Eastside: February 2015

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 49 No. 4

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

February 2015

This is your brain impaired by a

concussion The yellow on this diagram represents the typical bruising that results after a concussion. This bruising severely alters the function of the brain.

■ By Jenna Wilson (‘15) and Meghna Kothari (‘15) Eastside Editors-in-Cheif

The word “concussion” has become familiar in the halls of East. Through sports-related injuries or random mishaps, many students have been concussed or know someone who has been concussed. In the 2013-2014 school year, there were a total of 52 cases of concussions reported to the school nurses. That means that two percent of the school’s population has suffered from concussions in the past year. This statistic, however, only includes concussions that were reported to the school, which means there were most likely other cases of concussions that students never informed the school about.

The influx of concussions at East simply mirrors a larger, national trend. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.8 percent of students aged 15-24 years of age sustained a concussion in 2010. Many concussions still remained unreported and untreated, as so many still believe that a simple bump on the head cannot lead to a concussion.

Concussions are not like broken bones or other physical ailments. There is no x-ray machine that can conclusively diagnose the injury and there is no exact healing time. Since it is impossible to look inside the brain and know exactly if a concussion occurred, some students who actually have concussions can simply brush off their injuries. This misunderstanding can cause long-term issues for these students. Additionally, literature on concussions is difficult for students to obtain, and the common, yet complicated injury isn’t explained in health class or by coaches to student-athletes.

Causes and Symptoms Concussions are caused by trauma to the head in which the impact causes the brain to bounce and twist in the skull, stretching and damaging brain cells, as well as creating chemical changes in the brain. The chemical changes can lead to symptoms that affect a student’s cognitive, physical and emotional functions. These symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, memory difficulties, sensitivity to light and noises and insomnia, can last anywhere from days to months to years after the concussion is first sustained.

Although concussions may be considered as a “mild” brain injury since they are not usually life-threatening, they can cause serious side effects that can hinder a student’s ability to function on a daily basis. It is a common misconception that concussions are “no big deal” or “nothing to worry about.” However, it is critical to remember that a concussion is more than a bump to the head: it is a traumatic brain injury.

“It really doesn’t matter whether it’s what people think is a small bump to the head. It’s not just hitting your head; it can be from the whiplash. It’s called where and how hard it hit you. We’ve had people that they just collide into another person, it’s their body [hitting] something else forcefully, take football for example; their head just whips back, their head never hit another player, but it’s that whiplash [that can cause a concussion],” said East Nurse, Cheryl Osnayo.

Continued on Pg. 4

Inside This Issue

Photo Illustration by Lucy He (‘15)/ Eastside Staff

New stores pop up in Voorhees Town Center Community, Pg. 5

East students featured on YouTube Entertainment, Pg. 15

Graffiti introduced in East’s art program Underground, Pg. 17

NEWS/FEATURES

Page 2

EASTSIDE

February 2015

Amnesty International fights for human rights

year, a club was formed at East as a chapter of this international organization.

Amnesty International is Students are often uncurrently raising awareaware of the major probness throughout the school lems existing in the world and community by holding around them. Organizaevents for various causes. tions such as Amnesty InUnlike other organizaternational focus on activtions that are based off of ism and raising awareness monetary donations, Amnesty International actively makes a difference through writing letters, attending rallies and organizing events.

The last event was the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) Photo Action Event, where we Courtesy of East’s Amnesty International took picFacebook Page tures of Students support East’s Amnesty Inpeople with ternational. signs that said ‘I support the of the human rights violaIVAWA’ and asked them to tions that exist globally. At sign petitions,” said Miku the beginning of this school Fujita (’15), the president ■ By Jenn Pacitti (‘17)

Eastside Staff

of Amnesty International at East.

The goal of this event is to get a bill passed that would make ending violence against women occurring in other countries a priority in the United States.

Sumayyah Jones (’15), Secretary of East’s Amnesty International, said, “We’re trying to put a focus on raising awareness for human rights causes in ways that are accessible to the student body.”

The events planned are put together for the sole purpose of getting people to take part in making a global difference.

Jones said, “We want to plan events that aren’t fun, per se, because human rights violations are never fun, but [events] that get people interested and make them want to take part.”

Another goal of Amnesty International is to encourage people to get educated about human rights and how to prevent violations.

This club at East is channeling the large international organization into the East community where students can get involved.

“This organization makes it really easy to stay up to date on the violations that are occurring around the world,” said Fujita. “It

provides a lot of different actions we can take to help.”

A m n e s t y International is creating a global movem e n t to fight against injustices by encourCourtesy of East’s Amnesty International Facebook Page a g i n g Students hold a sign reading “I Supanyone to port The International Violence Against step out of Women Act.” his or her “liking” the club’s Facebook lives and page or signing an online help influence others. petition raises awareness.

“I think when it comes The new club allows East to human rights, it’s imstudents to become aware portant for everyone to of issues occuring outside of get involved,” said Jones. the community and encour“Nobody should just sit by ages them to get involved to apathetically and let other help make a difference. people go through terrible “I see a lot of things things because they can’t wrong with the world, and be bothered to sign a petiI think Amnesty is one of tion.” the organizations out there Fujita said that as the that are dedicated to fix club grows, she would like them,” said Jones. to see not only more awareParticipating in Amnesty ness for the organization, International is taking acbut also more people getting tion for human rights and involved. Even something moving towards change. seemingly minor such as

Griffo wins “Woman of the Year” title in Sicily

degree from Moravian College and her Master’s from Villanova University. She also studied abroad in France and Spain. She is fluent in Italian (her native tongue), but also in English, French and Spanish.

If you’ve been hanging out around B134, Griffo is a frequent traveler and visits the French room, you may have seen a new Europe every summer. This year, she face. Ms. Camela Griffo is one of East’s new will travel to Germany, Austria and additions this year. Griffo describes herself Switzerland. as a “short, little Italian woman,” but the Recently, she was awarded East community sees her in a more fun the title of “Woman of the and inspiring light.

Year” by an association Griffo is from the island of Sicily in called Carini IOD, which Italy. means “Ierioggi Domani” “[My upbringing was] really cool… or “yesterday, today, and being surrounded by water made it a tomorrow.” very, very, very pleasant childhood,” Griffo described an exshe said. perience when she was a When Griffo moved to Pennsylvayoung woman, at one of nia as a young girl, she was exposed the “Woman of the Year” to different lifestyles and cultures. banquets. A man had Jennna Myers (‘17)/ Eastside Opinions She challenged the typical young asked her father why Editor Italian woman norm by attending he decided to send his Griffo poses with her “Woman college. daughter to college. This of the Year” award Griffo received her undergraduate was the moment when ■ By KateLynn Garden (‘18)

Eastside Staff

Griffo realized all of the sacrifices her parents made, financially and socially, to send her for a better education.

Her win means more to her than just a new title. It means knowing that she has left behind a legacy for others to follow. Her female cousins followed in her footsteps by attending college and becoming teachers. Griffo started a new trend in her family that will continue for decades.

She said that the bravest thing she has ever done was, “give the order to turn off [her father’s] life support.” And, the happiest times in her life were “when [her] daughters were born, without a doubt.”

Her students think highly of her too. Naomi Warszawski (‘18) said that her favorite quality about Griffo is her attitude.

“She’s super charismatic and excited about what she teaches,” said Warszawski.

With her unique teaching style, her funny catchphrase of “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, my shoe slipped” as well as her humorous personality that lights up the room, Griffo gives her French students a wonderful experience and education.

Biology state test scores demonstrate proficiency ■ By Steve Mirsen (‘16)

Eastside News/Features Editor

Based on results from the spring of 2014, Cherry Hill East students ranked as the fourth highest in the state for their New Jersey Biology Competency Test scores.

This state test, referred to as NJBCT, evaluates students’ proficiency in biology by evaluating all standards of the curriculum.

“All of the students in Bio 1 have to take the test to demonstrate proficiency in biology,” said biology teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Scharff. “Our students have always performed well on the test.”

All students from public high schools in the state must take the test and score at the proficient level in order to pass.

East students have a hisknowledge attained in othdeveloping in their skills,” tory of scoring very well on er science courses, such as Pecker said. the test due to a few imporchemistry, help to further For instance, students tant factors. students’ understanding of learn about concepts as a “Number one, the curbiology concepts. class, and after being inriculum that we “We’re really proud of all the students and I’m alhave is s t r u c - ways proud of the Biology Department. They do a tured in such a phenomenal job.”

- Mrs. Marsha Pecker way to provide students with information, According to Mrs. Marstructed on the basics of and then build upon that… sha Pecker, Assistant the experiment, students by the time we get to the Principal in charge of the carry out their own lab proend, when the state test is Biology Department, “This cedures. given, you have a compreyear’s performance has “Investigative inquiryhensive understanding of been, really, the best… the based learning is definitely the content,” said Scharff. curriculum is absolutely part of all the standards of Another factor is prior key, the instruction is obviscience, and that’s going to science knowledge achieved ously also key.” be a big initiative moving during CPS or QPS, which East biology teachers use forward for the next generprovides a foundation of POGIL instruction, which ation of science standards,” knowledge for biology. Stustands for Process Oriented Pecker said. dents have flexibility in Guided Integrated LearnComprehensive pubterms of choosing which and ing. lic schools are placed into how many science classes “This really puts a lot of smaller District Factor they take each year, so even emphasis on the students Groups based on socio-eco-

nomic status for the test, and East scored first in its group, “G-H,” and additionally scored fourth highest in the state of New Jersey overall.

In addition to already extraordinary scores, performance was consistent in all class levels. Fifty-two percent of East students scored advanced proficient on the test, even though less than 52 percent of students who took biology in 2014 were enrolled in the Honors level.

Both Scharff and Pecker attribute the success to students’ motivation as well as to teachers’ excellent quality of instruction.

“It’s really a great achievement,” said Pecker. “We’re really proud of all the students and I’m always proud of the Biology Department. They do a phenomenal job.”

February 2015

NEWS/FEATURES EASTSIDE

Page 3

A closer look at the lunches of East students ■ By Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)

Eastside News/Features Editor

Eastside surveyed a total of 200 students, 50 from each grade, regarding their lunchtime habits. Students were asked questions including the foods and drinks they consume, their opinions on school lunches, and their tendencies to eat healthy.

23 students think school lunches are too expensive

16% of students have bought smoothies, fruit and yogurt Rating of school lunch on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being fantastic:

70% of students surveyed eat the same lunch every day

Out of that sixteen percent...

60% 40% were girls

were boys

Students who buy: Students who bring:

2.8

1.9 7% of students don’t eat lunch

21% of students buy and bring their lunch

22% of students buy their lunch

50% of students bring their lunch Art by Sydney Steele (‘16)/ Eastside Staff

NEWS/FEATURES Concussions impact students at East Page 4

EASTSIDE

Continued from page 1

Another myth is that a student must lose consciousness or experience nausea to have a concussion.

This is not true. Osnayo said that the symptoms of a concussion and the length of time the concussion persists differs from student to student, and there is not one specific symptom or sign that qualifies a student for a concussion diagnosis.

Osnayo went on to elaborate that where a student gets hit has a lot to do with what symptoms he or she may experience.

“Different parts of the brain have different properties. The back of the head has a lot to do with vision… [with] the frontal cortex we’re looking at word process skills and your ability to reason. In other areas, it’s the ability to balance or your fine motor skills,” said Osnayo.

A student who sustained a concussion may have insomnia and constant headaches, whereas another student may be constantly drowsy and sleeping much more than usual. Some students who have concussions will have blurry or double vision, while others will never experience ophthalmic issues.

The Only Cure

Unlike most injuries, there is no set “cure,” such as medication, for a concussion. Essentially, the only thing a student can do is rest and let the brain heal itself, according to Osnayo.

Due to the brain’s plasticity, it can heal, adopt and change itself throughout a human’s life. This neuroplasticity is the critical reason that human beings can recover from traumatic brain injuries such as concussions, according to The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth.

During the first few days after the concussion, it is critical to avoid activities that are physically demanding, such as weightlifting and working out, or activities that require a lot of concentration, such as studying for a test or doing intense close reading, as those activities can worsen a student’s symptoms and slow his or her recovery since they do not allow the brain to rest and heal.

“If we can cut down what they are responsible for, that gives [the students] a good chance of recovery.

Advil and Tylenol will not fix them or their headaches, so we have a dark, quiet room for those with migraines and concussion symptoms.

[Those students] need to be decom-

pressed, and then go home,” Osnayo said.

So although students cannot necessarily take medications or wear casts to heal their brain injuries, they can allow their brain to naturally heal through rest and relaxation.

The School Plan

Since each student’s symptoms and effects of a concussion differ, Osnayo said that the school creates a “concussion plan” to accommodate every student’s needs. Each plan is individualized based off doctor’s orders and the specific symptoms that the individual student is experiencing. “[The plan] goes to all of their teachers, their guidance counselor, their attendance office and their principal,” said Osnayo.

As a concussion does interfere with a student’s ability to learn, the “concussion plan” lightens a concussed student’s workload.

“With a concussion, quite honestly, you aren’t able to learn or absorb material. So, we do no testing.

We want to lessen how much work they do in front of a computer. That kind of light and retinal stimulation isn’t good for [students with concussions]. We don’t want someone to be all stressed out thinking of all the work they have to do, when they can’t because they can’t read, because of vision problems and headaches,” said Osnayo.

However, just because a student is concussed does not mean that hr or she simply has no work.

“They will still get all their work,” Osnayo said. “However, they may have more study material but not be responsible for all material on a test. It depends on the student.

We try to make things a lot easier until they are medically cleared.”

According to Jonathan French, PsyD of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, “Concussions tend to affect a person’s ability to do many routine tasks that are essential to academic performance, including but not limited to the ability to focus, multi-task, recall information and process information quickly. After a concussion, school work tends to be more difficult and takes the individual longer to complete.

The school environment with bright lights, computer screens, Powerpoints, and noisy environments also tends to exacerbate symptoms and are not tolerated well.”

Many students with concussions echo this sentiment. Emanuel Lee (‘15) sustained eight concussions,

February 2015

only some of which were sports-related.

“I definitely think I was smarter before [my concussions],” Lee said.

“I mean, I live my life in a fog and I do things and don’t remember. Every time I take a test I’m dealing with something, a headache,” said Lee. “I live my life in a migraine.”

“I just couldn’t concentrate after my concussions,” said Allison Stulb (‘15), who has sustained three concussions. “I got all my concussions at the end of the year and two of them were in high school, so I had to make up my work and then I did my finals later, when I was better.”

Stulb elaborated on how it can be difficult for students with concussions to complete their school work.

“I missed school a lot, so that’s very hard, but my teachers are typically very understanding,” she said.

Soon after she sustained her concussions, Stulb had migraines that prevented her from attending school on a weekly basis.

“I would make up the work, but it was hard,” she said.

Now that more time has elapsed, her migraines have lessened, but she estimates that she misses school at least once a month due to her headaches.

“With my experience, the school has been pretty understanding. My concussion was handled on a teacher-to-teacher basis, and my teachers were understanding. So, I think the school should continue to do it like that,” Stulb said.

Lasting Side Effects

As the number of concussions a student has increases, so does the chance of long-term, persistent side effects.

Osnayo said, “The second [concussion] and any following ones take more time to recover. We don’t clear them quickly at all. As much as they want to get back to everything right away, the more time they have to rest and recover, the better they’ll be long term. An extra week or so of rest is a blink of an eye in time compared to the rest of your life.”

