Eastside: January 2013

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 47 No. 5

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

January 2013

Apocalypse when?

See pgs. 12-13

Photo by Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor and Jack Braunstein (‘13)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Inside This Issue

Substitutes keep school from certain doom News/Features Pg. 3

NASA facing end of days?

Opinions Pg. 10

Mural program leads art-mageddon Underground Pg. 16

NEWS/FEATURES Page 2

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Art bulletin boards brighten up East painting and just going through the initial process of sketching until we got it right.”

When the school year The students worked started, the bulletin boards hard to blend the text and around East were blank. their artistic vision.

However, once the “The bulletin board projCommercial Art students ect was fun decorated and a great them, the experience boards were for creating filled with an artistic inspiraquote to t i o n a l design as quotes to well as brighten up market,” the days of W e n d y East stuSherman dents. (’15) said.

T h e The art Commercial students Art students did their decorated best to these boards make these with a purAngie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor b o a r d s pose in Art bulletin boards line the hallways. something mind. that all stuM r s . eight inches by twelve dents can relate to.

Christine Miller, East’s inches. Even on this giant “Students got a chance Commercial Art teacher, scale, the projects still had to look into what would said the goal of this project to look legible and clean. benefit [their] peers and was “to create bulletin look into boards for what would students so look better that when in the artisthey walk tic eye,” through the Sherman halls and added. read things, Miller they will said that feel good she felt the about thembulletin selves.” boards met This idea the goal of came over brightening the summer up others’ when Miller day. s t u d i e d “ [ T h e three artists Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor bulletin who “graffi- Inspirational quotes cheer up East students. boards] are tied” posiAfter picking their not something pointless. tive messages throughout quotes, students had to They actually have meanChicago. Here at East, the sketch ideas, pick the final ing and it’s the students art students found their design, choose the font and who are making them,” own positive quotes and decide on what colors to said Katie Iuliucci (’16). “graffitied” them around make the bulletin board.

The bulletin boards are the school.

Renee Powers (’16) said, ultimately more than just “[Because of] the “We had to go through a lot a collection of student art amount of bulletin boards of steps and different layprojects. They add aesthetwe have [and] the space of ers of paper, and we needed ic appeal and enhance the the bulletin boards, the a lot of patience when hallway atmosphere. students had to figure out ■ By Marlena Penn (‘16)

For Eastside

T h e Board of Education has been very busy over the past few months.

Andrew T h e Adler (‘13) B o a r d Board of w o u l d Education like to Alternate thank all Representative students, staff, district employees and community members for making the necessary adjustments due to the changes brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

In curriculum news, the Board has initiated a new curriculum to be implemented in grades seven through twelve on healthy dating. This new curriculum will highlight dating violence issues and statistics, and all lessons will take place in health classes.

Sophomore year Drivers Education will remain unchanged Additionally, after numerous meetings and agreements, the Board of Education is proud to announce that it has signed an official policy to work in conjunction with Sustainable Cherry Hill, a local grassroots organization. At the November 27 meeting, Mrs. Lori Braunstein, the founder of Sustainable Cherry Hill, and Mayor Chuck Cahn were honored guests and officially signed the resolution. The Board hopes that this resolution will open the dialogue for discussion on potential policies regarding pressing environmental and economic issues facing the district and the nation in regards to sustainability.

Although, for the moment, this is only a symbol of cooperation, the resolution will likely facilitate positive changes in science, business, humanities and economics curricula at East and across the district.

After successful implementation in the first marking period, the Board and the East administration have decided to continue the waiver of policy allowing students to use cell phones and other portable technological devices during the lunch periods. The Board reasoned that cell phone use during lunch does not disrupt academic instruction, and as long as students understand the restrictions with these devices, which they have so far this year, this policy waiver will remain effective for the rest of the school year.

Finally, the Class of 2013 graduation date has been set as June 18, 2013.

BOE logo by Joel Greenspan(‘13)/Eastside Art Director

the scale. The scale of the project was huge, larger than they had ever worked with before,” said Miller.

The bulletin boards are nine feet by three feet, and the sketches for the bulletin boards were drawn at

Students reprimanded for cell phone use ■ By Bogdan Vitoc (‘16) Eastside Staff

Disobeying the rules results in additional days of detention (normally another twenty), but can sometimes result in Saturday School, or even suspension, said Scanlon.

The principals were supposed to report back to the Board of Education to let the Board know how the system was working.

Since the system worked well for the first marking period, the Board passed a waiver on November 30, 2012, allowing electronics usage in both the break and lunch periods for the 2012-2013 school year.

Among the many unsettled issues at East is the issue of lunch detention. There are a slur of rumors, some terrifying and others more approving regarding lunch detention.

The Cherry Hill School District implemented a policy this year at both East and West that allows electronics usage only during the students’ lunch periods or breaks. Violating this policy results in a twenty-day lunch detention, said Dr. John Burns, the tenth grade principal. The lunch detention occurs in Lecture Hall Two for both break periods. There are about 35 students in lunch detention per day.

“The rules are that there is no electronics usage at all. There’s no talking. Students are allowed to work on homework. They get a tenminute window in between the two lunches to go get food and bring it back to eat, that way they don’t have to wait in lines. If they come back late, it gets written up and they get more detentions. If they miss a day, they get added two detentions,” said Art by Jenn Cha (‘13)/ Eastside Staff Mr. Steve Scanlon, a coach and substitute teacher who supervises lunch A student contemplates using electronics. detention.

Class Presidents answer: What are your plans regarding your class dance?

As everyone knows, one of the biggest events of senior year is Senior Prom.

Thus far, the Paulomi Class of 2013 Banerjee has picked a (‘13) beautiful venue, the Crystal Tea Room. As for the theme, food and DJ, we still have some planning to do, but we are currently discussing our options and will know finalized plans in the upcoming months.

We’re all really looking forward to it, and I hope it turns out as great as I expect it to!

I think I speak on behalf of the entire junior class when I say how excited we all are Abe for Junior Granoff Prom.

Late (’14) last year, we booked The Merion in Cinnaminson as the prom’s venue and May 4 as the date. Certain aspects of prom have come up in conversation in the SGA homeroom, but we really don’t have many specifics yet. However, we look forward to going more in-depth in future months.

We are in the beginning stages of planning the Sophomore Cotillion. We have thought Sam and Amon (’15) of received many great ideas for the theme and they have been narrowed down to a select few. The class SGA and I were very pleased with the input that our class gave us and we hope that we can put on the best possible dance for them.

The Cotillion is going to be something great and something that we should be proud of.

The preparations for the Freshman Dance, now named “Night Glow,” are Kennedy u n d e r w a y Omari and it’s going to be amazing. (‘16) This place is about to glow! I don’t want to reveal all the things we have planned, such as the design and other aspects, but one thing we are aiming for is a flashy club lighting system. We need everyone to go and support “Night Glow”!

SGA logo by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

NEWS/FEATURES January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 3

New changes to substitute system explained ■ By Kaylin Magosin (‘14) and Jenna Wilson (‘15)

Eastside News/Features Editors

Mrs. Diane Coveleski, Dr. O’Breza’s secretary who manages the substitute schedule, explains changes to the sub system and how it compares to last year’s system.

New System: O’Breza and Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche determine how many subs a month can work at East.

Each month, there are a set number of subs that are here daily. Coveleski calls these subs “house subs.” In

the month of November, there were six “house subs,” but there were five “house subs” in December.

The ratio between subs and teachers is one sub per two teachers. For instance, if there were five teachers absent on a specific day, then each of the five “house subs” would go to the teachers’ classrooms. But, if there were ten teachers absent on a specific day, then the “house subs” would go to Cafeteria One with their classes. In this case, each of the five subs would take two teachers’ classes. If there are more than ten teachers out, an additional sub can be called in to substitute for

the additional classes. The substitutes that are here at East all interviewed with O’Breza before they began working at East. These substitutes know the school and the kids, and with the new system, an unknown substitute rarely has to come to sub at East.

The advantage of this new system is that students feel more comfortable with the substitutes because they most likely have had them as subs in the past.

The “house subs” at East often form relationships with students, like the teachers do, since they are at East everyday. Additionally, they can form relationships with the

teachers at East. Mr. Nick Wright, who was a longterm sub for Mrs. Beth Scharff before becoming a “house sub,” is often called upon by the Biology Department to sub. “[The new system] has its kinks, as with anything….[but it’s a] change that everyone needs to get used to,” said Coveleski.

Old System: In past years, when a teacher recorded an absence—he or she would have until 6:30 a.m. to do so—an automated system called AESOP would send a message out to subs informing them of the teacher’s absence. The first substitute to see the

absence could apply and get the position. This system ran on a first come, first serve basis. Last year the “house subs” at East would help Coveleski by subbing for classes when teachers got sick in the middle of the day, or when a teacher had to leave the room for another activity. For example, Mr. CJ Davis would often need help in the activities office, so the “house subs” would help out there. Many subs were coming in and out of the building everyday and could sub at multiple schools every week. They were unable to form relationships that this year’s “house subs” can.

Eastside surveyed 247 students, and of the students surveyed...

-48% have had a substitute in the classroom and in the cafeteria.

-Only 5% have not had a substitute this year.

-23% like the new sub system better while 32% prefer the old system.

- 45% don’t have an opinion.

-36% find being in the cafeteria less productive than being in the classroom and 38% find it more productive.

Art by Joel Greenspan (’13)/ Eastside Art Director

Meet the

Headshots by Kayla Schorr (‘14), Kaylin Magosin (‘14) and Jenna Wilson (‘15)/ Eastside News/Features Editors

substitutes:

Mr. Scanlon

Eastside sits down with the six subs that keep East running

Jenna Wilson: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. Steve Scanlon: Since January [2012].

JW: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

SS: English as a Second Language. All of those students are from other countries and they don’t really speak English. They are learning how to live in our country. It’s very interesting.

JW: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classroom better?

SS: I don’t mind either. Just sometimes in the cafeteria, it’s hard to get settled right away.

JW: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

SS: Nothing, I am a pretty boring person.

Mr. Head

Kaylin Magosin: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. Rich Head: I’ve been a sub at East for four years. I taught Biology here from 1979 to 2008.

KM: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

RH: Biology.

KM: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classroom better?

RH: Emphatically the classroom. It’s quieter, you get things done, and the textbooks are there.

KM: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

RH: [Laughs] That I love golf. I only work here to pay for my membership to Pennsauken Country Club.

Mr. Valore

Kaylin Magosin: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. John Valore: Two years, but I worked at East for 44 years.

KM: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

JV: Every one, because I see different students. As a teacher I only saw certain students. Being a sub gives me an opportunity to see [all grades].

KM: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classrooms better?

JV: Whatever they need me for, I enjoy both.

Ideally, in the classroom.

KM: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

JV: I enjoy what I do here at East.

Mr. Moustakas

Kaylin Magosin: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. Mike Moustakas: Two years at East.

KM: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

MM: I usually like social studies classes because that is where I have my degree. I like some science classes, too.

KM: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classroom better?

MM: The classrooms. I feel like the kids goof off when we are in the caf.

KM: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

MM: That I am a waiter at Ponzio’s

Mr. Wright

Kaylin Magosin: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. Nick Wright: Since September.

KM: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

NW: Biology and Forensics. Biology is my favorite and that’s what I am certified in.

KM: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classroom better?

NW: [Being in the classroom], so [the students] can still do their labs.

KM: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

NW: I play the bagpipes. I am in an Irish bagpipe band.

Mr. Owens

Kaylin Magosin: How long have you been a sub?

Mr. Kevin Owens: Two years.

KM: What is your favorite class to sub for and why?

KO: English. I was a long-term sub there and that’s what my undergrad degree is in.

KM: Do you like being in the cafeteria or the classrooms better?

KO: Definitely not the cafeteria. It’s loud and hard to control.

KM: What is an interesting fact that students would be surprised to know about you?

KO: I have a baby girl, Olivia, who is three months old. I also played pro basketball.

NEWS/FEATURES Page 4

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Students discuss Global Affairs Weekly ■ By Jane Sul (‘16)

events and occasionally on American news. The club meets every Friday after school in the library computer room. Members of the club discuss certain topics that have sparked controversy, such as the November 2012 election, exposing the club members

For Eastside

describing the general ambience of the weekly meetings.

Global Affairs Weekly’s great interest in international news does not stop after their meetings; the club created a website and a blog that promotes the club. Lyons and Simon

helps spur more enlightening discussions during the meetings.

“The website and blog help club members by providing op-ed pieces and factual information,” said Lyons.

This way, every member has a con-

Global Affairs Weekly is a club at East where students with diversified standpoints can express their beliefs on important international issues. The club allows all types of people to s h a r e t h e i r knowledge and opinions in an o p e n , friendly environment.

