The Wessex Wire The Student Newspaper of West Essex Regional High School
Vol. LVIII No. 1
65 West Greenbrook Road, North Caldwell, N.J.
November 2017
TheWessexWire.com
Knights adopt Florida high school for hurricane relief Students and faculty collect food, clothes and other supplies for the families affected by recent storms.
Nation cleans up after trio of hurricanes, PAGE 3
By Maddie Galligan ’18 Clubs, honor societies, sports teams and more from across West Essex banded together in October to raise money for a Florida high school in need after weathering the devastation of Hurricane Irma. The school is donating the money raised to Key West High School in Florida, home of the Conchs, where students and faculty have been affected directly by Irma and the region was additionally battered by Hurricane Harvey. The damage in this area is extensive and catastrophic, and most residents were left without many of their personal belongings. The fundraisers lasted for about a week and a half, with the end date being on Friday, Oct. 13. Cash donations and supplies began piling up quickly thanks to the participation of so many students. Over $8,000 has been donated for gift cards, and 11 pallets of clothing, footwear and toiletries have been collected.
Photo by alexa dratch
Clothes, toys, home supplies and food are collected and bagged to send to the residents of Key West.
“300 students and 35 teachers are without homes because their homes no longer stand or are damaged beyond repair,” Principal Diliberto said. “Many parents have lost even their ability to provide for their families because their employer no longer exists.” Music teacher Ms. Mateyka, the school’s point person for leading relief efforts, helped organize a team of teachers and administrators to reach out to the students
and ask for donations to help the Florida victims. “West Essex students and staff want to help,” Ms. Mateyka said. “We have resources and the willingness to make a positive difference in the lives of people who have been physically and emotionally impacted by a catastrophic event.” One component of the relief effort is a gift card fundraiser. Clubs and sports teams donated money
to put towards Visa and local supermarket gift cards, which will be delivered directly to Key West High School’s students and faculty and distributed amongst them. The other fundraising component is the clothing and footwear drive. Because many residents in Key West lost some or all of their personal belongings due to flooding, it was requested that students donate lightly used or new clothing, shoes or toiletries.
Student volunteers helped out in the efforts by boxing up and organizing all of the donated materials. Senior Sam Adams was among these volunteers. “The kids at Key West High School have obviously been through a lot, so I just wanted to do what I can to do my part and help them out,” Adams said. “Some of them lost a lot of their everyday stuff, so I hope the clothing drive will make a difference for them.” Sophomore Lindsay Fusco also donated to the cause. “I can’t imagine what the victims are going through in the wake of what’s happened,” Fusco said. “I donated to try to help in whatever way I could.” The success of the fundraising efforts will reboot Key West High School not only monetarily, but also emotionally. Organizers hope that the donations will help students and faculty get back on their feet after the tragic events they withstood. “I’m so excited that we will be able to help the staff and students of Key West High School,” Ms. Mateyka said. “They really need it.”
West Essex stunned by reality of deadly Las Vegas shooting By Allison Schachtel ’19 and Lara Del Vecchio ’20 Weeks after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history left more than 50 people dead and hundreds injured, West Essex students are still stunned by the reality of the event. Stephen Paddock, a retired accountant, opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada from his hotel room on the night of Oct. 1, 2017. “It’s heartbreaking,” junior Dane Perrone said. “It is absolutely terrifying to think about how going to an event like a concert can take such a life threatening turn.” According to an Oct. 12 CNN
In This Issue:
How should gun control laws change in the U.S., if at all?
25%
Laws should be stricter. Laws are good as they are now.
53%
Laws should be less strict.
22%
A poll of 100 students was taken on Oct. 24.
Poll conducted by Grace Irwin and Maddie Galligan
article, investigators concluded that Paddock meticulously planned every detail of the mass murder. Selecting a hotel room in the
4-6 Opinion
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino days before the music festival, over 23 reported weapons were purchased illegally and found inside of
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the room, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition. Authorities also found ammonium nitrate, a deadly ingredient used in explosives, inside the perpetrators home, car and hotel room. “It’s just really scary how this can happen at anytime,” sophomore Jackie Artale said. “Whether he is from ISIS or not, anyone can attack us.” Paddock was claimed a soldier by the Islamic State, but there was no proof that he was a part of any one organization. As reported in an Oct. 2 New York Times article, Paddock kept a very low profile before the shooting. He hid 19 additional firearms, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition which were found
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11-13
when investigators searched his home. He retained most of his money from gambling, the source of income he used to purchase all of the weapons, the Times reported. Eric Paddock, Stephen Paddock’s brother, was completely unaware of his brother’s unstable mentality and referred to him as “just a guy,” according to an Oct. 25 CNN report. He had no recollection of Stephen having any religious or political affiliation, which could possibly provide background on why he committed such a crime. “There should be more restrictions on who can buy certain guns and certain amounts of guns because then things like this won’t happen,” sophomore James DeMichele said.
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