Eastside: May 2019

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 52 No. 9

Inside This Issue

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

May 2019

Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Managing Editor

Discover A+ organization tips Pg. 2

Give your cosmetics collection a makeover Pg. 3

Clean your car beyond the car wash Pg. 8

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SPRING CLEANING EASTSIDE

May 2019

Backpack Breakdown: Steps to a neater school life

cut. Doiphode also recommaterials. If the folder fun of for carrying just a mended keeping earbuds and the binder for each drawstring every day,” she Eastside Editor-in-Chief and money in a said. “But separate pocket then they Amita Doiphode (’19) has to prevent tanalso apgone her entire high school gling and theft. plaud the career without having to Next, Doiphfact that I carry a backpack. ode emptied out can in the Instead, Doiphode’s the main comfirst place, home filing system allows partment of Petin that it’s her to keep everything she tersen’s backnot just a needs while carrying only a pack, revealing senioritis small drawstring bag. several textthing.”

“I have had a relatively books and an acA l easy time,” she said. cordion binder t h o u g h On the other end of the stuffed with her system spectrum, Lucas Pettersen loose handouts. requires (’20) has never been able After recovering consistent to successfully maintain a couple of lost upkeep, a neat backpack. By the assignments Doiphode time the opportunity came that Pettersen does not reabout for Doiphode to help had borrowed gard orgahim get back to baseline, from a friend nizing as a Pettersen’s typical piles of — and then chore. paper had begun to lead to promptly lost — “I’m not lost assignments.

Defne Alpdogan (‘20)/ Eastside News Editor the person the pair worked “I’ve tried to organize together to sort Doiphode (‘19) and Pettersen (‘20) work together on that needs myself, but every last sorting Pettersen’s loose papers by subject. to keep mythen I get lazy note and self busy the next day,” worksheet into piles subject are the same color, when I’m cleaning, because said Pettersen. by academic subject. she said, it’s easier to keep I love cleaning to begin “It makes it Doiphode hightrack of materials when with,” said Doiphode. “It’s a harder to find lighted Pettersen’s transferring them in and stress reliever for me.” homework when accordion binder as a out of storage.

Doiphode hopes to bring I need to. It good starting point, Once Pettersen’s paher organizational habits makes it hardbut she advised him pers had been reorganized, with her to college, where er to pull out to separate materimakeshift dividers had she hopes they will help things on time.” als for each class to been secured and all the her stay caught up on classDoiphode avoid ending up with trash sitting at the bottom work, as well as lighten the maintains one a massive pile of ranof the bag had been disload during cross-campus accordion folder dom papers again. carded, Doiphode repacked treks. As for Pettersen, he for each class “Dividers are your Pettersen’s bag based on is optimistic that he can that she’s in, best friend,” said item size. Smaller books overwrite his old organizaand she packs Doiphode. went into a smaller space tional habits and keep his the appropriate As Pettersen sortnear the front of the bag. newly reorganized backfolders into her Defne Alpdogan (‘20)/ Eastside News Editor Pettersen’s folders and the pack neat in the future. drawstring bag The result of Doiphode’s efforts: a clean bag. ed through a sheath of last year’s history accordion binder — now “I’m adapting,” Petbased on each a bunch of things.” notes, Doiphode suggested considerably lighter — retersen said. “It’s definitely day’s block schedule before Important items like keeping urgent papers, like turned to the back pocket. better than what I used to going to school. Throughout pens, pencils and a winstudy guides and soon-due Doiphode said that her do… the first step is trying the school day, she also carter hat went back into the homework, in a separate penchant for organization to get yourself to get things ries a notebook so that she small front pocket for easy binder compartment for has earned her a unique together, but once you get can collect handouts and access, although sadly the easier access. She also sugreputation among friends. your stuff together, it’s easnotes during class. Once Capri Sun did not make the gested color-coding study “I think I’m often made ier to maintain.”

Doiphode gets home, every■ By Ilana Arougheti (‘19)

thing gets filed into a binder. She keeps a binder for each subject and organizes each binder by units using pocket dividers.

“I empty out my folder… every time there’s a test,” Doiphode said. “Come finals or AP exams, all my notes are organized at home for me to look back through.”

When tasked with tackling Pettersen’s backpack, Doiphode began by going through every pocket and emptying out all the detritus — crumpled papers, loose erasers, plush keychains and a month-old Capri Sun — to be sorted by subject.