Global Affairs Weekly started in January 2 0 1 2 when a group of students felt the need to create a p l a c e where all students c o u l d Brittany Nghiem (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor fully voice their opin- From left to right: Jared Wright (‘14), Sam Lyons (‘14), Stephen Huff (‘14) and Josh Simon (‘14) lead students in discussions during Global Affairs weekly every Friday. ions.

Presidents Sam Lyons to a wide spectrum of difstressed the importance of siderable amount of back(‘14), Josh Simon (‘14), ferent perspectives. Not gaining knowledge about ground knowledge before Jared Wright (‘14) and Vice only do students broaden topics before expressing formulating their own President Stephen Huff their knowledge on interyour opinions about them. opinions. (‘14) wanted students to national news, they also The club’s website and blog In addition to their express their thoughts learn to respect everyallow members to be readiweekly meetings, websites without the fear of being body’s opinions. ly informed about the and blogs, Global Affairs judged in any way.

Lyons mentioned that topics they are discussing Weekly also teamed up “Global Affairs Weekly the club talked about the and continue the discuswith Habitat for Humanity is an informative, intellec2012 Presidential Election sion outside of the for a day build project last tual and open club for any and also briefly touched library. student who would like to the topic of Hurricane This unique share their viewpoints Sandy. The club even held idea of creating an about world affairs,” said a mock-election. online environLyons.

“Once we start talking, ment for Global This dynamic club mainour discussions get pretty Affairs Weekly ly focuses on current global intense,” said Lyons, when members also

Logo by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director Art by Jack Braunstein (‘13)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief Photos by Kayla Schorr (‘14)/ Eastside News/Features Editor

We asked...

If you could make anything out of snow, what would you make?

A house

My favorite smell is...

Strawberries

If you could add With whom would one more body part to your body, you walk in a winter what would you wonderland? add?

Jena Blum

Another head

Miley Cyrus

Wings

Cara Stein (‘16) An igloo

Ice cream

Jena Blum (‘15)

A hoagie

Cookies in the oven

Myself

A woman that smells like flowers

My wife

Ronnie Barnes (‘14)

A snow fort Mr. Menta

A tail

A real brain

year.

“As well as discussing World Events, Global Affairs Weekly has an aim to be helpful and beneficial to the comm u n i t y,” s a i d

“ G l o b a l Affairs Weekly is an informative, intellectual and open club for any student who would like to share their viewpoints about world affairs.”Sam Lyons Simon. (‘14) The

club is hoping to join Habitat for Humanity this year again for a trip to the Constitution Center.

“I like the idea of giving everybody a voice,” said Lyons.

“We are always open to any and all views,” Simon added.

Both co-presidents emphasize the fact that all students who want to voice their opinions are more than welcome to join.

To learn more about this club, check out their website at www.eastgaw.wordpress.com or come to their meetings every Friday in the library.

SPECIAL January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 5

Eastside wanted to do something special for Mr. Charlie Musumeci to show our appreciation for all he has done for generations of students at East and to let him know how many people are here for him. By initiating a space on Eastside Online for students and alumni to share their thoughts and memories, we encountered what we knew we would: so many people have so many positive things to say about Moose that it would take more than this entire issue of Eastside to fit all of their words.

As we continue to add letters online, I continue to learn even more about the amazing character and impact of Moose. In a world where so many people strive for personal achievements and will do whatever it takes to accomplish their individual goals, Moose has always put other people before himself.

He sometimes jokes about his time as East’s cheerleading coach a couple of decades ago, a position he took because no one else wanted to do it. “What did I know about cheerleading?” he asks as he tells the stories. The funny thing is, he knows a lot about cheerleading. After all, he has been East’s biggest cheerleader for the past few decades, supporting everyone and everything that he possibly could. When the Eastside editors voted him East’s Person of the Year in 2009, I knew that he was not just winning the award, he was defining it.

As a Hollywood actor, Moose knows all the ins and outs of what it takes to be a star, and I hope he realizes that his greatest role -- the one that makes him truly shine -- has always been the role of himself.

Students and alumni are not alone in wishing Moose well and in thanking him for all he has done. I don’t think there is a single member of the East staff who has not learned something from him. Education is not all about teaching people subject matter. More importantly, it is about teaching people about life and about how to leave a positive mark on it. Moose has done so much more than leave his mark on this school. He has made all of us laugh, all of us smile and all of us better people. He has shown what it means to treat people equally and respectfully. He could meet someone for the first time and treat that person like he has known him or her for years. Just imagine how great the world would be if everyone could be like Moose.

At this time, many of us are simply expressing to Moose what he has expressed to us for so long: we are showing him that we care. And trust me: we always will. Thank you, Moose, for everything.

- Mr. Greg Gagliardi / Eastside Advisor

#Moosestrong.

It's people like Moose who are invested in what they do that inspire me to bring passion to all my endeavors.

- Avra Bossov (‘11) When I was at CHE, Mr. Musumeci was always one of those people at school who just made your day better... He is just the kind of person you always want to be around.

- Laurel Johnson (‘06)

Moose is one of those rare people who is just genuinely good.

- Sarah Furnari (‘14) He is a doer AND a teacher. He does what he loves while seeking to contribute all that he can to the community. He is an inspirational man with a heart of gold and is truly one-of-a-kind.

- Lara Abiona (‘12)

[Moose] has inspired a generation of young people to climb impossible mountains.

- Damian StuchkoIngrassia (‘13)

It takes five minutes to have Moose be an influence on you.

- Hallie Wilmes (‘14)

I now strive to always be as positive as possible with everything that comes my way, as I learned from Moose's way of life and mentality. I know that energy remains within him and is keeping him strong each day.

- Ashley Reber (‘08)

I don’t think half the people at our school realize how much Moose does for everyone.

- Amanda Lewis (‘14)

Mr. Musumeci gave me the tools not only to be a success in high school, but to succeed in life. His consistent joy and happiness is not only a treasure for his family, but for mine as well. Whether it was helping cultivate my communication skills as Sports Director for Eastcast, making sure to visit my mom and put a smile on her face every day, or even taking the time to put his arm around me when he saw me in the hallway, Mr. Musumeci knew how to make everyone around him better. These wonderful gifts that he so easily provided are things that I take with me each and every day. One thing I have learned throughout my journey is that being successful is not just about making sure you have achieved your own goals. It is also about making sure that you help others to achieve theirs, and from the bottom of my heart, I can truly say that Mr. Musumeci is a success!

- Joe Matteo (‘03) I was amazed at how much your runners admired you. Cross-country is such a tough sport, filled with constant pain. Yet you helped your runners find light during the pain. Whenever I saw you during practice or a race, it was impossible not to feel a little less pain because you always knew how to motivate me. I always appreciated all the support you gave me, and for that, I wanted to race well for you.

- Nate Mulberg (‘10)

COMMUNITY Page 6

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Wexford Leas carols with Carol Novack ■ By Liza Rothkoff (‘16) For Eastside

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.”

The chants of familiar Christmas songs ring out all around the neighborhood of Wexford Leas every December: a local tradition dating back about twenty years.

Carol Novack, a resident of Wexford Leas, has been escorting many of her neighbors in caroling from door to door.

She decided to begin the caroling because it was an “old-fashioned wonderful tradition to bring the community together in a fun way,” said Novack.

Fifteen people showed up for the very first of the carols. As the years went by, that number expanded. The caroling has progressed drastically over the past twenty years—some years twenty-five people show up, sometimes fifty.

“You put it out there and a mixture of the older and the younger show up every year,” said Novack.

The neighbors whose houses are visited are grateful for the visit from the

Workers hired during winter season ■ By Chloe Goldstein (‘14) Eastside Staff

When people think of the holidays, they usually imagine snow, meals, spending time with family and a warm fire; however, when managers think of the holidays, they turn to a pressing issue—hiring workers. Around this time, department stores all over the country advertise employment opportunities in search of people who are looking for w o r k .

Holiday hiring is important because managers need more people to work during the prime giftshopping season, especially on a day like Black Friday. On this hectic day, more than the regular amounts of workers are present at the store ringing up and helping customers who flock to the stores trying to get the best deals on items.

The Burlington Coat Factory is an example of a large department store that was in search of new workers during the holiday season. Manager Michael Irwin hired 25 people for the holiday season.

The holiday season spans a different time than many might expect.

“People are hired for employment from late September to the second week of November. By January fifteenth the holiday season is over,” said Irwin.

Even when the holiday season is over, the employer does not let all of the new workers go. Irwin said he keeps some workers depending on their performance. Every work-

er is paid equally whether they are newly hired workers for the holidays or everyday workers; each person is paid minimum wage, which currently in New Jersey is seven dollars and twenty-five cents per hour. As for the people that work just for the holiday season, the future is uncertain.

“They work full-time jobs, some people don’t have jobs the rest of the year, others are let go, most have second jobs, it all varies,” said Irwin.

A second w e l l k n o w n department store that hires during the holiday season is Old Navy.

The mana g e r , Je a n n i n e C h e l i , h i r e s depending how Jenn Cha (‘13)/ Eastside Staff on many people are already on staff, with the wave of new employees varying from year to year, she said.

According to Cheli, the hiring at Old Navy goes from October to the time the holiday rolls around the week before Black Friday.

“The amount of money that holiday workers make is the same as every other worker, seasonal or non-seasonal,” Cheli added.

Next time a person sees posters advertising for holiday hiring outside of department stores, one can realize the factors that go into searching for workers. The holiday time is a crucial season to hire people because when an employer has proper staffing levels, the company can provide efficient customer service. And when it comes to the mad rush of holiday shopping, that’s something it cannot afford to go without.

carolers and many sing along as the carolers gather at their door step. Some even grab their coats and tag along to the next houses.

“The neighbors are pleasantly surprised,” said Novack.

Sometimes the people at the house are small children who are overjoyed when they see the carolers at their door. One neighbor even cried at the sight of the carolers at her doorstep.

The group of carolers usually sings one or two songs at each home because if the door were kept open any longer, the house would get too cold. The songs frequently sung are the ones that everyone knows and recognizes, such as “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

The carolers’ voices tire and fingers freeze, but they continue to gather every year to spread a little Christmas joy around their neighborhood.

House art by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director Lights art by Emmy Silverman (‘13)/ Eastside Community Editor

■ By Katie Silverman (‘13) For Eastside

Voorhees Pediatric Facility is a home for physically disabled children.

The facility provides skilled nursing and rehabilitative care for children who can no longer stay in the hospital but still need constant professional care. Many of these children live at the facility, but some come for schooling. The facility provides Bancroft schooling for medically complex children as well as school-based rehabilitation and a medical day care. The facility also has specialists in respiratory, rehabilitation and therapeutic services.

Volunteers fulfill an important role in complementing the care of physi-

cally disabled children. Volunteers provide services through a variety of programs and spend quality time with the residents on a one-on-one basis or in a group setting. Volunteers read the children stories, help them with homework or an art project, or rock small infants to sleep. The volunteers brighten the children’s days.

Volunteers must commit to a minimum of two hours per week for at least three months. If you would like to make a valuable difference in a child’s life, join the Voorhees Pediatric Facility team.

To request a volunteer application, contact Rose Lynch, Volunteer Manager, at (856) 346-3300 ext. 160 or e-mail at Rlynch@forkidcare.com.

Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

If you volunteer, please tell us about it: community@eastside-online.org ■ By Emma Haught (‘13) For Eastside

All They Need Is Love Animal Rescue was founded by Emily Richardson and Cari Pedersen in 2010. Their motto is “saving lives one animal at a time.” The rescue does not have a standing facility; instead it fosters out all of its dogs and brings the dogs to adoption events at various pet stores and parks around the South Jersey/Philadelphia area.

The rescue gets a lot of pitbulls because that breed is often abandoned or abused. Moreover, people are often reluctant to adopt a pitbull

because of the breed’s aggressive stereotype. It has become a huge mission of the rescue to reduce the stigma associated with pitbulls by showing that they can be good pets as long as they are provided with a loving environment. Hundreds of dogs have been given loving homes thanks to this phenomenal rescue.

People of any age can volunteer with the rescue by showing adoptable animals to people at events, fundraising, fostering, sponsoring, and more!

Like their page on Facebook and go to alltheyneedislovesanimalrescue.com, where you can find additional volunteer information!

COMMUNITY January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 7

You better watch out, you better not cry: Santa Claus was in town ■ By Emmy Silverman (‘13)

WARNING: Do not read this if you are under the age of 12.

Every Christmas season children flock to the nearest mall to sit on Santa’s lap and tell the plump old man what they want for Christmas.

But, did you ever stop to think about with whom you are really sharing your Christmas list? Who is the man behind the white beard and red velour suit?

To become a mall Santa you do not have to scarf down cookies and sweets until you have a round belly or participate in No-Shave-November to

obtain a long white beard. You must, however, have stamina, patience with children, a love of the Christmas spirit and the ability to pass a criminal background check.