Stulb said that after sustaining the concussions, she has had lasting migraines. With each concussion, her migraines continually got more painful and it became easier for her to get a concussion.

“I feel like if I get hit in the head it’s easier for me to get headaches or for a concussion could happen. The third time it happened, it happened too easily,” Stulb said.

Lee agreed with Stulb in that it was easier for him to become concussed after his first few concussions.

Lee said he also experiences lasting symptoms. Though his last concussion was in 2013, he still experiences symptoms on a daily basis.

“I always have a headache, sometimes I get dizzy and I don’t remember things very well,” said Lee. “I’ve just learned to deal with it.”

Osnayo elaborated on the many lingering symptoms students with a concussion can have.

She said, “They can have anything neurological, really: persistent headaches, short-term memory issues, visual issues, it really depends on how severe the concussion was.

Anything muscular, any processing skills, your ability to sleep, how you solve problems. Individuals have more chance of recovering with less long-term symptoms because there is more knowledge now.”

Expanding Knowledge

It is critical to take concussions seriously, for the side-effects of a concussion are painful and interfere with a student’s ability to functioning daily. Neurological impairment can make doing the simplest of tasks painful. Often, concussed students cannot take part in school trips to amusement parks, as the constant stimulation may cause headaches or dizzy spells, and they are often not cleared to get on rides that cause excessive head movement.

Students’ social lives may also be impacted, as many students suffering from concussions are out of school for weeks, and are unable to attend fun events, like concerts or parties, due to their symptoms.

According to The Center For Disease Control and Prevention, students suffering from a concussion are more likely to have anxiety and depression because of their constant influx of painful symptoms and the isolation they may feel as a result of their injury. As concussions are not the easiest injuries to treat, doctors are working every day to research better ways to handle concussed students. As more research has been released in recent years, students are currently able to manage their symptoms in a more productive way. To better accommodate concussed students’ needs, in recent years the school has taken a constructive, helpful approach to make sure all students receive the medical attention they need while they heal to return to school.

Tutoring “bridges” a gap between East and the middle schools ■ By Jesse Stiller (‘16)

Eastside Staff

Have you ever felt so full of information that you’ve always wanted to be a teacher to those who need help in school improving their math and English?

Then consider becoming a tutor for Bridge Tutoring Club.

Bridge Tutoring is a program that “bridges the gap” between high school and middle school students.

Held on Mondays and Wednesdays for Rosa, and Tuesdays and Thursdays for Beck, East students board buses to each middle school. They then prepare to tutor students from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m.

“I can have older students come to help me with my homework. It’s

helped me with selves, yet this time my homework, as a tutor.

I study more, “I know what and Bridge has it feels like to be a helped me,” said tutee and a tutor,” Omer Doar (’19), said David Guida currently a stu(’18). “You feel good dent at Rosa. about yourself comSpending time ing here and helpwith their tutors ing those who need at school alleit.” viates some of Although teachthe anxiety that ers may be present middle school in some of the tutorstudents feel at Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)/ Eastside News/Features Editor ing rooms, Bridge home. is primarily a stuAllie Shifton (‘17) tutors Nashita Ali (‘19) at Niko Caccese Beck Middle School. dent-run program. (‘21), a Rosa stuEach middle school dent, said, “I’ve has its own respec“It’s a good way for kids been terrible in math. Now tive leaders in order to keep to connect, as well as us,” that I’m in Bridge, I know the club organized. said Sandra Bruno (’17). how to do this with the help “As oversight I make “The bridge tutoring proof others.” sure everything runs cess is very fulfilling.”

Along with helping the smoothly and kids get the Bridge impacts some students academically, tuhelp they deserve in the tutees so drastically that tors strive to develop bonds areas they need,” said Suupon reaching high school, with the students that they mayyah Jones (’15), a Rosa they too feel the urge to spend time with weekly.

Bridge Leader. “I’ve learned participate in Bridge them-

a lot about being a leader, [such as] how to connect to younger students.”

For the students and the tutors, however, their day does not end at 4 p.m.

“At the end we do a WRAP session and play a few games to keep the session fun and engaging for students,” Jones said.

WRAP sessions range anywhere from scavenger hunts to roleplay games.

The students tend to enjoy a simple activity after an hour of hard work.

Despite the hard work put into Bridge by both tutors and tutees, the program is rewarding for all those who participate.

“It’s fun to teach students and solve their difficulties,” said Evan Tucker (’15). “It’s very satisfying to know that I’m teaching [those] who need help.”

COMMUNITY

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Shops “pop up” in Voorhees Town Center 150 Vevle.

While a lot of retailers purchase a space to sell their item, pop-ups enable the retailers to rent a space. Vevle A recent trend that has emerged thinks that this helps to cure the short is the concept of pop-up retail. Popattention spans of shoppers. up retail involves a company, store or “I’m finding that shoppers’ attenbrand opening up a short-term sales tion spans are getting shorter, shorter space in a given area. An interesting and shorter. I think that’s why someprospect for shoppers, times we see new respop-up shops offer taurants and stores corporations or nonopen up with a longchain, local businesses term plan to be there a location for a limited ten years, and it’s all time. Benefiting businew and shiny to us nesses, pop-up shops for six months, and function as great marthen after that everyketing strategies that one is onto the next generate buzz and anthing,” said Vevle. ticipation for upcoming Not only is a popbrands and products. up shop great from The pop-up retail a shopper’s perspeccraze has found its way tive, it is also great to retail spaces local to from a landlord’s the Cherry Hill comperspective. Pop-up munity. During the shops enable landholiday season, Voorlords to have a vahees Town Center held cant space occupied a pop-up shop called for a short time while Shop Up Pop Up. It they search for a perran on weekends from manent tenant. Also, November 14 to Dethis prospect evokes cember 21, hosting difpeople to shop at ferent shops with each neighboring retailers passing week. In total, as more companies Voorhees Town Ceninvolve themselves in Courtesy of Mark Vevle ter hosted six different the pop-up phenomPop-Up Shops appear in the Voorhees Town Center for the holishops. Products ranged enon. Retailers also from refurbished furni- day season. benefit from the popture to ugly Christmas up shop concept. sweaters to gourmet chocolates. Every Vevle.

“For people who sell online that shop was either a local boutique or As an experiment, Vevle wanted to don’t have the funds, or it’s not a part entrepreneur, emphasizing the imporsee if Shop Up Pop Up would be able of their plan to have a permanent tance of self-run businesses. to survive in a suburban area as opbrick and mortar store, [a pop-up shop Mark Vevle is the producer of Shop posed to an urban area. It turns out is] a way to test [for] short term at a Up Pop Up. As producer, Vevle worked that while shoppers in the city are falow-cost a brick and mortar concept,” with the Pennsylvania Real Estate Inmiliar with the pop-up shop concept, said Vevle. vestment Trust (PREIT) in order to people in the suburbs are not.

Due to the success of Shop Up Pop bring a pop-up shop to Voorhees Town “We thought everyone knew what Up, the Voorhees Town Center is conCenter. Vevle has a good relationship a pop-up was, and it turns out that sidering doing another round of Shop with PREIT because the company there was a real disconnect in that. It Up Pop Up stores this February. If deowns the winter location of Vevle’s turns out that a lot of people didn’t uncided upon, the Voorhees Town Center brainchild, the Franklin Flea in downderstand what a pop-up meant,” said can anticipate booming success.

■ By Julia Rothkoff (‘16)

Eastside Underground Editor

town Philadelphia. The Shop Up Pop Up collaboration between PREIT and Vevle sparked from PREIT’s desire to have more local vendors in the Voorhees Town Center.

“It was a real chance for us to see how it would be received in the community—how the logistics would work. It was just kind of an experiment,” said

Victorian Savories vies against chain cafés ■ By Jenna Wilson (‘15)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Nestled in the up-and-coming Voorhees Town Center, Victorian Savories is a unique, quaint coffee shop and bakery. It is an anomaly in an industry that is mainly dominated by Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. The bakery has been in its Voorhees location since April 2014, but the company has been in business for three years, mostly specializing in wholesale, according to Victoria Malvey, the owner.

“We sell to a lot of restaurants and caterers. We do all the concessions in Center City, Philadelphia, at the major theaters. That’s our primary business, the wholesale. We work with the Trenton Thunder; we are working on signing the River Sharks,” Malvey said.

Malvey stresses that Victorian Savories is very different from the other coffee shops and cafés scattered around Cherry Hill.

“What I think the biggest difference is, number one, that we get our coffee from a micro-brewery in Fishtown, in Philadelphia. It is fresh, gourmet coffee that they roast for us, fresh every week. So it tastes amazing. The other huge difference is that everything is made from scratch. There are no preservatives and everything is homemade. You can pronounce everything in what you’re eating,” said Malvey.

Her claims regarding the coffee hold true; the bakery’s

cappuccinos are on par with those at Dunkin Donuts, Wawa and Starbucks. However, where the bakery falls short is in the portion sizes and the “homemade taste” that the bakery claims to provide. The individual slices of quiche are small for the price and the muffins’ taste and size cannot compare to the ones offered at Dunkin Donuts or Wegman’s. The bakery claims to be notable for its numerous types of pies, cakes and cookies; however, the selection of pastries available is underwhelming and nothing special.

But, for consumers looking for a healthy alternative, Malvey emphasized the healthy aspect of her eclectic bakery.

“We use very low sodium and sugar. We present the healthier option. Everyday we have a vegan chili and a second soup. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we have

Jenna Wilson (‘15)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Victorian Savories offers fresh and healthy baked alternatives.

Jenna Wilson (‘15)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Victorian Savories serves muffins, bagels and drinks.

mac-and-cheese. We have homemade salads and wraps.”

The shop itself is spacious and filled with small tables and comfortable couches. It is perpetually empty enough that students could easily spread out and work on a group project while sipping on coffee.

Its products are available through online order and instore purchase at any Victorian Savories café and local Acme Markets.

Page 5

classes, calories and more...

■ By Dani Roth (‘15) Eastside Community Editor

With over 150 fitness classes available, the Katz JCC serves as an excellent source to have a cardio, strength training or relaxing exercise.

Excluding Fridays and the weekends, the Katz JCC typically schedules at least 20 different exercise classes daily, starting as early as 5:45 a.m. and finishing as late as 8:40 p.m.

Regardless of a class’s difficulty level, each participant performs the class at his or her own performance ability. Additionally, each class has a description entailing its difficulty level and the class’s intended participants.

The Katz JCC provides classes ranging from boot camp, a fat burning, core strengthening class, to Tai-Chi, a class focused on reducing stress and improving balance.

Earlier in the week, I enrolled in Zumba® Fitness.

This one-hour cardio class incorporates high-energy fitness moves and Latin inspired dance motions to the stylings of Latin, Top 40 or any high-tempo-beat music.

Mainly populated with 20 to 40-year-old women, this class raises participants’ heart rate, regardless of age, shape or size. This calorie-burning class ensures that participants will leave the class engulfed in their sweat, guaranteed to return for the next class.

Jackie, the instructor, led over 30 Zumba-ers through the class while weaving through rows, pushing each person to one’s limit.

With extensive arm and leg movements, this pulsating class demands high energy and unlocks an inner diva within. Through the Latin-inspired music and abundance of ‘dropping it like it’s hot’ movements, I danced as if I were Beyoncé on stage at the Super Bowl.

The high-intensity cardio class also integrates intervals for toning. Throughout Salt-N-Pepa’s song “Push It,” the choreography involved performing and holding in place over forty squats. By the end of the one-hour routine, I achieved a full-body workout and promised to return for more.

Zumba® continues to gain international popularity. After enrolling, I understand the reason for the fad.

Available at the Katz JCC on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m., Zumba Fitness vows to have participants gyrating their hips and sweating, all while forgetting that they are burning fat in the process.

COMMUNITY

Page 6

EASTSIDE

February 2015

Cherry Hill Township prepares for the winter ■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17) Eastside Community Editor

Camden County repeatedly struggled with impudent storms and damaging tempests throughout the winter season of 2013-2014.

The county surpassed its $500,000 budget last year, spending approximately $800,000 in total on snow removal. Despite the high costs of the snow removal, the county maintained a spirit of optimism.

For this year, Camden County set a budget over twice of that of last year’s, at a price of 1.2 million dollars. With five completely filled snow trucks, bellowing with salt, Camden County and residents believe to be amply prepared for any adversity the winter season should bring.

So far, the winter has been surprisingly calm in comparison to last year’s heavy snowfall throughout Camden County and the surrounding areas. While light snow has fallen around the Cherry Hill community, citizens have endured no true turbulence from the season—yet.

The community need not to worry if equipment will be sufficient for the coming year. Despite its incessant use over multiple years, the equipment utilized is highly durable and can successfully perform its duty regardless of the weather conditions. Snow equipment used by the local county can last for as long as even 20 years, according to Ian Leonard, member of the Camden County Board of Freeholders.

Rather than repeatedly purchasing new equipment, the township can simply restore the engines of the system, revamping the trucks annually.

Sara Lipsett, Vice President of the Cherry Hill Council, commented on the specific winter preparation plans, specifically highlighting matters which directly concerned the Cherry Hill Community.

Initially, Lipsett commented upon the overall readiness of the community in terms of this year’s impending winter weather. As last year’s advanced provisions did not prove extensive enough to battle the tempestuous weather, one may believe Lipsett. Nonetheless, her

faith in the Cherry Hill Community is unwavering. “[The] Cherry Hill Township is always prepared,” said Lipsett. She ensured that despite falling short in proper budget planning the preceding year, the Cherry Hill Township nonetheless has improved its preparation skills to better protect and defend the community for this current year. During the latest wintry mix event, Public Works employees spread a brind mixture throughout the streets in each neighborhood, according to Lipsett. Even though this snowfall was only looked upon as extremely mild, the Cherry Hill Community promptly responded to the occurrence, displaying their blatant attentiveness. Brind is a liquid mixture, which specifically ensures dry and safe streets.

Lipsett then further elucidated the specific process by which the Cherry Hill Community receives “salt” for optimal snow removal.

Lipsett said, “The Cherry Hill Department of Public Works prepares for the snow removal season by purchasing and maintaining an agreement with salt manufacturers.”

Through this way of constantly bargaining and directly working with manufacturers, the Cherry Hill Community is able to prepare for unexpected problems. For example, through its unique method, the Cherry Hill Department is able to restock on salt in case the community runs out in mid-season. Nevertheless, in case of extreme emergencies, the Cherry Hill Department of Public Works (CHDPW) always has a stockpile of salt on hand.

Operating in a fashion distinctive from any other township, Cherry Hill maintains persistent efforts throughout the entire winter season.

“Cherry Hill is unique in its efforts by maintaining a trust fund in the annual municipal budget for snow removal,” said Lipsett. “We determine a budget through utilizing assets, which have been accumulated over a period of time.”

Lipsett also stressed that community members of Cherry Hill must prepare

themselves for the winter weather rather than simply relying on the Public Works Department to take proper precautions.

“I recommend that our residents in Cherry Hill have their car gases up, ice scraper, shovel and rock salt for sidewalk and driveways. Also, drive slow and take extra time getting to your destination,” Lipsett said.

Lipsett additionally discussed the ever-looming perturbance of potholes. Potholes are typically a difficult and large problem for the community during the winter season.

“Filling potholes is definitely one of our main concerns,” said Lipsett.