“That’s a mystery,” said Pettersen, when asked what he kept in the smaller pockets of his bag. “I don’t even know what I keep in here. I just kind of throw in

Tips by Julia Langmuir (‘19)/ Eastside Staff and Notes by Mia Kelly (‘19)/ For Eastside Infographic by Defne Alpdogan (‘20)/ Eastside News Editor

Tips by Zoë Gold (‘19)/ For Eastside Infographic by Shir Goldfinger (‘19)/ Eastside Community Editor

Infographic by Ilana Arougheti (‘19)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

SPRING CLEANING Extreme Makeover: Makeup Edition May 2019

EASTSIDE

“I’ve found L’Oréal Infallible to be a great drugstore brand that doesn’t change colors, which allows you to Cassie Cuddihy (‘19) get more use out of it,” said likes to consider herself Simhony. an organized person. She Another major part of has every aspect of her her organizational process life together; that is, with is keeping her brushes the exception of one thing: clean. her makeup. Not a “Someheavy makeup user, times people Cuddihy never felt forget the the need to clean importance out her collection. of cleaning Rather, she kept evyour brusherything in one bag es,” said Simand left that bag hony. on the corner of her As somevanity, only to be one who regused before school ularly does dances or theatre others’ makeproductions.

But up for events, when the opportuSimhony nity came for Devon said keeping Simhony (‘19) to orbrushes clean ganize her makeup, between uses Cuddihy was totally is critical to on board.

Cuddihy’s take Sophia Sitnick (‘20)/ Eastside Online Editor prevent the spread of on makeup orga- Simhony lays out all of Cuddihy’s makeup and puts it into categories. bacteria. nization is simple: With all just throw everybalm] since eighth grade.

Other times it’s clear the products laid in front of thing into a bag. Simhony, I’m so happy I finally found that a product is no longer her, Simhony placed each on the other hand, has a it,” said Cuddihy, after useable. When Cuddihy section of Cuddihy’s collecvery clear setup. Utilizfinding products she hardly and Simhony opened an tion into the compartments ing transparent containremembered having.

ELF brow pencil, for inof the bag. ers, Simhony separates her Simhony first laid out stance, the two knew that it For someone who loves makeup by both usage and all of Cuddihy’s products had to go. makeup as much as Simtype. Eye products go in one on the table, creating seven “That looks so gucky and hony does, keeping her vandrawer, lip products go in a separate categories: brushsmells so bad,” said Cudity organized is not a chore. separate drawer and face es, lip products, concealdihy.

Every day, she remembers products go in a comparters, foundations, lashes, Simhony also noted the to put whatever products ment of their own. As somefinishing products and eyetendency for certain prodthat she uses away, and one with a large collection shadows/powders. She then ucts, but especially for founover time, this prevents of makeup, Simhony keeps checked for clear signs of dation, to oxidize. Though what would otherwise be her frequently used and expired, empty or dried-out higher-end brands tend not an insurmountable mess. more versatile products at makeup. to do this, drugstore brands Simhony has a set system. the forefront of her vanity “All makeup has expirawill often oxidize and turn Everything has a desigand keeps her special occation dates. It isn’t as impordarker so that the color will nated spot. Every month sion makeup and replacetant with pressed powders, no longer suit the original she cleans her brushes, ment products stored away. but it’s good to be aware skin tone. and every so often she’ll go Upon opening Cuddihy’s ■ By Nafessa Jaigirdar (‘19)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

makeup bag, Simhony immediately dumped everything out. Cuddihy herself was shocked by some of the things that came out, including used Q-tips, miscellaneous scraps and three elastic rubber bands.

“I haven’t seen that [lip

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of them for products that go near your eyes and are more watery, like eyeliners and mascaras,” said Simhony. “Each product has a label on the back, saying like 30M, which just means that the product is good for 30 months after opening.”

through her collection and dispose of products that she no longer uses so as to eliminate clutter.

As for Cuddihy, this was a great learning and spring cleaning experience, encouraging her to remember to re-organize her makeup bag from time to time.

Nafessa Jaigirdar (‘19)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

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In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Eastside hopes to shine a light on mental illness, to delve past stereotypes and uncover firsthand perspectives from East students and teachers who are battling with, healing from and lending a voice to their mental illnesses.

