Eastside: November 2023

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 56 No. 1

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

November 2023

EAST THEATER FACULTY & STAFF MUSICAL Recap, Pg. 2

Isabella Alvarez (‘25) / Eastside Photo Editor

Mr. Marc Pierlott, as Principal Beek, confronts two of his students, played by Mrs. Heather Lockart and Mrs. Janet Chow.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Back to East: Keyack returns as an assistant principal Features, Pg. 4

Back to Brunch: Goodstadt reviews the best cafes Community, Pg. 6

Back to the Movies: “Five Nights at Freddy’s” preview Culture, Pg. 16

NEWS

Page 2

EASTSIDE

November 2023

Faculty musical creates buzz among sold-out audience ■ By Sophia Liu (‘24)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

After over a decade on hiatus, the faculty musical returned to Cherry Hill East as the curtain rose for Back to the Prom, an ‘80sinspired musical written

by Mr. Pete Gambino with parody song lyrics by Mr. Bert Figueroa, on October 14.

Over 60 East teachers and staff members were involved in Back to the Prom, with lead roles played

by Ms. Janet Chow, Ms. Heather Lockart and Mr. Marc Pierlott, and supporting featured roles played by Mr. Erik Petrushun, Ms. Debbie Barr, Ms. Carli Clements and Ms. Yolanda McClain. The musical raised money for the Cherry Hill East PTA to give back to the East community.

Back to the Prom marks the third edition of East’s faculty musicals since 2000, beginning in 2012 with The Wuz, a parody of The Wizard of Oz. The following year, Charlie and the College Factory debuted, a parody of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Like its predecessors, Back to the Prom is a parody, taking inspiration from cultural cornerstones such as Back to the Future, which inspired the production’s time-traveling element, Bill & Ted, and many iconic ‘80s tunes.

The musical tells the story of two present-day high school students, Jill (Ms. Janet Chow) and Red (Ms. Heather Lockart), who are forbidden by Principal Beek (Mr. Marc Pierlott), from attending prom as a result of slacking off.

Determined to avoid their punishment, Jill and Red devise a plan to go back in time to when Principal Beek was in high school, with the goal of making him “cool” so that, in the present, he’ll let them attend prom. With a timetraveling toaster as their mode of transportation, Jill and Red embark on a nostalgia-filled adventure back to the eighties.

Preparations for the musical kicked off during the last months of the last school year, with auditions taking place during May and June. Over the summer, faculty worked on learning their lines and also attended a few rehearsals and read-throughs. As school returned, cast members rehearsed multiple times a week to hone their acting, dance and vocal skills.

“One of the great things that I hope people see in this is that the teachers have really stepped outside of their comfort zone, a vast majority of them.” said Gambino, the theater director at East. “They’re trying something different. And you know, it’s never too late to try something new and cool. And that’s really inspiring.”

Despite Back to the Prom serving as many cast members’ first taste of theater, Gambino said this hasn’t changed their approach to rehearsals and preparations much.

“You know, we work in the educational theater

world, [where] it’s all about teaching. It’s not about getting ready for a Broadway show. It’s about getting a good experience that teaches all the different skills that drama teaches you,” said Gambino. “So I wouldn’t say we approach it any differently [as a student production]. It’s very similar to how you were to walk in on a rehearsal for Mean Girls.”

In addition to adopting the same educational theater approach, the Back to the Prom team also worked with the same production staff hired for student shows, as well as with vocal director Ms. Laurie Lausi and choreographer Ms. Sandi Makofsky, who both regularly work with student productions. Furthermore, Back to the Prom also had two student stage managers, Rachel Hornstein (‘24) and Raphael Shohat (‘25), who helped keep rehearsals organized and running smoothly -- by taking notes, keeping track of blocking and line changes, sending out schedules and more -- while also balancing their roles in the fall student productions.

Moreover, while many teachers made their the-

Izzy Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Mr. Marc Pierlott (Principal Beek) sings a solo during Back to the Prom.

Prom happens again. in shaping the creative diwas working on to see how “The kids in this school rection of the production. the rhythm and rhyme right now won’t ever see In particular, Figueroa rewent with the songs.” another one,” said Gambiworked several ‘80s songs The idea of reviving the no. “And who knows when and created a series of song faculty musical was first the next one will be, if there parodies to be featured in brought up on the senior ever is a next one. [The the musical. trip to Disney two years musical] is a Herculean “One of the things I did ago, and shortly after, Gamundertaking for the staff, was that I looked at a lot of bino wrote the first draft of especially when we come ‘80s references [and] ‘80s Back to the Prom.

After three or four rounds of editing and receiving feedback from teachers, the Back to the Prom storyline evolved into an approximately 60-page musical comedy inspired by 80’s songs, movies and pop culture.

“Maybe it’s cheesy and corny, but [Back to the Prom] is like a celebration of our school community. There [were] a lot of really passionate teachers involved in the show,” said Gambino. “We really care about the school, the community, [and] the kids. The teachers wanted to show off a little bit of a different side, you Izzy Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor know, to maybe East teachers get into character and perform Back to the Prom for one night only. make people feel more welcome.” right back to school. Everywords,” said Figueroa, who atrical debuts, Back to the With a sold-out audience body’s getting in the swing wanted to have his lyrics Prom also featured the resharing laughs, surprises of things.” reflect the ‘80s environturn of several East curlike cameos by administraIn addition to performing ment much of the musical rent and faculty who played tors and memories made in the musical itself, faculty is set in. “[Then] I listened prominent roles in past proby many, the show accommembers also played a role to the actual songs that I ductions. plished just that.

For example, Mr. George Zographos, an East vice principal who once flew across the stage as a monkey during The Wuz, played a Minotaur in Back to the Prom. Additionally, Mr. Tom Weaver, a retired East theater director and the director of The Wuz and Charlie and the College Factory, returned to help design and construct the set.

With so much time and effort put in by both current and past East faculty, Gambino said that it may be another decade, or more, before another faculty Izzy Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor musical like Back to the The cast members of Back to Prom perform a dance scene together.

NEWS

November 2023

EASTSIDE

Page 3

Freshman class of 2027 elects officers for year ■ By Julia Rosten (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

Every school year, students from each grade are elected by their classmates as officers for their class.

Each grade has one president, three vice presidents and 20 class representatives. This year, the freshman class elections took place on September 28.

Stella Kim, (‘27) was voted by her peers to be their class president. Kim has extensive experience being in Student Government Association (SGA). She attended Rosa International Middle School, where she served as the eighth-grade class president. She really enjoyed this leadership position, which inspired her to continue this role at Cherry Hill East.

“Being a leader is a huge part of who I am. I want to carry my leadership skills from Rosa over to East,” said Kim. Planning spirit days was an integral part of Rosa student government. Kim is looking forward to being behind the scenes of the

East Spirit Week planning yard. It ended up being school year are Logan and already has ideas for something I really enjoyed Freedman (‘27), Nehal fundraisers and activities and I want to do more of Channamsetty (‘27) and for the Class of 2027. that in high school,” said Ally Yim (‘27). All three At Rosa, Kim and her Kim. vice presidents (and Kim) council group worked to Additionally, the three worked together last year implement mental health Class of 2027 vice presiat Rosa as well. Freedman breaks. She is and Channamexcited to figure setty were part out different of the executive ways to incorpoboard while rate these into Yim was a vice the East compresident. munity.

Freedman Kim also ran is excited to for president to get introduced further expand to new people her experiences and make a inside and outdifference at side of school.

East. In addi“I want to tion to SGA, meet new peoshe is looking ple and expand forward to getmy leadership ting involved skills in new arwith Fraternal eas. Last year, Order of Police through being (FOP), Holton's the Rosa class Heroes, Women president, I was in Sports and able to have Cross Country. many new ex“I am willing periences. I was to dedicate as able to create an much time to Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor SGA as needed. environmental club after stu- From left to right, counterclockwise: ChannamI want to addents expressed setty, Freedman, Kim and Yim. vocate for the interest in the class and make garden in the Rosa courtdents for the 2023-2024 this year a lot of fun,” said

Freedman.

Channamsetty is also excited to be a voice for the students. He enjoyed planning the Spirit Week days and pep rallies at Rosa and is excited to experience them at East. Along with looking forward to working with the other officers, Channamsetty wants to be there for the class as much as possible.

“I love organizing events and dances and spirit days.

I could be the voice and advocate for the student body,” said Channamsetty.

Finally, Yim has similar thoughts. She wants to build her leadership skills and coordinate fun fundraising events for the class.

She is excited to plan the freshman dance and participate in the Spirit Week activities.

“I want to run events and plan a lot of fundraisers over the school year. I am excited to take on a big leadership role in the East community,” said Yim. With previous experience, the newly elected officers definitely have a lot in store for the Class of 2027’s freshman year.

Roof replacement construction occurs throughout the district ■ By Jillian Koenig (‘24) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

During the summer of 2023, Cherry Hill High School East saw its first renovation project from the $363 million public school bond passed in October of 2022.

Over the course of multiple weeks, construction vehicles, materials and workers took over the East parking lot as they worked to replace the roof over the school. The entire roof except the roof over F-wing and the auditorium was replaced.

Cherry Hill East principal Dr. Dennis Perry said that the roof over F-wing was not replaced because “[F-wing] is set to be replaced altogether,” as included in the 2022 bond.

As for the auditorium, “that roof was done about two years ago,” Perry said.

Four other schools in the

district also saw roof work done to their buildings over the summer. Along with East, Cherry Hill West, Beck Middle School, Joyce Kilmer Elementary and Kingston Elementary received roof repairs.

“I’m assuming that there will be other schools done next summer that were not done this summer,” Perry said.

Along with roof replacement, the bond indicated that East would receive renovations to its athletic facilities; site improvements; interior renovations to classrooms, gyms and locker rooms; HVAC construction; electrical construction and construction of a new F-wing. The district decided to replace the roof as the first project from the bond.

“It’s a five-year plan and a lot of it has to do with the availability of materials and availability of compa-

nies to do the work,” Perry “The equipment and the few weeks. said. “For something like trucks that they used to The next plan for East the roof, that was somework on the roof damaged will be the renovation of thing that was able to be the sidewalk in some areas, the football stadium. After scheduled to be done during so they had to repair those the fall sports season conthe summer when school areas. It was fairly extencludes, work will begin on was not in session and sive. We got a good amount the stadium and the lights. there was the availability of our sidewalk replaced,” The plan is to add lights of compasince East’s nies that turf field were able currently to condoes not tract for have any. that.”

