The Wessex Wire (June 2009)

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

Vol. XLVIII No. 4

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

June 2009

International Day is a Hit

by Celina DeLuca ‘11

At West Essex High School on May 15, the first annual International Day was held by the foreign language teachers.

“Ninth and tenth grade students enjoyed a variety of cultural performances and accepted diversity during our first International Day celebration,” said History and Foreign Language Advisor, Laura Drago.

During second period, freshmen and sophomore students went to a breakfast sponsored by local restaurants and the Parent Teacher Organization. Afterwards, the students filed into the auditorium where they watched different performances in order to support diversity and acceptance of other cultures.

The show opened with a flag ceremony featuring West Essex students. Then, six freshmen performed on stage as different celebrities with diverse cultural backgrounds. They talked about why they came to America and how they found success. Following this, a slide show was presented listing different facts about several countries.

The West Essex Color Guard performed its routine to the Beatles’ hit “Let it be” to represent cultural acceptance and unity.

Flamenco dancers entertained the audience with a traditional dance to represent the Spanish culture. Their

performance was accompanied by a Spanish guitarist.

Hip-hop is an art form that started in America. Sophomore Sydney Applewhite and her 10 year old sister Ryan performed a hip-hop dance, and captured the crowd with their amazing energy and talent.

Portuguese dancers caught the audience’s attention with their traditional music and clothing.

In Brazil, a type of dance mixed with martial arts is studied. West Essex students saw a fast-paced and exciting performance by three masters of this art. One influenced the students by telling them they can do anything they set their minds to.

Towards the end of the assembly, West Essex freshman, Jet Navia, took the stage with nothing but his guitar. He sat down and told his peers of his trip to the Philippines and how he was inspired by the country’s many acoustic bands. The room fell silent and Navia wowed the crowd with his amazing guitar skills. He performed “No Such Thing” by John Mayer and had the crowd on its feet, clapping and singing along.

West Essex student Ellen O’Neil and other talented girls performed traditional Irish dances.

The goal of the event was to give the students at West Essex a taste of different cultures. The first annual West Essex International Day was a success.

Upcoming Events at West Essex. . .

Dorney Park Trip- June 8 Senior Ball- June 12 Senior Breakfast- June 17 Final Exams- June 17-19 Graduation- June 21 Last Day for Students- June 22 Inside This Issue:

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News

Vietnam Veterans Haley Kochel Club Bytes

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Opinions

Photo courtesy of Alyson Roseman From left to right: Alyson Roseman, Michael Middleton, Sarah Ganton, Alyssa La Spisa, Jeff Anderson, Olivia Rotenberg, Nick Diorio, Maggie Haversang, Nadar Zaringlinghalm, Holly Coppens, Tariq Khan-Yousufzai, Camille D’Elia, Zac Minden, Jon Miller, Cristina Alvarez, Lindsey Felcher, Caitlyn Wan and Ben Roth

Juniors Dance the “Knight” Away in Livingston

by Kelly Mosser ‘11

The Class of 2010 celebrated its prom at the Westminster Hotel in Livingston on May 15, 2009. The Juniors and their guests enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing which lasted from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Girls clad in evening gowns and boys in tuxes crowded the hall and danced to songs such as “Boom Boom Pow” and “Poker Face.”

The Westminster has been hosting West Essex’s prom for the past several years. “The Westminster was very nice and a great spot for prom,” said Sophomore Celina DeLuca.

“I thought prom was really fun. It was cool seeing everyone dressed up

Does it bother you that A Critical Viewpoint PDA

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Features

Janitors Driving experience Costco vs. Shop Rite

and having a good time,” said Junior Tom Collins.

The only downside of the night was the DJ, according to some. “The DJ made every song into techno. It got old after a while,” said Junior Brittany Jacobsen.

The event was themed to the song “I’ll be” by Edwin McCain. At the end of the night, John LoCascio and Jessica McDonald were crowned prom King and Queen and danced to that song.

“Overall, the prom went very smoothly,” said Vice Principal Ms. Hoebee. “The kids seemed to have a good time. The night went without incident.”

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Arts & Culture

Bamboozle Summer TV FML

June 2009

Vietnam Veterans Educate West Essex

by Joe Russo ‘09

Mr. Bill Van Eck and his friend Mr. Mike Viade gave a presentation to Mr. Samuels’s and Mr. Benacquista’s Vietnam classes on April 7, about their first hand experiences in the Vietnam War. The presentation started with Van Eck passing around his draft letter, which he received in March of 1963, and an 18 inch golden ammo shell from the 175 long barrel gun he shot in the war.

He then proceeded to tell the classes that he originally signed up for the war but was denied since he had a stammer. Van Eck was eventually drafted, though, in March of 1963.

From Patterson, Van Eck ended up at Fort Dix, and from there, went straight to Vietnam where he was in charge of training new recruits and firing the 175. After his story, he showed pictures of his time there, most of them of his base camp and him shooting the 175. He told the classes that the 175 was so loud that it made him partially deaf and even broke one of his friend’s eardrums.

After Van Eck presented, Viade told his story. He signed up for the Navy when he was just 16 years old.

To do this, he needed a high school diploma, his parents’ signatures of consent and a passing test grade.

Viade received his high school diploma by going to summer school.

He made sure he passed the test by giving the money he received for

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News

recruiting a friend to the test proctor. To get his illiterate parents’ signatures, he told them he needed permission to go work on a farm, while in reality it gave him permission to go into the Navy.

Viade then told the classes that he went from the Navy into the Marines after five years where he saw first line action and many friends die. It was obvious that these losses affected him, as he didn’t want to comment on his friends’ deaths.

From there on, he described life in the Navy and Marines, saying it was a family and preaching to the students to support the troops in any war, even if you oppose the war itself. He said this because he was actually greeted by a mob who wanted him dead as he got home from Vietnam.

The presentation concluded with the students going up and viewing all Van Eck’s war memorabilia. Among them were news paper clippings about the war, his uniform and his two medals, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

He received the Bronze Star for saving a US engineer who was lying in the middle of the road after being shot.

“I feel the presentation went very well,” said Benacquista. “A lot of good questions were asked and the kids were all very respectful. The whole thing was a huge success.”

Club Bytes

by Kelly Abbot ’10

Character Education Club- Members recently completed “Coins for the Cure” in which coins were collected during lunch periods and donated to help find a cure for cancer.

The “Cans for Cancer” drive, an aluminum can recycling drive ran through May 31.

SADD Club- Members had their annual monthly meeting on May 12, 2009 where they heard a presentation from members on reckless driving. At recent meetings the SADD members created Prom favors for juniors: smarties with the message “make smart decisions” which were handed out at prom.

Italian Club- Italian Club members raised over a hundred dollars during a bake sale and sent the money to the earthquake victims in Italy.

West Essex Foundation for Education-The WEFE organized a cut-a-thon at Panico Hair Salon in West Caldwell.

Photo courtesy Brian Agostini ‘09

National Honor Society-the biggest group of inductees were inducted into the National Honor Society. Their first meeting was held on May 21, where votes were cast for officers.

Foreign Language Honor Society- Students were inducted into the Foreign Language Honor Society during the ceremony on May 26. Sixteen students were inducted into the French Honor Society, twenty six students were inducted into the Italian Honor Society, twenty five students were inducted into the Spanish Honor Society and eleven students were inducted into the Latin Honor Society.

Haiku Competition sends Senior Haley Kochel to Japan

by Samira Paydar ‘09 and Colin Lyon’10

When Senior Haley Kochel submitted a haiku to her Japanese Language class on March 21, she was unaware that she would win the poetry competition, let alone that the prize she was awarded would help her accomplish a seemingly unreachable lifelong aspiration. Kochel won a roundtrip ticket to Japan, sponsored

by Continental Airlines. Kochel was eager to express her excitement. “I peed a little. Japan, yo!” said Kochel.

As a veteran creative writing student, Kochel is no stranger to poetry and language. Roundtable Adviser and creative writing teacher Lynn

Bailey said, “I am impressed by her study of Japanese and haiku win, just as I have always been with her writing.” Kochel’s haiku will be published in the Roundtable Literary Magazine, along with a short play.

“Like lemonade, my creative juices are always flowing,” Kochel said. Kochel dedicated many weeks to the production of her haiku. She worked extensively to convey her appreciation of the aesthetic aspects of spring, specifically cherry blossoms.

Kochel plans on visiting Japan in the summer on a 10 day student tour. She will be accompanied by her younger cousin, Gigi Prescioza.

Kochel holds a reverence and inter-

est for Japanese culture.

“I like cute things. All Japanese things are cute. If I could buy Japan, I would,” Kochel said. Ecstatic about her upcoming trip, Kochel plans on embracing as much Japanese culture as possible within the short span of time she will spend there.

“I’m going to touch everything I see,” said Kochel. Kochel looks forward to visiting the Harajuku section of Tokyo and eating authentic ramen noodles. She is also excited about the Shinkansen, or Japanese bullet train, which is the fastest train in the world.

“Japan is the future, who wouldn’t want to go to the future?” said Kochel.

Kochel’s friends, family and sensei are all extremely proud of her.

Her parents framed the haiku, and she is frequently asked for translations. Kochel plans to pursue Japanese language classes in college and is thrilled about gaining such vast experience. As Kochel said, “Bonzai!”

Please Recycle This Paper p

News Bytes Earthquake in Honduras An earthquake of 7.1 magnitude hit Honduras and Belize at 2:24 a.m. on May 28. As of recently, six people have been reported dead while 40 have been injured. At least four of the victims were crushed by one of the 57 houses that collapsed. Sixty five other houses were simply damaged along with 14 schools, three bridges and two churches.

Schools along the coast and in the Bay islands were closed while telephone connections, internet and electricity were severed in several parts of the country.

The quake was felt strongly in Northern Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Hoax Abduction Case Bonnie Sweeten staged her own, as well as her daughter’s abduction.

The 38 year old woman called 911 from “the trunk of car” where she told them that she and her daughter were kidnapped by two black men.

This call triggered a frantic search by police which ended after 30 hours when Sweeten and her daughter were found in Disney World. Sweeten staged this abduction to escape investigation for theft. Sweeten took a co-workers drivers license and took $12,000 from several accounts prior to her trip. She placed the tickets and hotel reservations under the name of her co-worker. Sweeten has been charged with identity theft and a false report.

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News

June 2009

by Alyson Roseman ‘10 Military alert raised in North Korea

Tensions rose greatly between North Korea and the rest of the world the week of May 25. The nation disavowed the truce made to keep peace with South Korea in 1953. The country also accused America of preparing an attack during its testing of its second nuclear bomb. Upon hearing and experiencing everything, South Korea and the United States decided to put their armies on high alert.

On May 28, the alert increased to level two on a scale of one to five, one being the most intense.

The last time the alert reached this level was back in 2006 when North Korea first tested its nuclear weapons.

GM supports offer from US government On May 28, General Motors Corp. bondholders consented to the government’s proposal. This proposal stated that the government would erase the “unsecured debt” of GM if the government would be granted company stock.

The government has proposed this in hopes of making GM profitable once again which would eventually allow it to sell its shares. This risk for tax payers is baffling since auto sales have neared their lowest in 27 years. This proposal is all or nothing and thus far, the government has predicted at least 35 percent of the bondholders’ support.

Help Darfur Now: Movie Night “The Devil Came on Horseback.”

T-shirts, sweatshirts, bracelets, pins, In Darfur, Sudan, a genocide is oc- books, food and beverages were sold curring, and has been occurring since at the movie night. All the proceeds the year 2003. The Janjaweed, a tribe made were given to Doctors without translated to “evil men on horse- Borders, who are currently saving back”, were armed by the Northern lives in refugee camps in Darfur and Sudanese government and instruct- neighboring countries.

Although the ed to invade crowd was not as and destroy large as expectvillages and ed, the Help Darto kill all fur Now movie who did not night was indeed support the a great success.

Northern The Roseland Pogovernment. lice Department The United was the club’s Nations puts main sponsor for the death Photo courtesy of Madi Berse the event, and toll at about even spoke at 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 , The Darfur Now Executive Board poses for a picture at the movie the event about while the fornight.

Kara’s amazing mer U.N. unplans to help dersecretaryDarfur. general puts The event, which started at 7 p.m., the number at no less than 400,000. included three guest speakers after Up to 2.5 million Darfuris have fled their homes and continue to live in the movie. The speakers were Adeeb camps throughout Darfur or neigh- Yousif, Darfuri survivor and head of the DRDO (Darfur Reconciliation boring countries.

How can West Essex help? Kara and Development Organization), Tullman, Sophomore, was thinking Denise Bell, Amnesty International; along the same lines when she asked United States Darfur Campaign teacher, Jody Dolce for help to form Manager and Meaghan Collins, West Essex’s most recent club; Help STAND (Students Taking Action Darfur Now. For the club’s first Now Darfur)/ Youth Division of The event, a movie night was held at Genocide Prevention Network out of West Essex High School, featuring Washington, DC.

by Sonia Aviv ‘11 and Madi Berse ‘11

Photo courtesy of Genevieve Raffer Keddy

Pakistanis obtain signifi- Susan Boyle comes in cant town in Swat valley 2nd place

Mingora, the main town in Swat valley, was gained by the Pakistani army. The army began this offensive campaign one month ago to get rid of the militants who have been gaining control of the northwestern part of the country. In Mingora, militants burrowed themselves in bunkers built into government buildings and hotels of the town. Originally, the militants put up a great resistance and the army closed off roads to the town. Military officials said that early in the week of May 25, the army began to move in on the Taliban. These military officials also remarked that a number of militants managed to escape and have raised concerns that they could continue to fight the army elsewhere.

