community and cilitating a small group on topics that vary every be very different from our beyond to continue to be their own,” said Maria. week; they may spread own” said Maria. more aware and incorpoAfter training, they beawareness about imporEven though the experirate change for people and come a part of the staff tant issues in society such ences are different because the world around them.

March 2022

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

Page 7

Kasoff encourages the practice of art therapy in South Jersey ■ By Jillian Koenig (‘24)

Eastside Community Editor

grams targeted towards people both with and without disabilities. The workshops include family clay time, date night, kids-only

silent auction off to raise scholarships for children and adults who can’t afford our services. They can get a partial or full scholarship

braries and anywhere else where their services are requested. The off-site workshops offer the same experience as the workshops at

When using creativity and hard work to complete an art project, the human brain produces dopamine — “the happy hormone”.

This chemical release that can soothe the mind and improve mental and physical health has inspired the philosophy of art therapy.

Art therapy provides those suffering from a range of disabilities (mental, physical, social, etc.) a creative way to express themselves and alleviate discomfort associated with their disability.

The American Art Therapy Association finds “art therapy to engage the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone” and can provide benefits to patients where traditional verbal therapy has been unsuccessful.

The growing popularity of this unique treatment sparked Abbie Kasoff’s idea for Say it With Clay, the non-profit art therapy studio in Collingswood, NJ. Kasoff, the founder, has a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in both ceramics and art therapy from the University of the Arts and has been working in the field of social work for the past Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor 30 years. Say it With Clay The workshops teach participants how to shape and paint clay sculptures. opened in 2010 to spread the art of clay-making with classes and more. In the to be used for our treatment the studio. All of the clays, South Jersey residents. various workshops, parprograms.” paints, materials and tools “As a clay artist myself, ticipants hand-shape their Both children and adults are brought to the locaI understood the power the clay, paint and decorate it. participate in Say it With tions. medium of clay can have The clay is then baked Clay’s programs, but Kasoff Kasoff strongly believes for people when they are and ready to be picked up finds that she does more that art therapy can be benengaged and utilizing clay, around three weeks later. work with children. Kasoff eficial to everyone, whether and they are able to forget One of Kasoff’s favorite also provides art therapy they are artistically inabout all the outside inparts of Say it With Clay is workshops outside of the clined or not. fluences that are around organizing its annual Faces Collingswood studio.

“We do primarily get them,” Kasoff said. of Value program.

She and her staff travel referrals for people who Kasoff and her team of “We recruit different to various schools, rehab have an interest in art, but trained art therapists lead community members to facilities, hospitals, camps, we also work with a lot of various workshops and procreate clay masks that we churches, synagogues, lipeople that think they are

not creative at all and feel hesitant to work with us but then…are completely shocked at what they can make,” Kasoff said.

Just like many other businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Say it With Clay.

“During the pandemic, we were not allowed to go to other locations anywhere anymore for a very long time and a couple organizations still have not brought us back yet,” Kasoff said.

To provide art therapy to people in a safe way, Say it With Clay came up with alternative solutions. Kasoff purchased a large outdoor event tent and led some workshops outside. However, the tent is not in use right now due to the cold weather.

Say it With Clay also has a youth committee targeted towards those ages six to seventeen years old. Members of the youth committee volunteer for one year with Say it With Clay and help the organization with various events and fundraisers.

The members also meet with each other at the studio throughout the course of the year.

Currently, the youth committee consists of 13 members from all around the state of New Jersey.

For more information about joining the youth committee, visit the Say it With Clay website (sayitwithclay.org).

Kasoff continues to impact the lives of many New Jersey residents with her art therapy workshops. To participate in a workshop, make sure to book an appointment in advance on the website or by calling (856) 858-5994.

Say it With Clay is located at 644 Atlantic Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108.

Olson spreads smiles to local senior citizens with care packages ■ By Lauren Greenberg (‘24)

Eastside Administrative Assistant

kindness one basket at a time. Back in 2020, Olson remembers the struggle of not being able to visit her

Even the smallest gesture can make a big difference in someone’s life. For some, it may be a phone call, or a hug, but for Vicky Olson, founder of Sonshine and Smiles, it’s going above and beyond to have a positive impact on others in the community.

During the lonelier times of living in a pandemic, many elders were and are stuck living in nursing homes with not many visitors and decreased social Courtesy of Vicki Olson activity.

Brightening The packages can contain hygiene one’s day, Ol- products and small activities. son takes initiative to cregrandmother in the United ate unique care packages Kingdom. for nursing home residents She recalls, “It started in South Jersey. She colout of COVID-19, for one I lects and distributes baswas bored, and my grandkets and items to seniors in ma who lived in the UK nursing homes, spreading

I couldn’t visit due to COVID-19, and I realized how lonely she was.”

Then an idea came to mind, that if her grandmother across the pond was lonely, others who didn’t have relatives or close friends felt the gruesome burden of loneliness, too.

“After making contact with the local nursing home, I realized how lonely people were, hundreds.

Maybe I can make an impact.”

Spreading kindness through holiday-themed care packages, Olson prepared hundreds to deliver to nursing homes.

Although she works by herself, Olson counts on local businesses and organizations, such as Girl Scouts and her local church, to hold collection boxes of toiletries and small activities, such as puzzles and crosswords.

She currently partners with Promedica, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Voorhees and West Deptford along with an elderly residence in her neighborhood.

Each holiday, she works with the donations collected to package and distribute 350 gifts to each facility to remind elders that some-

one is thinking of them.

Additionally, Olson prepares 260 staff gifts to show her appreciation for the healthcare heroes, es-

riety of people, including friends, family and others looking to donate from all over the country.

Her work has impacted her in a way she could not have imagined.

For Olson, giving back makes her gain not only a sense of accomplishment, but also pride in making others feel seen.

U p o n planning for each holiday, O l s o n “tends to sit around with the activity director and Courtesy of Vicki Olson come up A basket recipient appreciates Olson’s with a plan kindness with its various special treats. for what the pecially working through residents need. Often it’s COVID-19. toiletries, candy, pens, puzWorking within the comzles, crosswords,” she said. munity, Olson uses her Inspired by her personal Facebook account, Sonstory, Olson spreads happishine and Smiles, to gain ness and kindness one care donations from a wide vapackage at a time.

Page 8

EASTSIDE

March 2022

SPORTS

March 2022

EASTSIDE

Page 9

Flying high and breaking records for the East Boys’ track team

Noah Kriesman breaks East’s pole vaulting record ■ By Gia Gupta (‘24) Eastside Features Editor

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Page defies gravity as he jumps over the bar.

Dillon Page holds 4th place in New Jersey for high jumping ■ By Abby Yu (‘23) Eastside Sports Editor

It is solely a competition…

A competition between an athlete and the horizontal bar positioned between the two standards. There is a red mat underneath the bar to cushion his fall. The bar is raised to six feet above the ground. It is time for the track athlete to make his way to the bar and get over it swiftly.

