The Wessex Wire The Student Newspaper of West Essex Regional High School
Vol. LV No. 4
West Essex High School, 65 West Greenbrook Road, North Caldwell, N.J.
March 2015
Laptops, Chromebooks on their way Where have you seen this around West Essex? p. 2
Masquers perform ‘Legally Blonde’ p. 10
In This Issue:
By Caitlin Morrissey ’16
The Board of Education approved an initiative that allows the district to purchase laptops and Google Chromebooks for the entire faculty and student body. Teachers will receive their laptops in April and students will receive their Chromebooks at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. Instrumental behind the new technology proposal was Mr. Young, Supervisor of Technology for the district. “This initiative allows teachers and students to focus less on technology and more on teaching, learning and collaborating,” Mr. Young said. “It is my goal that this undertaking will create an exciting and dynamic learning environment unlike anything before at West Essex.” He added that he believes the new Chromebooks will be essential for the 21st cen-
tury education that West Essex is is dedicated to providing. Students and teachers are already familiar with Google applications like Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Classroom that allow them to work collaboratively with each other. AP US History teacher Ms. Blanchard has already been using Google Docs and recently transferred her school homework website onto Google Classroom. “Google Classroom has helped me so much. I am so much more organized, and it helps me keep track of what my students are doing,” said Ms. Blanchard. However, this “push to go paperless” may appear a more practical switch for courses like history and English that are more geared towards writing than math and science courses. Pre-calculus and Algebra 2 teacher, Ms. Pelusio
See Chrome on Page 2
Photo illustration of Ben Lowenthal
New Chromebooks will include collaborative applications like classroom, Docs and slides.
West Essex honors the year’s top educators By Caroline Galligan ’15
High school librarian Ms. Rich and high school math teacher Ms. Cammarano have earned high educational recognition of being named West Essex’s Educational Service Professional of the Year and the Governor’s Teacher of the Year, for the 2014-2015 school year. T h e E du c at i on a l S e r v i c e Provider of the Year Award honors an educator who inspires students and enhances the overall learning environment for West Essex students. Ms. Rich organizes events to make the library a welcome and open environment for all. She works with English teachers of all levels to lead research projects such as the “Othello” paper for sophomores or the film research assignment for seniors by creating guidelines and assisting in the research process. Staying after with students to aid them with their research topics is one of the many ways Ms. Rich volunteers her time. She avidly works with the Honor societies by hosting events such as
3-4 Opinion
Limiting college visits
Photos courtesy of Courtney Pappas
Ms. Rich (left) and Ms. Cammarano have been recognized as Teacher’s of the Year.
the Charleston Challenge and the Art Show in the library. Ms. Rich earned her business degree from Montclair State University and says she realized her passion for literature when she volunteered at her daughter’s school library. “I find this honor especially meaningful because it recognizes the importance of the library in student learning,” Ms. Rich said. “The library is an invaluable piece in the learning community.” Other nominees for the award in-
9-10 Arts
clude school psychologist and case manager Ms. Blades and Student Assistance Counselor Mr. Emering. Ms. Cammarano, another teacher honored for her dedication to students, demonstrates her passion for mathematics and her encouraging nature. The Governor’s Teacher of the Year award is based on the ideal that a teacher’s method to educating is the most important factor in a student’s success. “I have the pleasure of guiding our students through the mystical
Reactions on the Oscars
11-12 Sports
and exciting world of math,” Ms. Cammarano said. “I hope that the students in my classes know that all I want for them is to be successful and responsible and I hope that they recognize how rewarding hard work is.” “She really made the class fun,” senior Angelo Margiolas said. “She always made sure that we learned in a way that made us have fun while learning the information.” Ms. Cammarano teaches Algebra 1 CPA, Algebra 2 Honors and AP Calculus BC and also advises the Math League and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She is recognized for her work ethic and ability to connect to a wide variety of students. Her dedication to her students is exemplified in her willingness to make herself available to students at all times and working to make the learning environment in her classes enjoyable. “Ms. Cam taught us so much while keeping the class fun and involved, making Algebra and Precalculus some of my favorite classes I’ve taken,” senior Kyle Betley said.
Wrestling wins County Championship
The Wessex Wire: News
Chrome | from Page 1 said she still needs to figure out regarding how she will use the Google Chromebooks next year. “I honestly don’t know how I am going to use them. It’s something I am going to have to research,” Ms. Pelusio said. Student also have mixed reactions about the change from paper to screen for next year. “I am so excited for next year. I just lose all the papers we get now, and having them all in one place is going to help me and my overall organization,” sophomore Jordyn Thies said. Contrary to Jordyn’s excitement, junior Marissa Inga is displeased about the introduction of Chromebooks at West Essex. “I love writing down everything, especially math equations. By writing, it is easier for me to see my mistakes in my problem-solving and writing. I don’t think I will find this program helpful for me,” Inga said. “I just don’t know how they’ll be used,” junior Kate Jencarelli said. “I feel the teachers will feel some sense of obligation to use them and they’ll end up being useless.” Google Chromebooks have already been in use at schools like Summit, Chatham and Madison within the past two years. But,
there are limits placed on how often the students at these schools can use the Chromebooks. “We aren’t allowed to take them home and I think that influences a lot of the students’ opinions of the Chromebooks,” Chatham junior Jackie Krieger said. At Montclair Kimberley Academy and Kent Place School, the schools arrange for their students to have MacBook laptops, but those laptops are the students’ own. They can take them home and do whatever they want on them. “When laptops or other technologies are provided by the school to its students it opens learning opportunities for all the students as we are all being taught on the same platform,” Montclair Kimberley junior Caroline Taylor said. “I can personally say that having a laptop and being able to take it with me wherever has been very beneficial for me.” The transfer from paper to screen is an environmental decision, too. “The school makes five to six million copies a year so I think this is a great idea to help students become more environmentally aware,” Ms. Blanchard said. Junior Sabrina Palko said she was excited that the school is making a more eco-conscious decision: “Just think of all the trees we’ll save!”