On May 30, 2009, the finale of “Britain’s got Talent!” announced that singing sensation Susan Boyle came in second place. Upon hearing the news, Boyle curtsied and did her famous hip shake to the audience. Donning a floor length, sparkling gown, Boyle belted the song that made her famous, “I Dream a Dream” from “Les Miserables.” The dancing troupe named “Diversity” placed first in the competition and received a reward the equivalent of $159,000 and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Show in front of Queen Elizabeth II.

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Ganton

Physics students celebrated Physics Day at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ on Friday, May 29, 2009. From left to right, Juniors Troy Jansen, Dan Rosen and Tom Collins.

Opinion

June 2009 Issue 4

Letter to the Editor

Editorial As the school year is quickly coming to an end, everyone’s stress level begins to rise and rise because of last-minute projects and the dreaded finals.

Yet with all this weight on everyone’s shoulders we want you to know that there is a light at the end of this difficult tunnel; that light is summer.

So keep working and studying hard in school for these last remaining weeks. You will be happy you did, especially when you receive your report card while you are relaxing by the pool and not having to deal with angry parents. We want to wish everyone good luck on their finals and have a great summer!

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 (973) 228-1200 ext. 258 2008-2009 STAFF:

Managing Editor Brittany Berman, ‘11 News Editors Celina Deluca, ‘11 Kelly Mosser, ‘11 Features Editors Lindsay Felcher, ‘10 Shai Kartus, ‘11 Arts and Culture Editors Brittany Jacobsen, ‘10 Madi Berse, ‘11 Layout Editor Lacy Tell, ‘11

Editors-in-chief Alyson Roseman, ‘10 Kelly Abbot, ‘10

Photo Editors Nikki Maxman, ‘11 KJ Glenn, ‘11

Opinion Editors Sonia Aviv, ‘11 Lisa Feierstein, ‘11

Staff Writers Melissa Blottman, ‘12 Jack Boyd-Dias , ‘12 Evan Elberg, ‘09 Victoria Gualtieri, ‘09 Krista Liotti, ‘12 Colin Lyon, ‘10 Jackie Martorana, ‘11 Samira Paydar, ‘09 Erin Quinn, ‘11 Dan Spada, ‘09 Joe Taylor, ‘09

Sports Editors Emily O’Neill, ‘10 Geordy Boveroux, ‘11

Copy Editor Sarah McGrath, ‘11

The Wessex Wire Page 4

Advisor Ms. Lo Wire Editorial Policy

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.

To the Editor: Recently, the West Essex Board of Education passed changes to the AP policy of the school. Next year, AP exams will be mandatory for all AP students. Those who choose not to take the $86 exam will receive an “Honors” designation for that class on their transcript rather than “AP.” Strangely enough, AP classes will be weighted higher than Honors classes only when calculating students’ GPAs with the incoming freshman class.

What could possibly justify this decision? According to this model, an AP class must essentially be equal to an Honors version. So similar, in fact, that the only real distinction is the exam administered at the end of the year. If this assumption is to be taken seriously, perhaps the administration should re-examine the AP classes offered.

This new policy also inhibits students’ attempts to challenge themselves. If a student decides to take on the challenge of an AP class, they shouldn’t be discouraged by the fact that: (a) they might not do as well as they usually do, and (b) in addition to a bad grade, the class will appear only as an Honors class should they decide against taking an AP exam on material that they are not completely comfortable with.

Effectively, the decision to require all AP students to take the AP exam and requiring that they only receive Honors credit if they do not hurts a student immensely.

It offers absolutely no benefits to students and could hinder them as they attempt to explain to colleges the reason why the Honors class on their transcript is really AP. It seems that this choice was made to benefit the school, as the school’s rating is determined by the percentage of AP students taking the exam rather than the scores of the exam takers. West Essex, once again, has put its own interests before those of the students and has let us all down.

Sincerely, Owen Gantz ‘10

Hooked on Facebook?

by Brittany Berman ‘11 and Kelly Mosser ‘11

How many times have you been sitting at your computer writing an English essay when your fingers involuntarily went online and typed in Facebook. com? You are not alone. In fact, some people are even classified as having Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).

I know what you’re thinking: Am I addicted?

According to CNN.com, there are several identifiable ways to tell if you have FAD. These include losing sleep over Facebook and letting it take time away from schoolwork. If you spend more than one hour a day on the site, you may have FAD. The final tell-tale sign is if you break into a “cold sweat” at the thought of signing off.

In a survey of 30 West Essex students, 50 percent said they check their Facebook three or fewer times a day. The other 50 percent admitted to checking their pages four or more times a day.

Several students even said they check their Facebooks “constantly” because they have an application on their cell phones.

“I don’t know why Facebook is so popular, but everyone loves it. You can see everyone’s business and no one has

a private life anymore - your homepage is like stalker central,” said Sophomore Celina DeLuca.

The Facebook epidemic has spread worldwide, especially among high school students. One of the most intriguing features of the website is the aspect of having constant updates on what your “friends” are up to. Most students surveyed said that their favorite thing to do on Facebook is to look at other people’s pictures. Members also are interested in keeping in contact with friends not only in their schools, but also around the world.

West Essex Student Assistance Counselor, Dr. Emering, has several ideas as to why some students are addicted to Facebook. “People enjoy the instant gratification of interacting with others that Facebook provides.

People are intrigued by the fact that an entire page is dedicated to them,” said Emering. He continued to say that humans naturally desire attention, and can achieve this through the website with very little effort.

According to Emering, an addiction is something that interferes with everyday life. Facebook has become an addiction when it takes time away from a SEE FACEBOOK PAGE 7

June 2009

Opinion

Page 5 Cartoon courtesy of Madi Berse

Does it bother you that... with Evan Elberg ‘09

Nothing is bothering me? It is the fourth marking period of senior year. I’m in the college of my choice, and I have been since December. I do limited schoolwork and I am on senior service, which gives me the luxury of waking up at 8:50 a.m. to get to Grandview School by 9:00. If something were to begin to feel as if it might bother me, I can’t imagine having any reaction other than a simple “oh well.”

Some people who read this column might argue that it should, in fact, bother me that nothing bothers me. In all honesty, the only worry I could have now would be the possibility of not graduating, which (let’s be serious) is extremely unlikely.

Not even the fact that Michael Heller is taking over this column next year bothers me. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that there are no accidents in life.

Former Duke University basketball player Jay Williams is a prime example. In June 2003 he almost died in a motorcycle accident ending his basketball career. While many people could have seen this as a loss, he capitalized on the unfortunate event and made a career for himself by being an analyst for the NBA. He looked for the opportunity when the challenge arose. Basically, had he worried, he wouldn’t have ended up where he is now. Worrying will get you nowhere, especially not to the place where you need to

The author in deep thought about what troubles him at West Essex High School. be most. Come to think of it, we’re always in that place, the place we need to be most, even though we may not know it.

Anyone, when faced with challenges, can exercise the option to look for the opportunities that present themselves. No matter what the circumstances are, opportunities will always present themselves and decisions can always be made.

The challenges and opportunities that have presented themselves to me have, in fact, gotten me through high school and have prepared me for what lies ahead. I am where I’m supposed to be – graduating high school – and I am looking for opportunities, for the decision to be made and to ensure that after I graduate, I still know where it is I am supposed to be.

PDA in the Hallway

by Nikki Maxman ‘11

Some teachers are lenient with students running in a minute or two late to class. Usually it is to run to their locker in between classes. Maybe they stayed after class to speak with their teacher for extra help. However, what these teachers may not realize is that it is possible that the student was late for other reasons- like canoodling in the hallway.

Public Display of Affection, or PDA, is becoming very common in the halls of West Essex. A lot of students feel uncomfortable witnessing it and feel that it should be done privately and outside of school.

Yet while some find it very disturbing and inappropriate, it is unavoidable these days.

Sophomore Caitlin Sweeney said, “I witness these acts between every period!”

Although the West Essex Student Handbook does not state that PDA is prohibited, teachers may ask a couple to separate if

courtesy Dylan Cascino it-photo gets to the point ofofdiscomfort.

Sophomore English teacher, Mr. Diliberto said, “Luckily, I don’t see this too often!”

It is often said that “love makes the world go round.” I therefore feel that if students manage to keep it clean, a little loving won’t hurt anyone. It is merely a simple way of showing affection.

However, when it is obvious that people displaying their affection for each other are having trouble breathing, you know that they’ve gone too far. This is also evident when multiple shouts of “Get a room!” can be easily heard.

Fellow sophomore KJ Glenn said, “I know where each couple stands and in between which periods so I can try to plan my route to avoid them. However, it is hard to avoid.”

Sophomore PJ Lawless said, “It’s more uncomfortable when it is an ugly couple.” To make everyone happy, they could just spare us all and go to the ice room.

Leash Kids: Effective and Ethical?

by Sonia Aviv ‘11 and Joe Taylor ‘09

In the current day and age, it seems as if parents are starting to confuse their offspring with their household pets. Certain parents choose to contain their young child on a leash while in crowded places and gatherings. The sightings of these so called “leash kids” are increasing by day as many begin to wonder: should the leash kids be set free?

Although some seem to believe that this containment of children is just a safety procedure and is not out of the ordinary, others argue that this treatment is demeaning and animal-like.

But, when it really comes down to it, the concern that parents really have is their youngster’s safety. However, is affixing a kid on a leash an efficient

and ethical way to keep him or her away from danger?

Senior David Steinfeld, a former leash kid, admits that he spent more than half of his toddler years plotting escape from this leather restriction. “Sometimes I got scared when my mom would take out the leash, like I was some sort of an animal,” he said. However, as much as he believes it is the wrong route to take, Steinfeld agrees that it is indeed a very effective one. Overall, there is no denying that keeping a youngster on a leash permits the adult to have complete control over his or her behavior and prevents him or her from getting lost or possibly abducted. Yet what happens when the child outgrows the age of the leash? One cannot keep their toddler forever imprisoned. After the years of the leash are over, the curious little one

may have trouble being restrained or controlled by any other method.

In an article written by Tom Pollock entitled “Child-Leash AlternativesEncouraging Independence in Older Kids While Keeping Them Safe,” Pollock suggests other possibilities in cautiously handling children. Instead of keeping a kid on a leash, a parent can establish other alternatives so that the youth is kept safe. Pollock suggests other options such as “talking range”, in which the child has to stay close enough to the parent so that they can hear them talk in a non-yelling tone. Another one of his suggestions includes one he calls “The Satellite Strategy.” Here, he declares the idea of allowing youngsters to roam around on their own after establishing a meeting place to check up on the

child every half-hour or so. If either of these routes are not followed, the toddler will be subject to punishment.

These are only two of the many other ways children can be granted independence and safety without being restrained like a pet dog.

The concept of leashing a child is effective it is not ethical. Children are not animals and do not deserve to be treated as such. A parent cannot keep a kid on a physical or even emotional leash for an entire lifetime, and having a “leash kid” makes it harder to let that restriction go. A youngster needs to know his or her boundaries and grow up, leash-free. The “leash kids” need to be set free and their parents need to find a more ethical fashion with which to keep them out of harm’s way.

June 2009

Opinion

Page 6

A Critical Viewpoint Lost at West Essex

by Dan Spada ‘09

In the January issue of the Wessex Wire I wrote an editorial about my disappointment with the passing of Proposition 8 in California. Before I wrote that article, I was confronted with an important question – why should I care about a bill that has been passed in California and not New Jersey? The students that read this article might have been in the same mindset that I was before I even wrote it. This doesn’t necessarily make for proper journalism, but it was my decision to write the article and I followed through.

People read the article, and some told me that they enjoyed it. But my target audience wouldn’t even glance at it, and it seemed of little matter that the moved ones were in the same position that I was – desperately attempting to change the way people at West Essex think about a controversial issue such as marriage equality.

I’ve personally been fighting an uphill battle since the beginning of my education at West Essex. Not only have I had to deal with my rigorous course load and creating new friendships, but I have also grown numb to the question that my friends tell me people frequently ask about me – is he gay?

This question presents one of the key problems at West Essex. Since everything is so black and white here, the response to this question will either be “Oh, that doesn’t bother me,” or “Wow, that’s disgusting.” It is then the responsibility of the person being asked this question to explain how little sexual orientation matters.

Human sexuality is stuck in a warped paradox of sorts. On one hand, it is much more complex than West Essex students make it out to be, and on the other hand it should be of little importance to an acquaintance whether a person is a homosexual or not.

What truly and utterly disgusts

me about this topic is the lack of complexity each side of the argument allows it to contain. The importance of the role of the homosexual is lost within a continuum of misunderstandings in his supporters. The supporters have a duty to expose the artificial ideas that the other side has on the issue, and possibly change their minds. Whether they are willing or unwilling to change their minds is beside the point. The fact that the opposition knows so little that they do not even care to try and get the facts straight is what really bothers me.

I know the number of students at West Essex that repress their sexual feelings is astounding, to say the least. One of the main reasons why this problem arises is the fact that the students have never seen a homosexual with any form of power, or a homosexual with any masculine qualities. It’s almost as if they just “don’t know any other way,” but that certainly doesn’t excuse the homophobic behavior that I frequently observe in the hallways. The number of times I have heard the word “faggot” in a derogatory manner blows my mind.

At this point, I find myself daydreaming about a conversation we recently had in one of my classes.

The discussion was about an 18 year old youth from New Berlin, Wis. who made a fake Facebook account and convinced 31 male classmates, some as young as 15, to send him pictures of their genitals. He then proceeded to coerce the kids into sexual acts. Two of the kids in my class were, quite literally, twitching, while the rest of the males shrieked in unison over the repulsiveness of the situation. It flabbergasted them that a handful of these boys would actually let a homosexual force them to partake in sexual acts with him.