Visit eastside-online.org.

THRIFTING EAST STUDENTS TAKE UP THRIFTING AT LOCAL STORES

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EASTSIDE

May 2019

May 2019

EASTSIDE

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In the spirit of the fresh start often associated with spring, Eastside visited four used clothing stores in the community to explore the “thrifting” trend and its place in spring cleaning. The locations were judged

based on their unique qualities, donation process, cost and convenience. Each store has its own unique place in the life cycle of recycled clothing, and each has something for all those people who want to organize their lives this spring. Whether that means donating old clothes that have held real estate in the back of a closet for years or making a quick buck from some gently used items, this guide will help to navigate just what it means to “pop some tags” at the thrift store this season. — Claire Joanson (‘19)/ Eastside Culture Editor

The Culture of Thrifting

Goodwill ■ By Maddy Cicha (‘19) Eastside Community Editor

What is the culture of the store?

The store was a little overwhelming, with so much — almost too much — to look at. But ultimately, this contributed to a great experience, because there was so much to choose from! It feels inviting because there’s truly something for everyone.

Unique qualities of clothing?

Goodwill is unique in that it has almost any clothing you could need, from baby shoes to wedding dresses.

Convenience for East students?

Goodwills truly are convenient for the whole commu-

nity, with stores in almost every neighboring town. However, you have to be careful when using a GPS service to not accidentally end up at a Goodwill Donation Center instead of a store… which I did.

Donation process?

To donate to Goodwill, drop off your belongings at the Donation Center.

They’ll take almost any hand-me-downs — clothes, furniture, etc.

How much does your dollar get you?

Items are fairly cheap at Goodwill, and most things are set with a price for the item, meaning if one type of jacket is nine dollars, all other jackets will likely be nine dollars.

■ By Zoe Culver (‘19) ■ By Samantha Roehl (‘20) Eastside Features Editor

BEST BANG FOR BUCK

Plato’s Closet ■ By Zoe Culver (‘19) Eastside Culture Editor

BEST FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Photo illustration by Maddy Cicha (‘19)/ Eastside Community Editor

What is the culture of the store?

The store is definitely geared toward a younger audience. When going through the racks, there are frequently trendy clothes from stores like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Pacsun and Adidas, which are very popular among East students.

Unique qualities of clothing?

At Plato’s Closet, they do not take all donations.

Since they filter their clothing and don’t accept everything, all of their clothes are current and from popular stores, unlike some other thrift stores.

Convenience for East students?

Urban Exchange Project

Plato’s Closet is about 15 minutes away from Cherry Hill East. It is fairly convenient for students, and it is an easy drive.

Donation process?

Customers can bring their clothes and shoes to the establishment, and items from the last year that are in good condition will be taken. Usually, Plato’s Closet will buy the customer’s clothes from them for about 70% of the retail price.

How much does your dollar get you?

At Plato’s Closet, it seems like most items range from about 6 to 16 dollars, so you can get a decent amount of clothing for not a lot of money.

Crop tops, mom jeans and scrunchies. Bomber jackets and slip dresses paired with combat boots and chokers, and some impossibly small and impractical sunglasses.

The ‘90s are back and more accessible than ever thanks to thrift shops.

Younger generations are embracing buying secondhand clothes, according to ThredUp’s (an online secondhand clothing store) 2019 Resale Report. A quick search will yield thousands of thrift shop hauls on YouTube, with prominent YouTubers such as “bestdressed” (1.5 million subscribers) building online careers through a mix of thrifting and fashion trends.

All this begs the question — why thrift? People thrift for many reasons, but the main ones can be broken up into three camps: environmental interest, money, or enjoyment of the hunt for unique finds.

“Fast fashion” is the name for cheap or inexpensive clothing that is mass produced to keep up with trends. Clothes that fall into the realm of fast fashion are usually not made sustainably and have short lifespans, worn for a season and then discarded as the fashion world quickly moves on to new trends. The mantra of fast fashion is quantity over quality, resulting in

clothing made by cheap labor.

“Fast fashion is a real issue.

Normally I don’t like talking about the Earth… because I’m like ‘what can I do, I’m just 17,’” said Macey Baran (‘20).

“But [retail stores like] Forever 21 ha[ve] landfills full of clothing and it’s really nice [clothes that they’re throwing out].”