“Potholes can potentially damage the vehicles of our residents, so we like to re-work the streets to their typical conditions as soon as possible.”

By using tar, the potholes can be readily and quickly filled, according to Lipsett.

“Potholes can also cause serious traffic accidents,” said Lipsett.

“Thankfully, our community is amply prepared for any difficulties which will arise.”

The safety of the juvenile citizens during the turbulent winter is also of high priority for Lipsett, as she herself is the mother of two children who are a part of the Cherry Hill School District. One of her daughters, Jane, attends Beck Middle School, while the other, Annie, attends Cherry Hill East.

“As Vice President of the Cherry Hill Council, I make sure to emphasize the importance of keeping main school roads free from ice,” said Lipsett. “The children’s safety when traveling to school, is most important.”

In general, residents of the Cherry Hill Community have had mixed feelings towards the preparation ef-

forts by township leaders.

Sharon Scallion, a resident of the East side of Cherry Hill, has resided in this town since she was a child. Now an adult, Scallion has seen over 50 years of winters in the Cherry Hill community.

“I really love Cherry Hill, I think it is a great place to raise a family, and a great area in general,” saidScallion.

Despite her undying love for the community, Scallion feels as though several improvements can be made to further the conditions of the town’s roads to an even greater extent.

“I think the roads are a bit too icy,” said Scallion. “Especially going through neighborhoods rather than main roads,” Other Cherry Hill residents believe that the Cherry Hill Community is doing a fine job in terms of settling properly. Downs Farm residents Larry and Alice Gerstch have thoughts contrary to those of their neighbor Scallion.

“I’ve lived here for over 80 years,” said Larry Gerstch. “I’ve been through several winters and the community has always seem prepared to me.”

Alice Gerstch also discussed her opinion on the matter.

“All these years the township has kept me safe,” said Alice Gerstch. “I have a firm belief that the members of council know how to deal with the winter weather.”

Every year the township prepares for the winter storm and this year has been no different. Certainly, the town has carefully prepped for the winter.

Spencer Maussner (‘16)/ Eastside Staff

COMMUNITY

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 7

Le Café Crêperie delights with authenthic crêpes ■ By Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)

Eastside News/Features Editor

Due to the success of popular fast-food Mexican chain restaurants, such as Pancheros and Chipotle, one does not often spot teenagers seated at a quaint French eatery.

Amalesh Maitra, owner of Le Café Crèpérie, is trying to change that.

Originally from Northeastern India, Maitra traveled to the United States in 1994. Having also lived in a French-speaking country for many years, Maitra learned a great deal about French culture and cuisine, and even became fluent in the language.

“That’s where this idea was born,” said Maitra.

“Get something fresh, done right in front of you, so people can enjoy the whole process.”

Maitra opened his crêperie at the intersection of Route 70 and Springdale Road in November of 2012.

This past July, he relocated to the Marlton Crossing Shopping Center across

from Champps. The new location has proven beneficial to the small business.

“There is more exposure.

[There are] lots of stores, lots of people coming, parking is easier, getting in and out of this mall is easier and [it is] very centrally located,” said Maitra about his relocation.

Although appearing to be a regular storefront from the exterior, one step inside Le Café Crêperie brings the customer a little closer to Paris, France. Soothing French music fills the interior of the restaurant while paintings of famous landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, adorn its walls. A portion of the tables appear as normal seating; however, another section features petite two-seater gardenstyle black tables located beneath hanging plants.

After ordering a meal from friendly staff members, guests have the luxury of watching their crêpe made right before their eyes at the open bar.

The menu features a wide variety of savory and sweet crêpes, along with

Miku Fujita (‘16)/ Eastside Staff

Customers at the new Le Café Crêperie enjoy sweet and savory crepes.

salads, soups, Nanzza (flatAdditionally, Maitra’s to improve his advertising bread) and Nanwiches (flatown wife prepares the system, hoping to gain pubbread paninis). As a dinner crumble sprinkled over licity through class trips. option, the Chicken Caesar the crêpe, using a mixture The enthusiastic owner did not disappoint. A combination of fresh ingredients filled the perfect portion of the crêpe.

Another entrée, the Pesto Basil Nanwich, came out looking and tasting delicious.

Employee and communications major, Dakota Charles, explained that many of the ingredients used in the recipes are homemade.

For example, the cooks add specific items, includMiku Fujita (‘16)/ Eastside Staff ing artichoke and heavy A chocolate, sugar and strawberry covered dessert crêpe is a popucream, to the lar menu item at Le Café Crêperie.

Asiago cheese.

This gives the cheese a more of cinnamon, flour, brown holds pictures on his iPad of personalized flavor, accordsugar and other ingrediFrench classes from nearby ing to Charles. Employents. Mixed with cinnamon high schools visiting his ees also prepare their own flavored apples, this crêpe restaurant. whipped cream by filling a was the perfect ending to a Maitra said, “It’s a good container with the necesdelicious meal. experience. You don’t have sary ingredients. Adding Despite the put-together to go to Paris. It’s right at a bit of French vanilla to appearance of the restauyour doorstep.” provide a delicious flavor, rant, Maitra continues Maitra encourages field employees utilize specialty to hold numerous plans trips amongst French chargers, or tools inserted for future improvement. classes. The students have into the canister, that aid He continues to teach his a wonderful time on these in the creation process. young employees traditrips, even learning how to “A lot of things we do tional French recipes, such prepare their own crêpes, ourselves,” said Charles. as French press coffee. This he said.

Charles also recomorganic, fair trade beverMaitra fills his restaumended the Strawberry age is a specialty at Le Café rant with a welcoming Apple Crumble as a desCrêperie. ambiance, where customsert crêpe. She explained In the future, Maitra ers cannot help but to feel that the strawberry sauce hopes to develop an internawhisked away to Paris, placed on the crêpe is spetional portion of the menu.

France. Along with his cially prepared in the resThis section would feature wonderfully dedicated and taurant. The intricate provarious themed crêpes from passionate staff, Maitra cess includes the boiling around the world. He also continues to develop unique of strawberries so that the has begun experimenting new recipes that make his berries begin to thicken with seafood crêpes. restaurant definitely worinto a sweet sauce.

Maitra further desires thy of stopping by.

Mister Softee owner enjoys ice cream off-season ■ By Sonia Kim (‘16)

Eastside Webmaster

All throughout the summer, it drives throughout the town, rolling from street to street, singing its well-known jingle. Although they know it is dangerous to do so, children, in a delighted craze, chase after its alluring presence. Some adults may not even stop their children, for they too have been encapsulated by its tempting joy.

Yes—“it” is the Mister Softee truck. Founded in 1956 in the heart of Philadelphia by two great minds, William and James Conway, Mister Softee has become one of the largest franchisers of soft ice cream in the United States.

In the South Jersey area, the mastermind behind the wheels, Steve Myrtetus, drives his truck around the streets of Runnemede.

Myrtetus, having been in the business for quite a few years now, loves his job.

“The children are always eager for the ice cream,” said Myrtetus.

“Most [people] are always in a good mood for [ice cream].”

Booming with customers in the spring and summer seasons, Mister Softee offers both adults and children a nice, savory and delicious

break with its eclectic variety of ice creams and frozen treats.

Myrtetus said he works approximately ten hours a day from the months of April to October. “ I t sounds like a lot, but you get used to it,” said Myrtetus.

“Especially because all my customers are usually happy when they approach my truck.”

During the lengthy off-season, Myrtetus continues to active-

Ashley Cooper (‘17)/ Eastside Community Editor

Mister Softee Voorhees location owner Steve Myrtetus.

ly go about his day, only without Mister Softee accompanying him. Myrtetus, during the winter season, works part time for a courier service and enjoys participating in many hobbies like enjoying his Eagles season tickets.

People who have met Myrtetus and his Mister Softee truck relay only words of praise for his warm and kind disposition, exquistely coupled with his friendly character.

“Everyone loves Steve!

He’s great,” said Megan Hanifan, an avid lover of Mister Softee’s ice cream.

“My sister and I always get excited when we hear the ice cream truck.”

Hanifan frequents the Voorhees location of Mister Softee often.

“Mister Softee is everybody’s classic childhood memory,” said Hanifan.

After all, who has not been guilty of chasing Mister Softee’s enticing truck, mesmerized by its tantalizing and undeniable charm?

OPINIONS

Page 8

EASTSIDE

Is vocabulary homework beneficial or too excessive?

Beneficial

■ By Hope Rosenblatt (‘18) Eastside Staff

Vocabulary exercises are no sweat. Nearly all students, aside from seniors, regularly complete vocabulary work throughout the year. If you ask any student what they think of vocab homework, they will most likely respond with a groan and tell you about how tedious it is. The reality is, however, that although it is time consuming, vocab homework helps to enrich the learning and comprehension of vocabulary words.

A typical English class has a strict set of rules to make sure the vocab homework is completed correctly. It starts with looking up and writing down all the definitions to the base words, synonyms and antonyms: a very laborious, yet rewarding, task. Afterwards, it is often necessary to work on exercises labeled “Enriching the Lesson,” “Dissecting the Words” and “Using the Words.” Within these exercises are smaller assignments that need to be completed in order to get full credit.

In each chapter, the exercises consist of ten to fifteen base words. Then, there is another set of words that falls under the same genre.

Each base word has around five different phrases you must understand the meaning of with the base word in context.

Under each base word comes related phrases, related words and usage notes that should be thoroughly reviewed in order to participate in class work.

Although this work takes a lot of time, it pays off when it comes time for the vocab test.

Learning and comprehending vocab will help students when they go out to the real world.

“I think that students

Excessive

will find that when they reach academia, college and university level, that these words are more commonplace than they originally believed,” said Dr. Nicole Mantuano, a freshman English teacher.

A large vocabulary is essential for impressing someone at a job interview, understanding college professors and writing better and more esteemed papers.

With a diverse vocabulary,

■ By Lamya Jaigirdar (‘15) Eastside Staff

The vocabulary books that are distributed to East students during freshman year contain a plethora of words. A good vocabulary is essential to write and read well. This foundation can be built by studying the base words, synonyms, antonyms and roots in each unit. However, the extra 60

Emelia Keller (‘17)/ Eastside Photo Editor

A student slaves over vocabulary homework. students will never have to struggle to find the right word to describe something.

Having vocabulary in your life helps you convey what you mean smoothly. This is also why having all the exercises and vocab work done is indispensable.

“I enjoy all the exercises in the book because if you study a word and you just know the definition, that does nothing for you in context,” said Mantuano.

So next time you are assigned vocab exercises for homework, push through it because it will definitely help you in the long run.

or more words added on to each lesson does not seem to be very beneficial.

The new SAT issued to start in spring of 2016 is not emphasizing the importance of obscure vocab words but instead focuses more on common words. If the SAT is focusing mainly on “everyday words,” then East should adopt the same mentality in terms of vocab homework.

Valerie Martin (‘17) and Phillip Korth (‘16) both described vocab homework as “excessive” when asked about their opinion of it.

Though vocabulary is im-

portant, each vocab unit’s additional exercises, which teachers assign, are more burdensome than helpful.

“I have studied vocab at East for the past three years,” Lisa Zhang (‘15) said. “Generally, I found vocab homework to be very tedious and time consuming, and not very helpful... because several of the words are unnecessary and easily forgotten.”

A more viable option could be for English teachers to assign a few exercises that they believe are the most useful for everyday use rather than assigning all of them as some English teachers do.

Vocabulary homework, on the other hand, is good for a review and reinforcement of the words in that specific unit. However, teachers should try to adopt new methods of giving vocabulary homework to their students. Other alternatives to completing the vocabulary exercises could allow students to choose their own ways of studying the words—a method which suits them best, whether it is by forming sentences or making flashcards.

In addition, students often view these exercises as busy work to complete for a grade rather than take the opportunity to learn new vocab words. Studying words in context is the best way for students to remember a word and learn a word’s proper usage.

Vocab is an integral part of our lives, and it is essential that students build a strong foundation during high school to succeed in the future. There are several ways to learn vocab words, one of which is doing the exercises in the books provided by the schools. However, exploring other methods may prove to be more useful in instilling the words in a student’s mind, not only for the day of the test but for their whole lives.

Allow leniency towards senior skip days

■ By Rui Zhang (‘15) Eastside Staff

Senior Skip Day is an age-old tradition in American and Canadian high schools that is important to have. It has become such a custom that there is a Wikipedia article, which not only describes what it is, but also suggests dates for when it should occur, like before Hallow’s Eve or the day after the Super Bowl.

The Huffington Post has an article regarding the “Do’s and Don’ts of Senior Skip Day.” It is one of the school traditions that never harms anyone physically, and is equally as frivolous as it is harmless. Those who will normally skip school will skip just like they normally do. Those who will not can choose to do so based on their workload. A few days of school missing

from an Ivy-bound student will not destroy his or her chances of getting into an Ivy League school. It has not resulted in significant drops in performance nor does banning Senior Skip Day significantly increase performance. And let us be real here: tradition is tra-

dition and it will happen one way or another.

I am not saying that I personally will partake or not partake in such an activity (nor do I say I do not plan to in the future), but it is bound to happen. In the past, it was done through the school, and the princ i p a l would c o o r dinate with the Student Government, deciding whether it would significantly impact a c a demic performance.

It has Jen Trieu (‘16)/Eastside Staff b e e n A lack of seniors on Senior Skip Day. this way

for many years, resulting in a reasonable compromise for both students and faculty, allowing a longheld tradition to go on.

However, seniors will be seniors and mischievous kids will be mischievous kids. If there is a ban on something, it will happen in some way or another.

Senior Skip Day occurred last year, and in a smaller amount now, and it has already occurred this year.

We will simply seek more clandestine avenues for this activity. So, as I see it, it is better to have it openly moderated and controlled instead of it happening under the table and then reprimanding typical, well-performing students for what is probably the one rebellious thing they will do for the rest of their lives. So please, give us back our false sense of rebellion in order to carry out high school traditions.

February 2015

Kim’s Korner

■ By Sonia Kim (‘16) Eastside Webmaster

Unreciprocated love.

It hurts and leaves you wondering, “If only I had been better…” Rejection penetrates your mind, leaving you asking yourself time and time again, “Why not me?” Many questions formulate in your mind, hanging unanswered. Everything seems to be elusive, so out of reach; it is not only hard to understand, but also utterly painful to accept.

As I watch some of my senior classmates struggle with their unrequited loves, I cannot help but think that sometimes, colleges are just too picky. Of course even though there are many reasons and logistics behind the selection process, according to CBS News, a smaller percentage of United States students are getting into their preferred schools than ever before.

There are many factors that can contribute to the college admission process, which include grades, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation and so on. Some people may even argue that you also need an iota of luck. However, once your application is in, there is nothing you can do but wait. Thus, you should not fret over what no longer lies in your control; rather, you need to harness the courage to accept the results, which could bring you either great joy or palpable stings.

Whether you end up crying tears of happiness or sorrow, just remember that no institution defines who you are. Acceptance does not qualify your worth or potential; instead, you need grit to continue your efforts and succeed. Rejection from your dream college does not mark your importance or significance in life, it just means that someone else is waiting for you—someone better, that is.

Students and parents alike put great emphasis on big-name schools instead of ones that offer what is best for the student. Ironically, students who do not attend their first-choice schools are most satisfied and happiest throughout their college years.

“Nothing depends on exactly which strong college admits you,” said Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale’s Dean of Admissions, in 2013. “Everything depends on what you decide to do once you get to a strong college, and how well prepared you are to take advantage of the infinite opportunities you will find there.”