After this went on for about five to 10 minutes, my teacher brought up

Finals Schedule: Wednesday, June 17Period 4, Period 3, Period 9 Thursday, June 18Period 5, Period 6, Period 1 Friday, June 19Period 7, Period 2, Period 8

the fact that the boy had many charges against him and would probably be sentenced to jail for a very long duration of time. One or two of my peers made the statement that he would be raped in jail, and that he would like it.

The rest of the male populace laughed in agreement.

I wonder if they will ever understand the horrifying ignorance and intolerance of this statement. Just because a man is a homosexual does not mean that he likes to be raped or violently sodomized. No one likes to be raped or victimized. I sometimes contemplate the homophobic masses of West Essex slapping each other on the buttocks in the hallway and constantly groping each other and laugh to myself at whether they think those acts are “gay” or not.

I’ve been repeatedly asking myself if it is okay to blame them for their ignorance. An unacceptable reason that quickly comes to mind is that this is the way they were raised, and that they do not know any other way.

Their parents are the same, and have

the same prejudices and feelings on outsiders as their offspring. But why shouldn’t they be held responsible for their bigoted words?

Maybe I wrote this article to counteract the falsities of the homophobia article published last schoolyear. Or maybe I wrote it as a swan song to the West Essex community, a thank you for completely distorting my mental, sexual and social growth for the past six years. I sincerely believe that it is my purpose to pave the way for future generations of open-minded people to have the ability to assimilate themselves more easily into an ever-growing conservative school in an even more budding and predictable geographical area.

In any case, I sincerely hope that this article will not be read as a declaration of my sexuality or merely a gay youth’s feelings being hurt. I stand united in my belief that West Essex students would benefit from dropping their preconceived notions on the subject of sexuality and the pigeonholing of labels I see on a daily basis.

Havoc in the Hallways

by Kelly Mosser ‘11

Around 12:17 p.m. every day, the hallway near the cafeteria at West Essex becomes Route 80 during rush hour: absolute madness. Four grades’ worth of kids is pressed together this time each day in hopeless attempts to get to seventh period on time. As any student en route to the science wing knows, this is nearly impossible. Unfortunately, this sardine-can-like situation is inevitable when some 1000 teenagers (many of which are ravenous due to their unlucky seventh period lunch) are involved.

“After lunch the hallways are really bad - you can’t even walk to class with someone...you kind of just walk the way you’re being pushed by all the people around you,” said freshman Nicole Del Mauro.

This is not the only time period that features congested hallways.

Students also tend to hit traffic near the cafeteria before and after fourth, fifth, and sixth periods. The horseshoe structure of the hallways of West Essex always poses problems.

And the math wing between eighth and ninth periods? Forget it. I wonder sometimes if it would be faster to leave the building and walk to my classes outside. Due to the fear of getting locked out, however, I’ve never actually tried.

“Walking to class is such a pain,” said sophomore Brittany Berman, “I can never get to class on time. It’s a problem.”

So what can the school do to make commutes between classes easier and reduce tardiness (and therefore detentions)? What can be done to make our lives a tiny bit easier without entertaining the idea of major hallway construction (assuming the school could handle any more construction)?

One way the school could help to solve these problems would be fairly simple: stagger passing time among the grades. For example, first period ends at 8:27. If certain classes, say science classes, were let out at 8:26, the science wing would be cleared by 8:27 for incoming students. Classes are 42 minutes long. Does one minute cut off at the end really matter that much?

Or, if for some reason that method wouldn’t work, we could always resort to the hierarchical ways of high school; classes of seniors could be dismissed first, then juniors, sophomores, and (sorry young’ns), freshmen last.

Okay, so these ideas might not be perfect, but something needs to be done. I for one refuse to be a fan of being pressed up against sweaty strangers in the hallways in the heat of June.

June 2009

Class Sizes Must Stay the Same

by Emily O’Neill ‘10

The Board of Education at West Essex High School has recently publicized their concern about the student-to-teacher ratio at our school.

The Board believes that raising the number of students per class would be beneficial and would lessen the amount of teachers that need to be hired. But for those students who find it difficult to learn in distracting environments, should hiring fewer teachers be more important than meeting the students’ needs?

The BOE needs to consider those students who have a hard time paying attention, listening and learning in classrooms full of students. I have several friends and family members who suffer from learning disabilities and attention disorders, or simply do not learn at a fast pace. Although they may not ask for it, these particular students know that a quieter classroom with fewer students will benefit their grades immensely.

Not only are the students challenged to learn in crowded classrooms, but the teachers may also find it harder to teach.

Without an aide or assistant teacher, control over 30 children may not result in well-taught lessons. It is inevitable that all of the students in one class do not have the same learning capacity or take in information at the same rate. Some students need more direct, one-on-one

help than others. For a teacher to stop a lesson and tend to the needs of only a few students allots time for the rest of the class to talk and fool around. A smaller, more contained class allows for a more thorough and to focused lesson.

With fewer students comes less grading for teachers. A teacher grading papers for a class of 30 may not be as likely to comment thoroughly on large assignments or projects, further impeding the teacher’s ability to really assess the student’s work.

In my four and a half years at West Essex, I have been in both small and large classes. With this personal experience, it was easy to see which size class is easier to focus in. My ninth grade science class was composed of nine students and with that came a lot of extra help, one-on-one time as well as a close bond with both the teacher and my classmates. In comparison to my current English class containing 27 students, my science class was quieter, more accomplished and overall more enjoyable.

Statistics show that class sizes that fall below 20 achieve greater academic excellence. With West Essex’s limit at 25 students to a class, we already exceed that number. Raising the number of students per class to 30 would be a major deficit and would only hurt our level of education.

FROM FACEBOOK PAGE 4

student’s homework or time with family and friends. A Facebook addiction is an offspring of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because the victim is constantly concerned about their page and what is going on when they are not online.

Emering compared FAD to alcoholism.

Both addictions create a loss of control, which causes people to think obsessively about a certain thing, in these cases, alcohol and Facebook. While many people view the site as a way to simply keep up with the gossip, for others it is a true matter of addiction. Some use Facebook as a way to reinvent themselves, because online you can be whomever you want.

This however, is not always a safe aspect of online interaction sites.

Facebook provides a sense of security for many people because it can be accessed anywhere, even in the comfort of one’s home. Members can start with a clean slate to add as many friends, pictures, etc. as they please. It has become

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Opinion

a competition to be the best, or have the most on Facebook.

Facebook, along with other technology, has caused a turn in society. Our generation is relying on the internet to connect with others. It is becoming a substitute for real interaction. Technology has changed the way relationships are built and maintained.

Facebook gives the world the ability to be in contact at all times. It fulfills human satisfaction for being in “the know” and informed at all times. This fact is proven in West Essex; only two of the 30 students interviewed admitted they do not have a Facebook account.

The site has certainly caused its share of problems, from addiction to studenton-student harassment. Emering recalls several instances of hurtful messages being brought to him by students. So far, however, Facebook has not caused any issues of extreme magnitude in our school.

Calm Down - it’s Only Grass!

The Legal Battle Against Marijuana

by Jack Boyd-Dias ‘12

“Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn't the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?” said Bill Hicks, a currently dead comedian leaving behind a legacy of criticism on American society.

In recent years it has become increasingly controversial as to whether or not the United States government should pass a law stating that marijuana is officially a legal drug within the country.

Although marijuana is a substance that is the financial backbone to gangs and other criminal organizations, the legalization would only further prevent terrorist from getting their hands on weapons.

With over 734,000 U.S. citizens heading to prison for marijuanarelated offenses, penitentiary centers are rapidly filling up. According to the US Government National Institute on Drug Abuse, most marijuana users are average Americans who pay their bills, have children and on a day to day basis provide for their family as well as possible. Yearly, this figure continues to increase and since 1990, over 5.9 million people were arrested due to marijuana use, possession or intent to distribute. Possession of marijuana in the United States should become legal under strict limitations due to the fact that an extensive amount of the population would benefit from the change.

Recently, in the state of Massachusetts, it has been declared that citizens in possession of less than one ounce of marijuana will receive no jail time but will have to pay a hefty fine. This is a reasonable law that should be passed in more states across the nation to further reduce the amount of people being sent to prison for possession every day. Thus, tax dollars that citizens pay will decrease significantly and more money will be in the pockets of Americans.

This money saved from legalizing marijuana with strict limitations and austere guidelines will benefit our economy as well. There will be more money to spend, business and small companies will prosper and high paying jobs will be created.

In my opinion, marijuana should be legalized to a certain extent. I do not smoke marijuana and I do not recom-

mend one should use the drug at all, but legalization is necessary. There are so many people throughout the country that do partake in the use of marijuana and it would only benefit the US economy and decrease tax dollars if marijuana was made legal.

Marijuana will also become less valuable due to its legalization and the profits terroristic organizations obtain through drug trafficking will greatly decrease.

The strict limitations the government would have to put in place include an age at which the substance could be used and an age at which it could be bought. Smoking marijuana would have to be illegal in public places for the sake of those who do not wish to smoke marijuana or be exposed to the substance. People should only be able to possess a small amount of marijuana to limit dealing and illegal activity.

California introduced a policy to legalize marijuana and place tax on its sale.

This would bring $1.3 billion in revenue from the tax dollars and another billion from not arresting those in possession of the drug. If the U.S. as a whole adopted this policy, the ever-increasing debt would greatly be diminished.

Although this bill is still under debate and will likely be turned down, the United States should follow the example the Netherlands set.

Government officials decided that if they couldn’t stop people from using marijuana they would control it.

With more money to spend from the amount saved from keeping marijuana users out of jail, the Netherlands continues to pull itself out of national debt. Also, with its legalization, the government can control its distribution - an advantage the U.S. doesn’t possess.

As a result of America’s increasing national debt and rising drug problems, the U.S. should adopt a policy to legalize marijuana. Actions such as this would further benefit the failing economy by putting money back in the pockets of Americans by lowering taxes. It would greatly cripple the treasury of terroristic organizations. I believe that if the U.S. government would open their eyes and look at the benefits and drawbacks to making marijuana legal, they would find that only the good aspects will prevail.

June 2009 Issue 4

Feature

The Wessex Wire Page 8

Custodians Act As Unsung Heroes Of WE

by Celina DeLuca ‘11 and Lacy Tell ‘11

Here at West Essex High School, the show must go on every day. The teachers and administration are a big part of the main event, but nothing could happen without our stage crew. The maintenance and custodian staffs are the backbone of West Essex.

The custodians are required to keep the grounds and the school looking clean.

They clean everything from the classrooms to the gym for sporting events.

They also provide for the needs of teachers and the administration. Ultimately, they keep the school running. According to Indeed.com, on average, custodians are paid $30,000 annually. When compared with a gas station attendant, it seems the janitors do not make enough for their effort. Indeed.com shows that gas station attendants make $78,000 annually.

There are a lot of things that the students do not know about the “master minds” of our school. They are all extremely friendly people who love their jobs. Kevin Boldin, a member of the custodian staff, stopped what he was doing in the hallway just to talk to us.

Boldin said, “I absolutely would never want to work anywhere else.”

Dr. Tony Emering, Student Assistance worked for 20 years.

When asked what the worst and best Counselor, feels strongly about his co-workers. “They set the tone for the part of his day is Bott said, in a joking school. Most of the students think they manner, “I like the beginning and the just empty trash cans but they really end.” Nucera joked, “It pays the rent.” do so much more,” Emering said. As a But, when the custodians talk about coach of the track team, Emering notices their job, they speak with such passion the well kept grounds and appreciates and love that most are taken aback. This the staff fully for that. “The little things wonderful staff is here for the students. they do really mean a lot.”

When asked about the pay for custodiMost of the members have been work- ans, Desmond said, “I can’t complain.”

Both Boldin and Nucera said no parts ing at this school for many years. Frank Bott, a maintenance worker, has been of their day are uneventful and they enworking at West Essex for 24 years, joy each and every part. Acevedo said Boldin has been working at West Es- that he loves getting together with the sex for 16 years, and Donna Nucera, a staff members just laughing and having member of the custodial staff, has been a good time while working. courtesy of Brittany Jacobsen “I’ve never had any problems with working here for eight years. Addition- Photo ally, Manny Acevedo and Todd Longo, anyone on the staff,” Emering said. both members of the custodial staff, “They go out of their way to give exceptional service.” have been working here for one year.

All of the custodial and maintenance Bott stopped dead in his tracks and came across the school just to talk to members feel the administration and teachus. “I love every point of my job. My ers make their jobs easier. They all feel a favorite part is probably coming in and strong and positive relationship between themselves and the school staff. They seeing all of my friends,” Bott said.

Twenty-four years ago, Bott was look- also have never encountered any serious ing for a job with benefits when his wife problems with students. Nucera could only had a child and wanted to stay home. His recall having one problem with a child father-in-law recommended he apply many years ago. Acevedo and Longo said at West Essex where he had previously that they have never once encountered any

problems with any student.

Both Acevedo and Longo said the students are helpful, but they try to ask them not to put gum under the desks. Otherwise, gum removal just adds to the list of unnecessary tasks to be completed.

The custodians have a great sense of humor. They love to help the school and really appreciate being appreciated. Our advice is to get to know these wonderful people because, even though we don’t realize it, they make everything happen.

Without them, the show at West Essex would never be able to go on.

Photo courtesy of Brittany Jacobsen

Acevedo (left) and Longo (right) enjoy working at WE.

Driving Me Crazy On The Road for Six Hours

by Brittany Berman ‘11

Ugh, a student driver. Everyone else on the road tries to avoid you so they don’t get stuck behind the car that is barely reaching 25 mph on a 35 mph road. Their car has a stupid bumper sticker to pretty much tell the world, “Listen…it’s my first time driving, stay away because I have no clue what I am doing.” Some obnoxious driver with no patience or sympathy honks the horn to get around you and completely cut you off.