“We look for a congenial Santa with a twinkle in h i s e y e , ” w r o t e Bonnie

Fluck, Executive Administrator of Cherry Hill Photo Enterprises.

Although from an observer’s perspective, the job may seem quite easy, sitting down all day in a kingly chair as precious children tell you what they want for Christmas, the job from the perspective of the man under the white beard can be quite exhausting.

According to Robert C. Wolfe, Chief Executive of Cherry Hill Photo Enterprises, a Santa must remain in character, referring to himself as Santa, not I, treat every child with respect and never rush.

All Santas must go through training before they are able to smile for a picture with a crying

baby on their lap. Cherry Hill Photo runs “Santa Claus University,” where hired Santas go to learn how to accurately portray the big man in the red suit.

“Santas go through a very intensive training course where they learn the importance of being Santa: from how to dress, makeup techniques, Santa Do’s and Don’ts and even the names of the reindeer,” wrote Fluck.

Everyone knows that Santa is an extremely hard-working man up at the North Pole, but here at the mall he works just as hard to keep the Christmas spirit alive within the youth of the town each December.

Every year around Christmas time the children keep one ear open. They are not listening for the tipitty-tap or the thump, thump, thump of Santa and his reindeer on their roofs, but for the familiar sound of a fire engine siren. This engine is not off to rescue a burning building, but to spread Christmas joy all throughout the town.

The tradition of Santa riding around the local neighborhoods on top of a fire truck every Christmas season dates all the way back to 1949 at the Erlton Fire Company.

One of the firemen and his family had been involved in an accident around Christmas time. The family had nothing to eat and no way to keep warm as a result. The fire company gathered a committee to help raise money for the family.

“They derived their funds with parties and bake sales and din-

ners. The volunteer fire department visited various businesses to ask for donations of money or candy canes,” said Emil Arcari, Retired Career Firefighter with Erlton Fire Company and former Santa Claus.

On Christmas Eve George Stein, Fire Commissioner for Erlton Fire Company in the 1950’s, dressed as Santa Claus, delivered toys and food to the family. He returned to the fire station saying he had never seen a happier family. After seeing how happy Santa made these children, the company decided to start a new tradition the following Christmas Eve of Santa riding around on a fire truck and giving candy canes to the children in the district. This

tradition has lasted until present time and many other fire companies in the state send their own Santas around their district over the holiday season.

The town appreciates the event so much that local businesses donate money to pay for the Santa suit and candy canes each year so the fire companies do not have to pay to keep the tradition going and keep smiles on the children’s faces.

“It really blows Christmas out,” said Arcari. “You just couldn’t imagine how happy the kids could be to see Santa.”

The listening children know that every year Santa will come around on his fire truck to give them candy canes and the fire companies will never let a Christmas go by without blasting their sirens and shouting “Ho Ho Ho” from the top of a fire truck

dressed as the big, jolly man in the red suit.

Eastside Community Editor

Mall

Fire Truck

Photo courtesy of Lieutenant William Arcari of the Erlton Fire Company

First Santa, George Stein, rides on a fire truck on Christmas Eve, 1950.

Art by Susana Yu (‘13)/ Eastside Staff

Wexford Leas house memorializes Camden murders ■ By Rachel Cohen (‘15) Eastside Community Editor

Over the past few years, violence has been a growing problem in Camden and surrounding areas. Many of these acts of violence have resulted in the deaths of loved ones of all ages. Though many of these murders are mentioned on the news, most receive little reaction or have little impact on Cherry Hill residents’ daily lives.

From December to January, instead of presenting the usual decorations on their lawn, Ted and Cathy Fox had a display of awareness for this violence. After attending a vigil for the murder victims at their church, Sacred Heart in Camden, and visiting the crosses put up at City Hall memorializing victims of violence, the Foxes thought, “Well, why don’t we have them here?”

These crosses have been displayed at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Moorestown, Camden’s City Hall and now at the Fox house in Wexford Leas. The ones displayed at the Fox’s were made by the families of the murder victims. The crosses memorial-

ize the hundreds of homicide victims in Camden and Philadelphia. The Foxes, who wish to create awareness that Camden is part of the Cherry Hill community, have had large amounts of people visit the memorial or drive past it with no negative reactions toward the display.

“We are hopeful that there will be awareness. This is not just Camden’s problem…I feel that we all—ourselves included, forget that,” said Cathy Fox. The Foxes have emphasized that this is not about them or religion, but about standing up for an issue that is prevalent in towns located very close to Cherry Hill.

They hope that other places of worship and other homes will set up some form of memorial.

“We are honored that they are here,” Cathy Fox said.

The crosses in front of City Hall are placed in solidarity with the Camden antiviolence group Stop Trauma on People (STOP). The memorials have really hit home because rather than just another name ringing out on the news, they serve as a physical representation and reminder of the painful aftermath of homicide.

Emmy Silverman (‘13)/ Eastside Community Editor

Those murdered are commemorated at 115 Ashford Road, Cherry Hill, NJ.

OPINIONS Page 8

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Extracurriculars should be required The Benefits of mountains, they can join school may feel pressure ■ By Keshav Amaro (‘15) the Ski and Snowboard from their schedules, the Extracurriculars at East Club. If a student engages teamwork skills used Eastside Staff

East offers students many clubs and extracurricular activities. With so many options, students should be required to participate in at least one of these activities. While many students already choose to be highly involved in these nonmandatory activities, East still maintains an inactive population. Opting to become involved in clubs helps shape one's overall character development and career orientation as these acquired skills benefit students’ social skills, problem-solving abilities and mental health.

Extracurricular activities, rather than increase the workload and stress of students, serve as an outlet for the students’ interests and a mental break from the constant stress of school. Although maintaining decent grades in classes can be challenging, activities allow students to “cool off” with something that provides an escape from the everyday academic grind. If a student likes sliding down snow-covered

in creative outlets like painting and drawing, then the Art Club is their match. Whatever their interest may be, there is a club to coincide with it.

“You can’t be forced to do an activity that you don’t want to do, but it’s great to be encouraged to leave your comfort zone so you can grow and find your place in society,” says Nate Warszawski (‘13).

Extracurriculars also help increase students’ self-confidence.

Additionally, extracurricular activities in a setting with a positive environment can create productive atmospheres and make students more open-minded to new ideas. In addition to teamwork, student involvement with community service and food donations are also assets in self and community development. By exposing students to these activities within school, it will help build character in the aforementioned areas for the average East student.

Though students with serious jobs outside of

throughout sports will enhance productivity in the workplace, and set the students apart from the rest of the workforce.

Sometimes, extracurricular activities can even motivate students.

Motivation is important in school because it compels students to take action, to pursue goals and to make priorities. If students love their activity of choice, then they will be willing to maintain their grades in order to stay in that activity. For example, sports teams require students to maintain decent grades in order to participate in the activity.

Ultimately, involvement with a club, activity or sport in high school offers many benefits and will create well-rounded individuals. However, requiring a student to participate in an extracurricular activity is just the foundation. It is the activity that the student chooses to engage in in order to fulfill that requirement that can make all the difference in the average student.

According to a study by California State University - Sacramento, about 75 percent of 12- to-17-year-old children who participated in an extracurricular activity are on track academically (that is, in the grade at school expected for their age) compared with 60 percent of children in this age group who did not participate in such activities.

Also in this study, students achieved much higher rates of retention and graduation, better GPAs and higher good standing rates when they engaged in any of the activities.

All art by Abby Hoffman (‘14)/ Eastside Opinions Editor

Financial Literacy...a positive addition?

Keep Financial Literacy at East ■ By Kevin Pang (‘15) Eastside Staff

When students choose which classes to take, it is recommended that students should choose subjects that will benefit them in the future. One course that is crucial to the future of Cherry Hill students is the newly-required financial literacy course.

“Financial Literacy teaches great life lessons at a young age to start planning for the future,” said Mrs. Lisa Keeley-Cain, a financial literacy teacher. “It exposes students to topics they never learned about.”

Although many students enrolled in the course are only taking it for the necessary credit, most will soon

come to realize how helpful strong financial literacy skills are in the real world.

This class will help students survive today’s chaotic economy, in which one small mistake could result in huge losses.

“The class will help in the future, like in managing credit card debt, investments, and money in general,” said Jon Leonetti (‘15).

The general purpose of the class is to get students to think more and watch their spending. Some of the topics addressed in the class include budgets, insurance, savings, investments, charities, careers, and of course, the ever-hated topic of taxes. “ F i n a n c i a l Lit[eracy] helps people

even before they get into the working world,” said Hari Asuri (‘15). “In some of the activities and clubs I do at East, I use the skills I learned from class.”

Financial Literacy proves to be one of the most useful classes students can take in high school that will directly benefit students’ futures. It helps them prepare for the adult world of monotonous work, as well as possible financial breakdowns. It certainly helps people manage daily expenses better.

Financial literacy must remain a required course to teach all students the skills they need for a future of financial success and future planning.

Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

Students, starting with the class of 2014, are required to take Financial Literacy at East.

What is Financial Literacy?

Financial Literacy: noun - the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for financial well-being.

The class was added to the curriculum last year as a requirement for all students (starting with the Class of 2014). In the course, students are scheduled to learn all about finances in order to obtain the ability to manage money and other assets as the student gets older.

Revise Financial Literacy at East ■ By Abby Hoffman (‘14) Eastside Opinions Editor

To most adults, financial literacy is the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective monetary decisions throughout their lives as young adults.

However, to most Cherry Hill East students, Financial Literacy is a course that serves no purpose.

Although it should be helping students prepare for future investments, Financial Literacy has all too easily become a class for students to complete other homework assignments in or to endure teachers rambling about assets

and taxes. “[Financial Literacy] was all common sense. I should have been allowed to take a class I actually wanted to take,” said an East junior who participated in last year’s Financial Literacy program.

“They did not tell me anything I didn’t already know.”

Another student who participated in the program last year, also a junior, said “Financial Literacy did not really teach me anything new. All we did was read out of a textbook.”

In order to make this class more beneficial to students for future endeavors, the class should be more interactive, perhaps

including hands-on experience or projects that show a participant what it may be like to pay off loans or debt. As the theoretical reasoning for this class still persistently remains, its execution severely lacks purpose as students are still unprepared for their financial future.

Although an East requirement, the Financial Literacy course has proven to be ineffective in preparing for future experiences with finances and, if continued, needs to restructure its course outline to further engage students. And with the economic future uncertain, we cannot afford to waste our students’ time.

OPINIONS January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 9

Offensive cultural references must be censored THE ■ By Atira Nair (‘16) and Jen Horton (‘16) For Eastside

When teens walk into Urban Outfitters and see a tribal pattern on a shirt, they usually do not think about the racist implications that that shirt has.

After all, some may say, how bad can one pattern be? The first instinct is not to wonder about who would be offended by the print.

Yet the ramifications are greater than the average shopper may realize.

The Navajo nation is currently suing Urban Outfitters for the use of their tribe name in the labels of Urban Outfitters products. Things like flasks, shirts and accessories have all been branded with the word “Navajo,” yet they have no authentic basis in Navajo culture.

Urban Outfitters, however chic and trendy it may be, is hugely inappropriate when it comes to cultural appropriation, or t a k i n g ideas from a culture and using them in an often disrespectful way.

Although

Urban Outfitters is a huge offender, it is certainly not the only one. Everyone knows the pop star Ke$ha for her outrageous music and costumes. However, Ke$ha has performed multiple times in Navajo outfits including a shirt with glow-in-the-dark Native American symbols and another with an Indian chief headdress. M.I.A.’s music video for “Bad Gurlz” shows Arab men

and women as crazy, gunswinging dancers. Even Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Your Love” borders on inappropriate boundaries as she features women sword-fighting in geisha outfits.

These trends are going too far. The problem is that people can buy what they want without penalization, regardless of any offensive connotations. Yet unfortunately, the hardest part

“Urban Outfitters, however chic and trendy it may be, is hugely inappropriate when it comes to cultural appropriation.”

Courtesy of time.com and theblaze.com

A sampling of Urban Outfitters’ “Navajo” products.

about political correctness is knowing where to draw the line.

If any T-shirt is offensive (especially to a large population of people like the Navajos), and is repeatedly presented in public, action must be taken to ensure that the offended group is treated appropriately.

However, censorship has its limits. If almost every product from a certain company is problematic, it would be pointless to discontinue all of its products. It is only crucial that these corporations are wary of any potentially offensive backlashing as a result of their products.

Thus, the ideas of censorship and cultural appropriation should be taken more seriously than they are today. Famous figures and companies need to acknowledge that their actions do reflect upon themselves and their consumers. Although many overlook this simple concept, unless companies are surefooted regarding what they are labeling their products as, political incorrectness will always be an issue.