AdditionalIn adly, a concesdition to sions platreplacing form will be the roof, built and some arnew bleacheas of the ers will be sidewalk installed for outside home and Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor away of the stus t u d e n t District replaces East’s roof as part of bond referendum. dent sections. entrance The first were replaced. Perry exPerry said. bond renovation at East plained that some of the Overall, the majority of seems to have been a succonstruction vehicles damthe roof work was completcess, but this is just the beaged parts of the sidewalk, ed over the summer and ginning. East students and causing those areas to need the construction has been faculty look forward to the repair. finishing up over the past next project.

Harte Elementary School, and at the Malberg Early Childhood Center,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. Kwame Morton Work for the bond will take up to five years and was anticipated to begin

to replace the roofs, windows, doors and HVAC systems.

Infrastructure, air quality and air conditioning, ADA, modernized classrooms, all-purpose rooms and energy-efficient lighting will also be part

District begins projects for $363 million referendum ■ By Izzy Sobel (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

The Cherry Hill Public School District has planned for its schools, including East, to go through construction. Progress seems to be in full swing as there have been changes made over the summer beginning with fixing the roof.

“Currently, the bond projects are underway, and we are in the completion phase of the projects that began during the summer.

Several schools had muchneeded roofing projects, with over 500,000 square feet of roofing being replaced district-wide. Rosa Middle School also had flooring, lockers and painting work done. Playground renovations were carried out at Thomas Paine Elementary School, Brett

Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Schools across the district see improvements with money from the bond. during this summer when students weren’t in school.

The district's plans were

of the bond improvements throughout the district.

They will also make new

safety improvements and include an addition of new learning spaces.

“Over time if we don’t invest back into the schools, we don’t invest into the facilities, eventually that will erode,” said East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry.

Although some people in the community are dissatisfied with the approval of the bond due to their taxes being raised, the district felt it was in their best interest to move forward with the referendum, for the future generations of students to come in the Cherry Hill community.

“Further projects will include the addition of allpurpose rooms at several elementary schools, a major renovation of Carusi Middle School, construction of bleachers and lighting at the East stadium, HVAC

upgrades in multiple buildings, lighting upgrades, and more. We expect the projects to be fully completed within approximately five years,” said Morton.

The bond was put into place for the future of the students. This referendum will help improve different aspects of the 19 schools in our district. Specifically for East, there is a lot in the referendum that will make East a safe and enjoyable environment for students to thrive academically.

“The community is truly excited about the facility improvements that these bond projects will bring, which will undoubtedly benefit our students,” said Morton.

The Cherry Hill district will soon see necessary improvements across its schools.

FEATURES

Page 4

EASTSIDE

November 2023

Francis-Maurer brings new philosophies to East

■ By Isabella Alvarez (‘25)

Eastside Photo Editor

Cherry Hill High School East’s new Class of 2027 assistant principal, Dr. David Francis-Maurer, who moved to the United States five years ago from the United Kingdom, has already made an impact among students as he brings a new philosophy to the role that those before had not.

Francis-Maurer was inspired to pursue a position in education to provide students and teachers with resources they may not have had in the past.

“One of the goals of my leadership is to help teachers be their full authentic self…students don’t really care who’s in front of them as long as that person knows who they are and they feel they are able to learn,” said Francis-Maurer.

FrancisMaurer

wants teachers to connect with their students in order to create a better learning environment for all, and he believes that the relationships between students and teachers are the most important thing to achieving this. Students want to be heard and recognized for who they are as individuals, especially by those who will help them learn and set them up for success in the future.

Coming from South London, there is a very large culture gap in comparison to American culture, whether that be in terms of educational culture or the culture of society. A large difference pertaining to education is testing. In England, if you are a student from the ages of 16 to 18, you take tests that are blind to the school. These tests are some of the most important tests a student will take as they determine where a stu-

dent will attend university and who will employ them after the fact.

“The [purpose] of the school is to help the students learn in order to pass the tests,” Francis-Maurer said.

Francis-Maurer recognizes the impact this has on students and although American students go through a very different process, they still experience the same pressure as English students. He notes that a student’s record on paper is not always reflective of their capabilities, and many fail to recognize students’ potential based only on records or report cards. This is something that he hopes to change.

“When students come and talk to me about their work, they immediately want to show me their transcript, they immediately want to show me Genesis…

I want to see their notes, I want to see their homework, I want to see if they can do these

things,” he said.

Francis-Maurer is also in charge of the Art, Business, Math and Music Departments at East. He offers a helping hand to those in need and is not shy to make sure every student feels catered to and every teacher has support.

When asked about what inspires him in his role as an assistant principal, Francis-Maurer said he believes that multiple minor changes can lead to something great within the East community.

“The goal is to get everyone to be successful.

That’s the kind of intensity I bring to the work, and I love that link to the community,” said Francis-Maurer.

East students and staff will always have a figure of guidance in Francis-Maurer as his door is always open to those who need it.

As he said, “The

school is not the building or the office -- it’s the humanity and the connectivity.”

The East community is excited to have Dr. Francis-Maurer among the new administration staff and looks forward to seeing the changes he will bring to East in the coming years.

Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

Dr. David Francis Maurer poses for a picture.

Sophia Liu (‘24)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Keyack returns to the Cherry Hill School District ■ By Rachna Mohan (‘25)

Eastside Online Features Editor

As East eagerly ushers in the new school year, a palpable sense of change permeates the atmosphere, notably marked by the arrival of new administrators.

This administrative transition unfolds against the backdrop of several beloved faculty members retiring, including Assistant Principals Mr. Louis Papa and Dr. Matthew Covington.

Naturally, East has welcomed administrators, one of them being Ms. Kim Keyack, who serves as the assistant principal to the class of 2024; she is also responsible for the Science, World Language and Health/PE Departments.

Keyack took over from Mr. Aaron Edwards, who stepped into Papa’s role after his retirement. East anticipates a promising school year under the leadership of Keyack.

Keyack graduated from Salisbury University as a History and Education major in 1992. Later, in 2016, she enrolled at Saint Joseph’s University to pursue a Master’s degree in

Education Leadership and Curriculum Supervisory.

Keyack, a native of the Cherry Hill District, taught as a science teacher at Beck Middle School for 21 years.

She left the district to pursue administration at West Windsor Plainsboro High School as an assistant principal for a few years and now returns to East.

“So, about 100 of my current students [in the class] should have had me in Beck for science,” said Keyack as she reflected on her teaching years at Beck.

Beyond her role as a science educator, Keyack oversaw the East girls’ basketball program as its head coach for 13 years, from September 2000 to June 2013. Under her leadership, the girls basketball team saw many victories, including winning the Olympic Conference championships in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Additionally, the girls team became Group IV finalists those same years. Keyack has won leadership awards for her contribution to the East team; she won South Jersey Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2011.

Keyack’s commitment to

enhancing the learning environment extended beyond the classroom. She actively participated in various committees and projects to enrich the student experience, including her role as a lead scheduler at Beck, contributions to the District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC), involvement in the Climate Transformation project and engagement with the science curriculum committee.

These diverse experiences have equipped her with the skills and insight necessary for her new role.

Confident and eager, Keyack is excited to lead the Class of 2024 to graduation and make this an enjoyable year for her students.

“At Beck, I was already involved in a lot of administrative tasks; if I was good at it and enjoyed it, why not? So I decided to take the leap, consider leadership roles, and here we are,” said Keyack.

With new additions to the administration and a promising start to the school year, East is marked by growth, dedication, and student-focused leadership.

Ava Crawley (‘25)/ Eastside Features Editor

Ms. Kim Keyack looks forward to a fun school year with the class of 2024.

November 2023

FEATURES EASTSIDE

Page 5

Williams drums to his own beat through his love for music ■ By Ava Crawley (‘25) Eastside Features Editor

For most three-yearolds, their latest hobbies and sometimes strange fascinations are long gone by the time they reach high school. Whether it’s a kiddie sports league, an obsession with a cartoon or a favorite food, it typically now resides in the back of their mind. However, this is certainly not the case with Matthew (Matt) Williams (‘26), a fan of music from the moment ‘90s rock graced his ears. ”Music is everything for me,” said Williams. ”Listening to new songs, learning new things to play, it’s amazing.”

From an early age, Williams would soak in the variety of songs his parents listened to, opening his mind to an endless stream of music. As time went on, he started focusing specifically on the drums, quickly learning the beat and feeling a sense of urgency to replicate it. Within a matter of years, pencils on couch cushions turned into drumsticks on a drum set, Neil Peart, Travis Barker, Danny Carey and John Bonham went from famous

stars to inspiration and drums, which started as a simple hobby, transformed into a piece of Williams’s identity. Regardless of his young age, he knew that this was the start of something unforgettable.

“It was just my calling.

I knew that that’s what I wanted to do with my life,” he said.

Williams’s parents, who constantly support and encourage his goals, signed him up at the School of Rock. There he was introduced to a room full of people who had the same vast appreciation for music as he did. As songs were practiced and goals were discussed, Williams’s fellow classmates at the School of Rock quickly became his friends, and eventually his bandmates.

Nearly three years ago, Williams and three other friends met for the first time as a band, calling themselves Drastic Measures. Since then they’ve created all original, fastpunk albums, practicing and performing as much as they can. On top of Drastic Measures, Williams is also the drummer for Wasted Potential — another band which primarily performs

Ava Crawley (‘25)/ Eastside Features Editor

Wasted Potential poses for a photo after a night of performing. covers of songs, though together. Although finding Williams has found joy and they are currently in the gigs can seem like a lengthy passion within music, makprocess of developing their process, Williams explains ing him the person he is toown music. that sometimes the proday. Through performing, Both bands typically cess is often fairly easy. he has been able to build meet once a week to talk For the most part, the band friendships and delve into about upcoming gigs or to searches for places that his everlasting craft. As work on different songs. host festivals or live music he grows older, Williams Whether it’s practicing a performances, emails the hopes to continue to connew song or a cover, the locations and waits for a nect and inspire through bands make sure to get the response. Williams gets the music, keeping it around most out of their time spent chance to perform at least long after college. once a month, displaying So take Williams’s muhis passion and talent to a sic journey as inspiration. crowd full of people.

If you work hard and never At the start of Septemgive up, your dreams will ber, Wasted Potential percome true. formed at Medford’s annual “That’s what music is to Oktoberfest — a two-day me, just one big inspirafestival with tons of food, tion,” said Williams. live music and a big crowd.

Over the summer, they also performed to a large crowd at Wenonah Lake Park. Williams admits that though the beginning was nerve-racking, the more he performs, the more he finds it exhilarating.

“Playing [music] live with the people you’ve created such a close bond with is just the best feeling that you can’t find anywhere else,” said Williams. “I’m always ready for a show.

Any day of the week, anytime you can just call me Alana Rellosa (‘25)/ For Eastside and I’ll play.”

Williams perfroms alongside his band, Wasted Potential, at a Medford festival.