This is the process that high jumper Dillon Page (‘22) goes through every winter and spring during his track seasons at his meets. This marks Page’s fourth year as a high jumper. He has been competing in high jump since the eighth grade, and his journey began the last year of middle school. Throughout middle school, Page dabbled in an array of different extracurriculars: theater and cross-country one year, to name a few. When track season came around the corner in 2018, Page’s gym teacher at Rosa, Mr. Chuenmark, told Page that he would make a great addition to the track and field team as a high jumper.

“It’s funny because it wasn’t really something that I knew I wanted to do,” said Page. “I just told myself to give it a try and see where it would go.”

When Page got to high school, he pursued high jumping when track season started.

He slowly saw himself make immense progress with the height he was achieving. Perfecting his technique aided the success that he now claims in

high jumping as top five in the state.

Page has trained with coaches during high jump clinics occasionally to learn new tricks and techniques and strengthen his ability to perform and overcome his negative self-talk.

“It’s not really so much of a problem anymore,” said Page, “but before I would tell myself that I couldn’t do it before I would even attempt the jump.”

Now, Page has a growing

mindset on how he tackles his jumps. This includes his thought process from running and speeding up his way towards the bar, to performing the fauzberry jump over the bar, to making the ultimate impact with the cushioned mat underneath. He makes sure to constantly remind himself of his ability in high jumping

and that he is capable of jumping over the bar each time it is raised to a greater height off of the ground. He does not let the height of the bar dictate how confident he feels about his next jump.

COVID-19 hit mid-March of 2020. The spring track season was just starting up. Page was definitely disappointed that his sophomore year spring track season was lost at the expense of a virus, but that did not stop him from strengthening both physically and mentally as a high jump athlete.

“COVID was weird because I feel like it was supposed to make me worse, but it actually did the complete opposite,” said Page.

“It made me almost stronger in a way.”

B e f o r e COVID-19, Page’s personal best was 6’2’’ and his first meet after COVID-19, one year later, he jumped four inches higher than his previous personal record. The immense progress shocked Page and had such a great impact on him since he was not able to compete in such a long time due to the pandemic.

Currently, Page stands as

the fourth best high jumper in New Jersey. There has never been a Cherry Hill East boys’ high jumper to rank that high in the state. He is known for his agility and persistence by coaches. Some of his greatest accomplishments have come from the seasons following the pandemic as well as this winter season. For instance, he was able to set a new record of 6’ 6¼ ’’ and was named the first boy in East history to win the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, the highest meet in the state, in June of 2021.

If someone were to tell Page that he would be where he was with a sport that he is so passionate about, he would not have believed it.

“I never knew I would be where I am now with high jump; I never knew that I could jump so high,” said Page.

As any typical high schooler would experience finding their place in such a big school or finding that one sport or club to be truly committed to, this journey was no different for Page.

High jump is the sport that is very close to his heart and has made Page the person he is today. Page will be continuing his strong passion at Rutgers University-New Brunswick at the D1 level next fall.

“I’ve done stuff when I was younger by trying this and trying that, but I really felt like this was the first time in my life where I felt really, truly passionate about something that I see myself doing for a while,” said Page.

As his senior year nears its ending, he wants Cherry Hill

East to remember him for not only his high jump ability, but also for what he was like as a student in the classroom and as a friend outside of class. He hopes that he has left his legacy on East for years to come and hopes to inspire the future for high jumping at East.

“I’m excited, but adjusting from high school athletics to the D1 level will be a great adjustment,” said Page.

Page expressed his excitement to transition to the next evel. He likes to focus on the present and hopes to stay consistent for the rest of his high school track season.

“From freshman year, Dillon was already clearing six feet,” said Coach Mr. Anthony Maniscalco. “We saw potential in him immediately. He has been one of our best jumpers since.”

Maniscalco expresses the great pride he feels in seeing Page jump the bar each meet and receiving The Jumper of the Year Award his freshman year. Maniscalco knew that Page would work his way to break school records on the high level.

“I am incredibly proud of him. Page has also helped the team with hurdling since he is one of our best,” said Maniscalco.

High jump and the competition between him and the bar will always be something that Page cherishes. He will be taking the end of his high school career and the beginning of a brand new chapter of his life one step at a time, excited about his new athletic journey in the future.

Time. The movement from one moment to the next. One opportunity to another. Some wait and others act.

Some think they have time, others think they are only losing it. Some think later, others think now.

There is no waiting for Noah Kriesman (‘22).

When Kriesman was in middle school, he decided to participate in Beck’s track program as a runner and high jumper. As an eager eighth grader, he would admire the high school pole vaulters when he would attend track meets on their turf. Animated with an immediate interest, he knew he wanted to try it. That spark of curiosity would go on to change his life, and ultimately, even school history.

In his freshman year, Kriesman decided to pole vault for Cherry Hill High School East. But, the East track program did not have any coaches focused on jumping in particular.

And maybe he was again just staring into the distance, but somewhere and somehow, he met Lucas Tran (‘20).

“Since we didn’t have a coach, he was basically my coach for pole vault whenever we were at East,” Kriesman said.

Kriesman tried to follow in his footsteps, but Tran saw something bigger in Kriesman than he did in himself, also bigger than what Kriesman could see.

“The first day I practiced, he looked at me and told me, ‘You’re definitely going to be better than me.’ I told him, ‘I don’t really see that happening.’ But, he told me to trust him,” Kriesman said.

At the first meet of his freshman year, Tran told Kriesman to wing it. So he winged it. On his first jump, Kriesman broke his nose and got a black eye. Nobody thought he would keep jumping. But he got up, and wholly knew, he was not stopping there. Tran had told Kriesman about a pole vaulting clinic in Pennsylvania that was an hour away and originally Kriesman wasn’t really sure if he wanted to try it out. But after that fateful first meet, he was more than ready to commit to the hard work and practice.

“I made the right call, not just giving up with pole vaulting. That is when I really became serious,” Kriesman said.

Starting at the Philadelphia Jumps Club once a week every Sunday, he began to have access to new resources like coaches and poles to practice with.

At the end of his freshman year, he had jumped 8’ in his winter season and 9’ in his spring season. In his sophomore winter season, he had jumped 11’6”. In March of that year, COVID-19 hit.

Kriesman devoted all of his time in quarantine to working out. Tran had done calisthenics, a form of strength training, and motivated Kriesman to do the same. Kriesman said it started out small. The goal was one handstand for 30 seconds. Around a month went by, and he did it. He didn’t stop there.

40 seconds. One minute. Now he can do a handstand for one minute and 20 seconds.

Kriesman remembers thinking about breaking the pole vaulting school record, 14’6, but he did not think it was possible. But when he came back to East after quarantine and went from 12’6” to 14’ between his junior winter and spring season, he suddenly had renewed faith. He knew he did not have a lot of time left at East, but he did not want to stop trying.