It is also not a surprise that high school students are not exactly the pinnacle of financial prosperity. Because of this, many teenagers enjoy thrifting as a relatively inexpensive pastime.

“At the mall, if you get a Tshirt, it’ll be 30 dollars, but if you get a T-shirt at the thrift store, it’ll be like 1 dollar,” said Julia McCay (‘20). “It’s really cheap, and you can always find things that are a bit weirder.”

These “weirder” clothes, the byproduct of a menagerie of hundreds of people’s personal styles, are probably the biggest reason to go thrifting.

“When you go to school you see a lot of people wearing the same trends, but when you thrift you can get unique stuff,” said Hoda Naiz (‘21).

“It’s more unique and you can put stuff together and there’s some stuff you can find when you’re thrifting that you can’t find in regular stores.”

Regardless of the reason behind thrifting, it is clear that teenagers will be sifting through racks of mom jeans and Hawaiian shirts for years to come.

Eastside Culture Editor

MOST UNIQUE CLOTHING

What is the culture of the store?

Urban Exchange is definitely for the younger, more fashion-forward student.

All of the clothes are artistic and creative, and that’s the type of customer they attract. Colors are vibrant; clothes are very ‘80s to ’90sesque.

Unique qualities of clothing?

The unique articles of clothing at Urban Exchange Project make it really stand out above other thrift stores.

While at other stores you maybe have to sift through loads of items to get to something fun, it seemed like at Urban Exchange Project every other article you pick up is special.

Red, White, and Blue

■ By Julia Benedetto (‘19) Eastside Opinions Editor

CONCLUSION When we looked for the best thrift store in the area, each store was held to many different criteria. We wanted to find the most well-rounded thrift store for East students to serve vintage looks for a low price, or to make a donation while clearing out their closet this spring. But in the end, no one store could be identified as the clear winner. Each store knew what it was, and each filled its own niche in thrifting culture.

Whether it’s Urban Exchange, for the curated fashion stylings; Plato’s Closet, catering to a style more typical of modern high school students; an online thrift store in the vein of Nasty Gal or even eBay; or just a classic Goodwill, thrift stores can be anything – and they can hold anything.

And the stores covered don’t even begin to explore the full extent of the thrifting subculture. No matter what you’re looking for, there is more than likely the “perfect” thrift store, one to fit your style, price range, distance range or whatever other significant factors you may have. In the end, finding the right thrift store for you is much like thrifting in general: combing through the masses in search of that perfect find.

■ By Henry Nolan (‘19)

Eastside Culture Editor

Convenience for East students?

Urban Exchange Project is about 25 minutes from Cherry Hill East.

Donation process?

Unlike the other thrift stores mentioned, you can’t donate directly to Urban Exchange Project. All of their clothes are thrifted, but they are found by the store’s own buyers.

How much does your dollar get you?

Urban Exchange Project is a bit on the pricier side. If you are concerned about this but like the idea of going to a more fashionable thrift store, they host “Bag Sales” every once in awhile where if you buy a bag for a fixed amount, you can stuff it with as many items of clothing as you want.

What is the culture of the store?

The store is mostly geared towards an older audience.

If you are looking for more up-to-date clothes, this may not be the best place for you. If you are looking for a more vintage or older look, this store is perfect.

Unique qualities of clothing?

RWB has such a large quantity of clothing that although most of the clothes are geared towards an older demographic, you can still find some interesting pieces if you look hard enough.

There are a lot of hidden gems in this store; it may just

take a little bit more effort to uncover them. They also sell household items such as plates, picture frames, jewelry and toys.

Convenience for East students?

RWB is about 10 to 15 minutes away from Cherry Hill East. The store is located right on Route 73.

Donation process?

They accept all donations and do not turn any items away.

How much does your dollar get you?

At RWB the average price is around 6 dollars, but most of the items cost even less. You can really get a wide variety of items for a very affordable price.

WIDEST RANGE

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EASTSIDE

May 2019

EDITORIAL

May 2019

EASTSIDE

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Cherry Students must reevaluate social media habits Hill High School East Editorials represent the views and opinions of the Eastside Editorial Board.