Thus, although these offenders are facing the wrath of political distaste, there needs to be an implemented boundary in order to prevent incidents like these from happening.

NAVAJO NATION

Did you know?

-The Navajo Nation covers 27,000 square miles, extending into Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

-Its population currently exceeds 250,000.

President Ben Shelly currently serves as leader of the Navajo Nation.

-During World War II, the Navajo language was utilized as a secret code against the Japanese.

-The Navajo Nation has sued Urban Outfitters on the basis of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, which bans advertising products in such a way that falsely suggests that they are Native Americanmade.

Navajo Nation seal courtesy of navajo-nsn.gov. Facts courtesy of navajonsn.gov and npr.org

U.S. troops stationed in Poland ■ By Talia Balakirsky (‘14) Eastside Staff

With the 2012 Presidential Election over, President Obama promises many changes. As of November, the U.S. Air Force, complying with a request from the Polish government, stationed troops in Poland. According to The Wall Street Journal, “The unit is just 10 soldiers strong but represents what Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak called, ‘the first permanent presence of American soldiers on Polish soil.’’’ The main goal of this unit? To assist Polish pilots in learning how to use American-built F-16s while aiding fighter planes and other aircrafts that travel throughout that area.

Although it has been decried, this act cannot truly cause any harm. Due to the small number of troops that have been deployed to Poland, it is likely that this mission

is just a test-run to see how their presence will affect both the Polish forces as well as the American aircrafts that fly overhead.

Additionally, because of the number of troops deployed to Poland, the Air Force and other branches of the U.S. forces still have many opportunities to deploy soldiers to other locations.

U.S. Ambassador Stephen Mull supported this new mission. Citing his belief that it will lead to increased cooperation between the American, Polish and majority of European governments concerning security. In light of the November elections, the stationing of the ten American Air Force troops in Poland shows the power and increased desire of the Obama administration to achieve peace within the entire world, allowing President Obama to begin his second term with a positive, constructive act.

Courtesy of stripes.com

The American troops stationed in Poland pose with Polish troops.

OPINIONS

Page 10

EASTSIDE

January 2013

NASA is universally rewarding

Out of this world!

■ By Jenna Wilson (‘15)

■ By Amy Myers (‘13)

Eastside News/Features Editor

When Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon in 1969, it was an iconic moment for the American people.

Unfortunately, the millions of Americans who were born after 1969 will never experience an event of that magnitude. It was announced in November 2012 that President Obama has significantly cut NASA’s budget—again.

The President’s budget for NASA totals at $17.7 billion, which is substantially lower than last year’s budget. What seems like a huge sum to the average American is insignificant to the estimated $700 billion spent on bailing out Wall Street financial institutions.

While some budgets remained stable, Earth science, Heliophysics (studies of the sun) and others, including space exploration, had significant drops.

The budget for space exploration dropped from $1.5 billion to $1.2 billion, which directly targets the Mars exploration along with future missions.

The President's budget now requests that the Mars exploration be $361 million, a crippling

NASA lands first NASA was man on the moon founded in 1958. in 1969.

$226 million loss in funding compared to the 2012 estimate. According to the Eisenhower Research Project based at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, the rate of money spent in Afghanistan and Iraq is approximately $20 million per hour. In other words, the amount of money cut from the Mars exploration is equal to the money spent on the “War on Terror” in only 15 hours.

The United States has an unbelievably strong planetary exploration program and has always led extraterrestrial discoveries. With all the cuts, this will change rapidly.

Although missions are a large part of NASA, they are not the only contributions that NASA gives us. NASA provides information on weather patterns and ozone layers in addition to its earth science program that specializes in geology, oceanography and meteorology. Not to mention that the technology developed for the space program is also assimilated into daily life through wireless communication. These scientific advancements help to make the United States progress and convenience American lives.

Instead of bailing out big companies and providing tax-cuts for the wealthy, NASA should be funded. It is critically important to scientific advancements within the United States and should not only be funded, but should also be appreciated by our government.

Space Shuttle Challenger failed on January 28, 1986.

NASA sends first The Apollo-Soyuz Test American into space Project was the first in 1961. international human space flight effort (1975).

NASA lands rover “Curiosity” on Mars on August 5, 2011.

Space Shuttle Columbia failed on February 1, 2003.

Background courtesy of www.galaxyimages.com All Art by Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

No human life on Mars ■ By Sarah Robbins (‘13) Eastside Staff

Despite the media hype, there is no justifiable reason to have manned missions to Mars. Little over forty years ago, man successfully landed on the moon. However, for a mission as far as Mars, the microgravity would wear on the bodies of the astronauts, causing muscle strain, bone deterioration, anemia and dizziness. Not to mention that it is estimated that a manned mission would cost up to 400 billion dollars, an exorbitant sum of money that the United States cannot spare in the aftermath of a recession. Although critics argue that explorers are needed to test the implications of life on Mars, it is not practical. If NASA’s rover “Curiosity” can take pictures and send them back to NASA in only 14 minutes, then why are humans needed to inspect Mars’s surface?

Curiosity not only takes photos of Mars, but the rover is remote-controlled by NASA scientists who decide where the rover should navigate on Mars’s surface. So far, the rover has sent back a steady stream of information about the type, texture and chemical makeup of Mars’s surface. One setback of the rover is its speed, as the rover moves at approximately 300 feet per hour while an astronaut, naturally, could move at a much faster pace.

However, its slow pace prevents the rover from overturning when it reaches rough terrain. Despite its difficulty, the benefits of the rover far outweigh the excessive cost and unnecessary dangers of sending astronauts to Mars.

Mission : Impractical ■ By Dylan Fingerman (‘13) Eastside Radio Manager

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has raised the prestige of the nation by putting the first man on the moon and assisting in the discovery of frozen water on Mercury. Yet, NASA still has fundamental problems that lead back to the team in charge of it: the federal government.

NASA has had far too many “oops” moments that have cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars. For example, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory cost 278 million dollars, and on February 24, 2009, it failed to reach orbit and crashed. A year later, NASA received another 170 million dollars to launch the second Orbital Carbon Observatory, which is now set to launch in 2014.

Aside from blatant failures, NASA led to many embarrassing moments of gross chauvinism due to the “race-to-themoon” mindset. At the climax of the Cold War, the United States considered detonating an atomic bomb on the moon for the sole purpose of Soviet intimidation. A waste like this makes the average taxpayer, who funds NASA’s 17-billiondollar annual budget, wonder about the classified operations of NASA plans.

Perhaps renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking’s belief that humans must colonize another planet or face extinction is correct, but so far, NASA has yet to justify its spending on exploration missions if colonization is not realistic or in the near future.

Eastside Opinions Editor

Due to the financial strains placed upon the government by this recession, NASA has been bombarded with scrutiny over its spending, research and overall importance, leaving NASA’s future in jeopardy.

As it currently stands, NASA could: remain a governmental program, be financed by a private expenditure, or merely join an alliance with other countries’ space programs.

Realistically, it seems that to merge with another country (or with other countries) would easily provide our space program with new information that could lead to scientific advancements at a lower cost.

But why should the United States government outsource one of its most important assets when American companies could easily offer financial support?

Funding from large corporations that want to sink their teeth into the adventures of space would result in the employment of hundreds, if not thousands, of people to build the machines to break the confines of gravity and to organize the information gathered from missions. NASA has been successful as a governmental organization, and I prefer that it remains one, but private U.S. companies would easily stimulate interests in the field of aeronautics with new employment opportunities in research that could redefine our country’s outlook on space exploration. Sharing any form of information that our exceptional space program has with a foreign nation only increases another country’s ability to capitalize off of space missions at the expense of the United States.

We have a unique space program that, if preserved, can remain one of the most enviable possessions that the United States has, despite the costliness of the program. The United States is losing its grip in international ranks due to competition from nations like China and Japan that have excelled in the fields of mathematics and science. If we truly want to succeed in the present world, we should invest in what has already won us acclaim. By lending support for this program, we will not only continue to satisfy the “nerd” inside of us all, but we will also lead in revolutionary technology that only seems possible in Star Wars.

Thus, I wholeheartedly support NASA’s preservation, and if it does cease to exist within the next few years, its destruction will become one of the largest mistakes the United States will ever make.

EDITORIAL January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 11

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

Programming program should be pursued Anyone researching the best college majors will find that the technology industry is growing quickly. While thousands of people are left unemployed each year, the number of high-paying, technologyrelated jobs is increasing.

According to the New York Times’ “Top 10 List: Where the Jobs Are,” the career of Network Systems and Data Communications Analyst ranks number two with a projected growth of 53 percent by 2018. In fact, computer science ranks third on the Forbes list of the “15 Most Valuable College Majors” with a median starting salary of $56,600 and a mid-career salary of $97,900.

Not only is the demand for technology-related jobs growing, but the use of technology is growing as well. Every year, we see more and more classrooms utilizing SmartBoards at East, people using tablets in lieu of physical books and children reaching for their parents’ smartphones or tablets in place of a toy.

Technology has even changed the way people interact as a result of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. As we become more dependent on technology in our everyday lives, our ability to be technologically savvy seems to take greater precedence.

We are at a point now

where we are at a disadvantage if we don’t know what to do when a computer malfunctions or becomes overrun by goats.

Unfortunately, there are few places where East students can learn more about the technology that they use every day. Currently, students interested in programming, the writing of specific instructions for computers to follow, only have the option of joining either the Programming Club or Robotics Club.

Even with these clubs, East’s future computer science majors are at a disadvantage.

Schools should adapt to the ever-changing job market in order to give their students the best chance of success, and East is no exception. Mr. Joe Dilks, a math teacher at East, has recognized the need for a programming course. He recently proposed a course to the school board, and he has received good feedback. Eastside would like to recognize Mr. Dilks and everyone else working towards the inclusion of a programming course at East, for taking the initiative to work towards providing future students with another opportunity to succeed. We hope that a programming course will come to fruition in the coming years so that East students will be prepared to shape the future of technology.

Editorial Cartoon

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

2087 Fax: (856) 424-3509

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

Publisher Fort Nassau Graphics Thorofare, NJ

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Awards The International Quill and Scroll Society, The American Scholastic Press Association, The Garden State Scholastic Press Association, The Temple Press Tournament, and The National Scholastic Press Association.

Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

East students take advantage of new break cell phone policy.

Letter to the Editor:

Community member applauds restaurant review of Pizza Brain When I--a card-carrying foodie--found myself working on a political campaign stationed in Kensington last month, I thought it was a death sentence for my lofty taste. But after reading Bryan Sheehan’s recommendation of Pizza Brain, a Frankford pizza joint just as zany as it is exquisite, my faith in a new generation of Philly restaurants and pizza culture at large has been restored.

Sheehan surely brought out the best in owner Brian Dwyer, whose insights about the power of pizza are just as refreshing as his signature slices. Try the “Felix Huppert”!

-Dan Lynch

Letters to the editor are always welcomed!

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EASTSIDE

January 2013

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The t h r e e major messianic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all have some sort of end-of-theworld mythology. These religions believe that at the second coming of the messiah, the good will be rewarded and the bad will be justly punished. In the Christian New Testament, the four horsemen, interpreted as Conquest, War, Famine and Death, ride out as harbingers of the apocalypse.

The Old Testament story of Noah’s Ark is a good example of religious apocalyptic theory: Noah, the one righteous man in the world, was given warning and told to save his family and the animals, while the rest of humanity (perceived as evil by God) was destroyed.

Pop culture and the Apocalypse The apocalypse has captured the heart of the mainstream media. Of course, the apocalypse has always been common in films and books, but now creative minds are examining the post-apocalyptic world.

Here are a few examples:

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The apocalypse has been a part of popular dogma for as long as there have been humans to pass their stories down.

In Ancient Greek mythology, the world had already seen four apocalypses that destroyed all of humanity. The Greeks were a fifth version of the human form and, in time, the Gods would tire and blot this version out as well to create a sixth age of men.

In Egyptian mythology, the forces of chaos and order are in a constant struggle for dominance. If the forces of chaos defeat the forces of good, then all of humanity will be swallowed up by chaos. Only the gods’ intervention prevents this fate.

May 21, 2011: The day that then-president Harold Camping of Family Fifteenth-cenRadio, a western-based Christtury “prophet” Nosian radio station, predicted the tradamus gained fame due to world would end. According to his unorthodox treatment of Camping, the righteous would the Black Plague and has survive and the sinners would remained famous due to a book be smitten. Families from all of quatrains he wrote that preover the country sold their homes dicted future events which and moved to his Oakland, CA have since been seen as accuhome base to await the Rapture rate.

