Vol 15 Iss 4 Jan 2015

Turn to pages 4-5 for 2014: a year in review!

Turn to Opine, page 6, for insight on the school’s LGBT Community.

Summit High School

January 5, 2015

Volume XV Issue 4

125 Kent Place Boulevard Summit, NJ 07901

Follow for follow!

If you like action, like “Warriors being dropped off in the heart of the battle #summit bowling” you should follow @summit_bowling on Instagram.

While you’re there, like some pics posted by Varsity bowlers.

Photo Credit: Anna Tselevich

Parking K-Turn:

Back to assigned spots

By Carly Leiter Managing Editor & Ashley White Features Editor

Winter is coming, and the senior parking system has been changed yet again. There will be no more free-for-all parking for students with parking permits.

According to Assistant Principal Stacy Grimaldi, the first-come, first-served parking system originally put in place was rolled out in an attempt to get students to arrive to school earlier.

Now, the old method of assigned parking spots has been revived.

Senior Brady Olcott said “I thought the new parking policy was working well, I don’t see a reason why it should be changed.”

There will be a rotation of spaces when the inevitable

snow comes and the spots against the curb are covered.

The snow is typically shoveled against the sides of the parking lot, making those curb and end-of-lane spots vanish.

The new institution of the old method aims to create a system where the opportunity to park in the lot is equal, regardless of whether or not your spot is affected by the snow.

All seniors will have the opportunity to park at some point during the winter. However, due to the snow there will be times when unlucky students will have to find alternate rides to and from school.

The assigned spaces are an attempt to make the parking situation fair, however some students are displeased with the change.

Turn to Opine for more insight on this issue.

Advanced topics class fuels academic curiosity

Turkey diesel! (L-R) Josh Osborne, Hunter Wyckoff, Leland Jones, Jack McCarthy & Luke Kerkham celebrate next to the VW experiment.

By Kaitlin Stewart Staff Writer

Chemistry teacher and funactivities maestro extraordinare, Mrs. Christine Stelmach is working with her first period Advanced Topics in Chemistry class on an incredible project: powering a car using studentproduced, chemically-reacted vegetable oil.

Stelmach said, “In this class, students explore ways to use chemistry to solve realworld problems. Besides making biodiesel and soap, we’ve made biodegradable plastic from a potato.”

The science behind the biofuels project is interesting.

Restaurants, like McDonald’s, regularly produce waste oil that is either shipped back to the manufacturer or thrown away.

Stelmach’s students utilized oil from their own Thanksgiving dinners, collecting turkey grease to make a fuel capable of powering a car.

Seniors Chelsea Dillon and Zach Rissman were integral to the experiment.

Dillon said, “It’s a very gross process, and it smells really bad. It takes a lot of time and effort to make just a small

amount of it, but it is very cool that it worked.”

So, how exactly does it work?

Stelmach said the leftover turkey oil was reacted with methanol to form biodiesel.

When biodiesel is put into a car with a diesel engine it makes fuel. The waste products of this reaction are glycerol, sodium hydroxide, and methanol. With the leftover glycerol, the class is planning to make soap.

On Dec. 6 the groundbreaking students, including seniors Leland Jones, Josh Osborne, Jack McCarthy, Hunter Wyckoff and Pat Beljan, tested their homemade biodiesel by driving a junkyard car.

Senior Josh Osborne explained, “This past Saturday, we drove 42 miles to Oak Ridge, New Jersey and successfully used our homemade biodiesel to power [freshman] Luke Kerkhan’s 1998 Volkswagon Jetta.”

Aided by Stelmach, these students are paving the way to an eco-friendly future. These advancements are just the beginning.

Verve asks: can you spot the difference?

The class of 2015 won the annual hallway mural contest with its award-winning “Welcome to the Jungle” painting, but not without administrative censorship.

The student’s rough draft of the mural, according to administration, did not match the final copy. This forced them to take action.

Can you spot the difference between the two editions?

Turn to Opine, page 6, to get the full story.

This month’s Verve....

Globe.........2 Year in Review...4 - 5 Turf.......................8 Buzz.........3 Opine..................6 - 7

Before

After

Upcoming:

Photo by Megan Shaw.

High school bowling teams are rarely formed, and even more rarely celebrated.

But not here.

With the biggest team in SHS Bowling History, a total of 23 bowlers, there is no doubt the Summit Bowling Team is on the path to glory.

Already winning majority of their matches, the team is one to watch.

Coach John Kratch said, “The season is going swim-

mingly; we have a lot of new and inexperienced bowlers but they are all enthusiastic to get better and have fun.”

Senior Captain Will Cassin said, “With great coaching and great leadership by our seniors, we have been able to create a team that is currently ranked second in our group and shooting for a state title.”

The team is showing its spirit by recently starting their own Instagram account for everyone to be able to keep up with their progress.

Photo by Meredith Robertson.

By Anna Tselevich Opinion Editor

Junkyard Jetta rolls on chem class biodiesel

Photo provided by Josh Osborne.

Bowling team strikes SHS spotlight

Mid-Term Schedule: 1/3: Fruitcake Toss Day 1/22: Per. 1 & 2 1/23: Per. 3 & 4 1/8: Bubble Bath Day 1/26: Per 5 & 6 1/19: MLK Day 1/27: Per 7 & 8 1/30: Semi-Formal

Globe

Photo provided by usatoday.

Verve 2

First daughters aren’t dressed to impress? President Obama’s two daughters, Sasha and Malia, found themselves under a verbal attack by Republican Party Staffer, Elizabeth Lauten, after wearing the outfits they are photographed in above at The White House’s pardoning of two turkeys.