No matter what happens, do not forget that you have survived what may have been the most challenging part of your life and you should be commended.

Class of 2015, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will find true love, even if that may be in the most unexpected way.

OPINIONS

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 9

PARCC test creates unnecessary stress for everyone ■ By Aaron Plaksen (‘18)

For Eastside

For years, state testing has successfully existed without the aid of a computer. However, now New Jersey has decided to complicate the system.

In the spring of 2014, New Jersey students will take the all-new PARCC state exam, which is taken on the computer.

But one may ask, why create new complications when it is not necessary?

With the new PARCC exam, teachers will have to go through more obstacles that they did not previously have to endure. Teachers will have to “teach to the test.”

When a student is trained to simply score well on the test, rather than to learn the actual material of

each subject, the student is On top of this, the tra preparation. unable to gain anything.

PARCC exam is designed Every student takes the The PARCC exam folto be more challenging same test and each student lows the Common Core than the previous exam: has the same amount of State Stantime to dards, which are prepare. a set of educaIt is abtional standards surd to adopted by New create Jersey in 2010. an enThis yields the tire new argument made system in an article by that is the Asbury Park obviously Press that “it is more deup to local sumandperintendents ing and and principals expects to select curristudents cula that comply to yield with the stanthe same dards.” results.

If superT h e Emelia Keller (‘17)/Eastside Photo Editor intendents and A student struggles through a practice PARCC. fact that principals are not the exam creating fair tests that are the HSPA. Students will is being converted to the utilized to expand the stube at a disadvantage from computer is a huge curvedent’s knowledge, then the the beginning, considering ball on its own. The comsystem will fail. harder material means exputer system is begging for

pointless mistakes and a waste of vital testing time.

For a student who is not tech-savvy, this will bring many obstacles that one would not have to face with a pencil and paper test.

One wrong click can lead to points off of a test where every point is crucial.

Some may argue that students of this generation have grown up in an age of technology, so computer skills should be common knowledge. However, it is unfair to make the assumption that all students are fully adequate at using a computer, considering not everyone in today’s society is fortunate enough to own one.

With New Jersey having one of the highest high school graduation rates in the country, it is difficult to identify where change is necessary.

most common school lunch gives any child with an allergy more of a risk at reacting. If someone eats peanut butter without washing his or her hands afterwards, and then goes to open a door, the germs spread.

Now if the child who is allergic comes to open that same door and he or she simply bites his or her nails one time, the result could be devastating. Schools are encouraging students to eat these sandwiches for lunch because of their nutritious value, but they forget the part that just one of these sandwiches could end another teen’s life.

New dietary plans are rapidly increasing in the United States, some of which are small life changes and others of which are

drastic changes. the same styles as Over the course normal peanut of ten years butter, looks a new food and tastes was shown like normal to markets peanut and quickbutter, but ly became are much a huge safer for moneykids who maker. have this Rather allergy. than bringP u t ing peanut ting these butter into substitutes schools, in schools not t h e r e Tammy Stahl (‘16)/ Eastside Staff only permits are sev- East should be peanut-free. children who eral other normally canspreads that taste exactly not eat peanuts to eat this, the same as peanut butter but also lowers the risks of does without the peanut reactions. part. Soynut butter and Peanuts have never been sunflower seed butter are a food that is necessary the two most common subfor the body to survive. Alstitutions. Both come in all though it does offer a lot of

nutrition, anyone can gain nutrition by eating other foods too. Because students do not live at public schools and do not have the ability to go home at night, it is always an option to eat peanut butter at home. Children and adults do not need to eat this food at school in front of others who would die by taking one bite of it.

Removing peanut butter from schools would be lifechanging for allergic students. School is supposed to be a safe environment where students should not have to worry about allergies, which just adds stress to their lives.

But for teens to go to school every day with concerns regarding what they are eating and touching is unsafe.

up with friends, he or she rides the bus home, grabs a snack and retreats to his or her room. Despite recently coming off of a seven-hour school day with only an hour-long break, he or she works tirelessly until midnight on homework.

Cherry Hill East students

need more time during the school day to complete their homework in the form of a mandatory study hall. The extra time in the study hall will allow them to complete assignments for the following day that will decrease their workload at night.

A simple solution to this problem w o u l d seem to be to take a study hall as an offered elective.

However, m a n y freshmen, sophomores and juniors want to take as many diverse electives as possible to create a better college resume.

With a mandatory study hall, stud e n t s would not have to struggle

encourage students who are deterred by loads of homework to be more involved in school activities, it would give students who participate in school sports a good time to complete homework because of directly afterschool sport practices.

John Paul II Catholic High School, located in Tallahassee, Florida, implemented a mandatory study hall for all student athletes in 2011 due to the fact that 74 percent of students at the school participate in at least one sport. A survey was conducted consisting of 77 of the student athletes and the results proved that 71 percent of the students either agreed or strongly agreed that the mandatory study hall helped their school performance.

East needs to implement a mandatory study hall for all students. The extra period would provide the students with necessary time to complete assignments without having them feel pressured to fill their schedules with laborious electives, only to improve their college resume. Students would be more productive, have more time for other activities and would be happier to attend school the next day.

Peanut products can prove fatal for students at East ■ By Carlie Wiseman (‘18)

For Eastside

It may seem nutty that peanut allergies are so frequent in the United States, but really, this allergy is fatal. To anyone who has experienced a reaction, not only is it life-threatening, but it also has the potential to scar the person in ways unimaginable.

Peanuts in any form should be removed from public schools because for those who are allergic, the normal habit of coming to school becomes much more difficult.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a common school lunch because they are nutritious and easy to pack. The fact that it is the

Study halls should be made mandatory for everyone ■ By Asher Maitin (‘17)

For Eastside

The tired Cherry Hill East student stumbles home after the 2:30 bell goes off, happy to have some free time before starting homework. After catching

with the decision of choosing study hall or not as an elective.

A mandatory study hall would guarantee that students have time in school to complete assignments. Students at East have an hour break during homeroom and lunch, but most students utilize these breaks to meet with clubs or to meet with teachers for extra help. The students who attempt to complete work in homeroom often find that the twenty-five minutes spent in homeroom is just an inadequate amount of time to finish most assignments.

During their lunch period, students should be concerned about eating their food, a task that not all students accomplish.

A study conducted by the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts found that approximately one of every five students in all Massachusetts public schools do not eat their school lunches.

Students often work hastily to complete homework assignments during lunch and would be encouraged to eat if they had other time to complete homework.

Moreover, a mandatory study hall would not only

OPINIONS

Page 10

EASTSIDE

February 2015

Should current events be discussed more in school?

Yes; students should learn about cur- No; students can learn rent events through class activities about current events by watching the news. and discussions. tunate that in our current school system, that cannot Eastside Staff easily be changed. It is, however, something that must be taken into account I have spent eleven years by history teachers who learning about the history should attempt to put aside of our planet’s civilizations enough time to talk about and how they thrived and these imcollapsed.

Over portant those years, I can topics. distinctly rememN o t ber just two years m a n y where an emphastudents sis was placed would on relating those apprecicivilizations’ hapate talkpenings to today’s ing about world. a serious Future generae v e n t tions can repeathappenedly be taught ing over about the causes a reof World War I or view pethe French Revoriod for lution, but witha large out an application unit test. of that knowledge, They are it is just a useless worried trivia fact sitMegan Rose (‘17)/ For Eastside a b o u t ting among many passing other facts within a Current events are discussed in class. that test mind. place that allows for teachin order to boost their GPA Current events were ers to discuss world news and get into that dream colseen by myself and many of and then relate it to previlege, but what happens to my classmates as a “grade ous happenings in society. that information three days booster.” However, now as In a world of standardafter the test?

I look back on those days ized testing and fast-paced If current events were spent sitting in a classroom curriculums in order to fit used to reinforce the indiscussing what was hapin the needed information formation as well as keep pening in our world, I have in a short amount of time, students up-to-date with come to appreciate the useit is difficult to take conthe world around them, fulness of those class perisistent time out of class the benefit being provided ods. As a society we have an periods to discuss current would be much greater obsession with knowledge: events that students will than just another review the smartest kids have the not be tested on. It is unforperiod. most knowledge, go to the ■ By Matt Nussbaum (‘16)

best colleges and get the best jobs.

Unfortunately, we tend to disregard the fact that this knowledge is useless without application. In regards to our history classes, there must be a system in

■ By Brooke Greenberg (‘17)

While some students may agree that learning about current events in the classroom and understanding serious issues that are happening globally can be an integral part of the classroom experience, there are more side effects than advantages in incorporating world news into the classroom curriculum.

By discussing current events in the classroom, teachers would not be sticking to the actual curriculum mandated by the state that regulates what we are learning academically.

Learning about current events deviates from the curriculum and provides a distraction to classes.

Current events are not a necessary addition to the high school curriculum because they do not enhance students’ learning of material or help students’ comprehension of the material.

Taking a day to talk about current events in the world would not enrich the history classrooms in any way.

Current events can also open up highly controversial debates within the classroom regarding topics such as race, religion and so on that otherwise should not be brought up. Additionally, instead of choos-

ing global issues for current events, students will often pick pop culture topics that do not provide any real value to classroom learning.

“Current Events are good, but students always pick the wrong things to talk about,” said Hope Dickson (‘17).

According to Social Studies.org, students have a hard time focusing on a specific topic that is both relevant and focused rather than focusing on the desired curriculum, and that could lead to controversial off-task discussions.

In many cases, students hear what is on the news and write about the top news stories. That issue could lead to repetition of events and students not taking time to research and find interesting and little known global stories, which is what most history teachers expect.

“Every kid is going to pick the same current event and they will all pick something silly,” said Katie Kumnick (’17). “Many students think that pop culture and new movies are the best thing to write about.”

Although learning about current events can be an integral part of classroom life, their deviation and time taken away from the class proves many more disadvantages in helping scholars strive for success.

into the work-world. month of legitimate work. niors, but this applies to Moorestown Friends East does offer a halfday students who already have School encourages its program for sea job. Therefore, it does students to obtain innot encourage students to ternships their senior strive for workforce or inyear. All seniors are ternship experiences. able to finish school At East, the curriculum a month before taught is extremely rigorgraduation, ous. However, it neglects to intern for teach students skills that a month could benefit them in cola n d lege and beyond. Students then recould learn these skills turn for through an interngraduship. With one, ation. students would B e learn leadership, cause business skills of this, and people skills its seniors in a workplace graduate high environment. school Seniors tend to Helena Sirken (‘15)/Eastside Art Director with a slack off at the end A senior undergoes an internship with a doctor.

of the year due to the fact that they already have been accepted into colleges. If East required them to work the last month of school, they could experience a new and different type of education that is beneficial to them in the long run.

Students would ultimately have experiences that are beneficial for college. Internships would help students get a better sense of what they want to become later in life and will prepare them for the rest of their lives.

East should help students make their dream jobs seem like reality by making internship opportunities more available.

age goes as far to include every phase of the moon, different hourglasses and even different camels, amongst other extremes.

At first

Emirates, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. It is not fair that countries with the most people using smartphones do not have emojis that connect to their lives. Increasing emoji ethnicity is the right thing and smart thing to do.

Currently there are 722 emojis that have almost all symbols one could think of, except more diverse features, which is why an expansion in emoji ethnicity is necessary in the world we live in today.

Eastside Staff

Internships offer valuable experiences for seniors ■ By Annie Lipsett (‘17)

Eastside Staff

By the time senior year comes, few seniors have been given many opportunities to experience work outside of school. This is a growing issue because students need exposure to the real world. For this reason, Cherry Hill East should give its students, mainly seniors, more internship opportunities.

Students should go off to college with at least a little bit of work and experience to help them in the future.

Many other schools in South Jersey offer opportunities for students to get

There needs to be a more diverse variety of emojis ■ By Hope Rosenblatt (‘18)

Eastside Staff

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so when the first emoji was created in Japan in 1999, it revolutionized the world of texting.

A n emoji is a small digital i c o n used to express an idea.

Of course there are facial expressions and hearts, but the emoji pack-

the faces of the different people offered. There are 36 human emojis to choose from, so it is troubling to see that all but two are Caucasian.

The Apple Company Vice President of Communications, Katie Cotton, said to macrumors.com that “there needs to be Allie Grossman (‘16)/ more diverEastside News/Features Editor New emojis should be added. sity in the emoji ethnicity set.” sight, it seems like the posThere has sibilities are endless. That been a lot of talk about is, until one looks closer at an increase in diversity

in emojis over the years, but there has yet to be a change. Now, there are some differences in the food section and there is even a flag section with many different countries, but what about the people who would like to provide a representation of them and their family but find no matches?

The top four countries with the highest percentage of smartphone users are all of ethnicities that are not Caucasian. These four countries are United Arab

EDITORIAL

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 11

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

Cherry Hill High School East

Eastside proposes that East implements a concussion education unit in freshman health

1750 Kresson Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Phone: (856) 424-2222, ext.2087

Concussion education for students is crucial Injuries are an everpresent part of all sports, contact or non-contact: a part which all participants must beware of. Athletic injuries can be devastating; in sports that require quick cuts, like basketball or football, certain knee injuries are especially prevalent and may cause lifelong issues.

Shocking freak accidents occur in all sports and can happen to any athlete at just about any moment in time. These injuries may be life-altering and have lingering effects throughout the entirety of an athlete’s life.

Possibly the most dangerous injury of all, however, is one that is not visible; concussions have the most potential of all injuries to cause life-long after-effects and change an athlete’s life. As a concussion is not a visible injury, it is imperative that everyone, athlete or non-athlete, is familiar with what a concussion is and how to treat one.

A concussion is defined by webmd.com as “a type of traumatic brain injury... that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull.” Concussions can be caused in a multitude of ways, such as falling on one’s head, a head-to-head collision, or even whiplash. Thus, the injury is especially frequent in contact sports like football or rugby where athletes are often subject to fast, brutal hits from all angles, including the ground. Any hard hit to the head which jars the brain has the potential to cause a concussion.

Benefactors

Concussions can range from very mild to very severe. In either instance, they must be treated with grave earnestness. Concussions have a wide range of symptoms, including blurred or extra-sensitive vision, lack of clarity in thoughts and physical pain in the head or stomach. In the event of any or all of these symptoms, it is crucial that an athlete sits out and receives immediate medical attention so the injury can be dealt with before symptoms increase or the injury persists. An athlete with an undiagnosed concussion runs a high risk of re-injury, exacerbating symptoms or permanent brain damage.

Recently, as research and education on concussions has been focused on more intently, concussion awareness has increased greatly. Local high schools specifically have made a concerted effort into educating their students on the injury and have increased measures to ensure students recover safely from an injury. East and Eastern are two of the many schools in South Jersey that require their athletes to take the ImPACT baseline test, which is a computerized concussion test, assessing memory, motor speed, reaction time, impulse control and other brain functions.