In a past Eastside interview Kriesman said, “Since I’m only a junior, I plan on setting the bar higher than this school has ever seen.”

Now, a senior, on the day of the decisive meet, all he could think of, all he knew, was that he had to clear the bar.

With rock music playing as he warmed up, he tried to zone out.

The bar was set at 14’6”– the bar that had constantly inspired him to work harder and make progress. He stood on the runway and thought to himself, at this moment, I do not hold the school record. But if I cross the bar, if I just get there, six more inches, I could hold it.

The second he started running, he couldn’t think. He was doing nothing, almost like he blacked out. When he ran down the runway, all he knew was that he was about to jump, he was simply in the moment.

But when he came back into focus, he has jumped 15’. Higher than this school has ever seen. And he knows that he is going to keep working, to make it even higher.

More than three years after he had first started pole vaulting under Tran’s guidance, now Kriesman tries to help the new young vaulters at East succeed.

“I’m thinking back to when I was them, getting coached by Lucas, and I’m like, this is what he must have felt like. And it’s weird because it seems like he had all the answers, and now I’m here,” Kriesman said.

Kriesman, with his senior spring season ahead of him, is preparing for all meets and hopes to compete in Nationals.

With a new goal of becoming a physical therapist because of his interest in exercise science, he hopes to jump in college while also pursuing a program that can help him achieve his career goals.

“If you want to accomplish something, just do it. Just start right now…

Don’t postpone what you want to do if you can work on it now,” Kriesman said.

He said there are no excuses; you just have to do it. If you ever see Kriesman, ask him if you can see his watch.

Engraved on the watch is a message that reminds him do or do not, now or never: “Get there.”

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Kriesman perfects his form through both arm and leg strength.

EDITORIAL

Page 10

EASTSIDE

March 2022

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

Microagression lessons are a start, but full school support is needed for success

In light of the four recent microaggression lessons, aimed to increase awareness and educate Cherry Hill High School East students to be more mindful of how they treat others, Eastside recognizes the administration’s efforts in addressing these issues. By making the lessons mandatory and dedicating whole class periods to these lessons, East administration made a statement on the importance of learning the skills presented in the lessons and took into account student concerns.

Eastside editors would like to clarify that they had no involvement in the formation of these lessons.

The two center pages of the January issue (also known as the doubletruck) did prompt these lessons to occur. However, to orchestrate a plan, East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry assigned culture club members to four committees for the four lessons during one of their scheduled meetings.

Eastside appreciates East administration for taking the first step in addressing the issues with East’s student culture.

Though there are ways Perry hopes to improve and make the next step in continuing to work on making a comfortable learning environment, Eastside also has some solutions.

First, East should reflect on the current lessons and find ways they can be en-

hanced. This could be done by getting feedback from students who are passionate about the development of the lessons, adding videos produced by East students or finding ways to include in-person speakers or elements rather than relying so much on screentime.

One concern was that culture clubs were one of the only types of student groups included in the production of these videos.

In coming years, Eastside feels including more students from different organizations within the school would help promote interest by the student body in the lessons. Many of the videos giving examples of the microaggressions that were played during these four lessons were not produced by East, which also may have led to lack of interest.

However, these issues do not fall on administration alone. East students created a stigma with these lessons, often making jokes following watching them and acting disengaged during their presentations. Examples of this disengagement include being on their phones, talking or even sleeping.

The aforementioned article covering the unwelcoming environment at East was clear proof that we need an attitude makeover. However, Perry feels that the jokes that have emerged from these lessons

are proof they had some influence on the students, even though they may not be mature enough to appreciate them yet.

Unfortunately, it is often the same kids who are part of the problem that were ignoring the videos that would help with the solution. These are the kids that most need to be reached.

Similarly, the attitude of some teachers greatly affected students’ feelings towards these lessons. Some students even said they had a teacher make comments suggesting the lessons were not important, or their teachers advised them to come late to school to miss the lesson. This is not acceptable considering teachers should be the ones helping to foster a more comfortable environment for all students.

Though Eastside feels some teachers were very passionate and understood the importance of presenting these ideas and were more than happy to dedicate their class time to present these concepts, there needs to be all teachers on board in order to make the program successful.

“I think that some lessons went better in one room versus another room,” said Perry. “In some classes, the teacher may have relied on the video of them reading the text for the whole lesson. In other classes, the conversation might have been very robust, with the

teacher giving personal examples.”

East administration even made two versions of the first and second lesson.

One was for teachers less comfortable with the material presented in the lessons and allowed them to just play the presentation rather than present and give their own spin on it.

The second allowed teachers to be more comfortable and passionate; they could add their input and be more active in facilitating group conversations about student opinions or experiences.

“None of the lessons are perfect,” said Perry. “We just felt that it was necessary to provide that learning piece for our school.”

Eastside recognizes the resources and time dedicated to the production and agrees it was a way to start the conversation of how our student culture can be improved and made more welcoming for everyone. As a whole, East needs more from students and teachers to help ensure the effectiveness of the projects being put out by East administration.

Eastside hopes East administration continues to address the environment students have created in various outlets. Changing culture is not easy; it takes time. But the more that everyone accepts that things can be better, the more likely change is to take place.

Eastside Founded 1967 Mailing Address: Cherry Hill HS East 1750 Kresson Rd. Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Phone: (856) 424-2222 ext. 2087 E-mail: To contact an editor, use firstname. lastname@ eastside-online. org, such as ella. goodstadt@ eastside-online. org Publisher: School Paper Express (Wappinger Falls, NY)

Eastside 2021-2022 Editorial Board Managing Editor: Jessica Levin Editors-in-Chief: Jacy Dickstein, Max Gaffin, Lalitha Viswanathan Online Editors-in-Chief: Alexa Atlas, Nicole Vital, Angelina Witting Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi News Editors Tharunika Govindasamy Jiwoo Lee Bella Levin

Community Editors Jillian Koenig Lily Lazarus Ellie Noh

Features Editors Gia Gupta Aiden Rood Alena Zhang

Culture Editors Jamie Bookbinder Ziva Davis Katherine Li

Opinions Editors Ziv Amsili Emily Boyle

Sports Editors Amanda Merovitz Scout Pullano Abby Yu

Global Commentary Editors Batul El Barouki Lauren Winslow Art Directors Marcus Newman Melissa Vital

Photo Editors Heidi Kwak Yena Son

Online News Editor Vivian Rong Online Features Editor Julia Boehning Online Opinions Editor Brielle Lampf Online Global Commentary Editor Asher Boiskin

Business Managers Spencer DeAbreu Alex Levine

Online Community Editor Julia Rosten Online Culture Editor Inesa Linker Online Sports Editor Shayna Oppen Online STEM Editor Sophia Liu Media Editors Natalie Finkelstein Karina Gupta

Administrative Assistant Lauren Greenberg

Editorial Assistants Ella Goodstadt Izzy Sobel

OPINIONS

March 2022

EASTSIDE

Page 11

Locker removal project will alleviate overcrowding during lunch

ate a space for students to access areas of the school, which, as of right now, reCherry Hill High School mains stagnant?