Fashion policing

By Caroline Phillips Staff Writer After verbally attacking first daughters Sasha and Malia Obama, as well as their Democrat parents, in a FaceBook rant through social media, Republican Party staffer Elizabeth Lauten went under fire, and ultimately resigned.

On Sat., Nov. 29, she began her Facebook post with “Dear Sasha and Malia, I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Then again your mother and father don’t respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I’m guessing you’re coming up a little short in the ‘good role model’ department.”

The post ended with “Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.”

Sophomore Stephanie Li-

oudis said “I was shocked when I heard what Lauten posted about the Obama girls.

To me, it seemed like she jeopardized her own career, so I am not sympathetic regarding her resignation.”

Following Lauten’s departure from the Party, junior Louisa Fowler said “I think she definitely should have resigned because the girls are just kids and she shouldn’t have smack-talked them so harshly. She should be reprimanded for her actions.”

In an apology, Lauten said, “I reacted to an article and quickly judged the two young ladies in a way that I would never have wanted to be judged myself as a teenager.

After many hours of prayer, talking to my parents and rereading my words online, I can see more clearly how hurtful my words were. Please know that these judgmental feelings truly have no place in my heart.”

January 2015

‘Rolling Stone’ gathers moss: reporting matters

By Ethan Mandelbaum Metro News Editor What if I told you that someone in our school was abused at a party?

What if I told you that she was gang-raped by a septet of drunken dudes?

What if I told you that they shoved a beer bottle where it definitely wasn’t meant to go?

What if I told you her friends told her to keep quiet?

What if I told you that our administration told her to keep quiet?

But then, what if I told you that there was no party, no beer bottle, and no request of silence?

On Nov. 19, “Rolling Stone” published an article, “A Rape on Campus: A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice at UVA.” Reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely wrote a sickening narrative, expressing inordinately graphic details of the rape of “Jackie,” a UVA freshman, at a frat party.

The things that were alleged to have happened to Jackie were indecent, heinous, and shocking to say the least.

The prose is powerful enough to make one want to get in bed, hide under the covers, and cry

to sleep. The things that allegedly happened to this girl are horrifying. Inhumane. A story that seemed so human, so real on face value turned out to be just a fabrication, a fiction.

Apparently, there wasn’t even a party, or a septet of drunken dudes.

“Rolling Stone” released an apology statement, acknowledging that “there appear[s] to be discrepancies in Jackie’s account.”

Thanks Rolling Stone!

That’s really helpful! Especially because before the truth came out, the University of Virginia had already suspended all fraternity activities on campus and promised a full investigation.

And for what?

At Jackie’s request, they didn’t interview the “rapists.”

Was Jackie’s story just too good to forgo? Did the editors forget to question her motives, or suspect how that anonymity might be covering a personal problem or bias?

Now they come out and tell us that there wasn’t even a party at Phi Psi on the night of the alleged rape. According to a statement released by the editors of “Rolling Stone,”

the magazine has accepted full blame for the incident, stating, “these mistakes are on ‘Rolling Stone, not on Jackie’.”

Yet, they told us this nearly a month after the article was published, and after the University of Virginia’s reputation has been irreversibly tarnished.

Instead of fact-checking beforehand, like the journalists are supposed to, “Rolling Stone” decided to wait.

This situation seems way too similar to the banana incident in September. Remember that CBS News article? That one that said our football team was bullying North Plainfield with a banana? This is another case of the media running with a story before fact-checking on all sides. Both schools, The University of Virginia and Summit High School, suffered a damaged reputation due to the sloppy work of “professional” reporters. UVA can join Summit as a poster child for entities given a bad name unjustly by the press.

Our Verve adviser, Mrs. Anne Weisgerber, often quotes, “In journalism, if your mother says she loves you, fact-check it!”

Well, maybe Erdely, should have done some basic fact-checking too.

Not to mention her editors at RS.

How do seniors feel about “The Interview” attracting so much international attention?

Sony Executives decided not to release the R-rated assassination comedy, starring Seth Rogan and James Franco, once North Korea denounced the film and hackers threatened anyone who would go see it.

Jenny Martino “I think it’s funny how such a stupid movie sparked so much conflict.”

Peter Gangi “I was really excited to see the movie, so I was mad when North Korea found out.”

Will Cassin “I think it’s really crazy how they were threatening people.”

Brynn Johnson “I really wanted to see the movie but I think it’s crazy that they were threatening to bomb theaters.”

“It’s difficult that we gave into demands so quickly.”

Verve is funded by a grant from the Summit City Board of Education and print subscriptions. As of publication, Verve’s circulation is 600, including 320 print subscribers.

Verve is printed at School Publications Company in Neptune, NJ, and digitally archived at Issuu as shsverve.

Verve is a publication open to the opinions of its readers.

Please submit all letters to shsverve@fc.summit.k12.nj.us.

Letters must be signed, and will be subject to editing for space, grammar, and factual accuracy;

however, all efforts will be made to preserve the writer’s intent. Libelous and inappropriate writing will not be published.

If Verve has made an error and a correction is warranted, the editors take reader feedback seriously and will promptly deal with concerns. Reader corrections welcome at shsverve@ fc.summit.k12.nj.us Views expressed in Verve do not necessarily reflect those of Summit Senior High School’s administration, faculty, staff, or other students.

