The Wessex Wire (June 2008)

The Wessex Wire The Student Newspaper of West Essex Regional High School

Vol. XLVII No. 4

West Essex High School, 65 West Greenbrook Road , North Caldwell, NJ

Freshmen: Movin’ On Up At Last

Niang Breaks School Record and Becomes State Champion

by Mark Walsh ‘09

by Victoria Gualtieri ‘09

Junior Mamadou Niang has been making and breaking records this track season within the school and all over the state.

Niang has won several races, and is the reason why the West Essex track team has had its best seasons in 20 years.

The highlight of Niang’s season came when he placed first in the 800-meter run at the Group 2 State Championship.

“My only goal was to win, I wasn’t even thinking about not placing first,” Niang said. Niang’s time of 1.57.23 was over a second faster than his runner up.

To win the race, Niang finished in front of Chatham’s Chris Black.

Black had defeated Niang twice earlier this season: once in a regular season meet and in the Iron Hills Championship meet. The race was even for the first 700 meters, and then with 100 meters to go Niang pulled away from Black to capture the title.

“Mamadou ran a perfect race,” WE head coach Dave Drozjock said.

In addition to his state championship title, Niang captured a third place finish in the 4 by 400 meter relay. Along with teammates Casey Connelly, Dan Keegan, and Pat Dyer, totaled a time of 3:30.92. The foursome finished behind Chatham’s time of 3:26.22.

“I knew if we all ran our best we could place high,” Senior Casey Connelly said.

SEE NIANG PAGE4

Inside This Issue:

June 2008

2

News

Juniors and their guests dance at the Prom.

“DJ Jon Servidio Comin’ At You Live From...” Junior Prom 2008

by Alyson Roseman ‘10

Prom is as close to a fairy tale as high school gets, especially for the juniors at West Essex, whose “happily ever after” event took place on May 16, 2008.

The tuxedos, worn by the young men, were black with personal touches. One junior accessorized his tuxedo with a silver vest and coral tie. The dresses came in several hues including yellows, purples, and metallic colors such as gold. The lengths ranged from floor length gowns to short party dresses. Styles were also varied with strapless and spaghetti straps to halter tops. “[Prom is a] time for your class to come together for one night to have fun,” Junior Emily Lyons said on the importance of prom

Advice to Fresh/Soph Earthquake in China

5

Feature

Religious Teen Inside the SAT

night. “Everyone seemed to be having fun together.”

The Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ was not decorated to fit it’s “happily ever after” theme.

Instead, the prom committee decided to go with the décor of the ballroom. The students chose between chicken francese, roast beef, and a vegetarian pasta dish.

“It was mediocre to bad. I had chicken francese, it was undercooked,” Junior Dan Spada remarked on the food.

DJ John Servidio provided the music for prom, which consisted of typical “DJ” music and radio hits. “It was awesome. I love to dance,” Junior Joe Capello stated on the festivities.

The “happily ever after” prom night concluded with the anSEE PROM PAGE2

10

Arts & Culture

Meet Kevin “21” Review

The current junior class was informed as eighth graders that they would be the first to make the transition to the high school as freshmen.

Three years later, this statement has finally become a reality.

“I won’t mind the freshmen here if the administration can make it work,” Junior Samira Paydar said.

“As long as the halls are not overcrowded and the students can get to their classes on time, it should be fine.”

To aid the incoming freshmen, the Board of Education has put a transition committee into place.

“We are coordinating many events to welcome the freshman,” English teacher Ms. Toni Ann Zuppa said.

“Some activities include a ‘move up day’ where freshmen will have the opportunity to meet with their teachers and see their classrooms [at the high school].”

Zuppa said that the committee is trying to arrange a “club activities fair” to allow freshmen to meet the advisor and other members of clubs they would like to join.

The committee, originally one entity, splintered off into six individual ones. These subcommittees include ones that deal specifically with student issues, the school’s curriculum, communication with parents, as well as a student ambassador committee.

Along with Zuppa, science teachers Mrs. Jean-Marie Zuhl and Mr. SEE FRESHMAN PAGE2

14

Opinion

Tissues Fantasy Baseball

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Take My Advice...

Adjusting to a new building, a new set of rules, and a new schedule isn’t so easy. The Wessex Wire randomly polled upperclassman on their advice to the incoming freshmen and sophomores. Here are the results of the survey.

Anthony Suppa -Watch out for Mr. Bonnet Anders Aronson - Watch what you put in the locker room Gianna Durso - Make a good impression on your teachers Joe Taylor - Get all your work done on time.

John Jahr - Don’t sleep in class Pete Doelp - Read all the books assigned in class.

Freshmen From Page 1

John Schneider, director of guidance Ms. Jane Bembridge and all of the guidance counselors head the committee.

“The faculty originally proposed the idea of the committee,” Principal Barbara Longo said. “When the administration decided to put it into practice, they wanted the faculty included.”

There is also an SAT counselor on the committee in order to prepare students earlier on in their academic career for activities that take place in their junior year.

“We’re hoping that by getting students involved in activities now, it will help them to be successful later on in high school,” Longo said.

A “move up day” is scheduled for June 12, when each grade will move up one grade for a day to get a feel for what some of their classes will be like the following year. The seniors will have a half day.

For the most part, the freshmen coming to the high school next year remain untroubled.

“I’m not worried,” eighth grader Vincent Agrifolio said. “It doesn’t

Page 2

Earthquake Devastates China, Death Toll Rises

by Mark Walsh ‘09

A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale shook China covering over 3,000 miles on Monday May 12. So far, the death toll has risen to 80,000 casualties. The Will Dubas - Do your homework 7.9 magnitude was the highest in this generation.

Regularly.

The capital city of Beijing was one Grace Laracy - Join the Spanish of the many cities affected by the earthquake. Though it is not as heavily Club! I am the Presidente. damaged as some of the other cities, thousands of people were evacuated John Notte- TRANSFER! from Beijing buildings immediately Dayaamayi Kurimella - Always after the earthquake happened. The have a hall pass. Watch out for the Chinese government evacuated over 10,000 people from Beijing alone. library pass that beeps at you Other areas of China received more damage and were not as lucky as the Evan Zimmer - Play a sport. city of Beijing. Nearly 10,000 civilians were killed in the city of Xinhua.

Sarah Cil - Study hard.

Another 2,300 were buried in Shifang city when a power plant collapsed from the storm. The death total is conmatter to me whether I’m in the stantly growing as days go by from the high school or the junior high [as earthquake. a freshman]. The work is going to There have been several countries be the same no matter what school and other organizations already donatI’m in.”

Longo has said that there are no major problems that the foreseeable future.

“In the back of my mind [however], I’m still a little concerned about the hallways being overcrowded, and if the teachers travelling beby Joseph Russo ‘09 tween the high school and junior high will have enough time to move The Robotics Club, managed between schools,” Longo said.

by Mr. Richard Bettini and Mr. To allow the students the ability John Schnider, placed third out of to get to class on time, as well as ten schools in the Passaic County give the teachers some extra time, Regional on May 15, 2008. Ever the high school will be changing the time between classes from four since Bettini has taken over as minutes to five beginning in the lead advisor, the Robotics Club has placed first through third in all 2008-2009 school year.

“That way, even if there’s diffi- competitions they have entered. culty moving between classes, the The Passaic County Regionals students should have enough time is a two day event in which the to get to their next class before the Robotics Club was in first place by about one thousand points afsecond bell,” said Longo.

Although Longo has stated that ter the first day. Broken parts and nothing is set in stone, some of some crashes with the robot led the junior high teachers are going to the team’s slip from the gold to to start teaching exclusively in the the bronze on the second day. Dehigh school, and at least one gym spite this fall, the Robotics Club teacher will make a permanent took first place in two individual events, Jousting and Golfing. In move to the high school. the end Bettini wasn’t content with

ing money to the relief for the storm.

President Bush has already donated $500,000 to China for relief. The Red Cross has sent over 5,000 people to China to help aid civilians who have lost their homes in the natural disaster.

This is the largest relief effort the Red Cross has launched since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

There have been many people concerned that this natural disaster will have an effect on the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing; however, none of the thirty one locations were damaged. Though all of the locations are in good shape, many are concerned that people will be unable to attend due to the extensive damage done to the surrounding areas.

This disaster is already being considered one of the most unfortunate incidents in the history of the Chinese nation. The nation has not had an earthquake with a magnitude so high since 1983, when an earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude struck. Chinese citizens are hopeful though, that once the dust clears, they will have their country back.

Robotics Club Takes Home the Bronze

the finish.

“I wasn’t that happy with how we finished,” said Bettini. “We were up by a lot in the first day and really should have dominated the competition.”

The West Essex Robot took about four months to build and was made from kit parts, wood, plastic, and metal. It was built by John Ciccone, Matt Dolph, Mike Starr, Will Holden, Jeff Holden, Matt Menzel, Dave Martinez, Mike Raffanello, and Jared Shabaab. These preengineering students plan to go to college for either Architecture or Engineering.

The schools who took the gold and silver were Panther Academy and East Side. Both are sponsored

by NASA and the former was accompanied by its school drum line.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

A Day of Remembrance and Recollection

by Stephen Kinslow ‘09

Not recognized as a highly celebrated holiday, Memorial Day is considered to most people as just “the gateway to summer,” according to Junior Joey Taylor. This year, May 26, the last Monday in May, will start the Memorial Day weekend.

The holiday, formally known as Decoration Day, commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military serivce. The first ever Memorial Day, prepared by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, was to honor the Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. The holiday was celebrated by visiting the dead and decorating their graves sites.

Only a select few cities and states celebrated the holiday.

For many years after, no one knew for certain the birthplace of this holiday. Numerous cities claimed to be the founder, but in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson recognized Waterloo as the birthplace of Memorial Day because the town decorated their graves as early as May 5, 1866.

It wasn’t until 1971when Congress declared Memorial Day a na-

tional holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in the month of May. The president is now obligated to make a speech to honor the dead for their payment to our country. The president then places a garland at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier, a tomb containing the remains of unknown soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. To conflict with this, several southern states still commemorate the dead from the Confederate side, also known as Confederate Memorial Day. The same traditions and customs are followed except only for the southern soldiers lost in the war. Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi all celebrate the holiday but on different days and for slightly different reasons.

Now, in the year of 2008, Memorial Day is celebrated differently than years in the past. The whole weekend is filled with family outings and barbeques in friends’ and neighbors’ backyards. Pools are soon to be opened and little commemoration is held within these gatherings. The holiday seems to have been lost and is more of a ‘fun weekend’ then a mourning and remembrance weekend.

News News Bytes Bytes Money Controversy with NFL Rookies

Some rookies in the National Football League are guarenteed some money due to their contracts. This has caused much controversy to the player’s assocation and the agents themselves. For example, Jake Long, this year’s first overall pick by Miami, acquired a guaranteed 30 million dollars. Long received the largest contract of any lineman in the NFL once again without playing in the NFL. This contract, which is for five years and worth $57 million, has been viewed as a big risk for Miami.

Gas Prices Rise as Summer Approaches As summer slowly approaches, the gas prices are also on a steady rise and the $4.00 a gallon has now turned into a reality. At one Exxon station in Fairfield, the cost for regular gas was $3.89 a gallon and it had customers in a state of disbelief.

Many people driving to their work everyday, are hurting their own salary with teh high prices. The national average for gas is now a whomping $3.65; a 31 cent increase over the last month and a half.

Softball Team Carry Oponent to Victory

Two Central Washington softball players literally carried their opponent to victory in Portland, Oregon. Sara Tucholsky, a senior at Western Oregon University, hit her first ever homerun when she rounded first base and missed the bag and ended up blowing out her knee. The umpires made the ruling that she was not allowed to be assisted by any of her teammates or the home run would not count.

Central Washington players then implored if they could carry her around the bases. This was allowed and the run counted; making the final score 4-2 Western Oregon, knocking Central Washington out of the playoffs.