Over the past 13 years,

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Page 6

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

November 2023

How the coffee brews: The local cafe battle

A relaxing ambience. A high quality cup of coffee. A delectable pastry. These are just some qualities that an ideal cafe should maintain.

South Jersey surely has its fair share of coffee shops and cafes. However, only a few cafes meet all of the standards to take a spot in Eastside’s top five. Based on a consideration of ambience, menu, quality of beverages and quality of food, here are Eastside’s top five local cafes: Photos by Ella Goodstadt (‘24)/ Eastside Online Editor-in-Chief

■ By Ella Goodstadt (‘24) Eastside Online Editor-in-Chief

1st Place: Sabrina's Cafe

4th Place: Harvest Coffee Roastery

Tucked away in Voorhees Town Center, Harvest Coffee Roastery is a quiet spot to grab a caffeinated drink or sweet bite to eat.

Although the menu is rather small, there is something for everyone. The roastery offers essential breakfast items like various types of toast, egg dishes, smoothies and baked treats. They also carry typical coffee shop beverages like cold brew coffee, lattes and even hot chocolate.

Upon arrival, I ordered a banana peanut butter toast as well as an iced chai tea latte. The toast was delicious, topped with walnuts and honey. However, the latte lacked enough chai flavor, which was a slight disappointment.

All in all, Harvest Coffee Roastery has a very relaxing ambiance and meets all of the typical needs for a solid, successful cafe.

Address: 8109 Town Center Blvd, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

2nd Place: Cafe Lift

Cafe Lift arrived in Haddonfield in 2022 and has seen nothing but success thanks to its charm and selection of goods. The cafe has the feel of a small, trendy restaurant in New York City with an energetic and stylish atmosphere. The front section of the cafe offers bar seating for those just looking to pick up one of their specialty beverages like their strawberry matcha or their lavender London fog.

Yet, the excitement resides in the food. Cafe Lift offers numerous egg dishes, sweet options like French toast, salads and sandwiches.

Following extensive deliberation, I ordered the strawberry matcha, the lemon ricotta pancakes and an avocado toast. As an avid matcha consumer, the strawberry matcha was the best I’ve ever tried, to say the least.

While the avocado toast was seemingly average, the pancakes had the perfect consistency and lemon flavor.

Cafe Lift is perfect for a Sunday brunch or just about any time one is looking for a quality meal.

Address: 144 Kings Highway, East Haddonfield, NJ 08033

Located in the heart of the charming town of Collingswood, Sabrina’s Cafe serves specialty breakfast and lunch items. The interior of the restaurant is open and lively. Sunlight filters in through bay windows and food is constantly flowing out of the kitchen.

Sabrina’s has an incredibly large menu with flavors both sweet and savory. While it was a difficult choice, I went with their signature stuffed challah French toast as well as an avocado toast to share. I also ordered a vanilla chai latte.

Each entree was cooked to perfection, and the latte was full of flavor and seemingly perfect for an autumn day. There is such a positive ambiance in the restaurant that makes the food all the more enjoyable. After leaving Sabrina’s Cafe, the final verdict was that I would undoubtedly have to come back for more.

Address: 714 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108

3rd Place: Saxbys

Just down the street from Cafe Lift sits Saxbys.

Saxbys is the quintessential small-town coffee shop.

With regulars coming in and out and friendly staff chatting away, Saxbys is one of those little shops where one could spend hours socializing or getting work done.

On the menu, there is a selection of baked goods ranging from scones to muffins to cookies. However, they are truly known for their selection of drinks.

Saxbys offers a classic assortment of iced and hot coffees, teas and smoothies. Yet, they also have an entire specialty menu with at least twenty uniquely crafted coffees with varying flavor combinations.

For my order, I got a blueberry scone and a specialty raspberry mocha iced coffee. The scone was full of flavor due to the blueberries baked inside, but the coffee was the shining star of the order. The drink had the perfect ratio of coffee, raspberry and chocolate without being overpowering. If the baked goods menu was slightly expanded, Saxbys would be a near-perfect coffee shop.

Address: 104 Kings Hwy E, Haddonfield, NJ 08033

5th Place: Jersey Java & Tea Co.

When approaching Jersey Java & Tea Co., the initial thing that meets the eye is the aesthetic exterior.

Sitting on a corner of Haddon Ave. in Haddonfield, the shop is surrounded by numerous planters filled with colorful flowers. There is also a large allotted space for outdoor seating. The interior of the shop, however, is rather crammed with tables close together and displays with pre-packaged goods and seasonal items for sale.

There is only a small number of freshly baked goods for sale, but the selection of beverages helps make up for this. They offer both classic coffees as well as seasonal specialty drinks.

I purchased a honey latte and a banana nut muffin.

While still delicious, the muffin tasted very little like banana. The latte was full of flavor and was not overpowered by the whole milk.

Overall, Jersey Java & Tea Co. offers a pleasant experience for those looking to consume a coffee while enjoying the pleasant outdoors.

Address: 140 N Haddon Ave, Haddonfield, NJ 08033

November 2023

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

Page 7

East alum David Fleisher runs for Cherry Hill mayor ■ By Michelle Bookbinder (‘25)

Eastside Community Editor

At Cherry Hill High School East, David Fleisher (‘87) stood tall at the podium in a congested auditorium, promoting the ideas of his classmates and voicing their concerns. Now, 36 years later, Fleisher once again stands tall at a podium, promoting the ideas of Cherry Hill residents to strengthen his town as a community leader. Now, he is running for mayor.

Fleisher was first exposed to leading his peers as early as middle school, joining Beck Middle School Student Government Association (SGA) and becoming its president. Bringing his class together and expressing his voice, he gained the opportunity to influence the school experience for himself and his classmates.

This early introduction to politics allowed Fleisher to uncover his passion: uniting a community.

Continuing on this trajectory, Fleisher’s peers elected him to be class president at East, allowing him to govern a larger community. Representing his peers and evaluating school policies, he developed communication, collaboration and leadership skills as a teenager. This experience inspired Fleisher to pursue politics later in life. After graduating, he attended Ithaca College, where he also served as SGA President. Fleisher found these roles integral to his current

position, acquiring the necessary building blocks to unify a community. ”My involvement at Beck Middle School and Cherry Hill East informed my decision to be involved later in life…It doesn’t matter what age you are, but working with people, listening and building consensus is a lifelong skill,” he said.

In 1997, after volunteering on several township committees, Fleisher jumped at the opportunity to join the Cherry Hill Township Council at only 27 years old. Feeling tied to his hometown and wanting to give back to the community that provided for him, he was eager to work permanently in Cherry Hill.

He has since then become Council President. On the Council, Fleisher focuses on fiscal management, neighborhood investments and protecting the environment. He uses his knowledge of financial planning to determine where money needs to be allocated for investments.

For his mayoral candidacy, Fleisher is prioritizing safety, so he plans to invest in police departments to improve their training and hold community members accountable for their actions. By holding everyone to the highest standards, police can limit common infractions, such as speeding.

In addition to enforcing safety, Fleisher highlights sustainability and preserving open space as a vital element of his campaign.

As Council President, Fleisher and the Township Council have agreed in principle to buy Holly Ravine Farm to prevent companies from building a complex on the property.

He also aims to reinstate Mayor Angulo’s Wellness Campaign to encourage healthy living and nutrition through Parks and Recreation Julia Sitnick (‘25)/ Eastside Sports Editor p r o g r a m s Fleisher promotes his campaign on lawn signs around town. and community activiofficials to bring people toI was raised to believe that ties. gether.” being part of a community Fleisher also emphasizes Along with campaignis not a spectator sport,” the importance of diversity ing, Fleisher finds time to Fleisher said. in Cherry Hill through the bolster his community. He Fleisher strives to give Human Relations Advisory is currently a member of back to the Cherry Hill Committee (HRAC), which the board for Foundations, community that ignited his he co-founded. The HRAC Inc., a nonprofit organizapassion as a student and aims to celebrate different tion that improves chilserved as the genesis of his cultures and advocate for dren’s education and learnongoing political career. acceptance in the communiing by supporting teachers.

SGA at Beck, East and ty while combating bigotry.

Moreover, Fleisher also is Ithaca College provided a The Council brings toa booster for East soccer, voice for Fleisher, so he engether a cross-section of a coach for the Cherry Hill courages current students civic and religious leadAtlantic Little League and to get involved in their ers with township officials a volunteer for the Jewish school and community and to build relationships and Family and Children’s Sermake themselves heard. understanding an apprevice of Southern New Jer“I want everyone to beciation of our differences,” sey. lieve that they have an opFleisher said.

“I’m one of five kids to go portunity to make a differ“It’s the job of elected to Cherry Hill schools, and ence,” he said.

riety of festivals and events for different people in the community to come together and bond.

The original Croft Farm House was built in the mid 1700s by Issac Kay, but 100 years later a new landowner, Thomas Evans, expanded the size of the home and changed the front door from facing the river to fac-

ing a new road. The Evans’ volunteered their home, that they named “Edgewater” to be a station on the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. Runaway slaves were brought to Edgewater, and the Evans would hide them in the attic of the house, so they wouldn’t be found. In 1925, the land was sold to John

Croft Farm Arts Center provides a place for local residents ■ By Gabrielle Levine (‘26)

Croft, and then 60 years later, they sold 80 acres of land to Cherry Hill TownIn times of hardship, a ship. community such as Cherry Nowadays, Croft Farm Hill needs a welcoming and hosts a handful of events, creative place that brings the most popular being its all different types of people annual Harvest Festival, together. which features live music, Croft Farm Arts Center a pumpkin patch, a petting is a public park located in zoo, pony rides, different Cherry Hill that hosts a vatents filled with items for sale, such as shirts, bags, food and a variety of food trucks for people to get a lunch of their choice.

B e t h Becker, who is on the board of the Cherry Hill Historical Mission and has been a vendor for the Harvest Festival for two years now, believes that this event brings a variety of people together.

She said, “It’s people from all parts of the community, so it’s not just one reGabrielle Levine (‘26)/ Eastside Community Editor ligion, or Local businesses set up booths at Croft Farm’s annual Harvest Festival in 2022.

Eastside Community Editor

one race.”

Becker explained that Croft Farm makes the process of selling her items and setting up her tent extremely easy and simple.

She wasn’t sure what to expect her first year at the festival, but her experience has been a very positive one overall. She appreciates the large number of people that come to this event, as well as the live music and chance to see people she knows from town.

Along with its Harvest Festival, it also has other festival-oriented events, like its Illuminate Light Display Event that has been going on for two years.

It includes different speeches and songs related to Christmas and Hanukkah, people selling different items and a food truck.

The “illumniate” aspect comes in when the trees at the festival turn into different beautiful, bright trees with all different types of colorful lights.

Aside from festivals, Croft Farm hosts other types of events, such as its art open gallery, a food truck series and a Martin Luther King Day of Service for Nature.