Summit Senior High School 125 Kent Place Boulevard Summit, NJ 07901 Staff Reporters: Editors-in-Chief

Ellie Schaffer Meredith Robertson Managing Editors:

Carly Leiter Megan Shaw

Metro News Editor: Ethan Mandelbaum Globe Editor: Anika Becker Opinion Editors: Anna Tselevich Jackson Sidebottom

Entertainment Editors: Ashley White Laura Pasquale Buzz Editor: Emily Gao Sports Editor: Cam Fuoti Asst Sports Editor Dan Montgomery Art Director: Ryan Blume Circulation: Sophie Lees Kaitlin Stewart

Ryan Blume, Spencer Frey, Ben Henning, Emily Hurley, Rachel Isralowitz, Sophie Lees, Matthew Mormile, Caroline Phillips, Marielle Rogoff, Kaitlin Stewart Principal: Mr. Paul Sears Assistant Principals: Mrs. Stacy Grimaldi Mr. Michael Lapotasky Adviser: Mrs. Anne Weisgerber English Supervisor: Mr. Corey Walsh

Megan Beier

January 5, 2015 Volume XV, Issue 4 shsverve@fc.summit.k12.nj.us

Buzz

Dear Diary, Am I Guilty?

By Concerned Teenager*

It is around five o’clock, the night before Thanksgiving.

My friend and I are walking along Hobart Avenue heading into town to get some food.

As we round the corner to head on to Franklin Place, we are stopped by a local Summit police officer. He asks us to step in front of the lights on his official Summit police car so he can see us. Before stepping out of the vehicle, the officer puts on his siren and radios in for back up.

He proceeds to ask for the information from my friend and I, both minors. The officer takes the information in the notes app of his iPhone. While taking down the information I said, “Can I ask why you stopped us?”

The officer tells us that he will answer our question when he’s done taking down the information.

As he finishes, he asks us where we were walking from.

I did most of the talking, and said that we were coming from a friend’s house and heading

into town to get food.

The officer asks why we have our backpacks with us.

Again, I explained how we had a half-day and went straight to a friend’s house after school.

The officer finally said that he stopped us because the police had gotten reports of minors drinking in the area.

While explaining, two more officers arrived, with their sirens on. They were the backup that was called in.

The police officers begin to look through our backpacks and pat down my friend and I. Then they began to search us in earnest.

Petrified, my friend and I did nothing to stop the search.

All three officers proceeded to search both our entire backpacks. After the search was finished, the police continued to survey the vicinity around where we had been stopped.

After (how many) minutes, we are sent on our way, and once out of earshot from the cops, my friend finally tells me how he has never been so scared in his life.

(*Editor’s Note: All information from the above account has been verified by a Summit Police Report. We respect the student’s wish to remain anonymous.)

Blind Date: A date with fate?

Photo by Cam Fuoti

By Cam Fuoti Turf Page Editor

Missing! Spencer Frey waits for his date at the theater.

This month’s blind date came with a twist. And, unfortunately, it was not the good kind.

Sophomore Spencer Frey, a loving, caring young man, was looking forward to meeting his blind date and taking her to see “Gone Girl,” a story about a man who’s wife has gone missing. The only problem was, his date was missing too. This is a first in Blind Date history. No one, before Frey, has ever been stood up.

Frey, distraught about the incident, said “I was really looking forward to walking my date down the stairs, buying her popcorn, and wrapping my arm around her while we enjoy a quality movie. But

unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”

The blind date, a tradition of the Verve, is chosen by random selection. One member of the Verve staff is picked to go with the author of the piece, and their counterpart is entirely up to chance. The girl chosen to join Frey on this month’s blind date will remain anonymous, if for no other reason than to keep Frey’s feelings from being hurt. He really wanted her to show up.

He really did.

However, Frey is no stranger to occurrences like this.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been stood up. After the first four times I begin to expect it and when my date doesn’t show, I move on, and prepare for the next.”

Regardless, Frey is staying positive in these luckless moments.

“At the end of the day, I just want my date to know that she would have had a great time with me. I wish her the best of luck in finding another guy like me.”

Hear that ladies? Spencer Frey is... still... on the market.

Hit him up at 212-479-7990 for a day or night of fun, but if you don’t feel like showing up, don’t sweat it. Happy holidays!

(Just kidding, Spencer is awesome, please don’t stand him up.)

Verve 3

2014 graduate takes on modeling industry

By Sophie Lees Staff Writer Last year, Kristine Froseth was just another student greeting everyone with a friendly smile on her way to class.

This year, she is smiling at us from the cover of prestigious magazines, billboards and renowned ad campaigns seen all over the world.

Froseth shared some valuable advice learned from her experience, and said, “It didn’t happen right away, so never give up!”

Froseth graduated in June 2014 after attending Summit High School for her junior and senior year, with plans to continue her future in the modeling industry. She has represented fashion campaigns including Prada, Zara and Burberry, as well as magazines including “W Magazine,” “Elle” and “Teen Vogue.”

This Norwegian model is currently succeeding in the modeling industry and her name is becoming widely recognizable; however, it didn’t start this way. Froseth first became interested in modeling at age 16 after she took part in a charity catwalk at her local mall in Norway. She enjoyed the event so much that the next day she went to modeling agency Heartbreak Management and asked if it was possible to get signed. Unfortunately, Froseth did not get the response she wanted.

At first the agency told her she was not tall enough to model, however when she returned, they immedi-

Time to change!

Photo from www.elle.com

January 2015

Pose! Kristine Froseth models for the Icelandic edition of “Elle”.

ately signed her after one of the bookers decided that her height was insignificant.