Page 3

By Kyle Kovats Police Found Innocent for Shooting Incident After nearly a year and a half, police were

found innocent of firing 50 rounds into the car of Sean Bell on Friday April 25. The night started out when Sean (who was to be wed the next day) and friends went to a club and got into an argument with other club goers outside.

The argument settled down and Bell and friends decided to leave before the altercation became too serious. According to police, Bell’s car was followed because it was suspicious and believed to have had weapons.

NFL Draft with New Army The NFL Draft occurred April 26-April 27 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. This year‘s biggest story was The Detroit Lions 7th round draft pick Caleb Campbell, the safety out of Army.

In past years, men who went to military schools would have to serve their five years before going professional in sports. In order to get more football players and build better programs, the Army has instituted a new policy. This policy states that any player who is good enough at a sport to play professionally for two years will be exempt from the required five years of military service.

Volvo Creates Injury-free Car At the Volvo headquarters in Sweden, the engineers are designing an injury- free car due to be released in 2020. This means that passengers can walk away from crashes without a scratch. Aside from the safety features that can prevent injury, this car comes with a computer that reads the road and the dangers that lie ahead. It will even react and turn the wheel to get out of harm’s way.

Volvo’s goal is to bring down the number of fatalities and injuries due to car crashes from 1.2 million fatalities, and 50 million injuries to a much lower number in the near future.

Senior Mural Changes Face of WE

by Andrew Cross ‘08

The senior mural is a pictorial legacy of the senior class created by Ms. Dormer’s most elite art students. In past years, the creation of the senior mural has developed from an artist’s version of a knight to a one picture scene involving what the “knight” means in the artist’s own words.

The criterion for the project is seniors who take part in the senior service project. This year the senior mural is being done by seniors Robin Miller and Jen Silverstein for showing the most interest and skills needed to create the wall painting.

The mural this year will be done at the end of the long hallway leading

up to the math and administration offices. The idea for this year’s mural will be the knights who are busting out of the school with each student’s name on the broken bricks that our class is breaking through. Also a globe will be in the knight’s hand showing the world of opportunity the seniors have in their grasp.

“This year’s mural reflects our senior class more than ever because the seniors are ready to get out and break through the wall of high school,” Senior Evan Roth said.

As oppose to the past few years, the makers of this year’s mural will go back to the classic looking senior mural. Painters Miller and Silverstein are resorting back to the

original form of the senior mural where the knight is the centerfold of the painting. On the contrary, the past few years have had the senior mural as a scene which involved the knight in school and/or in the world.

Ms. Dormer has supervised the senior mural project for the last five years with Senior Service students.

She feels strongly about the freedom of artistic expression. “It seems as though there is always some controversy about each mural –just as there always is in works of art. Everyone sees something different, everyone is a critic, and everyone has an opinion. It has to be recognized that each year’s work is unique to THAT year, and is intended as a snapshot of that

particular group of people and no other,” Dormer said.

As for their future in art, Jen will be attending University of Michigan School of art and Robin will not be extending her future in art as she will be at Boston College. “I am very proud of the way the art students have grown and learned from these experiences, and hope West Essex will continue to encourage artistic freedom of expression,” Dormer said.

Please Recycle This Newspaper

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Physics Day Combines (F x D) And Play

by Benjamin Sunshine ‘09

Ah, it’s that time of year again

when Six Flags opens its gates on Fridays from April 27 to May 25 for high school physics and math students. Physics students at West Essex covered plenty of material over the year and applied what they learned during a fun-filled day at Six Flags amusement park.

West Essex chose Friday, May 2, to head down to Great Adventure.

Unlike last year, the physics students had Mother Nature on their side as the early morning rain disappeared by the time they arrived.

“Last year’s weather couldn’t have been worse,” physics teacher Ryan Gupta said. “But we were fortunate this year. Everyone was able to go on their favorite rides and a couple students went there for the first time.”

Four school buses took the students to the park at eight in the morning with smiles on their faces.

On the way back, two of those buses arrived at approximately 2:15p.m for the kids that had sports and after school activities. The other two didn’t arrive until around 6:00p.m.

The park was filled with high-school students experiencing basic physics principles first hand while at the same time enjoying their favorite rides.

The only assigned work was a

packet of problems relating to the rides that wasn’t due until the following week.

“I definitely enjoyed the trip more because we didn’t have to work during the day,” Junior Matt Benavente said. Students were also given the freedom to pick their group members. This made the experience all the more enjoyable.

“Even though some of my friends aren’t in my class, I was able to join up with them at the park,” Senior Jared Rakotci said.

That is not to say that there was learning going on in these young scholar’s minds. The concepts of acceleration, potential energy, centripetal force, Newton’s laws and other concepts were all being used during the day.

“This trip was a great way to apply what we learned all year to real life situations,” Junior Zack Rothkopf said.

In addition, stop watches and measuring tools were given to students to share while entering the park.

Some students used these utensils to measure the amount of time a roller coaster took to reach a certain point and then from there found the velocity and acceleration of the ride.

Overall, the Physics Day at Six Flags was filled with nice weather, fun rides, and excited students throughout New Jersey ready to learn and apply what they know to the real world.

The West Essex Women’s Choir sang the national anthem at a New Jersey Jackal’s game on June 2, 2008. “We had a great time, and the girl’s did an outstanding job singing the National Antehm to rave reviews,”John Boronow, the choir director of the high school said.

Page 4

Niang From Page 1

Earlier in the season, Niang captured and won the 800 meters title in the Essex County Championships. Niang’s time of 1:55.99 was a personal best for him. The time also shattered a West Essex record that had been held since 1967. “It’s an honor to be able to be apart for such a successful season,” Niang said. His success led him to be a first team, all-county selection.

“Mamadou’s season has been a tremendous success. He has worked for everything he has won. He is an amazing competitor, and I can’t wait to see him compete next year,” Drozjock said.

In addition, Niang is known as a as a scholar and gentleman off of the track.

“He’s just a nice, classy kid,” Mrs. Kirin Hart, Spanish teacher and junior high track coach, said. “He is a great role model to the up and coming West Essex track stars.”

-photo courtesy of Mamadou Niang

Left: Mamadou Niang pushes on toward the finish line during the 800 meter race -photo courtesy of Bill Allen

Prom

FROM PAGE 1

nouncement of Ryan Funch and Michaela Schwartz as prom king and queen.

Once junior prom concluded, people dispersed to various activities and after prom parties. “I took a party bus down the shore with my friends,” Lyons commented on her post prom escapade. Several other juniors, along with seniors and students from other grades went down the shore as well. They ventured to Seaside Heights and stayed at the Hershey Motel.

“Prom was a great success. Such hard input and dedication was cut into it which made it a very memorable right. There were even some kids on the dance floor which I thought would never dance,” Junior Lindsay George commented on the accomplishments of junior prom.

-photos courtesy of Stephen Kinslow

From the left: Juniors Casey Dipsey, Cassie Neugold, and Nicole Battaglia line up for pre prom pictures

June 2008 Issue 4

Feature

The Wessex Wire Page 5

The Young And The Faithful: West Essex Teen Embraces Religion As Way Of Life

by Amanda Nichols ‘08

Even though approximately 90% of teens say that they are affiliated with a religious group, only fortyfour percent of teens polled attend religious services weekly, and 35 percent of students don’t even care.

With advances in science and technology, religion is fading from importance for a lot of people especially the younger generation.

Some teens, however, are still holding on to their religious ideals-Senior David Quinn is among them.

“One night as we were praying at youth group youth minister, Craig Jandoli, said to me ‘Dave it’s not enough for you to be a good person in this world,’” Quinn said. “’The world already has enough good people. You have to be a faith filled person.’”

Quinn sees this night as the turning point in his “calling to Christ.” He feels that after that night his “whole life changed forever.”

“In my house we pray before every meal, thanking God for the food he has provided for us,” Quinn recalls of his earlier childhood. “There are religious paintings and items in my house which are pleasant to see now but that wasn‘t always the case. My dad encouraged me to go to mass, youth group, and say the rosary with the rest of my family, but participating in these things was hard to get me to do.”

Now Quinn feels that he has been able to recognize the importance of these practices. He calls this earlier period, “an essential longing within me by the Holy Spirit to come back to Christ.” He feels that he can now recognize how important his Baptism and Confirmation are and he says that now he is able to “participate in the life Christ calls [him] to live.”

“As a Catholic, my religion has given me the ability to love God and other people,” Quinn explained.

“It’s easier for me now to forgive someone for hurting me or apologize to people. Jesus calls us to love one another which is what I want to do now in my life no matter who they are or what they‘ve done.”

Quinn feels a responsibility to share his faith with others, but “only with those who seek Him in their lives. They have to come up to you seeking the Truth and that’s when you can show your love for God to them.”

He stays connected to his faith by attending church, doing community service, and being active in his youth group.

“I go to mass every Saturday or Sunday at St. Thomas More Church in Fairfield,” Quinn said. “We [also] have a youth group that meets every Wednesday night at 7 pm. The youth minister, Craig Jandoli, is responsible for showing us how living out your faith can make a person truly

happy. I have also participated in the Interfaith Hospitality Network which provides the homeless people with shelter at the churches and synagogues within New Jersey.”

Though sometimes Quinn feels he has to defend his faith to others he does it “with love.” He feels that “You have to show them your love for Christ and Jesus will know you have been merciful to them. It’s best to be compassionate and understanding when you are challenged.”

Even when the conflict comes in a classroom setting, Quinn feels it important to express his faith in a calm and loving way.

“In health class, I was strongly against the use of contraception and abortion,” Quinn said, “It’s always important to speak up and express the views of your faith.”

In science class, however, Quinn does not take issue with some of the traditional conflicts between science and faith.

“Science is just another part of God’s creation and it does not bother me,” said Quinn. “The book of Genesis is just a poetic form of how God made the universe. Our English language and all forms of human communication are just too limited to explain all of the ways of God who is immeasurable.”

Quinn feels that he has come a long way with his faith, but he still has a long way to go. He says that conversion is a “life long process.” He feels that his religion grows by “praying, going to mass, doing charitable works, going to youth group, and participating in the sacraments.”

Quinn plans to pursue a degree in Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He hopes to remain “open to Christ so He can decide my future vocation; whether it’s the priesthood or the call to marriage.”

Suicide Statisics Demonstrate Dangerous Threat

by Alyson Roseman ‘10

Prior to the mid 1970’s, suicide attempts by adolescences were a rare occurrence. Fast forward to 2008; now, one in ten teens contemplates suicide and a half a million end up following through and actually attempt suicide. 9.4% of the teen population died from suicide in 2007 and continues to be “the third leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), surpassed only by accidents and homicide,” according to kidshealth.org. These statistics include mere children, ages 15-24.

A poll handed out to 45 West Essex students stated that 35% know someone who has attempted or committed suicide in the previously stated age range. The results reflect both girls and boys.

Research has proven that girls at-

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD PEOPLE TALKING OPENLY ABOUT TEEN SUICIDE?

45 students surveyed as to whether they have heard people openly talking about teen suicide.

-Survey by Alyson Roseman tempt, as well as think, about suicide succeed at suicide and prefer “to twice as often as boys. Girls lean to- go” with more lethal methods that wards overdosing and cutting them- include hanging themselves, jumpselves as methods for suicides. Boys SEE SUICIDE PAGE5 are four times more likely to actually

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 6

West Essex Announces Nominees For Bob Bradley

by Kelly Abbot ‘10

Bob Bradley is currently the head coach for the United States Men’s Soccer national team. He also has managed many teams including the Chicago Fire, Metro Stars, Chivas USA and holds the record for managing the most victories in Major League Soccer history.

Bradley played soccer here at West Essex for the Knights. “West Essex played a very important part in starting my soccer career,” Bradley confirmed. Coached by Ralph Dougan and Tony Benevento, Bradley’s team won the state championship in 1973 which was “for sure one of [his] most memorable moments” in high school.

Laurie Beth Gesell

by Kelly Abbot ‘10

Dr. Laurie Beth Gesell is one of the foremost hyperbaricists in the country. Gesell attended Skidmore College, majoring in biology and chemistry, and obtained her medical degree from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey.