His quatrains are with their leader. thought to have accurately preWhen the Rapture did not occur, dicted Napoleon’s reign and the Camping said that the planet had rise of Hitler. entered a six-month judgment His final quatrain predicts phase and would be destroyed that the end of the world will in October. After October occur in 2797 after the “third passed with nary a Godantichrist” comes to Earth. driven explosion, CampThe prediction holds that ing pronounced the Meteor courtesy of apocalypse.net upon this antichrist’s planet saved by the death, the world will light that he and end.

Obviously, his followers this cannot had so powcurrently be N a n c y erfully proven or Lieder swears that spread.

The nuclear refutshe was contacted by apocalypse has been included. extraterrestrials in her youth. ed on this list under one heading, even According to Lieder, her alien friends told her though there have been a range of theories about that the world would end sometime in the early 21st it since the invention of the nuclear bomb. century when a large object, dubbed “Planet X” (Nibiru), will This is a relatively modern theory because the advent of collide with Earth and perpetrate the end of the world. nuclear technology came about in the 20th century. The Lieder calls this the Nibiru cataclysm. Apparently, nuclear age has been a mind-boggling mix of terrifying NASA’s denial of the Nibiru cataclysm is really just theories, and the terror is more real because the entire the scientists’ attempt to keep everyone in large world has seen the destructive power of the nuclear urban cities to die. Originally, Nibiru was supbomb in action. posed to hit Earth in 2003, but Lieder revised The Cold War of the later 1900s was a her theory to coincide with that of the huge nuclear arms race that led to bomb Mayan calendar’s end. shelters in the basement and bomb To learn more about Lieder, you drills during the school day. can visit her website, Surviving nuclear fallout zetatalk.com. was the goal of the age.

The Walking Dead: A popular television show about a group of humans in a zombie-overriden world where the only goal is survival.

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The end of the world has been an issue with humans for as long as history has been recorded. From the Greek and Egyptian myths to the Bible and on, humanity has been fascinated by the ultimate utter destruction of our planet.

The Mayan Apocalypse was simply the latest craze in a series of crazy end-of-the-world theories which have been plaguing mankind since its birth. In 1704, there was a now-forgotten proposal that the world would end in 2060. Sir Isaac Newton even wrote a letter to Robert Hooke about this apocalyptic mania, wherein he stated he wanted “to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end.”

But human beings have been fatalistically inclined since the beginning: The three major messianic religions all invoke the image of an ended world, where the messiah’s second coming revives the righteous and permanently damns the unworthy.

Even though there has not been an apocalypse to date, every new craze has a devoted following.

Something in the human psyche is drawn irresistibly toward the idea of an end.

For some, the idea of the apocalypse provides a sense of stability: an exact expiration date instead of the constant looming threat of the unknown. According to counseling clinician Sandy Kabel, “Psychologically speaking, that belief is based on fear—the fear of our own mortality and the ultimate helplessness that is behind that. It’s also the fear that drives our belief in the afterlife.”

On a more sinister level, some people look to the end as the end to their problems. For these people, the apocalypse represents hope in a hopeless situation. While most endof-the-world enthusiasts hope to survive the apocalypse, these people simply want everything to stop.

Other theorists hope that the masses will revert to religion in the face of the end. These people are comforted by the idea that their lives are in God’s hands. Even though religious individuals believe that religion has lost its influence in the modern world, the end of the world is such an abstract idea that religion is able to produce theories like The Rapture.

The end offers the sense of closure that many so desperately need in their lives. The end provides a sense of stability for believers by providing an expiration date.

Some fear the end, and others know it is far off. But for those who accept it, the apocalypse provides an anchor to cling to in the sea of life.

Mayan

Eastside Editor-in-Chief and Radio Manager

Scientists currently hold with the theory that the world will end several billion years from now. However, even among scientists there is debate about exactly what will happen. Some scientists say that the sun will expand into a red giant, pushing the Earth farther out into space while drying up the water on the planet. On the end-of-planet timeline, this would give Earth species about another billion years to evolve before Earth became completely uninhabitable.

Others say that the sun’s ultimate implosion will plunge the solar system into a frozen wasteland, causing the Earth The latto become a huge meanest apocalypdering ball of tic date, ice.

December 21, 2012, has finally passed, and, thankfully, the world did not explode in fire and ice. This apocalyptic theory sprang into being because the Mayan calendar was one of the most accurate calendars ever created; it is correct to mere hundredths of a second. Because the Mayan calendar ended on what was perceived the equivalent of December 21, 2012, the populace panicked: The end of the calendar equalled the end of the world.

But it is more likely that, since the Mayans had already predicted the fall of their own civilization, they stopped on that particular date for no other reason than general apathy.

Pagan M

EASTSIDE

ic

■ By Juliet Brooks (‘13) and Dylan Fingerman (‘13)

ry o e h T

January 2013

an ssi Me

The Psychology of the End

c i f i t n e i Sc

SPECIAL

Quick Fact:

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The interpretation of the Mayan calendar that cited December 21, 2012, as the date of the apocalypse did not account for the extra days added by Leap Years in the Gregarian Calendar. Calculations show that the real Mayan expiration date was about 8 months before December 21.

t“ X”

(Nib iru)

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I Am Legend: This post-apocalyptic novel by Richard Matheson details a world where humans have been changed into something else. But the seemingly disheartening ending is actually high praise for the human race: In his book, Matheson shows the human race’s great capacity for adaptation. The movie based off the book turns an uplifting message of change into an action-packed sacrifice thriller where one man has to fend off a horde of angry vampires alone.

Fire and Ice: The inspiration for Robert Frost’s famous 1920 poem came from Harlow Shapely. When Frost asked Shapely how the world would end, Shapely said that either the sun would explode, incinerating Earth, or Earth would freeze slowly in space.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A book series about a man forced into inter-galactic space travel because his home planet, Earth, has been destroyed.

2012: A movie that examines corrupt human nature, 2012 follows a Noah’s Ark theme. The world is flooding and the only chance for human survival is a series of large ships built to withstand the flood.

Unfortunately for the majority of the human race, a lot of corrupt people get on the ship and a lot of good people die.

Wall-E: Yes, even children's’ movies are cresting on the profit that can be made off of the apocalypse. Wall-E is set on a spaceship long after the human apocalypse has occurred. It tells the story of an old robot who falls in love with another robot. But the main point is that, at the end, a bunch of humans finally make their way back to Earth to rebuild and lose weight.

All stories by Juliet Brooks (‘13)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief Background painting by Viktor Vasnetsov: “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” (1887). Here courtesy of 1st-art-gallery.com Mayan calendar by Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

COMICS Page 14

EASTSIDE

Beats By Beethoven by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

A Senior Resolution by Juliet Brooks (‘13)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

January 2013

Spare Change idea by Zack Becker (‘13)/ Eastside Humor Editor Art by Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

UNDERGROUND January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 15

‘Trapped’ in the mind of R Kelly: A look at his award-winning side project ■ By Bryan Sheehan (‘13) Eastside Underground Editor

R Kelly is an interesting character. The self-titled “King of R&B” has been putting out hit albums with huge commercial success for almost two decades, but references to the iconic singer usually involve his outlandish sex scandal.

Kelly gained notoriety in 2002 when a video surfaced of him having sex with, and urinating on, an allegedly underage woman. But after successfully fighting legal charges, his music continued to shine. While his provocative style (often compared to Prince and Al Green) and soulful voice have made him a legend in the Rhythm and Blues community, Kelly’s biggest accomplishment outside of R&B has been his side project, “Trapped in the Closet.”

The hiphopera, which currently spans over two and a half hours broken into forty chapters, was first introduced with the inclusion of the first five chapters on R. Kelly’s seventh album, T P .

3 Reloaded, and then made into a series of music videos.

The incredibly intricate tale, performed entirely in song by Kelly himself, describes the chain of events following a onenight stand. After the

protagonist Sylvester, one of seven roles portrayed by Kelly in the first 40 chapters, wakes up to find that he has

cheated on his wife, he is quickly thrust into a closet to hide from his mistress Cathy’s husband. When Rufus, Cathy’s husband and the pastor of the local church, finds Sylvester, Beretta in hand, and discovers his wife’s infidelity, he reveals a lover of his own: the church’s deacon, Chuck.

All of this happens in the first three chapters, and as the story goes on, the plot just becomes more and more complex; some characters include a male stripper who happens to be a little person named Big Man, Rose the Nosy Neighbor, her equally

Tyler-Perry-esque husband Randolph (R. Kelly) and a down-and-out pimp with a speech impediment who has seen the light of God, played by none other than Robert Kelly. All the characters are somehow connected as a web of infidelity and old relationships is slowly revealed, and every new chapter adds to the drama.

While the first 22 chapters were released in the middle of the last decade, chapters 23 to 40 came out around Thanksgiving.

What’s incredible is that there are, according to R. Kelly, 85 more chapters of the saga waiting to be produced, and some are even scheduled to premiere this month.

At the end of the chapters released this Thanksgiving, the plot seems to be unraveling.

Practically every character introduced in the first 22 chapters, from James the policeman, who is experiencing both sides of infidelity after finding out that Big Man is the father of his wife’s unborn child, to Tina and Roxanne, two former friends of the recently released-from-prison Twan, are all being interviewed by what seems like a television show within the plot.

The plot seems outlandish because, well, it is.

Kelly is in on the joke, of course, and the ridiculous story is provided with mostly tongue-in-cheek humor.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t big plans for the quirky side project: a Broadway musical and novelization of the saga are said to be planned for the future.

Art by Joel Greenspan (‘13) / Eastside Art Director

Out of the Vault: Remember HitClips?

■ By Juliet Brooks (‘13) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Once upon a time, people carried boom boxes on their shoulders.

Then they realized that portable tape players were the way to go. Wandering around with fanny packs and clunky music devices was very “in” for a long time.

After people decided that fanny

new millennium, HitClips had its heyday from around 2000 to 2001, dominating the wish lists of pre-teens everywhere until

packs were no longer fashionHit Clips photo via collegecandy.com able, a new music-storing device had to be created, and Tiger Apple released the Electronics stepped in to fill iPod on November the void with HitClips.

10, 2001, and physiReleased at the dawn of the cally lugging all

of your music around became terribly inconvenient.

HitClips were tiny musicplaying devices that came in McDonald’s Happy Meals and were occasionally found in plastic cases at Target.

With every HitClip, you got one free song—stored on a Gameboy game-sized hard drive that had to be inserted into the HitClip in order to listen to music. Using headphones, one could listen to exactly one song per “clip.”

Changing songs meant removing one HitClip hard drive and replacing it with another in the actual H i t C l i p .

Carrying your music library with you meant hooking all of your HitClip songs onto a

key chain.

The HitClips came in all different shapes and sizes— some took advantage of the “sleek and modern” look, resplendent in simple rectangular shapes with bright primary colors. Others looked like radios, butterflies or hearts. HitClips had an area to hook all of the HitClip clips onto.

Unfortunately, HitClip did not offer very good quality music.

Popular artists of the day, like Britney Spears and *NSYNC, were prominently featured in the HitClip library. Disney radio and Lunchables endorsed HitClips.

However, once the iPod was invented, most people lost interest in HitClips.

Now they have faded into the annals of time, cheesy plastic colors and pop music forgotten, except when it is brought up in “Out of the Vault,” of course.

Logo by Joel Greenspan (‘13) / Eastside Art Director

■ By Rachel Tinkelman (‘13) Eastside Humor Editor

There are plenty of old television shows that go unrecognized today, or at their very best are fondly remembered by those few who recollect them.

Popular fifties game show “What’s My Line?” lives on through YouTube clippings, “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family” are shown for one lousy day a year on Halloween, and once household name Milton Berle holds no meaning for the average person. To put this into perspective for East students, it is very possible that mentions of “Looney Toons” or “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” in the presence of elementary school kids will elicit blank stares.

Then there are those once popular shows that are remembered only to be ridiculed. One of the most unfortunate cases can be seen with “Star Trek” (the original series), a show largely associated with unopened action figures sitting on display in an adult (and probably single) male’s room.

One of the chief merits of “Star Trek” is that it is one of the few dramas in television history that does not have some obnoxious, overly dramatic plot that is dragged through heaven, hell and seasons one, two and three.

Episodes deal with single events: encounters of a star fleet ship with different life forms and lifestyles.

Despite the space theme that has been the butt of so many jokes, each episode is interesting and loaded with suspense. The episodes often take on an allegorical style, and as can be expected from a show from the sixties, they have some anti-communist and dystopian themes. In one episode, all of the people on a planet are replaced by androids and are controlled by a single computer.

In another episode, Kirk discovers that the society on a newly discovered planet has imitated the life of 1920’s gangsters in Chicago. Another time, Kirk, Bones, Scotty and Uhura find themselves trapped in a parallel universe filled with ruthless barbarians and must fit in until they find a way back home.

Honestly, it would be hard to watch “Star Trek” without feeling any inkling whatsoever to pursue all the follow-up shows, starting with “Next G e n e r a t i o n . ” Unfortunately , most people do not give it a chance.