East has two cafeterias, In East’s Introduction to three gyms, multiple courtEngineering class, students yards and one library/anworked vigorously to denex available for students velop the best functionable and accessible layout that can be in place of the lockers.

T h a n k s to Sketchup Figure 1 and Shapr3D Figure 2, both digital creation platforms, an accurate vision of what can be installed in place of the lockers was created. And the formulated design not only moschool

Sketchup (Figure 1) bilize functionalility, space and to use during the lunch room is packed to the brim; beautification, but grants periods. For a school that the solution comes down to students an opportunity to spend their lunch time eating, socializing, and de-stressing, the way it should be. In order to accurately represent the vision, students spent time measuring the depth, height, width and length of the lockers, which then was incorporated into digital sketches, further offering East more information to complete this project that students desire.

There are two different layouts used to ensure the best eating spaces for students in different parts of the school. Shapr3D’s deHeidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor sign is intended for Cwing second and third Students congregate in F-wing during LB1. floor, B-wing second floor holds more than 2,500 stuthe lockers. and B-wing overgraze secdents and staff daily, it The rusty red and white ond floor. The purpose for cannot provide everyone storage spaces up and down this is to allow students with sufficient seating. the hallways are more to take advantage of areas Students that don’t “show for display” than around the school that can “claim” their seat on the they are “useful”. So why be used for a more quiet first day of school resort to not get rid of them and creand calming environment

to work and relax. To clarify, the second floor and up will be designated as a NO EATING ZONE, but moreover, a more functional design for such a large educational community.

Sketchup’s design, on the other hand, will be intended for F-wing, C-wing first floor, B-wing first floor, G-wing, and Caf 1 and 2 hallway by the student entrance. The advantage of Sketchup’s design allows students to relax during the lunch breaks and enjoy an environment where they can socialize with friends.

Furthermore, G-wing and the Caf 1 & 2 hallway will be AVAILABLE EATING ZONES, but every other implementation of this design within the first floor will be prohibited from eating.

Will the construction process disrupt student activity? After lengthy discussions and researching a lot about what needs to go into this project, the proposed timeline for completion is three months. If this project were to occur over the summer time when students are not in school,

staircases are not places for congregations and eating.

With additional seating in place of the lockers, students can sit comfortably, while still enjoying their lunch breaks without creating a fire hazard.

Not only will this allow for students who eat on the floor to have proper seating, but it will also reduce COVID-19 exposure.

Right now, COVID-19 aside, students are crammed at the lunch tables, squishing too many people at one table, not allowing for personal space, let alone social distancing.

The additional seating refurbished around the building generates more areas for students to spread out during the lunch breaks and decrease the amount of cramming within the available lunch rooms.

This will help districts avoid decisions that may impact the extension of the school year, as well as some national holidays that have been canceled as “off-days” to be school days. For example, in our school district, the day off on President’s Day on February 21 was canceled due to the January 3 snow day, and in some cases, this usual fourday-long break would be a chance for parents with days off to plan family vacations.

The NJPSA supported the bill that favored snow day remote learning, in a vote 5-0. Some comments supporting the testimony referenced that a revised school calendar may induce anxiety for parents who had already made plans on secular holidays, for example.

This year, school officials in districts all over the country, like New York City, New York, and Provo City, Utah, have already adopted remote instruction in unfavorable weather conditions, as initiated by their senators and support-

experiences, no middle schooler, high schooler or faculty member would want to postpone their family vacation, delay learning

content or miss a day at the beach when they could have engaged in remote instruction virtually from their homes.

■ By Hannah Pollack (‘22)

For Eastside

places such as underneath the stairwell, F-wing hallway, A-wing and the bathroom stalls.

It no longer comes down to “finding more space to fit tables in the lunch rooms” because each and every

it will not be a concern on disrupting student activity.

Not a week goes by where school administration urges students on the loudspeaker, informing the student body that the

Shapr3D (Figure 2)

Art by Hannah Pollack (‘22)/ For Eastside

There ought to be remote instruction on snow days ■ By Ziv Amsili(‘22)

Eastside Opinions Editor

Though schools across the country have resumed in-person learning, using a virtual setting to minimize future concerns about personal scheduling, as well as other dilemmas, can be used, especially for snow days.

New Jersey senators Nicholas J. Sacco and Joseph A. Lagana proposed Bill S464, which states that “in the event that there is inclement weather or hazardous transportation conditions that requires the closure of the schools of a school district for one or more school days, the superintendent of schools shall have the authority to implement the school district’s program of virtual or remote instruction.”

Further, it states that the superintendent should consult with the board of education prior to making this decision, based on how severe the weather conditions are and whether that would impact the use of technology.

ed by the school district.

Though some may say that teachers with infants will struggle to both teach and cater to their children’s needs at the same time, it should be an option for teachers to assign independent work for the majority of the period that may guarantee them more time to care for infants and elementary school children.

Though there are some negatives to remote learning such as a 9:30 a.m. start time, or shorter time for classes, remote instruction has proved to be effective in a sense that students can still attend their classes and complete assignments from home, where they would not be driving anyway.

Further, since snow days happen in the middle of the year, projects and assignments will not be delayed, rather than if a snow day were to be pushed to the end of June, where students would be absent anyway.

Therefore, though snow days are a token of childhood memories and

Joachim Schwartz (‘22)/ Eastside Staff

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GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

March 2022

Organ donation saves lives as the gift that keeps on giving ■ By Batul El Barouki (‘23) Eastside Global Commentary Editor

A healthy organ donor can save up to eight lives.

A tissue donor can impact the lives of 75 people.

While these facts are true, only about 54% of people are registered organ donors in the U.S. compared to the 95% of Americans that do in fact support organ donation, according to Penn Medicine.

There is beauty in knowing a person can enhance so many lives yet the ethical concerns, such as religion, family ethics and untrustworthy physicians, are what often hinder a person’s decision to become a donor. However, this does take away from the benefits of being so incredibly selfless as to share your body with that of someone struggling to stay alive. So, this begs the question as to why should people become organ donors.

Making the choice to donate one’s bodily functions should not be taken lightly. Nevertheless, 16or 17-year-olds that receive a driver’s license are asked this question. It can be very difficult to think about death, especially at a young age. To make this personal decision, kids and adults must be extensively informed on the benefits of organ donation.

106,488 men, women, and children are currently

on the waiting list for organs in the United States; 17 people a day sadly die waiting for organs that never arrive, according to the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). Making an important contribution to this Earth before one departs often influences this decision. Organ donation can help dying or sick people potentially have a l o n g e r and better quality of life, which may bring peace to the family of the deceased.

Penn Medicine reported that 2% of those who die have viable organs for donation. This 2% means potentially thousands of lives saved. A healthy kidney can free two people from di- a l ysis; a liver can be split into two; lungs can give two people “the gift of life.” An eye transplant can mean a person robbed of the sight of this beautiful world can see again, which is truly amazing.