Although Froseth was signed at 16, she did not begin to professionally model until she was 17, due to the lack of a fashion industry in Norway.

So far, she said she has traveled to South America, Paris, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Milan and New York for her career. Her main agency is Heartbreak Management in Oslo, but she works for Supreme Management in New York and Paris, Women in Milan, FM in London, and Modelwork in Hamburg.

New gym exemption policy

By Laura Pasquale Screen and Sound Editor Gym-exemption-seekers, you’re in for a treat. Winter athletes in their sophomore, junior or senior year interested in a exemption from their P.E. classes are being reviewed by a committee and granted or rejected for the independent study option. Students with structured programs outside of school are also eligible for the exemption option, so long as it meets or exceeds the curriculum standards.

A learning log and journal entry must be submitted to the main office by 8:30 a.m. every week. The journal documents and highlights how student sport activity aligns to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard for Physical Education.

A student is allowed up to three marking periods of exemption per year, as all students must complete one quarter of health classes.

Additionally, all students must take the PACER assessment, even if they have been granted an exemption, and will be notified of assessment dates.

Junior and winter track athlete Alex Filiault said “I don’t understand why the rules for gym exemptions are always different. It’s keeping students from being able to actually have an exemption, because the policies keep changing.”

Some students are wondering if the exemption process is advantageous. The weekly logging and journal entries may not prove to be worth getting out of gym.

BOE President Celia Colbert said “The laws and policies affecting PE exemptions have evolved in recent years, which has caused distrcts around the state, including Summit, to examine and modify their PE exemptions.”

Let’s just hope this policy sticks around long enough for students to adjust.

Still living in Summit, she works mainly with Supreme in New York City.

When asked about her goals for the future, Froseth said, “My goal is to be on the cover of ‘Italian Vogue’ with an editorial spread and to do the Calvin Klein campaign.”

Froseth not only has become an acclaimed model in Europe, but also an inspiration to young girls all over the world.

With her glamorous, youthful beauty, she may some day be the next face of fashion.

Resolutions with Rogoff The ball drops, the champagne pops and a New Year begins. When the morning of Jan. 1 arrives, the true testament of this holiday is shown.

According to Statistic Brain, 45 percent of Americans set resolutions for themselves.But where are the other 55 percent?

Suggested resolutions: • recycle your water bottles • be nicer to siblings • stop procrastinating (it won’t work in college) • spend more time outside • use your cellphone less • send more thank-you notes It is time resolution-makers strive to broaden their horizons, extend a hand, and assist someone in need. So, how about this year we all cross off “losing weight” from the list of resolutions. The New Year is about striving to be a better person, not a skinnier one.

By Ellie Rogoff

www.gregenslen.com

Malaysia Air MH370 destined for Beijing Capital International Airport in China disappears on March 8 and all 239 people aboard the plane go missing. The plane’s last known location was above the Andaman Sea west of Malayasia and north of Indonesia.

April

Photo by http://losangeles.cbslocal.com

Donald Sterling, the majority owner of the NBA’S L.A. Clippers, was caught saying racist things about African Americans and discouraging them from attending his team’s games. He singled out NBA legend and AIDS activist Earvin “Magic” Johnson, one of L.A.’s most beloved individuals. Sterling was banned from the NBA for life, fined $2.5 million and was forced to sell the team. The event set a precedent in all professional sports that there are serious repercussions for discriminatory comments.

First Lady Michelle Obama aids in the campaign for “Bring Back Our Girls”.

mashable.com

www.thestyleref.com

MAY

The Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in franchise history in the most viewed TV event in U.S. history with over 111.5 million viewers. The contest was a 43-8 blowout in favor of the Seahawks over the Denver Broncos.

MARCH

20

In Northern Nigeria, a group of heavily armed Muslim extremists known as Boko Haram invaded a girls’ boarding school, which they set on fire right before kidnapping the girls. The name Boko Haram in the Hausa language means “Western education is a sin.” The girls who attended this boarding school knew that receiving an education was dangerous, however they risked their lives and safety in order to become doctors, teachers and lawyers. The girls were then sold for $12 to become militant wives. 276 girls remained missing although 50 managed to escape. The Nigerian government did nothing to help the missing girls, which is when other world power countries began taking action. In response, the White House created the campaign “Bring Back Our Girls”.

June

www.giantbomb.com

February

www.hitfix.com

JANUARY www.nydailynews.com

In January, Chris Christie was sued for his Bridgegate scandal. Although Christie had denied involvement in the scandal, six NJ residents filed a lawsuit. The verdict called for the Port Authority chairman David Samson’s resignation.

January 2015

Year In

Verve 4

On June 13, the Los Angeles Kings brought home the Stanley Cup after their double overtime triumph over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. Playing at their home rink at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Kings outlasted the Rangers in a 2-2 tie by the end of the 3rd period. With 5:17 remaining in the second overtime, defenseman for the Kings, Alec Martinez, scored the game winning goal, leading his team to a 3-2 victory and taking home the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years.

014 January 2015

The Supreme Court denied petitions to hear same­sex marriage cases in five states, allowing lower court rulings that legalized them to stay in place and making same­sex marriage legal in 11 states. 53 percent of Americans support gay marriage which jumpstarted the bill passing.

November

http://www.newyorker.com

outlookaub.com

On August 9, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot multiple times and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson Missouri. Witnesses disagreed about whether Brown was charging at Wilson or if he had already surrendered with his hands in the air at the time of the shot. This controversial shooting led to major riots in Ferguson and protests throughout the nation.

