The Wessex Wire The Student Newspaper of West Essex Regional High School
Vol. LVI No. 4
65 West Greenbrook Road, North Caldwell, N.J.
thewessexwire.com
March 2016
Fears of cancer cluster rise in Roseland By Courtney Pappas ’16
In the last eight years, there has been at least seven different teens from Roseland diagnosed with cancer. On Feb. 2, 2008, Meghan Gambichler, then 15 years old, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Who knew that eight years later, Meghan would be one of seven teens to be diagnosed? It became an annual diagnosis, as teens from their town were consecutively given the tragic news. “I can’t believe how many kids have been harmed in our school,” senior Jake Schatz said. “It is as if this has become an annual occurrence and it almost sounds casual to people. Something should be researched.” Even after so many cases have surfaced, no investigations in Roseland have been conducted. According to the National Institute of Health, this type of situation could be a “cancer cluster.” According to the NIH, a cancer cluster is defined “as occurrence of a greater than expected number of cancer cases among a group of people in a defined geographic area over a specific time period.” The problem in researching these cases is actually finding the causes within them. In most research that has been done, the causes are from
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At some point in the last 10 years, it seems as if familiarity with cancer has continued to perpetually strike a little too close to home. —Meghan Gambichler
something in the environment such as fumes from buildings, chemical plants or toxins. “The three big environmental possibilities that come to my mind are the water supply, atmospheric conditions and types of homes in Roseland,” said Environmental Science teacher Mr. Martin. While people may claim that the increase in teen cancer diagnosis could simply be a coincidence, the situation should be further researched. Pinpointing the answer can be extremely difficult, however, when considering so many factors. According to cancer.gov, determining whether or not these situations are actually situations is the hard part. One of the hardships in following this type of research is keeping track with which residents are moving in and out of the town. According to cancer.gov, “it typically takes a long time for
cancer to develop, and any relevant exposure may have occurred in the past or in a different geographic area from where the cancer was diagnosed.” Though Roseland has not been under investigation thus far, this issue has been relevant. Residents of Roseland are aware of the high number of diagnosed teens, and they cannot help but wonder if there is more to the story. Having seven teens all between the ages of 15-20 being diagnosed of some sort of cancer is an odd occurrence and many township residents believe the solution could potentially be found through research. “At some point in the last 10 years, it seems as if this familiarity with cancer has continued to perpetually strike a little too close to home.” said survivor Meghan Gambichler. “One begins to wonder if it is truly just a coincidence or not.”
If this situation were to be investigated, it would be looked at by a local health department. From there, it would be researched in order to determine whether or not this is cancer cluster or just a tragic coincidence. If hypothetically Roseland was defined as a cancer cluster, then the research would continue to find the source. Mr. Martin suggested in seeing if Roseland has records of water quality tests. “The EPA has laws in place that make water testing mandatory
in every public water supply in the United States,” Mr. Martin said. “While no one wants to know that they are living in a cancer cluster, having Roseland investigated would be better safe than sorry.” “After my diagnosis in 2008, it goes without saying that I instantly became more aware of the prevalence of cancers all around me,” Gambichler said. “The unfortunate fact about this horrific disease is that it does not only affect you, but it affects all.
Students branch out of classroom with European tour By Anthony Gagliardi ’16
T h rou g h out t h e s u m m e r months, it is easy to spot a lot of students that tend to tune out what was learned in the classroom throughout the 10 months. Rather than retaining the knowledge learned and crammed during the 180 school days, most students look forward to relaxing and filling their time with other activities found outside the classroom. In an effort to try to grow out of that habit, students had the opportunity to join a 10 day trip provided by Education First tours in order to scope out some of Europe’s hottest sights.
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“In the old school districts I worked at, students would be going on these trips every year, exploring a different region of the world, and coming back with new experiences,” said social studies teacher Ms. Fernicola, who is the group leader for the extracurricular Europe trip. “I wanted the students at West Essex to have that opportunity as well.” The 10 day summer getaway is not a formal school function, but Education First gives students the opportunity to retain what they learned in class and apply it to the real world. Emily Miller and Margaret Ribardo, who are both signed
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up for this year’s trip, expressed their excitement. “I cannot wait to see some of these hot spots because you always hear just how spectacular they are, but I bet it’s even more exhilarating in person,” Emily Miller said. “This trip gives me the opportunity to finally experience what other countries have to offer,” Ribardo said. The 10 day itinerary, traveling to Dublin, London and Paris, hitting famous museums and taking in the European lifestyle on the way. With the help of tour guides native to each area, students will be able to experience a firsthand view of how different lifestyles and cultures ex-
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ist. Students will depart July 11 and return on July 20. The 18 students and four adult chaperones will be surrounded and consumed within each country’s culture, pushing them to venture out into unfamiliar lifestyles and witness some of the historical sights learned in the classroom. The trip starts off with a flight landing in Dublin, Ireland, where the students will spend two days. Next is a ferry to Great Britain, with a bus transporting them through cities such as Holyhead, North Wales, Stratford and finally London. After spending a total of four days in Great Britain, students will board a Eurostar train and
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travel through the chunnel, which connects Great Britain and France, arriving in the capital city of Paris. Throughout the trip, students will walk through famous museums and visit tourist hot spots. While in France, students will see the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter and other sights, as well as taking an exclusive trip to Versailles. “I know the common belief is that a 10 day trip with that many destinations might feel too cramped, but when you are experiencing it, time seems to fly by,” Ms. Fernicola said. “I hope this year’s trip brings back many memories.”
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