Water fountain floods excitement
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Child Development removed, leaving some disappointed By Lexie Sabato ’15 Starting in the 2015-2016 school year, Child Development courses will no longer be offered as part of West Essex’s curriculum—a move that has left some students surprised and disappointed. Many students have said they looked forward to the upperclassmen privilege of being a part of the much-loved child development class. In the class, which had four full sections this year, students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with preschool children, teaching simple tasks such as sharing their toys, coloring in the lines and singing songs. It was routinely one of the most popular electives at West Essex since its inception in 1995. “I loved child development this year. It stinks that the underclassmen will never be able to experience this class,” senior Haley DeFrank said. Led by Ms. Crawford, the students prepared a Halloween parade, winter concert and holiday parties to ensure these children are having a great time possible while still learning at the same time. “The best part about child de-
Photo By Lexie Sabato
Seniors Steph Spero and Haley DeFrank are all smiles with two of their students during the annual holiday party in December 2014.
velopment is interacting with the preschoolers. Right now we are teaching them how to tie their shoes,” senior Bunny James said. Ms. Crawford, who taught the program for 10 years, said she was “overwhelmed and very upset. I had no information about it ahead of time.” Principal Suda, in speaking of adjustments to the curriculum, said that “the administration, curricular committees, teachers,
Snapchat ‘Discover’ features variety of news outlets in quick fashion By Sabrina Saccente ’15 Snapchat released its new
Photo by courtney pappas
This year the administration has purchased new water fountains in hopes to reduce the amount of plastic waste at West Essex. “I am happy to see so many students using the new fountains and anticipating to see WE go entirely plastic free in the future,” Environmental science teacher Ms. Wall said. –Julie Rosenberg ’16
and students are all stakeholders in the process of adding or discontinuing courses.” He added that two new rigorous courses will be offered to students starting next year; Calculus III Honors and Financial Accounting II Honors. “Additionally, we are actively researching and assessing several exciting programs that will enhance our arts program in the near future” Mr. Suda said.
Discover feature in late January allowing all users to access current news from 12 different media outlets. These companies, such as CNN, Yahoo News and Cosmopolitan, pick about six or seven interesting articles from that day and show them by way of pictures, short articles and sometimes videos. These articles are refreshed every 24 hours, keeping users updated with what is currently happening. The Discover feature is ad-supported, but in a completely non-invasive way. “Snapchat Discover is so simple and easy to use. I quickly scroll through Cosmopolitan before school in the morning,” senior Erin Smith said. According to the Snapchat team, Discover does not fall under the category of social media. The team said, “Social media companies tell us what to read based on what’s most recent or most popular.” The company said in a statement, “We see it differently. We count on editors and artists, not clicks and shares, to determine what is important.”
If you asked people 10 years ago how they received their breaking news, the typical answer would be from newspapers, radio and television. However, social media outlets including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and now Snapchat, are providing people with the news they most enjoy quickly and conveniently.
“I always check my Snapchat Discover. The People news section always gives me the latest updates about what is happening in my favorite show ‘The Bachelor,’” sophomore Karly Blume said. With one simple swipe you could learn a new recipe from the Food Network, read about the sloth who could cure cancer from Vice News or watch a video on the deer who loves lollipops from National Geographic. But not all students at West Essex find Snapchat’s new addition as useful. Sophomore Megan Boeckel said, “I have heard negative things about it. It confuses me and I don’t know how to use it.” With a similar opinion, senior Adam Rodgers said, “I never use Discover and I feel like it just takes up space. None of the articles even interest me.” With a diversity of opinions on the new feature, the future for Discover remains unclear. As more people start to use it, there is a chance for adding more than the 12 media outlets already presented. Companies such as ABC and Vogue may want their news in Snapchat as Discover becomes the innovative way of receiving news.