In the spirit of spring cleaning, Eastside believes it is necessary to cleanse not only our physical spaces, but also our mental and emotional spaces. For many East students, one of the most universal culprits of poor mental health is social media — the clutter of picture-perfect posts and notifications that keep us constantly dialed into others’ lives, often at the expense of fully experiencing our own. Sometimes the flurry of likes and followers cloud our vision. A cyclone of tags and tweets and stories swirls all around us, and we get swept away in the storm. At times like these, it is necessary to take a step back, strip off the filters and examine what is underneath. Eastside encourages students to take a good, hard look at themselves and become more mindful of their social media usage.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of living for your online presence. While there is certainly nothing wrong with taking pictures at a beautiful place, there are times when the quest for the perfect picture can force real relationships with family and friends onto the back burner. Around East, it’s common to hear someone obsess about who to invite to their prom pictures, and many students have at some point tuned out an exciting conversation with friends or a family dinner to scroll through posts. Eastside hopes to caution the student body that FOMO — the fear of missing out— can become so prevalent that you are busy obsessing and wind up actually missing out on real life.

When going to a concert starts to mean that you’re posting every second of the best song on Snapchat instead of singing along with the crowd, social media has become too much.

When your food gets cold while it’s being photographed from every angle, social media has become too much. When your first reaction to good news is to think of the best caption for a celebration post, social media has become too much. Eastside editors can certainly relate, and we hope the rest of the student body will join us in recommitting to staying in the moment.

The problem is not centered around posing for photos or

taking “fake candids,” but it is based primarily on what is inside of each person and how each person feels they are portraying themselves. If maintaining a strong social media presence brings you joy, caring about it doesn’t somehow make you shallow or depressed. Rather, Eastside feels that the clearest standard separating a stressful, contrived internet presence and a proudly curated presence is how true you feel you are being. Whether you’d rather show off your PJs or your best suit, take a step back and think deeply about your connection with social media to figure out the best place for your mental and emotional well-being.

If you choose to take a step towards a healthier mindset and reexamine your own use of the internet, you may uncover some harmful habits, as Eastside editors know all too well.

Some phones have the option of checking “screen time.” Are you spending several hours a day on social media or games?

Is your first reflex when you’re bored to reach for your phone?

If social media is genuinely enjoyable and cutting down phone use does not improve your experience, that’s fine. But if phone use is simply out of boredom and is not fulfilling in its own right, it could be time to try something else.

Upon finding harmful habits, Eastside encourages selfforgiveness and new routines. Try setting boundaries to help eliminate a certain action, like leaving your phone in another room when eating a meal or leaving your phone in the kitchen when heading to bed. Social media is a double-edged sword, and adjusting your habits to use it purposefully can brighten our moods and be a benefit to us, rather than stirring up jealousy or taking us out of reality.

It is inevitable that in today’s world, social media is a very prominent form of communication. Although these apps can be used to educate and connect with people, they seem to be taking over our lives. Social media should be used to help you reach your goals, not distract you from achieving them.

In the future, social media should be a platform to share your ideas instead of a platform that makes you feel insecure about yourself.

1750 Kresson Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Phone: (856) 4242222, ext. 2087 Fax: (856) 424-3509

Eastside Online eastsideonline.org

Publisher School Paper Express Wappingers Falls, NY

Eastside 2018-2019 Editorial Board

Managing Editor: Ali Koenig Editors-in-Chief: Ilana Arougheti, Nafessa Jaigirdar, Sophia Liang Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi Photo Editors News Editors Community Editors Defne Alpdogan Nashita Ali Jiseon Lee Giana Maccarella Maddy Cicha Andrew Maier Aine Pierre Shir Goldfinger Sports Editors Adam Dashevsky Jacob Kernis Sophie Levine

Features Editors Sam Grossman Karissa Murray Samantha Roehl

Opinions Editors Julia Benedetto Jacob Graff Gregory Rothkoff

Culture Editors Zoe Culver Claire Joanson Henry Nolan

Platinum: Avra Bossov (‘13) Robert Incollingo (‘10) Julia Rothkoff (‘16) Iftikhaar Ali (‘12) Amy Myers (‘14) Jake Fischer (‘12) Nicolle Rochino (‘10) Max Cohen (‘12) Rebecca Ohnona (‘12) Nimish Mital (‘08) Joshua Weinstock (‘07) Thomas Hudson (‘14) The Rothkoff Family Michael L. Gentlesk Hong Fei Margie & Louis Levine Jingli Cai Donna and Michael Koenig The Hoffman Family The Sloan Family Christine and Chris Benedetto Jeanne and Joel Arougheti Paul and Shiri Arougheti The Roehl Family Jordan and Lillian Sitnick Eric and Aimee Sitnick Tulin Budak-Alpdogan Abbie Levine Michael Gentlesk Karen Jerome Laurie and Eric Grossman