October www.cbsnews.com

REVIEW

August

Verve 5

September

On Sept. 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first Ebola patient to be in the United States. This patient contradicted the disease while visiting Liberia and was hospitalized in Dallas, Texas, dying a few days later. As of now, more than 6,500 cases of the Ebola outbreak have been noted and 3,000 deaths have occurred.

December

On Dec. 17, just a week before its release, Sony cancelled the premiere of the new comedy The Interview starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. The movie’s plotline is about assassinating the leader of North Korea, Kim JongUn. In retaliation to this controversial topic, North Korea allegedly hacked into Sony’s database and released private information about all Sony employees. North Korea also threatened to attack any movie theaters that showed the Interview. The Interview cost Sony $42 million to produce and caused their stocks to go down by 5 percent.

www.huffingtonpost.com

www.liberationnews.org

July

www.nbcnews.com

On July 17, Eric Garner died in Staten Island, from a chokehold by police officer, Daniel Pantaleo. Garner was accused of selling illegal cigarettes from packs without tax stamps and was stopped by 11 officers. After resisting arrest, Pantaleo responded by choking Garner as he gasped “I can’t breathe” while lying face down on the sidewalk.

The Eric Garner incident has led Eric Garner died one hour to “die-in” protests around the country as officer Pantaleo was later at the hospital and Daniel Pantaleo was stripped of not prosecuted. his police duties.

On Nov. 3, the World Trade center opened after 13 years since the fall of the twin towers in 2001. The Freedom Tower is also a memorial for the victims of the terrorist attack on Sept 11. The building, in Lower Manhattan, is now the largest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

Opine

Verve 6

Eating disorder awareness on the rise

By Madison Nankervis Contributing Writer

Eating disorders have affected over 30 million Americans, including myself. Since my recovery, I have been inspired to make a difference in this community. My mission is to incorporate new material into the ninth grade health curriculum, which would focus on “Eating Disorder Awareness” and “Body Positivity.”

My goal is to target freshman, because they are overwhelmed and self-conscious by their new environment, and are the least knowledgeable about responding to this mental issue.

One thing I have come to realize is how little people truly understand about eating disorders. I believe the first step in aiding those affected is to educate and make others more aware.

I know from my own personal experience that with a better understanding of the

condition, my friends could have provided a more direct intervention and helped assist in my recovery.

While I was thankful that they did all they could, they were never taught enough about it being a mental illness and had trouble getting through to me - as patients try to isolate themselves from society and hide their illness, which is why it is a silent killer.

Research I have conducted revealed that students do not understand the true cause and effects of an eating disorder and believe it is a choice that the person makes; they believed it was more-so due to “nasty comments” than “biology” - I want to break the stereotype and erase the stigma.

Because of this, I hope to spread awareness to all students upon arrival to high school, so that they are able to recognize those in need and seek help because the earlier

a disorder is treated the more likely recovery is.

To help raise awareness for my new proposal, I conducted an online survey, asking students what they knew about eating disorders and if they believed this course is necessary.

So far, the results state that more than 92 percent of polltakers agree that this course would benefit SHS students. A whopping 96 percent believe that their school does not provide substantial information on Eating Disorders.

I even asked responders to describe both what they like and dislike about themselves.

People went so far as to call themselves “ugly” and say they “disliked everything.”

Further, half the responders said they loved themselves while the other half said they did not.

It is this response which is most astonishing,how can we be raising a generation who isn’t content with themselves?

Keeping at it: Why can’t I drop APES?

By Emily Hurley Staff Writer

At the end of last year, I enrolled in AP Environmental Science, however, once I began the class I realized that the topics were much too advanced for me. By about the end of October, I decided that the course would not serve me well, and I decided that it would be best for me to drop the class. But, when I went to my guidance counselor, I learned just how difficult that is.

I was told that in order to drop the non-mandatory class that I was struggling in, I would need to gain approval from my counselor, my teacher, and Assistant principal Grimaldi. Thinking that my request would be considered fairly, along with my guidance counselor, I talked to both my

teacher and Grimaldi. About a month after my request, I had not heard back.

Nearing the end of the first semester, it is now too late for me to drop this class because it could lead to problems with the college application process. I will now have to tough it out for the rest of the year, which leads me to the question- is the process of dropping an AP class more difficult than it needs to be?

According to the student handbook, “Poor performance in an Honors/AP course may result in administrative removal. Changes out of these classes are not permitted unless there are extenuating circumstances.” If a C+ requires a student to take the final exam, does it not qualify as “poor performance” or an “extenuating circumstance?”

Also, shouldn’t student

needs be the main priority? If a student truly believes that they will not be able to succeed in an AP level class, their request to drop it should be granted immediately.

“I knew from the start that the class [AP Environmental Science] was not for me,” says senior Eowyn LaShell.

“But the only way for me to get out after first quarter was pretending to be a worse student than I am. I literally had to fail the class.”

But, from a different point of view, school counselor, Scott Petrillo explains why such scenarios occur. “Often times adults, whether a parent, teacher, or counselor, believes more in the ability of a student than him or herself... sometimes they need an adult to give them an extra nudge so they can say, wow, look at what I just did.”

January 2015

BC Calculus is not the hardest class offered

By Anika Becker Globe Editor

Some students say math is a foreign language to them, but nothing beats the complexity of learning a real foreign language, like those offered: French, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish.

According to Science Daily. com, “brain structure plays an important role in this ‘sensitive period’ for learning a language, which is believed to end around adolescence… once these language structures are established, it’s difficult to build another one for a new language.”

