Eastside: March 2015

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 49 No. 5

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

Strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, blackberries and red peppers are among essentials in a healthy diet.

March 2015

Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

Eastside investigates the sudden emergence of healthy restaurants throughout the local area

Some people also attribute the ever-growing desire and achievement of good health to the haunting consequences of unhealthy Healthy. Fit. Thin. Much promieating. The negative effects began nence has suddenly been placed on traumatizing the American nation these terms. Accentuating a welldating back to the early 2000’s, acconditioned human being, these cording to Kaufman. American life words demonstrate the continually was forever changed upon the imaccumulating salubrious outlook of mense surge in U.S. obesity rates.

American society. Certainly there is The nationwide epidemic distinctly nothing wrong with a healthy lifeidentified the United States as a nostyle. A healthier body in fact optitoriously unhealthy country. mizes quality of life as well as life Worldwide, a mere 37 percent of span. Yet, the sudden emergence of adults are obese, whereas in the the trend has felt like a quite astonU.S., a disconcerting 66 percent of ishing blow. Where has this newadult citizens are obese. Worsening fangled fascination with health the severity of the situation, 29 pertruly stemmed from? cent of American juveniles were obIt seems that there is no one anserved as obese, a staggeringly high swer to this question. Yet, it seems value in comparison to the 13 pera big contributor to the decent of the sire for a healthier diet has entire globe. initiated from the looming The stagthreat of obesity. gering numDr. Steve Kaufman, a lobers only cal endocrinologist, directly pale in comsees these health issues parison to on a daily basis. Kaufman the 3.4 milrepeatedly treats patients lion deaths with diabetes, specifically which octhose with self-induced diacurred in betes II due to unhealthy 2010 worldeating habits.

Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art wide.

“I think everyone wants Becoming Director to live a healthier lifestyle, Peppers and broccoli are of great prevbut it becomes somewhat two of the top ten foods for alence durconfusing as to what exactly vitamin C. ing the latter is healthy,” said Kaufman. years of 2008, Kaufman further commented on the fear of obesity undoubtedly has the emerging health restaurants’ increased interest in a healthier hybrid nature of providing a diverse lifestyle. range of meal options.

Kevin Leighmanuell, Animo “Just say you go to Healthy Garrestaurant manager of the local den. Two of the people there may Haddonfield location, insisted that get healthy options, but the others Americans’ desire for a fitter lifecan just as easily get french fries or style is not merely a recent developburgers,” said Kaufman. “The few ment, but one which has been fospeople who wish to eat healthier tered over the past decade. food options often drive which res“Our business started about ten taurant the rest of their friends go years ago, so we really had to wait to.” for people to start getting back into ■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

Eastside Community Editor

Inside This Issue

East students start their own charity News/Features, Pg. 2

a healthy lifestyle,” said Leighman“I would choose organic [food] uell. “So I’d say really in the past over anything,” said Emilia Panera year, it’s been getting busier and (‘16). busier.”

These agrarian ideals actually Americans are not only conderive from those of the once thrivcerned with receiving the correct ing Democratic-Republican Party. balance of foods to properly satisfy So now it suddenly seems as though their dietary needs. Instead, the US the Jeffersonian Era is re-emerging desires more. Citizens desire organin current society. Have a bunch of ic foods. history connoisseurs planned this Organic foods were once a rarity re-emergence? Or, is there somethat had to be thing more? sought out at Jules Thin Curst a health store. particularly prides itIronically, over self on accommodating a short span of people with all health four years, one needs, no matter how would now find diverse those needs it strange to may be. not come across “I think what sepaorganic foods at rates us from other the vast majorstores is that we offer ity of commermore health-conscious cial supermarsaid Drew Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art foods,” kets.

Director DuBoff (‘15), an East Organic farm- Purple fruits and vegetables student and Jules eming strongly are jam-packed with antiox- ployee. “We have glustresses pure ag- idants. ten-free, dairy-free and ricultural farmserve people who have ing practices, utidifferent health disorlizing a strong fertilizer and fertile ders so it makes them feel more soil. Although many Americans are comfortable when eating.” uncertain of the precise definition America, specifically the local of “organic” foods, many prefer the faction of Cherry Hill, has been profresh food in comparison to less gressively becoming more aware complex, fast food options. and health conscious due to sevProviding organic food options is eral factors including obesity and a key emphasis at the majority of a desire for not only “low-calorie,” healthy food restaurants. It often is but also nutritious food items. This what the majority of healthy food has led to an influx of healthy resrestaurants clarify as what makes taurants throughout the area, ulthem unique compared to all other timately leading to an increasing restaurants. public emphasis on healthy meal “Everything that we sell here is options, which will not be forgotorganic,” said Vicki Goldwasser, ten.

Jules Thin Crust manager. “We Healthy food items can be even have organic crust.” inexpensive! Eastside Though many Americans are unpurchased all of the food sure of what exactly organic foods are, it appears that in the Cherry displayed on the front page Hill area, an organic lifestyle is and the center pages strongly desired. (pgs. 10-11) for only $36.24.

Drexel University student releases album Underground, Pg. 14

Boys’ Swimming wins state title Sports, Pg. 20

NEWS/FEATURES

Page 2

EASTSIDE

March 2015

Checkoffs prioritize philanthropy over profit ■ Rachel Brill (‘15)

Eastside Staff

Cole Checkoff (’17) is passionate about business, but his greatest pleasure lies in doing community service. He and his sister Lilly Checkoff (’18) run a nonprofit organization, Tools For School, which raises money to buy school supplies for children in need.

What started off as Lilly’s Bat Mitzvah project soon grew into a larger organization.

“When we saw how big of an impact we were making, we decided to make it an annual thing,” said Lilly.

Tools For School has already grown larger over the past few years.

“Last year we were able to fill a baseball diamond with backpacks. We had 40 volunteers come out that day and help us fill the backpacks,” Cole said. “This year as a goal we hope to purchase and fill 500 backpacks.”

Tools for School partners with many organizations to deliver the backpacks, including the Jewish Federation of South Jersey, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Atlantic City and Camden.

“School supplies can run 50 dollars or more per child.

That is a huge hardship on people who have a dif-

ficulty affording food,” Cole said. “You’re saving them 50 dollars and allowing them to spend it on other necessities.”

The organization has helped the Checkoffs understand the importance of community service.

“I think it’s good to do a certain amount of giving back to the community each year and this is my way of doing it,” said Lilly.

The entire Checkoff family has worked together to Courtesy of Cole Checkoff (‘17) turn Tools for Cole Checkoff (‘17) and his sister Lilly Checkoff (‘18) hold backSchool into the thriving orga- packs that they use for their organization. nization it has “My dad has always enruns A1 Snow Removal, a become. Cole couraged us to become insnow shoveling and blowand Lilly’s younger sister volved in philanthropic acing business.

Montana is planning to foltivities,” said Cole, who is “I’ve always been ambilow in her older siblings’ president of the teen board tious about making money. footsteps by doing Tools for of the Jewish Relief Agency Now I’ve taken it to the School for her Bat Mitzvah (JRA), which delivers boxes next level,” he said. project as well. Cole and of food to people in need.

“I started shoveling snow Lilly are also excited about Tools for School is not five or so years ago and I possibly starting up a Tools the only organization Cole kept saving my money to for School club at East next has helped start. He also the point where I could buy year.

From Courbevoie to CHE ■ By Steve Mirsen (‘16) Eastside News/Features Editor

Cherry Hill High School East and Lycée Paul Lapie-Courbevoie, from the city of Courbevoie, France, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the two schools’ foreign exchange program on Friday, February 20.

From 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., Cafeteria One buzzed with conversations in French and in English. Students, parents and teachers sat together to eat, talk and view presentations while East’s Flute Ensemble and String Quartet provided music.

East guidance counselor Dr. Eileen Lynch and French teacher Mrs. Kristen Phillips coordinate the trips, which occur every other year, with Lycée Paul Lapie-Courbevoie’s Monsieur Jean Pierre Gross, Professor of English at the school who took the trip with his students. Gross presented a letter from Courbevoie’s mayor, Jacuqes Kossowski, and was also presented a Key to the Township of Cherry Hill by Mayor Chuck Cahn.

The French students stay in Cherry Hill and attend classes at East for 12 days. They also stay with host families, experience American culture, practice language skills and create relationships with friends half a world away.

“It’s really cool,” said Victoria Young (’17), whose family hosted a French student. “I [got] to learn a lot of new things about France.”

The Young family hosted French student Salome Kalenska (17), who said that East is much different than school back home.

“You have more liberty here [at school] than in France. I like it here,” she said.

Victoria’s father, Cliff Young, described being a host parent as a lot of fun.

“We get the French perspective on America, [Salome] likes the Barnes Museum with all the French paintings and she likes to go shopping at the Cherry Hill Mall,” he said.

Young will find out how different the two schools are when East’s students in the exchange program travel to France on April 2, also for 12 days.

“She’s never been there, but she’s really excited to be in France,” said Kalenska.

Lynch said the trip takes “at least a year to plan… they bring an entire class, which is already determined how many kids, but we have to find the host families.”

Planning is also required to find students who want to take part in the trip to France, as well as host French students at home.

In addition, regular trip planning is required, which includes booking flights and making sure all East students, as well as Lynch and Phillips, who are also traveling to France, have host families to stay with during their stay in Courbevoie.

Kalenska also said that she thinks the trip to France will be a very enjoyable experience for East students.

Lynch described the students’ experience as “life changing.”

“For many of them, it’s their first time away from home and seeing a new culture,” Lynch said. “Not just stereotypes on television, but actually experiencing something for themselves and coming to their own conclusions.”

The bonds formed and experiences had on the trip usually endure even after each student has gone back to his or her own side of the Atlantic Ocean. Phillips said that students “maintain friendships with their partners and their host families” far after the trips are over.

an ATV [all-terrain vehicle] last winter,” Cole said, “and now I’m on my first plow truck. I’d like to have a couple more trucks and grow it to a large-scale business.”

His dedication to this business also impacted his sister.

“He’s kind of an entrepreneur,” said Lilly. “He’s influenced me to want to do business.”

Cole’s involvement in DECA has been a great supplement to his interest in business.

“Last year as a freshman I [competed in] Principles of Business Administration and Management and I came in first place [regionally],” he said.

In the future, Cole wants to have a career in business, and both he and Lilly plan to continue with Tools for School as well.

“We hope to increase the amount of backpacks we get and spread it so it’s not just in New Jersey. We’re hoping to get other kids interested and create a team where they live,” said Lilly.

Already, one of the Checkoff’s family friends is doing a Tools for School drive in California.

If interested, donations to Tools for School can be made online at www.toolsforschool.org, and the organization’s email is toolsforschool.cherryhill@gmail. com.

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March 2015

NEWS/FEATURES EASTSIDE

Red and White Competition enters East

By Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)

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

Current and past school presidents talk about their time in SGA. Also, senior class president discusses his plans for the rest of this year.

T h i s year I’ve seen a lot of decline in school activities...

SGA President so I plan to change Brett Dashevsky a lot of school (‘16) events, introduce past school events that were very successful like FNL, “Friday Night Live,” we had here at East, the Wing Bowl, which was huge, and a lot of different events. We [SGA] have more to say than people think and that’s what really needs to be brought out.

I hope to still help out with w h a t B r e t t wants to do. I know he Past SGA wants to President Darren do a lot of Hwang fundraisers and (‘15) wants to plan new events. So I still hope to be very involved in SGA and our community service events.

I think we had a really successful year.

We’ve just finished our last apparel s a l e .

We sold t a n k Senior Classt o p s , President which we Sam thought Snyder would be (‘15) nice for senior trip and prom weekend when kids are down the shore. We also had what is called a blowout sale, where we sold all our leftover apparel.

This was all raising money for prom, of course.

Prom this year is May 28. It’s at The Vie, which is a really nice ballroom in Philly. They already have everything that we could really set up...so what we’re working on is our centerpieces and our decorations. We’ve had a bunch of restaurant fundraisers for that, trying to lower the prices.

Our goal is to keep it 100 dollars or lower. Right now, we’re still going back and forth, but we’re leaning towards [a] space [theme], the whole concept where last year we went “Around the World,” and this year we’re going “Out of This World.”