You have to give the student driver a break though, because driving for a newbie is one of the most stressful, weird, awkward and uncomfortable situations. On the other hand, it is also the coolest experience ever.

I got my permit in the beginning of May, so the whole driving thing is kind of new to me. Whenever my parents need anything I’m always the first to offer to drive. Of course one of them needs to drive with me

and it has to be before 11 p.m., but with all of the people behind the desk.

Cracking jokes with the DMV staff and that is beside the point.

On May 6, the infamous Joe from Pre- other driving instructors, my first visit cision Driving picked me up for my first to the N.J. DMV was fast, easy and a little nerve driving wracking. l e s s o n . Photo courtesy of Carol Berman Joe drove He drove on and off to the the highway D M V, because where if I had to we were drive on going to Route 46, I get my would have permit. crashed T h e the car. We DMV as pulled over always to the side w a s of some packed random to its r oad and limit.

Brittany (left) with driving instructor s witched Since Joe (right) after her first lesson. seats. I was Joe goes told to drive. to the That’s it.

What do you mean just drive?

DMV an average of twice a day, he was able to cut the line, using his connections I had no clue what I was doing. Joe

explained to me the basics- turning the wheel right makes the car go right and turning the wheel left makes the car go left, break is on the left and gas in on the right.

Then I was driving, just like that.

Joe told me where to go and I drove.

Joe had a break on the side of his car, just in case. He didn’t have to use it much, maybe once or twice just to save us from crashing. He had to grab the wheel from me once. A squirrel jumped out right in front of me and trying not to kill it I swerved to the side. Supposedly, it’s not good to drive into the woods, so Joe took the wheel and got us back in the lane.

Since I have gotten my permit all I want to do is drive. If anyone in my family needs gas, something from the supermarket or even just wants to take a joy ride, I will willingly comply with their request. Now my family has to get used to not driving for a year, while I take over the wheel. I already have my lesson set with Joe to get my license.

June 2009

Feature

Page 9

It’s not Food Shopping; it’s Costco Shopping!

by Shai Kartus ‘11 and Sarah McGrath’11

The other day we pulled into a dangerous and overcrowded parking lot in East Hanover only to see it was the parking lot for the factory-like bargained goods store, Costco. The store is notorious

for its free samples and ridiculously low priced goods, so we decided to take a look inside. Walking in, the store seemed endless and was packed with all different types of shoppers: families, senior citizens and even the occasional businessmen. We walked through the food aisle to snag a few free samples,

How the Awkward Turtle Swam Into the Ocean of our Lives

by Lisa Feierstein ‘11

Everyone has had to endure, at least once in their lives, memorable moments that would rather be forgotten- the embarrassing ones that oh-so-conveniently place you in uncomfortable social positions. There are those times when one is forced to listen to another divulge rather disturbing tidbits about themselves, when one unexpectedly encounters an ex-friend or significant other or is perhaps even caught talking about someone behind their back by the usually miffed subject of conversation. In years past, these moments would most likely merely be classified as “embarrassing,” “humiliating” and occasionally “mortifying.” While these adjectives may certainly apply to a wide variety of similar situations today, there is a concept (and motion to go along with it) that many of younger generations currently apply more often – the awkward turtle.

The awkward turtle is a hand motion used after bearing witness to an awkward moment. Both hands are placed on top of one another, thumbs jut out from each side and are rotated in a circular and usually counterclockwise direction. This reverse direction of the “flippers” classifies the sea turtle as being an awkward one.

This simple hand movement has become universally known in recent years, particularly in the United States. Both the origin of the awkward turtle and how this phenomenon took over the world are unclear. It may have originated from a nearly-identical motion in American

Sign Language that means “platypus,” yet there are no clear indicators as to how the idea of awkward moments were incorporated with this hand movement.

Many trace the rapid spread of the awkward turtle to urbandictionary.com.

The website, which defines itself as a dictionary for slang and allows users to post their own definitions and popculture terms, first posted a definition for the word on September 6, 2005 – thus officially documenting the revered existence of “the animal mascot of the awkward moment.”

The awkward turtle’s dramatic impact on society is not only underestimated, but often unrealized as well. It has caused the revolutionary births of hundreds of other “awkward” objects and creatures including the awkward balloon, the awkward whale, the awkward palm tree and the awkward kitten. More importantly, however, it has affected the way modern youth interacts with each other and how they view daily occurrences. The awkward turtle sprouted a nationwide obsession with everything awkward. This, in turn, broadened America’s sense of humor and created a plethora of internet sensations. For instance, the new and wildly popular fmylife.com encourages many to post their often-hilarious awkward situations for millions to see. The awkward turtle proves that something unexpected and seemingly insignificant can make an unbelievable impact. None could have predicted that a mere sea turtle, washed up on the shores of society, would be holding a chunk of the future.

Photo courtesy of Brittany Jacobsen

The awkward turtle makes an appearance everywhere - even on Fudgie the Whale!

one of the perks of being a Costco member, and then checked out some of the other goods and electronics filling the store. Everything from iPods to socks seemed way cheaper than the norm.

How did Costco get their items for so cheap?

Before traveling directly to the Costco store, we decided it would be a helpful start to phone a Costco worker first. We tried calling Costco at 8 a.m.; however we were forced to listen to their long voicemail that in the end told us we would have to call back later to talk to a specialist. We tried calling back later only to find that once again there was no answer. We decided we would have to go in for a hands-on experience by visiting the Costco store with hopes of speaking to a specialist in person.

We walked up to the customer service desk because we were interested in finding out more about the mysterious ways of Costco. Nick Saccone, a specialist in marketing and sales, was more than happy to answer our questions.

From Saccone we learned that Costco only marks up the prices of electronics and other non-perishable items eight to twelve percent, which is an extremely low markup rate. For most food items Costco often breaks even and makes little profit. Costco makes most of their profi t through their memberships: Business, Gold Star and Executive, not through their sales. Business and Gold Star memberships cost $50 for the year and Executive costs $100 for the year, but you get two percent back after all of your purchases.

Costco is a corporation that has 532 locations worldwide. The prices, along with the items sold, are generally all the same, but can vary a little from store to store. The particular items sold at different Costco stores often reflect the culture of the surrounding area, meaning that items in the United States are not necessarily going to be the exact same items sold in a Costco store in China. Costco receives their goods from a variety of strong and independent suppliers found all around the world.

“I love Costco because I love the free samples. Costco sells their items for great prices and has amazing food!

When I grow up, I want to be a Costco member. It’s not food shopping, its Costco shopping!” said Freshman Steven Czachor.

Costco does not only supply electronics and groceries, but also a sit-down area in which you can buy various items

of food to eat in the store including fountain drinks, bottles of water, ice cream, soft pretzels and smoothies. Saccone said, “Get the Take and Bake. If you like the regular pizza, the Take and Bake is even better!”

Costco is known for its frozen pizza called the Take and Bake. While at Costco, we thought that other food and electronic stores, such as Shop Rite and Best Buy, must have a lot of competition with Costco. We were curious to find out the different prices amongst the stores and also to see if competition travels between them. So there we went, on our way to Shop Photo courtesy of John Atura Rite.

We walked into the Shop Rite grocery store in Caldwell and in no time we were on a tour with the president of this particular Shop Rite store, Ned Gladstein. We discussed the competition we thought his store may have with Costco and he said it was true, since all stores that have similar goods must compete.

However, at Shop Rite the goods are more personal and fit individual needs while at Costco, the items are too vague for some people. Shop Rite receives its products from a manufacturing company called Wakefern Manufacturing. Shop Rite’s computers automatically send messages to Wakefern when they have sold a certain amount of one product.

The next day, a huge grocery truck comes to deliver the food and each night the food is replenished onto the shelves for the coming morning. The prices are made up by a company at Wakefern and are distributed to the various stores in which this company is a part of. At the end of the day, about one percent of product sales go to profit.

“At Shop Rite we like to accommodate. Most of my job involves the personal stuff because we always want to keep the customers happy. We work very hard to have our products fit the customer’s specific needs,” said Gladstein of his store.

After returning home from a long day visiting both the Costco and Shop Rite stores, we decided to gather our facts and draw a conclusion. It turns out there is more to Costco then just their delicious free samples. We learned exactly the way Costco actually works and in doing so, were able to find out the truth about the Costco vs. Shop Rite competition.

Feature

June 2009

Page 10

Need Advice? Ask Gloria!

by Gloria, our Anonymous Advice Fairy Godmother

Photo courtesy of Colin Lyon

Students laugh about their Computer Fun results

Is “Computer Fun” Really That Fun?

by Erin Quinn ‘11

Computer dating and matchmaking has increased interests in many people’s eyes over the past year and you hear more and more success stories on their commercials.

Here at West Essex Senior High School, we conducted a survey called “Computer Fun” where students filled out a simple evaluation on their views on relationships and friendships. The results were recently handed back to students for the cost of $2 and everyone was stunned to see who would be their top 10.

Not only did this “Computer Fun” provide you with possible matches but also best friends that you could potentially get to know. Students each received two sheets: one with kids in your grade and one with kids from the entire school. Even though it was fun and exciting to see who ended up on your paper, my results weren’t very realistic.

When I received my paper, I noticed that my stepbrother, sophomore Justin Calabrese, was my number three match. I couldn’t help cracking up and running over

to tell him how he ended up on my sheet.

Right then and there I started to lose faith in this match making experiment.

“The best friend category was a little over the top,” Sophomore Caitlin Sweeney stated after looking over her survey. Under the possible love matches, students were shown names of classmates who would be compatible best friend matches; this is where the survey seemed to lose interest. Some matches had friends with two totally different personalities who might not mesh well together. I think it was just all in good fun to see who the computer thought would be a good match for each other. Many students actually filled out fake slips with celebrity names as a joke. There were rumors that teachers even filled out the surveys and wanted in on the fun.

It was entertaining to see who you could possibly be paired up with, but it should not have been taken seriously.

Worth the $2 or not, this computer survey definitely sparked the interest of students and was better seen as a joke then a relationship tool.

I’m looking for a summer job but I really don’t want to do any work. Any suggestions?

Dear Lazy, Even though I don’t blame you for not wanting any kind of physical or mental strain during the summer, the reality is that most jobs involve some sort of work.

If you’re really serious about finding a low-labor job, consider finding a quiet shop around town. Lifeguarding at the pool or beach would be fun, but that involves some classes and you can’t exactly sleep on the job. If you’ll be around during the summer and are interested in sports, take an umpiring class in your town and ref baseball and softball games for younger kids. Of course, babysitting is usually a less-intense job, as long as the kids aren’t bouncing off the walls.

Most parents will pay you more than you probably deserve for sitting there and keeping an eye on their kids. Don’t agree to work for a family that doesn’t allow you full-fridge access.

My friend was looking at my phone and saw some mean texts about her between me and another friend of ours.

I think I really hurt her feelings. What can I do?

Dear Insensitive, It’s bound to happen to all of us at one time or another, whether you’re the gossiper or the gossipee. Be honest with your friend. Own up because you clearly did something wrong. Whatever you do, DON’T try and lie your way out of it. She’ll appreciate your honesty…or not. Either way, you’ll regret lying in the long run.

I just tried on all my spring clothes and none of them fit. I gained some weight this year and am determined to lose it. Any quick suggestions for losing weight?

Dear Determined, Whatever you do to lose weight, please be healthy about it. Starving yourself may seem “okay” to you if you’re only doing it for a few days, but the reality is that it can harm your body much more than you may realize. Make sure you’re getting enough nutrition every day. Don’t worry about counting calories. Instead replace snack foods with foods that are lower in fat. And don’t sit around watching TV all day. Get out and get some fresh air and exercise. This is more enjoyable now that the weather is nicer. Of course, don’t go run a marathon if it’s not something your body is used to. Ride your bike. Play tennis. Walk the dog.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be miserable.

I got a speeding ticket and I didn’t tell my parents. They will freak out if they find out. Help!

Dear Rebel Child, They may freak out if they find out, but won’t they freak out more if they find out you didn’t tell them about it? You can’t keep a secret like that for long. Your parents were teenagers once. Chances are they’ve gotten tickets in their lives too; no one’s perfect and certainly no one is a perfect driver. When you’re owning up, make sure you use lots of “I’m sorry’s” and “It won’t happen again’s.” They won’t stay mad forever.

High School Musical? More like High School Bluesical!

by Krista Liotti ‘12

If any parent was asked what time in their life they’d like to go back to, the most overwhelming majority will respond with “I’d love to go back to high school.” Back to getting shoved into lockers, having nowhere to sit at lunch, and being the invisible kid that everyone sees but doesn’t acknowledge? Well, for all students high school doesn’t have to be that bad, and just for the eighth graders coming to the high school, I have a few tips on how not to surrender your lunch money to the upperclassmen.

The biggest help to any student is a friend to walk to each class with. By traveling in the hallway in twos, there’s a lesser chance of being pushed into a row of lockers, but of course, no promises.

Also, traveling with a friend can make the walks from class to class a little bit less nerve-wracking and a little more fun. For newcomers to the high school, move up day is a blessing. This day allows students to figure out where all of their classes are, who they’re going to walk with, and what their teachers are like. If you happen to be absent on move up day (big mistake), get your schedule from your teacher and compare it with your other friends

to see if they have any classes with you, or near you.

There are five minutes in between each period to walk from class to class. You may think walking across the junior high is a sweat jerker, but the walk in the high school is much worse. There are constant crowds of people standing in the middle of the hallways in the high school, which makes the journey across the school that much longer. Don’t worry. After about a month of walking from room 207 to the gym and back, you’ll get the hang of maneuvering around everyone and everything in the hallway.

When it comes to dealing with up-

perclassmen, it’s always good to have somebody on the inside. Knowing an upperclassman can help you find your way around the school, know which teachers are the nicest, meanest and give the most work, and will most likely make your transition a lot smoother.