Phtot illustration: laptop courtesy of openclipart.org
March 2015
Opinion
March 2015 Issue 4
The Wessex Wire Page 3
‘I am not my hair’ Eighteen-year-old Disney starlet Zendaya attended the Academy Awards for the first time this year and she wanted to show fashion experts that she was capable of making a red carpet statement. Donning an ivory Vivienne Westwood gown and sporting dreadlocks, Zendaya wanted to “remind people of color that our hair is good enough.” On the following night’s installment of E!’s “Fashion Police,” co-host Giuliana Rancic made a comment about Zendaya’s look, saying “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil ... or maybe weed,” referring to her hair. On a show famed for snarky comments and poking fun at celeb’s fashion choices, many saw this statement as racist and claimed that it crossed the line. Instead of attacking Rancic upon first notice of the comment, Zendaya decided to take her time to formulate a well thought-out and eloquent response. “There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair,” Zendaya said in a statement posted on her Instagram account. “To me locs are a symbol of strength and beauty, almost like a lion’s mane. I suggest some people should listen to India Arie’s ‘I Am Not My Hair’ and contemplate a little before opening your mouth so quickly to judge.” While the sole purpose of “Fashion Police” is to critique the visual ways stars choose to present themselves, Rancic’s comments go too far this time. She doesn’t have to like the way dreadlocks look, but she must respect Zendaya’s choice to wear them. It can be easy for one to make such a quick judgment, but for someone like Rancic, whose voice is heard by so many, this is a mistake that cannot be afforded.
72% of students believe we should be allowed more than two excused absences a year for college visits
28% of students
Staff Editorial
The Wessex Wire The Official Student Newspaper of West Essex High School
believe two days is enough for each year
Poll composed of 100 students; compiled by Ceana Cuello and Gianna Aktas
Just not enough excused absences for students when visiting colleges Pupils should not be penalized for preparing for their future endeavors By Dominic Magliaro ’15
A Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Medalist Paper 65 West Greenbrook Road, North Caldwell, New Jersey 07006 (973) 228-1200 ext. 258 2014-2015 STAFF: Managing Editor Monica Onorata ’15
Editors-in-chief Bryan Gallion ’15 Ben Lowenthal ’15 News Editors Anthony Gagliardi ’16 Cathryn Kessler ’16 Features Editors Caroline Galligan ’15 Tatum Pappas ’16 Arts & Culture Editors Patrick Glenn ’16 Julia Maxman ’16 Photo Editors Lexie Sabato ’15 Courtney Pappas ’16 Advertising Editors Maddie Butler ’15 Sara LiVecchi ’15
Opinion Editors Jordan Alworth ’16 Brianna Crummy ’16 Junior Editor Gianna Aktas ’16
Layout Editor Lindsay Sanderson ’15
Sports Editors Noah Eagle ’15 Rose Pezzuti ’15
Research Editors Dominic Magliaro ’15 Luke Magliaro ’15
Copy Editors Kelly Scheper ‘15 Gianna Aktas ’16 Maddie Gering ’16
Cartoonists Mattias Voltmer ’16
Adviser Mr. Hermosilla
Art Director Sabrina Saccente ’15
Contributing Staff Ceana Cuello ’16 Jewels Gutowski ’16 Caitlin Morrissey ’16 Julie Rosenberg ’16 Isabel Tabs ’17
The Wessex Wire Editorial Policy
The national-award winning Wessex Wire is published with supplemental updates to inform, educate and entertain the approximately 1,200 students of West Essex High School, faculty and community. Unsigned editorials are the consensus opinion of the editorial board and do not always reflect the views of the adviser, 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 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 at thewessexwire@gmail.com. Several photos in this issue are used under various Creative Commons licenses. For more info and full licensing details, visit creativecommons.org.
As a senior, I am still unsure of where I will be spending the next four years, as well as what I will be studying to create a path for the rest of my life. Very few 17 or 18 year-olds know what school they want to go to or what career they want to pursue for the rest of their life. But why should they? According to The New York Times, colleges and universities reported nearly 1,500 academic programs to the Department of Education in 2010. How can a high school student decide which one they want to study out of so many possible subjects? How will they know that they are 100 percent positive that that field is what they want to work in for the rest of their lives? To ease the uncertainty regarding our future endeavors, many students go on college visits to get a feel of what they do and do not like in a school. Whether it be the size, location or academic rigor of a contending university, many determinants come into play when deciding where to attend. College visits can be eye opening and stress relieving for students, simply because they give some sense of reality in regards to the future. Therefore, college visits
should be heavily encouraged by high school teachers and administrators rather than looked down upon. Students worry about what school work they are missing in the “now moment,” and prioritize that over preparation for what is next. Along with the logistic factor of missing academic work, the number of absences are another concern of students when taking time off to visit schools. Here at West Essex, students are allowed two excused absences for junior and senior year. As students go from junior to senior year, however, they will drop the two college visits from their previous junior year and will only be allowed two more in their senior year, meaning they are not cumulative. Students should instead be allotted with more excused absences. They should at least be able to have them carry over into their senior year, because often that is the grade when reality sets in. Senior year is racing by already, which I am sure many of my fellow classmates can agree on. Before we know it, we will be making that transition out of the safety and routine of high school into something that resembles what the real world is like. Therefore there is a relatively united consensus from students that there should be more excused absences so that pupils can explore their options for what is to come. “I would say at least five because I need to prepare for my future and it’s about the journey you make, the people you meet,” senior Mike Gencarelli said. Student-athletes also have more
of a reason for more college visits. Many of these students that are being recruited are multisport athletes as well, so while the recruiting process is going on, they are busy playing another sport so it is hard for them to take off. Having games on practices on the weekend make it especially hard. It is easier for athletes to instead to miss an excused day of school and then see their teachers the next day to make up the work. Official visits are on the weekend, however, certain rules are to be followed during the recruiting process of athletes as well. Depending on which division the student-athlete wants to continue his career in, they are only allowed so many official visits to a specific school. Students as well as teachers agree as they said if a potential college athlete has five visits to a college than they should get at least five excused absences from their high school. Seniors have the most to worry about for absences, mainly due to senior service, because if a student is absent from school to many times they cannot participate in the privilege. However, every student has a limit for absences to be able to receive credit for a course class. Though some may say taking an unexcused absence for a college visit is not that big of a deal, there should not be a limit on college visits. If there is a note given to the main office and the school is notified prior to the scheduled visit, students should be able to take as many as they want, knowing they must take responsibility for the work
March 2015 photo by brianna crummy
Benjamin Lowenthal is tangled up in this dinosaur of a land line called a phone.