Another benefit of becoming a donor is the fact that tissue, such as tendons, bones, cartilage and heart vessels, can be donated as well, which potentially and hopefully enhances a significant amount of lives, up to 75. To make a difference, organ donation does not al-

ways have to be post-mortem. People can participate in which is coined the term “living donation.” This allows the donor to witness the effect of their contribution and is typically done for a loved one in need.

There is an ample amount of tests done on a potential donor to make

sure they are in good current health and to minimize the amount of risk after surgery.

Normally, a living donation consists of a lobe from

a lung, a segment from a liver, one kidney or a section from the pancreas. If the lower right lobe of one lung is removed from an adult while the lower left is removed from another, a mini lung can be made for a baby. A child can grow up happy and healthy, and it is all because of the selfless acts of others.

Such honorable actions can be extremely effec-

tive in the grieving process for families of an organ donor as well. Very often, 83% of the time, according to the National Library of Medicine, families are grateful and have positive feelings

when knowing their loved one is allowing another person to carry on with life.

It is as if the loved ones are living inside these strangers; families are flooded with beautiful and expressive emotions through organ donation. Many say it keeps the legacy of the departed alive and some families are just so grateful to help those in need. Death can mean the beginning of new life, and in this sense, families can find it a little easier to mourn.

While organ donation is a touchy subject given that most people would rather not imagine what will happen to their bodies after death, it is still crucial to be educated and to make a decision that is comfortable and feels right. A human is capable of so much good; the intricate systems that keep each and everyone alive can do the same for the people in dire need.

Those fortunate enough to match with a donor are given the ultimate gift of life.

Even considering donating organs to science can aid the continuous effort to understand the extraordinary human body and cultivate more useful approaches in surgery. Getting educated on the benefits of organ donation is extremely important for this potentially life-saving decision.

Art by Erin Winslow (‘25)/ For Eastside

Women continue to face prejudice around the world ■ By Maddie Winslow (‘24)

Eastside Staff

In 1689, Friesland, a modern-day Netherland province, became the first country to allow women to vote. The United States, typically recognized as a land of rights, did not grant its female citizens the right to vote until centuries later in 1920.

Throughout history, women have not possessed basic human rights such as land-owning, working and voting. Education was not easily accessible. Violence and aggression towards women were very common.

The majority of the female population struggled to find adequate healthcare and they had little bodily autonomy. If these issues sound familiar, it is because they are still extremely prevalent in the world today.

Until 1920, 99% of women were not eligible to work in the U.S. “The housewives of America” would stay home and take care of the cooking and cleaning needs per the request of their husbands. They were also expected to automatically take on the role of child-bearer and were often looked down upon if they did not have any sons or were deemed infertile. In the early 1910s, men left to fight in World War I, and women had no choice but to take on more industrial jobs. When the war ended and soldiers returned home to the United States in 1920, legislation was passed to provide men and women equal working

opportunities and pay, but The ratification of a tics have increased trementhe pay aspect of this new woman’s right to vote was dously. law did not stay equal for ratified just over one hunViolence and aggression long. Today, women earn dred years ago in the Unittowards women have been eighty-two cents for every ed States. This influenced issues from very early on dollar earned by a man. voting suspensions against in history, and over the Other countries still hold women to be lifted around past few decades, we have deep beliefs against women the world, especially in Euseen it get increasingly entering the workforce. rope. worse. From a young age, Women only have the right For centuries, women’s girls are taught to hold to freely work in 42% of education has been a poputheir keys between their countries. lar global controversy. Acfingers, check under their According to recent data cessible learning environcars before getting in, and collected by The New York ments for women became are warned of the conseTimes, about 34% of councommon in early twentiquences of walking alone at tries do not allow women to eth-century America, but night. In the United States, vote. Some of these counaround the world, these eight in ten women have tries include Pakistan, Saurights are still scarce. Folreported sexual assault, di Arabia and Egypt. These lowing the Global Gender harassment, or rape comcountries, as well as many others, have very strict, oppressive legislation that does not allow women to have a say in the government because it is deemed inappropriate and socially immoral. In 17% of countries and provinces, women are legally allowed the right to vote, but Courtesy of the Library of Congress many choose Women were still fighting for their right to vote in the early 1900s. not to, as they feel that their votes don’t count or they Gap Report of 2020, about mitted upon them between will be jeopardized when 88% of women have acthe ages of 11-17. Reports doing so. cess to education compared of these experiences are alMale dominance over feto 97% of males. Prior to most always refuted as the males also factors into this; 2009, only 67% of the feUnited States government, it is common that husbands male population was able along with many others prevent their wives from to receive teaching, but around the world, does not voting in a desperate atthanks to activists such as view these violent acts as tempt to maintain power Michelle Bachelet and Mapressing matters. over their wives. lala Yousafzai, these statisInadequate health care

is a prevailing issue for women from a global standpoint.

Expenses such as purchasing pregnancy tests, contraceptives and feminine hygiene products are shared issues amongst women around the world.

To purchase two pregnancy tests you may need to spend an upwards amount of $40.

Birth control can also be very expensive without insurance. In a year, the average amount spent on period products can total $300.

Recently, restrictive abortion laws have been a major controversy in America. So far eight states, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wisconsin, have banned abortion after the fetus reaches six weeks. This is seen as a major problem because most women are unaware of their pregnancy at this point.

For financially or mentally unstable victims of sexual assault, or those who are just unable to care for their child, abortion may be their only option.

Social stigma is also a detrimental factor to women wanting abortions who may be single or deemed as too young to care for a child.

Women, along with many others, have been fighting for their rights for quite a long time.

With each new piece of legislation, each new activist, each new march for change, our world is one step closer to achieving gender equality across the globe for all women.

March 2022

GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

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Next Supreme Court Justice to be a Black woman ■ Lauren Winsow (‘23)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

In 1980, former President Ronald Reagan announced to the world that the next Supreme Court Justice would be a woman.

True to his word, when Reagan assumed the presidency, he appointed Sandra Day O’Connor, w h o eventually became t h e first female Associate

Supreme Court Justice, a role she fulfilled for over two decades. Now, in 2022, Biden has made a similar commitment to appoint the first-ever African American woman.

Throughout his campaign, Biden spoke of nominating the first African American women to the Supreme Court in hopes of obtaining a large portion of the African Americ a n vote.

N o w that S u -

preme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his retirement, Biden is putting his plan into action.

Justice Breyer will continue to serve his role until Congress takes recess during the summer of 2022.

While Biden has not announced an official candidate, he has spoken of one requirement.

“The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court,” said Biden according to CBS News.

This statement sparked much controversy for various reasons. Some believe that the candidates should be considered solely based on qualifications and that race should not be a factor in the decisions. Others believe that while it is important that there is adequate representation within the highest court of the United States, of America Biden’s statement prevents other minorities from being considered.