Even though having your lunch money taken and being shoved into lockers may seem like the typical high school experience, there’s no need to worry. At most, you’ll become very familiar with the nickname “Fresh Meat.” Welcome to High School: the start of something new.

June 2009

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Page 11

St. Kitts: A Hidden Gem in the Caribbean

by Sarah McGrath ‘11

St. Kitts- You have probably never heard of it, but you will love it!

Looking out the window of the plane, all I could see was the crisp, aqua colored water of the Caribbean. The pilot says, “We will be landing in about 10 minutes at the R.L. Bradshaw Airport. It’s a beautiful day outside; sunny and 85 degrees.”

I was so excited I was literally bouncing in my seat and crying with glee to my friends.

I looked outside the window again and saw that we are overhead what looks like a gigantic volcano. We descended and the next thing I knew I was getting off the airplane. Immediately the heat and humidity hit me The and I saw the beauty that is St. Kitts; endless palm trees, dormant volcanoes and wind sanded beaches. I automatically felt relaxed.

My vacation to St. Kitts was my first

Christopher Columbus, nicknamed St. Kitts, and has a rich, yet violent history that shaped the culture of the island.

For my trip I was staying at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, the largest hotel on the island and in my opinion the most family friendly. Within the Marriott there were eight very different restaurants, three swimming pools, a golf course, a casino and over 550 rooms. At the Marriott there were always things to do.

The pools were fun; one even had a swim up bar and the beach and surrounding area were absolutely breathtaking. Just warning you, if you go in the ocean you are going to see some tropical fish; pretty, but maybe a little too close for comfort.

Photo courtesy of Sarah McGrath Outside the resort we took a beautiful beaches of St. Kitts panoramic bus tour around the island and saw some pretty cool things. We drove through Bassedegrees all year long and the island terre, the capitol of St. Kitts, and got a always embodies a tropical feel. The good look at the town, then drove off island is said to have been found by into the countryside and passed sugar time out of the United States and I am eternally grateful to my friend Alexis for bringing me. St. Kitts is a small, tropical, not overly touristy island located about an hour south by plane from Puerto Rico. It’s about 80

cane, volcanoes and black rocks. Later we stopped by the Caribelle Batik Studios, where artists make fabric using old techniques. The most interesting stop was definitely Timothy Hill because we could the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the mountain and the Caribbean on the other.

While in St. Kitts we tried out many local as well as a few hotel restaurants.

Marshalls, Serendipity, Blu and Stone Walls were all very classy restaurants that offered all kinds of foods ranging from steak to salads. Ballahoo and Café Calypso were great places for casual dining because they both offered great American choices. While in St. Kitts I probably went to Café Calypso about 20 times for buffet breakfast in the morning and ice cream in the evening. The coffee ice cream there was the best I have ever had!

St. Kitts was beautiful and I made so many memories there. My week-long trip flew by and when I left I felt like I was leaving my home. So if you have the chance to hit up a tropical island, check out St. Kitts- you won’t regret it!

Mirror Images: West Essex Knights Celebrity Lookalikes - compiled by Lindsey Felcher ‘10, Shai Kartus ‘11 and Joe Russo ‘09 -

Mrs. Baney & Lisa Mascera ‘10 (aka. Little Baney)

Vanessa Hudgens & Christiana Mecca ‘11

Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) & Jed Entin ‘10

Spencer Pratt (“The Hills”) & Kyle Boeckel ‘11

Photos Courtesy of Jed Entin, Christiana Mecca, Joe Russo, people.com, geocities.com, usweekly.com and Kyle Boeckel

June 2009

Feature

Recessionomics:

Page 12

How to be fashionably thrifty during the economic downturn

How to Live the Good Life Without Paying the Price

by Alyson Roseman ‘10 The weatherman reported overcast with late afternoon showers. It was a Saturday prior to prom and my mother and I thought the dreary day would be best spent inside looking for the perfect dress. We decided to take a ride down the tumultuous Route 4 to Riverside Square, a somewhat smaller, quainter version of the Short Hills Mall. Parking spaces weren’t as sparse as they frequently are, and in no time we entered the mall.

There were hardly any shoppers around.

For the first time in my 17 years of shopping, the employees greatly outnumbered potential customers. It was an unnerving sight and my mother and I made several comments during the brief time we were there about how depressing and desolate Riverside Square seemed to be.

Times are economically tough. In March, the unemployment rate rose to an all time high of 8.5 percent. Although we live in a sheltered, affluent community, we are beginning to be surrounded by businesses and families that are suffering.

For me, this global crisis has meant personally funding my wardrobe and

social life. As a result, I have become more money conscious and have discovered ways to successfully save and earn money.

Jobs may be hard to come by during the year when there are no local camps to counselor or pools to watch over. One incredibly effective way to earn money, which I have been actively participating in since fourth grade, is babysitting.

As high school students, we can easily charge $10 an hour or more. Opportunities are seemingly limitless since we live in a young area where social couples often attend charity events and go out to dinner without their children.

If you are interested in babysitting, it is always good to alert your friends who babysit on a regular basis. This way, if they are ever busy and are asked to babysit, they can recommend you. It is also extremely helpful to advertise as much as possible.

Parents are often more than willing to try out different, local sitters.

Local bulletin boards, such as those in the town hall or at the local pool, are excellent places to advertise. If you are more eager, however, you could always hand out “business cards” at local bus

stops for the elementary schools around your house. A less forward method would be sticking cards in mailboxes that belong to houses with younger children.

Another way to earn a few dollars is to give old clothes to a consignment shop; a place, unlike thrift stores, that will sell that old t-shirt you never wear or CD you never listen to for you. The one on Bloomfield Ave. in West Caldwell, for instance, requires you to visit once a month to collect any money that you may have earned. If nothing is sold after a period of time, they donate the items to local shelters. This is a wonderful way to free up space, possibly earn a few dollars and give back to the community.

Upon earning this money, you can spend and save in a responsible fashion without feeling as though you have to compromise. Music, for example, can use up a great deal of hard earned cash.

Instead of purchasing every CD you set your eyes on, you can find people with similar musical tastes and take turns purchasing much wanted CDs or songs.

Whoever spends the money can burn copies for everyone else to enjoy. This way, for $15, you may be able to get

four different CDs instead of just one.

An intricate part of any teen’s social life is food. Personally, I spend $15 to $20 every time I go out to eat. A great way to save money is by eating dinner at home. This can be turned into a social, fun activity by inviting friends over to make pizza or eat whatever is in your freezer with you. To get out of the house, you could go out for coffee, tea and dessert afterwards, to places such as Starbucks in West Caldwell or the Fine Grind in Little Falls where you can spend $5 on a dessert and a beverage.

Thankfully, after a long winter, spring has finally emerged. This means more sunlight, longer days, less clothing and warmer weather. The ability to be outside is a money saver in itself. Instead of staying indoors at the mall or at the movies, you can be outside walking around town with friends, picnicking in the park or playing sports.

Upon following some of these tips, you should be able to earn money to support your endeavors despite the worldwide economic crisis.

Roving Reporter: How do you, or how can others, save money during this economic recession? -compiled by Alyson Roseman ‘10-

When I go out I won’t buy a soda, I’ll carry a water bottle with me instead.

-Colin Lyon ‘10

I hang out at people’s houses instead of going to places, such as the mall, so I’m less tempted to spend money.

-Jared Laxer ‘09

Costco Wholesale offers various free samples of premium quality foods.

One can go there hungry and leave satisfied, thanks to free samples!

-Emma McCann‘10

Bringing in lunch rather than buying lunch from the cafeteria is a great way to save.

-Angelica Cifelli‘11

Photo Courtesy of Colin Lyon, Jared Laxer, Emma McCann and Angelica Cifelli

June 2009

Feature

Page 13

Is Richard Simmons Really the Answer to Your Fitness Needs?

by KJ Glenn ‘11 and Tom Paranzine ‘11 “And one, and two, and three” can be heard during the constant encouragement of exercise tapes. Although exercise tapes clearly do not get the sweat on as much as a gym or exercise class, due to the recession, people have begun cutting down on unnecessary expenses, and gym memberships seem to be one of the first things to go.

While the public’s new stinginess may be affecting gym membership sales, exercise tapes have emerged as the most readily available and effective alternative. It looks like instead of that $105 per session personal trainer, we are going to have to rely on Richard Simmons for exercise now.

If you’ve never belonged to a gym or have considered joining one, after seeing the entrance and monthly fees, you would surely change your mind. So, your next resort is to buy a few exercise videos.

This is a great idea since exercise videos provide perfect examples of workouts, demonstrate exercises with correct form, and also provide some extra motivation. Exercise videos are the stepping stones for succeeding outside of the gym.

When choosing your exercise video, you should choose one that will help you reach your goals. Don’t buy the most popular video or the most expensive video; just remember to get one that fits your needs.

Once you find a video that will help you reach your goals, you should look for a video that has professional trainers putting you through the workout and demonstrating the exercises. If you use a video without professional trainers, the video may lack demonstration of proper form for exercises, and the exercises may be less effective. Choosing the right exercise video is crucial in successfully obtaining your fitness goals outside the gym.

Unfortunately, for the intermediate to advanced gym goers, exercise videos will just not suffice. You should have enough gym knowledge to know how to create your own workout. “You have to know what works for you and what doesn’t.

After a certain point exercise tapes will no longer help you improve, and if you want to continue any progress, it is necessary to spend that extra money for a more effective gym experience,” said NY Sports Club fitness instructor Zach Taylor. “If you want to reach your

No Need to Budge Your Budget Any Longer!

by Nikki Maxman’11 “Expect more, pay less!” “Save money, live better!” “Economize, don’t compromise!” Finally, stores are catching on to our nation’s debt and have responded to the situation. In today's era, many people are interested and want to have the best brands of clothing to wear and show off. They may do it because they simply like brand names, or because they want to prove their status. Whatever the case may be, usually brand name clothes are too expensive for the average person to buy. Luckily, there is a solution to this problem. There are quite a few stores out there that sell good clothes for discount prices and you will not have to compromise your style.

The likes of stores such as Forever 21, H&M, TJ Max and Target have grown exponentially over the last few years, clearly showing that the demand for fashionable clothing remains strong. While it doesn’t seem like shopping would take any skill whatsoever, you must be a smart shopper. For example, quality over quantity is a great motto to follow.

Make sure that all splurges are timeless items. For example, instead of spending $100 on high-waisted shorts, put it toward a little black dress that you could wear whenever.

Also, it may help to not take out credit cards and use only cash because it has been proven that people buy less when using cash. Furthermore, check out local thrift shops or flea markets, and most importantly, always wait for sales!

Stores such as Forever 21 have become good at finding a designer brand item and remaking practically the exact same thing to make shoppers feel as if they are high class. In reality, the only difference is what the tag says and it is worth saving the extra large sum of money. These stores’ clothing is up to par and is equally as fashionable.

So even though the economy is forcing us fashion-forward women to keep our wallets shut, it doesn’t mean we can’t look great! So if you find yourself a victim of financial woes, just remember that Marc Jacobs is not your friend!

fitness goals, you gotta be willing to go the extra mile and spend the extra cash.”

Exercise videos will only take money out of your pocket to show you simple exercises that you most likely already know. Also, keep your goals in mind. If you have lofty goals you might have to spend more money and cut back on more than a gym membership. We would also suggest buying a less expensive home gym or creating a workout routine using body weight exercises (pushups, pull ups, jumping jacks and sit ups) and adding in either a jog or fast walk. There are many ways to still obtain your fitness goals without going to a gym; you just have to be a little creative.

Recently, new options have been developed to make gym memberships more affordable. Gyms around the area are trying new deals. They are allowing certain members to attend their facilities only two or three times a week, but cutting the cost of the membership in half. This has encouraged many people not to give up on the gym, but incorporate other workouts into their routine. “I attend

the gym a few times a week as well as watching exercise videos,” said Fairfield resident Giovanna Mancini. “I am able to mix up my workout while still keeping up the intensity. I love the nonstop action I get from exercise tapes and the controlled workouts of the gyms.”

Working out at a gym is clearly superior and more effective than working with an exercise video. However, as the prices at gyms continue to skyrocket around our area, memberships costing upwards of $900 per year, it has caused many to change their mentality on exercise. When asked if gym prices should be lowered, Taylor simply stated, “hey, I gotta get paid too.” Instead of overspending on memberships, the public is being more fruitful by working out with a far less expensive and convenient method of exercise, which can all be done in one’s own home. Not to mention, those motivational speeches before and after each workout routine really lift your spirits, no matter how horrible your last cycle was.

The Recession Hits Home

by Sarah McGrath’11 Last Friday, I was at Bloomingdales, just walking around with a friend picking out outrageously priced dresses to try on for fun. I looked at my watch, 8:58, so I figured there was about 30 minutes until it closes. A store worker gave me a look, approached me and said, “We close at nine.” Her tone suggested that she expected me to already know about their recent time change. Apparently Bloomingdales had changed their closing time to save money during the recession.

While the recent time change of Bloomingdales is not a matter of life and death, New Jersey has recently been hit with hard times and many citizens and companies have to make great sacrifices.

In New Jersey it seems like a good amount of people are losing their jobs, taking pay cuts, or being forced to take unpaid vacations. Over the course of the last four months, 70,000 jobs have been lost and the unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 8.2 percent. The statistics are scary - four out of every 50 people have lost their jobs; people with families to feed and 70,000 more people who are currently looking for jobs in a failing market. In NJ the recession is especially hurting hospitals, who have been laying off many work-

ers and many offered services are in jeopardy. It’s scary to think that if I ever get sick, I may not be getting the best possible treatment available.

“It is easy to see that many people are trying to cut back on leisurely spending during the recession. I’ve also noticed malls are a lot less crowded and prices in many stores have dropped,” said sophomore Shai Kartus.