The development of Croft Farm has come a long way from where it started After beginning as just a small farmhouse, it has transformed into a place where people can create special memories with people in Cherry Hill and enjoy the fall festival atmosphere.

EDITORIAL

Page 8

EASTSIDE

November 2023

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

Social media misinformation exacerbates school tensions The recent heartbreaking developments in Israel and Palestine have impacted many individuals in the Cherry Hill High School East community, especially those who have close familial, ethnic and religious ties to the region. The international conflict has created feelings of sadness and frustration among students, and has led a few individuals to express hostility toward those with different backgrounds or perspectives, both in and outside of school.

Students, parents and other members of the East community utilized social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, to post about such tensions within the school. As more community members posted rhetoric about the tensions, more students began to express feelings of distress.

In one specific case, videos spread of a number of students participating in a verbal fight, occuring on October 12, which included close confrontations and shouting. In sharing videos of the fight on social media, many community members misdescribed the altercation, in some cases to assert their own political ideologies or points of view.

The videos became so widely spread that popular social media accounts and news organizations commented on the confrontation, even categorizing the situation, in some cases, as a “riot” and a “fight between Hamas supporters and Jewish students.”

In addition, some photos and video clips from the incident were cropped and altered in order to push certain political narratives about our school climate. These posts only worsened the feelings of discomfort held among many students and community members. Some families even opted to keep their children out of school, concerned about rising hate around the world and alleged school rioting.

While it’s natural for community members to take to social media to express their concerns about school events, Eastside urges that social media users post and contribute to online discussions and forums only with verifiable and complete information.

For this to take place, Eastside urges the East administration to provide timely updates to the community when events occuring in the school widely affect students. With additional information provided by the administration, community members can make more informed and respectful posts on social media.

Eastside understands the difficulties adminis-

trators face when responding to misinformation and emotionally charged situations. However, the East administration appeared to lack urgency when it came to preventing the continued spread of misinformation. East administration met with community members and released a number of

about events at East.

Furthermore, the East administration had many opportunities to host assemblies and forums to disseminate information regarding school events to the entire student body, before school issues intensified, but waited until Friday, October 13, to do so. Eastside asserts that in waiting until Friday to host assemblies, the administration potentially allowed for misinformation to continue to spread.

At a time when inaccurate information was spreading on social media, the Muslim Student Association, Jewish Student Union and Middle Eastern North African Club worked together to diligently and constructively address tensions within the school. Eastside believes that the video and joint-statement which these groups created to call for school unity helped quell tensions both in person and online.

Eastside applauds the Muslim Student Association, the Jewish Student Union and the Middle Eastern North African Club for creating a video and joint-statement, which had a positive impact in welcoming back a more accepting school environment. While members of the East administration had a role in facilitating the conversations between the three groups, the administration could have further assisted in building school unity sooner in the week.

Though the events of October may be viewed as an isolated string of incidents, Eastside hopes that the administration takes steps to avoid similar events from occurring in the future. To prevent the spread of misinformation, Eastside recommends that the administration provide the community with context about disruptive happenings Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director within the school as they arise. Eastside statements throughout the week, including one encourages students and community members which briefly mentioned misinformation. to also have greater awareness of the impacts of In a letter sent out to the East community on spreading unconfirmed information, incomplete Wednesday, October 11, Dr. Perry wrote that information and/or misinformation online. “we have seen some posts on social media, which When community members have more inhave spread misinformation about occurrences formation about disruptive school happenings, at [East].” What the letter does not mention, Eastside believes that they can make more conhowever, are the actions the East administration scientious and informed decisions about what took or planned to take to prevent the further they post online. This in turn allows for our spread of misinformation. The East administraCherry Hill community to be a more accepting tion also could have publicly provided context or place for people of all backgrounds, viewpoints clarity regarding widely spread misconceptions and experiences.

Eastside 2023-2024 Editorial Board Managing Editor: Matthew Rentezelas Editors-in-Chief: Gia Gupta, Jillian Koenig, Sophia Liu Online Editors-in-Chief: Asher Boiskin, Ella Goodstadt Advisor: Mr. Greg Gagliardi News Editors Julia Rosten Izzy Sobel

Sports Editors Hayden Laufgraben Julia Sitnick

Features Editors Ava Crawley Jiwoo Lee

Opinions Editors Manar Hadi Danny Ovadia

Culture Editors Ella Hampton Shayna Oppen

Global Commentary Editors Isabelle Berger Matt Berkery

Community Editors Michelle Bookbinder Gabrielle Levine

Editorial Assistant Abby Auerbach

Art Directors Barbara Armstrong Katie Sullivan

Media Directors Karina Gupta Kaylee Yoon

Online News Editor Landon Schuster

Online Sports Editor Sarah Begun

Online Features Editor Rachna Mohan

Online Opinions Editor Alexis Rovner

Online Culture Editor Taylor Goodman Online Community Editor Laavanya Viswanathan

Photo Editor Izzy Alvarez

Online Global Commentary Editor Enis Ercan Online STEM Edtior Muskaan Batra

Business Managers Lauren Greenberg Ava Richman

Social Media Manager Molly Grossman

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Page 10

EASTSIDE

The perfunctory “I’m good.”

■ By Selam Bereketab (‘25) Eastside Staff

How are you? How was your day? These are simple enough questions that seem to warrant simple enough answers.

“Just be honest. Tell your truth,” they said.

Almost every day, I am asked one or both of these questions by my parents, my peers or my teachers.

“I’m fine.” That’s too emotionless, I might sound bitter.

“I’m amazing!” OK, now you’re just overcompensating. Can you even say that believably?

“I’m good.” Perfect, just enough to get through the perfunctory part of the conversation and move on to something a little less mocking.

There is something heartbreaking in the fact that people are asked to share their feelings on a daily basis, but many will resort to answers that I have personally found to be inadequate.

A variety of reasons can be attributed to why a person says “I’m good” or another equally predictable answer when asked to express how they are rather than delve into the reality of what they’re feeling. One rationale for why people don’t answer truthfully or completely can perhaps be traced back to how they have addressed mental health at home.

For me, there are combined factors that have resulted in my tending to not formally discuss my mental health at home or at school.

They include mental health only recently becoming a more mainstream and accepted topic, my perfectionism and my struggling to get over the mental block that comes from not really sharing your deeper feelings for a long period of time.

More often than not, I hold in all my negative emotions and feelings, and when it becomes too much, I let it out in an incohesive way. To put it simply, it is an exhausting cycle that leaves me constantly wishing I could articulate myself in a way that makes what I am going through seem nor-

November 2023

OPINIONS

November 2023

EASTSIDE

Breaking apart the stigmatic barriers dealing with unwanted emotions can bring up feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Isolation, in return, can amplify the impact of illness and even prolong its effects.

Therefore, it is important to note that as humans, perfection does not nor should it exist. Self-acceptance that we need help is the catalyst for reaching out and getting back to ourselves.

Whether you are feeling perpetually anxious with school and stress about applying to college, or feel lonely at school, time is extremely valuable to address it properly. The first step to talking in the household about mental illness is to plan what you are going to say, how you are feeling and how it is affecting your day-to-day life.

With a clear explanation and greater understanding of what is going on in your life, open communication can segway into how you should be supported best. This may include techniques such as avoiding isolation when feeling depressed, or checking in daily how you are doing.

A big misconception surrounding mental health is that it is a choice, their characteristics are identified as

■ By Lauren Greenberg (‘24)

mal when I am struggling.

I don’t want to be the person who has to silently suffer, and I don’t want to be the person who adds to the stigma of mental health by not talking about it. Everyone has points in their life where their mental well-being is unsteady, but mental health stigma disproportionally affects young people, men, minorities, healthcare workers, people in the military and veterans.

There are undoubtedly millions of people around the globe who rarely, if ever, talk about their mental health struggles because they fear invalidation. I can honestly say that it hurts when you believe there is no person around you who can understand what you’re going through.

The truth is sometimes the word “good” does encapsulate the complexity of what is going on within me and sometimes it doesn’t.

I am slowly but surely learning that I, as an imperfect human being, owe it to both myself and to those who care about me the most to try to be honest about my mental health.

Page 11

Eastside Business Manager

Mental health can be addressed in various ways. For some, teachers and school counselors are a helpful addition to aid in their coping mechanisms. For others, however, before push comes to shove, it should be an open time to address mental health, and the conversation starts at home. One may question, how can others, especially the people I live with, learn to support themselves and myself through this journey we call life?

Filled with variability, the people on your team should be allies and support you in the best way possible. Opening up about your day may bring up negative emotions, and surely talking about your challenges is no easy feat. But over time, the trust you build with parents and caregivers will support you in the good and bad times.

Mental health is a serious topic to discuss, and it begins by encouraging openness about the positives in your life. Starting with accepting and embracing the conclusive feelings of certainty are just the beginning. Yet,

their illness, or it is typical for said age group -- teens.

Debunking these myths, especially when they hit home, can be challenging and feel defeating. However, the more you bring up the conversation around mental health and general wellness, you will be supported in a much more meaningful way.

Believe it or not, more people than you think are dealing with similar attributes of mental illness. It is because mental illness is so stigmatized that the conversation is not brought up and people are suffering alone and in silence.

Now if you were to walk up to your family and say you didn’t feel well because of the common cold, you felt fatigued and could not go to school, would they blame you? Next time you want to bring up the conversation about mental health, eliminate the barriers between the stigma and you. Defy the odds instead of becoming a statistic.

You have the power to make a difference, and it starts within the household to break the norms of silently suffering to show a sign of strength.

EAST’S VIEW ON MENTAL HEALTH

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Finding a safe space at home ■ By Barbara Armstrong (‘25) Eastside Art Director

I cannot remember a time when m e n t a l health was not a prevalent discussion in my household.

My mother, a passionate advocate for mental health, instilled values of self-care and self-value into me and my siblings.

I am lucky enough to say that I was raised in an environment where I was always offered the opportunity to seek help and be provided with the resources to make sure that I was in a stable condition.

Growing up, I learned of mental health and its importance from a young age. My family knew the importance of mental health from personal experience. Previous members of my family had struggled in silence, never knowing that there was support for them. Yet, they

taught me that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes, and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Looking back, I can’t say that I would be who I am now without the environment they cultivated for me.

Even the littlest things that my family did for me, such as giving me space when I needed some time to myself, or asking me about how they can help me feel more comfortable, made the biggest impact. They taught me strategies to deal with my stress and cope with feelings of negativity. I was grateful that I could come home to a home that made it clear that I was deserving of empathy and care, and that my struggles were valid and deserving of attention.

My family made sure that I knew my home was more than just a home; it was a safe space for me.