Photos by Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17)/ Eastside News/Features Editor

Page 3

Eastside News/Features Editor

This April, guidance counselors Mr. Darren Gamel and Mr. Bert Figueroa are looking to bring a new level of school spirit to East with an event entitled “the Red and White Competition.”

The activity will span a three-week period from April 13 to May 1, culminating in a final Red and White Night, where students from all grades come out to support their team.

Throughout the three weeks, competitions will be held to earn points. The competitions are meant to appeal to students of all interests, ranging from athletic events to intellectual competitions such as chess and trivia. During the actual Red and White Night, certain competitions will also take place.

The school is split into two teams based on last names. Students with a last name beginning with the letters A-K will become members of the Red team, and those with a last name starting with L-Z will be a part of the White team. Each team will be led by two captains per grade, under the direction of two additional overall captains, for a total of twenty captains. Senior captains may also be eligible for a 500dollar scholarship, which is an incentive for them to apply.

“They have a lot of roles and responsibilities,” said Gamel, “but mainly to make sure that those three weeks of in-school competitions are organized, attended and represented by both teams.”

These captain applications were presented immediately following the Student Government speeches for each grade level.

Gamel assured students that even if they did not want to take on the role of a captain, they could still get involved in the many competitions.

Among other commitments, captains must also provide overall leadership by encouraging school spirit and deciding on a theme for the competition.

“You need two kinds of polar opposite themes,” said Gamel.

Some examples of this may include Old School versus New School or Past versus Present.

T h e events leading up to R e d and

White Night will also connect with various activities, such as the Spring Blood Drive, by providing point incentives for the team that achieves the most success.

Gamel, who taught at Rancocas Valley High School (RV) for 15 years, was inspired to bring this high-energy competition to East after observing its success at RV. “They’ve been doing it there for 20 years. It’s hard to even describe the atmosphere,” he said. “The whole school gets into it.

It’s incredible the amount of enthusiasm and intensity they’ve got for this program.”

Gamel is working diligently to bring this same

would not be successful.

“Our school is disorganized and un-spirited,” said Kaitlyn Johnson (’17).

Many students compared this new competition to Spirit Week and considered it an unneccessary addition to the already hectic spring schedule.

“Spirit Week isn’t as successful anymore, so why would this be successful?” said Josh Salkin (’16).

In response to these complaints, Gamel said he believes that the event will get student support through the encouragement of the student captains.

“A lot of times, especially with something new like this, it takes a personal connection to want to

“We’re going to rely on those twenty captains to drum up some interest and drum up some involvement...”

- Mr. Darren Gamel intensity to East by organizing the competition for all students. The event differs from Spirit Week in that instead of grades pitted against one another, the school is split into two much larger groups.

Following the presentation of this event after the Student Government speeches for each grade level, many students voiced various concerns. In a poll conducted of 100 students, 80 perc e n t believed that t h e event

get involved,” said Gamel.

“We’re going to rely on those twenty captains to drum up some interest and drum up some involvement, because they are the ones who really have more of an impact on students.”

Gamel even hopes to take some of the elected captains to observe the Red and White Night at RV in order to gain inspiration, he said.

“Once you see it live, it’s just kind of contagious, and hopefully they can bring that contagion back and help spread that enthusiasm,”

Gamel said.

Additionally, Gamel hopes that as the event progresses, more students will get involved, he said.

“The reason that it’s spread out over three weeks is because there are so many different types of competitions. Some of the activities are multiple-day activities, like the three-on-three basketball competition,” said Gamel. “Hopefully, the more students hear about it, the more students [will] come out to the secondweek competitions that are going on or to get involved somehow. Hopefully it will work in our favor.”

Due to the absence of a contract this school year, many clubs have had to cancel meetings when teachers did not stay after school, and certain events, such as Coffee House, could not happen. Red and White competition events, however, will continue to occur both during school and after school hours, despite the contract situation, said Gamel.

Students have complained that this is unfair for the clubs that can no longer hold meetings.

“The activities that are after school are mainly [things like] poster decorating for the final night. That kind of thing has to be done after school, and that’s something that because of the contract situation, Mr. Figueroa and I have just taken on ourselves, in terms of supervising,” said Gamel. “This whole competition has been in the works for well over a year, well before we had any contract issues and before we had restrictions, and it’s also part of our growth plan as counselors to create this program.”

While students understand the Red and White events have been planned for a long time now, many still believe it is unfair that the Red and White events are receiveing precedence over other events and are allowed to continue after school hours. Still, some students believe that the competition will bring excitement to East.

“All the grades could compete with each other, and it would be really fun,” said Danielle Sheppard (’17). “The people who competed in Spirit Week would probably compete in these events too.”

Throughout the three-week period, the success of this competition will rely on the participation and enthusiasm of East students.

Sydney Steele (‘16)/ Eastside Staff

Students on opposing teams compete for a chance to win East’s first-ever Red and White Competition.

NEWS/FEATURES

Page 4

EASTSIDE

March 2015

“Anything Goes” combines dance, song and acting

Megan Rose (‘17)/ Eastside Staff

Students prepare for this year’s spring musial on the set of the S.S. American.

■ By Jenn Pacitti (‘17)

Eastside Staff

This year’s Spring Musical, “Anything Goes,” left the audience smiling as they left the auditorium.

The play is set in the 1930’s on a cruise ship called the S.S American.

Through dance numbers, disguises and humor, all the different individual spotlights came together in an entertaining way.

Cherry Hill East Theater Director, Mr. Tom Weaver, said that the number one reason “Anything Goes” was chosen as this year’s musical was because it was a fun production perfectly suited for the actors.

“The kids can really nail the parts,” said Weaver.

“It has turned out to be a blast…the kids have a tremendous work ethic.”

This show commented on relationships and used a lot of metaphors exclusive to

the 1930’s.

Samantha Mautner (‘16), who played Hope Harcourt in the Red cast, said, “Some of the lines made me laugh out loud, and each character is special in their own unique way. There are so many different personalities in this show, so it’s impossible to get bored.”

A unique aspect of the show included the rigorous tap dance numbers performed during songs throughout the musical.

Drew DuBoff (‘15), who played Lord Evelyn Oakliegh in the Red cast, said, “To get so many people tapdancing and make it come together was an unbelievable feat to accomplish.”

Although rehearsals began in the cafeteria due to scheduling issues, the cast persevered through the inconvenience of slippery floors.

“The tap dancing in the show [was] incredible. I

personally don’t have a lot of tap experience, but [I learned] so much along the way. When you see the full ensemble on stage tapping it is truly incredible,” said Allison Shapiro (‘17), a dance captain and White cast angel for the show.

Many audience members enjoyed the tap dancing.

Sam Brenner (‘17) said, “Because all the actors learned to tap dance together, it was very impressive and very fun to watch.”

Preparation for a musical like “Anything Goes” required many more aspects of talent than putting on a play.

Spencer Lincoln (‘17), who played Reno Sweeney in the White cast, said, “In a play you are acting with a great emotion whether it’s a drama or comedy. In a musical you add to that singing, and dance. Sometimes you are acting, singing and dancing all at once.”

A musical like this required much more time and energy for the ensemble.

There was a huge set for this show, the opposite of the fall play, “Our Town,” so the crew had to work very hard as well, said Mautner.

Another stark contrast from the fall play lied in presentation. While “Our Town” was acted out with a high emphasis on dialogue and imaginary props, “Anything Goes” was a much louder production. Musical numbers on an elaborate set, combined with difficultto-learn but show-stealing tap dances, made the show not only rewarding for the audience but also for the hard working cast.

“This musical does what all musicals should do,” said Jacob DeBlecourt (‘16), who played Moonface Martin in the Red cast. “It combined a hilarious story with big, splashy dance numbers.

One of my favorite aspects

of the musical would be its Vaudevillian style of comedy. It’s full of fun gags and punchlines that I love.”

With standing ovations after each act, the musical was well received by the audience.

“The play went very well and the cast did an excellent job,” said DuBoff. “Everyone left feeling happy because going to see the show is a really good respite from whatever is happening in life.”

While the performances have ended, both the cast and crew are extremely satisfied with such a successful show.

“As part of the tech crew, it was rewarding to see the final product turn out so well,” said Ben Vaupen (‘17). “Everything paid off in the end.”

Well-performed and well-received, “Anything Goes” was a success for the Theatre Department.

Character at East implemented in new ways Drew Hoffman (‘18) ■ By

Eastside Staff

Cherry Hill East has welcomed a new addition this school year, and it is the “Character Education Students of the Month.”

Students who win this award exhibit “great character,” said East guidance counselor Mrs. Carly Friedman, and students who go by “E-A-S-T,” or “E-empathy, A-academic excellence, S-self-respect, and T-teamwork.”

The idea to start up this program came over the summer, when Friedman heard two teachers discussing ways of taking a bigger and better character education initiative at East. This is when she stepped in.

“I remember when I was in high school I helped take pictures of Student Athletes of the Week, where different athletes were recognized,” said Friedman. “I thought it would be great to take that idea but turn it into something we could use with the character education initiative, recognizing East students of character every month.”

Students can be nominated if they show character and “E-A-S-T,” if they work diligently in and out of the classroom and if they are good role models to other students. Students have the ability to be nominated by teachers each month, creating another incentive to demonstrate good character inside and outside of the classroom.

One of the winners for the month of November, Hailey Abrams (’18), said, “The fac-

tors that I believe qualified me into being selected are that I complete all of my homework on time and I try my best on every assignment. I study hard and that shows on the outcome of my grade.”

Abrams added, “Also, I help students around me who need help.”

Students of the Month are selected for simple reasons; they help out the school in and out of the classroom.

“I would say that just by being here and exemplifying these characteristics every day, these students provide great examples for others of hard work, perseverance, kindness, empathy, etc.,” Friedman said. “Being a student of character means you have a positive impact on both students and staff and help make East a great place to be every day.”

This highly touted award could also help serve a purpose in the long run in students’ high schoool careers. The honor and accomplishment to a college resume or a job application.

Abrams disagreed with that statement.

“It’s just a recognition award. But yes, I do believe it will help me in the future because this award pushes me to work harder, knowing that my teachers think highly of me,” said Abrams.

The new Student of the Month honor is not only meant to be a friendly competition, but also meant to encourage pupils to demonstrate more acts of character within the school.

Meghna Kothari (‘15)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

This poster is hung around various places in the school to emphasize good character.

OPINIONS

March 2015

EASTSIDE

East should have a consistent reassessment policy ■ By Jesse Stiller (‘16)

Eastside Staff

For a student, failing a test can seem like the end of the world. Students at Cherry Hill East should get the chance to reassess a failed test in every class.

This will require East to implement a cohesive reassessment policy throughout the school.

For a while, reassessments have rarely been allowed, especially for students in an advanced placement class.

What is even worse is that many teachers have their own set of rules for reassessments. Not only is it a burden, but also some of these policies can be downright confusing. To end this dilemma, East should implement a uniform reassessment policy for all students and teachers.

One major problem is the discord between teachers for reassessment policies. Some teachers never offer a reassessment while others only allow it under certain circumstances.

Mrs. Marie Hunter, a special education and math teacher, said, “My reassessment policy is that it cannot be on a district assessment, must be a 70 or below, can only be on a test and only once can a student reassess on a test

for the entire marking period.”

Sometimes, a teacher has no reassessment policy under any circumstance. If a student really needs a reassessment if he or she did not understand it so

Jennifer Greenwald, an English teacher.

When students have a 70 or below in a class and are denied any chance of reassessment, they will feel discoura g e d

Ben Abbaszadeh (‘15)/ Eastside Staff

A student is happy that he improved on his retest. well the first time, or is failing the class, he or she deserves a reassessment.

Simply denying students of a helpful chance not only impacts their grades negatively but also may discourage them from the class altogether.

“Very rarely have I had a student reassess in the past 12 years,” said Mrs.

and blame themselves on how it was their own fault for failing. No student should feel discouraged because of a dysfunctional reassessment policy. Those who ask for a reassessment are strictly motivated and care about their grades.

These students also want to improve by working harder if given another

chance.

On top of the frustration, a reassessment policy may be difficult to understand for some. For example, the three reassessments that student has to take may have a different set of rules. So students may have to worry about their schedule, how many points they get back and the format of the reassessment.

Most students have differing opinions with the current state of this jumbled reassessment policy.