It seems like NJ has a bad case of “recessionitis,” the latest disease, or the latest reason to not do anything because you simply cannot afford it. I have noticed now that many families, including my own, have had to cut down on luxuries during the recession. My family used to go out to dinner pretty often, but it seems like it’s a lot easier to just “fake it” once a week instead of spending unnecessary money.

While the recession has not popped the “bubble” of the West Essex area, everyone is making sacrifices and needed changes. Even the wealthiest of locals seem to be more concerned about knowing exactly where their money is going and are burning money to a lesser degree.

While the recession is hurting New Jersey pretty hard now, experts’ claim it will should end around 2010. For now, times are tough, but New Jersey should be able to pull through it in time.

June 2009 Issue 4

&

Arts Arts

Culture

Bamboozle Fever Hits Giants Stadium Fall Out Boy, Third Eye Blind and Cash Cash Wowed the Fans

by Brittany Jacobsen ‘10

Every year around the same time, thousands of kids from all over the east coast sit at a computer and wait. They stare at the digital clock counting down on the screen anticipating all ten digits to turn to zero.

As soon as the time is up they grab a pen and start copying down names and set times of their favorite bands. Why are these kids spending time doing this? Because at this point Bamboozle is only three days away and the anticipation is building.

Bamboozle is an annual, three day music festival that has been hosted in the Giants Stadium parking lot for the past five years. The first night, Friday night, is called Hoodwinked and is unlike the other two days. That night, bands cover music from other bands.

“Hoodwinked is actually my favorite night of the whole Bamboozle weekend,” Junior Jess McDonald said, “At Hoodwinked, there aren’t as many people, and everything seems a lot calmer. You can get an incredible view of the bands that you like without having to worry about being trampled on. On the other hand, if you do like that sort of stuff, they still have tons of mosh pits and crowd surfing that you can get in on; it’s just more controlled and less obnoxious.” This year ’s bands such as Badfish performed the music of Sublime, Boys Like Girls performed the music of Coldplay and New Found Glory performed the music of Green Day. “I think my favorite was Badfish doing Sublime (which they usually do anyway because they are THE cover band for Sublime). They sounded exactly like Sublime and had the actual [Sublime] Sax player playing with them. I also love that when you go to Hoodwinked, you sort of get a sneak preview of all the events they are going to have the following days.

It’s easily worth the extra money and I definitely recommend it to all of the Bamboozle fans,” McDonald said.

the previous years due to construction. The section of the parking lot which is usually reserved for the festival was blocked off for construction. The construction, rain on Sunday and overpriced food were the only let downs this year even though most experienced attendees expected to see signs that read “$8.25 for fries and chicken tenders.”

“The food prices at Bamboozle were pretty ridicul o u s . Tw e n t y dollars could Photo courtesy of Brittany Jacobsen barely get you During the second and third days through a day,” Lovey said. of the festival, bands from all over Every year fans of the Bamboozle the country come to perform for their festival leave satisfied and excited fans. The seven stages dispersed for the next one. This year was no around the parking lot are set up and exception. As the bands played the changed for each band that plays. masses of fans bear the squished, Fans wait in front of stages for the crazy and sometimes insane crowds. music to start playing and for their As you look out over the crowd all favorite musicians to step out into you see are hands of devoted fans the light. moving along to the music. Of course, This year, the headlining bands like every year, there were mosh pits were Fall Out Boy and No Doubt. where kids danced and ran into each Other popular bands that performed other as they sang along to the muwere New Found Glory, The Get sic. There were also crowd surfers Up Kids, Third Eye Blind, All Time who never seem to understand that it Low, Boys Like Girls, Silverstein, would be easier for everyone if they The Used, Rise Against, 3OH!3, Sum just took their shoes off so when they 41, Taking Back Sunday, Hollywood kick people in the face it wouldn’t Undead and West Essex’s very own hurt as much.

Cash Cash. Everyone was shocked to As the nights wound down and peosee the ever famous Journey grace the ple started to leave the fairgrounds, stage as the surprise guest on Satur- the rides stopped and the food stands day night. closed. Many sat on the ground and “Some bands were great, while oth- relaxed as the music of the last band ers failed to impress,” Junior Chrissy playing flooded the air. On Saturday Lovey said. “Billy Talent put on a night most just anticipated the next great show and you could enjoy it day and the opportunity to do it all whether or not you liked their style over again. However on Sunday night of music. More popular bands like many were sad to see the weekend We the Kings had a pretty mediocre end. To all those Bamboozle fans out performance. There weren’t too many there, next year will bring our favordisappointments though.” ite talented artists back to the stage.

This year Bamboozle differed from See you in 2010!

The Wessex Wire Page 14

Upcoming Shows Third Eye Blind Roseland Ballroom, Fri 6/5 $37.00 Plain White T’s The Fillmore NY, Mon 6/15 $20.00 No Doubt w/ Paramore PNC Bank Arts Center, Fri 6/26 $19.00 - $89.00 State Radio The Stone Pony, Fri 7/10 $20.00 All Time Low Bay Stage at Jones Beach, Mon 7/13 $23.00 Jonas Brothers IZOD Center, Tue 7/14 $26.50 - $86.50 Badfish The Stone Pony, Sat 7/25 $20.00 Green Day Madison Square Garden, Mon 7/27 $29.50 - $49.50 Katy Perry Hammerstein Ballroom, Tue 7/28 $29.50 AC/DC Giants Stadium, Fri 7/31 $65.00 - $89.50 American Idols Live Prudential Center, Sat 8/8 $43.50 - $69.50

Taylor Swift Madison Square Garden, Thu 8/27 $24.50 - $79.50

June 2009

Page 15

Arts & Culture

“Guy and Madeline” at Tribeca

by Dan Spada ‘09

Working with a vast sea of influences from John Cassavetes to Jean-Luc Godard (and a final scene that evokes Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset), Damien Chazelle infuses Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench with song-and-dance routines that recall the old MGM musicals everyone swooned over. This is the kind of film that cinema needs right now – a film that lacks pretense and basks in its own fun and games.

Treated to a trumpet solo by lead actor Jason Palmer, the Thursday, April 23 screening of Guy and Madeline sold out in no time and the theater filled up pretty quickly. Started as his senior thesis at Harvard, Chazelle’s film recounts the age old story of: boy meets girl, boy breaks up with girl because of another girl, boy wants to get back with girl but must win her over (this time with a trumpet solo that was half-improvised by Palmer). Chazelle admitted right away during the Q&A that the fi lm intentionally followed this set-up.

The music by Justin Hurwitz is sometimes melodramatic and sometimes seems too imitative of classic

Disney movies, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. The standout musical scene was definitely the part in a basement where a boatload of college students or graduates are just drinking, talking and having a good time when a man breaks out into song – and then the tap dancing begins. This scene, one take that was probably around five minutes, never seems to drag on, as the course of the music is completely unpredictable.

The multicultural Boston locale in the film is charming in itself, as are the main characters Guy and Madeline. Chazelle allows for ultimate expression of human emotion with his fierce close-ups and somewhat jarring camerawork. The black-andwhite cinematography lends itself well to both the story and the setting, as seen in one particularly admirable scene in which Guy laments about the music people blast from their cars – this is complemented by a beautiful shot of a narrow street with only the streetlights giving off light.

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench is an ode to the cinema of the past, but also something completely new and engaging – a top-tapping piece of honesty that the cinema rarely sees today.

“I Love You Man” Isn’t Exactly Love At First Sight for Viewers

by Victoria Gualtieri ‘09

I went into “I Love You, Man” prepared to be wowed by the powerhouse duo Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, two of my favorite, if more unknown comedic actors and I must admit I ended up; confused.

I hesitate to say disappointed, as, unlike most comedies out today, it stayed away from crude or “toilet” gags, and went for the classier humor, which was highly appreciated. The main problem with this film is that it tries to be awkwardly funny, and unfortunately falls just short.

For the most part, it lands squarely on awkward.

Peter Klavin, played by the adorably gauche Paul Rudd, is a newly engaged real estate agent with no male friends. His fiancé Zooey (Rashida Jones) has too many bridesmaids to count, who are led by her two closest friends Hailey (Sarah Burns) and Denise (Jamie Pressly).

The problem comes in when Klavin must find a best man. The confusion comes in when the simple solutionhaving his gay, quite social brother Robbie (Andy Samberg) play the

part-is completely overlooked.

The film itself seemed to be filled with stilted dialogue. With pause after uncomfortable pause, the film has its viewers cringing more times than laughing. However, as the film progresses, the tension eases and allows the majority of gags to generate the mirth it was originally going for.

This is much attributed to the onscreen appearance of Jason Segel, whose wardrobe, often the absurd combination of Uggs and beach shorts, overtly portray him as a carefree bachelor with no steady girlfriend or wife to please.

Despite this, Segel’s humor is only occasionally crude, and often the majority of amusement he produces result from his theories on life, delivered in much the same fashion as a suave college student with all the answers. With his overgrown-boy charm, Segel is easily the highlight of the entire film.

Overall, “I Love You, Man” is worth seeing, if only to hear Paul Rudd’s leprechaun imitation and see Jason Segel flip out on Lou Ferrigno. But it requires only one viewing, and you can wait until it comes out on DVD.

Photo courtesy of metmuseum.org

Exhibit in the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Model As Muse. The exhibition began on May 6 and will be on view until August 9.

The Met Brings a Blast from the Past with Model as Muse

by Madi Berse ‘11

Throughout the years, fashion has changed significantly for both better and worse. Designers spend their time creating abstract and unusual collections to show off on the runway.

However, often the clothing is not the only object of interest. Models have, and always have had a huge influence on the fashion industry, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is in agreement in their latest exhibition, “The Model as Muse.”

The exhibition, which opened at the Costume Institute on May 6, begins with Dior’s New Look in 1947; however the curators in charge of The Costume Institute, Harold Koda and Kohle Yohannan, are well aware Photo Courtesy of Emily O’Neill that modeling existed far before then.

The exibit aspires to show the influence of models and to give credit to the women who have helped change Western femininity and beauty. It features approximately 80 masterworks of both high fashion couture and ready-to-wear. “The Model as Muse” will be on view until August 9.

“The exhibition examines a timeline of fashion from 1947 to 1997 through the idealized aesthetic of the fashion model,” said Harold Koda. “We look at the power of clothing, fashion photography, and the model to project the look of an era. With a mere gesture, a truly stellar model can sum up the attitude of her time-becoming not only a muse to designers or photographers, but a muse to a generation.”

The sophisticates of the 1950’s, (Dovima, Lisa Fonssagrives, Sunny Harnett) with their distant gazes and long and lean bodies, developed

into the hippie chicks of the 1960’s (Veruschka, Penelope Tree, Twiggy.)

Soon, they were transformed into the glowing and healthy-looking models of the following decade (Lisa Taylor, Patty Hansen), who became the glamorous supermodels of the 1980s (Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista). By the 1990s, glamour and beauty led to grunge and street style of rebel chicks like Kate Moss.

Other iconic models in the exhibit include Nadja Auermann, Janice Dickinson, Jerry Hall, Shalom Harlow, Lauren Hutton, Iman, Dorian Leigh, Donyale Luna, Peggy Moffitt, Suzy Parker, Amber Valletta and others.

Designers in the exhibition include André Courréges, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Cristóbol, Dior, Donna Karen, Gianni Versace, Giorgio Armani, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, Helmut Lang, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Pierre Cardin, Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Photographers whose works are featured in the exhibition include Annie Leibovitz, Cecil Beaton, Chris Von Wangenheim, Ellen von Unwerth, Francesco Scavullo, Franco Rubartelli, Gösta Peterson, Irving Penn, Melvin Sokolsky, Richard Avedon, and William Klein.

The exhibition is made possible by Honorary Chair Marc Jacobs, CoChairs Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake and Anna Wintour, Editor-In-Chief of Vogue, also with additional help from Condé Nast. This benefit is The Costume Institute’s main source of annual funding for exhibitions, acquisitions and improvements.

June 2009

Arts & Culture

Page 16

The Best Authors And Books For A Fun Summer Read

by Kelly Abbot ‘10

With the school year quickly coming to an end, you might begin to think about what books to read over the summer. Reading is a great summer past time, aside from the usual boring summer reading books.

Whether you are on the beach, poolside, or locked in the house on a rainy day, a great book can take you away from your world. I am here to recommend some of the best authors and their most captivating books that will make your break a little more fun.

Harlan Coben- A New York Times bestselling author of over 10 thrillers, including my most recent favorite, “The Woods.” About 20 years ago,

Paul Copeland lost his dear sister when four teenagers disappeared from the woods near summer camp.

His sister’s body, along with her boyfriend’s, was never found. Paul’s life turns completely chaotic when he is told the news that a body of a middle aged man has been found. Could this be his sister’s boyfriend? Or the real question, could his sister be alive?

“The Woods” is very suspenseful and a page turner. Coben lures you in on the first page and will shock you on the last. Coben is from Livingston, N.J. and writes about local spots around New Jersey, including The Landmark, a local bar and tavern, in most of his books.

Firsts”. You will enjoy watching Jessica move her way through life.

Megan McCafferty- Bestselling author known for her series about Jessica Darling, a witty and sarcastic teenager. Her novels include “Sloppy Firsts,” “Second Helpings,” “Charmed Thirds,” “Fourth Comings” and “Perfect Fifths.” Jessica is heart broken when her best friend, Hope, moves away right before their senior year; she begins to write letters to Hope letting her know how high school is going. “Sloppy Firsts” shows the hardest times of her senior year, from her friends ditching her to when she begins to hang out with the school stoner, Marcus. I recommend all the books following “Sloppy

Sarah Dessen- an author of many best selling young adult novels who usually writes of summer experiences. Some of the best Dessen summer books include “That Summer,” “Someone Like You,” “Keeping The Moon,” “This Lullaby” and my all time favorite, “The Truth About Forever.”