Updates on updates Constant phone releases makes ‘the new’ obsolete By Ben Lowenthal ’15 When I bought my iPhone 5c way back in 2013, it was stateof-the-art. Its sleek design and high speed use made it one of the best cellular devices on the market. Since then, there have been three different cell phones released by Apple alone, as well as two more from Samsung, rendering my phone nearly obsolete. I am basically a caveman now. Companies need to stop producing new models of cell phones at such fast rates, so the rest of us can keep up to date with the newest technology. To put things in perspective, here’s a little history lesson: The first design of cell phones came out in 1949. It then took 16 years for there to be any kind of upgrade to this technology. In comparison, three different phones between two companies were released in 2014 alone. For those of you keeping score, that’s a 240 percent increase in phone production. We’ve gotten a lot more impatient. But why is that? In today’s materialistic society, we like new things. As Barney Stinson once put it on “How I Met Your
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The Wessex Wire: Opinion
Mother,” “new is always better.” People believe that if it’s not new, it’s not worth having. Unfortunately this holds a bit of truth. For example, it is very difficult to sell your old (insert item here) if a) it’s at least 10 years old or b) a newer model has been released within the past year. These are the exact increments of time for these rules. This is literally how it works. We have new phones, new cars, new television sets and we can’t even go four years without deciding that we need a new president Things are constantly changing and updating, so often that it makes it difficult to find something stable to hold on and commit to. People get so overwhelmed with all the new technology being released that it brainwashes them into believing that it is essential for them to buy it. We don’t need another “Lego Movie” situation If people are content with their barely-old equipment, then let them be. Don’t stress them out by making them feel inadequate. I don’t care if that’s considered a good marketing strategy. If I want to live in 1998 and have a beeper, so be it.
Setting high standards for public figures leads to failure Imagine all of your decisions (good and bad) broadcasted for all to see By Caroline Galligan ’15
As a culture, we notice celebrity actions, good or bad. However, we only remember the bad. If a celebrity or a role model gets caught in a scandal, the public is filled with disappointment and judgment, and more than they would be if it was someone not in the public eye. It seems we hold these celebrities to higher standards and judge them solely for their poor morals and neglect their positive ones. Rather than highlighting every negative action celebrities make, we should make the celebrities who aim to make the world a better place a main source of influence. Magazines should focus on Angelina Jolie, who runs the foundation “The Education Partnership for Children on Conflict” that establishes schools for children in Afghanistan, or Emma Watson, who launched the UN HeForShe campaign aiming to involve men in tackling gender inequality and discrimination, according to The Telegraph newspaper. We hope that these celebrities would act with grace and elegance, but as for ourselves, we’re just hypocritical if we do not act with the same level of integrity that we expect them to. “Celebrities are not gods; they shouldn’t be our top priority,” senior Bobby McGuire said. “There are bigger issues in the world than the shoes that Kim Kardashian wears.”
Athletes such as Barry Bonds, Alex Ro dr ique z and Roger Clemens are all known for taking performance enhancing drugs to succeed-but would they have taken these steroids had their not been such extreme pressure to play well? Society puts an incredible amount of pressure on these public figures; pressure to be perfect, talented and a role model. But it is not fair for celebrities or athletes to consistently be expected to be all three at once. In this day and age, a celebrity messes up and within a few hours the news is spread globally via social media. We bask in the news of a celebrity making a mistake or doing something shameful and feel a sick joy that they are not reaching the sky-high bar set for them. These public figures are just regular people regardless of how many Grammys they
win or homeruns they hit. The only standard these celebrities should be held to is being a good person. “Tabloids only focus on the poor qualities of celebrities and neglect the good,” junior Kayla Dubas said. People argue that those in the limelight should be held to a higher standard because they tend to influence more people. So instead of criticizing Justin Bieber for cheating on Selena Gomez again, why don’t we focus on a couple whose marriage has lasted through the ups and downs of celebrity hysteria? Let’s congratulate Derek Jeter for staying away from steroids in an era in baseball where steroid use was the norm. By doing so we set our kids and the future generations up to be influenced by people worthy of being considered a role model.
photo courtesy of keith allison (CC BY-SA 2.0) Baseball player Alex Rodriguez is contantly under scrutiny for his behavior.