She went on to complete her position in Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where as a senior she was elected as the first female Chief Resident. She then completed a two year fellowship in toxicology and hyperbaric medicine until she was named the head of the Department of Hyperbarics. Dr. Gesell serves as an Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine and a toxicologist for the Cincinnati Regional Drug and Poison Information Center. She is a founding member of the American Red Cross’s Cincinnati Carbon Monoxide Task Force. In 2004, she was nominated as a “Health Care Hero.”

Jeff Bradley

by Jon Struss ‘09

Jeff Bradley was born and raised in North Jersey and spent his younger years trying to play soccer and baseball. However his older brothers Bob Bradley, soccer coach at Princeton and Scott Bradley, a catcher for the Seattle Mariners who later became the baseball coach at Princeton, excelled and he did not. Jeff loved both sports and writing and his passion was to become a sports journalist. He was a reporter for Sports Illustrated, covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News and served as the MetroStars first PR director. Since 1998, he has served as a senior writer for ESPN Magazine, Jeff still plays baseball in an over-30 league and coaches his two sons’ soccer teams in Manasquan, N.J.

Scott Bradley

by Mark Walsh ‘09

Scott Bradley, who was a standout three sport athlete at West Essex in football, basketball, and baseball, stuck with baseball when he made his journey to college.

After earning his degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he had a nine year stint in the MLB with four teams the Yankees, White Sox, Mariners, and Reds. Bradley now currently is in his ninth year as The Princeton Tigers head coach and in that span he has picked up five Ivy League Conference titles and five trips to the NCAA tournament. He became only the second coach in Tiger history to win an NCAA tournament game.

Anthony Perillo Jack Panico

by Jon Struss ‘09

Deputy Chief Anthony S. Perillo is a 24 year law enforcement veteran, with 20 years of service with the Newark police department. He was a graduate from the West Essex class of 1977. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration, graduating from Rutgers-Newark College of Arts and Sciences and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in human resources development and education, from Seton Hall University. He has been a certified New Jersey Police Training Commission instructor since 1993 and has an extensive background in law enforcement training, being a former Newark Police Academy commanding officer/director. Serving as commanding officer in the Newark Police Department, his experience includes acting as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Police.

James and Greg Dell’Ermo

by Amanda Nichols ‘08

James and Greg Dell’Ermo are the two sons of Louis Dell’Ermo. Louis Dell’Ermo founded Gateway Security in 1979 and has since operated the business out of Newark, New Jersey which is also where the two brothers grew up before moving to West Essex. James is currently the president and CEO of Gateway Security, which has become a multi-million dollar company. Meanwhile, his brother Greg serves as co-founder and CFO. This year the company exceeded the 10 million dollar sales award and also picked up the family business of the year along the way.

Bruce Draine

by Brittany Lipari ‘08

by Andrew Cross ‘08

Jack Panico, owner of five prestigious salons and spas on the East Coast, has been making a name for himself in the beauty industry since graduating from West Essex in 1984.

He is now being nominated for the West Essex Hall of Distinction due to his untiring work ethic and humanitarian efforts. Since establishing his status as a respectable salon owner, he has since performed makeovers on hit shows such as “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “A Makeover Story,” and “The Montel Williams Show.” Panico has also published Panico magazine, a combination of beauty, fashion and wellness articles, along with being featured in various magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan. Jack participates in numerable forms of community service such as; Red Door, WTC, March of Dimes, Locks of Love, Walk of Hope, and AMFAR.

Bruce T. Draine is a professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, where he is the department chair. He has been a resident in Princeton where from 1979 to 1982 he was in the School of natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced study. He has been the principal investigator on research grants for the natural Science Foundation and for NASA. Bruce Draine served in the US Peace Corps in Ghana from 1961-7, where he taught physics and math. He has been active in supporting public education. Also, he has given science presentations to students at Littlebrook School and workshops on astronomy for district teacher. Draine also organized excursions for elementary and middle school students to Princeton University observatory for telescopic observations of Jupiter and Saturn.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 7

First Annual Alumni Hall of Distinction David Chase

Karl Strom

Rob Burnett

by Dylan Cascino ‘09

by Ben Sunshine ‘09

by Ben Sunshine ‘09

After graduating from West Essex, David Chase found his biggest success in his creation of the HBO series “The Sopranos,” the story of an Italian family involved with the mob in Northern New Jersey.

Despite directing “The Sopranos,” his primary profession is as a writer.

He attended and graduated from NYU, which preceded his studies at Stanford University to build upon his knowledge in film programming.

After studying the film program, he put aside his interest in motion pictures and concentrated on writing stories for popular television shows and series, such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “Northern Exposure,” and “The Rockford Files.”

D r. K a r l S t r o m , o r i g i n a l l y from Fairfield, NJ, currently resides in Montclair and he is trained in advanced Laparos c o p i c S u rg e r y. D r. S t r o m ’s Education includes: Bachelor o f A r t s , U n i v e r s i t y o f Ve r mont; Master of Science in C h e m i s t r y, M o n t c l a i r S t a t e University; Doctor of Medicine, St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr. Strom is now the Director of Bariatr i c S u rg e r y a t M o u n t a i n s i d e Hospital. He is establishing a center that will specialize in obesity surgery that will have a team of multiple specialists.

Rob Burnett is known for producing, writing, and directing the Late Show with David Letterman and co-creating the television series ED. He has received Emmy awards for these critically acclaimed shows.

Burnett is also the president and CEO of Worldwide Pants Incorporated, a television and film production company. After graduating West Essex, Burnett, class of 1980, went on to Tufts University. At Tufts, he majored in English and continued playing soccer for their varsity team.

He went on to recieve five Emmy awards for his work on “The Late Show,” and he now resides in Connecticut with his wife, two daughters, and one son.

Brian Nicholas Campolattaro

by Dylan Cascino ‘09

Brian Nicholas Campolattaro, M.D. graduated from West Essex in 1982. After graduating from Franklin and Marshall with a bachelor degree in arts and biology, he studied Ophthalmology at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Since then, he has become a well-known successful pediatric ophthalmologist. He has been named in the “Best Doctors in New York” list by the Castle Connelly guide for six consecutive years between 2001-2006. In March of 2002, he appeared on the TODAY show on NBC to discuss the topic of pediatric vision problems. He also has made numerous lectures on pediatric ophthalmology.

Joe Piscopo

by Joe Russo ‘09

SNL actor Joe Piscopo graduated from West Essex High School in 1969. After graduating from BS Jones College in Jacksonville, Piscopo became a DJ and dinner-theatre performer. Growing tired with this monotonous life, Joe turned to comedy. In 1980, he earned the task of replacing the original SNL cast.

Joe was one of the most memorable cast members on the show with his celebrity impersonations and his hilarious original characters. After five memorable years, he moved to Hollywood where he starred in such films as “Wise Guys”, “Johnny Dangerously” and “Two Bits and Pepper.” He is now the Ambassador for the Newark Bears, which lets him dive into a different aspects of the baseball team, such as sales, marketing, and promotion.

Anthony J. Scriffignano

by Brittany Lipari ‘08

Anthony Scriffignano has given back much to the area in which he was raised. He has been volunteering on the West Essex First Aid Squad for over twenty five years, answering over two thousand calls during that time. He is also one of the Life Members, an award given out to those who have served at least ten years and have distinguished service.

He was also part of the Technology Task Force on the North Caldwell Board of Ed in 1995. The group was to integrate technology, such as computers, into our schools. Scriffignano has also volunteered at Notre Dame church where he mentors engaged couples. He is currently the Vice-President of Dun & Bradstreet and can read, write and speak fluent French and Modern Greek.

Neil Grunberg

by Evan Roth ‘09

Prof. Neil E. Grunberg works at the University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland specializing in Medical and Clinical Psychology. Grunberg studies animal and human behavior in correlation to the effects of mind altering drugs, such as nicotine and opiates (cocaine and amphetamines). He is credited for discovering that weight gain is a side effect of quitting smoking, and that nicotine can affect a human’s amount of food consumption, obviously a factor in the weight gain proceeding quitting smoking.

Jeff Liebler

by Mark Walsh ‘09

Jeff Liebler a 1974 graduate of West Essex helped the golf team at West Essex win the 1974 state title.

Liebler, now one of the newest members of the New Jersey State Golf Association, has much experience in golf throughout his life. He has held positions as a caddy, played at public courses, played high school and college golf, was a golf pro at a club, competed and served on committees, has in the past volunteered in a variety of roles for the NJSGA, and is now the newest member of the NJSGA. He went on to take his game to the next level at Florida University one of the top golf schools in the country. Liebler states he is still involved in the game of golf “Purely for the love of the game.” Other than being a member of the NJSGA Liebler owns Hillside auto mall and has a family with his wife Karen of three kids.

June 2008

Suicide FROM PAGE 4

Firearms, especially those in the homes of teens, are responsible for 60% of suicides each year. Homes that contain firearms are five times more likely to have a suicide occur.

Teens who contemplate suicide may go through several emotions.

For one, feelings of desperation and worthlessness may flood their minds along with feelings of depression.

Psychological disorders have consumed 95% of suicide victims who had diseases ranging from bipolar disorder, depression, to drug or alcohol use. They can feel distressed, irritated, or aggravated.

Reasons that lead people to suicide are vast and usually devastating.

Some teens have committed suicide after physical sexual abuse or if they have dealt with their sexuality in an

The Wessex Wire unsupportive environment. Teens that feel without a supportive group of friends or have weak family relationships and feel isolated may contribute as well.

According to the West Essex poll of 50 students, 13% of students believe teens commit suicide because they feel like no one cares and that they are unwanted and 27% imagine that feelings of depression and unhappiness are the motives behind suicide while approximately 18% feel suicide is excessive pressure and stress.

With feelings of suicide running through someone’s head, he or she may show warning signs of his or her personal plans.

“There are a number of factors that when present should raise concern such as the presence of a mood disorder such as major depression, recent hospitalization for a mental disorder,

a previous suicide attempt, excessive use of drugs and/or alcohol, a family history of suicide, a history of impulsive or dangerous behavior, a recent or impending loss of a relationship or opportunity and social isolation. Any talk of suicide should be taken very seriously,” Mr. Anthony Emering, the SAC counselor at West Essex, comments on warning signs.

The poll states that 44% of students have heard people talk about suicide.

“Be very careful and read between the lines,” Ms. Marion Wychules, English teacher and student advisor for the senior class, said.

Teens who openly discuss suicide may be seriously considering it and should receive help. Knowing how to help someone in this type of situation is key.

“Talk to someone. Write a letter.

Tell a friend,” Ms. Wychules advised for students considering suicide.

Despite his position as a disciplinarian, Bonette is well liked by the student body.

“I really love just sitting and talking with him,” Senior Kelly Petry said. “I always try to chat with him during my lunch period.”

Bonette has agreed to sit down with the Wessex Wire to share some of his insight about the school and how it has evolved over the years.

dents that stick out to me more than others, but I can honestly say that I remember pretty much every name.

Page 8 Emering agrees. “The fact that suicide is preventable compounds the tragedy when someone takes their own life. There is nothing noble or romantic about dying young. I have worked with a number of families who have lost a member to suicide, and the pain is unbearable,” he said.

The teen suicide rate at West Essex is extremely low. “I am not aware of any West Essex students who have committed suicide while attending the high school,” Mr. Emering said.

There have been, however, serious suicide attempts by a few students at West Essex who were anorexic or cut themselves.

“If it wasn’t for Mrs. Frish’s tenacity and efforts, lives of students at West Essex would not have been saved,” Ms. Wychules said of the attempts at West Essex.

There Is More To The Man Than Parking And Passes

by Amanda Nichols ‘08

Robert Bonette taught history at West Essex for 40 years and after a short retirement has returned to West Essex as an assistant to the Vice Principals.

“I’m basically an extra pair of eyes for the assistant principals,” Bonette said. “I check for passes, look for trouble, monitoring the senior parking lot, and generally making sure nothing bad happens.”

