Summit High School
October 1, 2014
Volume XV Issue 1
125 Kent Place Boulevard Summit, NJ 07901
Students begin to feel effects of 2014 class gift: two new eco-friendly water fountains stalled BOE and SEA contract
Earth-friendly. Top: The digital meter reveals how many plastic water bottles have been saved thanks to refills. Bottom: Senior Anne Mikkelsen tops off her water bottle at a new water fountain.
By Ryan Blume Staff Writer
The lack of a teacher contract is finally starting to affect students, as the acrimony between the Summit Board of Education and the teachers continues to cause problems. There are no teachers giving extra help in the morning. Also, the promised block schedule to help deal with the overcrowding is on indefinite hold. Sophomore Christopher Heckelman, said “It really sucks that teachers aren’t giving morning help anymore, especially because having to go for afternoon help also means being really late to cross country practice that day.” Since Aug. 31, the teachers have been working without a new contract. While both sides claim to be working in good faith towards an agreement, the Sept. 11 Board of Ed meeting leaves little doubt that negotiations are at an impasse. According to a BoE statement released to the press on Sept. 12, the contract dispute is over what is a “fair and reasonable” contract. The teacher’s union said, in its statement to the press on
Photo used with permission of Barbara Rybolt/TAP
This year, the most exciting change to the high school is the new water bottle refill stations. There are currently three of these cool and ecofriendly fill ups; one located at the water fountain closest to the gym, across from the wood-tech room, another in the cafeteria, and a third in the math hallway. The push to install these water fountains came from both the Project Bright club and PTO. Both of these forces are hoping to continue raising funds to replace all of the water fountains as quickly as possible, hopefully throughout the course of this year. The members of Project Bright, in conjunction with the Key Club, also plan to sell refillable water bottles at school and allow the proceeds to go toward funding more installations. These new additions to the water fountains are extremely convenient and can not only help students throughout the school stay hydrated, but also help the environment. As of September 24, the two stations have saved approximately 3,771 plastic bottles of water. Students can periodically check the amount of water bottles saved by using these stations by simply looking at a screen on the front of the installations. The meter, located directly in the front of the dispenser, provides the realization that each use of the fountain can have a drastic effect on the planet. Senior Zach Rissman said, “[I] really wanted to get these installed because I saw kids buying multiple water bottles every day. I knew that these stations would not only decrease the amount of money spent by students but also severely cut down plastic waste, which is very bad for the environment. The water bottle
Photo by Ethan Mandelbaum
Globe Editor
refill stations help both the environment and the students. A lot of students are using them frequently, and that makes me very happy.” Rissman had been pushing for this purchase for a while, and is extremely proud to have the water fountains installed. Senior Erika Brodow said, “I’m so excited to have the water bottle refills put into the fountains. I run cross country, so I have to drink a lot during the day, and bringing a bigger, refillable water bottle definitely helps”. Having so many students participating in exhausting play rehearsals, sports games, and academic endeavors, the refill stations allow for students to easily and efficiently refill their water bottles between classes so that they can stay hydrated and alert throughout their day and perform their best.
Photo by Anika Becker
By Anika Becker
Tuesday mornings. SEA members Scott Petrillo (L) and Ed Cama exercise their right to peacably demonstrate, from 7:20-7:30 a.m.
Sept. 4, that it is looking for reasonable increases in salary, to cover the cost of the healthcare difference. According to Union President, Daniel Miller, in an interview with The Independent Press, coaches and co-curricular advisers have not had a stipend increase in six years. The Board argues that “salary increases that are inconsistent with the district's financial planning in view of increasing budgetary costs and the State's two percent cap on increases on the tax levy.” This means that simply raising taxes in order to increase teacher salaries is not a legally viable option, said BoE President Celia Colbert in the
Sept. 11 meeting minutes. Head SEA negotiator, pracical arts teacher Adam Fern, said that teachers are frustrated. The faculty wears black SEA t-shirts to show solidarity and to protest against the Board on Tuesday mornings. Mr. Fern is hopeful that the situation will be resolved soon and said that “no teachers want to do anything [that might] hurt the kids.” With no compromise in sight, a state mediator has been booked for the next negotiation meeting on Oct. 8. This may allow the negotiation progress to move forward and allow for a quick settlement to the dispute.
on values such as respect, acceptance, and equality. All of these values were attacked on Sept 15. “Bananagate”, the nickname for the hurtful scandal, puts our entire student body in a racist light that is undeserved. One simple misunderstanding led to not just one student, but our entire town being attacked by the media. How is it fair that a reporter, or another town, gets to determine the type of people we are? Our past practices and track record seemed not to matter anymore, as a flood of scandalous accusations poured in through the keyhole of public outrage. This adult generation of coaches, reporters, and arm-
chair quarterbacks is guilty of projecting their views onto us. As teenagers, we never considered a banana to be offensive. That may not be true in other parts of the world, but keep in mind, the locker room was here, not there. If something as simple as a banana can be misinterpreted and twisted as a racial taunt toward a fellow team, what ordinary item will be next? People have a way of finding fault in everything, and try to find hidden meaning in situations that usually isn’t even there. The media, like CBS 2, and NJ.com, were quick to jump on an opportunity of covering a “news-worthy” story, and
Opinion: Media skews “Bananagate” By Anna Tselevich Opinion Editor
On Sept. 15, following the Hilltopper football team’s victory over the North Plainfield Canucks, there was some chatter on social media that became the foundation for a CBS2 news exclusive: “North Plainfield H.S. Football Players Say They Were Racially Taunted With Bananas.” The reporter, Christine Sloan, stated that the North Plainfield players “said the harassment involved the use of bananas by the opposing Summit High School team as a racially offensive joke.” Needless to say, this claim took everyone at home by surprise. Our school prides itself
This month’s Verve.... Globe.........2 New Teachers......4, 5 Screen & Sound....7 Opine.........3 Turf.......................8 Buzz....................6
Upcoming:
October 15: PSATs October 13-19: Spirit Week October 31: Halloween Assembly
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