Video Editors Luke Shin Sarah Zheng

Online Editors Harry Green Sophia Sitnick

Friends of Eastside

Gold: Bob and Frances Lindaberry The Weinstock Family Mia Gagliardi Sprimont Lindsay Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Fleisher Michael Fleisher Adrienne and Stephen Freidin Silver: Diane Oesan Sydney Brownstein Lan Cheng Ali Jaigirdar Seung Hyun Park Sy and Florence Jerome Jillian Koenig Mark and Judy Hansen Joan Hoenes Karyl Murray Sarah Zheng Jinhee An The Goldfinger Family Janie Glatt Leila Joffe Susan Frank Marilyn Koenig The Cicha Family Evan Kahn David and Annie Maier Andrea Stomel Ruihe Lin The Graff Family Mehmut Budak

The Rosen Family Rochelle Dashevsky The Dashevsky Family The Shin Family Hydar and Sufia Ali Fahmida Yeasmin Jerry Janove Julie Weitzman The Pipe Family Jennifer Maccarella Anthony Gentlesk Michael Arougheti Elinor Bly Warren Kahn Sherri and Dave Culver Claudia Nazarian Shelley Adler Adriene and Les Weinstock Gina Stanczyk Anne Fleisher Harry Green Tom and Kathy Xenakis Kevin and Jennifer Lindaberry Mr. Greg Rouen Sydney Brownstein Erin Levine Gina Briggs Loretta Geller Daimen Del Duca

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Contact the Board: Art Directors Samantha Dayton Danny Kahn Webmaster Eli Weitzman Business Managers Dakota Rosen Brandon Weinstock

Isabella Dayton Lynne Reynard Scott Klear Lillian Halden Ms. Noreen Cunningham Margie and Louis Levine The Levine Family Angela DiDonato Ari Weitzman The Dutkin Family Jeff Fleisher Jennifer Greene Wendi Friedman Mara Kaliner Dale and Bonnie Carns Michael Geller Michael and Kristen Henry Joy and Tom Christmas Susan Meklinsky Stacey Rose Erica Simmons Sandy Pearl Afrina Ali Sondra Jacob Miriam Greenfield Sheryl Pipe Emily Fung Brian Maccarella Jacki Maccarella Wayne Knight Regina Pirolli Robin Cohn Sierra Stanczyk Eilene Feder

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

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

Ben Relles Robert Geller Rochelle Lev Elizabeth Loesner Milad Khan John Stanczyk Edwin Schechter Colette Tomeo Elise Weinstein Nori Kaiser Laila Johnson Chelsea O’Rourke Angela Weiss Thasin Jaigirdar Hope Segal Sarah Rabinowitz Moynani Jessica Weiss Abu Wahid Faisal Aziz Susanne Lamb Ruta Convent Michelle Clark Julie Levy Seth and Amy Auerbach Joe Maronie Joanne Dempsey Sandra Rothkoff Edward Manburg Laima Bendel Shera Shalit Gregory Weinstock David Pipe & Kim Hunt Vince & Felice Livecchi

SPRING CLEANING

May 2019

EASTSIDE

Page 8

The Ultimate Car-Cleaning Challenge busy lifestyle, so I don’t take time to get the stuff that’s already in there out.”

Enter Nicole Benson (‘20), who proudly announces that she cleans every day — for fun. Her Any chemistry student knows that nature fachallenge: to tackle Balderstone’s car without vors entropy. In other words, being messy is just any cleaning supplies, including trash bags. easier. While maintaining neatness requires con“I enjoy organizing,” said Benson. “Even if I’m stant, conscious effort, it is simply natural to let really busy, it helps me get my thoughts togeththings slip until suddenly, the garbage piles up. er.”