UNDERGROUND Page 16

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January 2013

Image courtesy of explorepahistory.com

Image courtesy of Philly.com

James Burns, staff artist

Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

■ By Nick Mitchell (‘13) Eastside Underground Editor

Almost every city is known for something. In Seattle, it’s the coffee. In St.Louis, it’s the archway. In Kansas City, it’s the barbeque. So what is Philadelphia known for? Other than its disapointing sports teams, it is actually quite well known for the murals that are painted on the walls of the city. Most of these murals are due to the efforts of the Mural Arts Program, an organization fervently dedicated to enhancing the city’s spirit and landscape. I was lucky enough to have a talk with a staff artist from the Mural Arts Program, James Burns, who was able to give a detailed view on the importance of murals and the process of creating them.

The Mural Arts Program was started in reaction to the graffiti that covered the walls of the city during the eighties. Burns, who grew up in Philadelphia, was able to witness the graffiti that was spreading throughout the city.

“I like graffiti as an art form, but the level of art within the graffiti world wasn’t strong,” Burns said.

In order to deal with the problem, a woman named Jane Golden came up with the idea to give the graffiti artists a chance to channel their

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Image Courtesy of designsdelight.com

“Reach High and You Will Go Far” by Josh Sarantitis

creative talent through mural making.

Burns said, “Her tenacity has bought murals to an unprecedented level in the country. She’s an inspiring person and it’s good to be around that.”

As the years passed on, the old and decaying city became filled with wonderful pictures full of color, life, messages and paintings that pertained to Philadelphia’s culture. Community members began to become involved in these projects, deciding what was to be depicted on the walls of the city.

“The engagement level of the community is an important part of it. The process is something that a lot of people don’t see about the murals,” Burns said.

An example of mural making with a specific goal in mind would be the Porch Light Initiative, a project that addresses mental health issues, such as addiction and depression.

“They want the general public to be more thoughtful about mental health,” Burns said.

One of these murals, “Finding the Light Within,” was painted as a part of the Porch Light Initiative. It depicts a child throwing a life saver to someone struggling to stay afloat in the ocean.

According to Burns, close to a thousand people came to paint or celebrate the mural’s signifi-

cance.

“I was at a loss for words. It was affecting people in a way that’s pretty profound,” Burns said.

Apart from painting murals, the program also offers many classes that help juvenile delinquents and convicts as a part of the Restorative Justice program, allowing them to create something productive for the city as retribution for the crimes they committed. Burns has worked with people ranging from the homeless to methadone addicts.

He said, “You get to be a part of someone’s life for a while.”

All of these programs help struggling residents express their strife in an attempt to spread awareness throughout the city.

The Mural Arts Program is also respected on the international level. Burns traveled to Katmandu, Nepal this past summer to help paint a mural.

People who wish to learn about painting murals can enter the program through a number of ways. There’s a mural training program, an intern program and 16 sites that teach youth from ages 10 to 22 for free.

So whether it’s in Nepal or Philadelphia, the Mural Arts Program has made its impact one brushstroke at a time.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Angie Nguyen (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Image courtesy of aloveletterforyou.com

ENTERTAINMENT January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 17

Logo by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

Favorite TV Show

Favorite Song

Breakout Star

Biggest Disaster

“Breaking Bad”

“All Alright”

by Fun.

The Sun

“Homeland” beating “Breaking Bad” for Best Drama Emmy

We Asked...

Favorite Movie Favorite Album

Zack Becker (‘13)/Eastside Humor Editor

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Safe Travels (Jukebox the Ghost)

The Master

The Seer (Swans)

Discovery Channel’s “River Monsters”

Southern Air (Yellowcard)

“How I Met Your Mother”

Jack Braunstein (‘13)/Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Becca Cohen The Perks of Being (‘15)/Eastside a Wallflower Entertainment Editor Danielle Fox (‘13)/Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Safe Travels (Jukebox the Ghost)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Mr. Gagliardi/Eastside Advisor

Ain’t Nobody Left Curve Behind (Our Lady Peace)

Mr. Maniscalco/ Eastside Break 1 Advisor Nick Mitchell (‘13)/Eastside Underground Editor Sherin Nassar (‘13)/Eastside Managing Editor Rachel Tinkelman (‘13)/Eastside Humor Editor

“Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” by John Mayer

Beasts of the Roses “Fete D’Adieu” by “The Newsroom” Southern Wild (The Cranberries) Deerhoof

Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/Eastside Art Director

Joe Incollingo (‘13)/Eastside Entertainment Editor

“Lupine Dominus” Phillip Seymour The Hobbit waaaaay too short

by Thee Oh Sees Hoffman

Eddie Redmayne

Kara Alongi

Ray Tintori

Flight

“Girls”

“Breathing Underwater” by Metric

Joseph GordonLevitt

The Great Goat Fiasco of 2012

“The Office”

“This Isn’t Everything You Are”

by Snow Patrol

The Class of 2016

June Shannon (from “Honey Boo Boo”)

Skyfall

The Sound of the Life of the Mind (Ben Folds Five)

“Game of Thrones”

“I’ll Be Alright”

by Passion Pit

Tom Hardy

Splitting season 5 of “Breaking Bad”

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

18 Months (Calvin Harris)

“Wizards of Waverly Place”

“Feel So Close”

by Calvin Harris

One Direction

Lindsay Lohan’s numerous mishaps

The Master

Bloom (Beach House)

“Workaholics”

“Dark Parts” by Perfume Genius

Joseph GordonPetraeus Scandal Levitt

Halcyon “Lights” by Ellie The Perks of Being “Criminal Minds” a Wallflower (Ellie Goulding) Goulding Beasts of the Southern Wild

Breaking Dawn: Part 2 Soundtrack

“Sherlock”

“Madness” by Muse

Jennifer Lawrence

Petraeus Scandal

Jennifer Lawrence

“Dance Moms”

JoBros reunite for “A Little Bit Longer” ■ By Izzy Kaminer (‘15) For Eastside

The Jonas Brothers had their fans “Burnin’ Up” on October 11, 2012, as the boys rocked out together again at Radio City Music Hall.

The JoBros excited the hearts of many girls worldwide when they announced their “one night only” extravaganza this summer.

Nothing like bringing back old favorites: the boys brought their fans to life with old hits as well as covers, new music, solo songs and much more at their comeback concert.

It seems like the brothers weren’t aware that “one night only” generally means only one night, considering that they added concerts at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles to the excitement of the band’s comeback.

Although the band never broke up officially, the Jonas Brothers

Courtesy of jonasworld.org

The JoBros rock out at their recent Radio City Hall Concert

have been branching out from their past life as a boy band, as each brother is exploring his own personal endeavors.

Kevin Jonas, 25, and wife, Danielle, share the ups and downs of their life together in the E! show, “Married to Jonas.” The reality show goes behind the scenes with not only Kevin and Danielle, but also the entire Jonas family. The show’s first season aired in August of 2012, and it has been approved for another season.

The free-spirited Joe Jonas, 23, released his own album, Fastlife, in October 2011.

The youngest of the three brothers, Nick Jonas, 20, is experimenting with all sorts of media. Nick Jonas & The Administration, his band, toured with their debut album Who I Am all throughout 2010. Embracing one of his many other talents, acting, Nick performed in Les Misérables (for a second time) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway.

The Jonas Brothers split from Hollywood Records after a six-year deal in May of 2012 but plan on releasing their first album since 2009 by the end of the year and embarking on a world tour in 2013.

Be ready: with plans already made for the 2013 tour and their recent Radio City and Pantages Theater comebacks, it seems as if the JoBros’ return to fame is fullspeed ahead!

ENTERTAINMENT Page 18

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January 2013

1 0 G i f t s Yo u W i s h Yo u ’ d G o t t e n

Nintendo Wii U $350 at Best Buy

Remee Lucid Dreaming Eyemask $95 at sleepwithremee.com Sony Playstation Vita with Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation $250 at Best Buy Apple iPhone 5 $199 at Apple Store

The Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-Ray Box Set $30 at Best Buy

Suitjamas

$90 at suitjamas.com

Star Wars Death Star Planetarium

Lytro Light Field Camera $400 at Best Buy

$30 at bustedtees.com

The Hobbit LEGO sets $10-$100 at lego.com

Amazon Kindle Fire HD $199 (7”) at amazon.com Photos courtesy of imgur.com, trendhunterstatic.com, starwars.com, werd.com and ibrickcity.com

As year ends, Academy creates rift in movie fans ■ By Joe Incollingo (‘13) Eastside Entertainment Editor

Gingerbread lattes and Martin Scorsese roll in beside Jack Frost with the first days of the last days of the year. Snowflakes begin to fall and Hollywood shows its A-game. Children sing angelic harmonies and studio bigwigs throw millions into Academy Award promotions. Oscar season is the most wonderful time of the year.

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind as to the dizzying sums of money invested each year into film production and distribution.

And yet, the industry isn’t so much chubby suits with cigars, but chiefly honest artists looking for recognition; what better way to say ‘good work, Spielberg’ than with a tiny golden man and lasting fame?

But as we speak, the Grinches plot their sinister plot to steal Oscar season.

Tim Dirks, founder of AMC’s filmsite.org, is maybe the most bitter.

“Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting,” the curmudgeonly Dirks explains.

“Moneymaking ‘formulamade’ blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowdpleasing titans…but they haven’t necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure.”

It’s a textbook case of the winter grumps. That is, unless he’s right.

Has the business of Hollywood corrupted the art of it? It’s as if the concept of an “Oscar-winner” has become so exclusive

that many brilliant movies have no chance of breaking in for inability to fit the stereotype. Some suffer genre biases, especially science-fiction and horror; the Academy favors drama or biopics. Others just fail to meet some arbitrary criteria for ‘Oscar-worthiness’; controversy erupted in 2011 when Drive and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, both critically-lauded yet disturbingly violent movies, failed to receive virtually any nominations in top categories.

“I am so angry,” Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers reacted in a video aptly entitled “[Darn] You, Oscars 2012.”

“Is Bridesmaids there? No!” he screamed.

Travers’s outrage is not atypical. The Academy Award, once the ultimate honor bestowed upon master filmmakers, is mutat-

ing into, as former Oscar producer William Friedkin put it, “the greatest promotion scheme that any industry ever devised for itself.”

That money—million dollar lobbying campaigns for films deserving less recognition—could corrupt this sacred tradition is a nightmare too terrible to consider.

“The Academy has, with limited success, tried to limit the influences of pressure groups and promotion,” notes Dirks.

With tons of early Best Picture contenders like Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln already evident, it’ll be interesting to see which ones get the infamous snub.

For those of us now dreaming of a bright Oscars season, it’s enough to bring out the Grinch in anyone.

Shari Bodofsky (‘14)/ Eastside Staff

HUMOR January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 19

A new way to look ugly: Snapchatting ■ By Ethan Tinkelman (‘16) Eastside Staff

A gift card for $10.76 store credit to Old Navy from Aunt Mildred.

A white box that says “pet fart” on it from your brother Joe. (On the inside it says “Oops, you let it out!”).

An antique kaleidoscope engraved “Ulysses” from that weird smelly bearded guy you’re supposed to call “Uncle Sheldon.”

A shake weight and pilates work-out video from your grandma Tanya who says you need to drop a few pounds.

An atrociously ugly sweater knitted by mom that you could swear goes beyond the conventional standard of ugliness for holiday sweaters. By the way, she expects you to change your profile picture to the one of you and her in matching ones.

A pair of green crocs with ladybug jibbitz from your dad because he feels your pain about the ugly sweater, but still hasn’t realized that crocs went out of style a few years ago.

An iTunes gift card from your wealthy cousin Shari, worth 68 cents.

A membership to the Jerky of the Month Club from your third cousin Debby.

A Twilight Saga complete collection from your cousin Taylor.

A Harry Styles cardboard cutout from your neighbor Sabrina.

Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

I remember it like it was yesterday: someone sending documentation of the ugliest face I have ever seen through Snapchat.

I was never very into the craze. I often see people snapping and chatting in public, including classmates, teachers, friends and family. Even my Grandma has an account! I met a girl who asked me for my Snapchat account instead of asking for my name. Friends always ask me why I don’t have a Snapchat and constantly tell me to get one. To them I refuse, but on the inside I think to myself, “I can make some pretty funny faces. I like making people laugh, and it seems like fun. Should I just get one?”

Over the past few weeks, I have been paying more attention to the unusual places from which people send Snapchats. The most peculiar have come from the shower, a Porta-Potty, beneath desks and the bathroom while they are brushing their teeth. The most common faces are the double chin, the camera

Fashion Police nab repeat offender ■ By Sarah Robbins (‘13)

and to admire his sweater.