Bonette starts his day in the parking lot where he directs the traffic and makes sure no one is parking there that shouldn’t be. Bonette enjoys being in the parking lot in the morning if for no other reason that he can “say hello to people.” After everyone goes inside he checks the cars for stickers, tries to resolve any problems he may have encountered, and the reports to the vice principals about the morning.

He spends the rest of the day in the hallways and answering any calls from the office. Mostly he checks passes and works to locate students who aren’t in class.

Towards the end of the day Bonette goes back to the parking lot. If there are any new open spaces, he goes to check and see if those students were signed out. He also makes sure that no students are leaving early.

Wessex Wire: What is your favorite part about your job here at West Essex?

Robert Bonette: I love making an impact on people. A few days ago an older man came to the school.

He was a graduate of 1968 and was just visiting to see what the school was like now. I realized then how significant a person’s four years in high school could be. The significance goes beyond almost any other four years span in a person’s life.

The memories that are formed in [high school] are special memories, forever memories. It’s really incredible to be a part of that memory for so many people.

WW: Do you still remember most of your students?

RB: Well there will always be stu-

to teachers and administration and people willfully breaking rules. Yet, things have gone up since last year.

The construction is finished for the WW: Is West Essex very different most part, there is a stable adminfrom when you first started here? istration, and West Essex seems to be back on the right track. The new RB: In some ways it’s extremely dif- assistant principals live by the creed ferent and in some ways it more the that every action they make needs to same than one may think. However, be consistent, fair, and immediate, when thinking about how the school and students have been responding has changed I also try to remember well. that I’m looking at the school through older and more mature eyes. When WW: Have you noticed any signifiyou break down a high schooler’s cant change in the student body? mentality to the very basics they’ve always been the same, but I have RB: I’m not sure if this is just a noticed a few differences. Without difference between junior high and passing any judgment, I have noticed high school, but students seem more that females curse now. Years ago willing and likely to just come up to you would never here a female utter teachers and chat with them. I really a curse in public. Again, passing no enjoy talking to the students about judgment, I have noticed that there their sports or their art. It makes my is a lot more special education now. job just that much better.

I’m not saying whether that’s a good or bad thing, but I have noticed it.

WW: This graduating class will be the last class that you had as students.

WW: Do you think that West Essex How do you feel about that? is going in a positive direction?

RB: I’m really going to miss this RB: I’m as not familiar with the group of seniors a great deal because past of that high school as the past of the special meaning they have for of the junior high, but last year when me. When the leave they represent I first came here I saw some things an end for that that will definitely be that made me thing West Essex was extremely emotional. going down hill. I noticed disrespect

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 9

Wire In Depth: A Closer Look at the SATs

Which To Take? SAT v. ACT

by Benjamin Sunshine ‘09

Colleges will tell you that the SAT and ACT are not the most important thing in the world. However, that does not mean that they are not important and students should become familiar with the intricacies of both tests. The rise of the ACT is upon us and the SAT is losing its place at the top of the testing world. Each test, however, has its strengths and weaknesses.

In order to decide the test that will fit yourself best, you must first understand the fundamental differences between the ACT and SAT. The SAT assesses your problem-solving ability by using tricky phrasing.

“The SAT is one of those tests that you can’t really study for essentially, you can only practice and learn test-taking tricks and strategies.

It can also make or break the college you get into, so there’s no pressure there,” said Junior Zack Rothkopf.

On the other hand, the ACT covers more topics than the SAT, but the questions are more straightforward.

The SAT is the more established of the two, but it is also the more controversial.

“I don’t think the SAT is a very good test in terms of an assessment on what high school students are taught,” said Sanat Sethi. “I do not understand why so much emphasis is placed on the test.”

The test is made up of three parts: writing, critical reading, and mathematics. The math portion contains multiple choice and “grid-in” questions that cover topics up to Algebra II. The critical reading portion contains short passages and sentence completion. A recent addition to the SAT is the writing section, which includes a 25 minute essay and grammar exercises. The approximate running time of the SAT is 225 minutes and an additional 25 minute experimental session.

The ACT consists of four multiple choice sections: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.

The ACT uses a 1-36 scoring system

rather than the 2400 system of the SAT. In addition to the four sections, there is an optional writing section which increases the price of the test.

Preparation for the two tests has also hit a new level, especially at West Essex and other schools with a similar demographic. Parents who can afford to put up the hefty cost of tutors are doing so in order to give

their son or daughter the best possible advantage.

“Some people say that tutors are not helpful and I am living proof,” said Junior Kyle Kovats. “Somehow, I did worse on the SAT once I received tutoring.”

Students and parents may also be wondering if results from the SAT and ACT have any correlation. The answer is that research has shown that there is a relationship between the scores of both tests. However,

data on the correlation has yet to reach a very substantial amount.

Various websites such as the College Board and Princeton Review websites provide a conversion chart.

One thing is certain. Juniors can take a big sigh of relief once they are finally done with all of their testing.

“After you take it, it’s a load off your back, but you can’t get too relaxed or it might affect your school work like it somewhat did to mine,” said Junior Eric Sui.

Are The SATs Becoming A Thing Of The Past?

by Evan Elberg ‘09

More and more colleges and universities are giving high school students an alternative to submitting SAT or ACT scores along with their admissions application.

Since the number of students applying to colleges is about to reach an all time high, admission officers are looking for creative ways to choose their incoming freshmen classes. According to CollegeBoard, “Experts predict applications will continue to rise faster than openings at colleges through 2010.” Since the 1995-96 school year, the number of students graduating from high school has gone up each year. It is estimated that in 2009, 3.3 million students will graduate from high school, the largest number in the nation’s history. Experts from the U.S. Department of Education believe that the increases will continue until at least 2013.

Currently, more than 700 colleges and universities do not require the SAT or ACT for admission. Bates College in Maine made the SAT optional nearly 20 years ago. Many schools adopted this policy during the 2005-2006 school year when CollegeBoard lengthened the SAT to three hours and forty five minutes.

Certain schools exempt students with particular grade point averages or class rank from admitting the SAT/ACT. Other schools are giving applicants the choice to send in two graded writing assignments, instead of standardized test scores.

Standardized tests are very stressful for many high school students and both students and college admissions officers believe that standardized tests do not measure one’s ability to achieve success in college.

“Whether they get 1300 or 1250 (out of 1600) doesn’t really tell you anything about them as a person or a student,” says Ken Himmelman, Bennington College’s dean of admissions. “All the attention to numbers becomes so crazy it’s almost a distraction.” The writing assignment option gives students a chance to show admissions officers the type of work they are capable of doing.

There are stipulations as to what type of assignment you can submit but it is an alternative nevertheless.

This is great news to many current high school juniors and seniors. – put quotes from students here FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, is an organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and they are against standardized testing for college admissions purposes. The organization believes that the SAT is misused, discriminatory and overly relied upon by colleges during the admissions process. Their missions include “Uncovering the bias, misuse and coach ability of the SAT, ACT and similar college entrance exams,” “Attack false notions that test scores equal merit” and to “Stop the misuse of SAT/ACT scores to determine eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Competition.”

FairTest believes there are several key reasons why both the SAT and

the ACT should not be used for college admission. First, they believe that the tests are gender and racial biased. For example, females receive better grades in college than males, but continue to score 30-50 points lower on the SAT. FairTest also believes that there is a direct correlation between a student’s family income and the student’s tests scores. The higher the family income, the higher the test scores.

FairTest.org lists all colleges and universities that offer options for standardized tests. Some schools currently on the list are Drew University, Gettysburg College, Franklin & Marshall, Holy Cross, Connecticut College, George Mason University and Hamilton College.

According to Gail Sweezey, the director of admissions at Gettysburg College, “We know that there are strong students who are very creative and who don’t do as well on the SAT as they would like. For those students, an optional SAT policy is really helpful in the admissions process.”

The National Association for College Admission Counseling, released information stating that students who did not submit SAT or ACT scores did about as well as college students who did submit scores. According to Monica Inzer, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Hamilton College, students at Hamilton who use options other than the SAT for admission earn slightly higher college grade point averages than those who use the SAT.

June 2008 Issue 4

&

Arts

Culture

Project Runway Star Returns Home W.E. Alum Kevin Christiana Shares High School Memories With Students

by Mara Alessi ‘08

The hallways are crowded: friends are screaming across the hallway to one another and cell phones are out snapping pictures and texting furiously. This scene seems like the same every day sight here at school, but what’s different is that the commotion is for a very successful West Essex alumnus.

Former contestant on Bravo’s hit show Project Runway, Fairfield resident Kevin Christiana returns with his mother Liz Christiana to West Essex to visit a few old teachers, see family and sit down with some of his biggest fans.

Before he made it big on PRW (Project Runway), Christiana made it big with the faculty at West Essex and in turn, got a lot out of his high school experience “West Essex paved the way for everything,” said Kevin who called the faculty “powerful.” “Mr. Boydpowerful. Mr. Montgomery- powerful. Mr. Janish-powerful,” Christiana said as he praised West Essex for their excellent teachers and their dedication to their students.

As for his favorite memory as a Knight, it’s athletic not academic; well, not entirely.

“Wrestling changed my life.”

Christiana remembers the sport and the man that helped shape his future career in the design industry and his character, both which were praised on Project Runway.

“I get chills [just] talking about it,” started Christiana, “ Coach Droz, was such a mentor, like a big brother really.” A part of his technique in building character upon athletes, Wrestling Coach Drozjock would clip articles in the paper of important athletes, and bring them to the attention of his athletes. Christiana remembers Dan Gable who Droz would put on “mirrors in the lockeroom” as motivation for the athletes.

The motivation that he learned fourteen years ago with Mr. Droz never left him, and according to Christiana, wrestling “allowed [him]

The Wessex Wire Page 10

Russo Recommends: The Very Best Of YouTube

by Joseph Russo ‘09

The weather is starting to warm up,

-photo courtesy of Ms. Zuppa After visiting with former teachers, Kevin Christiana took time to share pizza, cake, and a photo op. with current W.E. students.

Christiana did very well on Project Runway and although he was eliminated after he was announced in the final six, he had a very impressive fan base. The night that the episode aired, Christiana received thousands of myspace messages complaining about his removal.

“My favorite memory from Project Runway would have to be when I left, Tim Gunn said that not only was I a great designer but a hell of a guy” said Christiana who later added that when Heidi Klum said goodbye she said she thought he was a “very talented designer.”

With all the success that he has, would he change anything about what he did in high school? “Less tanning and less hair gel.”

“With all the success that he has, would he change anything about what he did in high school? ‘Less tanning and less hair gel.’” to take anything on.” Christiana explains that as a soloist sport, wrestling taught him how to be confident, independent and focused.

Now that he had the foundation for success, how did he go from pinning for points to pinning for prints in New York City?

As an intended theatre major, Christiana stumbled upon Costume Design at Ramapo. That summer he interned for his family who had a factory(where now girlfriend Joyce Swanson works) in Passaic to learn the basics for the industry. Then the following semester, Christiana transferred to the Fashion Institute of America.

girls are wearing less and less, and the general skin of the school is starting to darken. This can only mean one thing: summer is just around the corner.

After a long day of swimming, working out, and hanging with my buddies, nothing relaxes me more than looking up videos on YouTube to make me laugh. So here’s a little guide for your viewing pleasure.

Montgomery Flea Market: This funny new music video from the owner of the Montgomery Flea Market, Sammy Stephens is an actual commercial running on TV in Alabama. In it, Stephens raps about all the things you can buy in the store and claims “It’s just like, it’s just like, a mini-mall.” The video will keep you laughing and singing.

Afro Ninja: Afro Ninja is a very famous video already, but it still needs to get the recognition it deserves.

It’s a series of people trying out to be a stunt man. The famed Afro Ninja part shows a black guy with nunchucks attempting a backflip, and failing miserably.

Sara Silverman “I’m ****ing Matt Damon”: Sara Silverman is one of the funniest women on television and she has proved it with this music video breakup to her boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel. In it, Silverman is playing an acoustic guitar and describes her love affair with Damon.