Although Supreme Court Justices are not supposed to hold a political affiliation, as their job is solely to uphold the Constitution without being biased by their own beliefs, currently, Justice Breyer is one of three liberal justices. So, Biden most likely will be endorsing a liberal candidate. Democrats control the

Senate at this time, so it is unlikely that Biden’s nomination will be met with any push-back.

Throughout history, Supreme Court Justice positions have typically been held by white men.

Throughout the twentieth century, the Supreme Court began to become more diverse. In 1967 the first African American male, Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, assumed the position and in 2009 Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. Still, according to CNN “less than 5.3% of justices have been women or minorities.”

Because the Supreme Court is meant to be made up of a wide range of worldviews, without partisan influence, this lack of diversity is concerning.

Nevertheless, many Republican senators, especially Senator Ted Cruz, have criticized Biden’s statement. Some senators even believe that Biden’s statement correlates with affirmative action and could be preventing other equally qualified individuals from being looked over.

What many politicians forget is that both political parties have used the Supreme Court nomination to support their own party and limit the possible candidates. For example, after the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former President Trump made the commitment to fill her seat with a

pro-life woman, which he fulfilled through the nomination of Associate Justice Amy Barrett. At this time, Ted Cruz had no opposition.

After declaring that his search for the next Supreme Court Justice would be extensive, Biden officially announced his nominee is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Judge Jackson has extensive experience, currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and previously serving as the Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Judge Jackson is typically identified as liberal, so her nomination will not change the make-up of the court. No matter who Biden nominates, the majority of the Republican party is going to create conflict.

The real question amidst all this controversy is why politics is playing such a big role on the Supreme Court when it’s supposed to be the most impartial component of the United States government.

Having an African American woman serve on the Supreme Court would be one step closer to equity, but it is important to remember that appointing other minorities, such as Asians, Native Americans, or those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, would promote the same ideals.

other online outlets, pleading with people to get vaccinated and boosted, as well as to wear a mask and practice social distanc-

to get care from their local hospital without delay, with the current nurse shortages. In Rhode Island, hospital leaders, according to the Washington Post, are warning of an “unprecedented crisis” if the shortages continue.

Hospitals are now also hiring traveling nurses more than ever, yet there aren’t enough. That’s why Texas hospitals are paying 75,000 dollars, on average, to traveling nurses. While hospital associations realize the cost of hiring travel nurses, they also know how much they need them. Still, people around the country have protested the high salary travel nurses are receiving, even calling for Congress to take legislative action and establish a paycap.

Many of the health care professionals that have left the field over the past two years have done so with bitter anger, directed at the millions of people who continue to remain u n v a c cinated.

They’re also angry at hospital executives for not implementing safer COVID-19 workplace policies and the politicians who refuse to enact or maintain

legislation and mandates that work to decrease the spread of the virus.

Daniels describes the situation perfectly, for many nurses: “people want to blame the fire department for the number of fires, rather than the people playing with matches.”

In other words, if the government had continued to reinforce mask mandates, social distancing and other COVID-19 safety policies, hospitals right n o w might have been fine, at least labor-wise. Y e t it’s not entirely the government’s fault. The people who are not yet vaccinated refuse to properly abide

by COVID-19 policies and those who continue to spread COVID-19 misinformation are at fault too.

As the nurse force continues to decline, who knows how America will cope with the pandemic.

The nation might see the reinstatement of the mask mandates, their schools going virtual and the prices of a hospital visit rising.

What America does know, however, is that we can fix the nursing shortage crisis and prevent the rise in COVID-19 cases. By ensuring that the government enforces strong COVID-19 policies, more people receive vaccinations and nurses feel safer in their workplaces, America could have finally climb out from under this pandemic.

Art by Gabbie Hart (‘22)/ Eastside Staff

Nursing shortage has detrimental effects on the health care community ■ By Asher Boiskin (‘24) Eastside Online Global Commentary Editor

Over the past two years, according to the New York Times, one in five nurses have quit their jobs for a variety of reasons. Public health officials and state hospital leaders are extremely worried about the nation’s nurse labor shortage. The recent surge of the COVID-19 pandemic’s Omicron variant exacerbated their concerns. While America has wrestled with wave after wave of COVID-19 illness and death, many people are continuing to become infected and hospitalized. So, at a time when our nation needs it most, why are so many nurses leaving their profession, and how exactly will this affect the healthcare industry?

Even with mask and vaccine mandates, hospitals all over the country continue to struggle to keep up with mounting COVID-19 cases. Pascagoula Hospital, in Missouri, exemplifies the issue; just a few weeks ago, the hospital possessed 25% fewer staff than usual.

“I want to make sure my patients are bathed, given their meds on time and have their vital signs continually assessed, but you can’t do that when you’re stretched this thin,” said Teresa Phillips, one of the nurses at Pascagoula.

One might think that the health industry would have gone on a hiring spree

during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for Pascagoula Hospital and many other hospitals, that’s not the case.

“There’s this assumption that two years into the pandemic, health care somehow should have hired more people,” said Craig Daniels, a critical care physician at the Mayo Clinic.

Exhaustion and burnout beat tens of thousands of nurses, pulling them out of the workforce and discouraging others from joining.

Now, multiple states are utilizing their National Guard to support hospit a l s w i t h administrat i v e tasks and othe r im-

por tant jobs, such as cleaning rooms, because they have no other options.

The situation is so dire that some hospitals have even gone to newspapers or

ing.

For example, Minnesota hospitals took out a full-page ad in the Star Tribune, claiming that it’s uncertain whether or not residents will be able

Art by Michelle Bookbinder (‘25)/ Eastside Staff

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EASTSIDE

March 2022

The game Wordle becomes addicting among all ages ■ By Jessica Levin (‘22) Eastside Managing Editor

Plant; Donut; Orate; Fuzzy; Actor. Although these words seem completely unrelated, there is one thing these words all have in common: they each contain five letters.

The new sensation, Wordle, is a website that has grown in popularity since the start of 2022.

Wordle is a brain game in which players have six tries to guess five-letter words.

Once submitting a five-letter word, the squares will appear either black, yellow or green. Black means the letter is not in the word, yellow means that the letter is in the word but not that spot, and green means the letter is in the word in that particular spot.

Although similar games like this have been around for years, Wordle sparked

Jessica Levin (‘22)/ Eastside Managing Editor

interest originally starting as a British website, but as of January 31, the New

York Times purchased the site.

The New York Times

bought Wordle with the hope that the users playing the game will be more likely to subscribe to the New York Times. As of now, the game is still free, but there is questioning behind whether the New York Times intends on making it a source of its revenue.

With Wordle, there is only one word puzzle a day and the website keeps track of your personal progress, which is your streak of words right, and how many tries each day takes.

With keeping track, Wordle allows people to send their scores and how many tries it took them to friends and family or post on their social media accounts.