A recent example of this is a moment I can remember when I admitted to my mom about the stress and anxiety I was experiencing during a rough patch in school. It was

difficult because I thought she would dismiss it as “teen angst,” and it was even harder for me to rationalize that I wasn’t performing at my best.

Yet, my mother took my concerns seriously and offered her support to me because she knew that I needed it. Her little acts of humanity towards me have shaped me into the person I am today.

I am who I am today as a testament to the power of open discussion about mental health. The values that my mother instilled in me about prioritizing my own well-being have helped to give me strength when I reach points in my life that may be tough.

The simple, yet deeply complex idea of exploring and assessing your own emotions is a skill that I hope everyone has the chance to develop.

My upbringing has taught me that talking about mental health is not just a necessity; it’s a tool to help guide us through some of the hardest parts of life.

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Manar Hadi (‘25)/ Eastside Opinions Editor

OPINIONS

Page 12

EASTSIDE

November 2023

Florida hurts students through limiting AP classes ■ By Daniel Ovadia (‘25)

Eastside Opinions Editor

In the past few years, the education system in Florida has been a topic hotter than Florida itself. This continued on August 3 when the Florida Department of Education, under Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. and Governor Ron DeStantis, relayed a message to College Board after College Board said they “effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law.”

It is important to note that this is not an outright ban on AP Psychology, but an action that will cause some school districts to drop the course if they feel it violates state law.

Diaz even said that “the Department [of Education in Florida] believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog.”

However, this statement hasn’t put College Board and LGBTQ+ advocates at ease. This has been seen as part of what has emerged as a pattern for the DeSantis administration, coming under fire last year for the Parental Rights in Education Act, which was called the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” by critics, and the rejection of AP African American Studies earlier this year. Further complicating things, the aforementioned “Don’t Say Gay Bill” allows parents to sue school districts that teach material they deem inappropriate.

With the education department in Florida altering education in public schools to its liking, it’s starting to differ from the rest of the country.

“My main question is why,” said Adam Billet (‘26).

Florida’s response to those questioning the decision to encourage school districts to drop this course

and courses like it has been that they feel it goes against the educational standards in Florida regarding sexuality and gender education.

and/or commitment.

Without the correct intentionality, social media activism can easily run rampant. Sometimes, people with well intent may end up blindly trusting Instagram infographics that spew misinformation. On the other hand, a repost exists as a way for a person to show that they’re an “activist” to whomever.

In most cases, it’s both.

George Floyd’s murder video arising led to a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement; numerous individuals began to speak up against the injustices present in our justice system. The movement exploded on the Internet, eventually leading up to “Blackout Tuesday,” a day when people posted a black square and hashtagged “Black Lives Matter” to display their allegiance.

However, actual posts that highlighted the issues and delineated on how to make an impact were rendered useless since these black square posts concealed them.

With the rise of civic engagement among youth, it’s exciting to see new initiatives blossom. At Cherry Hill High School East, passionate students utilize their platforms to spread awareness of certain injustices or issues present in society.

“Social media activism definitely works because we’re in an era where the distribution of information is our superpower,” said an anonymous student.

While these platforms can be beneficial, it’s important to understand that social media activism must be done with the correct intentionality. The idea of one or two students raising awareness through a post leads to futility. But,

if hundreds of high school students can support this post, subsequently, change can prosper.

Social media unites large masses to express their support and raise awareness.

It lends a voice to underrepresented people and facilitates accountability on powerful individuals.

However, as time passes on, we move inevitably from one discourse to another.

We leave an issue in the past and achieve nothing.

Our anger stays on an endless train ride, stopping at one station of inhumanity to another. Focusing on one issue and exploring it further exists as the beginning. From there, change can be made by supporting and working with like-minded individuals. This includes writing letters and making phone calls to politicians, establishing fundraisers to support causes and immersing yourself in the experiences of those who face the unfortunate. A repost is not necessarily harmful, but it is nowhere near enough.

These steps require commitment, time and effort. While it may be difficult, each step causes a ripple of more and more, eventually reaching past the point of change.

Many people, both nationwide and within Florida, have praised and criticized the position that the Department of Education in

Florida has taken. “[The recent legislation in Florida regarding education] is wild honestly. The people deserve their AP Psych,” said Joseph Green (‘25).

Others would add to this opinion to state that writing LGBTQ+ people out of curriculum hurts their community.

Still, some insist that the material present in AP Psychology is inappropriate for schools.

However, it’s irrelevant whether or not AP Psychology is the cup of tea for certain politicians and families.

Superintendents choosing to drop the course are not helping Florida students.

It would be one thing if AP Psychology was a required class and was available to every student in a K-12 school district.

However, AP Psychology, like the original AP African American Studies before it, is not a required class and is not available to

all students.

The Florida Department of Education’s arguments in their actions surrounding the College Board seem to hinge on the idea that students are expected to take these classes that are predisposing them to have certain ideas.

In reality, individual students and families are able to make these decisions on their own. This is the way it should be, but this intervention by Florida will undoubtedly cause a drop in students who have AP Psychology available to them.

This is unfair to those students and an example of a government overstepping its bounds.

There’s been some speculation on the real reason for this sudden stand against education courses deemed “liberal” or “woke.”

Could it be that what you see is what you get and Florida education really believes this is the way to move forward? Or, could this be a desperate attempt

by Florida’s governor to get good press for his uninspiring presidential campaign?

Maybe it’s a little bit of both.

Performative activism on social media stifles change ■ By Manar Hadi (‘25)

Eastside Opinions Editor

When scrolling through countless Instagram stories, one might stumble upon a story addressing a violent occurrence rooted in hatred. Feelings of anger and disgust may surge through them. When tapping that story, it leads to a post extending on the horrific matter. One might repost it on their own story because of how alarming the issue is and that they want to “care.”

Twenty-four hours later, the story disappears. Soon after, the post fades away.

Those feelings of outrage are gone from existence.

A week later, another post focusing on a new hatred-filled violent occurrence reposts on an individual’s story. The same feelings arecrepeated and faded away once more. This cycle continues and continues until what happens?

Nothing.

These posts exist not as an invitation to establish change, but as an invitation to spew flurries of opinions on societal ideals and desensitize us to the heartless actions of violent figures. We restrict our views by deeming these inhumane acts as worthy of nothing but a mere repost.

There’s no doubt about it; social media propels much of modern activism through expediting and promoting huge movements from #BLM to #LoveWins.

People retain the power to raise awareness of serious issues from just a few buttons. Yet simultaneously, posting on social media has become so performative rather than intentional to the point where it is ineffective. A term for this, slacktivism, involves supporting causes with minimal effort

Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

November 2023

HOCO ‘23 EASTSIDE

Page 13

Photos by Anjali Sancheti (‘25)/ Eastside Staff

Page 14

GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

November 2023

Sustainable tourism should have more emphasis in Hawai’i ■ By Gia Gupta (‘24)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

W h e n I visited Hawai’i as a child, it was the cerulean ocean and postcard-picturesque shoreline sunsets that I was looking forward to the most. And in many ways those dreams were realized. In every way I knew, Hawai’i was breathtakingly beautiful. But it is beautiful in a way I had never seen before, too. It is beautiful because it is a home — and we know that finding a home and calling it one’s own is the most sacred beauty there is. Many Hawaiians have been continually denied that from tourists like the one I once was, staying comfortable in ignorance.

The narrative needs to change. That change must start happening now.

In the late 1800s, Hawai’i was annexed through a coup d’etat from American business owners, continuing the long process of exploitation that emerged over a century prior from the first mark of European settlement in the area.

The impacts of colonialism in Hawai’i had drastic impacts on the size of native populations, too. David

Swanson presented at the University of Hawaii that the native Hawaiian population shifted from approximately 700,000 to less than 100,000 between 1778, the year the first European settler, Captain James Cook, reached the islands, and 1900 due to factors like

Maui is created through tourism. Yet, corporate interests have irrevocably left their mark on the industry, a mark that will take time to unravel. The management of the hospitality and tourism industries are often by people non-native to Hawai’i, with many of the

munity instead of letting the benefits pour out. For instance, tourists can make decisions to support locally owned recreational organizations on their vacation, whether it be a local farm or local art studio. This may also help address the cultural commodification that

colonial epidemic disease.

New social and economic systems were instituted as well, like the shift from a communal economy to a capitalist economy.

Those interests and private engagements have built into an emphasis on tourism, another example of other groups being heralded at the expense of the natives of the land.

Economically, tourism has been hugely important to Maui, with the Maui Economic Development board saying that around 70 cents for every one dollar from

employment advantages being offered to non-natives instead of those in Hawaii.

“Tourists bring in a lot of money and that keeps a lot of people employed in Hawai’i, so I think the bigger question is if people stopped going to Hawai’i, how would that impact their economy?,” Mrs. Leanne Shine, a Cherry Hill High School East business teacher said.

While tourism is still hugely important for Hawai’i’s economy, there are ways to help shift more economic gains to the com-

has been a consequence of mass tourism to Hawai’i— the commercialization of Hawaiian culture for the benefit of tourist interest.

“When we were on Maui we saw lūau in the mall, or just anywhere. Because they know they can charge a lot of money… But there are true Hawaiian cultural community centers that are around, and I think that is where if you really want to understand the Hawaiian culture, you need to go there,” Shine said.

Tourists that now visit Hawai’i have to grapple

with embracing the beauty of Hawai’i and the dependency of the economy on tourism with ethical considerations of how their actions as tourists will impact local populations that call this place home.

Yashila Rajagopal (‘24), a visitor to Hawai’i this past August, echoed this dilemma.

“I felt like a British person in India… I knew that I was damaging their ecosystem and their land, and there’s definitely places where my hotel, there was probably a bunch of people living there before and then they kicked them out just to build a hotel,” Rajagopal said.

However, listening to those in the area — their stories and their voices — can help ensure an authentic truth is made clear about Hawai’i.

Tourists have the responsibility to consider the possibly negative impact they are making on the places they are visiting. That does not necessarily mean to stop traveling, it means traveling responsibly. It means putting residents first — helping them protect their own land, economy and culture — before we go in on our own, taking for our own benefit without recognizing the people who called it a home instead of a destination first.

scale massacres are possible beyond the fascist, dictatorial regimes ruled by the likes of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. The misconception that genocide is a thing of the past permeates the American social bloodstream, manifesting itself in troubling ways; according to Pew Research, only 17 percent of Americans are aware that China’s Xinjiang province has the most Muslims per capita in the country, despite the U.S. government labeling the Chinese government’s acts against the Uyghur Muslims as genocide. These factors combined have resulted in inadequate media attention regarding modern-day genocides.

Take Myanmar, for example. In 2017, the Myanmar military initiated a campaign of ethnic cleansing, aiming to rid the country of minority Rohingya Muslims.