Macy Queen has only a dull summer to look forward to while her boyfriend is away at “brain camp” and she is stuck studying for the SATs. But when she meets the Wish Catering crew and joins their wacky team her summer takes a turn for the better. Wes, her favorite part of the crew, gets Macy to re-think her entire life and teaches her something about herself. “The Truth About Forever” is a great summer read; it will capture you and take you into a world away from your own. Additionally, Sarah Dessen intertwines advice for young adults in her stories.

While you are sitting on the beach this summer, pull one of these books out of your beach bag and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

What’s Sizzling onto the Summer Screen

By Jackie Martorana ‘11

With less than a month of classes left in the 2008-2009 school year, students are already planning out their summers: days at the beach, staying up, sleeping late and most of all just free time to hang out with friends. After 10 straight months of seven hour school days, two and a half months of summer just doesn’t seem like enough. So why waste a single moment of precious summer? With dozens of movies hitting the theaters come the summer season, one can get lost in the jumble of actors and movie titles. It’s safe to have the heads up on those summer blockbusters so you know what you can be sure not to miss, and what you’ll be sure to avoid.

It all starts on June 5 with “The Hangover,” rated R. Three guys (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) take a trip to Las Vegas for a bachelor party with their friend, Doug (Justin Bartha), days before his wed-

ding. The next day, the group wakes up with no recollection of the night before, and no clue as to where Doug is. The three men are forced to retrace their steps and try to remember last night’s events in order to find their friend in time for his wedding.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” comes out June 12, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. Washington plays a New York City subway dispatcher out on another day of work when a subway train is hijacked by Travolta and his gang. If the gang doesn’t receive their ransom from the authorities in time, it will cost the passengers their lives. It’s up to Washington to use his knowledge of the tunnels to save the passengers in this R-rated film.

Sacha Baron Cohen of “Borat” returns July 10 in “Bruno” where he plays a homosexual Austrian fashion designer.

Daniel Radcliffe is also back in the flick, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.”

The sixth of the series is rated PG

and comes out July 17. Other upcoming titles for June include “Year One” with Jack Black and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with Shia LaBeouf. July promises “Public Enemies” with Johnny Depp, “Funny People” with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen and “(500) Days of Summer.” Finally, in August, “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” with Dennis Quaid,

“Julie & Julia” with Meryl Streep and “Inglourious Basterds” with Brad Pitt hit the big screen.

Summer is just around the corner. When planning out your days in the sun and your time in the sand, don’t forget to leave out a night or two at the movies. These new titles being released are a sure part of summer that you won’t want to miss.

Photo courtesy of Brittany Jacobsen

June 2009

Page 17

Arts & Culture

A Summer Music Festival Preview How Much Worse Can Your Life Get? FMyLife Is A Huge Online Hit announced to play on the following

by Daniel Spada ‘09

day.

As the dog days of summer are just Also taking place in Chicago, IL – but at around the corner and the school days Grant Park – is Lollapalooza, drawing a begin to become more like slow, un- very eclectic selection of artists this year bearable clockwork, the pain of a high ranging from Depeche Mode to Jane’s school student’s distaste for this form Addiction to Lou Reed. The festival of torture will never be quelled. For was created by Jane’s Addiction singer the music lover, though, the constant Perry Farrell in 1991 and it has been addition of artists to the multitudinous said to help expose alternative groups number of musical festivals that will such as Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing be held from May to August in North Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

America provides something to look The 2009 festival runs from August 7 forward to come summertime. to August 9 and also includes the likes The Bonnaroo Musical and Arts Festi- of The Killers, Kings of Leon, Thievery val was started by Superfly Productions Corporation, Rise Against and STS9 and AC Entertainment in 2002. It is a (Sound Tribe Sector 9). four day festival, and is annually held TV on the Radio, the Black Keys and at Great Stage Park on a 700 acre farm Santigold will play at the Roots Picnic in Manchester, TN. Since its inception, June 6. This one day event will take Bonnaroo has place at Fesgrown out of tival Pier in its jam band Philadelphia, roots and bePA. The Roots come more will play two diverse in its sets, one to musical seopen the festilection. This val and one to year’s festival, close it. Pubtaking place lic Enemy will June 11 to 14, play “It Takes a features Phish Nation of Milperforming lions to Hold Friday and Us Back” once Photo courtesy of Emma Kessler Sunday along again, in all its w i t h B r u c e A performance at the Coachella Festival glory, but this Springsteen & time with The The E Street Roots backBand on Sating them. On urday. Other headliners include Beastie a second stage Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, Boys, Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Busdriver, Making Time, Back to Basics Wilco, Al Green and Snoop Dogg. and Writtenhouse are set to perform.

The Pitchfork Music Festival is an Last year, Radiohead made their annual summer music festival held at rounds, appearing at nearly every festiUnion Park, Chicago. It was started in val on this side of the world, including 2006 by Pitchfork Media, an indepen- two days of headlining the All Points dent music lover’s wet dream. In 2007 West Musical and Arts Festival in Jerthe festival sold out – 48,000 were said sey City, NJ at Liberty State Park. This to have attended. Sonic Youth per- year’s festival will take place July 31 formed their 1988 album “Daydream to Aug. 2. Friday acts include Beastie Nation” and Yoko Ono mixed it up a bit Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekwith music and performance art. In 2008 end and Fleet Foxes. Saturday sees Tool, Public Enemy performed their landmark My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello, 1988 album “It Takes a Nation of Mil- Arctic Monkeys and Neko Case taking lions to Hold Us Back.” the stage, while favorites Coldplay, For the 2009 festival, Pitchfork has MGMT and the Black Keys close out devised a plan to allow the festival the festival on Sunday, Aug. 2. This goers to pick the set list for the bands festival would seem the most convenient headlining Friday, July 17 – Built to for music fans at West Essex, as Liberty Spill, the Jesus Lizard, Yo La Tengo State Park is roughly 30 minutes to 40 and Tortoise. The National and The minutes away.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart are set From Washington to New Jersey, muto play on Saturday, July 18, while sic enthusiasts will rejoice as more acts summer festival veterans The Flam- are announced in the upcoming months ing Lips and Brooklyn-based indie and these music festivals inch closer and rock band Grizzly Bear have been closer each and every day.

by Geordy Boveroux ‘11

Today, I received my passport in the mail. They got my birth date wrong.

Then I picked up my birth certificate that I had sent in with the application. Turns out my parents have been celebrating my birthday on the wrong day for 16 years. FML. No, luckily that didn’t happen to me.

It was from an anonymous poster on the new popular website fmylife.com, where any user can post an embarrassing or just plain sad and funny part of their day for others to read. And the point of the website; you feel better about yourself.

The site has seemingly come out of nowhere and over the span of a month every teenager in America has something to say about a post they’ve read. The unfortunate stories range from a simple embarrassing encounter to finding your significant other cheating on you. There’s always a degree of humor involved, which makes the site very unique.

They filter through their posts and post the best, but what makes this site great is that they are willing to post almost anything that is funny enough to make it, regardless of how crude or vulgar it is.

The real question is what exactly makes the site so immensely popular and how did its popularity increase so fast? Well, when you think you had a bad day you can go on and read about how some guy’s girlfriend of 6 months had a fiancée all along, or laugh as you read about how a girl spent two hours making a cake that took her dog two seconds to devour. Either way, you realize how much worse your own life could be.

With so many teenagers’ attention spans deteriorating like the ozone layer, a quick couple of lines about how terrible someone else’s life is can be quite enjoyable and simple. The fact that it can make you feel better and split your sides makes fmylife. com a very popular site for years to come.

Courtesy of FMyLife.com

Something New to Watch on Those Lazy Summer After noons

by Melissa Blottman ‘12

Summer is quickly approaching, which also means the end of school, and two and a half months of free time.

In this free time, many people will be going down the shore, on vacation or simply choosing stay home. If you are one who’s choosing to stay home, an endless amount of new TV shows and premieres awaits you.

On Fox, Season 6 of “Hell’s Kitchen”, a reality show where chef-wannabes compete to be crowned by famous chef, Gordon Ramsay, will be airing Tuesday, July 21. Also on Fox, the annual “Teen Choice Awards” will be held on Monday, Aug 10.

NBC also has tons of new shows and premieres this summer, starting with “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”, to be premiered on June 1.

On Monday, June 8, the new season of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” will be aired.

Perhaps the most anticipated show this season will be the third season of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” to be premiered on June 22 on ABCFamily. ABCFamily will also be airing shows like “10 Things I Hate About You” on July 7, “Lincoln Heights”, season 4 on Aug 14, and “Greek”, season 3 on Sept 14.

Summer ’09 will certainly be a great summer for both TV and movies with a great list of films and series planned.

June 2009

Sports

Page 18

WEHS vs. JCHS: A Clash of the Caldwells

by Krista Liotti ‘12

A traditional part of being in high school is participating in the school’s athletic teams. At West Essex, like most high schools, sports are taken very seriously and are run by great coaches. Even though most students just join sports for the fun of the game, a win is always the highest goal, especially when playing against your team’s rival.

The softball team faced Caldwell in the New Jersey Action Cross-Town Clash but lost in a controversial game as Caldwell was accused numerous times of leaving the bases early, but the umpire failed to comply. Not only did Caldwell win the trophy, but also the

title of Cross- Town Clash Champions and a photo op. on the pitchers’ mound.

Despite the results of the game, the true question is: What is behind the Wessex –Caldwell rivalry?

West Essex Junior Varsity softball coach Dominick Linsalato said, “The teams are bitter cross-town rivals,” and have been since about the 1960s when West Essex first opened their doors. West Essex provided another schooling opportunity for students attending Caldwell that lived in Fairfield, Roseland, North Caldwell and Essex Fells. This is what most likely sparked the rivalry. Students from Caldwell transferred to West Essex because it was closer to their hometowns, mak-

The MLB Needs a Salary Cap

by Tyler Tomea ‘09

Professional basketball has one, as does the NFL. The National Hockey League also has a salary cap, yet professional baseball has not instituted one and does not look like it will in the future.

Baseball has always run things its own way, with rules that would not be acceptable in other leagues. For example, there’s a designated hitter in one league, and not the other. So while the Boston Red Sox are afforded the luxury of being able to pencil David Ortiz into the lineup everyday even though he can not play the field, teams in the National League are forced to have their pitcher occupy a spot in the batting order. Also, in an attempt to make the All-Star Game more “meaningful,” home field advantage for the World Series has been given to the winning league since 2003. In addition to others, these rules and nuances of the game are what make baseball great.

However, the MLB should join the other leagues and institute a salary cap.

Many people will view this as an antiYankees article, but it’s not. The fact of the matter is that a team known for its excessive spending must be examined when discussing this issue. Taking the last ten years into account, the Yankees have led the league in total team payroll each year. During this time period, the Yankees have won two World Series, appeared in four Fall Classics, won eight division titles, and made the playoffs in each year besides 2008. Some will argue that money doesn’t buy championships.

While that argument may have merit, it has been proven that money can guarantee October baseball.

In the 10 seasons since 1999 four different teams have had the lowest team payroll. In seven of those seasons, each team finished in last place in its division.

The highest finish was in 2001, when the Minnesota Twins came in 2nd in the AL Central. Unlike the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and other big-market teams, these teams are small-market teams forced to have a very strong minor-league system and make solid decisions in free agency in order to be consistently competitive.

In the 2003 World Series, the Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees.

While some may argue this proves there does not need to be a salary cap, I think the opposite is true. Take a look at the key players from that 2003 Florida team: Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, Dontrelle Willis, Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera were some of their top players.

Three years removed from that World Series team, only Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera were on the Marlins roster. Now, in 2009, they both play for the Detroit Tigers. It’s not that the Marlins didn’t want to keep their players and try to win multiple championships; they just didn’t have the resources and money to match the contracts offered to these players by wealthier teams. The Marlins made their run in 2003 and have not made the playoffs since.

A salary cap should be put in place

by Major League Baseball. In addition to making the playing field more level, the fans will see who the smartest, most efficient organizations are. Instead of being able to tie up $50M between two players over the next three years to improve the team’s bullpen, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya will have to make shrewd decisions because he will have a limit on how much he can spend. There becomes a much smaller margin for error. In order to make an already great game even better, I feel the MLB needs a salary cap.

ing it easier to commute. During sports games, when students from both schools were competing against their friends, they instantly took on the attitude that they have to crush their friends’ teams.

But how did this friendly competition grow into a fully fledged cross- town rivalry? As Caldwell transfers and their friends graduated from their high schools, there was no further need for friendly competition, but as school tradition continued, so did the competition and the desire to win. Therefore, the current reason behind the rivalry must merely be the fact that North Caldwell and West Caldwell are towns right near one another. So is the rivalry coming to an end any time soon?

The rivalry today is still just as strong if not stronger than it was in the 1960s.

Junior Jackie Branco, a varsity starter on the softball team since freshman year, agrees that the teams are rivals, but feels that having these feelings towards the other team is a great advantage. “[It’s an] advantage because we know we have to step up our game, play with heart and hit and field well.” Also, Caldwell always “comes strong and prepared with a good pitching staff,” said Branco.

Linsalato also feels that playing against

a team’s rival is an absolute advantage.

“Anything that challenges students to do their best, in my mind, is an advantage,” said Linsalato.

In the eyes of any other West Essex student, the Caldwell Chiefs are a “Good team that works hard and deserves to win,” said Freshman Emily Egan. Egan also admits that Caldwell most likely has the same feelings towards the rivalry as West Essex. “[Their school is] probably like ours,” said Egan. Freshman Dora Kikianis, a member of the West Essex Volleyball Team, has a different feeling toward the rivalry. “Why not be rivals?” asked Kikianis, “Having a rival is an advantage because the team wants to be more aggressive. The team wants to go out on the field saying ‘yeah, we’re gonna beat Caldwell! Let’s do this!”