Additionally, there are spin-offs to Wordle which allow players to play past Wordles or allows people to create their own Wordle to send and play with friends.

There are also spin-offs to the idea itself. Websites like Dordle (Double Wordle) and Nerdle (a math version of Wordle) have been created in recent months.

Such a simple concept has evolved into one of the most popular games of 2022 that people have been enjoying, but the real question is, will Wordle die off or is this fad here to stay?

A variety of clubs at East are created to highlight women ■ By Scout Pullano (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

The month of March is dedicated to celebrating women’s history. However, women deserve to be celebrated 365 days of the year.

Cherry Hill East proves this to be true.

In May 2021, CHE Women in Sports came to life.

Their goal is to provide a strong community for all of the female athletes at East.

“We felt that there was no unity between all of the different teams, so we wanted to create a safe, uplifting community for all of the female athletes,” said Kiran Muttathil (‘23), copresident and co-founder of the club.

Last spring, CHEWIS visited Johnson Elementary School and Woodcrest Elementary School and advocated for younger girls getting involved and staying involved in sports. This February, for National Women in Sports Week, numerous female student athletes at East wore their athletic apparel to showcase their pride in being women in the sports world.

CHEWIS plans on visiting As the Feminist StuAt the end of February, local collegiate women’s dent Union kicked off their the union collaborated with sports teams in the future meetings, they introduced the African American Culto show their support and “Feminist Fridays” on ture Club to gain insight on admiration for the female their Instagram page. As of how Black women are espeathletes in the community. early February, they have cially affected by misogyny.

More recently, in Februfeatured women like Bell In addition, this Septemary 2022, the CHE ber, CHE Women Feminist Stuin Business (WIB) dent Union also kicked off the begincame to life. The ning of their presFeminist Student ence at East. WIB Union focuses on focuses particularly creating a safe, on women in the judgement-free business world as a space and helping result of not many people gain a betwomen present in ter understanding the CSuite. To reof feminism. The ally spread the goal union puts emphaof the club, women sis on education Natalie Finkelstein (‘23)/ Eastside Media Editor participating in the and advocacy in The Feminist Student Union board poses business world speak order to help those for a picture at their meeting. to the club about the affected by misogadversities they face yny the best they can. The Hooks and Audre Lorde. as a businesswoman that major goal of the Feminist Levy thinks the emergence they believe might not Student Union is to “make of Feminist Friday is espehave been experienced as a a comfortable space for cially important because man. those affected by misogyny, the posts showcase all of “One of the main things but showing what women the different variations of about WIB is to spread the can do despite misogyny,” feminism when it tends to message of empowerment said Sage Levy (‘23). be viewed as one monolithic and encouragement, to “Misogyny gives us a ideology. show girls that they can do chance to unite, and the “Since it’s every week, it,” said Lydia Chen (‘22), Feminist Student Union we are really showing that President of the Women in gives us a platform to speak we are always trying to Business organization at on,” said Ciara Robinson inform and educate,” said East. (‘23).

Anna Kramer (‘23).

At the end of February,

a female marketer for toymaster spoke to WIB, with a Q&A session after the talk.

Taking into account the different clubs advocating and promoting women in every sphere of the world, East celebrates women every month. The calendar has no depiction on when women should or should not be recognized for their hard work and prominence in society.

To promote equality and collaboration, the Feminist Student Union has a unique structure to their board, consisting of nine positions with different specialties ranging from modern misogyny to body image, with one to two people in each position. The Feminist Student Union also has two representatives per class in order to create a cohesive group, purposefully excluding the addition of a president.

Other organizations at East that highlight female accomplishments include Women In Science, Girls Who Code, Girls Who Start and CHE Girl Up, among others.

eastside-online.org

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Disney’s Encanto rules pop culture even months after release ■ By Katherine Li (‘23)

Eastside Culture Editor

Even months after its release on November 24, 2021, Disney’s Encanto still has a large hold on popular culture. It’s been so wellrecepted that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” one of the songs featured on the Encanto soundtrack, is continuing to top Billboard’s The Top 100 chart at number 1, taking down the previous record-holding “Let it Go” from Frozen along with it—and it’s been on the charts for six weeks.

Users on sites such as Instagram and Twitter

have taken a special liking to the film, and there is certainly enough commentary, fan-created content and passionate users to be able to say there is a well-established fandom surrounding this movie. Arguably, Encanto has become one of Disney’s bigger movies.

Multiple factors may explain why Encanto has been so popular with audiences; for one, Disney can attribute part of Encanto’s success to its soundtrack, which has a strong grasp on social media—most importantly, TikTok. As of January 23, 2022, TikTok videos tagged with the

hashtag “#encanto” have garnered more than 11.5 billion views. As of February 17, 2022, the hashtag has had 20 billion views, almost twice the views it had barely a month earlier.

Its influence on popular culture within TikTok is enough to keep the Encanto wave going.

The soundtrack’s success itself is not too much of a surprise considering Lin-Manuel Miranda’s heavy involvement and clear musical influence on the Encanto songs and the success of Hamilton in earlier years. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is special for

being sung by the entire Encanto ensemble, and this uniqueness may also back the song’s popularity. The song’s catchiness can be attributed to its upbeat tunes and the melody’s everchanging nature; it takes several stylistic turns with each character’s solo, keeping audiences engaged for its entire duration.

Furthermore, the movie’s meaning is extremely significant for understanding its influence on today’s culture. Its comments on toxic family roles and pressure among second-generation individuals with immigrant parents have a

lasting effect on the many people that experience the same thing in their own families. Unlike many other Disney movies that entertain with fantastical concepts like adventure into unknown lands and fighting supervillains, Encanto digs deeper into very real personal experiences while applying a magical twist to the film in the form of “gifts”. Additionally, Encanto characters are noticeably more representative and diverse. As a result, many audience members can specially identify with the movie’s characters. Its success is not a surprise.

Art by Marcus Newman (‘22)/ Eastside Art Director

East’s annual senior trip undergoes several changes this year ■ By Taylor Goodman (‘25) Eastside Staff

Roller coasters, Dole Whip, magic castles— sounds like a dream, right?

Although these remain some of the staples of the Disney World experience, Disney World has changed tremendously during the pandemic in other ways.

Cherry Hill East’s senior class once again traveled to Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, this spring for their senior trip. This trip has been especially difficult to plan with new COVID-19 protocols and increased prices.

Starting February 17, 2022, Disney has been enforcing masks for unvaccinated guests ages two and up in all indoor areas.

On the other hand, they are optional outdoors. This mandate applies to indoor rides, buses and the monorail. Masks must contain at least two layers of breathable material and fit snugly, covering the nose and mouth. Masks are optional for vaccinated guests.

In order to reduce the spread of germs in the parks, sanitation has been

the number-one priority. Disney’s cast members have been keeping the parks clean by placing hand-washing and sanitizing stations around the parks. Spills and trash situations are reported immediately to maintain cleanliness in the parks as well.