“I think it’s good because reassessments focus on the teachers actually teaching the student the material more clearly a second time,” said Keith Babitz (‘17). “Not just for the sake of points.”

Some argue a uniform policy may look like a “one size fits all” policy that creates boundaries that are too strict. It is not fair to a student to be denied a second chance if he or she really needs one, or if a student cannot keep up with a number of many reassessment policies.

Also, many schools around the nation are implementing uniform policies as well, to level the field for all students.

The schools need to do what is best for all students and that is to craft a fair playing field for all students who need help.

Calorie counts lead to a healthier lifestyle ■ By Brooke Greenberg (‘17)

Eastside Staff

A burger and fries is a staple meal across the country. In fact, on average, Americans eat three burgers per week. That is a national total of nearly 50 billion burgers per year.

Burgers are quick to make, cheap to buy and frankly, they are delicious. Yet, what Americans all across the country do not know is that they are blindsided by the insanely huge amounts of fats, sugars and calories these foods can bring to the table.

Popular chain restaurants, such as Panera Bread and McDonalds, now must post the calorie counts of their menus for consumers in the hopes that Americans will try to slim down and choose healthier options.

While this initiative is tedious and time-consuming, it is looking out for the best and healthiest options for the consumers, who ultimately end up bringing in the revenue for the company.

The mac and cheese meal from Panera Bread may look like a healthy option to order, with Calcium incorporated into the cheese sauce, but many people do not know that the meal contains 980 calories, not to mention the added 61 grams of fat.

Consumers are not the only people aware of the health risks of high-calorie and high-fat foods. The FDA will pose an initiative that requires all items sold in restaurants and stores to have a calorie count to make sure that consumers know exactly what they are putting into their bodies.

“The menus and menu boards will

Courtesy of www.momfavorites.com

This menu includes calorie counts so that diners can make more informed decisions when they purchase meals.

tell diners that a 2,000-calorie diet is used as the basis for daily nutrition,” said Fox News. “Additional information beyond calories including sodium, fats, sugar and other items must be available upon request.”

This new step will make more restaurateurs and franchise owners more conscious about what they are serving to their consumers.

By adding this new initiative, America is taking a new stance on becoming a healthier nation, one calorie at a time, starting with determination and motivation of stores and consumers alike.

Page 5

Kim’s Korner

■ By Sonia Kim (‘16)

Eastside Webmaster

America 2000.

Goals 2000.

No Child Left Behind. Race to the Top. Throughout the past decade, four different programs have attempted to make major strides within the American education systems. The result? Not much besides realizing the fact that education reformers have no trouble grasping the notion of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Indeed, facing the stark realities of the changes in the standards of education, Americans are noticing the trend that education reformers are constantly proposing very similar policies.

Undoubtedly, suggesting new ideas and strategies for cultivating the country’s future great minds can only help to advance society.

However, no one proposal has offered a new and effective outcome.

Ever since April of 1983 when President Ronal Reagan presented an examination of the declining state of public schools in a report titled “A Nation at Risk,” the nation has started to take big leaps in dismantling this grim picture of American education. During this process, education reformers have found themselves running a race towards enacting change to see students reach a higher level of proficiency.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average tested achievement of students graduating from college is decreasing. Thus, “tougher” standards are being placed on students in grades K-12 so that they will be prepared for their years in college. With the implementation of more rigorous procedures, the newest mission called Common Core State Standards Initiative introduced PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessments.

Across the country, teachers, parents and students have organized public rallies, fighting against the testing culture. Through increasing public activism, more groups, even in New Jersey, are forming “opt-out” groups, expressing their disapprobation towards the new PARCC assessment.

A level of shared education is essential to America.

However, it is time that legislators, administrators and officials recognize that creating the same education reforms will not benefit the system, but undermine its overall purpose. What we do need is real reform that will take power out of the government’s hands and place back into the hands of the people, the very hands to which education matters most.

OPINIONS

Page 6

EASTSIDE

March 2015

Class rank fuels an overly competitive environment ■ By Rafi Brinn (‘15)

For Eastside

“Nearly 40 percent of all high schools have either stopped ranking their students or have ceased giving that information to colleges.”

- National Association for College Admission Counseling

If the college application process were a card game, class ranks would be a simple card in a hand with hundreds. Then, why do people besides colleges value this spend eight East, especially since it is number so greatly? Who hours studyreleased in the beginning actually cares about class ing per of junior year. rank? Isn’t it just a number night, or it The initial, or often like height and age? may cause called “unofficial,” class The sad truth is that e m b a r rank does not offer stueveryone cares about class rassment to dents a proper prediction rank. Having a “good” those who do of the final ranking. The rank—and of course everynot feel that truth is, by releasing one has a different definitheir rank repthe list in November tion of “good”—does not resents of junior year, the make one a better person. their full only grades taken into Therefore, I arrive at the potential. consideration are root of the class rank Either way, that of one’s problem: its value in class rank freshman the East community. adds fuel a n d Class rank is a personal to the alsophodigit that helps define a ready more student’s academic ability c o m y e a r , in comparison to his or her petiw h i c h peers. In theory, this numt i v e is half of ber should be enclosed in envione’s ena file and only shared with r o n tire high the one student it pertains m e n t school cato. However, in practice, that is reer. the day after Guidance Cherry releases the rank, the H i l l talk is all about it.

Everyone wants to know who the “number ones” are and, let’s be honest, we all kind of want to know who number 514 is as well. Due to this widespread curiosity, class rank ends up putting more pressure on those Tammy Stahl (‘16)/ Eastside Staff students who Class rank adds unnecessary value to a student’s education.

A lot can happen during junior and senior year when students are encouraged to take more challenging classes. The unofficial class rank then will inevitably and drastically change throughout the two years.

Therefore, the premature announcement of class rank is a reason for students to feel either superior or inferior to others, which can result in hostility among peers. To summarize, the less students know about each other’s class rank, the better for the high school environment to thrive.

What is class rank?

It is a mathematical summary of a student's academic record compared to those of other students in the class. It usually takes into account both the degree of difficulty of the courses a student is taking and the grade the student earns. The compilation of courses and grades is converted to an overall grade point average (GPA), and the higher the GPA, the higher the student's class ranking.

Colleges with highest percentage of students who did not include their class rank in their applications: Kenyon College in Ohio: 60% Vanderbilt University: 57% Swarthmore College: 51 % University of Massachusetts: 51% University of Oregon: 42%

Statistics and description by the National Association for College Admission Counseling

Finals only hurt the grades of high-achieving students ■ By Kaitlyn Boyle (‘17) Eastside News/ Features Editor

Currently at East, the policy for seniors states that if a student maintains an A average for the entire year, he or she is exempt from the final exam in that class.

This stands as an incentive for seniors to continue applying themselves after receiving college acceptances.

Restricting this privilege to the seniors alone, however, depreciates the hard work that freshmen, sophomores and juniors put into their grades.

Throughout the year, students in all grades struggle to maintain acceptable averages. Certain hard-working students dedicate countless hours to schoolwork in order to secure an A average by the end of the year. This A is not to be taken lightly, as it requires a great deal of effort. Therefore, it does not seem fair that only seniors receive a reward for their accomplishments. The averages of freshmen, sophomores and juniors are no less important than those achieved by seniors, making it reasonable that these students also gain some sort of recognition other than a bumper sticker.

Finals, which account for one ninth of a final average, create greater problems than advantages. These hour-and-a-half-long tests are preceded by sleepless

nights filled with studying and countless hours of preparation. This style of learning does not demon-

“If you have an A, you’ve proven that you know the material and you don’t really need to take the final,”

dent who has worked tirelessly for an A in a class to throw it away on one final.

In most cases, students who

Screenshot by Emelia Keller (‘17)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Finals testing can only hurt students with straight A’s. strate an efficient method of testing students.

As a result, the final questions cannot be the same level of difficulty as that of a regular test due to lack of time. Students often view these answers as very straightforward. It does not make sense why students who have proven themselves capable on tests of higher difficulty must subject themselves to one final.

said Rachel Allen (’17). “If you have the A average, why would you risk getting a B or a lower grade because of the final?”

Some seniors also agree that it is unfair to risk jeopardizing the average of students with A’s.

“The final can only do negative things to their grade,” said Aiden Sutkin (’15).

Additionally, administrators cannot expect a stu-

maintain an A average will receive a high enough score on their final exams so that their class averages do not significantly change. This select group of students with A averages possess a drive that will not suddenly disappear come finals week.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes are usually exempt from finals with a high enough average as well.

Some students report that teachers in certain AP classes still require a final despite an A average. This creates discrepancies between AP classes, but in the case that an A is earned, it provides an advantage to AP students. The rigor of an Honors-level class proves similar to that of an AP class, minus the AP testing. Students enrolled in both class levels deserve the privilege of forgoing the final exam.

A solution to this controversy includes an independent research project about a topic related to the class in place of a final. This allows a student who has already mastered a course the freedom to pursue a subject of his or her own interest. Instead of reviewing information from the entire year, the student could attempt to extend their knowledge in a specific field. In an English class, this may involve studying a work of literature chosen by the student. A Chemistry student, on the other hand, may conduct in-depth research on a little-known topic. These projects would provide more enjoyable solutions to the tedious finals week for those students willing to apply themselves.

Students in all grades, not just seniors, who work hard all year round to maintain an A average deserve a reward for their accomplishments.

OPINIONS

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 7

President Obama proposes a free community college plan for students across the country

zero tuition for it, and be able to either go right out into the workforce Eastside Staff or transfer those credits to a fouryear university to finish the last Community college is often two years of his or her degree. The looked down upon by many graduatonly requirement is that the stuing high school students, especially dent’s annual household income be at Cherry Hill East. To some it is less than 200,000 dollars. seen as a place for students who do To receive this free tuition, qualnot have good enough grades to get ifying students need to follow two into a four-year college. The reality, guidelines. They must attend the however, is that community college college half-time and must mainis becoming an increasingly better tain a 2.5 Grade Point Average or option for many students. higher. These are not high stanCommunity college provides dards that they must adhere to. students with a quality education This proposal would immensely and transferable credits to many help many four-year universities.

Americans.

It is a much more afFirst off, it fordable option and benone that has been According to the Washington would becoming more popu- Post, 7.7 million American efit those who lar. For example, at students are enrolled in a would already attend comCamden County Colcommunity college. munity college, tuition is $107 lege. Students per course if you live coming from in-county. President low-income families that cannot afBarack Obama aims to make comford university tuitions can go and munity college even more popular. get a college education with zero Obama has outlined a proposal tuition. The only payments needed to provide two years of free tuition would be for textbooks and such. to students at community college.

Not only would this benefit lowUnder this proposal, a student can income students, but also veterans receive a quality education from a and people later on in life looking to community college, pay absolutely ■ By Matt Nussbaum (‘16)

earn a higher education they never got or go back to school in pursuit of a new career.

For many in that situation, the

colleges do not have the resources to provide people with the quality education they need holds no water with this proposal. Due to the influx of people choosing to go “By 2020, America will once again have the to community highest proportion of college graduates in the college, the Federal Governworld, and community colleges will produce ment would appropriate more an additional 5 million graduates.” money to pro-The White House vide them with the resources they need. Only dream of higher education is unatqualified colleges would be eligible tainable due to the cost and time for the zero tuition to students, and that it would take away from supgovernment help would make that porting themselves with their job. number of qualified colleges high.

However, if these people who wish Education is not only an exto further their education later on tremely important part of making a in life did not have to pay tuition country successful, it is something to earn this education, it would that America prides itself on. The be much more feasible for them to United Nations has ranked the achieve their dreams.

United States twelfth in its Educa“I like the idea,” said East Histion Index. This proposal to provide tory teacher Mr. Thomas Rosentwo years of free community colberg. “I think it’s something that lege education to Americans would will give a lot of people that never improve that ranking, improve the thought of college a sneak peek... country and improve the citizens.

It’s an investment for the future, More people would be okay with and an investment for the future is picking community college, and worth paying for.” that is an important step in improvThe argument that community ing the nation.

PRO

Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

President Obama has proposed free community college. Two students share their viewpoints on the proposal.

■ By Josh Sodicoff (‘18) Eastside Staff

In an era where college tuition can bankrupt a family and has the potential ability to rack up years of debt, free community college may sound like a breath of fresh air to Cherry Hill East students. Little do many understand, cheap schooling is a gateway to a vicious cycle of rising tuition costs and new burdens on the state. Furthermore, the current situation with community college is already optimal for the economy, and as such, no action should occur.