Since when did food qualify as a name? By Jordan Alworth ’16
Imagine forever introducing yourself with the name Apple or North. People would react to you either with confusion or immediate recognition for your celebrity parents. The desire to be designated as special or different should be the motives behind anyone’s decision to name their child something original; however, celebrities, the most distinct from us all, seem to follow this trend the most. This is where the perplexity occurs: why do stars name their children the names they do (if they could even be called names),
Illustration by Mattias Voltmer
Gwyneth Paltrow is cradling her newborn baby daughter, Apple.
when they have already achieved such a sense of distance from the rest of society? The answer lies in most celebrities ever-present desire to distinguish themselves, and more important their children, as exclusive from the rest
of the world. It is simply unjustifiable for celebrities to exploit their children on the basis of increased publicity and media buzz. Some argue that the artistic nature of famous actors and musicians play a part in their unique baby-naming ways. To a certain degree this does hold true, but I find it difficult to rationalize American movie star Shannyn Sossamon naming her son Audio Science, by calling it an expression of creativity. The same goes for actor Rob Morrow, who “creatively” named his daughter Tu, a play on words using his last name. These instead seem to be a desperate cry for attention. “Celebrities are making a joke out of someone’s name for publicity,” junior John Chiaia said. Chiaia references Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s decision to name their daughter
Apple that seems to attract a wide span of criticism: “Someone’s going to refer to this kid as Apple. That’s a food, not a name.” Choosing an exotic name is perfectly fine if it has meaning behind it. According to dailymail.co.uk, David and Victoria Beckham named their daughter Harper Seven because one of Victoria’s favorite authors is Harper Lee and David was number seven while playing soccer for Manchester United. The Beckhams are doing the unique baby-naming trend justice because there is legitimate substance behind their name choice, it was not picked out of thin air like many other celebrity baby names seem to be. “It’s attention seeking and celebrities are the only ones that chose outlandish names. They just want more and more atten-
tion,” special education teacher Mr. Rosa said. This is not a call for conformity, asking everyone to choose a plain Jane name for their child. Names can be a part of how you identity yourself, whether they come from family significance, a quirky story or even a book of baby names. Yet, I hesitate to praise the celebrities who deliberately use their child’s name to gain an extra boost of attention and media buzz for a couple of days. After all, it is a living breathing human being with his or her own identity that will have to live with that “name” for the rest of his or her life. To the celebrities of the
“
“That’s a food not a name.” —John Chiaia
“Alex Rodriguez” By keith Allison (https://www. flickr.com/photos/keithallison/3514032505/)
Absurd celebrity baby names do child a disservice
March 2015 Issue 4
Features
The Wessex Wire Page 5
Promposals take over junior class Creative styles to ask dates to prom are extremely popular this year
By Brianna Crummy ’16 Everyone can expect the weeks following winter recess to be filled with “promposals.” One gutsy guy starts the ripple effect and the rest of the grade shortly follows. Elaborate plans are put in place to ask a peer to prom. A promposal can be defined as the asking of a female/male friend to the prom through an innovative manner, similar to that of a proposal (just with less commitment). Posters with creative puns, bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, candy and sweets are all to be expected. Each guys tries to outdo the last by being a little more unique, cuter or even ridiculous. But when did it become necessary for the boys to pull out all the stops? Years ago a simple text or a casual
asking in the halls would have sufficed, but as time has gone by, that no longer works. The junior boys have come up with some very innovative ideas to impress their peers this year. Matt DeFazio: Nobody was expecting the ensemble DeFazio was capable of pulling off. He took the entire cast of “Legally Blonde” by surprise. The only person in on his secret was his accomplice, Mattias Voltmer. “I didn’t want anyone knowing to make sure it was a surprise,” DeFazio said. During one of the musical rehearsals, the run through went a little differently than usual. Instead of delivering the package to its scripted recipient, Voltmer handed it specially to Wenzke. The whole room was in shock. DeFazio came walking out with a bouquet of flowers and Wenzke open up the box to an assortment of doughnuts and a slip of paper printed with “Prom?” Kyle Ribeiro: Ribeiro knew that his dear friend Sabrina Palko had high expectations for her promposal. Palko had made it clear she wanted
a cat to accompany her date when he stood at her door. It took a great amount of talking down from her friends for Palko to realize a cat was a little out of reach, but Ribeiro knew a furry friend was still in order. “I didn’t want to completely disappoint Sabrina so I got her a hamster instead,” Ribeiro said. Palko was completely taken back when he greeted her at the door with a little ball of fur and a poster that read: “Will you roll into prom with me?” Matt Jones: Courtney Pappas was taken on a bit of an adventure to be asked the awaited question by boyfriend Jones. Close friend Paige Innarella led Pappas to believe the two of them were going ice-skating. It wasn’t until they arrived at the rink that Pappas was taken on a detour and escorted to the back of the Turtle Back Zoo. When she arrived Jones was standing there dressed to the nines in his tux with a few of the zoo’s penguins. Jones’ sign went perfectly with the weather saying, “It would be chill if you went to prom with me.”