So as we are getting older, taking a language class once a day becomes exponentially more challenging due to the complex nature of the class, along with the scientific fact that, once our brain has developed to a certain point, it is near impossible to become fluent without a total immersion into that language.

All of us began taking a language in middle school, some continue with the same language through high school while some changed their language study once they started ninth grade. With this being said, many language teachers expect students to perform at unrealistically high levels after just a few years of taking this language. Some students are able to live up to this high expectation, but the majority of them are not.

Senior Mackenzie Roberts said “I still take Spanish and really like the class, but it’s definitely a challenge to stay

Get to work! Our library keepscopies of AP textbooks so they don’t have to lug around their own. Photo credit: Ellie Rogoff

on top.”

In the higher-level French classes, the class size shrunk from 13 students in French 5 Honors, mostly including juniors, to only 5 students continuing with French studies as a senior, in AP French 6.

Other languages have seen a decrease as well, especially among upperclassmen at school. Mandarin classes have shrunk as well as Latin also falling after AP Latin going into Honors (Latin follows a different class route than other languages).

The language teachers expect us to be able to listen to native speakers and understand exactly what was said, start writing full essays in this other, foreign language, and to speak and pronounce semifluently.

These standards can be considered impossible for some students, given that most can’t excel in the course so quickly, especially while juggling tcourse loads, including honors and AP level courses.

It seems to most students that applying as much time, energy and dedication to their language class as they do any other class is next to impossible.

Senior Kady Glynn says “I really liked my Spanish teacher, but after three years, I was ready to try a different class.”

As a student body, we enjoy rigorous classes and expect that our teachers will push us to achieve and to learn, but not if those expectations become too high. According to current class rosters, language classes are becoming so unpopular among seniors who have the most freedom to drop the class, that it may indicate that high standards that are putting too much pressure on the students as a majority.

Seniors adjust to the new parking policy... again

By Carly Leiter and Ashley White Managing Editor and Features Editor At the beginning of the year, the senior class was confronted with a new parking system; park in whatever senior spot is available. This system originally angered our class because there had never been any issues with assigned parking in the past.

Mrs. Grimaldi stated that it was put in place in “an attempt to get students to arrive at school earlier every morning”.

Now that the seniors have finally gotten into the rhythm of this parking system, the ad-

ministration has decided to yet again, fix a non-issue.

The revived parking system now forces seniors to park in their assigned spot numbers.

This was put in place “because of the possibility of snow.”

When it snows and some spots are covered, there will be a rotation of spaces so that every senior will have to get dropped off with the freshman at the front of the school while their parents rant about their bad attitudes every now and then.

We already had to deal

with the Montrose parking issues last year. Now we’re being told that we might have to park five streets away and walk to school in 10 degree weather every now and then?

The residents have pushed us all the way back to Tatlock; at this rate, we’ll be forced to park all the way at the Short Hills Mall and make the trek from there. Is the administration willing to set up a busing system too?

We understand the snow predicament, however we’re

not too thrilled to give up our prestige spots that will never be covered in snow for the unlucky ones with spaces against the curbs.

Haven’t you noticed that the administration continuously tries to fix non-problems?

Non-problem #1: Having to sign into your painfully slow student account just to print something out.

Non-problem #2: Turning Weaver St into a one-way, and causing countless amouints of

frustration and lates.

Non-problem #3: And of course, going back and forth with these parking systems... it’s giving us whiplash.

These are prime examples of the unecessary ways that the administration has made us bend over backwards just to receive an education. All we’re asking, on behalf of the senior class, is for the administration to stop trying to fix these non-problems and let us have a semi-enjoyable senior year.

Summit High: land of no bananas

By Megan Shaw Managing Editor

following morning after the Homecoming Hall way late night event, the painters were told to remove the banana, and immediately did so.

Students are cognizant of the fact that the administration wants to maintain our clean-cut image, one Summit rightly deserves, but when does the resurfacing of a past issue become too extreme? Is Summit near the point where bananas aren’t going to be sold in the cafeteria?

Students here want Summit to have the reputation it deserves and consequently understand to a degree the administration’s precautionary tactics. Yet, there comes a point where bringing up the issue and drawing attention to it only reinforces the notion that Summit was doing something wrong that day- despite the NJSIAA ruling otherwise. The ruling solely had asked that the Summit captains have a luncheon with the North Plainfield team in order to mend the relations between the schools.

Reflecting on the whole mural ordeal, it only seems representative of the Seniors 2015 high school career that even our hallway mural was censored.

Illustration (c) www.commonsenseevaluation.com

Months after the controversial banana incident, termed bananagate by students on mediums like Twitter, students still feel the aftermath of the misunderstanding. Despite the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s ruling that corroborated the Summit Football players anything-but-racial intent, this past incident is still resurfacing to the student body.

The “SEN1OR5,” for their homecoming hallway theme selected “Welcome to the Jungle” and art-friendly students arduously worked on the mural (situated in the upper senior lounge in the English hallway). The mural features jungle animals peaking through a brick-like cave, and somewhat unimportantly to the painting as a whole, a monkey.

This monkey formerly held a banana. The odds are that every single person in this school has seen, heard or read some pop culture reference to monkey’s holding bananas- it’s not like the seniors just made this one up. By the

Opine

Everybody’s right! This anonymous optical illusion cartoon, circulating on the Internet for a few years, sums it up. The year ends with a lot of disagreement in our society. Clashes of old and new philosophies on political correctness have each side believing that they, in fact, are “politically correct.” Until it is recognized that there is more than one perception on any given situation, what needs to happen is both parties should bring their respective philosophies and perspectives to the table to discuss and come to an understanding, respectfully.