The average cost of a private college for one year is $44,750. This is an unstable amount. Not only that, but its costs have skyrocketed to accommodate the rivalries between schools that often lead to costly and unnecessary additions. The resources needed for an education, such as textbooks, have also risen heavily due to the competition for a better education. The situation is in need of change, and many in our liberal area believe free community college

is the way.

However, few realize the harms that could come from artificially lowering the price of education in a market where prices are not the problem. For one thing, the plan as a whole may cost up to 60 billion dollars over ten years. This number is only tuition fees, and does not take into account the appalling condition that has settled among community colleges. Many schools are not yet up to the task that the Obama Administration may put on them. As such, more money would be needed to go into fixing the system. When this is done, the nation may have drained away 100 billion dollars. That money could have better use in Medicaid or in providing high-performing low-income students with a better education at a state school.

“There’s a program where if you get a certain GPA, and a certain class rank, you get community college at a reduced price,” said Mrs. Tish Schuman, East guidance counselor.

Many areas have similar programs, rendering a federal plan un-

necessary.

Another valid argument against free tuition is the possibility that a repeat of what has happened in private colleges could occur. When more scholarships are given and students have more aid, schools have the ability to raise prices of everything in order to capitalize.

This phenomenon can be thanked for the 200-dollar textbooks that line the walls of college bookstores.

Students who may attend these “free” schools may still spend much of their income on necessary amenities for school.

This does not even take into account those who might not have the qualifications to take advantage of the programs, such as those who live in extreme poverty to the extent that it interferes with their ability to be a full-time student. Another facet that one may have to take into account is the programs that many community colleges have with fouryear schools.

“In our area, we have a good network of colleges. All have partnerships with other four-year institutions,” said Schuman.

CON

If a student wants to get a Bachelor’s degree through the plan, he or she still must pay for two years of a regular school at full cost, which might not work out.

Already, many have called out that the two years necessary for the plan the Obama administration has put forward could burst into ten years if more money is not thrown into the program to support the students.

“Obviously to offer the most benefit, they would not put a limit on it. A lot of people go to college after having kids.” said Schuman.

In a world with free community college, students will not be indebted for the rest of their lives. However, the fetter of an unnecessary program that is doomed to fail from the start could have serious repercussions for a nation already troubled with massive national debt. If the nation leads by example, and instead uses another program, such as the reengineering of community college, which avoids debt, then all, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, will be free from the unnecessary hassle of community college.

EDITORIAL

Page 8

EASTSIDE

March 2015

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

School security team does more than required Upon entering the East parking lot, a lot of students do not take the time to notice the officers standing outside in the harsh and unforgiving weather conditions. Although these people usually go unnoticed, it would be noticeable if they were to miss a day of being at their designated posts.

These people fall into the category of School Support Assistants, and their job is to assist the police and the staff in enforcing the rules and regulating the laws at East. The East School Support Assistants are Mr. Edward Hall and Mr. Robert Menta, and they stay at East past school hours to protect the students and faculty from any potentially dangerous situations.

Although this is their job requirement, many people do not realize that they take on a much bigger challenge.

These men stay after school until 5 p.m. to direct the late busses and sometimes until even 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. when there are events such as a school play or a sports game.

Whenever there is a crowd present at East, these men have to be at their designated areas to protect the students and faculty from any threat that may present itself during the course of the event. While many leave at 2:30, Hall and Menta are required to come back during late hours of the evening, which requires them to take time out of their lives and schedule around these events that regular teachers and security guards do not have to attend.

The School Support Assistants stay after to direct traffic as long as students are at the school—even in extreme weather conditions. In fact,

Hall and Menta stay outside longer in colder weather than they do in warmer weather because more students are late to school and dropped off by their parents in colder weather conditions. Therefore, Hall and Menta have to stay outside even longer than they would in nicer weather to accommodate to how many more students are being driven.

While many people would not see these types of tedious job requirements in a positive light, both Hall and Menta see their job as a great opportunity.

And that great opportunity is to be surrounded by students and help keep them safe, not for the paycheck.

Eastside would like to thank East’s School Support Assistants for keeping East a safe place and going above and beyond in protecting the students.

Eastside proposes “half-late” system

The worry of being late to school greatly disturbs students’ lives, adding an unnecessary stressor. Between running around to various extra-curricular activities and completing difficult homework assignments, students are finding the task of prompt arrival to be extremely difficult due to staying up so late at night.

It is often physically impossible for students to arrive to class on time. The students’ sleep deprivation coupled with the dangerous traffic conditions outside of East inhibits students from walking into school before the bell rings in the morning. With students’ inability to control the traffic situation outside of the school, Eastside believes that a half-late policy should be adopted by East.

This half-late policy would benefit students,

Benefactors

eliminating the unfair circumstances which exist under the current system.

Primarily, the lateness policy would benefit students who are running a few minutes late in the morning.

At East, it does not matter whether a student is five minutes late in the morning, or if the student walks into school during third period; both students will receive consequences equal in severity despite their differences in arrival time.

Eastside’s proposed halflate policy would lessen the punishment for students who arrived to class no more than five minutes late. These students would now receive a half-late.

With this policy, students could accumulate up to 12 half-lates, an equivalent to 6 full lates before receiving a detention. Students who arrive at East later than 7:35 a.m. would still

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receive a full late pass, just like now under the current system.

This lateness policy is also extremely inconsistent, as it is dependent on which teacher students have for first period. One student, having English first period, may be able to stroll in fifteen minutes late without being marked late in grade level. On the contrary, other students may have a teacher who is not as lenient. This causes confusion for students, as some of the teachers themselves refuse to completely abide by the lateness policy.

With the new lateness policy at East, which has intensely been enforced, students who walk in only a minute late are now being marked as tardy. Some students are even being marked absent by teachers for showing up simply a few minutes late to school. With

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this “gotcha” mentality, East is punishing students for their lack of speed rather than rewarding them for their academic excellence.

Although it has only been a few days with the new lateness policy, students are showing up to class even later because of the traffic situation.

Further, the new lateness policy is entirely dysfunctional. Students who arrive at school under the old lateness policy would have formerly been only one minute late, but they now will miss an exorbitant amount of class time, with the long line that forms outside of the grade level office during first period.

Eastside strongly urges the administration to implement its proposed halflate policy. With the policy, lateness will become less of an issue for both students and faculty.

Cherry Hill High School East

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March 2015

COMICS EASTSIDE

Think YOU are funny? Prove it!

Can’t draw? No problem!

Send your ideas to art@eastside-online.org, and WE can turn them into a comic!

Carry On by Ben Abbaszadeh (‘15)/ Eastside Staff

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

Page 9

Page 10

EASTSIDE

March 2015

COMMUNITY

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 11

Eastside Community Editors Dani Roth (‘15) and Ashley Cooper (‘17), Entertainment Editor Liza Rothkoff (‘16) and Underground Editor Julia Rothkoff (‘16) traveled throughout the local Cherry Hill area to investigate the validity of the supposed health-oriented restaurants of Animo Juice, Jules Thin Crust, b. Good and Healthy Garden.

Eastside Community Editor

We initiated our healthy restaurant venture by visiting Animo Juice. Famous for its quick service, burritos and juices, Animo is located on Kings Highway. The Haddonfield store gives off a rustic vibe, with its menu written on a chalkboard.

Store manager Kevin Leighmanuell expressed the store’s mission with great passion.

Leighmanuell generously served Dani, Liza, Julia and me the specialty, petito veggie hummus wraps, kindly adjusting to my vegetarian lifestyle. Even though I usually detest hummus, I must say this wrap was amazing. The wrap was adorned with spicy spinach, juicy tomatoes, zesty red peppers, crunchy cucumbers and fresh carrots. Topped off with a signature Animo vinaigrette, the wrap

Ashley Cooper (‘17)/ Eastside Community Editor

Animo serves frozen banana custard.

certainly tantalized all of our taste buds.

Liza additionally ordered frozen banana custard for only $3.50. While to me the custard appeared overly mushy, Liza spoke highly of the creamy dessert. The frozen organic bananas, whipped into custard, are completely organic, with absolutely nothing added.

Meanwhile, Julia bought a Spa Treatment juice for an excessive amount of $5.25. Although I considered the price exorbitant, Julia pressed that the taste outweighed its price with its apple flavor balancing out the drink’s overall acidity.

In terms of customer service, the Animo staff members were very approachable and considerate. While we did have to wait approximately 20 minutes prior to be being served, Leighmanuell never forgot our presence, kindly providing us with free samples.

Rating: 8/10

pizza as their favorite slices. Adorned with Gorgonzola veined blue cheese, the pizza ofEastside Community Editor fered quite an unexpected bite, as well as a salty and buttery taste. The carved apple Our next stop was to the recently opened pieces, Jules Thin Crust. Hailing from the nurwhich turing tendencies of John and Jan Ordo r n a way, Jules Thin Crust initially originatmented ed due to a certain parental necessity. the pizza The locally grown ingredients, thin crust slices, and gluten-free options of the store set it provided apart from the majority of other restauan unrants. Despite harboring multiple locaforeseen tions under its one title, Jules manages to sweetmaintain a business that supports local ness for farms and other proximate companies.

L i z a , Almost instantaneously after walking Julia and Dani’s taste buds. I was unable into the quaint store, an ambiance of warmto try the pizza due to the crumbled bacon. ness fills the air. Cultivated through the inDespite my timate inability to photoeat the bagraphs con, Julia, which Liza and line the Dani all walls, greatly enJules joyed this T h i n compleCrust ment of the places a meal. certain T h e promi“Mexican” nence pie was on on famthe spicily life. ier side, “Eve m b e l e r y lished with thing chili-lime is sold black bean by the spread, slice,” buttery s a i d m o z Marlton zarella, l o c a sweet corn, tion aschopped sistant organic manger tomato, Vicki Dani Roth (‘15)/ Eastside Community Editor refreshing Goldw a s s e r Jules offers a variety of pizzas, including “Buffalo Chicken.” red onions, earthy as Dani, scallions, cilantro and chipotle sour cream.

Liza, Julia and I walked into the store.

I greatly enjoyed this slice, as I have always Goldwasser kindly served us with an favored chipotle sauce. Julia and Liza, on entire pie of various pizza styles, allowing the other hand, found this pizza overwhelmour taste buds to be filled with an assorted ingly spicy, whereas Dani found a lack of group of flavors. spice in the pizza.

I initially tasted a slice of pizza entitled The “Heart Warmer” pizza was Dani’s “Brooklyn,” which was my absolute favorfavorite slice of pizza. The pizza was garite. The Brooklyn pizza was reminiscent of nished with golden mozzarella, roasted Pohearty garlic bread with light mozzarella blano peppers, fresh cherry tomatoes, spicy cheese. red onions, tangy bell peppers and balsamic The “Potato Pie” was also very good in my reduction. This is one of the low-sodium opopinion. I thought the pizza slice held just tions on Jules’ menu. enough cheese. Dani, Liza and Julia, howDue to my dietary restrictions, I was limever, disagreed. The three believed that the ited to trying only certain slices of the pizza. pie was too heavy in terms of cheese.

Nonetheless, I came to a conclusion that Liza, Dani and Julia then each tried was correspondent to that of Dani, Liza and slices of a “Buffalo Chicken” pie. They all Julia. All four of us agreed that the pizza unanimously agreed that the slices were not crust, while enjoyably light and void of oil, anything impressive. The chicken was very tasted like matzah. For this reason, the food plain and flavorless. was a little dry. Still, the food tasted fresh “Kim’s pie,” named after one of the and was evidently locally grown. owner’s daughters, was made with roastThe recently opened store also provides ed GMO-free chicken, sautéed Portobello working opportunities for the East student mushrooms, savory caramelized onions, body. With a growing staff, Jules already balsamic barbeque sauce, chives and fresh has three Cherry Hill East students emmozzarella. While Dani, Liza and Julia did ployed. find this pizza appetizing, it in no way was refreshing, but was rather underwhelming.