In Myanmar, Rohingya Muslims have been deprived of citizenship and basic legal rights for decades. The subordinate status of the Rohingya Muslims calcified over the course of the 20th century, ultimately culminating in genocide. Within the first month of attacks, more than 6,500 Rohingya were killed. More than a million Rohingya have been displaced, and many have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

In 2022, the Joint Response Plan for the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar received only a quarter of the funds necessary to quash the genocide of the Rohingya, signaling a severe lack of international awareness as

to how dire the conflict is.

The Central African Republic faces a humanitarian crisis of a similar nature. Beginning in 2013, entangled conflicts between minority Muslim Seleka rebels, armed groups and militias in the Central African Republic have almost completely diminished the central government’s control of the country. More than 1.5 million people have been displaced, accounting for almost a third of the country’s total population. More than 700,000 have been displaced internally, more than 600,000 have fled the country, and roughly 5,000 have been killed. This conflict is rooted in the social and spiritual breakdown of the relations between Christians and Muslims in the country. Once Muslim Seleka rebels overthrew the government, Christian forces responded by committing flagrant acts of ethnic cleansing against Muslim communities.

In Syria, the government has butchered civilians by the thousands, partnering with Russian counterparts to politically persecute dissenters.

The Assad regime in Syria has employed methodical tactics, like torture and extermination prisons, to kill as many as 30,000 po-

litical prisoners. The Syrian National Army, backed

by Turkey, has also driven ethnic Kurdish and Yazidi minorities out of certain areas, undermining the sanctity of their holy sites.

Between internal displacement and refugees, over 10 million Syrians have been displaced since the commencement of the Syrian Civil War in 2011.

All of this begs the question: why haven’t we heard about these genocides all over the news?

Part of this lack of representation can be attributed to apprehension in proclaiming a humanitarian crisis a “genocide.”

In the case of the Rwandan genocide, media outlets held out for weeks before labeling the conflict a genocide, wary of using a term

of such magnitude.

Another potential reason for this is the ability of foreign entities to manipulate the representation of such occurrences. The Hutus in Rwanda wanted Western reporters to believe the conflict was a civil war rather than a genocide. Naturally, without any moral obligation for reporters to get firsthand accounts of genocide, they rely at least partially on the information purveyed by governmental agencies and combatants.

With such glaring deficiencies in reporting on these modern-day genocides, measures must be taken to demand more extensive coverage of these massacres.

Hopefully, this will stir up change and avert future carnage.

V S Katie Sullivan (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

Ongoing genocides do not receive sufficient media attention ■ By Matthew Berkery (‘25) Eastside Global Commentary Editor

Almost 30 years ago, 100 days of horror commenced in the small African nation of Rwanda. In 1990, the longstanding conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups in Rwanda erupted into civil war and governmental revolt by the Tutsis. Hutu radicals took over in 1994, engulfing the Tutsis in a hellish world of theocracy, violence and oppression. Within three months, the Hutus slaughtered over 500,000 Tutsis.

The Rwandan genocide, one of the most rapid and cataclysmic tragedies in recent history, saw the dehumanization and systematic ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis. Despite the horrific nature of the genocide, its historical significance receives little acknowledgement from domestic and international media outlets.

Unfortunately, the same is true of media representation of most 21st-century (and some 20th-century) genocides.

Even perspectives on the Holocaust are clouded by ignorance and antisemitism. In a national survey of Holocaust knowledge, an alarming 19 percent of Gen Z and Millennials in New York state feel Jews were responsible for the Holocaust.

In the United Kingdom, a survey found that 80 percent of young people were unable to name a genocide that occurred after the Holocaust.

But genocide is not an archaic concept. Genocide still happens, and large-

Kaylee Yoon (‘26)/ Eastside Media Director

November 2023

GLOBAL COMMENTARY EASTSIDE

Page 15

Almost 80 years later, a Holocaust survivor reflects on his journey ■ By Isabelle Berger (‘25) Eastside Global Commentary Editor

Michael Naoum Matsas, born in Ioannina, Greece, in 1930, came from a family deeply rooted in its community. They lived a peaceful and happy life and were known for their involvement in the wine and cheese business. Matsas’s father, an employee of the National Bank of Greece, and his stay-at-home mother provided their children with a comfortable, uppermiddle class upbringing.

Overall, Matsas was a happy child.

Then one day, the world began changing rapidly.

In the quiet corners of his memories, Michael Matsas retraces his remarkable journey as the world began to shift before his eyes, a testament to resilience and unwavering hope, even in the darkest times. Matsas’s story is not just one of survival, but also an exploration of hope’s incredible capacity to endure and rise.

From the young age of five, Matsas was acutely aware of the changes in his community. However, he knew of very little more than his immediate circumstances, and his knowledge consisted of only two facts.

One: Anything could happen. He was to hold his community close, but be ready to leave it at any moment if the situation became dire.

And two: Being a Jew was bad.

Matsas’s first taste of antisemitism came during his early years when he attended a Jewish school in Agrinio in 1940. The school consisted of only 40 Jewish students, with Matsas being one of them. At first everything appeared typical and routine, yet the Jewish students were made aware of their differences one day during a parade.

“I was going to the Jewish school, and we went for a parade, and then, although we came to the staging point quite early, we had to wait, and I didn’t like that. So I [asked] the teacher why we were waiting, [because] other schools had come after us and they passed. And the teacher, who happened to be a Christian, said we are the Jewish school, that’s why we have to wait. So I realized that being a Jew was not a good thing,” Mastas said.

Life continued to shift for Matsas’s family as they

moved to various Greek cities following his father’s banking career.

They settled in Agrinio just before the Italian invasion of Greece in October of 1940.

Contrary to his family’s expectations, their life under Italian occupation was remarkably humane.

Matsas remembers it as a time when he could continue with his daily routine, watching movies and even sending cookies to partisan hospitals. For a brief pe-

Courtesy of Matsas’s memoir “The Illusion of Safety”

Dr. Michael Naoum Matsas, age 93.

riod, Matsas even joined a fascist youth organization (which seemed innocuous at the time). They paraded and learned about Greek nationalism with no overt signs of hostility. However, this was a time when innocence veiled the sinister nature of the organization, a fact Matsas would only realize in hindsight, and he left the organization once the war began.

Regardless, life under Italian rule remained relatively stable during this time period between 1940 and 1942. However, one day, the Italians asked all Jews to “register,” a seemingly harmless request given the peaceful coexistence they had experienced.

Yet Matsas recalled the iniquity behind this behavior. He said no one in his community realized that Mussolini had struck a deal with the Germans to arrest and relocate the Jewish people.

“I know of only one person from Preveza who did not trust the Italians, only one. And he took his parents and went into hiding.

That’s how he survived lat-

er on [with] the Germans.

But we registered. And — I’m ashamed to say that.

And 30 years later I found out that Mussolini made a deal with the Germans that they were supposed to — to arrest us, and move us to camps in the Ionian Islands and Italy,” Matsas said.

Italy eventually surrendered, sparing Matsas and his family from this fate, but the arrival of the Germans brought new anxieties for the community.

Anxie t i e s t h a t Matsas’s family was not g o i n g to wait around to unveil. “ S o [a merchant] c a m e back to

weeks later, onto the back of a donkey and climbed 300 feet to a village at the top of a mountain. There they would stay for the next year despite various hardships.

Life in the mountains was difficult for Matsas and his family, and it was often met with bouts of hunger.

The community would survive off small berries and bitter greens on the ground that even animals would not touch, yet the Jewish people would have to boil and eat them in order to avoid starving. Fortunately, the village received occasional aid from partisans in the form of food rations, which Matsas credits to saving many lives.

So life was not hopeless.

Yet life was also not merely about isolation and survival.

Joy could be found in the small experiences Matsas had in the village. He fondly recalled eating a cake

crafting a memoir titled “One Year in the Mountains.”

“I wrote down all the memories of that year, and I titled it, and I gave it to my teacher of literature to see it. He kept it for six months in his drawer, and he gave it back to me without making any comment.

I gave it to my father. He looked at it, and he made a hiding place under the heavy dining room table.

Why? Because I loved the partisans, and I loved their songs,” Matsas said.

Even after the war, Matsas holds a deep connection to these songs and can recite many of them. He even wrote them down in this memoir, a fact that terrified his father and led him to burn the book before it ever resurfaced.

After the war, Matsas returned to Agrinio and graduated high school, determined to attend university.

However, his request for a police permit to travel to Athens was denied, a bitter reminder of the past.

“And so I told the chief of the police, I understand that you don’t know anything about me. The only thing -- the only one who knows me is my high school principal, because I’ve been a student up ‘til now.”

So Matsas persevered and was eventually permitted to attend university as other students did.

As the war came to a close, Matsas was finally able to work for the successful career he had dreamed of.

In the aftermath of the war, Matsas immigrated to the United States as an aspiring dentist. He received his degree in dentistry soon after and was able to successfully focus on his practice for many years.

One day, Matsas was Courtesy of Matsas’s memoir “The Illusion of Safety” doing research and noticed a lack of information about Matsas with his immediate family in 1945.

Greek Jews such as himus, and he told everybody, his neighbor baked out of self during the Holocaust. and we are all going to dandelions, an upstairs Driven by the deep pain leave, and I’m leaving toneighbor with obnoxious he felt upon making this remorrow morning. So we — wooden shoes, and singing alization, he dedicated his although we didn’t know songs taught to him by his time to preserving the stowhy the Jews went into partisan aides. His younger ries of these Jewish people. hiding, we were not going sister, just five years old at He became a passionate to wait. And we got ready the time, was even able to author and published the to go, but we didn’t know attend a village school. Albook “The Illusion of Safewhere to go,” said Matsas. though she remained blissty: The Story of the Greek With the help of a leftfully unaware of the world’s Jews During the Second wing neighbor, named turmoil around her, Matsas World War.” Christos Bokoros, Matsas had matured quickly and His work has now become and his family embarked on become painfully conscious a beacon of remembrance, their journey into hiding. of the conflict. As a result ensuring that the stories They gathered their supof this, he decided to docuof Greeks who endured the plies, most of which they ment his personal experiHolocaust live on, inspiring would leave behind a few ences during this period, future generations.

CULTURE

Page 16

EASTSIDE

November 2023

Beloved “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game becomes a movie ■ By Taylor Goodman (‘25) Eastside Online Culture Editor

The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie was released in theaters and began streaming on Peacock on October 27. This movie is based on Scott Cawthon’s famous video game “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Emma Tammi, the director of the film, cowrote the screenplay with the help of Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback. Fans of the video game are excited to see this horror/thriller movie come to life.

The game takes place at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a family’s pizza shop. The restaurant is filled with animatronic characters such as Freddy Fazbear, a brown bear who wears a top hat and bowtie. Players take on the role of the night shift guard looking after the characters in the restaurant. The characters act normal during the day, but at night they take on new identities and become violent. The goal of the guard is to use the security cameras, lights, doors and vents to survive the night with the raving characters.