Just as funny is Jimmy’s response to the video. Keep a lookout for all the celebrity cameos; Brad Pitt plays the pizza boy.

Jim Carey Karate: Jim Carey was recently an up and coming comedic star when the show In Living Color was spawned in 1990. This skit was one of the show’s most memorable, with Jim Carey playing black-belt “Bob Jackson,” a former world karate champion, teaching women self defense. His antics and idiocracy make the video hysterical.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 11

What’s Hot And InStyle? Miami!

Review Of InStyle Fashion Show

by Mara Alessi ‘08

April 19 and 20 InStyle magazine hosted a fashion show on the beach opened to the public for a fee of $25, the fee included admission to fashion shows, free reign over several service kiosks and a gift bag full of coupons, shirts, compact mirrors, jewelry and a lot more.

Festivities begin at 11:30a.m. and end at 3:30, in that time young and old fashionista’s may get a complementary facial courtesy of Aquolina, a manicure from Essie Nails and then stroll over to Conair & Scunci Hair salon to get their hair styled by professional stylists.

After they are primed and polished, fashionista’s grab a snack, a salmon cucumber treat or a prosciutto pita sandwich, and watch the Ready-ToWear fashion show so that they may truly be InStyle this summer.

There were about twelve different designer’s sending pieces down the runway, from high fashion model Heidi Klum, who showed her collaborative collection with designer Jordache, to main stream labels like

Borne Shoes, Keds footwear and BEBE SPORT. The major trends were lightweight clothing and bold styles. BEBE SPORT showed a whimsical white pant with a form fitting waist and a gaucho flare leg paired with a string bikini top, pants made the bikini look chic and classy.

Gorgeous draped black dresses and big, flowing, tunics featured in purple, maroon, and teal by Heidi Klum for Jordache danced down the runway. This look was easy but well put together.

The show kept its cool by having models wearing lightweight trench coats and black mesh zip ups made

by BeBe as swimsuit covers.

When it came to the look, there was a lot of it. Stylists had models mix it up.

Neutral Capri cargo pants matched with a bright borne wedge shoe.

Striped red shorts accented by bright red patterned pumps from Keds.

Light weight navy jacket cinched with a thin green patent leather belt.

When it came to accessories there

21 Fails To ‘Bring Down the House’

by Benjamin Sunshine ‘09

Ben Campbell, played by Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe), is a promising student at MIT with hopes of attending Harvard Medical School. However, he does not have the $300,000 tuition fee and the scholarship he is competing for seems out of reach.

While studying one night, a student leads Campbell to a classroom where a few students and one of Campbell’s professors are gathered together. Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), Campbell’s math professor, tries to recruit him to their cardcounting team. Campbell eventually joins the team and it takes him on a life-changing adventure.

21, directed by Robert Luketic, is

based on the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in the book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich.

Campbell is, for the most part, an anonymous and low-profile student.

He spends most of his time with his two best friends either working towards their robotics competition or hanging out at the bar. However, once Campbell has been playing black jack with the team for a while, he starts to become cocky and loses touch with his best friends.

The one thing holding Campbell back from Harvard Med is the lack of money. His only means of making money is selling suits and other formal wear at a local store.

In the beginning, Campbell told the team that he would only count

-photo courtesy of Mara Alessi Opulence, color, and flow dominated the runways at the InStyle Miami Fashion Show

was an overdose in opulence. Bathing suites from Cosa Bella drenched in Hidalgo jewelry and accented by lush luggage by Le Sportsac. Three to four metallic gold bangles coated the arms of models sporting casual looks by BEBE SPORT. These golden goddesses are truly put on a pedestal; about four inches above the rest, standing in teal wedged flip flops tinged with rhinestones.

Conservative looks also appeared on the runway. Some girls mod-

eled simplicity in monotony by wearing brown shorts and a brown blouse. Others showed versatility in traditional wear, a white cable knit V-neck sweater with coral patterned shorts, the same shorts were shown later with a sleeveless t-shirt.

With looks for the trendy, for the moderate, and for the conservative there was something to inspire every kind of woman to get InStyle this summer.

cards for as long as it takes to make the money he needs. However, the thrill of winning and getting away from his uneventful life back in Boston is overwhelming.

As usual, greed wins in this film as Campbell goes back on his promise to stop his involvement in the team.

This eventually gets Campbell in a troublesome situation towards the end.

For the most part, the movie lacked a sense of surprise and excitement until the end. However, the cast, which featured Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Sam Golzari, and Josh Gad, is able to keep you guessing at many times during the movie.

The script also packs in the universal theme of realizing after much hardship what is truly important in your life. Campbell goes through a life-altering experience which made him realize that his friends and family are more important than money.

The scenes at the casino, which in real life would not be too thrilling, are actually made somewhat entertaining by the fast-paced footage.

The cinematography of the film definitely livens up the casinos and Vegas nightlife.

Fans of the Oceans 11 series and movies of that genre will enjoy 21.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 12

New Orleans Rocks Out To Jazz Fest

by Ryan Logan ‘08

Love, Drama, Hardships, ‘The Pact’ Has It All

by Kelly Abbot ‘10

This summer if you are looking for an excellent read, “The Pact”,

by Jodi Picoult, is a tale of friendship and love that demonstrates the hardships that can occur during a teenager’s lives. Picoult writes of a familiar world but within a moment shows every parent’s worst fear. On the outside, everyone can seem to be completely happy, but how well do you truly know the people around you? What if someone you loved was hiding a terrible secret?

The Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other for eighteen years, sharing everything, practically their own children. The Hartes, the Golds, and their children have been best friends since the day they both moved in. Therefore, it

was no surprise to anyone when Chris and Emily’s friendship in high school turned into something more serious. The Hartes and the Golds believe their children were meant for each other since the day they were born.

When a midnight phone call comes in from the hospital, no one wants to believe the horrible truth. At seventeen years old, Emily is dead with a gunshot to the head. By her body is a gun from Chris’s father’s gun cabinet, a bullet and Chris, who is unconscious. Chris tells the police it was a suicide pact that he was unable to finish. Everyone wants to believe his story, but one local detective does not, this leads the state of New Hampshire to sue Chris.

As always, Picoult’s writing style is magnificent. As this is her fifth

New Orleans in May, has to be Mardi Gras right? Wrong. Seemingly overshadowed in popularity but in no way lacking in entertainment is the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Music from all around the world covering all walks of life come together in Louisiana to form what just might be one of the best outdoor music festivals of all time.

I attended the second weekend of the two-part festival which took place from April 25 to April 27 and then again from May 1 to May 4. The first weekend had some “must see” acts such as Sheryl Crow, Billy Joel, and New Orleans legend Dr. John. The second part of the festival, however, blew me away.

I have to admit that when I first looked at the line-ups for each day, I had my heart set on seeing some Neville Brothers, Stevie Wonder and the infamous Carlos Santana. After walking around to each stage, I heard some absolutely incredible music from all walks of life. The Creole Zydeco Farmers overwhelmed their crowd with a mix of old fashioned New Orleans jams that you couldn’t help but dance to.

The Lee Boys created the ultimate blend of soul, jazz, blues and gospel music and enlightened their audience with a blend of horns, strings and drums that, at least in my experience, has never been done before.

Henry Butler played a style of blues and funk that rocked the fields of the Fairgrounds in New Orleans, while teenager Amanda Shaw tore up the Fais Do Do stage with her combination of fiddle and rock.

I never thought I could get bored in the presence of the seemingly immortal Stevie Wonder, but after seeing the John Butler Trio, not even Stevie could match that kind of energy.

Three guys from “down undah” brought their Australian style of rock to the Gentilly Stage of the Fairgrounds and bedazzled every, single, solitary soul that was in the audience that day. I have seen many musicians in my life but I don’t think I have ever left a performance feeling as energized and amped up as I did after seeing the John Butler Trio. If you have never heard of them or just are in search of another great artist to add to your playlist, check them out. You will not be disappointed. The bottom line is, if you’re a lover of great music, fantastic food and a beautiful city then head on down to New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. It is an experience you will never forget. book and it is evident that she gets better with every book she writes.

“The Pact” is written in a style where it bounces back and forth between the present and the past. It causes you to see signs in the past that influence the actions of the characters in the present.

“The Pact” asks questions that all readers can relate to, “How well do you really know someone you love?”

“What if…” Picoult keeps readers on the edge of their seat. Readers will be turning page after page up to the very final courtroom finish. As the hardships increase and the storyline begins to come together, you will find that you have been reading for hours and are in tears.

Picoult writes of many hardships

throughout the book. You see the Gold’s dealing with the loss of their daughter. Gus, Chris’s mom (short for Augusta) and Melanie, Emily’s mom, have shared everything throughout their lifes. After the death of her daughter and her best friend’s son being charged for murder of her daughter, it is impossible for Melanie to share her feelings with Gus. Their friendship begins to weaken. You really begin to feel for both mothers experiencing two totally different situations with their children.

All in all, “The Pact” is a definite must read for girls. It’s a love story with an ending you won’t see coming. “The Pact” will keep you reading for hours and most likely have you in tears.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 13

Sampling Takes The Skill Out Of Making Music

by Alyson Roseman ‘10

In today’s world, the music industry is huge. There are multiple genres that consist of different sounds, tones, melodies, and rhythms. Each genre is unique and contains an audience of its very own. However the thing that ties all music groups together are the instruments and possible vocals.

Instruments and/or vocals are the definition of music. Instruments produce sounds that can’t be replicated by anything else in the world.

This also goes for vocals that are as different and unique as the people they come out of. Without these two important components, there is no music.

Unfortunately enough, the music industry may be heading down a separate path; the path of modern technology that substitutes for any real musical components. The modern technology ranges from synthesizers to machines that enhance one’s voice to computer that generates beats for songs.

Synthesizers may be considered instruments, but they are not completely. These keyboards produce sounds that are mostly computer generated. They are not always the products of musicians and composers who put consideration behind

every note, every sound that would ton. Hilton released an album a few remixes ruin the original content of come out of the instruments. Instead, years back that sounded like it was the song and the message that went the music they produce is from elec- produced by a machine. In videos along with it. For me, music isn’t tronics which are used by artists to featuring the heiress singing live, just about the background music; create catchy music for songs that such as the ones on YouTube, all of it’s about the lyrics and how it interrecord companies hope will top the the ninety three comments state her twines with the background music charts. lack of vocal ability and obvious lip to produce a meaning for the song, for the lyrics, or the possible story Other machines are also being syncing. used to alter the nature of music, Lately, the music industry has behind it. Remixes take away from including ones that alter the vocals. been using synthesizers, computers, this and are only produced to make These types of machines bother me and machines for vocals to create an artist or record company lots of to no end. One major reason for remixes of new and old songs. These money. this is their ability to make anyone sound talented.

Singing is an art form that is not for everyone. That is how it’s always been and how it should be. By using machines that alter that concept, people with ordinary even horrible voices can become successful artists.

Famous people have also begun to use these machines to broaden their stardom. Examples of this would -photo courtesy of Elliot Kartus be the Hilton hotel Programs such as Fruity Loops (pictured above) allow producers to mix tracks and heiress Paris Hilsamples to create music.

‘Superhero Movie’, Super Silly

by Brittany Lipari ‘08

-photo courtesy of Universal Studios

Villains, heroes, action; “Superhero Movie” is everything a movie based on comic books should be without the heart pounding action and a serious plot. The hilarious new comedy, directed by Craig Mazin, the same writer of “Scary Movie,” is a hand-over-your-mouth comedy packed with innuendos, puns, and subtle references.

“Superhero Movie” is essentially based on the plot of “Spiderman” mixed with various other superhero movies from “Fantastic Four” to “Batman Begins.” Drake Bell (Drake & Josh) plays Rick Riker whose superhero alias is The Dragonfly. The love plot between Bell and Sara Paxton (Sydney White) mimics that of Tobey Maguire and Kristen Dunst in the Spiderman sequels, only

with less heartfelt drama and more melodramatic puns.