Photo by courtney pappas
Matt Jones asked girlfriend Courtney Pappas to prom with a winter wonderland themed proposal.
The cold never bothered me anyway Is your mood negatively affected by the cold weather?
Photo courtesy of “Snowflake” by Stephen Clulow (CC BY 2.0; www.flickr.com/photos/34651674@N07/6493391991)
Poll composed of 50 students. compiled by julie rosenberg and isabel tabs
By Julia Maxman ’16 When the balmy weather turns to winter with its frigid air and snowy landscape, the cold season brings hot chocolate, bulky clothing and winter sports. The leaves fall off of the trees and the first snowfall of the season arrives, and many are filled with the excitement that winter brings. For those involved in winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, the winter season is a time to look forward to. However, for the rest of us who do not participate in winter activities, this season can actually become a long, cold and dark period. These cold-weather features are appealing at the beginning of winter, however as the novelty of the season fades, some of us are left with a chronic feeling of winter doldrums. “Winter makes me feel more drowsy and there is less to do so I feel less motivated,” senior Ashley Jacoff said. Regardless of the season, having a full day of classes can be tiring enough. In the winter however, when the sun sets as early as 4:30 p.m., completing homework can feel arduous since it feels like
nighttime is upon you and your energy is sapped. Most animals go into hibernation during the winter months, but humans are not quite as lucky. While humans carry on with their normal routine in the winter, it can feel more difficult to accomplish everyday tasks when the days are short and the cold wind blows. “Everybody gives up in the winter; it’s too cold to do anything,” sophomore Colleen Graham said. On the wide spectrum of weather-related mood disorders, there are people who do not see such drastic changes in their mood, as opposed to those who are diagnosed with certain disorders associated with the winter months. According to the National Institutes of Health’s website, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a seasonal depression that results because of lack of sunlight and vitamin D. Though SAD is not a commonly known disorder, a little more than 19 million people of the U.S. population, mostly in the north, suffer from this condition annually. Another 14 percent of the adult population in the U.S. suffers from a more
minor mood disorder known as “winter blues.” This syndrome occurs only in the winter season and its symptoms, which include fatigue, sadness and irritability, recede during the spring and summer months. SAD is a growing disorder with prevalence in states such as Alaska, which have colder temperatures for extended periods of time. Even though it is only a seasonal disorder, many people have serious declines in their mental states as the months grow colder, which leads some to seek professional help. “The winter is a long few months,” junior Andie Davis said. “But knowing that spring and summer are coming up makes it easier to bear.” The winter months are a cold, brutal time for many, and daily routines can be more of a struggle. With the long winter each year, it can be difficult to “see the light” at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, the bitter winter months are almost over and the warm weather will put an end to the misery that winter brings. “I love the end of March because it means winter is almost over and I hate the winter,” junior Liam Fahey said.
March 2015
The Wessex Wire: Features
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Mr. West Essex competition By Bryan Gallion ’15 and Ben Lowenthal ’15
Twelve senior boys are gearing up to lay all of their cards on the table as they compete in the seventh annual Mr. West Essex competition on Saturday, March 28. The contestants will face off in categories such as Formalwear and Talent, but they aren’t revealing all of the cards up their sleeves just yet. They have, however, given the Wessex Wire a sneak peek of their inner workings and a taste of what the show will entail. Come see the show to find out who plays their cards right and emerges as King.
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K “Fredd evin y 2 Sh Freda oes”
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March 2015
The Wessex Wire: Features
Page 7
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of attractiveness.” Describe Yourself: “A fine specimen hidden” nts tale ng Hidden Talent: “Keepi dollars? “Buy What would you do with a million everyone Chipotle.” Essex? “Because Why should you win Mr. West at pep rallies.” e cap a h I used to run around wit
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March 2015
The Wessex Wire: Features
Page 8
Knights float ideas in the tank West Essex students have decided to take on their own twist to the television show “Shark Tank.” This show takes prospering entrepeneurs and gives them the opporunity to have interested investors promote their business. Students have decided to put their creative talent to the test and get opinions from some sharks (aka West Essex teachers).
Invention: READ-EE-SET GLOW Entrepreneur: Brielle Kraus ’18 Asking: $10 K for 15% Pitch: Most people fall asleep reading their favorite books, not to mention, with the lights on. In the early hours of the morning, one must wake up from their slumber to turn off their lights. What if you didn’t need to turn out your lights? What if the book lit for itself? READ-EE-SET GLOW is a new model of books that are typed with glow in the dark ink. One could fall asleep with their favorite book and not be concerned with turning off their lights. The light will be bright enough to prevent harming your eyes. Invention: S-pen Entrepreneur: Isabelle Caine ’16 Asking: $50 K for 12 % Pitch: Writing down every word that your teacher says can be tiresome and tedious. However, many times when we don’t jot down every word a teacher is saying, we feel like we are missing crucial information. With a pen that records everything a teacher says, just imagine how easy it would be to sit through a 55 minute period. The S-pen has the ability to retain lectures up to an hour long. And what if you don’t finish writing your notes within that 55 minute period? No worries, you can save up to six lectures within the pen and finish writing your notes later.