The guard should be flipping through the security cameras searching for sudden movements and should hide if a character has moved from its location. If caught by a character, the game is over.

To make the game more challenging, players have a limited supply of energy.

Once the energy for the night is used up, things such as the safety doors and lights will be inoperable. The guards are supposed to rely on these features to help watch the characters, so not having them makes the game more difficult.

Cawthon created his original version of the video game on August 8, 2014. Since t h e n ,

Roy Lee, Katzenberg and Seth GrahameSmith were the produc-

D a - vid

m a n y other versions of the game have been created, as well as a series of three comic books. Various spinoff games have also been released. The video games are available on a variety of platforms including mobile devices, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

In April of 2014 during the initial stages of creating the movie, many issues occurred. Originally, Warner Bros. Pictures was the production company.

ers and Gil Kenan was director and co-writer.

After experiencing many problems and delays, the director and Warner Bros. decided t o quit filming because they felt the

production was not moving forward. Later, in March of 2017, Blumhouse Productions took over the film and had Chris Columbus direct and co-write. Similar to Kenan, Columbus ended up abandoning the project.

This prompted Emma Tammi to take on the production as director in October of 2022.

Another issue that arose during the film’s production was the writing of the script. In August of 2018, Cawthon and his co-author of three novels, Kira Breed-Wrisley, finished writing the script for the movie. All was running smoothly until November 2018 when Cawthon announced that he trashed the script. He decided that he had a different idea for the movie that he would prefer to see on screen. This script dilemma set back the film’s start date from March of 2021 to February 1, 2023.

Despite these challenges, the company successfully finished filming and producing “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” The production team suffered many setbacks but overcame these issues and continued with the film process. This film, which hit the big screen on October 27, is just in time for the halloween season.

Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

Numerous video games release in October ■ By Shayna Oppen (‘24) Eastside Culture Editor

October 2023 was filled with more than just fall festivities. All types of video games were steadily released, from Super Mario Brothers to Detective Pikachu Returns.

dios and published by Xbox Game Studios, the game uses real racing techniques, features new AI technology (such as in the use of AI opponent drivers), and allows

Assassin’s Creed Mirage, an action-adventure game. takes place in Baghdad 861, and the city feels alive with merchants, townsfolk, guards, palaces, and more.

and it came out on October 12.

Super Mario Bros

The Super Mario series

friends as they visit the colorful Flower Kingdom, near the Mushroom Kingdom. In the game, the villain King Bowser has transformed into a flying castle and is causing chaos across their peaceful land — it is up to the players to save everyone.

Hellboy Web of Wyrd

Sonic Superstars

Hellboy Web of Wyrd is an action-filled video game inspired by Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics. Created from a partnership between Mignola and Dark Horse Comics, Hellboy Web of Wyrd is a roguelike actionadventure story that follows Hellboy as he investigates the disappearance of a member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). This game was released on October 18.

Like Ubisoft and Nintendo, Japanese video game company Sega released a new edition of its iconic Sonic the Hedgehog game, called Sonic Superstars, on October 17. Players can play as many different characters as they travel across the Northstar Islands to defeat the villain Dr. Eggman and save humanity.

Spider-Man 2 Based on Marvel’s acclaimed Spider-Man movie franchise, the game SpiderMan 2 came out on October 20 and is an action game where players can switch between two Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and work with their friends to save New York City and defeat new villains. The game is based on the Spiderman movies.

Detective Pikachu Returns Another anticipated adventure game released last month was Detective Pikachu Returns, which follows Tim Goodman and his partner as they attempt to solve mysteries. The game, which is a sequel to 2016’s Detective Pikachu, came out October 6 on Nintendo Switch.

Ghostrunner 2

Forza Motorsport Forza Motorsport is a racing simulation video game, giving players the experience of driving hightech luxury vehicles. Developed by Turn 10 Stu-

Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

players to select from over 500 cars. This game came out October 10.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

The game’s creator is a company called Ubisoft and the composer is Brendan Angelides. It is the thirteenth major installment in the Assassin’s Creed series,

is another popular video game series with a new installment. Released October 20, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder invites players to join Mario and

Ghostrunner 2 came out October 26 and was created

by One More Level. The game is a hardcore sequel set in a post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk world. It is filled with action and an AI cult who has infiltrated the last refuge of humanity.

November 2023

CULTURE EASTSIDE

Page 17

Adidas continues selling Yeezy shows despite ending partnership with Kanye West ■ By Shayna Oppen (‘24) Eastside Culture Editor

Yeezy, after immense criticism, was supposed to be terminated. But why are shoes still being sold?

First created in 2009, the iconic brand Yeezy was a collaboration with the brand Adidas and the famous rap artist Kanye West.

However, this wasn’t always the case: The original Yeezy brand instead existed as a collaboration between West and Nike.

This collaboration lasted a few years, until 2013, when West moved over to Adidas, who provided him with more creative freedom and helped him redefine

the brand. Adidas agreed to give West royalties for the brands under the condition that they would own the entire brand except the name, which belonged fully to West.

With the drop of its first product, the “Boost 750” sneaker, the brand became wildly popular, and many Yeezy shoes were considered high-end and extremely limited. Building off its growing fanbase, the Yeezy brand expanded into producing accessories, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets and more. It was so successful that in 2020, Yeezy partnered with the brand Gap and created the Yeezy Gap line.

The brand was thriving

until 2022, when a series of antisemitic remarks made by West surfaced, blowing up across news and social media platforms.

Immense backlash ensued as fans, celebrities, and ultimately, brands, cut ties with the rapper. In late October 2022, Adidas officially ended its partnership with West and announced that it would no longer sell or produce Yeezys.

As a result of this promise,

people were confused when Adidas recently began to sell Yeezy’s at a large-scale rate. This was due to its leftover inventory valuing over a billion dollars. While Adidas continues to sell the brand, it justifies it by having 50% of sales go to organizations such as the AntiDefamation League and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

In the present, the brand still isn’t sure what’s going to happen and if it will continue to create without West, despite having done as much as they can to disassociate themselves with his name and even having deeply apologized for West’s actions.

Art by Kaylee Yoon (‘26)/ Eastside Media Director

SZA Returns to Philadelphia to perform her SOS tour ■ By Ella Hampton (‘24) Eastside Culture Editor

For the first time in five years, SZA made her return to Philadelphia on her SOS North American Tour.

Her tour began on February 21, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio, and was scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on March 2; she postponed it due to unforeseen logistical and production issues. As all tickets from the original performance date were honored, fans were eagerly waiting eagerly for her return.

SZA, or Solána Imani Rowe, is a 33-year-old R&B artist. Working with popular rappers of the time, like Kendrick Lamar, SZA quickly gained fame. Spanning just over a decade, her career soared with releases such as “All The Stars” with Kendrick Lamar in the Black Panther soundtrack in 2018 and more recently, “Kill Bill” in 2022, which both have one billion streams on Spotify The Wells Fargo Center announced the cancellation of her highly anticipated concert on the very day the artist was scheduled to perElla Hampton (‘24)/ Eastside Culture Editor form in Philadelphia, dis- After months of delay, SZA performs “Blind” from her recent album, SOS, at the Wells Fargo Center. appointing fans who were looking forward to both her America Festival, set to porated into their dances. companied by her four main SZA was able to create a stoand her opener performer take place in early SeptemSZA opened the show dancers, with realistic rugryline, something unique in Omar Apollo’s appearance. ber. The cancellation was with “Seek & Destroy,” ged cliffs on the screen beartists’ performances.

Many people are shocked due to, according to the ofand she performed the hind her. Through the use SZA took part in the choby the news, as it served as ficial Made in America Fessong while recreating her of lighting and multiple reographed dances right a reminder of how valued tival’s Instagram account, album cover, sitting on a screens, the boat looked as beside her professional health and well-being are “severe circumstances outdiving board over a vast if it were moving. After the dancers, showing her high in the demanding world of side of production control” open ocean. The set had an boat entered a storm, disenergy and love to perform. the entertainment indusand served as another barindustrial feeling, with the played through flashes of While the original concert try. rier between SZA and Philfirst few songs occurring in light, rough waters and the was delayed, it was clear There has been a growadelphia. front of a dock with realistic frantic movements of the she came rejuvenated and ing trend of SZA having Even in 2017, while on equipment and machines in dancers, SZA made her esready to give her all. difficulties with scheduled her Ctrl Tour, SZA was the background, as the day cape on a rescue boat that show dates in the Greater scheduled to play at the turned slowly to a red suntraveled above the Philadelphia area. In 2018, Fillmore in Philadelphia, a set. audience. The use of she toured with Kendrick 2,500-capacity venue, but As SZA transitioned blue spotlights diLamar, ScHoolboy Q and postponed the performance into the song “Forgiveless,” rectly under the boat three other artists under from December 22, 2017, to viewers were sent “undergave the illusion of the record label Top Dawg January 31, 2018. ground,” as the background her sailing over waEntertainment to promote However, on September showed a rock wall movter. her album Ctrl, Kendrick 26, 2023, SZA performed at ing down until arriving at When she returned Lamar’s album Damn and Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo an underground site, with back to the stage, she others. While the tour Center. A complex prometal pipes running along was underwater, with started in early May, she duction, the performance the walls and flickering a large anchor prop cancelled the rest of her conveyed a story through lights. During “Blind,” the almost the size of the tour dates scheduled to run various scenes connected room slowly filled with waceiling. During the through mid-June to rest by water, tying into the ter until the screen moved next few songs, backher vocal cords at risk of cover of her SOS album. to show a submarine. In the ground graphics inpermanent damage, thus Throughout the show, large submarine, a video of SZA cluded jellyfish, coral missing the performance backdrop screens and speplayed, showing her changand fish, and rising at the Freedom Mortgage cial effects were used to creing her outfit backstage. bubbles.

Pavilion in Camden, New ate a more realistic setting The next few songs were With four outfit Jersey. Then, this year, she that SZA and her dancers sung by SZA as she was on changes and multiple was set to headline Philainteracted with and incora physical ship on stage acbackground settings, delphia’s annual Made in

Page 18

SPORTS EASTSIDE

November 2023

East competes against West in annual soccer games ■ By Sarah Begun (‘26)

Eastside Online Sports Editor

The Cherry Hill High School East and West longstanding sports rivalry was put into action on Saturday, September 30, in the annual East/West Soccer Night.

Earlier in the day, the East freshman girls took on West in a competitive battle for the first win of the rival games and ultimately came out on top with a final score of 1-0.

Similarly, the East freshman boys defeated West 2-0, earning East a second win for the day.