According to New Jersey state law, high school athletes must be removed from a sport or activity if they are suspected of having sustained a concussion. In

Ms. Marilyn DiCiurcio The Pacitti Family Edwin and Ellen Dashevsky Jeff and Rochelle Dashevsky Susan and Ian Meklinsky The Amaro Family Erica and Jerry Rothkoff The Wilson Family Mike and Julie Bathke Jeff, Sherrie, Rachel, and Max Cohen

Sponsors

Ashley Cooper Melissa and Brad Tinkelman Shari Dickstein

Cindy Black Forensic Resolutions Amy and Wayne Myers The Mistry Family Debbie and Jon Korn The Kothari Family Jennifer Grossman Steben and Leslie Sirken Andrea Cohen Cindy and Steve Kim Darcy and Jeff Becker

Sports Editors Courtney Finnegan Luke Hinrichs Marlee Zeitz Opinions Editors Keshav Amaro Leah Korn Jenna Myers

You may have

a concussion if you...

- experience headaches or pressure in the head

- lose consciousness for a short period of time following the injury - have difficulty concentrating or thinking - experience loss of memory from the time of injury - become hypersensitive to light or noise - hear a “ringing” sensation - have trouble balancing or feel constant dizziness - feel constant lethargy - experience quick changes in emotion or mood

Fax: (856) 424-3509

Eastside Online http://www.eastside-online.org

Publisher

Fort Nassau Graphics Thorofare, NJ

Letters to the Editor

Submit signed letters to F087

Awards

Garden State Scholastic Press Association, American Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, International Quill and Scroll Society, Journalism Education Association

- are sleeping more or less than usual

Letters to the editor are always welcomed!

- are having trouble falling asleep - are unable to retain newly learned information - experience nausea or vomitting - begin to speak with slurred speech - respond slowly in conversation - experience disorders in taste or smell

Friends of Eastside

Patrons

The Keller Family Mr. and Mrs. George Doloyclay Mary Vange

Contributors

Joseph and Renee Mintz Mason Williams Carol Marks Brian and Christina Boyle The Lichtenstadter Family Jerome Farber Greg Rouen Mrs. Cajigas

Haye Hinrichs Sari Mintz

Managing Editor: Rebecca Cohen

News/Features Editors Kaitlyn Boyle Allison Grossman Steve Mirsen

order to re-enter a sport, any athlete who sustained a concussion, both at East and at other schools, must retake the ImPACT test.

Football teams are making an effort to minimize the number of concussions their players sustain as well. At the college level, the Ivy League and Pac12 Conferences only allow their teams to participate in two full-contact practices a week. At local schools like Shawnee, tackling to the ground in practice is strictly prohibited. Coaches and trainers have been educated through mandatory concussion programs, required by the state, to ensure that they know how to deal with concussed athletes.

At East, widespread concussion education is non-existent. Students are exercising their brain in every class and during every waking hour, yet have not been given the opportunity to learn about what to do in the event that the brain is injured. Eastside proposes that a unit of the freshman health curriculum be dedicated to teaching students about what concussions are. The course would outline the causes, symptoms and effects of a concussion, how to treat one and how to avoid re-injury in the future.

More is known about concussions today than ever before. As a concussion is one of the most severe types of injuries a person can sustain, educating students about what they are is of the utmost importance.

Drop off letters to F087 or email letters@eastsideonline.org

Advocates

Suzanne Young Gilana Levavi Ally Deas Rachel Lim Annie Lipsett Aliya Lu Ralph and Ro Deal Bill Semus Susan Nicolazzo-Dollarton Neil Mullin Marsha Pecker Elizabeth Endres Ms. Freedman

Editors-in-Chief: Rachel Cohen, Meghna Kothari, Jenna Wilson

Community Editors Ashley Cooper Dani Roth

Art Directors Rachel Pacitti Helena Sirken

Entertainment Editors Brielle Clearfield Liza Rothkoff

Photo Editors Rachel Becker Emelia Keller

Underground Editors Jacob Borowsky Julia Rothkoff

Video Editor Sam Kaufman

Humor Editors Brett Dashevsky Emma Silverstone

Radio Manager Ethan Tinkelman Tech Director Bogdan Vitoc

Webmaster Sonia Kim Business Managers Drew Meklinsky Priya Mistry Adviser Mr. Greg Gagliardi

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

Eastside’s Staffers of the Month October: Sydney Steele November: Anthony Cornatzer (Note: There is a dash December: Ben Goldsmith between “eastside” and “online”)

Page 12

EASTSIDE

February 2015

SPEC

DECA: T he F ace o f East Students

With approximately 30 business classes per year, the Business Department and its corresponding DECA competitions remain among East’s most popular assets.

Photo by Rachel Becker (‘16)/ Eastside Photo Editor. Illustration and layout by Brielle Clearfield (‘15)/ Eastside Entertainment Editor

CIAL

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 13

DECA: A Legacy of Excellence at East

DECA competitions

■ By Brielle Clearfield (‘15)

Eastside Entertainment Editor

Founded in 1946, DECA is an international association created to expose high school students, college students and teachers alike to the fields of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality and marketing sales and service.

Working as a non-profit student organization, DECA participants surpass 215,000 members and come from nine different countries.

DECA hosts a hierarchy of competitive conferences throughout the year. Students start out on the regional level and then if they qualify, move forward to the state and even international levels. Before the competition starts, each student must complete his or her own 100-point multiplechoice exam and pass with at least 70 percent.

On the day of the event, for both states and regionals, the student must participate in

a business-related role-play, where he or she will be evaluated based on the DECA standards by a judge. Depending upon the type of event, the student is able to participate either individually or with a group. Each individual student gets 10 minutes, while a pair of students gets 30 minutes of preparation time.

In this time the pair, along with individual students, can consult with one another and write down notes that they can use during their role-play presentation.

The duration of the roleplay lasts about 25 minutes where 15 minutes are designated to showing the judge the participant’s analysis of the case and the last 5 to 10 minutes are designated to the judge asking each member questions.

Today, DECA continues strong with the approach of its 70-year anniversary on the forefront. DECA continually impacts the lives of many around the globe, especially in the East community.

East stands out among its DECA competitors

■ By Sonia Kim (‘16)

Eastside Webmaster

Each year, hundreds of East students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, participate in DECA. This year about 250 students from East competed at regionals, and almost every year this number either stays the same or increases.

At East, “Since [DECA] is a club that operates within the business class curriculum, it is not too hard to join,” said DECA participant Luke Bonanni (’15).

Although East students have to prepare for the competitions mostly outside of school, DECA does not serve as an extracurricular activity. East students also have the opportunity to take a business class in school through which they can learn more about DECA. In comparison, other schools throughout New Jersey do not enter as many students in DECA competitions. One reason stems from the fact that for most New Jersey schools, DECA is an extracurricular club that requires students to not only be part of a business class, but to also fulfil after-school hours.

For example, Cranford High School is one of the schools in New Jersey that incorporates DECA as a club activity and not as part of the school curriculum; therefore, fewer students are obligated to not only join the club, but to also compete. About 100 students competed at the regional competition from Cranford High School, which is less than half the number of students who competed from East.

In other schools throughout the New Jersey area, including Mount Olive High School, students have to register for a membership in order to compete at DECA, which is also a club similar to that of Cranford High School. Students are allotted three absences from the club for the whole year; if they fail to follow this rule, according to mountolivedeca.com, their membership will be terminated without refund.

While developing marketing expertise and cultivating communication skills are important for successfully competing at DECA, “the amount of high caliber students that we have at East [who participate in DECA] is important,” said Bonanni.

The Stock Market Game gives students a chance to handle real money investments ■ By Courtney Finnegan (‘17)

Eastside Sports Editor

DECA gives students the opportunity to gain business skills through a multitude of competitions and roleplays. The annual Stock Market Game is a significant aspect of DECA since it can lead students straight to the national competition. Over 1,000 teams all throughout the country compete in the business of buying and selling stocks. Each team manages a portfolio that includes its stock selections, exchanges and so on. The ultimate goal

of the competition is to increase the value of the beginning portfolio. Peggy Hager, a DECA advisor at Cherry Hill East, said that the judges don’t just look at how much money each team accumulates for the portfolio.

Hager said, “The dollar amount of a team’s portfolios doesn’t reflect their progress to the judges as much as how much the percentage of their SMP goes up.”

Ultimately, the country is divided into four sections and the top 25 teams with the highest percentage rate from each section will qualify for DECA Nationals.

DECA advisors form close relationships ■ By Marlee Zeitz (‘16) Eastside Sports Editor

The Business Department at East has developed into a popular focus with much to offer. By sending hundreds of students to regional, state and national competitions for DECA, East has shown that its students perform extremely well and have a great sense of preparation for these events. All of this continuous success stems from East’s three DECA advisors: Mrs. Peggy Hager, Mrs. Kathy Ford, and Mr. Greg deWolf, who have all impacted DECA and business students’ high school experiences through their work.

“I love DECA because I think it’s a memory students take with them since it’s not a textbook, not a test, not a lab, it’s a competition, field trip, something fun and different,” said deWolf.

Hager started her career at East 16 years ago as a business teacher and DECA advisor. She currently teaches Marketing Education, Advanced Marketing and Marketing Management II. Ford, who has taught at East for a few less years than Hager has, oversees the entrepreneurship aspect of DECA. She teaches two full-year classes—the honors track and semester classes on law, management and entrepreneurship. deWolf, who joined the DECA and business team eight years ago, teaches Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Financial Literacy, Introduction to Business and International Business in addition to coaching Boys’ Varsity Tennis.

Throughout their years at East, these three teachers have formed great friendships by working so closely together.

“I love working with Mrs. Ford and

Mrs. Hager—I call them my DECA moms,” said deWolf.

Hager and Ford started out working together by writing the honors business classes into the curriculum and continued working on different projects from there. Hager said that she really enjoys the working relationship she has with her colleagues. While Hager and Ford focus on completing all of the paperwork and preparation for DECA behind the scenes, deWolf’s main focus is to try to get the freshmen ready to compete since it is a new process for them. However, all three teachers equally share important roles in their students’ high school experiences.

“I’ve had all three of them and I can honestly say that they’ve made a huge impact on my DECA experience. Without every single one of them, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today in the DECA world,” said Ally Lazarus (’16).

Hager, Ford and deWolf have been told they have helped students reach great heights in college in addition to helping current students succeed in the business program.

“What I love the most is when former students come back and just thank us for how much we have taught them and how much further ahead they are. We even had juniors who said they are still learning things we taught them. It’s really rewarding,” Ford said.

All in all, it goes back to these three advisors who teach students everything they know about DECA and who prepare them for business in the real world. Without Hager, Ford and deWolf, Cherry Hill East’s rank in DECA competitions would most definitely not be as high as it is with them. East students are thankful for their teachers’ many contributions to East’s Business Department in the past two decades.

For more DECA-related stories, please visit eastside-online.org

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 14

EASTSIDE

“State of Affairs” airs first season ■ By Liza Rothkoff (‘16)

percent from the previous week’s airing of the show, which scored a 1.5 Nielsen rating in the 18-49 adults “State of Affairs,” an esage demographic. The depionage thriller show, folcline in ratings is likely due lows the daily life of a CIA to “The Voice” no longer airanalyst who assembles the ing before the show for the President’s Daily Briefing. rest of the first seaThe show, which son of the series’ aired on Novemrun. When an ber 17, 2014, episode of “The premiered on Voice” aired NBC. The show before “State airs on Mondays of Affairs,” throughout the the viewers fall and winter would likely television seastay tuned son. Alexi Hawand leave ley, who wrote their televithe screenplay sions on for for Exorcist: The the following Beginning and show. is the executive This way, producer of The “State of AfFollowing, crefairs” received ated the show. many of the “State of Afsame viewers as fairs” is expected Lia Yamamoto (‘17)/ Eastside Staff “The Voice.” to end its first seaNot only are ratson on February 16, NBC’s “State of Affairs,” which debuted in ings dropping, but with a total of 13 November, airs Mondays at 10 p.m. critics have also episodes shown. along with a high-powered given the show negative Katherine Heigl is the job in the world of politics. reviews, claiming that the main actress, starring as Although State of Affairs show has not lived up to the Charleston Tucker, a CIA was highly anticipated behype surrounding its first analyst. Alfre Woodard fore it premiered, throughseason. Many viewers applays President Constance out the weeks that the show plaud the show for having Payton. The show also stars has been on air, ratings interesting plot lines but Adam Kaufman, Sheila have been declining. Likely address the show’s failure Vand, Cliff Chamberlain, due to the show’s big star, to devleop the plot further.

Tommy Savas and David Heigl, the show was much Although “State of AfHarbour. anticipated. The show’s ratfairs” may fail to impress “State of Affairs” is Heiings hit a series low on its many viewers, NBC congl’s first major televised winter finale on December tinues to air the rest of the acting role since she started 22, 2014 broadcast, with a show’s season. The show’s in “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Nielsen rating of 1.1 in the ultimate fate will be decidThe plot is centered on 18-49 age demographic. ed after its season finale in Charleston Tucker, a govThe 1.1 rating is down 27 February. ernment analyst who takes Eastside Entertainment Editor

on the responsibility of handling critical threats surrounding the United States of America. With this new job, Charleston learns how to navigate through the unusual lifestyle that goes

“Parks and Recreation” ends

stars, already having the First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden make appearances.

During the peak of the The characters and their popularity of “The Office,” individual adventures in NBC’s “mockumentary” sitthe show have always been com, the channel launched a big reason why fans keep another “mockumentary”tuning in. style sitcom “I really that takes enjoy how place in a each charwork setting. acter gets This show, a plotline “Parks and that is Recreation,” both comiwhich precally satmiered in isfactory 2009, is now and emocoming to an tionally end this Febmeaningruary. ful,” said O f Brett Olin ten called (’15).

“Parks and In terms Rec,” this of plot, the sitcom cenonly thing ters on Lesconfirmed lie Knope, is that the played by characAmy PoePhoto courtesy of IMDb hler, the most In its final season, Parks and Recreation will feature guest ters will be shown in the d e d i c a t e d , stars Jon Hamm and Megan Mullally. year 2017 to passionate, add closure and energetic As per any special teleand will lead up to and government official ever, vision event, guest stars expand on last year’s cliffand her attempts to make will be present in the final hanger ending, which also her hometown of Pawnee, season. Jon Hamm of “Mad took place in 2017.

Indiana a better place. SupMen” is expected to reprise “Parks and Recreation” porting her is her diverse his small role from the end is prepared to go out strong, arrangement of co-workers. of last year’s season finale. with guest stars, major Due to Poehler’s popularAlso expected to return is plotlines and heartfelt ity from “Saturday Night Ron Swanson’s ex-wife, goodbyes set to dominate its Live” as a Weekend Update the evil Tammy played by last 13 episodes. The show, co-anchor, she was already Megan Mullally, and the much like its protagonist a well-known actress before recently departed couple Leslie Knope, has perse“Parks and Rec” premiered of Chris and Ann, played vered against many obstaits first season.

by Rob Lowe and Rashida cles and, finally, at the end Despite its low ratings, Jones. The series has been of February, its long sevenit garnered critical acclaim known for its political guest season journey ends. and has helped launch the ■ By Zach Wohl (‘15)

Eastside Staff

careers of stars Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman. As a result, “Parks and Rec” has been given the chance to go out on its own terms, and the show is planning on going out in a big way.