Maggie Balderstone (‘20) is no stranger to the Benson’s first step was to, almost literally, chaotic concept of entropy; she is exposed to it dive headfirst into the backseat, scooping up as daily between her AP Chemistry class and her much trash as she could and depositing it into car. the SunChips box she found in the trunk, which Opening the back door of Balderstone’s car, doubled as a makeshift trash can. She separated one does not quite know where to look first. out reusable and recyclable water bottles, and There’s an abandoned cardboard container from she put anything that should be kept into its own Chick-fil-A on the backseat, crushed Popcorners pile. Notable items Benson found include a metal chips under the floor mats and at least five water fork, a pair of pants, a skateboard, Balderstone’s bottles scattered across the floor. mom’s old glasses, a rock from Arizona and a full While the back of the car does hold some trash, container of mustard from the Philly Pretzel Facthe trunk is where the real clutter lies. Random tory. plastic bins, an empty SunChips value box, dozOnce the backseat had been emptied, Benson ens of unopened cans of soda and— for some unturned her attention to the trunk. Making use of known reason— loose pieces of red confetti. the empty plastic bins, “It wasn’t my car to begin with,” she neatly arranged said Balderstone, explaining the over a dozen soda cans origins of her less-than-pristine by brand, fitting them car. “It was my dad’s car, so I kind tightly together in a of inherited some of the junk that honeycomb shape. was in there. But also, I live a Buried under plastic bags and cardboard boxes, Benson unearthed an item that could actually be of use in Balderstone’s future: a car emergency kit in a zip-up pouch, which she stowed in the glovebox.

After 25 minutes, Balderstone’s car had undergone a complete transformation. The trunk was nearly empty, and the backseat was practically trash-free.

“I just wanted to get out anything that was trash first,” said Benson, detailing her decluttering process. “Then, I needed to organize what should stay in the Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Managing Editor car, and now it can be vacuumed Benson’s first priority was to remove all trash before orga- and it will be in the best shape nizing what would remain in the car. possible.”

■ By Ali Koenig (‘20)

Eastside Managing Editor

before

Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Managing Editor

After taking a trip to the Dumpster with Benson to dispose of the contents of her car, Balderstone could barely contain her enthusiasm about her cleaner ride.

“The first thing I’m going to do is take it to the car wash and get it vacuumed, but I’ll also be more… mindful and try not to take things I don’t need in the car, and take things back out when I’m done with them,” Balderstone said.

“Don’t take things in the car that you don’t need. Clean it out, maybe like once every day to just try to clean something,” advised Benson.

“Like, I always make a point to try and clean my room a little every day.”

“Oh,” said Balderstone with a laugh. “If you saw my room...”

after

Create your own car survival kit 7

4 1

3 6

1. Portable charger and cord 2. Chapstick or lip gloss 3. Lotion 4. Chewing gum and mints 5. Hair ties and scrunchies

6. Extra cash 7. Tissues 8. Tylenol, Motrin and Aspirin 9. Hand wipes 10. Bug repellent 11. Sunscreen 12. Adhesive bandages

5

2

Miscellaneous Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Managing Editor

Keep all of your necessities handy in your glove compartment.

■ By Giana Maccarella (‘20) Eastside News Editor

The worst situation for a long car ride is getting stuck in traffic with a dead phone and no music or money. Okay, it could be worse: you could get a flat. Obviously, in that situation a spare tire (amongst other tools) is a necessity, but having a granola bar to munch on while you wait for Triple A sounds pretty necessary to me. Popping an aspirin for the headache I just gave myself from crying on the side of the road will also be a must. Without my emergency kit, I definitely wouldn’t survive these situations, or any emergency situation at that.

At least once a week I climb into my car

and get my hair caught in the car door when shutting it. Do I feel like running back in my house and fixing it after getting it all messed up? No, of course I don’t. Thankfully, I always have hair ties in my glove compartment and can just pull my hair up safely away from the driver’s side door.

After snagging my hair in the door, I usually need something to snack on to distract from my self-inflicted headache. For this, I keep granola bars in my car at all times.

There’s nothing like a bar of mini chocolate chips to cure a bad hair day and a headache.

After chowing down and calming down, I like to cool down with a nice refreshing winter green mint or chewing gum, depending on my mood; having options is a must. If you ever find yourself in a worst-case scenario situation like me, you’ll most definitely want to have a survival kit — or two — handy.

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First-Aid Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Managing Editor

For bug bites, bandages and back pain.