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From the Editor’s desk...

Time for more compliments!!! First of all, a HUGE congrats to all the seniors accepted into college so far. We are so happy all your hard work has paid off, you deserve it!

We’d also like to give a quick shout-out to the to the seven kids accepted to Penn, way to go! We hope you guys hang out together next year. Actually, we don’t really care, but the thought of that is amusing.

And lastly, to all those deferred or rejected, we can all relate. Just remember, all of us will end up where we are meant to be! Although it’s disappointing, a college rejection isn’t the end of the world. Put yourself in perspective and keep in mind the things you have to be thankful for. This year will be over before you know it; don’t let it go to waste.

In light of these recent acceptances and rejections, we would like to quote a wise and anonymous Yik Yak-er who posted, “Just remember and be respectful of the fact that for every one ecstatic college acceptance post you see on Facebook, there are four seniors who just got a rejection letter.”

That’s right, kind citizen.

Lets all remember to be respectful. We want you to be proud of your accomplishments, but just remember

how everyone else may be feeling too.

On the subject of being nicer to each other, lets talk about New Years. First of all, shout-out to Ellie Rogoff for her awesome New Years checklist (Buzz page 3), but here’s our take on the matter.

Underclassmen, this is the perfect opportunity to make a pact to take care of each other. With three or four more years together, our advice is to create tight bonds early on. Make an effort to talk to someone new-- you’d be amazed by how many interesting people we go to school with.

Some more New Years suggestions include, but are not limited to: holding the door for the seniors behind you, and to stop clogging the math hallway in the morning (you know who you are). A little kindness can go a long way.

To the seniors, only a few more months left together. Do you want to enjoy it, or spend it fighting with one another? Time to make a resolution to stick up for people instead of putting people down, and acting more like the family that we are.

Remember, this is are the Hilltopper Nation. Time to start acting like it.

queer at SHS Lesbian: Ladies being at- Being

By Ryan Blume

tracted to ladies exclusively

Gay: Guys being attracted to guys exclusively

Bisexual: People who are

attracted to people regardless of gender. The term pansexual means the same thing.

Transgender: People

who feel their biological sex doesn’t match their self identified gender.

Q

ueer: People who don’t identify with the two genders society offers and instead identify as something outside or in between the two.

Staff Reporter

This is an open letter to the students and faculty of Summit High School about our school as a safe space for LGBTQ students. I am speaking now not only as a senior student, but also as an openly gender queer and bisexual individual. To be more precise, I do not believe in gender definitions, don’t identify with the traditional gender binary and don’t consider gender when considering attraction. I like people for who they are, not what they are.

But then I hear in the halls,“Why the hell should I care about trans people? They’re just freaks who cross-dress, I don’t see why they need a day of remembrance.”

These are the words I heard spoken by a student seconds after our school made an announcement for the Transgender Day of Remembrance. While horrified and disgusted by what I heard, I was not shocked by it. Antipathy towards queers in SHS is nothing new, yet has rarely been the topic of conversation.

So in light of the recent tolerance campaigns of our student council, now feels like the time to spark a discussion. While SHS has praised itself on its safe and welcoming environment, for many students, myself included, this has always been a question of debate. Students may not take physical actions against LGBTQ students, but they certainly have behaved or said things that have created a hostile environment for them.

Most people write off these unfortunate and common experiences as average and harmless teenage behavior. However, words matter, and the use of anti-gay rhetoric such as “fag” and

“faggot” are not as innocuous as most would like to believe. So long as students hear other students openly use terms that equate being gay or queer to being lesser, a truly safe space for queer students can never be constructed.

Sure, our school has a handful of out gay men. Why so few lesbian students? Why not a single out trans student? While convenient to say the answer to these questions is that we just don’t have any of the “other” amongst us, but statistically, this answer is practically impossible considering the last US consensus states that 1 in 10 Americans identify as either gay or lesbian alone. The real answer to these questions lies in the hostile environment and double standard of our society and student body, that gay men fit into the role of “fun, gay best friend” whereas lesbians are just “dykes” and trans or gender-queer people are “indecisive freaks”.

The school administration cannot be blamed for this problem.

Sociology and history teacher, Ms. Lauren Wells, who also advises the LGBTQ club, said she doesn’t perceive a negative bias.

“That’s the kind of stuff I don’t see as a teacher,” she explained.

We, as students, need to recognize and address these problems by working on being kinder to each other and more courageous in how we live our lives, which is an objective I believe we, as both a student body and a body of individual students can accomplish with time and diligence. So, Summit High School, I urge each and every one of you to embrace your individuality, and respect your peers when they try to do same.

Photoprovided by the GSA website

January 2015

Turf

Coach Sharma with his top runners at the Meet of Champions

By Matt Mormile Staff Writer Summit High’s Cross Country Coach Neil Sharma was named NJ Boys Cross County Coach of the Year for 2014. Leading the team to its best season in school history, Summit Varsity capin the Group 3 championship for. According to the New Jersey Star Ledger, Summit of Champions with an average time of 16:42, a record feat at Holmdel Park for the Union County school. Soon after the season commenced on November 22nd, Coach Sharma found out about his award from Jim Lambert, the NJ Star Ledger cross county sports writer, while on his way back from the Nike Northeast regional meet.

Congrats also to SHS Coach Adam Fern, honored as the Summit PAL 2014 Citizen of the Year!

“I was humbled by and very appreciative of the honor.