Following the freshman teams, the junior varsity teams played. During the

girls’ junior varsity game, plays such as a goal scored from the 18-yard line and a penalty kick worked to East’s advantage as the team came out with a 2-0 victory over West, leaving them with their third win of the day, and adding to the anticipation of the games to follow.

The final game prior to “East/West Soccer Night” ended in a tie, as East and West boys’ junior varsity teams fought it out on the field. West scored in the first half, giving hope to the team for its first win of the day. However, East came out and scored within the last few minutes of the second half, leaving the teams with a final score of 1-1.

Then, the awaited Boys’ Varsity game began. Coach Mr. Mike Melograna, prior to the game, predicted how it was going to play out.

“It’s going to be a onegoal game,” Melograna said. “[The boys have] been fortunate enough to win or tie more than lose in the rivalry since I’ve been head coach. But I know that it’s definitely something [West] circles in their calendar.

They want that crystal ball to go back over to their side of town. And of course, we want it to stay here. So, it will be highly competitive, and it will be the sporting event of the year.”

East ended in defeat as West won 1-0 due to a goal in the second half, caused

by an “own goal” from East.

Throughout the game, the possession of the ball remained mainly with West, giving them more opportunities to score and pass to one another. While East lost, the players put up a fight and attempted to score on a free kick. However, they ended up missing the net.

The East girls’ game also ended in triumph for the West team, as West won 4-1. East player Julia Maher (‘26) scored the sole goal for the East girls’ team.

These games have frequently been close over the years, having a similar outcome between both the boys’ and girls’ games.

Despite the loss, many still

Madeline Dold (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

The girls’ team huddles together before taking on West.

had a positive perspective on the game.

East Girls’ Varsity Head Coach of now two seasons, Ms. Rachel SteelmanTonon, said, “It pumps up the coaches, it pumps up the players, I think it pumps up the fans, and the schools. I think people come out and support on every level possible.

The day ended with both wins and defeats for the two teams, showing the similarities over the years in the final turnout of the game.

Rivals on the field, friends in the stands and fans all around, “it’s [always] something that kids remember,” said Melograna.

Jessie Atlas (‘27) / For Eastside also contributed to this story.

Jordan Keats (‘26)/ Eastside Staff

The boys’ team prepares to take on their cross-town rival.

East Athletic Hall of Fame prepares for new inductees ■ By Abby Auerbach (‘26)

Eastside Editorial Assistant

Every year at Cherry Hill High School East, accomplished student-athletes graduate. Yet, how do people commemorate their legacy and their mark on the East community?

Since its start in 2015, the Athletic Hall of Fame, a way for former athletes to become recognized for their achievements at East, has done just that.

The Athletic Hall of Fame is an induction banquet hosted once a year

where graduated East student-athletes and programs are recognized for their athletic contributions to East sports. The banquet nominees are selected from those who graduated between 1970 and 2013.

While many sports are recognized, former basketball, baseball and football players make up the largest percentage.

This year the induction banquet will be hosted on Saturday, November 25, at 11:30 a.m. at the Indian Spring Country Club in Marlton, NJ.

Those attending can expect a joyous event filled with speeches and alumni reunions. The athletes present speeches about what it means to them to have made it into the East Hall of Fame.

Fred Belchikoff, one of the many involved in organizing the Athletic Hall of Fame, said, “It’s a wonderful affair. People see each other for the first time since they graduated.”

He continues to explain how, as a former East faculty member, he recognizes many of the athletes him-

self.

Once the event is over, the Athletic Hall of Fame committee donates the raised money to many different sports programs at East. This year, the committee gave money to both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams and the training staff.

Belchikoff said, “Including this year, I’d say we have donated between four and five thousand dollars to coaches [and] teachers.”

The cost to attend the banquet is $50 per person and $15 for children. Those

interested in attending can email Belchikoff at fred.belchikoff@gmail.com.

It has become an East tradition to honor those who have represented East through their incredible student athletic achievements. Belchikoff and the rest of the committee and Cherry Hill community are looking forward to attending a cheerful event celebrating East athletes and the legacy of ambition, dedication and hard work that continues after them even once they’ve graduated from East.

Infographic by Julia Sitnick (‘25)/ Eastside Sports Editor

November 2023

SPORTS EASTSIDE

Page 19

Understanding the Hoka hype ■ By Julia Sitnick (‘25)

Eastside Sports Editor

If you have been on social media recently, spotted runners in your neighborhood or attended classes at Cherry Hill High School East, chances are that you have seen a pair of Hoka sneakers, the popular athletic shoes that are currently having their moment in the spotlight.

Although Hoka has been receiving a lot of attention lately, does it deserve it?

According to the Hoka website, their shoes are designed for a wide variety of people. It claims to “make gear for pro runners and first milers, ultra-marathoners and mountain roamers, neighborhood walkers and wild trail runners, that lets moving go beyond performance.”

With such a large target market, it’s easy to understand why you may have spotted Hoka sneakers on avid runners or casual walkers.

When deciding on a new sneaker to buy for distance running, many are pulled in by the cushion feature.

Haddonfield Running Company shoe expert, Brian Paulson, said it is this cushioning that sets Hoka apart from their competitors.

“Across the board I think Hoka has set the market for what cushioning in shoes should look like,” Paulson said.

Still, while some may

see this cushioning as a benefit, everyone’s body is different, It is just as likely that some people may find that the cushioning reduces pain while others find the cushioning excessive. For example, many Hoka styles have a high elevation due to the cushioning, which can take a while to adjust to or be a bad fit for people who require added stability.

Hokas are also known for their distinctive look, bright colors that are fun to wear.

The choice in designs and colors has helped Hoka gain popularity for its unique look.

Isabel Dela Torre (’25), who Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor runs track at An athlete sports the Crincon 3 Hoka shoes.

East, previously Another important ascial media everywhere... great for running.” This wore Nike and pect of Hokas’ popularThey are really intefall he selected another Brooks shoes but was ity is the quality of its grated into communities.

Hoka style and remains drawn to try Hokas after marketing campaigns.

If you go to a group run a Hoka fan. seeing the vibrant colors Outside of the running there is always someone “I think they are worth that distinguished them community, many shoes from Hoka there,” said the hype. They are really from other shoes on the have been noticed due Paulson. comfortable and they market. She is now a look better than most to the work of the social Bryson Liu (’26), a huge Hoka fan since purrunning shoes... and the media team in showcas member of the East chasing a pair of Clifton price point is also pretty ing the market appeal of Cross Country and Track 8 shoes last spring. reasonable,” said Liu. their brand. teams, tried his first “Now I want to get With excellent reNotably, Hoka has pair of Hoka shoes last the Bondi 8 because I views for comfort, style used TikTok, especially spring. like that they have a lot and value, it seems that with influencer promoAlthough he previousof color. If I am wearing Hoka lives up to the hype tion, viral marketing as a ly wore Nike shoes, Liu comfortable shoes for seen all across social metool that has revolutiondecided to try a pair of work or walking around, dia. And chances are, ized advertising among Hoka Cliftons because of I’ll wear my Hokas beHoka will stay the shoe younger generations. the cushioning and found cause they are versatile,” of the season.

“You see them on sothem “comfortable and said Dela Torre (‘25).

Updates on bond improvements in athletics

■ By Katie Sullivan (‘25) Eastside Art Director

In the fall of 2022, voters passed the $363 million “Cherry Hill Tomorrow” bond. The bond’s purpose is to improve all 19 of the public schools in Cherry Hill.

As for the high schools, this bond includes updates to Cherry Hill High School East’s athletic facilities.

The school has lived many years without a proper football stadium. Finally, the Cherry Hill com-

munity’s dream is coming true. The 2023 football season will be the high school’s final year without a home field, thanks to the bond referendum.

Originally, East was supposed to have a new storage building as well, but now there will not be one in order to accommodate the new, large stands.

This means that the increased seating is the main focus of the stadium plan in addition to a soung system and lights. The new bleach-

ers are supposed to hold approximately 2,000 people.

Students may have had the impression that the stadium would be ready for the 2023 school year. However, construction did not start until October 23, according to Mr. Mike Beirao, East’s athletic director. The plan is for the football stadium to be done by the first week of March. Unfortunately, this means the stadium will not be ready until the next football season. But the stadium will not be utilized by

Isabella Alvarez (‘25)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Bleachers at the East football field before renovations.

only football. Spring sports may get the opportunity to use the stadium in their upcoming season.

This new addition will promote school spirit in the community.

“I think it will have a much bigger impact on the community as a whole,” said Beirao. “It will allow us to host events and host those games and events at night time.”

The bond will also renovate all East locker rooms.

One concern was the downstairs locker room used to store sports equipment during the school day. It has come to a certain point where the locker rooms are not usable for the students due to the small size of the lockers.

Marissa Kreiger (‘25), a student-athlete at East, said the area is “...cramped, and the bathroom water needs to be fixed.”

Therefore, the main goal of the downstairs locker rooms is to create more space. According to Beirao, they need this space to fit sports equipment and backpacks more easily.

Along with the sports locker rooms, East has another set towards the East gym for students to get changed for gym class.

The goal for these rooms is

to create an environment where students feel comfortable getting ready. Naturally, all of these locker rooms have gained a rough appearance over the years.

To combat the peeling floors and overall dirtiness of the locker rooms, they were promised a new paint job and new door installations.

When will these improvements begin? Beirao said there has yet to be a start date for this. He said it is difficult to start working on these rooms since students regularly use them.

“It brings construction to an almost standstill.

When construction plans are drawn up, they focus on trying to have the least amount of impact on students, staff and the community,” said Beirao.

There is a lot of opportunity for improvements with the money provided by the bond. Student athletes who have dealt with issues regarding the facilities will finally have their voices heard. Even students who do not participate in sports after school will be impacted by the improvements in the gym locker rooms.

Although changes are not immediate, this ensures a bright future for the new generations of East students.

SPORTS

November 2023

EASTSIDE

FALL SPORTS IN ACTION

Page 20

Madeline Dold (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

Kylie Bregman (‘26) seeks ball in field hockey game against West.

Courtesy of @ cheathletics

Girls Volleyball prepares for a game.

Jordan Keats (‘26)/ Eastside Staff

Isiah Donaldson (‘25) carries the ball in a game.

Madeline Dold (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

Talia Armando (‘27) plays forward during a game.

Daniel Ovadia (‘25)/ Eastside Opinions Editor

Boys’ Cross Country wins at SJ open.

Courtesy of @ chegirlstennis

Maya Pater (‘25) volleys during Olympic Conference Tournament doubles match.

Barbara Armstrong (‘25)/ Eastside Art Director

Girls’ Cross Country wins at SJ Open.

Jordan Keats (‘26)/ Eastside Staff

Ian Ferdas (‘24) attacks the ball in a game against Haddon Township.