The fundamental concept of “Superhero Movie” is almost a replica of that of the “Scary Movie” sequels.

One would like “Superhero Movie” depending on if one finds movies such as “Scary Movie,” “Epic Movie”, or “Date Movie” funny for their mockery of the clichés of movies that are meant to be taken seriously. Plus, the intentional bad acting is a relief of the over dramatic, high strung acting that is seen in every other movie that is out. Most modern movies lack originality, and that’s exactly what “Superhero Movie” and other spoofs try to criticize by poking fun at them.

The subtle references are what truly made the movie the laugh out loud,

crying from laughter hour and a half that it was. Naughty video references from YouTube such as “Two Girls, One Cup” and the ever infamous Tom Cruise stunt on Oprah, along with tons of other innuendos made parents cringe and kids giggle.

Furthermore, Bell’s goofy, clumsy personality that people have become accustomed to from his Nickelodeon hit show “Drake & Josh” contributed to the comedy as a whole. Dragonfly’s earnest attempts to “save the world” always end up causing more harm than good and wreak havoc upon his family and peers. Whether it was letting bank robbers escape by holding the door for them or pushing an old woman into a tree grinder, the Dragonfly always manages to make a fiasco out of the situation.

Opinion

June 2008 Issue 4

Letters to the Editor

Editorial

In ninth grade, you not only think that high school will never end, but the idea of ever even reaching the actual high school building seems far off and daunting. Tenth grade is a little bit easier, but the completion of high still seems distant. Junior year is the worst. Senior year is so close you can taste it, but SATs and the beginning of the college process are still never ending hurdles. Finally, you inevitably get to senior year.

After a few months of mayhem, college applications are in and all there is left to do is wait. It is in these final months that you become the most reflective. All of a sudden high school is less like a race to the end and more like something that needs to be cherished. Suddenly you realize that these few moments we have left together are just that: few. As a class, we have to appreciate them while we can.

It is now that we realize that getting older is as much about gaining as it is about losing. You lose not only what you can afford to lose, but what you have to lose as part of growing up. You lose a little bit of faith, in order to gain a greater perspective and understanding of what life has to offer. You lose a few friends, in order to gain better more lasting ones.

You lose some of your inhibition and some of your insecurities. And as you move onto college hopefully you’re ready to lose a lot more.

So looking back, don’t forget the good times or the bad. The things you gained and the things you lost. Never forget the first kisses or the breakups, the day someone gave you the cold shoulder or the day someone gave you a shoulder to lean on.

The Wessex Wire The Official Student Newspaper of West Essex High School

A Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown, Gold Medalist Paper 65 West Greenbrook Road, North Caldwell, New Jersey 07006 2007-2008 STAFF:

Managing Editors Matt Cohn, ‘08 Andy Maxman, ‘09 News Editors Stephen Kinslow, ‘09 Mark Walsh, ‘09 Features Editor Kristin Kuscin, ‘08 Arts and Culture Editor Mara Alessi, ‘08 Design Editor Elliot Kartus, ‘09

Editors-in-chief Jeremiah Lim, ‘08 Amanda Nichols, ‘08 Opinion Editor Matt Cohn, ‘08

Sports Editor Jack Vidovich, ‘08 Copy Editor Andy Maxman, ‘09 Advisor Anne Baney-Giampoala

Wire Editorial Policy

Staff Writers Kelly Abbot, ‘10 Dylan Cascino, ‘09 Jenel Conde, ‘09 Andrew Cross, ‘08 Evan Elberg, ‘09 Victoria Gualtieri, ‘09 Kyle Kovats, ‘09 Brittany Lipari, ‘08 Ryan Logan-Magnusson, ‘08 Alyson Roseman, ‘10 Evan Roth, ‘08 Joseph Russo, ‘09 Jonathan Struss, ‘09 Ben Sunshine, ‘09 Nick Vidovich, ‘08

The national award winning Wessex Wire is published with supplemental updates to inform, educate, and entertain the student body, faculty, and community. Unsigned editorials are the consensus opinion of the editorial board and do not always reflect the views of the advisor, staff, administration, and/or board of education. Signed editorials reflect the view of the person whose name appears in the byline.

The Wire serves as a forum for the free expression of ideas and opinions of students, staff, and community members. We urge readers to write letters to the editor on pertinent matters of concern. Letters must be signed; however, anonymity will be granted if necessary upon request. Members of the editorial board reserve the right to edit all letters to the editor for length or libelous content.

Students, faculty, or members of the community with an interesting experience or strong opinion on any subject are also encouraged to write or contact the Wire.

The Wessex Wire Page 14

To the editor, I am writing this in response to the article written by Andrew Cross on the matters of the locked bathrooms.

I completely agree with all of the arguments discussed in his article.

The fact that we still have locked bathrooms even after the person who made the offense has been caught is simply ridiculous. The vast majority of the student body has done nothing to deserve such treatment.

The continuous use of unnecessary punishments is something that needs to change.

So after all that has happened, and what we have gone through as students, and as a school as a whole we need to be given back the freedoms we not only deserve but have earned.

We shouldn’t all have to be punished at the fault of one person’s actions; we deserve that same respect that we have always received before these events. So my honest opinion is that yes, we do need to be allowed into all of the schools bathrooms and should be allowed to have all the freedoms we have always had.

Dear Editor, In these past few issues, I feel like the newspaper is missing important sporting news. Not only should it involve school sports but it should involve professional sports. The issues should have scores and information about games. It should also have a short summary about what exciting moments happened throughout the game. This would keep the students in West Essex informed about their sports and professional sports. I know if the newspaper added this section of sports I would definitely pay more attention to the newspaper. The school newspaper would have a lot more news not just about the school but sports, which students would enjoy reading. Not only will guys like reading it but girls will also join in and keep up their sports.

The sporting news should come after all of the in-school news. For example, it should be the back page.

It shouldn’t be in the front because students will only pay attention to the sporting news and not go through the rest of the paper.

Sincerely, Rob Looby

From, Zach Vitencz APPLAUSE AND FLAWS

Applause To the seniors who are finished with school To the Knicks for firing Isiah and hiring Mike D’Antoni To Niang, Connelly, Cifelli and Keegan for winning counties To prom weekend To the school year coming to the end To all the pregnant teachers and lack of pregant students To the Celtics-Lakers in the finals once again To the senior class for the excellent athletic achievments To the Yankees and Mets on the upswing Flaws To the seniors still here To teachers who put their hands on students To finals To the plethora of natural disasters around the world To a cold, rainy May To teacher’s cramming in last minute lessons before finals -compiled by the Wire staff

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 15

The Greatest Thing Since Fantasy Sliced Bread?

by Jon Struss ‘09

Is it just a hobby or is it a way of life? That is the question millions of American men and women ask themselves about fantasy baseball, the greatest game ever created.

Every year after contending teams fall and a champion is crowned, the countdown starts until the next fantasy season begins. Logging onto Yahoo! Fantasy Sports and seeing the glaring yellow button, “Sign up is now available” is the best feeling in the world. A new season has begun, countless work hours as well as valuable sleeping time will be lost; contemplating over draft strategy, lineups, and adds and drops.

So what is fantasy baseball? Fantasy baseball is a game where players manage imaginary baseball teams based on the real-life performance of baseball players, and compete against one another using those players’ statistics to score points. It is the oldest form of fantasy sports and arguably one of the most difficult and time-intensive Because of the 162-game season of the MLB and the inconsistency of players. In most leagues money is collected at the end of the year and given to the

winner at the end.

The more you enjoy baseball, the more you enjoy fantasy baseball. It becomes extremely addictive watching your favorite players thrown around on different teams throughout the league, forming monster fantasy powerhouses. The best part about playing is the competition and the competitiveness between friends.

There is tons of “trash talk” throughout the league and for kids who don’t play sports, this is a great way for them to get involved.

There are many different types of fantasy baseball leagues, but there are three main ones. The most popular two are Rotisserie leagues and head to head leagues. The other less popular league is called a keeper league.

All three leagues are constructed of anywhere from eight to sixteen teams. In Rotisserie league, stats are recorded from the beginning of the season until the end, and finally totaled at the end of the year. In a head to head league, members play each other one on one with a rotating schedule, unlike a Rotisserie league where the whole league competes against each other. In a head to head league, players draft teams according

-photo courtesy of Dylan Cascino

to players who are usually consistent throughout the whole year. This is because teams need to have players who put up dependable numbers weekly.

The stat categories that are chosen for the leagues are based on the most popular stats of baseball. There are other less important categories that can be chosen by the league commissioner. These categories range from but are not limited to the following: team batting average (total hits divided by total at-bats), total home runs, total runs batted in, total stolen bases, total wins, total saves,

team earned run average (nine times total earned runs divided by total innings pitched, the lower the better), team WHIP (total number of hits and walks allowed by pitchers divided by total innings pitched, the lower the better) At the end of the year the league winner receives the prize money and the reputation as fantasy king. One of the greatest honors is to know that you have won your league after a long, excruciating season. It also brings upon the challenge as repeating as the league champion, an almost impossible task to perform.

College Ball Deserves Its Day In the Sun

by Dylan Cascino ‘09

Sports play a pivotal role in our nation’s entertainment and culture.

Football, baseball, and basketball are the three main markets in American sports, and their primary leagues, the NFL, NBA, and MLB, bring in billions in income yearly. While the NFL, NBA, and MLB are professional leagues, their respective college sports are just as important to them, considering their future talents lie in the college and high school ranks of football, basketball, and baseball.

College sports are just as popular

-photo courtesy of the NCAA

as professional sports. Recently, the NCAA’s division 1 college basketball tournament (known as “March Madness”) was broadcast on CBS, and a number of games were broadcast over CBS and ESPN sister networks all winter. College football games also aired on ESPN and other major networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS as well throughout the fall. For some reason though, college baseball doesn’t bring the excitement and emotion that college football and basketball do.

Very few if any college baseball games are broadcast on T.V. besides the college World Series at the end of the season (which still gets minimal publicity). It is mind boggling how a market like Major League Baseball can’t bring any enthusiasm from our national fan base to college baseball, considering the popularity and success of college football and

basketball.

This makes me wonder what would happen if any T.V. network decided to air college baseball games on a regular basis. A large reason for college baseball not garnering any popularity is the lack of T.V. coverage it received. The popular reason is that baseball in general is a boring sport. But if baseball is a boring sport, then why is Major League Baseball so popular?

College baseball in many ways can be more exciting than professional baseball. In college, the use of aluminum bats is legal, unlike in professional baseball where the bats are wooden. Because of the aluminum bats, offense in college is more likely to dominate than in the professional ranks. If people are able to find a 1-0 pitcher duel between two aces in the MLB exciting, then how could a 11-10 slugfest in college

be boring?

In addition, college players wear their hearts on the field and work harder than anyone else. A knock on professionals in any sport is that they lack intensity at times, possibly because of an ego developed by their fat contracts. Because college players don’t get paid and still have goals to work for, they go out and play at 100% every game.

I hope that sometime in the near future that a T.V. network of any kind will decide to take a risk and invest into college baseball. It is easy for people to find college baseball uninteresting because they have not been given the privilege to watch it on a regular basis. If given the chance, college baseball can one day be as popular as college football and basketball.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 16

There Are Probably Tissues In Hell

by Evan Roth ‘08

Hell is a place where the non worthies of heaven are sent after death. Hell conjures up images of fire, pitchforks, and eternal misery.

However, as bad as it can get in hell, they probably have tissues available for people in need. Tissues are an obligation in any public building and a common courtesy. Here at West Essex, where taxes are through the roof, why we can’t even supply tissues for students?

The seasons are changing, and right now allergies are in their prime and hitting kids hard. One of the main reasons I was so opposed to come to school after spring break is because I knew that it was the end of my tissue days. One student, who would like to remain, anonymous has reported to me that in the past couple weeks he has had a runny nose and had to resort to his left hand for the

Awards Ceremony Should Inspire Respect Not Spite

by Brittany Lipari ‘08

We all know that the students of West Essex are by no means perfect; but who knew more than half the student body could be so selfish? Following the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 30, one could hear whiny complaints of “Why didn’t I get that award?” “She doesn’t deserve that!,” “That’s so not fair!”