Rating: 6.5/10 Both Liza and Julia chose the “Big Apple” ■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

We conThe beef and poultry we use in the however, this salad costs an unrea■ By Dani Roth (‘15) cluded our meals is also sourced from local sonable eight dollars. Despite eating Eastside Community Editor healthy resfarms,” Murray said. only a fork’s load, we all felt as if the taurant travAshley initially requested a spekale or broccoli clung to our teeth, els at Healthy cially made strawberry shake. Luckleaving us even more dissatisfied Garden on ily, b. Good deviated from the menu than we were before.

Haddonfieldin order to fulfill her cravings. UnIn spite of this, the true factor that Berlin Road. fortunately, the shake failed to meet sets b. Good apart from other healthy Craving inher standards. Upon drinking it, chain restaurants in the area is the dulgent, fillwhich Ashley found difficult due to variety of beverages offered there. ing food at its thick consistency, she finished it “The lemonades, which include this point, with seeds stuck between her teeth seasonal flavors such as Beet-Ginger we expected and an overpowering sweet flavor. and Rosemary, are made from locally Healthy GarMeanwhile, Julia, Liza and I sourced lemons, which are squeezed den to quench Our third stop on our journey, b. sipped on the Kale Crush smoothie, daily, and our homemade syrups,” our hunger.

Good, a recently opened popular rescontaining fresh kale, apple, pineMurray said.

Upon entering, taurant, concocts a meal solely from apple, banana and pineapple juice.

Although b. Good’s ability to fresh, GMO-free vegetation and The pineapple flavor overwhelmed transform locally sourced produce manager Roman Protas ignored us, even after explaining meat. our taste buds and left us with an into healthy, indulgent meals falls the reason for our presence.

Unable to truly differentiate Healthy Garden from any Located in the Promenade, this acidic aftertaste. Although kale alshort, the restaurant’s dedication to other healthy miniscule restaurant can easily be ready misses flavor, we restaurant, Prooverlooked. With its chaotic parking expected to appreciate tas said that “the lot and densely packed surroundings, it, especially since the food is organic, b. Good serves as a refuge for the smoothie’s name emhomemade and outside pandemonium. b. Good imphasizes kale; nevermade daily.” pressed us theless, the I n d e e d , with its kale falls Healthy Garoverall short and den does ofa m b i goes unfer customers a ance. Alnoticed. plethora of meal though The only options. With a an awkexistensix-page menu ward ditial fact and catering opvision of that b . tion, Healthy the dinGood kale Garden supplies ing area, adds is the most possibila classthe dark ities out of all of r o o m g r e e n the restaurants. s i z e d color of At Healthy Garchalkthe shake den, customers b o a r d and the can derail from a traces remaining typical salad and out each kale in indulge in Italingrediour teeth. ian classics and ent’s iniFollowlargely portioned tial locaing our entrees. tion, with drinks, After waits w e e t - Ashley Cooper (‘17)/ Eastside Community Editor our serving patiently potatoes b. Good is known for its burgers. er prefor our server, f r o m sented us which eventuS p i n a a plain ally evolved into Farms in Salem, NJ, and cheese from burger on a wheat roll. constant insisWinfield, PA, ensuring us and other The grilled aroma of Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director tence, she served customers of its loyalty to local farmthe meat filled our nosthe four of us two ers. The dining area also includes an es and compensated All food items displayed were purchased for $36.24 at a local supermarket. mini sample cups, array of photographs of local farms for its taste. First, our and a view of the assortment of fresh server did not inquire on our prefsupporting local farmers triumphs. one holding hummus and the other carrying chicken salingredients used in the kitchen. erence for meat temperature, and Additionally, the restaurant not only ad. Ashley, Julia, Liza and I could not decipher which was Since its induction into Marlton therefore, the burger was well-done utilizes locally grown produce, but more unappetizing of the hummus: its taste or appearon June 26, 2014, b. Good has grown and lacked the necessary juices to also acquires sodas and condiments ance. The hummus, dark green with a chunky texture, incorporates a spicy, revolting aftertaste. Perplexed by in popularity, according to assistant satisfy any meat lover. from local companies. manager Nate Murray. The store’s Due to Ashley’s dietary restricMurray said, “The fountain sodas, its appearance and taste, the hummus left all of us disemphasis on only serving healthtions as a vegetarian, Murray premade with real fruit juices and pure gusted.

The chicken salad lacked mayonnaise and smoothconscious food alleviates customers’ pared a salad for her. Consisting cane sugar, without any high-frucworries on ordering a high-calorie of sautéed broccoli, kale, zucchini, tose corn syrup, are brought from a ness. The chunks of celery force customers to gnaw on raw meal. carrots, grape tomatoes and shiitake company called New Hope Fountain, vegetables and tolerate a dry and grainy chicken salad.

Although Ashley and I are occasional customers of Murray said, “Our fries are flash mushrooms, the Crisp Veggies salad located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvafried and then baked to finish, which disappointed our taste buds. Its drynia, while the condiments come from this restaurant, we both retreated from the restaurant with a sour taste in our mouths. Not only were the cuts about half of the calories and fat ness, lack of flavor and plainness Kensington.” content of a typical order of french discouraged us from taking another b. Good’s excessively high prices chicken salad and hummus repulsive to look at and fries at a chain restaurant.” bite. and unexcitable flavors without a eat, but the staff also discounted our requests and beKnown for its quinoa bowls and Ashley, Julia, Liza and I agreed doubt outweigh b. Good’s devotion haved in such a manner that I pledged to never re seasonal salads, b. Good also ofthat even an inexperienced cook can to local farmers, and the delivered turn. fers sandwiches and burgers for the easily assemble this salad at home. meals ultimately left our taste buds Rating: 1/10 health-conscious carnivore.

With six elementary ingredients, saddened and our stomachs grum“All of our beef is grinded in the anyone can whip this up by simply bling.

Photos of produce by Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director store every morning, so our quality buying these ingredients at the groLogo by Dan Alman (‘15)/ For Eastside Rating: 4.5/10 of food is at its best and most fresh. cery store for less than five dollars; Restaurant logos courtesy of the respective businesses ■ By Dani Roth (‘15)

Eastside Community Editor

Page 12

ENTERTAINMENT EASTSIDE

March 2015

Subscription services top cable TV in awards ■ By Julia Rothkoff (‘16) Eastside Underground Editor

At this year’s award shows, subscription services, such as HBO, Amazon Instant Video and Netflix, dominated the categories. HBO garnered 13 nominations at the Golden Globes, 14 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) and 99 at the Primetime Emmy Awards for shows such as “True Detective,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Game of Thrones.” Netflix received 7 Golden Globe nominations, 5 SAG nominations and 31 Emmy nominations for series such as “House o f Cards” a n d “ O r a n g e Is the New Black.” The Internet channel Amazon Instant Video won two of three categories at the Golden Globes for the new series, “Transparent.” All of these nominations and wins beg the question, why are these subscription and online networks winning awards, while the major networks keep receiving the cold shoulder? As a self-proclaimed television junkie, I gave myself the task of finding out the reason why.

I started my quest for the answer by watching one of the nominated HBO shows.

For many years, HBO has been known as the network to watch for a great drama series. HBO’s “True Detective” was among the most

nominated at the Emmy’s, with 12 nominations and 4 nominations at the Golden Globes. The show follows two detectives on their 17-year hunt for a serial killer.

I noticed that the show experiments with philosophy-influenced writing, drawing direct inspiration from Friedrich Nietzsche’s thoughts on eternal recurrence and complex scientific theories such as the M-Brane Theory. Due to HBO’s low amount of ratings compared to non-subscription networks such as NBC and USA, the network has more room to experiment with abstract writing, which has proven to pay off.

Similar to many subscription services, HBO series are not censored, allowing the channel to produce shows that push limits that nonsubscription are not able to push. Subscription shows can challenge limits with sexuality, language and violence, unlike basic cable television shows due to censorship. The lack of restraints that HBO shows are under allows HBO to have more creative freedom than basic cable networks, and it also makes the shows more artistically pleasing for audiences than television shows in the confines of network censors.

Another subscription service, Netflix, made history during the 2013 award season with its series, “House of Cards,” as it was the first online-only series to be nominated for a top award at the Emmy’s. While “House of

Cards” is still receiving nominations and wins, Netflix’s breakout series, “Orange Is the New Black,” has received numerous nominations and wins, as well as critical acclaim from audiences and critics.

During previous award seasons, the show was nominated

in the “Best Drama Series” category and lost, but during the 2014-2015 award season, the show changed to “Best Comedy Series” category and won. “Orange Is the New Black” is about a law-abiding woman who is sent to jail for handling a suitcase that contained drug money; the incident occurred 10 years prior to the start of the series.

One of the main divides between s u b script i o n n e t works and broadcast networks is the number of episodes per season. “Orange Is the New Black” and other subscription series average about 13 episodes in a given season, while ABC’s “Scandal” averages about 22 episodes per season. The longer seasons for basic cable series cause shows to become too

prolonged and, therefore, boring for the audience after a few seasons.

Newer nominee Amazon Instant Video recently joined Netflix and HBO in the race for best television series.

Amazon Studios’ first series to win a major award was “Transparent,” winning both categories it was nominated for at the Golden Globe’s.

“Transparent” follows a family after it discovers that the father of the family is transgender. The show’s success sparks a change in television and what critics and audiences consider “normal.” While major nonsubscription networks must appeal to a broad range of audiences, subscription services have the freedom to create a show that appeals to a modestly sized audience— in the case of “Transparent”, the LGBTQ community.

Broadcast networks must also cater to the advertisers, while networks with a subscription model do not have many advertisements and, therefore, are not confined by the advertisers’ restraints.

As my quest for why award programs have favored subscription shows over basic cable shows came to a close, I pondered the answer. Subscription services lack of censorship leaves more room for creative freedom and risks.

These risks pay off, and they put subscription series at a higher caliber than broadcast network series’ that operate under the restraints of basic television censorship.

Movie and TV art by Julia Hablak (‘17)/ Eastside Staff

Amazon and Netflix make new original series ■ By Jenna Simons (‘17)

Eastside Staff

Over the years, watching TV on computers has become the new normal, as viewership on websites such as Netflix and Amazon has increased greatly over time. Netflix and Amazon are two of the biggest mediums that allow people to catch up on favorite shows. Now, these companies are branching out and producing their own original series.

Some of Netflix’s most popular original series are “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards.” Netflix also tries to reach out to a variety of audiences, with shows such as “VeggieTales in the House,” “All Hail King Julien” and “The Adventures of Puss in Boots,” to please younger children.

“I think [‘Orange Is the New Black’] is a good show. It’s a little feminine, but it’s really well thought out. I could see myself following the series,” said Evan Campbell (’17), who has watched a few episodes of “Orange Is the New Black.”

Amazon offers its original series on Amazon Prime Instant Video, which is where members can stream thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost to their membership. Among Amazon Prime’s popular original series are “Alpha House” and “Beta.”

Amazon and Netflix offer original

series to entice new customers to buy memberships. Since the series are only offered on the companies’ websites, viewers need a membership to watch.

People who want to watch the series but do not have memberships need to buy a membership to watch it. Original series are also a way to lower extreme licensing fees, because they do not need a license to show their own series. In the first quarter of 2013, Netflix paid $1.355 billion in licensing fees.

N e t f lix original series are more popular among younger people, most likely because Netflix is more well-known for streaming TV shows and movies. Although Amazon also allows members to stream TV shows and movies, not as many people are aware of it. Most people only use Amazon to online shop and consider it as a shopping website.

“I think Netflix [original series] are more popular because more people have Netflix, and Amazon isn’t as well known,” said Emily Millspaugh (’17).

Ashley Ferrante (’16) agreed with

Millspaugh.

“People know Netflix for TV shows,” said Ferrante, who added she was unsure what Amazon Prime Instant Video was.

Netflix also offers more original series. Netflix currently has 11 original series while Amazon only offers six.

A unique thing about Amazon’s original series is that they offer everyone an opportunity to start a movie project at Amazon Studios, a branch of Amazon that produces comics, movies and television shows. People can start movie projects by either uploading an original fulllength screenplay or uploading a 2 to 15-minute video. Both of these options must have completely original properties. Entries are evaluated by a development staff. If the entry gets through the development staff, the candidate can make a pilot and stream it on Amazon Prime Instant Video. Amazon then looks to customer reviews to decide if it wants to continue the series or not.

Netflix and Amazon original series are popular, and more original series can be expected from both of these sources.