By the way, what is that thing made out of? It looks Where other students like a Teddy Bear was are stressing because of skinned. Anyway, it was the constantly changing weird déjà vu. I felt like I schedule, Mark Menendez was in Groundhog Day, (’13) has decided to keep and I got really scared that one thing conI was going to stant: his spend the wardrobe. rest of my life Students first in C-Wing.” saw his outfit Menendez on Day 5. Then has been trythey saw it ing to justify again, a day this fashion later, on Day 6. crime ever Menendez, since. who was wear“I was ing jeans, a really tired m a r o o n that morning. sweater and a I didn’t think snapback hat, anyone would thought that notice.

My because of the mom’s always c h a n g i n g complaining schedule, he about launcould wear the dry and I same outfit on thought this Bogdan Vitoc (‘16)/ Eastside Staff Day 5 and Day might make it 6 without any- Student Mark Menendez (‘13) sports the same outfit day five and day six. a little easione noticing. er,” Menendez Unfortunately, he chose said. sacrificed themselves to Martina McBride (’97), the wrong ensemble to rest around his shoulders,” “And I was like, wait, it’s He now claims he’ll be repeat. said Hand.

Wednesday.” switching up his wardrobe Zachary Hand (’13), one Some of Hand’s friends But students weren’t on Days 5 and 6, new of Menendez’s friends, had a class with Menendez the only ones catching on. sweater and all. When explains how he discovered the next day and realized Hall monitor Mrs. Lily asked about the material of Mark’s repeating outfit. he was wearing the same Room realized something his sweater, he answers “I have friends in other sweater. was up when she stopped vaguely: “I’m not sure what classes, you know,” said “My first thought was Menendez in the hallway a it’s made of, but I definitely Hand. “And I ended up ‘Wow, that sweater looks second time for wearing think alpacas had sometelling them all about like a cross between a the same hat. thing to do with it.”

Mark’s clothes.” bunny and a llama!’ Then I “I was confused,” she Whether Menendez recIt seems Menendez’s realized that it was the said, “because I’d rememognizes this or not, his plan sweater was so soft looking sweater Zach described to bered stopping him yesterto get away with killing that Hand could not help me. I was like ‘Ew, didn’t he day for wearing that hat, fashion twice has failed.

Eastside Staff

himself from telling his friends, family, extended family and unmet Facebook friends about it.

“He was wearing the softest sweater I’ve ever seen. It looked like all the puppies in the world had

queen, kissy face/duck lips and other classics like “The Charizard.”

Teachers are frustrated with students because the teens are Snapchatting in the midst of class. Instead of writing them up, teachers force their students to stand in front of the class and hold the face they were making for a minute. The students complain about this punishment because they report cases of teachers Snapchatting while they are supposed to be answering questions in extra help.

Snapchatters love the app because of the comedy, the thrill of the suspense of waiting to see what your fellow Snapchatter sends you. The biggest problem with Snapchat is that even though your buddy may only see your embarrassing face for three seconds, they can still screenshot a picture of it. They can send that picture or post it anywhere they want, which could lead to the most embarrassing moment of your life.

Snapchat may sound fun but can be risky for your social life. To avoid the pointlessness of sending friends terrible pictures as if I wanted them to think I am ugly, I made the solemn promise never to get a Snapchat.

already wear that?’ ” said Jessica Baker (’13).

The most telling part was the back, which had the day of the week stitched in by his mother.

“He was wearing a shirt that said Tuesday,” said

Logo by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

East parking lot now on its second day accidentfree.

East denied new textbooks due to West’s third new auditorium.

Two students suspended for cheating in Gym. Aramark is still here.

Frequent coffee spills causing no change in consumption policies.

Same-sex lab partners are now recognized by the Science Department.

Food fight in cafeteria called “Wrap Battle of the Century.”

All students taking English are now called “B-wingers.”

Newsbriefs writers demand dental healthcare benefits.

Former newsbrief writers fired.

HUMOR Page 20

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Dunkin’ Donuts’ invasion sparks Donut War II ■ By Jordan Schmidt (‘14) Eastside Staff

It began innocently enough: On December 2, Dunkin’ Donuts, a worldwide iconic chain just recently establishing itself at East, had an inaugural sale on the corner of the CWing intersection directly across from the stairwell.

This was its fatal mistake; the same corner in C-Wing intersection had been claimed, established and ‘marked’ by Krispy Kreme years before.

“We had been selling our classic donuts from that spot for the past five years,” said M a x w e l l Kreme IV, successor to the chain’s throne, “and for them to steal our spot like that is simply barbaric.”

No one knows if the location was some unfortunate accidental choice by Dunkin’ Donuts, or an act of revenge for having to give Krispy Kreme reparations after Donut War I several years ago, but one

thing was very certain: war was at hand for both chains.

Exactly a week later, Krispy Kreme sent an armada of five carts filled with boxes of donuts to areas of East in Dunkin’ Donuts territory. It was a specially engineered counter by Kreme commander Alex Hamilton (’13). The next Monday, the Dunkin’

Donuts sales representatives had carts on all four corners of the CW i n g

intersection.

“I’ve heard my ideas called ‘overthe-top’ many times,” said Ethan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson (‘13), head strategist for Dunkin’ Donuts.

“But did it ever stop me? Naw.” In the midst of this war zone, the entire school had to dispose of its previous unbiased opinions a n d choose a side.

Most of the freshman and sophomore classes sided with the newer, more widely established Dunkin’ Donuts, because, as Brandon UnLass (’16) said, “Eating a box of ‘em makes me smarter…I think.”

Many upperclassmen sided with Krispy Kreme, the older franchise. Even teachers were choosing sides: the entire Science Department bought a box of Krispy Kremes in support of the franchise, which is often stationed in science territory.

Halfway through the war, Dunkin’ Donuts brought out its highly specialized unit of holiday donuts. In retaliation, Krispy Kreme created

Seniors answer call for help ■ By Jennifer Cha (‘13) Eastside Staff

A distant conglomeration of pastel blob shapes headed in East's direction at approximately the speed of an injured snail. As they drew closer, it became apparent that the herd was, in fact, a mass of senior citizens infused with a mysterious, infectious

way to the school store, introducing themselves to the utterly bemused students in the classroom. Rommer held up a ‘Help Wanted’ flyer with tremulous hands, and

announced tearfully, "I'm so glad that you've reached out to us... finally, it seems like young people really care about us old folks!"

The students glanced at the poster: "Help Wanted, only seniors need apply." enthusiasm.

Taking a deep They bore wristlets breath, one student embossed with the began to explain: "I'm words "Happy Fun sorry, we meant seniors Sunshine Nursing like, you know, high Home." school seniors, like "We've escaped!" not—” squealed 91-year-old "Excuse me, do you Telly Rommer in glee. even lift?" one of the "Cane five!" Two cane-fivers interjected, ancient carriers of the a haughty expression on bro tradition briefly his deeply lined face.

Rachel Tinkelman (‘13)/ clashed canes before "You can't make me Eastside Humor Editor rejoining the rest of go back there!" Maroney the clan. shrieked. "I'll live here, As they made their way to AI'll sell the most East apparel! I'll wing, some stopped by the Lost and even go hard in gym!"

Found table.

She broke down into tears as the "Back in my day, we wore belts scene dissolved into chaos. to prevent these kinds of shenaniA week later, a wheelchairgans," 101-year-old Glenda equipped booth was established Maroney bleated, perusing the next to the school store, where "Fifty Shades of Maroon" book next these senior citizens have charged to the month-old lunch bag and themselves with the task of making questionably-stained hoodie. sure each student owns a piece of Eventually, the group made its school apparel.

human interest propaganda that featured an innocuous Krispy Kreme employee doing good for a random Samaritan, simply because “It was my job.”

The Krispy Kreme story was featured on Yahoo!

News, but its validity could not be confirmed, and it was quickly replaced by a

video of a cute cat playing with a red laser light.

After 43 school days of fighting, 14 East community members in food comas, and seven presumed obese, the defection of Arnold Benedict (’14) to Krispy Kreme ended Donut War II on M o n d a y , December 24, 2012.

The Dunkin’ Donuts a r m y, t h e Orangecoats, surrendered. The two forces signed “The Treaty of Haddonfield” two days later, promising that Dunkin’ Donuts would cancel further sales in exchange for some free samples.

“So they clobbered us,” reflected Dunkin’ Donuts President Duncan Doughnutberg, “but that doesn’t mean we’re discouraged. Besides, that treaty didn’t say we couldn’t sell our delicious Dunkin’ Coffee.”

In response, a spokesman for Wawa said, “Yeah, you try that and see what happens, buddy.”

Art by Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

SPORTS January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 21

Boys’ Basketball

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Jake Silpe (‘15) goes up against two Cherokee defenders.

Hank Davis (‘13) defends Cherokee player.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Coach Dave Allen watches game.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Gary Hettinger (‘13) goes airborne against opponent.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Jake Silpe (‘15) escapes from two Cherokee defenders.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Hank Davis (‘13) attempts a steal.

Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Andrew Brown (‘13) plays tough defense.

SPORTS Page 22

EASTSIDE

January 2013

Track becoming a year-round sport

The Mirror: Colts cheerleader shaves head for cancer research ■ By Jenna Wilson (‘15) Eastside News/Features Editor

Art by Joel Greenspan (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

■ By Greg Frank (‘13) Eastside Sports Editor

There are certain things in life that come naturally.

Then there are other things that require repetition and continuous work in order to become better.

While most players on sports teams at East are working in the offseason to be ready for when it counts again, it is a little different when it comes to track.

Whether their chosen sport is cross-country, winter track or spring track, the students who are most serious about running usually partake in all three.

For hardcore runners, there is no offseason.

Running in all three seasons enables the track participants to stay on a weekly schedule of miles run.

“I always run to build

myself a base. Anyone can run for a season and build a base of say 30-50 miles a week. By running all year long, I’m able to build a base of 60-70 miles, which is much more significant,” said Jared Dashevsky (’14).

Dashevsky added, “While anyone can run by themselves, running with a team makes you a better runner. There’s always that one kid who always wants to beat you, and you always want to beat him, so you work off each other and get better as a whole.”

Having a friendly rivalry amongst teammates gives members of the three track teams an additional goal to strive for.

There is no doubt that team bonding is a quintessential part of any high school sports team’s season.

Multiply that camaraderie by three (for the three seasons) and you really have a close-knit group that always pushes others to get better.

Mike Minion (’13) stressed the importance of keeping a schedule throughout the year and the potential consequences of slacking off.

Minion said, “It generally takes twice as long to gain the fitness back that you lose when you take off.

So if you don't run for three weeks, it takes about six weeks just to get back to the fitness level you were nine weeks ago.”

Taking significant time off, which is what one chooses to do in not running in one of the three seasons, can be very detrimental to staying fit for the entire year.

“We want to spend our

training to get better and improve our fitness level, rather than to get back in shape. Therefore it is critical to not take any significant time off throughout the entire year, or you will lose a fitness edge on your competition,” said Minion, who does not go a day without lacing up his sneakers and going for a run.

The commitment of these runners should not be overlooked. Their dedication to the sport not only keeps them in excellent shape, but also shows their commitment to and enjoyment of the sport.

It seems as if this yearround culture is almost a requirement for those that are serious about running.

Physically, mentally and socially, those that run all year have a lot to gain and very little to lose.

Boys’ Basketball seeks to replicate last year’s success with a new core lineup ■ By Mike Wang (‘13) Eastside Staff

Last year, the Cherry Hill East Boys’ Basketball team went all the way to the Group IV Southern Sectional Championships in Mr. David Allen’s first year as head coach.

The team’s core consisted of then-seniors Jesse Gold (’12), Jake Gurkin (’12) and 1000-point scorer Marc Schlessel (’12), who have all since graduated.

But the Countrymen should not worry: The void left by last year’s leaders has been filled by Hank Davis (’13) and Gary Hettinger (’13), who serve as this season’s captains. Last year, Hettinger was a strong defensive presence, averaging over two blocks per game. This year, look for him to have a larger role in the offense while maintaining his excellent defensive presence.

Hettinger said, “[I’m] looking to follow the values of past leaders, in particular Jesse Gold.”

Expect many players to elevate their game this year. In addition to Davis and Hettinger, look for Jake Silpe (’15), the second leading returning scorer, to take on a bigger role.

Andrew Brown (’13) will also make his presence felt in the paint. Other players to watch out for include Ravin Patel (’13), Andrew Soll (’13) and Austin Wetzler (’14).

The team has three main goals this year: make the playoffs, compete for the conference championship and advance deeply in the sectional/state

tournament.

Allen said, “[It’s important to] maximize the potential of the team.”

The way the team will look to accomplish these goals will be slightly different from previous years. The team will once again look to play with great chemistry; however, due to the loss of 6’6” center Gurkin, at times

the team will be running an unorthodox four-guard offense.