“Th idea; e [S-pen h just d owever,] is a coo l iPho o this w can’t you it ne?” –Ms h your . Wa ll
Invention: Breakfast Maker 100 XPJL Entrepreneur: Paul Laurora ’15 Asking: $3 million for 10 percent of the company Pitch: Most hectic mornings don’t permit for a delectable breakfast meal. However, the Breakfast Maker 100 XPJL creates a delectable meal every morning with simply a touch of a button. A plethora of breakfast meals are packed in a sealed airtight container. When the container is placed in the Breakfast Maker 100 XPJL, the brewer punctures both the foil lid and the bottom of the container and concocts a delicious meal. Not only will it make a preferred treat, it will also cook to the consistency of your choice. For example, you will be able to control the fluffiness, thinness and crispiness of your pancake. Invention: Sun-screens Entrepreneur: Liam Fahey ’16 Asking: $500 K for 35 percent Pitch: Sunglasses are one of the best inventions made to date. However, people constantly misplace their sunglasses and end up losing yet another expensive pair of Ray-Bans. Sunglasses would be so much more convenient if they were attached to your eyeballs… With Sun-screens contacts, UV protection will be built into the lenses. This way your eye contacts will not only serve as glasses, they will also serve as protection against the sun.
“Carnation Instant Breakfasts just don’t have the same appeal and unlike my seniors, I can’t get to Sam’s every morning.” –Mr. McNaught
Photo courtesy of “Great White Shark” by Elias Levy photos (CC BY 2.0; www.flickr.com/photos/elevy/14914283031), www.flickr. com/photos/elevy/14730719119), “Underwater Scenery” by Rafael photo (CC BY 2.0; www.flickr.com/photos/rafipics/7914334878)
By Cathryn Kessler ’16
March 2015 Issue 4
&
Arts Arts
Culture
The Wessex Wire Page 9
‘Birdman’ steals the show on Oscar night By Patrick Glenn ’16 The Academy Awards is the industry’s biggest night, and some of the biggest performers in the world gather to celebrate the best films of the year. From Lady Gaga’s tribute to “The Sound of Music’ to John Travolta’s overly affectionate greeting with Idina Menzel, the Oscars was an eventful night. Here’s a roundup of our reactions to the winners on Oscar night: Best Picture: “Birdman” This was the biggest surprise of the night, with the offbeat dark comedy trumping the award season’s favorite “Boyhood.” The film tells the story of a formerly worldfamous actor struggling to salvage his artistic credibility through the production of a Broadway play. Despite receiving criticism for its selection, no one can deny the exceptional creativity of “Birdman,” or the precision by which every scene is executed. Frankly, the only exceptional aspect of “Boyhood” is its 12-year production period, and if the film were made in a normal time span, it would have received less Best Picture buzz. From its cinematography, to its direction and its outstanding performances, “Birdman” was truly the best film of the year.
“Neil Patrick Harris” by David Shankbone (flickr.com/photos/shankbone)
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“Birdman”) Although there were five nominees, the competition for best director of the year was always a bat-
with the disease and how to handle its eventual impact on her and her family. Moore was slated to win the award since the film’s initial release in September, and although her performance was deserving, the lack of competition in this category led to a very mundane race.
tle between Linklater of “Boyhood” and Iñárritu of “Birdman.” While both directors have a unique vision, their approaches were dramatically different. Linklater with his devotion to authenticity with the 12-year in-the-making story of childhood, or Iñárritu’s distinct use of the rolling camera with closeups throughout. Both directors played a large role in developing their films, and it is no mistake that both films were nominated for Best Picture. However, the finish product that Iñárritu presented was truly special, and for his originality he was awarded Best Director. Best Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”) This was a year of monumental achievements in film, and this category was filled with award-worthy performances. From Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game” to Steve Carrell in “Foxcatcher,” each actor delivered career defining performances. Unfortunately, the award could only go home to one deserving actor. In “The Theory of Everything,” Eddie Redmayne portrayed the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, and captured the essence of Hawking, from his early university days filled with romance and wonder to his years working despite his physically debilitating neurological illness. Redmayne, at 33 years old, was the youngest in this year’s category, yet still managed to bring a maturity and authenticity
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) If there was one category this year that was an absolute shoein, it was the race for best supporting actor. J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash” proved to be one of the most dominant performances of the year. Simmons portrays the oppressive and intimidating maestro of a top-notch student orchestra. In this role, he is controlling, manipulative and violent, denounces encouragement and believes that by instilling fear he inspires excellence from his musicians. Simmons shines and his performance elevates this film to a Best Picture contender.