February 2015

The Goldbergs: A TV show based on an East student’s family

Each episode concludes with real video footage shot by Adam, who enjoyed documenting things as a While some kids do not child with his large video think of their families as camera. Before the footage extraordinary or excitof each episode is aired, ing and may often express each person featured in the frustration towards their video must prepare a form, parents and siblings, Adam no matter how minor his or Goldberg believed that his her role may be. family-oriented childhood Andy Cogan uses “The could become the topic of Goldbergs,” along with this a popular comedy. He was footage, as a means of reright. connecting with old friends Goldberg, the youngest from high school. After epiof three children, grew up sodes featuring his charin a loud house with his acter are shown, he often bold father and overbearreceives many messages ing mother—affectionately regarding the show. called “smother.” He had “After the episode that two older brothers, named he was mainly aired in, a lot Eric and Barry. Throughof people he went to school out their high school years with that at Penn he hadn’t Charter, talked to Barry rein forevmained er asked b e s t h i m friends [about with a boy t h e named show],” Andrew said Ra‘Andy’ Cochel Cogan. This gan.

Andy CoAndy gan is the a l s o father of enjoys East sturecalldent Raing the chel Coevents gan (’17). from his “[Barchildry] was h o o d his very and the b e s t personfriend alities of in high the charschool,” Photo courtesy of The Hollywood acters as said RaReporter chel Co- “The Goldbergs” is based on he once s p e n t gan.

Adam Goldberg’s life. a great T h e deal of idea to time with these people. create a sitcom based on “He always remembers his life was first suggested the stuff that the parents to Adam in 2007 by the curwould do,” said Rachel Corent producer of the show. gan. “He thinks that the acAfter hesitantly discussing tors really do portray how the idea with his family, the people were.”

Adam began creating the Although many things currently popular TV series in the show are altered for “The Goldbergs” on ABC. television purposes, such The show had its first epias how Eric Goldberg was sode premiere on Septemturned into a female charber 24, 2013. acter, Adam attempts to The show, currently on keep the personalities the its second season, has garsame. nered rave reviews due to “He takes little aspects the show’s outstanding cast of the people and then creand writing. Critics say ates some of the stuff that that the show is realistic he can also find footage for,” and the characters are likesaid Rachel Cogan. able for viewers. The show Although many people stars Wendi McLendondo not realize that Rachel Covey as Beverly Goldberg Cogan is related to one of and Jeff Garlin as Murray the characters in the series, Goldberg. The show is prothose who watch the footage duced by Adam Goldberg, at the end of the episodes Seth Gordon and Doug Roboften notice the similarity inson. in appearance.

In order to make the “I’ve had people text me show as realistic as posand just say stuff to me like sible, Adam sought out the ‘Hey, I just saw your dad on old friends of each of his The Goldbergs,’ ” said Rasiblings. It was at this point chel Cogan. that Andy was contacted While Andy may poswith information regarding sess only a minor role in a form that would allow the the show as a whole, “The producers to use his name Goldbergs” has allowed him and character in the show. to reconnect with friends.

Although Andy’s character, Fame may be exciting, but played by East alum Matt long-lasting friendships are Bush (‘03), does not have a what matters most. “The large role in the show, one Goldbergs” leads viewers to episode entitled “Shall We truly appreciate the imporPlay a Game” features Bartance of family and friendry and his friends as they ship, no matter how dyscomically struggle through functional these people in typical high school problife may be. lems.

■ By Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)

Eastside News/Features Editor

February 2015

ENTERTAINMENT EASTSIDE

Page 15

The new year welcomes new Apple products

TV, but redesigned as new. It is said to offer better settings and services for more than just Eastside Staff switching channels and surfing the web. The new Apple TV will also offer a new software and It seems as if it were just yesterday when Apple hardware update in order to create a better funcreleased the iPhone 6 and the iPtioning Apple TV than the current version that hone 6 Plus. These products i s for sale. The new software will fix might have just come out, bugs that are currently affectbut Apple has new invening the most recent version of tions brewing for the New the product.

Year. Apple products Apple is known for its keep up to speed with cool and tech-savvy inventhe latest technology; tions and each time one is therefore, it should not released, it seems to sell come as a surprise that pretty well.

Apple plans to release “[I like] Apple prodnew products in 2015. ucts [because they] are Watches are a pretty very simple to use,” simple accessory, but said Evan Frisby (’18).

Apple has taken them There are some peoto a whole new level. ple, though, who do not Soon to be released are like Apple products and the Apple Watches. the way these products These high-technology work for the user. watches allow users to “Even though I have send and receive mesan iPhone, I don’t think sages, calls and e-mails [these new products] are in a more convenient and going to work well because much faster way.

Apple products have a lot With the new Tap effect, of issues,” said Carly Lyons people will be able to let (’18). others know that they Even though Apple might not are thinking of them in release products that a few gentle touches to Tammy Stahl (‘16)/ Eastside Staff show a drastic change the watch. Users can con- Apple users will be able to choose from three different styles of Apple watches: Apple Watch from its previous vernect with friends and Tap Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. sions of products, the away. newer versions of the Additionally, messaging is not just more efficrystal. products will be improved greatly. cient and convenient with the watches, but it is A new iPad with a larger screen is also expectApple users should anticipate 2015 for its realso faster. ed to be released in 2015. This new iPad is curlease of new versions of old products and new The watches come in three different styles: Aprently being compared to the iPad Air due to its products altogether that feature the newest softple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch slim size. It is said to have a 12-inch screen. wares and technology Apple has to offer at this Edition. The Apple Watch features a stainless Also set to release in mid-2015 is the Apple point.

■ By Phoebe Rosica (‘18)

steel case with a leather band. The Apple Watch Sport features an anodized aluminum case that comes in silver and space gray. The fluoroelastomer band on the Apple Watch Sport comes in five different colors. The Apple Watch Edition has an 18-karat gold case with a display that is protected by polished sapphire

East students express themselves through YouTube

bigger YouTubers and learned how to create videos more efficiently and professionally.

Eastside Staff Donahue also spoke about some of her favorite YouTubers, including the Shaytards. The ShayIf you are anything like some of our generatards are a family who vlog (video-blog) almost tion, you most likely follow the same routine we daily, in a format similar to Charles Trippy, also all do when you get home. You change into pajaknown by his YouTube username of CTFxC. mas, close the door, turn the lights off and watch Charles Trippy currently holds the Guinness YouTube videos until you realize it is too late to World Record for most consecutive videos posted start your hometo YouTube. The work. series is called “InYouTube ternet Killed Telewas created in vision” and as of 2005 as a webDecember 18, he site that users has reached 2,060 could share vidconsecutive videos. eos on. It was Donahue also purchased by said that she does Google in late not have one defi2006. The first nite favorite Youvideo ever postTuber. ed was entitled “YouTube is al“Me at the zoo” ways changing... and features one new content is alof the founders, ways being creatJawed Karim, ed,” she said. at the San DiOn the other ego Zoo. side of the YouTube The company spectrum is Courtis about to see ney Bird (‘18). Bird its 10-year anis one of Donahue’s niversary and close friends. continues to Donahue inbuild a larger spired Bird to creviewership than ate a channel and it started out post videos of herwith in 2005. self singing, similar YouTube has to other YouTube grown in popucover artists like larity due to the Christina Grimincreased use mie. Bird has postof technology ed two videos thus by the younger far, the most recent generation. one being her cover There are Screenshot by Rachel Becker (‘16)/ Eastside Photo Editor of “Stars and the big-name clas- Allison Donahue posts videos onto her YouTube channel that convey a positive message for viewers.

Moon” from Songs sic YouTubers for a New World. like Shane Dawson, best known for creating his The WHYY Youth Media Awards are held annuPerhaps as YouTube grows, these girls will own characters and acting out skits. He currentally in Philadelphia. Donahue has been making soon find luck in their channels. Donahue is curly has over 6.2 million subscribers, and has been YouTube videos for years, and she has recently rently on hiatus, but is arranging some new work making videos since 2008. been getting more attention for her work. to be put out in the near future. Bird is also planThe new British YouTuber fad is stronger “In fifth grade, my friend and I made really ning on posting a few more covers to her channel, than ever, with Zoe Sugg leading the race. Sugg funny short videos and they’re all still online,” and perhaps making more sketch-type videos. recently published a new book and has over 6.8 Donahue said.

These two students are great examples of truly million subscribers. The biggest YouTuber right But, when it comes to more profound videos, following your dreams and the footsteps of those now is Pewdiepie with around 33 million, and it like her video “Anonymous,” she was inspired by who inspire you.

■ By KateLynn Garden (‘18)

is estimated that he gains 180 thousand subscribers weekly.

Cherry Hill East has its own share of YouTubers. One of them is Allison Donahue (‘18), known on YouTube by her username, Allisonsince1999.

Donahue recently won the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Award, an award presented by the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation at the WHYY Youth Media Awards.

Page 16

ENTERTAINMENT EASTSIDE

February 2015

Eastside investigates the difficulties of booking a show

I preceded to call its main hotline once every day over the span of three weeks to no avail. My booking requests were once again only met with disapIn a world pointment. The only people who with a surwould answer my calls were box plus of aspiroffice employees for the venue ing artists, who would reply with a generic the music response of “There is no one who industry has can discuss that issue with you become ramat the moment,” and then hang pant with up the phone. a boggling As my next attempt to reach number of out to local venues, I called the new entertainers. Of course lesser known, but nonetheless these artists yearn to perform frequently visited, World Café their music for an audience, Live. Involving a more hip and and thus arises the ever-presmodern vibe in its overall atmoent challenge of “booking” a sphere, World Café Live’s maxigig. Some may believe that it mum occupancy entails a total of is fairly easy to book concert 1,000 people. In terms of artistvenues. However, even unfriendly accessibility, this venue derground bands have once performed very well. One could graced great concert venues, easily choose “artist booking,” such as the Electric Factory as a direct link off of the venue’s or, even on rare occasion, homepage. Gretchen McHale, Dithe Wells Fargo Center. So, rector of Private Event Sales, imis it difficult at all to attain mediately answered her phone a booking? Or is it simple as despite the company’s online can be? Eastside went out to claim that no phone calls condetermine the validity of both cerning booking would necesclaims and returned with one sarily be replied to immediately. unanimous result.

Although only concerned with Julia Rothkoff (‘16)/ Eastside Underground Editor Initially, I reached out to the The electro-pop band, The Operators, perform at Union Transfer. private events, McHale was more Electric Factory, a local venue than willing to aid my struggle located in North Philadelphia. as an artist yearning for a gig.

Offering a more intimate setting, the Electric Fac- on further attempts by utilizing caution, slightly McHale relayed the exact directions of who to etory features a completely General Admission changing my methods. I would first pose as an art- mail in order to be considered for booking at the standing room with only a maximum occupancy of a ist, but would later reveal my true identity as the venue. While all of the provided information is few thousand concert-goers. Despite the closely ac- person on the receiving end of the phone sounded easily accessible off of the venue’s website, it was quainted ambience of the venue itself, its internal as though they were about to hang up. In hopes of energizing to receive such a detailed, eager and artist booking process entails a greater challenge. receiving some type of response from the venue, prompt response from McHale.

I later called Union Transfer, yet another popular Philadelphia performing venue. More welcoming than the aforementioned two, this venue appeared to enjoy a more personal experience with its venue clients. This recently renovated music venue is premier, even having been featured in Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 20 Venues in America.” Friendlier in nature, Union Transfer immediately offered to contact me as an artist via e-mail in hopes of booking a gig at the venue.

Logo by Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ While I am still waiting on that impending e-mail, Eastside Art Director the overall venue held a different tone from its prePhotos by Brielle Clearfield (‘15)/ decessors, allowing for a refreshing air to conclude Eastside Entertainment Editor my journalistic experiment.

Why is it so difficult to get booked at one of these leading venues? David Richards, a frequentWhat do you think What do you What do you think If you could see one ly booked professional saxophone player, provided will be the most think will be the will be the most thing be invented in some insight into the New Jersey, Pennsylvania We asked... most popular TV popular music 2015, what would popular clothing and New York venue scene. show in 2015? genre? you like to see? item?

Richards foremost emphasized the intricate, as well as elaborate, process by which one must pass in order to even be considered for booking at these mainstream venues.

“It’s difficult [to get booked]. You need to pracA leaf blower that tically guarantee a return for the venue or you’ll sucks in leaves need to pay to play, so to speak,” said Richards on Girl Meets World Rap Bro tanks instead of the beginning portions of the process. blowing them Griffin In order to ensure this “return,” the venue must confirm that the band has means to promote itself, Debritz as well as the drive to invest time and financial (‘17) resources, said Richards.

Richards said, “The venue invests practically nothing and will get [its] minimum from the band whether the band has people in the chairs or not.”

Richards further said that the booking process for artists is marked with an extraordinarily comThe Bachelor Pop Headbands A new iPhone petitive nature, thus clearly detailing why it is not possible to truly be booked at a large, mainstream Julianna location after just one simple phone call.

Fabricius “You can just call up a venue as an artist…if (‘15) you’re lucky they’ll say yes. Most venues will ask if you have a following and they’ll want to hear your music first,” said Richards.

Persistence, luck, patience and talent will all be huge contributors as to whether one is booked for a Something new People seem to like gig at mainstream venues, according to Richards. because people high-waisted stuff... Something in the He later added that a few good references and conPop is always are always lookI don’t think that’s medical industry that nections would even further boost one’s chances in prevalent ing for the next going to go away helps people booking a gig. new thing. anytime soon Sam Conclusively, it is highly challenging to receive an official booking at a mainstream venue.

Waldman Nonetheless, a plausible alternative still exists— (‘16) to “book,” or more precisely rent out, a venue for a private event. Both World Café Live and Union Transfer offer private event options, directly accessible through their respective websites. The events, which can be hosted at these sites, range from weddings and galas to even business meetOrange is the New Portable EDM Bucket hats ings or birthday parties.

Black microwaves Apparently, just as one can book an event at Tooba The Holiday Inn or The Mansion, he or she can correspondingly reserve him or herself a place at Hussain some of the hottest venues in the Greater Phila(‘15) delphia Area.

■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

Eastside Community Editor

When I originally attempted to call the company, I posed as an artist inquiring about booking details, and was instantly rejected. Henceforth, I advanced

UNDERGROUND

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 17

The Dark Paragon provides exposure for local artists in need ■ By Jacob Borowsky (‘16)

Eastside Underground Editor

Every musical artist begins somewhere. Household names like The Beatles and Pink Floyd were not always universally known. All artists must find their own way to gain popularity in hopes of having a shot at fame. Music-based multimedia website The Dark Paragon, started by Erika Estrada (’15) and Christina DiChrisio (’16), aims to promote local bands and artists who are in need of exposure.

The Dark Paragon has a wide range of content, covering subgenres such as pop-punk, alternative, emo, indie, folk and more.

The website features both original content and music from the artists themselves.

“We arrange interviews whenever groups have a new song, we stream it, we have shows that showcase them, we help out on small tours going on, we do album reviews, and other promotional things,” said DiCriscio, who spoke on behalf of the website for herself and Estrada.

Some artists the website promotes are the “Mayflower Collective,” a group of New Jersey-based alternative bands including On Your Marks and Save Face. The website also covers the Pennsylvania indie scene, including artists like Broseph Gordon-Levitt, Alimony and Andros. The website

aims to bridge the gap between the NJ and PA scene, as the two do not often associate.

The Dark Paragon was started in September of 2014 by Estrada, who joined with DiCriscio shortly after.

“There’s two of us [who run The Dark Paragon], Erika and me,” DiCriscio said. “I worked on three

off to become a show booking website as well.

“It started off when we did this one small acoustic show. We wanted to book our own artist, so we went to them and asked if they would play this show for us, and they said yes. After that, bands started talking and word about us spread.

Bands started coming to us saying

Courtesy of Christina DiCriscio

A bands performs at a show promoted by Dark Paragon. music-based media sites like this before which were more straight news and weren’t booking shows.