The companies will also have competition from companies such as Hulu, who will be hopping on the original series bandwagon in the future.

Border by Lia Yamamoto (‘17)/ Eastside Staff

ENTERTAINMENT

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 13

Experts predict that sequels will succeed at the box office ■ By Zach Wohl (‘15) Eastside Staff

2014 was a dismal year for the box office. Coming off the heels of two consecutive years of recordbreaking totals in 2012 and 2013, it would have been understood if the box office did not break any records.

However, the box office in 2014 failed quite noticeably, producing a measly 10.3 billion dollars worldwide, the lowest total since 2011. Fortunately, Hollywood’s biggest and most lucrative franchises are back for 2015.

The first high-profile film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, is the sequel to The Avengers (2012), the thirdhighest-grossing film in history. Since the last Avengers film, Marvel has proved that everyone will see its movies, releasing two of the three biggest domestic films of 2014, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. There is no doubt that this film will soar at the box office when it is released in May. Another highly anticipated movie is Spectre, the sequel to the 007 film, Skyfall. Skyfall was the highest grossing film in the James Bond franchise, reaching over one billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

With Skyfall director Sam Mendes returning and talented actor Christoph Waltz

Rachel Pacitti (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

The sequels for Avengers, Pitch Perfect and Star Wars are among the movie sequels expected to do well at the box office this year. of Django Unchained fame joining the cast, the revitalized success of 007 is likely to continue when the film comes out in November.

Coming out this year in June is Jurassic World, the next chapter in the Jurassic Park franchise. Starring actor Chris Pratt and show-

casing top-of-the-line special effects, this film looks to re-energize the recently dormant franchise with a return to the roots of the original film.

One of the films that many people are looking forward to is Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awak-

“Plus, if you upgrade to premium, there are no ads and you can choose the exact song you want to listen to.”

Pandora also hosts a similar format to that of Spotify. Pandora lets its listeners create unique stations by typing in what they are looking for. To listen to Disney songs, t h e

that has most of the radio stations that are available in a car. Just simply click the station, such as 102.1 FM, and the app starts playing songs that would typically be on the selected station.

Spotify and Pandora are neck and neck in populari ty, but Spotify tips the scales a little more than Pandora. Spotify has recently become more widely used than Pandora in recent years due to its up-to-date music and easily accessible format.

People like Spotify more because it is like having most of the songs available that they would normally buy to download, without paying a ton of money or any money at all. Pandora and the other music apps, such as iHeart Radio and iTunes Radio, are good but they do not seem to match up to what Spotify has to offer.

In recent years, music apps have appealed to teenagers more than other mediums of music.

Many people do not use iTunes anymore to purchase music, instead resorting to online streaming services. These services have risen in popularity and are sure to have continued use during the upcoming teenage generation.

Music apps provide teens with an alternative music medium ■ By Phoebe Rosica (‘18)

Eastside Staff

These days, many teens are listening to music apps such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio and iTunes Radio. According to Nielsen’s “Music 360 Report,” 54 percent o f teenagers say t h a t t h e y have a music playing app on their phones. Each one of these apps has different qualities that impact how the listener reacts to the music playing.

Spotify has a variety of new music and has a plethora of categories to pick from, ranging from sleep to workout music. Spotify also allows members that use the free version of the service to skip five songs each hour, while other apps like Pandora only allow the listener to skip a few songs every few hours.

Although Spotify plays a few ads, most of the time, they can be skipped while Pandora tends to make the user listen to them. “[Spotify] is a great app, much better than Pandora.

On Spotify you can add songs to make your own playlist. With Pandora it’s like you’re picking out of a hat because you don’t know which song you’re going to get,” Anna Smith (’18) said.

user can simply create a Disney station. However, Pandora does not allow as many skips as Spotify does and also promotes more ads than Spotify does.

Carly Lyons (’18) said, “Pandora is a good app. I like it because I can create my own stations.” iTunes Radio and iHeart Radio are other big apps. iTunes Rad i o allows the user

to listen to the major hits in all different genres of music. It also allows the user to search for any artist or album and play songs from that specific person or album or songs that sound similar to the selected music. iHeart radio is an app

Art by Lia Yamamoto (‘17)/ Eastside Staff

ens. This film, directed by J.J. Abrams, who directed Star Trek and “Lost,” will introduce a storyline not seen in any of the previous films, while also kicking off a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Anticipation is high for this film, and while it will not be released

until December, it is taking the traditional opening weekend spot of the Hobbit films, which have been hugely successful, racking up billions of dollars for the franchise.

Ending its run this year is the popular Hunger Games franchise, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 scheduled for a late November release. The last two installments have become the top domestic films of their respective years, and the added excitement that this will end the franchise is sure to increase its earning potential.

“Since it’s the last one, I’m really excited to see what they’re going to do to bring it to a close,” said Luisa Martins (’15).

Ted 2, the sequel to the highest grossing R-rated comedy (unadjusted for inflation), is also slated for a mid-2015 release.

“The main character [Ted] is so rude and inappropriate, yet he is, at the end of it, just a cute teddy bear,” said Rachel Molotsky (‘18).

Aside from blockbuster films, the comedy-musical Pitch Perfect 2 is set to take advantage of the less action-oriented market as it is released right in the middle of blockbuster season in May. Though much of the year is still left, the 2015 worldwide box office seems guaranteed to succeed.

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

Photos by Tobi Friedman (‘17)/ Eastside Staff

We asked...

Alex Blaker (‘15)

If you could go anywhere for spring break, where would you go?

Who is your top pick for March Madness?

Do you believe in luck?

What is your favorite flavor of pie in honor of 3.14 day?

Fernando Morales’ house

Iowa State

Yes

I don’t like pie

Costa Rica

Duke

Yes

Cookies and Cream

Australia

Virginia

Yes

Apple

Fiji

Kentucky

Yes

Apple

David Kahn (‘16)

Megan Rose (‘17)

Cade Zaris (‘18)

UNDERGROUND

Page 14

EASTSIDE

March 2015

Drexel music student releases debut album ■ By Ashley Cooper (‘17)

Eastside Community Editor

open-mic night.

“That really changed everything for me, when I could perform every single week,” said Joseph. “I had a ten-minute chance every week to perform for a crowd and work on my performing skills.”

sic are just as important as the fulltime parts are,” said Joseph.

Despite pursuing a major in the music industry, participating is a definite balancing act, but Joseph has managed to release her debut album.

When Alyssa Joseph wakes up, one thought resonates throughout her mind. One singular theme encompasses her entire being: music.

School is not the most prominent thought traveling through Joseph’s cognizance; rather, various chord progressions vibrate through the thoughts of the 21-year-old Drexel student. Joseph hopes to Even after high school, Joseph “Finding time to write songs never cease her self-professed inticontinued to perform several shows isn’t a problem. It’s very much mate love affair with music. at CoffeeWorks. in my nature,” said Joseph. “It’s But it didn’t begin with an all-enJoseph now associates her mukind of like eating a meal for me; compassing love of I just have to do music—it all began it.” with writing. WritFinding time ing since the early to record, howevage of seven, Joseph er, isn’t as simple has written several for her. works of poetry and “When we prose. To this day, were recording Joseph continues to the album, we hone her craft. would begin at “I still write in around 7 p.m. journals and do and end at 4 in stream of consciousthe morning,” ness and different said Joseph. writing techniques,” The “we” that said Joseph. “I use Joseph spoke them to help me of refers to her write songs in the devoted team of future.” musician and Nonetheless, Jomusical engiseph’s passion for neering friends. writing prose did According to Jonot transition to a seph, her team love of songwriting is comprised of until 2006, when Joboth old and new seph was a seventh friends as well as grader at Voorhees her acquaintancMiddle School. es. Also music “I’ve always been industry majors a writer and loved at Drexel, Marty English and readBlack and Peri ing and writing, but Courtesy of Alyssa Joseph Longo, have been I had never really Joseph’s album art for her debut album, Somewhere Else. with Joseph from joined my music love the beginning of with my writing passion until that sic within the singer-songwriter her musical pursuit. Now as her time,” she said. genre. Heavily influenced by Ingrid producers, they have single-handLaughing, Joseph admitted that Michelson, Joseph specifically paredly recorded and engineered the all of her first songs were pretty ticipates in the acoustic pop side of album with Joseph. bad. According to Joseph, her prethe field. However, Michelson is not “I also have my two best friends liminary pieces were genre-less Joseph’s sole influence in the music from Voorhees with me, Jessica songs, which solely radiated a sinworld.

Golden and Samantha Schmidt,” gular theme of positivity.

“I love music, and I simply draw said Joseph. “They act as my “That was before I played guiideas from everywhere,” said Jobusiness side.” tar,” said Joseph. “So in my school seph.

Now a manager for Joseph, notebooks I used to just really write Joseph is a strong believer in Schmidt handles the booking aslyrics and melodies.” music at the grass-roots level. A pect of the young singer’s career.

But it all really clicked for Joseph frequent visitor of Coffee Works Too Golden acts as Joseph’s marketwhen she started to perform at Cofand Saxbys Haddonfield, she draws ing director and photographer. fee Works in Voorhees. Every Tuesinspiration from passionate openJoseph still handles the vast maday night throughout high school, mic night performers. jority of her own musical career Joseph would perform during the “I think the smaller areas of muendeavors.

“[Writing songs is] kind of like eating a meal for me; I just have to do it.” -Alyssa Joseph

“I made my own website,” said Joseph. “It did take me a very long time, and I’ve altered it about three times, but it was definitely worth it.”

Joseph continues along her journey as a music lover, with plans to soon book a mini-tour. Performing at prominent venues such as World Café Live in Philadelphia, Joseph seems to be venturing down the correct path to finding success in the music industry.

Courtesy of Alyssa Joseph

Joseph performs on stage.

Eastern student finds solace in his business ■ By KateLynn Garden (‘18)

Eastside Staff

Alp Sal, a senior at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, recently started his own business, pursuing his life-long dream of becoming a retail clothing designer.

Sal runs an online clothing line called California Dreaming through the website californiadreaming.bigcartel.com. Many of Sal’s designs are tie-dyed, but there are a few more graphic-heavy patterns.

Sal sells mostly T-shirts, but also has sweatshirts and tie-dyed bed sheets up for sale. Most of the products are in the twentydollar range. The website itself is very welcoming; all of the clothing models are regular teenagers in natural settings like the woods.

The entire clothing line has

a very relaxed, yet vibrant feel to it, an inviting style used by stores such as Urban Outfitters.

For Sal, the clothing line has been a form of salvation from a debilitating mental illness he experienced earlier in his life. Sal said his biggest regret is letting his mental illness get to him in his first three years of high school. He said the greatest advice he has ever received was from his father, “this too shall pass,” which has helped him through some tough periods in his life. “[The mental illness] stopped me from doing what I wanted to do,” said Sal. Sal has redefined himself as a person in the process of creating his company. He describes this period of his life as a time of self-enlightenment. “[I started] putting my life back together in a way

I saw fit,” said Sal. California Dreaming as a business has had success in the South Jersey area.

Sal sold his first shirt in April 2014, although the company was started in December 2013. Because of the company’s slow start, Sal has been humble about the whole experience.

“I didn’t know that many people knew about my website,” said Sal, whose company Twitter has amassed nearly 30,000 followers.

It is safe to say that California Dreaming could very well see more success as Sal gains more experience as a business owner. Sal is an example of a person who turned his situation around into a positive point in his life. Sal hopes that California Dreaming will remain successful in the coming years and continue to grow as a company.

Screenshot by Jacob Borowsky (‘16)/ Eastside Underground Editor

Sal’s shirts are vibrant and unique.

UNDERGROUND

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 15

Fuzzrocious Pedals creates unique fuzz pedals ■ By Julia Rothkoff (‘16)

Eastside Underground Editor

Ryan Ratajski is the designer, builder, social media poster and overall mastermind behind Fuzzrocious Pedals, a guitar pedal company located in Mt. Laurel. Every Fuzzrocious pedal is specially designed to serve more than one purpose; each pedal can be used for guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals.

Fuzzrocious operates inside of the Ratajski family home. It is an authentic fami l y produc-

tion; Ratajski’s children paint the p e d a l s with brushes if the customer chooses the “kidpaint” option, his wife hand paints the p e d a l s with custom designs, and Ratajski handles everything else, whether that be designing, building, or returning emails.