Not to mention the incredible disrespect for the award announcers displayed by the student body audience.

Seriously, grow up. How can students be so self-absorbed as to not extend a friendly congratulations to their fellow students and friends. Did it ever occur to students that perhaps someone is better than them? Oh, of course not! Or better yet, someone deserved it more than them? I know, it must have been a real shell shocker. But that’s what this school needs, a serious reality check, and quick.

Students have to realize that taking a million AP courses, doesn’t necessarily make you the BEST in that area or the most hardworking. Students

dirty job.

If there is one way to spread sickness around the school, it’s not supplying tissues to the students. After the anonymous students used his hand, where do you think the next place his hand went was? That’s right, straight onto the desk he was sitting in. Then where does it go? To the next person who sits down on it, and then to whomever he or she high fives for the rest of the day. The bottom line is the tissue drought in this school needs to end before the actual school year does and it’s too late.

The main question is why not?

Why can’t the school just simply supply the students with some tissues its not like we can’t afford a couple of boxes of tissues. In my mind tissues are as essential to the health and cleanliness of students as is toilet paper. Would the school ever ask students to bring their own rolls

of toilet paper? Probably not!

For all those students suffering out there just know that you’re not alone. There are hundreds of us going through the same crisis and we all know what it feels like be in such a

have to stop feeling entitled to pats on the back and awards just because they take higher level courses-- that in no way shape or form means that one’s better than anyone else.

However, how ridiculous is it that assemby behavior was mentioned at a faculty meeting? Now the administration is perplexed as to what to do next year in regards to honoring outstanding students. Some faculty members suggested that the awards ceremony be held at night where only students recieving recognition will be invited. Oh please! The “mommies and daddies” of the surrounding towns pat these kids on the back for every breath they take. Suck it up and learn to be happy for someone other than yourself for once.

These “children” seriously have a rude awakening coming when the leave the sheltered world of mommy and daddy in these four towns and enter the real world. You’re not going to get every promotion, you’re not going to get every raise, and you’re sure as hell not going to get a golden star sticker for a good job at the end of the day. Actually, you’re probably going to end up working your butts off and get nothing but a “thanks” if your lucky. So my advice to you whiners out there... get used to it.

Does it bother you that we are all now just a set of numbers?

The realization finally hit me… college admissions officers will only view me as a number, or rather, a set of numbers. The number of honors or AP classes I’ve taken, or not taken. My grade point average… just a number. My scores on the SAT, PSAT, and ACT are just numbers. Even my accomplishments on the basketball court are now just a set of numbers. Honestly, even your name means little.

College admission officers don’t even go by your name, but rather by your social security number.

When I listen to my friends talk about their SAT scores or their grade point averages it confirms what I’ve known all along; we are now all just numbers and the college admissions process is out of control.

College admission officers will never know the great individual qualities that each and every one of us possesses. Nationally, our graduating class of 2009 will be the largest in history. I doubt we’ll be granted many interviews from admissions officers. They’re missing out. Numbers cannot reflect one’s sense of humor, sensitivity, creativity, or wit. Numbers cannot

critical situation. My advice, stay strong, do what you can to get by, pray for tissues, and just believe because the school is going to have to give in at some point.

.

T .

O .

Y .

B Does it bother you that...

with Evan Elberg, ‘09

spot a cheater or someone who has manipulated their college resume into sounding as if they were the world’s greatest philanthropist.

Numbers cannot reflect the student who slacked off completely or the student that worked really hard to achieve their grades. Numbers cannot reflect how many tutors one student was privileged enough to have, or the student whose family couldn’t afford tutors.

As we approach the application process in the fall, remember, you are more than just a NUMBER. High school numbers will not define your life and college admissions officers cannot predict a student’s capacity for learning or future success by viewing a bunch of numbers. We are better than that.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 17

The Glass Is Still Half Full: Please Don’t Spill It

by Andrew Maxman ‘09

I remember my first year of sleepaway camp vividly. There was a highly respected area called “skid row” on which the older third of the camp lived.

If any kid who was not a permanent resident of skid row dared to venture onto the area, he was subject to the wrath of all the inhabitants and shortly became the victim of the merciless Cold Shower.

Then September 11th came. Damn.

Goodbye fun. Goodbye America.

Nothing has been the same since. Airlines have become alternative military bases, and any public facility is now rigged with metal detectors, security cameras, and security guards. You can’t even get a cap with your bottle of water at a professional sporting event.

The fundamental question is: have the people changed, or have the people’s fears and attitudes changed? Or

Your Kindness Will Be Remembered

Dear faculty and students of West Essex High School,

In the last few months of this school year a tragedy has struck my family.

My younger sister Meghan was diagnosed with cancer “t cell lymphoblastic Lymphoma” to be exact.

When I heard of this news I was terrified, I was not sure on how I would be able to survive day by day knowing my sister would be suffering in and out of hospitals. When rumor started to find their way around the school, I feel like people were much overcome. Nothing like this had ever hit this school, at least not in the last six years, or time since the seniors have been here .

People started coming up to me just to make sure that this news was correct. I remember when I told my first close friends they thought I was joking and they called me sick for even saying that.

Anyone who knows my sister knows she is a strong kid and can take a lot of stuff. No one ever thought that this could hit her she was to strong and healthy for this to happen. But no sooner that people found out they started acting upon it.

Letters poured into my house and words of comfort were brought forward to me by people I have never met in the school. Students and faculty made me really feel a lot better about coming to school every day.

Support Meghan shirts were designed by Kristi Kovats (9th grade). Over 200 shirts were printed, and within the first week, all of the shirts were sold.

Exceeding that point Ms. Mondadory then printed an extra 200 hundred shirts and declared that everyone would were them every Friday.

I remember when I walked into school the first Friday after the shirts were handed out every one was wearing it I would look down the hall ways and only see black. Black being the main color of the shirt. This act of support brought me to tears. I was over whelmed with everything that was happening.

So I would just like to thank everyone from the deepest of my heart.

You all have been so good to me and my family and we so appreciate it. Coming to the end of the school year I feel so much more safe with everything that has happened I know now Meghan will be ok and I have a whole school of friends support me and my family.

A tragedy of this nature has also happened to another family in our school district and I would just like to tell them to stay strong because everyone in the school is here for you also and everything will be ok.

Thank you all very much.

Sincerely, Martin Gambichler

are they one and the same? Fifty years ago kids would play unsupervised in the street. If you fought on the playground at school, you were “slapped on the wrist” and sent home for the day. Now the school has no right to slap a kid on the wrist without risking a lawsuit; and a kid who gets in a fight is sent to the school psychologist for an evaluation. I think the kids are still the same. We simply regard their actions with too much caution and too much concern.

I once heard a story of a kindergartener, or a child very near that age, who was suspended from school for pointing a chicken finger across the cafeteria and saying “bang.” That response, along with its social implications regarding the state of our American society, is humiliating, at least in my eyes.

You can’t bring coolers or bagged lunches into stadiums anymore. You can’t bring any lotions, liquids, or drinks into airports. And you can’t say “bomb” on an airplane without facing the risk of the entire crew and all of the passengers beating you mercilessly and crashing the plane into an open field.

It was one radical group who led a plot to attack the United States who changed the American view of its own people. The Americans haven’t changed. There was always a fair number of lunatics; of crazy, deranged criminals who earned their rightful spot in state and federal penitentiaries.

But there was no need to rearrange the American way of life. The people are good. The people are people. Stop treating them like animals, like stray dogs that have contracted diseases from their days spent in the wild. Stop treating US like animals.

I believe in people. I affirm their inherent kindness. Kids are born to be made and molded into byproducts of their social and environmental circumstances. If they grow up in an atmosphere of extreme caution and mild paranoia, their personalities later in life will surely reflect that. If they grow up in a society infested with fear, paranoia, and cynicism, they will become corrupted by the lack of trust and the lack of respect shown to them.

People need to be given a little space.

They need to be shown that they are trusted to take care of their own issues, and take care of themselves.

Often at restaurants, the meal is served with a warning, issued by the waiter, that the plate is hot. I have to say, I have never seen anyone not touch the plate. I understand that the waiter has to issue the warning for the sake of safety, but the most common response

of touching the plate truly speaks to the general attitude of today’s American population. Show kids, and adults, a little slack, and they will be grateful.

Monitor them closely, and reprimand them for the slightest of transgressions, and they will surely resent you for it.

We may be inspiring their rebellious attitudes.

I once read a quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” I liked the wording when I first read it, but I didn’t immediately think anything of its social appropriateness. Then, while I was writing this article, I really began to understand its significance. America is a nation founded on the principles of freedom and liberty. It is a country born out of a hatred of subjugation. Why then must we be so closely watched?

Why must every person be so skeptical of the motives of other humans? Why then are we, the future of a society that is free under the bounds set by the Constitution and its Bill of Rights, subjected to the merciless cynicism of those who surround us? Sure there are reasons that support a call for tighter security; but when tightening security leads to an air of mild paranoia, the measure has been taken too far.

The interpretation of the true danger of the nation has been heavily overestimated. We need a little more optimism and a little less cynicism, although a pinch of cynicism really keeps people on their toes. People are good. Kids are good. Adults are good. Show them that you believe in them, and they will show you that, yes, they do, in fact, deserve to be believed in.

I look forward to the past. To a resurgence of the past. I know I was scared of cold showers; I never went onto skid row while I didn’t live there.

But I guess if I knew then what I know now, I may have chanced it. I may have just sucked it up and endured the cold, because the concept of a cold shower with no punishment is a glorious thing.

An affirmation of superiority. Of old age. Of being able to live freely and happily without repercussion or punishment for trivial actions. For when that affirmation of all that is human, all that is American, comes at the price of serious trouble, of a tarnished reputation, (extrapolated: serious criminal trouble) the institutions and social traditions on which all that is American were founded are negated. Bring back the cold showers. Bring back what we loved to hate, and what we now hate to love.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Page 18

Softball Team Has Successful Season

by Dylan Cascino ‘09

-photo courtesy of Jenel Conde

The varsity softball team poses with Ari Solimando at the EDSAF tornament held in her honor at Emerson on April 20th. The Lady Knights beat Emerson High School 4-0.

Opinion: Drama Drives The New York Knicks Season

by Evan Elberg ‘09

After the 2006-2007 season, New York Knicks fans were at one of their all time lows. During the 2007 draft, the Knickerbockers traded for ex-Portland Jailblazer-I mean Trailblazer, Zack Randolph and rookie Demetrius Nichols from Syracuse.

The Knicks also drafted Wilson Chandler from Depaul. Throughout the offseason Knicks hype was permeated throughout the Garden and the Big Apple. The Knicks even won the NBA Summer League and their young point guard Nate “The Great” Robinson won the league MVP. Things were at a high point for the Knicks during the offseason but with every positive movement for the franchise, there happens to be a worse occurrence.

Knicks Vice President and Head Coach, Isiah Thomas weren’t very popular after the 06-07 season and were not in New Yorker’s good graces. Thomas, as we all know, was accused of sexually harassing his secretary. This was an all time low for the ex “bad boy” Detroit Piston.

After the Thomas case blew over, all was looking good for the 20072008 New York Knicks squad. The Knicks starting five consisted of Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford in the back court, along with Quentin Richardson, newly acquired Randolph Morris and Eddy Curry.

T h e Knicks opened the season with a loss, but came back with a very impressive win over the Denver Nuggets; maybe this season was going to be different. Unfortunately after that win, the Knicks dropped 8 straight games and were back to their regular Knicks ways.

The team continued their losing ways and finished off the season 43 games back in the division behind Boston, with an overall record of 2359.

During the offseason the Knicks quickly made changes in the front

office by going out and acquiring Donnie Walsh from the Indian Pacers. Walsh is now the Knicks new CEO. Along with getting Walsh, the Knicks also went out and got one of the top coaches in the NBA in Mike D’Antoni.