It’s a result of the excellent season this year’s boys XC team had.”

Coach Sharma credits this as “the best season in school history.” He attributes the success to a lot of hard work through many seasons. He began coaching middle school cross country in 2000, and started coaching at the high schools level in 2003.

The seniors played a big role in setting an example for the team.

Senior Connor Tomasello said that Coach Sharma “consistently pushes you to better yourself as a person.” Sharma stresses hard work and character at every practice.

Sharma’s Varsity team saw several runners in the NJ StarLedger All State teams, with

honored. Some of these runners, as part of Sharma’s middle school team, raced under Sharma’s guidance through middle and high school, making the coach of the year award all the more special.

Sharma graduated in 1994

Skate up! Varsity hockey preview

By Cam Fuoti Turf Editor

By Jackson Sidebottom Opine Co-Editor SHS is one of only two public high schools New Jersey. Here’s how the new season is looking at the start...

Girls Varsity After last year’s rebuilding 2-8 season the from its 14 returning Varsity players. The team has already matched last year’s win total in its 3-3. Key returns for the team include senior goalie and captain Brynn Johnson, who earned third team all-state honors last year with 110 saves, and junior defender Teia Ross, who was second on the team with 10 total points last year team effort to replace the production lost from graduated senior Annabel Sangree, who led the team with 10 goals and 11 total points last year.

The team’s strong start can be attributed to incredible team play, with four different members notching three points each.

In addition, junior goalie Julie Woloshin has stepped up in the absence of Brynn Johnson, tallying 47 saves.

championship in 2012

Boys Varsity One of the most successful Varsity teams in the past few years has been the boys Ice Hockey team. With two Union County Championships and one State Championship in the past three years, the Ice Hockey teams looks to continue to prove that they are a perennial powerhouse.

Last year’s Central Jersey Player of the Year and Hiltopper Captain, Riley Flynn said, “Our mindset is to go out and win every period of every game. If we can do that we know we’ll be as successful as in years past.”

With key losses to last year’s squad like Brady Nelson, who moved back to Colorado, and Chris Zanelli, who suffered a leg injury playing football, the teams looks forward to new players stepping up on the Varsity team.

-setting season. This year, new goalie Alec

then went to the University of

School in the fall of 1999. He lives with his wife and three children and is motivated by the challenge to work to be the best at something. “Being able to coach a group of runners that match that desire is something for which I have a ton of gratitude.”

Throwback! Riley Flynn’s game-winning

Photo provided by Ellie Rogoff

Photo provided by Karen Greco

X-Country Coach honored

January 2015

Photo provided by thealternativepress.com

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look to battle it out to see who can continue the long tradition of stout goalies in the program.

Forward Whit Cummings is excited for what the team can accomplish. He says “We’re always looking to go undefeated in the Union County Conference and make a run in states.”

Girls’ Ice Hockey team stands for Anthem at MiddleThe Varsity plays at both Warnanco Park town Ice World before playing Mater Dei Prep. in Roselle and Union Sports Arena in Union.

Despite good advice, wrestlers wrastle weight-loss woes Whether it’s piling on the layers and sitting in the sauna, or running for hours and dramatically underhydrating, the process of cutting weight is an extremely dangerous affair that can damage the body’s systems and severely hurt the wrestlers physique.

Former wrestler, Senior Brian Peck, said,“I wouldnt eat for days, then binge for a day. It was pretty taxing on my body after a while.”

Interestingly, the world of wrestling is the only sport that requires its participants to meet a certain precedent in order for them to tumble. The rigorous activities and endless hungry schooldays to reach their desired weight has proven too much for some.

Consequently, coaches and wrestling fanatics throughout the nation are annually becoming more concerned with the dangerous issues cutting weight presents.

In an article by U.S. News and World Report, health expert Bonnie Taub-Dix said, “Anywhere from one-quarter to two-thirds of high school wrestlers use fasting, excessive exercise, unbalanced diets, and voluntary dehydration as techniques to help The extreme measures wrestlers take to lose unnecessary weight puts them at an frightening risk to not only harm themselves but derail their wrestling seasons and put a taxing burden on their body to re-

cover from.

For the sake of wrestling in the state of New Jersey, the NJSIAA has instilled weight management program for its participants. The purpose of the weight management program is to “help wrestlers establish and maintain a healthy minimum wrestling weight. It is expected that coaches, athletic trainers, and team physicians, working closely with parents will help wrestlers determine a healthy weight class for the season, one in which crash diets and dehydration are prohibited,” according to atsnj.org.

The problem here is that student-athletes seem to control their own diets without much supervision or advisement from the school staff.

For example, Senior grappler Andres Chacon said, “When practice starts, I begin a crazy diet.

In the mornings, I have one cup of milk with a banana. For lunch, I have a single apple with two water bottles. Then for dinner, I don’t eat. It feels like I’m going to die on the inside.”

As evident by this diet, the people who surround these wrestlers need to pay better attention to the kids health and make sure they are not depriving themselves of essential foods to keep them healthy.

Wrestling coach John Liberato said, “I really try to stress to the kids that they need to diet correctly Detrimental methods such as starvation and under-hydrating are not the answer. Cutting weight in high school wrestling is as dangerous of an issue as

they come and the constant maintaining of a certain weight to competitively wrestle is seemingly more important than the growing athlete’s health.

Photo provided by Dan Montgomery

By Dan Montgomery Turf Page Assistant

Making weight means snacks can wait! Senior Andres Chacon battles the urge to eat fatty snacks like Doritos