My coworker Erika at my real job found out about [these websites] and thought they were the coolest thing ever, but could not get her writing featured on one, so she decided she would start her own.”

Shortly after the website’s creation, The Dark Paragon branched

they need a show [for their tour] and asking if we can book them,” DiCriscio said. “That’s how we book some bands, but other times we try to book our own company shows, so we reach out to bands we have worked with in the past.”

While the artists the website books do not have a large following, The Dark Paragon now offers them the opportunity to play for local au-

diences.

“We’ve booked at house shows, Coffee Works in Voorhees where they have a great room for acoustics, and we also book at local venues like Studio LuLoo in Oaklyn, NJ,” DiCriscio said. “Anywhere we can find a space we will use.”

Although the website worked closely with bands in the past, its new endeavor as a show booker has heightened these relationships.

The Dark Paragon, according to DiCriscio, is now more of a community than ever before.

In addition to the website’s new purpose as a show booker, Estrada and DiCriscio aim to branch off into new territory as an independent record label as well.

“We are planning on collaborating with Jeff Rattay of Tall Man Studio, his company [with which] he records local artists. We’re going to bring our artists to him, he’s going to record them, and then bring his artists to us so we can promote them,” DiCriscio said. “In the future we’re planning on branching off into our own [independent] record label, so working with Jeff will be a really important experience.”

The Dark Paragon provides new opportunities for local artists to get their names out, promote their music and play local shows. Although maintaining the site has been a lot of work for DiChrisio and Estrada, the duo ultimately believes that their efforts are worth it, because all groups start somewhere.

Morganti influences Foundations of Art graffiti unit loves so much.

“It’s a style that’s very popular with young people,” Calnon-Buote said. “I want to motivate people to learn the principals of design and the way to do that is to use something they’re interested in.”

Although a good idea at heart, Morganti felt the unit did not accomplish what he wanted.

with its street roots. Primarily, he said that the new unit focused more on getting the letters to Eastside Staff have that signature street look.

Calnon-Buote explained that the unit was first It is safe to say that most artists at East dress taught to art students who were not ready for in a unique way. Artists may often be seen wearthe complexity of the design without first learning some quirky quarter-sleeve with a design no ing the principles and elements of art. This year’s one has seen before, or perhaps they have dyed Advanced Foundations class was more apt for the their hair an eccentric color. What most peochallenge. ple don’t expect an artist to be sporting is the Morganti said he felt the unit had mixed newest pair of Lebrons that came out the night results. He expressed that he was “surprised before, rocked with some True Religion Jeans by a few people and not so much by others,” as and a $300 Michael Kors watch. Chase Morsome of the students who normally do well in ganti (’16) diverges from the group because he art struggled, while others who do not thrive in represents a different type of art: the urban art found the unit to be easy. street art of graffiti.

Graffiti does not come naturally to everyone Originally from Holabird, MD, Morganti and requires much practice in to order perfect carries the city’s urban flare with him. He the art. Morganti, someone who clearly has the comes from a city where kindergarteners wear skill, is always practicing. He keeps a leatherJordans, the community bleeds purple for the bound book with him at all times that contains Baltimore Ravens and graffiti is everywhere. his designs.

“I always saw it on trains in my town. I liked Morganti mixes the style he learned in Maryit, so I met this kid in my school and he taught land with the style he has learned in his time me,” said Morganti. living here. His pieces are a true expression of Morganti began his graffiti career at the his feelings. According to Morganti, if he feels Courtesy of Chase Morganti (‘16) age of 12. Now, his pieces hang in the art room happy, his pieces are likely to come out more Morganti’s art reflects how he feels. at East for all to see. “bubbly and colorful.” If he is mad, he is more Morganti is a returning member of the likely to produce something edgier with more Foundations of Art class at East. Last year, he “Last year’s unit wasn’t focused on the letters, angles and rigid corners. helped launch the first graffiti unit. Ms. Bernait was [more] on geometry,” said Morganti.

Although street art is often considered vandette Calnon-Buote, East Foundations of Art Morganti led this year’s graffiti unit in Addalism, it is an art which, if harnessed correctly, teacher, thought it would be a good idea to dedivanced Foundations of Art in an effort to fineexpresses a message. One of very few words, Morcate a unit to the urbanized art that Morganti tune the class to truly keep the graffiti in touch ganti uses his art to express how he truly feels.

■ By Ben Silvert (‘16)

Out of the Vault: The Atari gaming system makes a comeback ■ By Jared Fisch (‘18) Eastside Staff

You may be familiar with Ms. Pac Man, Space Invaders and Frogger, but where did those games come from, and where are they now? These were some of the most popular games that many played on the highly acclaimed Atari gaming system. This gaming system revolutionized the world of entertainment. It all started in 1972 when Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney created Atari.

Atari began selling Pong arcade machines, each going for a hefty $1,095. Pong is a two-dimensional simulation of table tennis. These games are the giant, free-standing, clunky games that can be found at arcades.

In 1977, the Atari 2600, a home

video game console, was released.

This console included a joystick controller. The Atari 2600 was so innovative that it was even inducted into the National Toy Hall Of Fame in 2007. Atari was so successful with the Atari 2600 that in 1982, it introduced another console, the Atari 5200 Super System. This new console had enhanced controllers with intricate features such as a start button, pause button and reset button. This paved the way for the modern controllers that are used today. Atari kept progress moving, releasing the Atari 7800 Prosystem in 1984.

Atari has been through ups and downs, including when the company almost went out of business in 1983, but it survived and

is still around today. The company even released the Atari Flashback 5 this past October in retailers like Toys R Us, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond and Dollar General—but you will not find it for a dollar there.

This console is priced at around 40 dollars. The console includes a whopping 92 games, including the classic Space Invaders.

Although Atari was first released in the 1980s, the company has kept up with modern times. Atari released an iPhone app called Atari’s Greatest Hits that can be found in the Apple App Store for free. Although the app only includes one game, “in-app” purchases are

available allowing one to play all 100 of the games.

With great hits come copiers.

Check the App Store and search Crossy Road. Does something seem similar? Crossy Road is almost an exact replica of Frogger. Even today people are basing their ideas off these classic games, and they are having major success.

Atari has come an extremely long way from its original 2600 console.

Even in today’s app-centric generation, the Atari lives on through companies like Microsoft and Nintendo that innovate just like Atari did. Atari is the grandfather of video games and its legacy lives on.

Although modern gaming consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation have stolen the show, they owe it all to Atari.

Out of the Vault logo by Helena Sirken (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

UNDERGROUND

Page 18

EASTSIDE

February 2015

Don Giovanni Records maintains DIY values ■ By Julia Rothkoff (‘16)

Eastside Underground Editor

Don Giovanni Records founder, Joseph Steinhardt, discusses the importance of independent record labels, the problem with major record labels and the digital age.

Julia Rothkoff: Can you give me some history on the label?

Joseph Steinhardt: I started about 12 years ago when I was in college. I started going to shows and being a part of the local music community when I was in high school in New Brunswick, mostly. I wasn’t really putting out records, and then in college, I helped a friend’s band of mine release one of their records and then I kind of just kept doing that.

JR: What made you want to start a label? Was there a certain band that started their own label, and you were like ‘Wow, I want to do this too’?

JS: It actually felt kind of like a necessity. A lot of my favorite bands at the time from New Brunswick didn’t have any distribution, and they didn’t really have a label.

This was before digital music.

JR: Do you sign only local bands?

JS: For the first ten years, we were only doing local bands from New Brunswick and the surrounding areas, which were a lot of the bands that played in New Brunswick, but lived in Brooklyn, or sometimes they lived in Asbury Park. We were only doing bands from a 100-mile radius around New Brunswick. And then about two years ago, we started doing bands that sort of shared our bands’ independent values and DIY values. They were from all over the place.

We have a band from D.C. on the label. We have a band from Wisconsin. These are bands that we’ve known for years that have been touring with our bands, and just live where we live, and so we were like, why not just bring them into our family?

JR: Are you guys completely independent?

JS: Yeah. That’s the most important value for me and all of our bands is maintain-

ing independence from major cooperations.

JR: What do you guys think of the major labels? Do you look down upon them?

JS: Yes. They abuse their power, and they would like to crowd out and shut down the alternative voices. I think that’s terrible. I’m trying to use language that is fitting for a high school newspaper, or any newspaper really. I have major problems with the way that the major labels operate, and I always have. The internet was supposed to offer this alternative and level playing field.

And actually, it’s becoming a little bit worse because of these technological barriers to entry now—worse than it used to be. They are offering potentially more control for the major labels. I understand that they’re always going to be big.

We don’t put out pop music, but they actually abuse their power to try to—they would actually like to destroy all of the alternative independent labels if they could. I even mean big, independent labels, not just small ones like us.

Really

that starts with you, the consumer. They are giving you a world of no choices, basically in the alternative.

JR: As a label, what do you feel is your primary job?

JS: I basically try to support and give artists the ability to create their art. Basically, I see my goal as a label the same as I did twelve years ago. It’s just getting things made that wouldn’t normally be made and helping bands out, giving sort of a voice that they might not otherwise have, and of

course treating them fairly. A lot of times in return for giving you a voice, someone is actually trying to take control of your work. We do not do that. And so, I think it’s important to actually provide an opportunity and a model where artists can b e helped without giving up control of their freed o m , and

b e ing able to just focus on creating their music. So, that’s been the goal of the label since its inception, basically.

JR: Do you feel that it’s important to have all of these independent labels when you can just go home and record yourself on your computer and post it on YouTube? You don’t really need to have the promotion that a label would give you. Do you think it’s still important to have independent labels?

JS: Right now, I would still say yes. I think the truth is that labels might actually become even more important as a result of that. My role has already changed a lot from when I first started and digital stuff wasn’t— it existed, but no one was listening essentially to punk music digitally. Now, I don’t think that because it’s so easy for everyone to record and get their music on YouTube or Bandcamp or whatever they want to use. There is actually a need for more gatekeepers, for lack of a better word. A lot of times, you’ll have someone that’s like ‘I made a really great YouTube record, and I want to do more with my band, but I can’t afford to do it,’ so we’re able to give them money to make their record, and money so that they can go on a tour. We’re able to give them money and hire them someone to help promote their band in any way they need. In some ways, it’s just that. So anyone can create, and I think that’s

beautiful and that’s the dream of DIY. So, the truth is that a lot of bands that needed labels, like mine a long time ago, no longer do. But then, my label has a different role now than it did a long time ago, also. That’s the thing, our label may have never existed if I was your age, and I was growing up in this world. The original bands that we were trying to support were the types of bands I’m talking about right now who could have just put their stuff on Bandcamp, and that would have been it. And that would have been all that we wanted— just a w a y f o r people to hear our music.

But now, I’m working with a different group of bands. I’m working with artists that are trying to make a living off their music. I’m working with artists that are trying to compete with bands on the major labels without having to succumb to them. For that, you still kind of need a label behind you, but not everyone needs a label the way everyone used to need a label at one point.

JR: Do you feel like the digital age of music has affected your business? Do you feel like fewer people are signing to your label or want to sign to any label?

JS: I think people actually need a label now more than ever. I’m finding a lot of people that are like what you’re saying; they started on their own, and then they’re realizing that you can get pretty far on your own, but you can only get so far on your own and then you need help, and we’re here to help. A lot of times the people that are there to help you aren’t actually there to help you. They’re there to co-op what you’ve worked on and take a lot of money from it and try to control you. So, I think people like coming to us because we’re actually here to try to help you to start and bring you to that next level. If anything, we’ve been working with more and more bands, not less. I can’t tell you what the future will hold, but I think right now, it’s harder without a label.

All scanned music formats by Liza Rothkoff (‘16)/ Eastside Entertainment Editor

Seclusiasis Records releases a wide variety of EDM ■ By Ethan Tinkelman (‘16)

Eastside Radio Manager

Gair Marking and Paul Geissinger, commonly known as Dev79 and DJ Starkey, are co-owners and co-managers of Seclusiasis Records. A little over a decade ago, Marking was hosting events in Philadelphia when he booked and met Geissinger.

Immediately, they realized that if they joined forces, they would be able to begin something great, thus creating Seclusiasis Records. Initially the duo would book artists to host musical events; however, they started hosting fewer events when they began to create an electronic music record label.

Over the years, the duo has hired many others who passionately contributed to the business and helped form new ideas for records to be released. The label focuses on electronic music but encompasses many sub-genres and unique sounding records.

“We release a wide variety of electronic music, which has many hybrid and diverse influences,” Marking said.

Much of the music is bass music, centered around 140 BPM (beats per minute).

In 2006, the label released the first series of Street Bass Anthems, which has proven to be very successful and caused the label to release a few editions of Street Bass Anthems every year since then. Branched off of this series are the Street Bass Bootlegs,

which have a fourth volume being released soon.

Seclusiasis has signed artists from all over the world, such as Knight Riderz, Kastle and Darren Keen.

Seclusiasis’ latest release is the 160 BPM compilation, which was released in the beginning of December in 2014. Since this latest compilation sparked a lot of interest, the label plans to release a 100 BPM compilation by late winter or early spring in 2015. The label hopes to discover more talented artists and help them succeed, such as Howie Lee from Shanghai, China.

All of Seclusiasis’s releases are on international music sources, such as iTunes, Spotify and SoundCloud.

UNDERGROUND

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Unable Records brings punk rock to Cherry Hill ■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

Eastside Community Editor

Through their dominating prosperity, mainstream labels have diminished the importance of independent labels. As intimate music experiences have been largely de-emphasized in the music world, consumers have steadily decreased their desire to purchase from the more undergroundinfluenced indep e n d e n t labels.

In a world so fixated on the popular music genres, mainstream music labels have remained prominent.

Nevertheless, Mike Ransom and Jason Rusch, owners of Unable Records, work to demolish this growing acceptance of a blatant misconception within the music industry.

Although only located in the suburban Cherry Hill, the studio is professionally designed, comparative to that of the superb recording studios located throughout the music capitals of the world. Utilizing intricately designed ceilings specifically constructed to improve sound, Master Sound Engineer and co-owner, Rusch, has re-established the importance of seemingly trivial details, which are exclusively found at closely bred independent record labels.

“If you notice all the walls in this building and the ceiling, are all shaped kind of [weirdly]. Jason built [this studio].

Each wall is at an angle, to get the truest sound quality out of the room,” said Ransom.

Rusch also commented on the sound parameters of the room, displaying himself as a true Master Sound Engineer.

“So, basically, exactly what you hear in here is what you truly sound like. This causes the frequency to breathe and expand through the monitors,” said Rusch.

Originally from the South

Jersey area, owner Mike Ransom traveled throughout his high school days playing in a punk rock band named Point Blank. By the early 2000s, Ransom had moved to Jacksonville, Florida and had begun his life as an air traffic controller. Ransom’s wife pushed him to pursue a hobby, and he instantly knew getting back into the music industry was his best option, he said.

“I felt like gett i n g b a c k into the [mus i c ] scene, a n d starting the record l a b e l was the best way to show my love for music,” said Ransom. “I had a friend that had started a label 10-15 years earlier, called Fake Chapter Records, so I had someone to go to... to kind of mentor me.”

In 2007, Ransom founded Unable Records in Jacksonville, Florida. His two business partners were also air traffic controllers with a strong love of punk rock music.