Now with the Knicks coaching situation handled, they are looking to find that gem in the draft sitting on the number 6 pick. Most likely the Knicks will draft the tall, agile, and strong Danilo Gallinari from Italy. Although most fans will not be pleased with that pick it could be a good fit in the D’Antoni system and the offense he likes to run. Also Gallinari’s father played with D’Antoni in Italy on the same team.

Although the Knicks have hit to what some are calling the lowest point in their franchise, once more things are looking up on their sea saw -story photo courtesy of www.nba.com

It is often difficult to replace a four year starter on the mound and a county title winning team, which the 2007 softball team was fortunate enough to have.

But thanks to a large number of contributions from a generally young roster, the Knights softball team finished 16-8 this season and earned a berth into the Group 2 state playoff tournament. This year’s team featured a young core of players that made up the majority of the roster.

“Our starting lineup consisted of one junior, five sophomores, and three freshmen,” head coach Andrea Mondadori said.

During the previous two years, West Essex has made the North 2, Group 2 sectional finals, led by 2007 graduate all-state pitcher Danielle Bertscha. Both times the Knights were in the finals, they battled their cross town rival, Caldwell. In 2006, West Essex was able to win the sectional title, but lost last year in its chance to repeat as state sectional champs.

This season, the Knights received the five seed and traveled to Rutherford on May 22. The Knights battled hard but fell in eight innings in heart-breaking fashion. During the game though, the Knights were able to tie it up in the last inning, showing potential for a young team in the future.

“The team this year was different than in 2007 because of how young we were,” junior Michelle Bertscha said. “I believe that we will have a great shot to win some championships next year because of the experience we gained.”

Despite the disappointing loss in the state tournament to Rutherford, the Knights have plenty to look forward to. All of their starters this year will return next year; most importantly sophomore pitcher Austin Leigh. It appears that the sky’s the limit for the 2009 Knights.

June 2008

The Wessex Wire

Volleyball Team ‘Bumps’ Up Their Season Record

brought attention to our volleyball team that in past years lacked inter In previous years, whenever op- est from outsiders,” Modrzynski posing teams would see West Essex said. “It’s nice to know that because on their schedule, they considered it of our better performance this year, people were taking the time to come an easy win.

But this year’s 2008 Boys Vol- and watch us play.” leyball Squad, led by Coach Bill This year the team also had five Humes, was arguably one of the best people get mentioned for conferto step foot on the volleyball court in ence awards. Plucinsky, ArvaniWest Essex history. Despite boasting ties, and Cousolius recieved seca 12-14 record, they have already ond team, all conference honors. surpassed last season’s win total of Reichel and Modryznski recieved 5. honorable mentions.

“Our team played exceptionally While the Knights enjoyed much well considering we have broken success this year, one successful the school record for wins,” Junior season is not considered a flourElliot Kartus said. “I believe we will ishing program. The Knights will be remembered as the best volleyball return three starters and are looking team West Essex has produced.” to, at the minimum, replicate this This year’s starting squad shared a year’s success next year. nice balance of chemistry and experience. The team was led by starting “I am confident in this team that seniors Bobby Plucinsky, Mike Re- we can pull together and continue ichel, and Corey Cousolius. The rest our success into next season,” of the starting lineup is comprised Laxer said. “Our program is ready of three juniors: Dimitri Arvanites, to make that next step, and that Nick Modrzynski, and Jared Laxer. step is to be able to make it to the “Our success this year actually state tournament.”

by Dylan Cascino ‘09

Zimmer Makes Big Noise In Junior Season

by Andrew Maxman ‘09

In a not so surprising victory over Montclair Kimberley Academy’s Brian Cedrowski 6-2, 6-3 Evan Zimmer cruised into his rightful place as Essex County Champion. Zimmer, who has only lost one fluke match all season, did not lose a set throughout the entire County Tournament. Zimmer beat Montclair’s Arthur Torres 6-4, 6-1 on April 27 to earn his spot in the final.

But not only has Zimmer been making a buzz on the courts and in his tournaments, he has also been making a buzz on the High School Tennis forums online. Golfer77 of nj.com said of Zimmer: “He is really coming into his own as the season progresses…Watching him play it becomes obvious that he is an extremely talented player, but his conditioning and strength work look to be paying off as well.”

Zimmer, who has been playing first singles since his freshman year, has finally hit his stride, although his earlier career was more than impressive as well. This year, he won every match he played but one, and in all of his victories he never lost a single set.

But aside from his stellar singles play in team matches, Zimmer created big buzz by winning the Essex County Tournament. That win earned him a seed in the New Jersey State Tournament.

His county win also led to a feature in the Star Ledger Athlete of the Week section. He was named Tennis Player of the Week. He cited his personal coach Eric Shmerlis and school coach Mr. Albanese as his biggest influences.

He attributes his dominance to his serve and forehand. His newfound power and maturity are surely the result of his hard work during the offseason. Zimmer practices with

Page 19

Player Profile: Alison Cassera

by Kelly Abbot ‘10

Alison Cassera was named Star Ledger’s player of the week, Monday April 28. The junior and three year starter was named a captain of the West Essex Girls Lacrosse Squad for the 2008 season.

Cassera, who was selected as a Second Team All-State selection a year ago, has been having a great junior year season. She averages four goals and two assists per game. She is known to be able to get through many double teams, create plays, and she has a shot that fakes out every goalie.

Cassera had five goals and two assists in an 11-10 overtime loss to Mendham which she brought back her team from a five goal difference to a tie at half time.

“We have yet to beat them [Mendham] in my three years playing varsity and even some time before that and it’s always a really intense game,” Cassera said.

Playing the center/attack wing position on the field, Cassera is involved in almost every play. She plays attack where she sets up plays and scores goals and then must run back, the entire length of the field, and play defense.

“I love the intensity of the sport. I’m good at running,” Cassera said.

Cassera is a strong influence on the field, even though she is only a junior. After the loss of key players due to injuries this year, it has been the job of Ali Cassera and the other seniors to really step it up.

Cassera confirmed, “We’re lucky we’ve got so many skilled players willing to adapt.”

Cassera is also a varsity midfielder for the field hockey team, in which she holds three state championships in her career, and a starting guard for the Lady Knights Basketball team.

Alison lives in Fairfield with her parents, two brothers and sister.

“My parents are the most selfless people I’ve ever met and they do so much for me and my siblings, it’s unbelievable. I can’t imagine life without them.”

Shmerlis three times per week, and also logs many hours at the gym. He works hard with free-weights and other cardio equipment. He runs often to maintain his endurance.

Zimmer also recently competed extremely valiantly in the state tournament. He was seeded in the 17-24 range and took out his first three opponents with ease. Finally in his second match, he was playing dominantly against his 6’5” opponent Daniel Sauter of Don Bosco Prep.

Zimmer won the first set and was up two games and on his way to winning the second set when he began to cramp up and couldn’t move well.

But he didn’t retire and finished the match. “I didn’t know what to do. I was bewildered. If he didn’t cramp, he was well on his way to beating me,” Sauter admitted.

Zimmer capped a great season with a heroic effort. Look for him to make big noise again next year.

Baseball Clinches First State Win Since New Coach

by Jack Vidovitch ‘08

The Boys Baseball team has historically had a difficult conference to compete against. After all, Morris Hills and Hanover Park are both ranked among the top twenty teams in the state.

The noticeably young team, lead by senior captains Frank Firavanti, Joe Giordano, Matt Biront, Tom Carragher, and Anthony Romandetto, threw themselves into the challenge and triumphed, achieving not only a 15-8 record, but Coach Illiano’s first state win since becoming the team’s head coach.

“This year was the most fun year out of all my four years,” Firavanti said.

“The underclassmen have a real good future next season.”

The team stated off their season “underrated” said Biront. The team was able to steadily improve their standing, eventually landing them a spot in the State Tournament and even defeating their first opponent Bernardsville.

SPORTS

June 2008 Issue 4

Words From Wallace

by Mark Walsh ‘09

Instant replay is used in practically every professional sport in one way or another. The NFL and college football use instant replay to review fumbles, completions, and even to spot the ball correctly. The NBA and college basketball utilize replay to determine if a shot was released before time expired. Even professional tennis uses replay to determine if a ball landed in or out of bounds. If all of these sports are having success with instant replay then why hasn’t Major League Baseball started using it?

Throughout the 2008 MLB season there have been many incorrect calls made by umpires. No matter how much a manager disputes the call, the call will most likely remain. After over a century of Major League baseball it is time to implement instant replay.

If instant replay was instituted in the game of baseball, then the umpires would no longer make mistakes. Also, fair or foul balls won’t change the course of a game on a bad call. Replay would put an end to all of the controversial calls made in the game of baseball.

Replay would be extremely beneficial to baseball especially in the playoffs. Over the years there have been several disputed calls that have changed the momentum for teams.

Some blown calls have completely turned around series’ that should have been won by the losing team.

Once replay is established the winner of the World Series will have earned their spot and will not win by a blown call from the umpire.

America’s pastime has had its share of controversial calls. Teams have blamed their entire seasons on one bad call. Replay in baseball will make sure runners are safe, homeruns are actually homeruns, and balls are caught, not trapped. There will be no negatives to the great game of baseball once replay is allowed; no more managers kicking dirt on umpires over a bad call.

The Wessex Wire Page 20

Girls Lacrosse finish with a record of 16-3

-photo courtesy of Jenel Conde

Alison Cassera shoots on goal at the Knight’s home game against Montclair.

by Jenel Conde ‘09

At the onset of the Girls Lacrosse team’s season, they struggled with injuries from two key players, Senior Captain Samantha Serpe and Junior Annie Mecca. Sophomore Katelyn Brower, backup goalie, was also out with an injury. Despite these injuries, on May 18, the squad went on to win its seventh straight Essex County Tournament title. Unfortunately, the girl’s lost the North Jersey, Group 2 title game to No. 5 Mendham, but not without a fight; they lost by one measly point, 9-8.

Now that their season is over, the girls can hold their heads high as they finish strong with a record of 16-3.

In the beginning of the season, injuries were a problem, however the team’s great leaders helped them persevere. Aside from Sam Serpe, captains included senior Cat Serpe and junior Alison Cassera who is proud of the team’s work.

“Even after these injuries, we’ve found ways to make up for it,” Cassera said.

At the beginning of the season, Coach Cosse explained that the team was defeated only twice.

“Our two losses came in an OT game to #2 Mendham and an 11-10 game to Chatham at home,” said Cosse.

During the OT Mendham game, the team kept it close throughout regulation with five goals from Cassera, two from Miczack, and one a piece from Cat Serpe and Sloane Serpe. Although Alli Shearin was able to convert a goal for West Essex in the first overtime, Mendham scored two goals, giving them the advantage. In OT2, neither team scored, allowing Mendham to walk away with the win.

Even though the team suffered these two losses, it didnt affect their morale.

“We have been ranked in the Top 10 in the state all season,” Cosse said.

Cosse believed that throughout the season, the team proved that even though there were injuries, the rest of the squad pulled through.

“We have tremendous talent on

our roster. Our upper classmen (seniors and juniors) each had the potential to change games with their individual skills.”

The team was comprised of three freshmen; Nikki Maxman, Christiana Mecca, and Kelly Mosser. Sophomores included Kelly Abbot, Heather Baretta, Katelyn Brower, Gia Nappi, Emily O’Neil, Sloane Serpe, Emily Shields, and Jen Weissbach. Juniors were Ali Cassera, Gianna D’Urso, Breada Farrell, Annie Mecca, Julia Miczak, and Liz Toumanios. Rounding out the squad were the four seniors, Cat Serpe, Sam Serpe, Alli Shearin, and Jackie Riley.

“I am impressed by this team’s talent level. My one regret is that we lost Sam Serpe, our senior captain, to a season ending knee injury and she was a huge player for us – not just because of her athleticism, but because of her leadership, and we were still recovering from her loss to our line-up. The only consolation for her loss on the field is that her sister Sloane had really stepped up her game in her absence.”