Although Fuzzrocious has been greatly successful since its inception, making pedals for well-known artists such as Troy Van Leeuwen and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Justin Meldal-Johnsen of Nine Inch Nails and Beck fame, the company has remained a small, family-run business. When Ratajski is not at work or spending time with his kids and wife, he is dedicating time to his pedal-making business, one that he has loved ever since his curiosity about guitar pedals turned into a passion.

“Some customers don’t understand that even though it’s full time, we do this as a side job. Everything is made by hand, and some people don’t understand the time that goes into that and how we are building each pedal for each customer. We can’t please everyone, but for those that understand it and are willing to work with us, it makes us really happy to be able to make something by hand for them,” said Ratajski.

Each Fuzzrocious pedal is handmade specially for each customer.

Ratajski and his wife devote copious amounts of time and effort into making every pedal high quality and aesthetically appealing. Although it is difficult for the Ratajskis to keep up with the large amount of orders, they have learned to make it work while still leaving room for family time. In order to keep up with the high demand for the pedals, the Ratajskis must take advantage of every snow day, sick day, free time before school and free time after school up until it is time to put the children to bed; even family television time is spent working with the pedals. With no signs of Fuzzrocious’ success slowing down, Ratajski recently quit his job in education in order to devote more time to Fuzzrocious.

“I work before the kids get up. I work on my lunch break when I’m at work.

I work after school, and then we work through the evening until it’s time for bed. Watching [television with the family] is literally spent with pedals in front of us, prepping stuff. We just fit it in everywhere we can fit it in...

We’re always working. It just never stops. And now with me quitting my job as of mid-March, it will just be 100-percent on doing Fuzzrocious. It’s one of those things like it’s the only thing that we know,” said Ratajski.

Ratajski emphasized that although the business is strenuous, it ultimately brings his family together.

Fuzzrocious allows him to pursue his dream and gives the family a cause to which to devote themselves. Specifically, he appreciates the opp o rt unit y it gives for his children to get involved.

“Our oldest son helps us unscrew things, and it helps him with his hand therapy, because he’s a little developmentally delayed with his fine motor skills.

So, he helps unscrew some of the

hardware. Both kids paint pedals for customers, if they order the kidpaint option,” said Ratajski.

As a mom and pop business, Fuzzrocious puts a large emphasis on communication, whether that be interacting directly with customers or directly communicating with small guitar shops.

R a t a j s k i makes a point of personally emailing customers within a few hours of receiving their orders; customers will never receive a Fuzzrocious email from a n automated robot.

“We make a huge effort to make sure that we answer people back within a few hours. We make sure that we are speaking directly

to each pers o n to help m e e t [ h i s or her] needs...

When we directly communicate with [other] businesses, they understand our vibe and that this is a family thing.

We help them, they help us,” said Ratajski.

With well-known musicians from Queens of the Stone Age using its pedals, Fuzzrocious

hardly needs to advertise. Ratajski attributes Fuzzrocious’s success to word-of-mouth; even Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen purchased a Fuzzrocious “Demon” pedal after hearing about the brand from a friend of a friend. Although Ratajski believes that Queens of the Stone Age have brought his brand a lot of customers, he also credits the aesthetic appeal of Fuzzrocious’ pedals to the popularity of the brand amongst musicians.

“I think what helps [contribute to the popularity] is the look of the pedals, more than the sound itself.

It helps attract people just because it looks like something different. At this point, we don’t really reach out to musicians too much. It’s something that we’re going to have to do once we go full-time so that we can up the exposure, but it’s been a really good feeling just having people come to us,” said Ratajski.

While Fuzzrocious continues to grow as a high-quality musical instrument effects brand, Ratajski has no plans to move into mass production. Fuzzrocious prides itself on connecting and communicating with each customer. Mass producing the pedals would stifle the magic of ordering directly from Fuzzrocious; the human aspect of each pedal would be lost.

Ratajski said, “We’ve been approached by a few people before to help us do more mass production stuff. It just doesn’t feel right for us, at least not right now. We want to see how far we can get just bare bones, just the family working. But it feels good, and it just feels right for us to make something for each store, for each customer, and not have to mass produce and lose that homemade, family made, handmade feel.”

Photo of “Kidpainted Gray Stache Pedal”

by Julia Rothkoff (‘16)/ Eastside Underground Editor Photos of “Afterlife” and “Heliotropic” pedals courtesy of Ryan Ratajski

Out of the Vault: Easy-Bake Ovens remain hot ■ By Jared Fisch (‘18)

Eastside Staff

Easy-Bake Ovens have captivated young girls’ imaginations for the past 52 years. In 1963, Kenner Products, an American toy company known for its Star Wars action figures, introduced the first toy oven in the United States, selling the original Easy-Bake for $15.95 in 1963.

Over the span of the toys’ existence, the EasyBake has been remodeled 11 times and in 2006 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.

In the 1960s, the Easy-Bake was still at an early stage in development. By the ‘70s, the Easy-Bake was given a more efficient model which baked cakes twice as large as earlier models had.

Then, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the EasyBake Oven was given some more life-like features such as the ability to bake on high or low and a digital clock that always said 12:30. Although this was not a working clock, it still added a lifelike feature to the Easy-Bake. This children’s toy began to look and operate a lot like an average oven. By the late ‘90s, around 16 million ovens were sold, and in the early 2000s, the oven was able to make full meals including child favorites

such as mac and cheese.

Easy-Bake Ovens have been popular for young girls from the toy’s beginning. Today, they can be purchased from Amazon, Target, K-Mart and

Jacob Borowsky (‘16)/ Eastside Underground Editor

A modern Easy-Bake Oven comes with an oven, various baking mixes, baking pans and a pan pusher.

Walmart. The newest Easy-Bake model, the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven, commemorates its fiftieth anniversary with two distinct colors: purple

and black.

In its history, the Easy-Bake Oven has come primarily in purple, but it has also been produced in teal or green. Besides the color, this toy has previously been marketed for girls only, showing girls using the oven on the packages and in the commercials.

The latest model, available in a genderneutral black, appeals to the more accepting societal norms of today.

To an observer, the Easy-Bake Oven looks like a cheap, plastic toaster. However, the toy is a great starting point to introduce young children to the culinary arts. The Easy-Bake Oven has been in the hands of children for over 50 years, and it appears to still have some life left in it.

Logo by Helena Sirken (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

UNDERGROUND

Page 16

EASTSIDE

March 2015

Death Grips are the most intense–yet perplexing–act in music industrial and EDM. The eclectic combination of sounds the group presents in its music makes the group accessible to a wide range of music fans. However, the band’s abrasive music is still far from listenable to most audiences. Death Grips’ allure comes in large part from its mystery–from its lyrics, from its message and from its status as a group.

Death Grips is one of the hardest musical acts to decipher.

The band is comprised of vocalist and rapper MC Ride, drummer Zach Hill, and producer and programmer Andy Morin.

Though the band has only existed for less than five years, it has already released five albums, with another to be released this

Floyd, Black Flag, and even the classic rock instrumenEastside Underground Editor tal “Rumble” by Link Wray.

The group took its 2013 Sacramento-based hiprelease Government Plates hop group Death Grips has in a far different direction, been redefining the genre with less hip-hop and rock for nearly five years. Its muand a much heavier elecsic can be best described as tronic influence. The band’s “experimental” hip-hop, most recent release, the with strong influencfirst disc of its upcoming es of punk rock, old album, The Powers That B, school hipsampled singer Björk on evhop, ery track, giving the album a pop vibe that the band had not produced before.

Though the band has been very active throughout its existence, Death Grips still remains a conundrum to many fans. Death Grips has been known to release songs, music videos and even entire albums without prior announcement or explanation. The band supposedly broke up in July of 2014 following the release of the first half of The Powers That B, writing that it would be releasing the full album by the end of 2014. Though the album has yet to be released, Death Grips released a music video for single “Inanimate Sensation” in December, announced that it was going on tour through a Twitter account unofficially confirmed Helena Sirken (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director to be the group, Death Grips’ music emobides energy both at their shows and on their albums. and released an ■ By Jacob Borowsky (‘16)

year. Though they lack popularity among contemporary or pop music listeners, the trio’s impact on the music industry has been significant. The band has essentially created its own genre of experimental hiphop, where they are the only members.

Death Grips tweaks its sound ever so slightly on each of its releases. On its debut mixtape Exmilitary (2011), the band’s music had a much more significant rock influence, with classic samples from Pink

entire instrumental album called Fashion Week early in 2015–a lot of activity for a group who claims to no longer be together.

Moreover, rapper MC Ride’s cryptic lyrics further add to Death Grips’ allure.

Themes dealing with suicide, death, self-worship, drugs, paranoia and the abundance of information in today’s technological age are prominent in many Death Grips songs. Ride alters his voice to be harsh and angry on most songs, specifically on more uptempo songs. For example, he belts out “Street or nosedive to the next life in seconds/ And suicide ain’t my stallion/ So I’m surrounded/ Geiger count it, not goin out [it’s] bout to get kamikaze” on the hook to “Come Up and Get Me,” contemplating suicide while internally struggling with his own sanity. Though on the surface Ride’s lyrics are mysterious, there is a clear message in Death Grips’ music: the band does not conform to any societal norms.

Death Grips is different from any musical act ever before. The group’s rough, noisy sound is hard to comprehend for most, but to a select group of fans, it is the reason the band is so adored. Though unpredictable and at times enigmatic, the band maintains a cult following that anxiously craves new music.

Logo by Helena Sirken (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director Photos by Julia Rothkoff (‘16)/ Eastside Underground Editor

We asked...

Alex McCormack (‘18)

Akash Chakravarty (‘17)

Did you have an Easy-Bake Oven as a child?

Describe Death Grips’ “You Might Think He Loves You For Your Money” in one word.

What musician should get more recognition?

What teacher is most likely to become a musician?

Yes

Abrasive

Vance Joy

Mr. Wood

Yes

Unique

Dance Gavin Dance

Mr. Leonard

No

Fun

Modern Baseball

Mr. Rosenberg

Yes

Interesting

Florida Georgia Line

Mr. Gambino

“AFTER 32 YEARS IN EDUCATION, I FINALLY HAVE A TUTORING AGENCY I CAN TRUST IMPLICITLY” - LOCAL HS GUIDANCE COUNSELOR

Jill Ranes (‘16)

Darby O’Rourke (‘15)

Mrs. Oh

Short Hills Towne Center Evesham Rd. ! Cherry Hill/Voorhees

(856) 616-8808

No

Discordant

Punch Brothers

Mr. Leonard

28 YEARS OF NATIONAL SUCCESS READING!WRITING!MATH!SAT PREP HOMEWORK HELP ! STUDY SKILLS

March 2015

SPECIAL EASTSIDE

Page 17

Mr. East 2015 Brought to you by the Cherry Hill East Student Government Association

Check out all of Eastside’s coverage leading up to the big night at eastside-online.org.

As always, follow us on Twitter (@EastsideOnline) and Facebook (facebook.com/ eastsidenewspaper)!

SPORTS

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EASTSIDE

March 2015

Students quench thirst with sports drinks ■ By Elissa Cohen (‘18)

Eastside Staff

Every minute of every day, athletes around the world train to be the best of the best. Long hours of practice can fatigue even the fittest athletes. The remedy that keeps these determined athletes at work for hours on end is their choice of hydration.

Whether it is Gatorade, Powerade, water or any other beverage option, all athletes need a version of these vital products in order to succeed while maintaining their health. All sports drinks contribute a variety of advantages and disadvantages for the athletes who drink them.

Cherry Hill East’s student athletes spend a majority of their time after school in East’s practice facilities. Without the aid of sports drinks, a good deal of these students may not be able to give all that they can in sports performances. East’s Athletic Trainer, Mr. Scott Hatch, said that every day he supplies all of his athletes with water and Gatorade.

Hatch is one of the members of the East community that prefers Gatorade over other sports drinks.

Powerade is not favored because it contains more sugars, which can ultimately decrease the athlete’s abilities and energy level.

Hatch compared both Gatorade and Powerade’s contents and said, “There is more sugar in [Powerade]

which gives the person a quick energy boost, but then they crash, which actually decreases their performance.”

Both Gatorade and Powerade have a surplus of sugars. Hatch said that these drinks are not considered unhealthy because of the amount of sugar, but that the drinks also have to be consumed in moderation.