“It’s really, really hard to make money as an independent record label,” said Ransom. “In 2007, CDs were still the way to go, so there was a huge upfront cost… so we did a split [album] with 14 songs on it and we did really well.”

Moving a few years forward to 2010, Ransom then decided to move back to the Garden State, as a last-ditch effort to keep his music dreams alive.

Struggling to find a way to keep the record label alive, Ransom feared that nothing could re-incite the former drive found within the label.

While looking at local bands to do projects and browsing various recording studios, Ransom found Rusch. According to Ransom, the two men talked for hours upon their meeting.

“We knew right away that we worked very well together and that we were going to be best buds,” said Ransom. “It’s pretty rare to find that in the music industry. Usually, you

don’t have true friends—only acquaintances.”

Rusch and Ransom decided to work together, and out of necessity, formed Unable Distribution, a supplement company to the original Unable Records.

Originally using a third party for distribution, Rusch and Ransom later realized that the best option was to cut out the middleman and do the distribution themselves, utilizing their own software.

Rusch and Ransom had to deal with a quickly changing musical landscape as well. According to Ransom, YouTube was initially a very scary tool of the Internet. When he started, Napster, iTunes and CDs were the three truly prominent music sources. Before, the business model was extremely simple to figure out.

“In a very short amount of time everything changed in the music industry,” said Ransom.

“So I think a lot of independent record labels are hesitant to embrace that change, simply because they don’t know how to work it into their company.”

Ransom spoke on the importance of establishing true fans as well.

“From my personal experience, with independent music, if you create a true fan, if you create somebody who truly, emotiona l l y i n vests i n your m u s i c , they are going to support you. Not because they have to, but because they want to,” said Ransom.

Rusch stressed the importance of physical records to the music industry as well. The warmth and body of a song virtually disappears when heard through an MP3 as opposed to a CD. On a CD, the highquality .WAV files develop a more sincere sound, producing a fuller music experience.

Digital audio must be doubled in order for the human

to hear it, thus adding to the several reasons why MP3s do not produce the truest sound.

Vinyl is truly the best way to gain the truest sound in music, said Rusch.

“Vinyl is actually the vibration of sound,” said Rusch.

“Some people don’t appreciate it for the crackle and pop sound it produces, but it’s what I grew up on.”

Initially, Ransom solely recorded punk records, as he was afraid of failing the band. According to Ransom, Rusch truly expanded Ransom’s musical parameters, teaching Ransom that he could record more artists than exclusively punk rock albums. “[Rusch] is much more diversely founded in music than I am. He was in a great heavy metal band called Sapphic Ode, so he really expanded my original thoughts on who I could sign to a label,” said Ransom.

Originally, Ransom used to turn away artists who weren’t fitting into his specific niche genre. However, he realized his specific tastes were too small-minded and that recording other styles of music would actually work out more positively for Unable Records.

“Now I can appreciate a lot more types of music, than I could at the time.

We’ve r e corde d even dance music here at this point, which at one point I could never understand, as it was the farthest thing from punk rock as possible,” said Ransom.

Ransom signs artists located all around the world, including areas such as Japan, Russia and Germany. Although only located at a small studio in Cherry Hill, Ransom and Rusch spread their positivity and love for music across broad horizons, much farther than simply this suburban area.

Mint 400 Records adjusts to the digital world ■ By Liza Rothkoff (‘16)

Eastside Entertainment Editor

Mint 400 Records was founded in 2007 in North Jersey by Neil Sabatino of the band Fairmont. Sabatino created a record label in order to have 100 percent control over his own band’s releases. Not only did he want to release his band’s records, but he also wanted to release the music digitally.

“As the digital age of music showed no signs of slowing, it became less and less important to put out CDs. So, I wanted to start a digital record label,” said Sabatino.

Sabatino hoped to produce, mix, engineer and master records by opening up his own label. He also wanted to start his own label due to an experience he had when he was younger.

“I was on a large label when I was younger and the owner told me, ‘We put the records on the shelf and that’s it, so don’t ask us to book a tour or anything.’

That crushed me. That is the main reason why I started a label,” said Sabatino.

Although Mint 400 Records has done vinyl and CD releases in the past for special projects, it mostly functions as a digital label. By functioning as a digital label, bands do not have to worry about paying off the money spent on physical products, such as CD and vinyl.

“I like to take chances on bands that I feel have potential, and if we were dealing in physical records, I wouldn’t be able to do that,” said Sabatino.

Sabatino works as owner and worker of Mint 400 Records with occasional help from other companies that will assist him with certain aspects of the label, such as radio

campaigns and licensing. He also works closely with the bands he signs in order to create an album to the band’s liking.

“We try to never waste money on anything that we can do ourselves, and if it’s something we don’t know much about, we investigate and learn how to do it for ourselves,” said Sabatino.

Although Sabatino’s label is based out of North Jersey, he does not just focus on signing local bands. Mint 400 Records has bands from the United Kingdom, Canada and throughout the United States.

Sabatino’s interest in the label stems from his love for music. The label strives to reward good music and songwriting.

“We don’t care if you [have] never played a show and only make records in your bedroom. We are concerned about one thing, finding great musicians and releasing their records.”

Page 19

Page 20

HUMOR EASTSIDE

February 2015

What’s so funny?

Eastside Humor has moved online! eastside-online.org

COMICS

February 2015

EASTSIDE

The Pest Problem in the Millers’ Home

by Ben Abbaszadeh (‘15)/ Eastside Staff

Winter Break by Julie Benbassat (‘15)/ For Eastside

609-315-1858

Suite 305

Page 21

SPORTS Students manage the wrestling mat Page 22

EASTSIDE

The most common tasks out of the multitude of duties given to the Eastside Sports Editor managers are cleaning the mats, filling the water bottles, doing the Managers. The unspoken prebasics of taking care of injuries and venters of disorder and the helpers keeping stats. who aid in keeping all “We do whatever the things team-related team needs us to do,” said running smoothly.

Iantosca.

They have numerous Most of the managers are responsibilities that veterans of the job. Ryker revolve around making has been filling wrestlers’ it easier for the coaches water bottles and cleaning and the team so that mats since seventh grade the team can focus on at Beck Middle School. winning.

“I’ve done it for so long East’s wrestling that it has become a big managers, Laura part of my life,” said RykNichter (’17), Natalie er.

Tagland (’17), Marisa The wrestling managers’ Beauchemin (’17), job is not always rainbows Nicky Iantosca (’17), and butterflies. Wrestling Eiryne Baker (’17), is a physical competition Maddie Ryker (’17) and of hand-to-hand combat Bonnie Zheng (’15), deriving from the ancient know the importance Greeks. It is just a part of of their job. the job for the managers to Wrestling is a masee bones break and blood jor commitment, not drawn. just for the coaches Nichter said, “The worst and athletes, but also thing I saw was someone Luke Hinrichs (‘17)/ Eastside Sports Editor snap their arm in half.” for the managers. For the wrestlers, the time East wrestling managers Eiryne Baker (‘17), Nicky Iantosca (‘17), Laura Nichter (‘17) and Just as the managers spent practicing and Bonnie Zheng (‘15) prep the wrestling mat for practice as part of their job. support the team, students competing is all part of can come out to support the the sport. For the manyoung East wrestling team agers, the time they spend is volunto their job is tested, as some tourthere making sure everything was at matches and tournaments as it tary. Their school day does not end naments can last up to nine hours. in order. rebuilds.

■ By Luke Hinrichs (‘17)

at the bell but after the late buses leave. On average, on the weekdays, these managers get home at 5:45 p.m.

However, when the team has an event, these managers’ commitment

February 2015

For the Nottingham Tournament on December 20, 2014, the managers arrived at East at 6:30 a.m., got to the tournament at 8:00 a.m., and the tournament concluded at 5 p.m.

All the while, the managers were

Girls’ Varsity Basketball Update “Each player has been an integral part of our success.”

- Coach Kevin Owens

Girls’ Basketball is

Leaders on the court:

8-4 this season.

Yamie Villegas (‘16) averaging 15 points per game.

Aliyah Godwin (‘15) averaging 12 points per game.

Opponent

@Paul VI @CH West St. Hubert Camden @Kingsway @Bishop Eustace Northern Burlington Lenape @Washinton Township @Woodrow Wilson Eastern

@Seneca

Result 41-58 59-25 56-52 67-17 71-49 40-50 55-41 26-54 54-52 50-61 51-34 47-40

Rachel Becker (‘16)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Girls Varsity Basketball poses for a picture. Top left to right: Kiara Bell (‘18), Yamie Villegas (‘16), Kendall Bordman (‘15), Aliyah Godwin (‘15), Zoe Peterzell (‘16), Ally Lazarus (‘16) Bottom left to right: Dahyo Coleman (‘17), Kelly Babitz (‘17), Julie Grayson (‘17), Mikayla Davis (‘16), Emily Reisman (‘16)

SPORTS

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 23

Fitness apps fit in students’ schedules ■ By Elissa Cohen (‘18)

Eastside Staff

After the 2:30 bell, a multitude of students rush out the doors of Cherry Hill East in order to make it to the JCC to get in their daily workout. However, going to the gym is not just physical anymore—now, some gym users choose to bring their smartphones into the facility and use health and fitness applications to aid them as they run on the treadmill or lift weights.

The iPhone and Android App Stores offer many health and fitness applications that assist athletes and non-athletes alike.

Recently, the popularity of these apps has increased among everyday users.

Some people utilize these apps to track their workouts while other users purchase them to obtain healthy routines and diets.

Rebecca Borison of the Business Insider said, “Health and fitness apps are all the rage these days.”

In Borison’s article, “RANKED: The 13 Best Health and Fitness Apps,”

Screenshots by Courtney Finnegan (‘17)/ Eastside Sports Editor

App logos from left to right: Run, MyFitnessPal, Nike+ Running, Nike+ Training Club and PumpUp she said that Map My Run is the third-ranked application in the iPhone App Store’s health and fitness category. Map My Run will count calories, and along with that, will accurately track every workout.

In the Android App Store, MyFitnessPal’s bestselling application, Calorie Counter, holds the numberone spot in the health and fitness genre. Calorie Counter is awarded the Android application with the largest food database because of its 4,000,000 options.

In the article, “The Best Weight Loss iPhone and Android Apps of the Year,” Stephanie Watson said, “Users rave that [Calorie

Counter] is ‘simple,’ ‘the best calorie counter they’ve tried,’ and ‘the first diet tool that has ever worked’ for them.’”

On a national scale, these applications are used a considerable amount, but in the East community, other applications have reached their height.

Cherry High School East athlete, Vanessa Earley (‘16), plays on the Girls Varsity Soccer Team and enjoys the assistance of applications as she trains during preseason and stays in shape during the off-season.

Earley said that she prefers to use Nike’s applications over the other options.

“I usually use Nike Run

and Nike Training. Nike Run helps me keep track of how far I have run, and Nike Training has cardio workouts or lifting workouts to help me build muscle,” said Earley.

East athletes are not the only students in the school who benefit from these applications proposed in the world of technology.

Shabathya Augustine (’18) said she has never participated in a team-sport in her life, but she often goes to the gym in order to stay fit. The students at Cherry Hill East who do not play a team sport not only use these applications to give themselves a workout summary, but they use them as

a source of incentive.

“I use the app Pump Up, and I use it for inspiration.

It is sort of like Instagram, but for the gym. [Pump Up] inspires you to work out and get fit; it gives you different tips and strategies,” said Augustine.

Throughout the East community, students of all athletic abilities come to realize that a little help can go a long way. Whether it is a computerized voice encouraging them to finish the last mile, or numbers informing them about how many calories they have lost, athletic applications are a beneficial contribution to every teenager’s health and well-being.

What’s going on in your head?

Fatigue

Memory Loss

37% of

students have experienced undeclared but serious injuries

9

Dizz

ines

s

bel6% ing ieve of s wo a s tha tude con rth port t pl nts cus the is aysio risk n of a

Hea

dac

27% of East

students have received one or more concussions

Blackouts Ringing in the ears

hes

Nausea

d re h r u Sl peec S

Vestibular Issues

Art by Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

SPORTS This is your brain healthy without a

February 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 24

The blue on this diagram represents healthy brain functions, the functions an unimpared student would have.

However, it is estimated that over 140,000 high school athletes across the United States suffer at least one concussion each year.

concussion

■ By Ben Goldsmith (‘18) Eastside Staff

Brain injuries are an ongoing issue in professional, college and high school sports. Acording to the National Federation of State High School Associations, concussions occur most frequently in football, but boys’ ice hockey, boys’ lacrosse, girls’ soccer, girls’ lacrosse and girls’ basketball follow closely behind.

According to the University of Pittsburgh Brain Trauma Research Center, the likelihood of suffering a concussion while playing a contact sport is estimated to be as high as 19 percent per year of play.

East’s football team is often affected by concussions.

A survey of high school sports-related injuries compiled by researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health shows that footballrelated concussions are on the rise. In 2005, there were 55,007 reported concussions from football games and practice. By 2012, that number had more than tripled to 167,604.

Estimates show that between four and 20 percent of college and high school football players will sustain a brain injury over the course of one season. The risk of concussions in football is three to six times higher in players who have had a previous concussion.

This is why East takes concussions so seriously. Although many sports manufactures and football helmet companies are constantly testing the limits on how safe their products can be, none can completly prevent concussions.

According to Riddell, the manufacturer of East’s footbll helmets and their Speed Revolution helmet line’s warning label, “No helmet can prevent serious head…injuries…while participating in football.”

East Trainer, Scott Hatch, who works closely with the football team, said that some of the first steps to determining if a player has a concussion occurs right on the field. This includes checking the player’s neurological state by looking for key symptoms such as “dizziness, loss of consciousness [and] headaches,” Hatch said.

A concussion does not take long to settle into an athlete’s brain after receiving a blow. In fact, just after a play has ended and there is sign that a player is down, medical staff are immediately rushed on the field to treat the player. The player will then be examined by trainers.

After the first response on the field, trainers such as Hatch will conduct many different tests to get a feel of just how bad the concussion really is. These tests can seem very simple: for example, just opening a door. However, if a player is concussed, this can be very difficult for him, showing how the concussion impacted his fine motor skills and that the player needs further medical attention. In the long-term recovery state, athletes should get plenty of rest refraining from many things.

“No TV, phone, Internet…no homework, no reading [and overall] nothing that stimulates the brain, causing it to work excessively,” said Hatch. “Especially being enclosed in a dark area, giving the brain the proper rest that it needs,” Hatch said.

As far as recovery goes, rest is the only thing that can treat a concussion.

In the past 20 years, concussion understanding has come a long way. Before the new millennium, “concussion used to be graded on a scale of one-twoand three,” said Hatch.

On this scale, grade three meant that the player was unconscious and could not return to the game of play, and in result would be sat out. And grade one meant the athlete could return to play in a matter of minutes. However, nowadays, all concussions are seen as traumatic brain injuries and no athletes are allowed to return to a sport until a doctor has taken a look at the player. The doctor will then diagnose the player with a concussion or clear him or her for play. If the player is diagnosed with a concussion, the school must then follow state and national protocol.

In sports, concussions are a traumatic yet common occurrence. At East, the school provides organized steps that leads to a quick diagnosis and give the athlete the best chance for recovery. As the understanding of this injury evolves, East will remain consistent in training and practicing the newest ways to prevent and treat the concussions that student athletes sustain.

Photo illustration by Lucy He (‘15)/ Eastside Staff