It should be another great season for the basketball team. The team needs all the Countrymen to come out and help cheer on the team.

Hettinger said, “[The Countrymen are like] an extra man on the floor… [that] shifts momentum.”

Roster Number 1 2 3 5 11 12 14 15 21 23 32 35 42 43

Player Grade Hank Davis 12 Azlan Cobb 11 Jake Silpe 10 Austin Wetzler 11 Andrew Brown 12 Josh Warren 12 Harris Levin 12 Josh Bonner 11 Gary Hettinger 12 Ravin Patel 12 Timmy Perry 9 Adam ElGrissy 12 Tom Smierciak 11 Andrew Soll 12

Upcoming Games January 22nd - Lenape 24th - Shawnee 31st - Bishop Eustace February 5th - Gloucester Catholic 7th - Washington Township 12th - Paul VI 13th - at Collingswood Angie Pacitti (‘13)/ Eastside Photo Editor 16th - Cherry Hill West As one of the captains, Hank Davis 19th - at Lenape (‘13) has taken on a bigger role this 21st - Eastern season.

A bird went tweet.

Or more accurately, a bird tweeted.

T h a t bird would be Blue, the Indianapolis Colts’ mascot, who used Twitter to challenge the team’s cheerleaders to shave their heads if—and only if—he could raise 10,000 dollars for cancer research. This came after some of the Colts’ football players shaved their heads in support of Coach Chuck Pagano, who is undergoing chemotherapy to battle his leukemia.

Megan M. (whose last name was not released to the press) was the only cheerleader to agree to this challenge and shaved her head in front of 60,000 live fans and millions more watching at home. In addition to the challenge, the Colts also partnered with Great Clips to offer free buzz cuts, and donated ten dollars for fans who volunteered to shave their heads, support the cause and honor the coach. In just a few weeks, fans raised more than 22,000 dollars.

While Pagano has been absent from his coaching position due to his treatment, he was at the game on November 25, and watched his team beat Buffalo 20-13. On “Good Morning America,” Megan discussed Pagano, saying, “He was nice enough to send me a text while he was going through this himself, thanking me for doing this. He’s just a really wonderful man.”

This inspiring story went viral as millions of fans took Blue’s challenge.

Sunday football is a tradition in many American households, and the fact that prominent teams are taking a stand to raise money for cancer research is truly inspiring.

Many believe that there is no pride in being on a professional football team—after all, many players eagerly switch teams for a better salary.

It is great to see a team truly coming together to support its coach.

As the playoffs are here and football scores and players become an even hotter topic, let’s hope that more teams choose to bring awareness to causes like this. Additionally, while many view cheerleading as a profession entirely based on looks, Megan proved that true beauty is what is on the inside, not the outside.

SPORTS January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 23

Skating across the ice with Aleks Brittain

Photos by Danielle Fox (‘13)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief Art by Zoe Greenhall (‘13)/ Eastside Art Director

■ By Sherin Nassar (‘13)

with basic skating classes, but upon learning that she had a skin condition that meant she could not be in the sun as much since she burned easily, she was forced to decide whether or not Anyone who has she wanted to continue with skatgone ice skating ing. knows the feeling of Ultimately, Brittain found that falling on their butt. It her love of the sport was too much hurts. It’s demeaning. for her to give it up because of this And it hurts. But if skin condition. She began to take you fall on your butt skating more seriously, taking prionce, you get back up. vate lessons with a personal coach If you fall on your butt and then began freestyle competitwice, you get back up tions at age five. again, maybe with a “I was very confident in my first disgruntled mix of competition. My mom let me wear words. If you fall on her necklace and my grandmother your butt skating in a had made my dress,” Brittain said. competition, you do “I knew that if I got in third, I not just get back up, would get a medal, and that would you plaster a smile on be awesome, but it turned out I got your face and you just in first.” keep skating. Just ask Currently, Brittain skates comAleksandra Brittain petitively in the solo ice dance com(’13), who has gone petition, which is ballroom dancing through this arduous on ice, involving fewer jumps than routine of “faking it” typical ice skating. Though ice multiple times in comdance usually involves partners, petitions. there is a shortage of guys involved Brittain grew up in Courtesy of Aleks Brittain (‘13) in the ice skating world, so the a big skating town in Brittain will be representing NJ at United States Figure Skating Connecticut where the State Games of America.

Association put together solo ice everyone knew how to dance for girls who cannot find partskate with some proficiency. Brittain began ice ners. skating when she was four-and-a-half years old.

While the feeling of winning a competition is “My mother tells me that the first thing I did incredible to Brittain, completing the enduring when I got on the ice was skate around the rink, process of getting to a competition also makes and I said to her ‘it feels like flying,’ ” Brittain her proud. Waking up early to skate, getting recounted. back up each and every time after a fall even if Her parents felt it was the next natural step she does not want to, pushing herself to be faster to put her in classes after she enjoyed skating so and stronger even after feeling the burn of a much the first couple of times. Brittain began high intensity work out—these are the true tests of Brittain’s ability as an ice skater.

“I think everyone who plays a sport has a love-hate relationship with it. They say, ‘Why do I do this to myself?’ But, there are moments when you say, ‘Hey, I just did this jump,’ or ‘I just made some new friends’ or ‘I can say I trust my coaches a lot,’ that makes you have pride in it and you get to do something very few people can do,” Brittain said. “There is just something about knowing how to do this that is just an amazing feeling.”

These pains are what make Brittain a better skater, though she admits she could not have gotten through them without her coach or support system at home.

Courtesy of Aleks Brittain (‘13) “My coach, his name’s Gary, and he has Brittain plans to recreationally ice skate in college. so much faith in me, it’s a little unbelievEastside Managing Editor

able at times, and he yells at me to not stop or he [will] have to force me to take breaks because I want to make him proud and sometimes that means not taking drinks or breathing deeply enough so I don’t pass out,” Brittain said. “He yells at me, rants at me or says silly metaphors to make me work, but he helps me get through the burn.”

Courtesy of Aleks Brittain (‘13) Brittain truly falls upon this Brittain practices solo ice support system dance. when in a competition, waiting for results. Upon making it to Nationals last year, Brittain felt she had only barely made it into the next round, and as she waited for her results after the preliminary competition, she saw her coach across the rink. She walked over to him to ask him how she had performed and, with no words, he hugged her, after a moment saying she had made it to the finals.

The feeling of hearing her coach say those simple words was underscored by his gesture; the feeling was simply like nothing else, she explained.

Besides relying on her family for support, Brittain must also rely on herself to keep her composure during a competition, especially when she misses a step in her routine or falls.

“If you fall, it is a one-point deduction. And you need to get straight back up because there are more deductions if you stay down. But keeping your composure depending on how bad your mistake is can be one of the hardest things to do,” Brittain said. “It’s not so hard to keep your composure when skating because it’s automatic in competitions to paste on that smile and keep going. I find it harder to keep that composure when you see the results and it’s not what you expected. For what it’s worth, though, I have a really good poker face.”

In the end, ice skating is a sport Brittain takes seriously. It’s a sport that involves plenty of resiliency after humiliating falls and tough practices, but nonetheless it is a fulfilling commitment.

SPORTS January 2013

EASTSIDE

Page 24

Do wrestlers crash diet? Or do they just crash and burn?

Coach Brown keeps his team healthy, no matter the weight class.

■ By Darby Festa (‘13) Eastside Sports Editor

Picture this: You have the option of either wrestling an opponent who is ten pounds heavier than you or ten pounds lighter than you? Who do you choose?

Many wrestlers compete with the mindset that they will have an advantage if they are the biggest competitors in the weight class. Not only is this not always the case, but in the past, many wrestlers have resorted to unhealthy practices in order to gain this advantage. Over the years, wrestlers have gained the reputation of having no limits in order to drop a weight class. Some wrestlers tried to sweat the pounds off, others refused to drink or eat.

East was no different.

Head Coach Mr. Mike Brown said, “A lot of times the boys will try and crash diet a week or two before the season starts. They usually end up dehydrating themselves.”

However, both Brown and the state of New Jersey have made new rules in order to keep their

wrestlers healthy.

Although wrestlers are still allowed to drop weight in order to go down in

right way. This means no crash-diets, no dehydration, just good, old-fashioned fruits and veggies. If

Jordan Stein (‘14)/ Eastside Staff

Aaron Gomez (‘13) takes down opponent during practice. weight classes, which are usually grouped by increments of about ten pounds, they are forced to do so the

a wrestler thinks he can slide under the radar, he’s got another thing coming.

“When a wrestler

weighs in every week, his BMI is calculated,” Brown said. “Based on that information, he is given a descent plan which only allows him to lose a few pounds each week.”

Not only does the state prevent wrestlers from injuring themselves, but Brown does as well.

“I’ll let my wrestlers lose some weight,” he said. “But I keep an eye on them. If it gets to be any more than 10 or 15 pounds, I put a stop to it.”

Despite the prevention, wrestlers still sometimes feel the pressure to lose weight.

Patrick Swenson (‘14) said, “It’s tough. It’s horrible. And if you don’t eat, then you don’t have enough energy.”

As important as it is to win, it’s even more important to be healthy.

Thankfully, both Brown and the state recognize this and crash diets are no longer a part of the program.

“Unfortunately, past practices have put wrestling in a negative light,” Brown said. “But we’re trying to change that.”

Jordan Stein (‘14)/ Eastside Staff

Quinn Sanchez (‘13) and Lou Calabrese (‘13) fight for the upper hand. Unlike other sports, wrestling involves constant full-body contact.

Wrestling: A contact sport among safety regulations ■ By Mike Reisman (‘13) Eastside Sports Editor

In a sports world that becomes more safety-conscious each day, fullcontact sports seem to be feared, like some disease that swallows up its athletes and spits them out with long-lasting injuries, a problem the NFL specifically has faced recently.

Unlike other sports, wrestling, a sport solely about pinning an opponent to the ground by force, has made no effort to change, largely because there is no need. The sport sees fewer injuries than sports like soccer and football and the contact does not bother the wrestlers. For them, the grind of sacrificing their bodies each day for sport has just become a way of

life.

“You just kind of do it, you don’t think about it,” Patrick Swenson (’14) said. “You get used to it.”

The team practices for hours a day, much of the practice coming in the form of live, full-speed wrestling.

That means intense, full-contact drills and practice matches that can take a serious toll on the body of each wrestler. Paired with weightlifting and running every day, practices can be exhausting, working every part of the body and potentially seriously damaging some parts of the body. But injuries are few, and when they occur, they are usually small.

“Most of the things we see are bumps and bruises,” Head Coach Mr. Mike Brown said. “You bump your head or something, but we don’t see

too many concussions or [injuries] like that.”

Brown said that most injuries are not from the contact that comes with wrestling, but the fact that some body parts used in wrestling are rarely used otherwise. By working in the offseason on these areas, the wrestling team has been able to minimize their injuries.

“We train so hard in the offseason that we stabilize our joints and ligaments so we don’t have injuries,” Brown said, “and the way we do our stretching program… I think we have reduced our injuries in the past few years.”

So while brutal, full-contact practices may scare and damage most athletes, for wrestlers, it is just another day of practice.

Jordan Stein (‘14)/ Eastside Staff

Jon Minion (‘13) and Jerry Peralta (‘13) practice.

What does it take to be a wrestler?

You’ll need more than just a onesie. Way more.

■ By Josh Cohen (‘15) For Eastside

After school, you may see the East wrestling team running throughout the hallways, or rolling out the mats for practice.

Little do most students know, this is just a glimpse into the rigor of a daily wrestling practice.

Some of the most intense and challenging sports practices in the school occur during wrestling practices.

The practices they have are not what you may think; in fact, about 50-75 percent of the practices are conditioning. This section of the practice consists of many different exercises including jogging, high knees, lunges and suicides. Suicides are usually done in the gym and are where you dash up and down the gym at full speed for a certain amount of laps. As the practices are about 50-75 percent conditioning, this really says something because they can last up to three hours.

“Surprisingly, we do have to run a lot in practice,” said Eafen Chowdhury (‘13). “You need to be conditioned.”

After the conditioning section, wrestlers practice certain techniques that can be used when they wrestle. Because each practice teaches skills that build up from the skills learned in a previous practice, it’s important to make it to every one of them.

Practices happen every Saturday, making wrestling a big commitment.

The Saturday practices are just as intense and difficult as the after-school practices. The intensity of the practices isn’t the only thing that makes wrestling hard: Coach Brown’s strictness also contributes to the rigor. He really pushes everybody to go all the way to their limit, and then beyond that.

For anyone who is considering joining the wrestling team, keep in mind that the practices are no walk in the park.

Chowdhury said, “Wrestling is not the sport for everyone. It’s difficult.

You have to be in tip-top shape.”

However, wrestlers enjoy the rigor.