Furthermore, all restrooms and kitchens are sanitized daily after the parks close.

Disney’s cast members have utilized technology during the pandemic to prevent in-person contact as much as possible. Guests can use Disney MagicMobile passes through their mobile devices to enter the theme parks. This technology has helped to reduce the number of guests standing in long, cramped lines to enter the parks.

Restaurants have incorporated technology into their systems by having guests use the mobile check-in feature on the My Disney Experience app for reservation check-ins.

Restaurants have also provided scannable codes for digital restaurant menus on each table. These codes replace paper menus that were touched by thousands

of people and could contribute to the spread of illnesses.

As a result of the pandemic, Disney has increased its prices on merchandise, food, entrance tickets, parking fees and fast passes to make up for the loss of business. Alexandra Steigrad, a reporter for the New York Post, comments on how “‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ is being rebranded as ‘The Most Expensive Place on Earth.”

For example, the restaurant Ale & Compass raised its New England Seafood Pot Pie price from $25 to $28. Merchandise items are increasing in price as well.

The Mickey ear headbands increased from $29.99 to $39.99. Disney is also reducing food portion sizes at the parks to maximize profits.

In February of 2020, Bob Chapeck obtained the role of Disney’s new CEO. Under Chapeck’s leadership, Disney has seen the largest investment and expansion in its sixty-year history. So far, Chapeck has opened the Shanghai Disney Resort, doubled the Disney

Cruise Line fleet and introduced more technologically advanced parks such as Star Wars, Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort and Galaxy’s Edge at the Walt Disney World Resort.

He has also created more Marvel-inspired attractions across the globe.

A key area of focus for Chapeck is to enhance employee satisfaction by creating programs centered around education, healthcare, childcare, veteran and active duty military appreciation, workforce development and more.

Aside from working with Disney, Chapeck serves as a board member for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and uses Disney to incorporate joy into the lives of sick children. Chapeck makes a point to implement strategies to improve the Disney experience by balancing demand at the parks, working to include new franchises around the world, and introducing life-changing experiences to first-time Disney guests.

Although traveling to Florida while COVID-19 cases are still spreading can be risky, East chaper-

ones did everything they could to ensure the safety of their students. East abided by the COVID-19 protocols enforced by the airlines, hotels and parks. Two extra hotel rooms were booked for anyone who may have needed to quarantine.

The Disney trip organizers, Mr. Charles Davis and Ms. Deborah Barr, made it clear that the biggest challenge was encouraging hesitant students to take this trip with their classmates.

Traveling to Disney is an incredible high school experience, but they understand that some students might not feel comfortable traveling at this time. In order to make students feel the most comfortable, the organizers became more flexible with their rooming options, which did increase the price a bit. Also, Disney tends to increase prices annually, so this year’s Disney trip was a bit more costly than that of previous years.

East took all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its students while having a fun time in Disney World for five days and four nights this month. It was a trip to remember for sure.

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Maya Hemo wins Girls’ Wrestling State Championship care about winning or losing. I enjoy the process more; I really like working As a middle schooler, on myself,” said Hemo.

Maya Hemo (‘23) became inOn February 12, Hemo terested in wrestling as she became the first girls’ rewatched her older brother gional champion in East wrestle competitively at history and the first East Beck Middle School. For wrestler to win a regional her, the opportunity to title since Brian Lussier 11 wrestle did not come unyears ago. Hemo went 4-0 til she entered high school at the competition. here at East. Since she alOn February 20, at the ways considered herself a state championship, very “physical person” and Hemo went 3-0 in stopped playing soccer, her matches, namHemo decided to give ing her 126lb wrestling a shot. But Girls’ Wrestling ,learning a new sport New Jersey State is never an easy task. moves,” said Champion.

“Wrestling is not Hemo. go to “I would have like other sports, it’s Ascola shows the gym never gotten this a lot more physical, Hemo videos around far if it wasn’t for but at the same time a on what she 4 a.m.; my coaches and lot more mental. At the end should learn lifts in her Aidan Haddock (‘24), of the day it’s just you on and reviews weightroom my practice partner,” the mat, You can’t rely on her matches class dursaid Hemo. your teammates or blame with her ing the school After arriving anyone but yourself. When to focus on day; practices afearly and leaving you go home you have to be what to imter school until 4:30, late to practice tohappy with what you left on prove on, eswhich includes drilling, gether, Hemo and the mat because it was just pecially how to conditioning, live wresHaddock formed you,” said Hemo. perfect “neutral tling, nailing techniques a tight bond This emphasis on mainposition,” as it and new moves, and atthat Hemo attaining a good physical is her biggest tends club practice on tributes much of status and mentality weakTuesdays and Thursher success to. allowed Hemo to eviness. days year -round.

Each person’s dently “make [herself] “ H e This season, Hestrength is the a better person.” Hemo m a d e mo’s extensive trainother’s weakCourtesy of Jasmin Warren ness, making recognizes that prior to wrestling she did not Maya Hemo matches up in the Regional Competition. them a match have a healthy relationmade in wresship with food; however, me set goals which really ing and preparations were tling heaven. In return for the sport encouraged her to brought up my confidence obvious in her success. As Hemo helping Haddock develop a healthy lifestyle level. He believed in me the only girl on the East work on his “top bottom” when it came to eating in when I didn’t believe in mywrestling team, Hemo travtechnique, Haddock helps order to remain a strong self,” said Hemo. eled with West’s girls wresHemo perfect her “neutral” competitor.

Now that Hemo continues tling team and finished the positioning.

Hemo also recognizes her to work on overcoming this season strong with a 21-1 “It’s like one big family, internal struggle with conbarrier with confidence, she record. always pushing and supfidence. Although she views begins to take wrestling “The thing for me about porting one another,” said this struggle as a huge menmore seriously by going on wrestling is, I don’t really Hemo.

■ By Scout Pullano (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

tal block, Hemo gives credit to Coach Stephen Ascola for really helping and pushing her to take wrestling more seriously because of her athletic abilities.

“He was constantly pushing me to be better. Even after practice he stays later with me and continues to perfect my

a really strict lifting program and training with Patriots and Underground, an open club for more practice.

During the off-season, her club coach focuses extra on pushing her to take more shots in order to perfect her neutral positioning.

On her regular schedule, Hemo wakes up to

Hemo pushed herself even after her season ended with the state championship by staying after school and practicing with the boys’ team (as they prepared for their regional and state competitions) to work on her skills for off-season competitions and even next year’s season.

“There are always going to be things to work on,” said Hemo humbly.

As Ascola encouraged her, she is considering attempting to qualify for the Fargo National Tournament in North Dakota. If you place in the top eight wrestlers of the tournament, you are named AllAmerican, a huge deal for any wrestler.

For her future endeavors, Hemo is unsure if she is going to pursue a collegiate wrestling career or attend the military. Either way, Hemo will leave a wrestling legacy at East that will never be forgotten.

Karina Gupta (‘24)/ Eastside Media Editor

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