Another

benefit that Gatorade offers is the amount of electrolytes in it. There are many electrolytes in Gatorade and electrolyte replenishment is a necessity.

An athlete’s electrol y t e count drops as the body produces and releases sweat, which occurs regularly during a game.

Cherry Hill East swimmer, Gracie Morrow (’18), agrees with Hatch’s assertion that Gatorade is much better than Powerade.

“I prefer [Ga-

torade] because it helps me recover after a hard race,” said Morrow.

In addition to Gatorade and Powerade, other drinks may come into an athlete’s mind as he or she considers choices of hydration.

Akhil Alugupalli (’18), East tennis player, said, “My preference is Propel because it does not have that much sugar in it and it keeps me hydrated when I play tennis.”

A majority of athletes also prefer to drink water during times of performance. According to Marion Hauser of caringmedical.com, water is only beneficial during shorter periods of activity.

When athletes are working for long periods of time, the extra ingredients that

East athletes continue a tradition

that is what the team decides.

“Even though swimming is known to be individual, A student looking his or the team loses… not the inher best on a casual school dividual,” said Cucinotti. day could symbolize much Cucinotti also believes more than some students that although tradition may may assume. For the boys’ be a factor in why teambasketball team, the swim mates dress up, he team and many oththinks it might also er sports teams at be the fact that the Cherry Hill East, athletes want to be the thought of tradirecognized as swimtion and unification mers. comes to mind be“[Dressing up] is fore their game days. a tradition. We did it Sports are prominent when I was a freshactivities at East and man and every year pre-game rituals are since, so it seems a major aspect of evnatural that we keep ery player’s athletic it going,” says Danny experience.

Aronson (’15), boys’ “Dressing up uniswim team captain. fies the team,” said Aronson said Boys’ Basketball dressing up does not Head Coach Mr. Dajust show unification, vid Allen. it also shows that Allen continued to the swim team is not say that it is more just a group of indithan a tradition, it viduals who are comhelps signify that the peting for the same team has a game that school but that they day. Although buttonhave each other’s down shirts with a tie backs and they are and khakis might not truly invested in the be the most comfortsuccess of one anothable outfit to wear to Courtney Finnegan (‘17)/ Eastside Sports Editor er. Aronson also said school, the players that dressing up in want to be identi- Tyler Parsons (‘17) wears a nice shirt a white shirt with a fied as a team. Even and tie during the school day for his tie in khakis sets the though it is not hard team. team up for success to point out a basketson why they dress up, he because they get put in the ball player in the hallway, thinks outside influence right mindset for the rest of this makes it even easier from the professional playthe day. for when other students ers had an influence.

Although East consists want to wish players good “Dressing up in a serious of many different sports luck before a game. matter portrays being seriteams, as a whole, they “It has been an East traous,” said Boys’ Swimming share the tradition of dressdition for many years startHead Coach Mr. Joe Cuciing-up rituals before games ing with Coach Valore,” notti. or meets. By dressing up, said Jake Silpe (’15).

Cucinotti then said he athletes feel unifed and a Silpe thinks he should will even be a part of dresspart of something bigger keep up this tradition of ing up in a certain color if than just a sport. dressing up because it ■ By Sam Berman (‘17)

Eastside Staff

shows the team is unified and committed to each other.

“I feel like everyone comes together when we dress up and it helps us bond,” said Lee Rosen-Swell (’16).

Rosen-Swell doesn’t just think the tradition is a rea-

sports drinks supply are crucial.

However, not all sports drinks are

necessarily the best beverage to drink before a game. Products like Vitamin Water, which sounds enticing, are not nutritionally beneficial for athletes looking to refuel. In fact, Vitamin Water is simply water loaded with sugars.

All types of sports drinks have their pros and cons, but the most important aspect is that they provide replenishing hydration. It is vital that athletes at East stay hydrated as they exert all of their energy for success in school sports. Worldwide, athletes combine to spend all 1,440 minutes a day training, and one key to their success is the consumption of sports drinks that give them the energy to stay active.

Art by Sydney Steele (‘16)/ Eastside Staff

I believe. We did it again.

Courtesy of Jeff Neiburg

A successful season is only remembered if the title is won, and after a great season, third-seed East clinched its backto-back SJ Group 4 sectional title on March 9 after beating fifth-seed Cherokee in thrilling fashion. East defeated the Cherokee Chiefs 48-39 in double overtime.

Stats of the game: Jake Silpe (‘15) had a game high of 23 points along with 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

Olin McClendon (‘16) had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Tim Perry (‘16) had 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block.

Josh Brown (‘15) had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Pierce Elliot (‘16) had 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Check www.eastside-online.org for a full recap.

SPORTS

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 19

Track “runs” throughout the year

base work for cross country and we train harder,” said ners receive during the which will carry us through Groff. year—other than during inall three seasons,” said AarGroff attributes much of juries and such—is the twoon Groff (’16). the team’s success to the week break after the cross Groff is a determined head Coach of cross country country season.

“We all have dreams. But runner who strives to run and winter track, Mr. Matt “It is a necessary thing in order to make dreams at a top-30 Division 1 proCieslik. for all of us and it’s wellcome into reality, it takes gram. deserved bean awful lot of determinaBetween cause we spend tion, dedication, cross country, so much time self-discipline and winter track training reeffort,” said famous and spring ally hard,” said American Olympitrack, each atvarsity runner an Jesse Owens. tracts different Cole Parsons Determination, runners. Win(’16). “Towards dedication, selfter track is by the end of it, I’m discipline and effar the least itching to run fort are required to popular of the again.” run for Cherry Hill three. For kids Each season East’s track proextremely deworks hand in gram. Over the past voted to the hand. All memfew years, the proprogram, it is bers of East’s gram has made an a time to flourrunning proepic climb to the top ish as rungram know after placing first in ners. exactly what the Group 4 State “We make they are getting Championship this the goals. Our themselves into. past season. mindset is to It is grueling “The state chamsucceed and and harsh work pionship was huge go farther in that pays off in and now we are order to do so,” the end due to trying to use that said Groff. qualities such momentum and Groff looks as determinacarry along,” said at the sumtion, dedication, distance runner Jeff Jordan Stein (‘14)/ Eastside Past Photo Editor mer as a time Nevin Beasley (‘16) executes a long jump dur- self-discipline Braun (’15).

Rachel Becker (‘16)/ Eastside Photo Editor to prosper and and effort.

Braun, an aspiring the spring track season.

“We train ing Division 3 run- Runners, such as Isiah Jean-Baptiste beat out other prohard and smart. ner, is one of the (‘16), continue to work on their skills dur- running grams in the area by From each season to We all share common goals. best runners and ing the cold winter months. training up to twice a the next, there is always a A lot of coaches wish there leaders of the team run in the summer up to day every day. smooth transition, as runwas a secret formula, but who has been running at twice a day.

“But in the summer, ning is a year-long sport. there isn’t. It’s just that Cherry Hill East since his “Summer is the mileage there is more flexibility The only time off the runsimple,” said Braun. freshman year.

■ By Sam Greenberg (‘16)

Eastside Staff

Committing to one of East’s running programs, cross country, winter track and spring track, is a large task in itself. A runner not only devotes over two hours each day after school to running, but is also expected to

SPORTS

March 2015

EASTSIDE

Page 20

Players to look for in the 2015 baseball season Headshots by Emelia Keller (‘17)/ Eastside Photo Editor Art by Helena Sirken (‘15)/ Eastside Art Director

No. 16

No. 12 Senior -- Second Base

Senior -- Shortstop/Third Base

Ht. 5’10” ; Wt: 165; Bats: Right; Throws: Right; Born: June 29, 1997; Home: Cherry Hill, NJ.

Ht. 6’1” ; Wt: 190; Bats: Right; Throws: Right; Born: June 8, 1997; Home: Cherry Hill, NJ.

Playing a role in the varsity baseball program for three years, Jon Hansen will be one of the team captains this year.

Hansen said, “I’m interested to see what the new starting line-up will look like this season.”

Matt Mozzillo has played baseball for East for four years but has been playing the sport for fourteen. Mozzillo, one of the captains of the team this year, can’t contain his excitement for this season, especially for spring break at Myrtle Beach.

Matt Mozzillo

Jon Hansen No. 6

No. 23

Junior -- Third Base

Sophomore -- Second Base Ht. 5’10” ; Wt: 160; Bats: Right; Throws: Right; Born: Dec. 21, 1998; Home: Cherry Hill, NJ.

Ht. 5’10” ; Wt: 205; Bats: Right; Throws: Right; Born: July 27, 1998; Home: Cherry Hill, NJ.

Playing varsity since freshman year, Jake Babroff said he hopes the team can get to the state championships this year.

“You work so hard all season just to get to a certain point and it really is impressive seeing us succeed,” said Zach Padersky. Padersky played as the only freshman on Junior Varsity last season.

Zach Padersky

Jake Babroff

Thirteen years in the making: East Boys’ Swimming wins state title

■ By Luke Hinrichs (‘17)

Eastside Sports Editor

The Cherry Hill East swimming program used a team effort to defeat Westfield in a thrilling fashion on Saturday, February 21, to win the NJSIAA Public A state title. Although the team habitually wins the sectional title with ease, the state championship remained elusive for 13 years until now.

East entered the NJSIAA Public A playoffs driven by a singular vision.

“Every swimmer knew the goal wasn’t to make it to the final four but to win it all,” said East swimmer Danny Aaronson (’15).

Entering the competition as the seventh-ranked team in New Jersey, East swimmers confronted past rival and second-ranked Westfield in the finals of the NJSIAA Public A playoffs at The College of New Jersey.

“We were labeled the underdogs. [Westfield] went into the meet like it was theirs, but we knew if we went out and just put it all out there, we could win it,” said East swimmer David Rowe (’15).

In the winner-take-all 400-yard freestyle relay, a year’s worth of hard training and accomplishment was on the line. Positioned

as anchor, Duncan Brookover (’16) dove into the pool ready to challenge the half-body-length deficit behind Westfield. Every yard gained was a battle. Brookover surged ahead, chasing down Westfield's swimmer

second after France’s. The United States was timed in at 3:08.24, beating out France’s 3:08.32 and winning the gold. Just as USA’s win over France is recognized as one of the greatest moments in US

was just overwhelming,” said Coach Mr. Joe Cucinotti.

East won the 400 free relay in 3:13.89, beating Westfield’s 3:14.01 to secure the title.

“No matter what hap-

Thomas Hudson (‘14)/ Eastside Former Managing Editor

Duncan Brookover (‘16), bottom lane, clinches the state title. and, in a stunning finish, won by .12 seconds—the length of his fingertips— to clinch an 86-84 win and East’s first state title since 2002.

The level of intensity in this race recalled the spectacular Team USA win in the 2008 Winter Olympics.

In the 100-meter freestyle relay, Team USA’s last leg dove in the water a half-

Olympic Swimming, the moment Brookover overtook Westfield’s swimmer to win the state title will be remembered as a highlight in East Swimming history.

“We were waiting for that moment to take over and then when we started to take the lead, there was a rush of emotion in every East swimmer there. When we finished in the lead, it

pens to us, no matter what people say about us, we will be there and we will be fighting for the win,” said Brookover.

Brookover was the last leg that followed teammates Danny Aaronson (‘15), Sean Finias (’16) and Josh Mogil (’16). The relay team went into the competition thinking the title would come down to its

performance.

The East program had faced similar competition in recent history. Last year the team lost to Westfield in the finals and had reached the Public A semifinals in the two years before that.

“Since we have gotten to the finals and just couldn’t pull it out against Westfield last year, it was just a really good feeling to be able to come back, them expecting to have their fourth straight state title and snapping that image to be able to beat them was awesome,” said East swimmer Pat Gilooly (‘16).

After East’s victory over Westfield, NJ.com named Brookover the Athlete of the Week.

On being named Athlete of the Week, Brookover said, “I feel honored.

Not often does a swimmer win Athlete of the Week.

It’s truly a testament to the team. I would not have been put into the opportunity without the success of the team. Without them I just wouldn’t have had the chance to prove myself.”

The championship that has been 13 years in the making has come to fruition. The swim team left TCNJ with a state title to bring to East’s halls.

“We are in the history books. Nobody can take that away from us,” said Brookover.