The Yankees and the Red Sox and the Rangers and the Devils are some of the most popular rivals in sprots today. Even though The Knights and The Chiefs aren’t nationally known, their rivalry is still just as intense as any professional sport rivalry. Both schools have strong teams in all sports with good hearted players and the desire to win the trophy for their team.

Girls Lacrosse Team Captures State Title

-photo courtesy of Jenel Conde Photo courtesy ofJill Abbot

The girl’s lacrosse team won the Group II Division II State Championship on May 29. The Lady Knights beat Hopewell Valley High in a 12-10 game at Robbinsville High School. This is the first time the girls have won the title since 2002. They are competing in the Tournament of Champions this week, starting with a game against Mountain Lakes on Tuesday at Monmouth University.

June 2009

Sports

Page 19

Baseball’s Drug Policies Need to be Harsher

by Jared Laxer ‘09

On November 14, 2005, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) came to an agreement on reforming MLB drug policies. Under the new policies, every player will have to take at least one random unannounced drug test throughout the season with Major League Baseball reserving the right to administer extra random tests to players as they see fit. The penalty for the first failed drug test that is positive for drugs other than steroids is a 15-30 game suspension, the second failed test, 30-90 games, and after the third, a one year suspension. When a player’s test comes up positive for steroids, the penalties are harsher. A first time offense will earn a player 50 games suspension and a second time offender will get double that at 100 games. Third time offenders – if it ever comes to that – will land themselves a lifetime ban from the sport. Under the new policy, a whopping 26 players have been suspended for a positive test – for steroids, 24 players, and for other drugs, two different players with one repeat offender. This high total can only means two things – players still think they can cheat, and they are willing to try and beat the system.

On May 8, 2009, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and baseball superstar Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for steroids. The test showed that he had extra testosterone in his body that did not come from a natural source as well as a female fertility drug called “human chorionic gonadotropin” or hCG. The purpose of hCG is to put extra estrogen in the body to make it seem as if there is less of an imbalance of hormones. Ramirez is a 12 time All-Star, including 11 straight All-Star game appearances. He has also come in the top 10 in MVP voting nine times, and has earned himself nine Silver Slugger awards, including eight in a row from 1998 through 2006. He also won two World Series championships with the Boston Red Sox. The fact that a star like Ramirez was willing to risk his public image to cheat the game of baseball is clear evidence that players are not as worried about cheating as they should be. To me, the current drug policies have the wrong intent. It seems that the MLB is trying to punish cheaters

and catch them in the act, when in fact they should try and prevent the cheating from happening in the first place. The policy is counterproductive – while it’s not encouraging players to cheat, it’s abundantly clear that it is not stopping them either.

So what’s the solution to all this?

The first step is to introduce harsher penalties. By letting players have two positive tests where they receive suspensions of 50 and 100 games, respectively, the MLB is saying that they will tolerate cheaters. Not only that, but they’re saying they’ll tolerate the offense twice! The suspensions system should look like this – first test results in either 162 or 324 game suspension, the length of one or two entire seasons. The second offense should result in a lifetime ban, no questions asked.

This kind of harsh solution will effectively stop cheating in the sport.

While it is apparent that players like Ramirez are still willing to cheat with the current policy, the prospect of years away from the sport will, in my opinion, get them to stop for good.

One of the main reasons players take steroids or human growth hormone is to extend their playing careers past when their bodies will naturally let them. With a long stay away from baseball, this ban will end those players’ careers – just as they should have ended without the aid of drugs.

The second step in the solution is to increase testing. All players should be randomly tested four times a year, once in each quarter in the year, and when they are playing on the road, so there is no way they can get a heads-up about their test as has happened in the past. The MLB should also reserve the right to administer additional tests to players as they feel is needed, and there should also be additional testing in the playoffs.

The MLB Commissioner ’s office claims that this much testing is impossible because it would be too expensive. However, they are not looking at the big picture. While administering so many tests may cost the league lots of cash, they do not factor in the lowered attendance when a star gets caught. If a star player on a team is suspended for 50 games, there is no doubt that less fans of that team will attend the games.

Fewer tickets will be sold. The current policy is set up so that players think they can get around it, and when they don’t, they’re suspended for the right amount of games for

fans to become disinterested and not buy tickets to go to the ballpark.

Unfortunately, the MLBPA will never come to an agreement like this.

For whatever reason, the Player’s Association always combats toothand-nail with the league offices over steroids policies. Why would the MLBPA want to protect the cheaters?

Are there really so many cheaters that it’s worth hiding them with such a fight? If the players who aren’t cheating really have nothing to hide, then why are they hiding?

Major League Baseball’s supposedly tough drug policies are not enough. Superstars like Manny Ramirez, as well as 23 other steroids users and two others, are willing to

risk 50 games of their playing careers to get that extra edge they can get from steroids. With a harsher penalty that starts at one to two seasons on the bench, baseball can finally rid itself of its biggest problem: cheaters.

The Fantasy of Fantasy Sports

by Alexandria Caniano ‘09

Yahoo.com and ESPN.com hold a gold mine to every man across America called “Fantasy Sports.” All year long they have every player from every sport on a roster in which people can choose to make up their own teams.

One of the biggest fantasy sports is baseball. Fantasy players participate in drafts during the beginning of the season to start their team off, and this process takes about two to three hours depending on the size of the league as they can range from 10-20 teams. All participants clear their schedules to attend. They choose their dream pitcher, catcher, first, second, third basemen and outfielders. The players don’t have to be on the same team; the best of each position is chosen. And every week they compete against another person in their league to win the championship of their league. Points are earned for the most home runs, runs batted in, earned runs, hits, and WHIP… whatever that means.

The winner of the season gets bragging rights…until two weeks later when the next fantasy draft begins.

So why is this such a huge deal?

During baseball season fans used to care about their favorite team and how often they won or how well they did during the season, but with Fantasy Baseball, fans are more concerned about the stats of the players on their personal team. Instead of being in front of the television for six hours, Fantasy Baseball managers sit in front of their computer updating their rosters, adjusting to make sure they have the most and their best players playing. If a player gets injured or is not doing well, there is a gallery of free agents,

or you can trade with other people to make sure that your team is up to par.

Every girl that has a husband, boyfriend or even a guy that’s a friend must listen to the complaining and excitement of this extravaganza, because this is generally what takes up the minds of Fantasy Baseball owners. It doesn’t matter whether or not you like the sport or if you care. One way or another everyone will hear about someone’s team.

Hopefully it’s because they are doing well, if not you are most definitely going to get an earful. Owning a team is not a bad habit, it’s just an obnoxious one to those around you, especially if those around you don’t like baseball.

This addiction has become so extreme some guys go to their friend’s house, turn off their phones and will only talk baseball. So if you need to be rushed to the hospital, please wait, because you would never want to be the girl that ruined your boyfriends Fantasy Baseball team because of something so selfish. Girlfriends spend hours wondering what happened to their man, only to find out they were at a draft. Then after the draft you will hear every player on all of their teams in great depth.

Though you can have a fantasy team for every other sport, for some reason baseball seems to be the biggest. Apparently you don’t really need to know a lot about baseball to hold a team, so if you’re not a fan but you want to take part in this fantasy affair, baseball would be a good choice. But you must make sure you have all the time in the world because somehow every coach gets sucked into the vortex of fantasy baseball. It’s not just a game, it’s an addiction.

June 2009 Issue 4

The Wessex Wire Page 20

West Essex’s Spring Sports Wrap-up

by Geordy Boveroux ‘11

Boys Lacrosse: Head Coach Tim Glenn and his captains seniors Jack Skeels, Demetri Rentzis, Chris Shearin, Ryan Higgins and Junior John LoCascio have led the boys lacrosse team to a 12-5 record and the 24th ranking in the state according to laxpower.com. The boys worked hard and it paid off by winning their first ever Essex County Championship with a thrilling 9-8 overtime win over Glen Ridge, but then lost in the state tournament with a heartbreaking 11-10 double overtime loss to Madison.

Girls Lacrosse: Head Coach Jill Cosse continues to dominate New Jersey as the girls lacrosse team holds a 18-3 record and the 3rd ranking in the state. Also led by captains seniors Alison Cassera, Breada Farrel, Gianna D’urso and Junior Sloane Serpe, the girls have won their 9th straight Essex County Championship with a 9-5 win over Montclair. They then followed that up with a 12-10 win over Hopewell Valley to capture the state championship.

Softball: Andrea Mondadori the Head Coach of the softball team has led the girls to a 16-8 record along with senior caption Michelle Bertscha. The girls have a 10-4 record in the Iron Hills

Conference, and as of May 22nd they are two wins away from winning the last Iron Hills Conference Championship.

Boys and Girls Track: David Drozjock the head coach of the mens track team along with Stacey Morris the head coach of the girls track team combined to have a 6-3 record this season for West Essex. This was the first winning season in over a decade for the Knights led by Captains Mamadou Niang andDave Martinez on the mens side and Michelle Magno, Marissa Manwarren, Heather Ju-

bin, and Katie Flynn on the girls side.

Golf: Head Coach Tim Kistner led the golf team to an 8-5 record along with his captains Andy Maxman Jon Shankman and Chris Hardy this season. Junior Mitch LaPoff had to say “It was a season marked by audacious completion. The The golf team fought climate complication from a lot of rain during the season.

We were able to unite team spirit in an effort to maintain West Essex’s profound sports reputation while having fun and displaying good sportsmanship.”

Photo courtesy of Daniel Gallagher

Tom Gasbarro, Mamadou Niang, Isaiah Dorval and Pat Dyer pose after winning the Sprint Medley Relay at the Summit Relays in April

Pitching is the Key for WE Baseball

by Jenel Conde ‘09

Once ranked as high as 18th in New Jersey and 3rd in Essex County, the boys baseball team has built up a 20-4 record.

In their first game this season against Weequahic, the Knights rattled the Indians with a 14-0 victory. Senior Pitcher Nick Rafanello accumulated 9 strikeouts.

Along with Rafanello, Dylan Cascino, Joe D’Annunzio, Pat Jennings, Ryan Rechten and Tyler Tomea are all Senior Captains leading the team this season.

“I think our pitching has really been key for us this year,” Tomea said. “It’s easier to pile up wins when you’re only giving up one or two runs each game.”

The team has eight pitchers: Rafanello, Cascino and Rechten; Juniors Robert Pezzutti and Mike Rafanello; Sophomores Dan Guatieri, Dave Jesch and PJ Lawless.

Additional junior players include Anthony Cichetti, Lee Holtzman, Greg O’Neill, Tim Perrotta, Jimmy Phillips and Andrew

Santomauro. Additional sophomores include Joe Gerish and Jake Handler.

In his 14th season as head coach, Scott Illiano gives a few tips on how the team could achieve excellence and how their hard work is necessary to win big games.

“We have the players focus on three things; attention to detail, handle frustration and stay in the moment,” Illiano said.

Illiano explains that the team really begins their season in June, as the players participate in the American Legion League in the summer. The league runs from June to July, focusing on strength and conditioning, before the regular spring season that begins in March.

“The current group has been committed and dedicated since June. In order to be competitive in this league, with these schools, this is what you have to do,” says Illiano.

Illiano believes this years’ pitching is extremely diverse. Rafanello is a right-handed pitcher whose style is constant, while Pez-

zutti is a left-handed pitcher who changes speed effectively. Having Pezzutti relieve for Rafanello confuses the other team, since each of their pitching styles are so unique.

“In all my years of coaching, a pitcher has never won two consecutive games played,” Illiano said, commenting on Pezzutti’s wins against Dover and Mendham.

The Knights also defeated Belleville, Morris Hills and Parsippany this season.

Their big rival is Hanover Park, ranked 10th in New Jersey and #1 in Morris County.

“Next year, we will no longer be in the Iron Hills Conference League,” Illiano said. “The current league is so competitive, and has always brought out the best in our players.”

After an 11-1 thrashing of Bernards, the Knights have captured their first state sectional championship. Next up for the Knights is Pequannock, the group 1 champs, in the state semifinals set to be played at William Paterson.

Words From Wallace

by Mark Walsh ‘09

The 2009 Major League Baseball season has finally arrived. After an eventful offseason teams are ready to hit the diamond for another long and exciting season as pennant races look to go down to the final week.

The AL East looks to be the toughest division of them all. The Tampa Bay Rays are looking to defend their American League East title but are going to have to do it against last years Wild Card winner the Boston Red Sox and the improved New York Yankees.

The Yanks and the Sox both made significant offseason moves; New York added pitchers C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, to go along with All-Star first baseman Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox improved their pitching by adding John Smoltz and Brad Penny. The improvements made by Boston, New York and Tampa Bay’s young team should make the AL East race go down to the final week of the season.

The Minnesota Twins are looking to defend their AL Central title this season, but the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox are looking to spoil their chance of a repeat. In the American League West the Los Angeles Angels are favorites to win the division. They are looking to use their dominate starting pitching and speedy lineup to clinch the title.

The NL East will be another tough division this season. The defending World Series Champions Philadelphia Phillies are looking to repeat behind their solid lineup featuring two former MVPs Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins. Right on the Phillies’ heels are the New York Mets, a team that drastically improved their bullpen by adding JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez who set the record for saves in a season last year.

In the NL Central the Chicago Cubs are favorites to win another division title.

Chicago is led by the 2008 Manager of the Year Lou Pinella who led the Cubs to two division titles in the past two years. In the NL West the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Manny Ramirez, hope to hold off the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks for their second consecutive title this season.

This season should be one of the most competitive ones yet. Get ready for some unbelievable division races and another thrilling October.