Photo By Julia MAxman
The Academy found “Birdman” to be an orginal piece of cinema deserving of the night’s highest honors.
to his performance. Best Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) After four nominations and countless commendable performances, it seemed that Moore was due for her first Oscar win. In “Still Alice,” Moore portrays a Columbia University professor who seems
to have her life figured out until she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The movie deals with Alice’s deteriorating condition, as well as the strain the illness puts on her family. No other nominee’s performance could compare to Moore’s unparalleled grasp of her character’s struggle
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette (“Boyhood”) What was so remarkable about Linklater’s “Boyhood” is that the audience was able to witness the natural aging of each character. Consequently, we see each actor mature and grow into the individual they are portraying. Patricia Arquette’s character goes through many domestic issues (and hairdos) on her quest to find a secure home for her children. In the end, she finds strength within herself, and Arquette delivers
87th Academy Awards was legen- wait for it… The job of a host is nothing new to Harris, which he made evident at this year’s Oscars By Tatum Pappas ’16 ...-dary! After many performances as the host of four Tony Awards and one Primetime Emmy Awards, Neil Patrick Harris finally had the chance to host the annual Oscars. This position can be overwhelming, as each Academy Awards host is trying to surpass their predecessor by number of views and positive critiques. NPH followed the hilarious act of Ellen DeGeneres who brought up the Oscar ratings by 8 percent in 2014 and had the most retweeted selfie of all time. However, with Harris’ experi-
ences many believe he was able to pull through for a highly watched and enjoyable show. “It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” Neil Patrick Harris said in a post on Oscars.org just after his selection. Known as a “triple-threat,” Harris has taken his talents onto television shows, movies and the theater, performing in a multitude of each. All of his abilities were suspected to have a great contribution to his performance on stage for the Oscars. According to critics on TonyAwards.com, Harris is a multi-talented performer whose showmanship, wit and energy command the stage of live events. With NPH’s skills of singing and acting there were high hopes
for a definite entertaining performance. The position of being an Oscar host consists of being quick-witted and undoubtedly hilarious. Many believed that Harris had his work cut out for him following DeGeneres’ quirky yet risky performance. “I’ll admit that I’m nervous to host, but it’s much less pressure than being a nominee, having to go down a red carpet filled with prognosticators saying, ‘I think it’s your night! I can smell it!’” Neil Patrick Harris said in a statement on Oscars.org prior to the awards ceremony. Besides his profound career, NPH is a beloved actor. Best known for his nine-year reign as Barney on the comedy sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” He also has performed in 15 theater acts; the stage is almost second nature to him. “I’ve seen Neil Patrick Harris
on ‘HIMYM’ and in the Broadway show, ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch.’ He is one of the funniest actors I have ever seen,” junior Alexa Baskinger said. O n t h e To n y A w a r d s , NPH brought viewing numbers to 7.24 million, one of the highest spikes in statistics seen on the show. When interviewed on Oprah, Harris explained that when hosting for Broadway awards or television awards, the dynamic completely changes. The audience is a completely different crowd and it is a whole different show. NPH is a terrific actor, singer, and collaborator; and he didn’t disappoint on the Oscar stage. It was certain that Harris had big shoes to fill in that all Oscar hosts bring something unique and different. It was his ability to remain cool and collected that showed he
was born to stand on a stage under all circumstances. Like the ones before him, Neil Patrick Harris will be an Oscar host remembered for his performace.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID SHANKBONE (CC BY 2.0)
Neil Patrick Harris taking the Oscar stage was highly anticipated, and he met these expectations.
March 2015
The Wessex Wire: Arts & Culture
Page 10
‘Legally’ great? Guilty as charged Cooper masters his role as The Masquers cast and crew successfully recreate the beloved ‘Legally Blonde’ heroic ‘American Sniper’
By Jewels Gutowski ’16 Elle Woods, the clever and charismatic sorority sister prominently known for becoming a Harvard Law student, is perfectly captured by junior, Tess Dyer, the lead in this year’s production, “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” This lighthearted, high-energy musical was definitely worth seeing and certainly lived up to the hype. Dyer blew away the crowd with her breath-taking solos and vocals, along with the other cast members were who impeccable. Not only did the play captivate the overall atmosphere of the movie with the abundance of the color pink and “Delta Nu” letters, but the actors truly brought to life their characters. “The students have really connected to their characters and each other, and are able to bring about the emotional changes their characters go through really well,” director Ms. Rizzo said. Even though some things had to be adjusted to the live theatrical setting, most of the memorable quotations were preserved and the actors perfectly captured their on-screen parallels. One sizeable difference was the inclusion of Elle’s sorority sisters in more scenes, which turned out to have a positive effect and livened up the stage. They essentially “served as the Greek chorus to help tell the story,” Ms. Rizzo said. The three main sorority sisters, Kira Shabbab, Kaitlyn Au s s e n h e i m e r a n d Pa i g e Wasserman, kept the audience
By Monica Onorata ’15
Photo courtesy of Jack Ploscowe
Tess Dyer (Elle Woods) sings the final note during the “Bend and Snap” scene, made famous by the feature film. engaged with their amusing remarks and constant reminders of Elle’s membership in the Delta Nu sorority. Brooke Windham, the woman accused of murdering her husband, played by sophomore Caroline Lanfrank, executed a very entertaining Delta Nu handshake and song. She also revealed her talents of simultaneously singing while jump roping in a flawless exercise routine. “We prepared really well and worked so hard, so I’m glad it paid off,” Lanfrank said. Not only did the stage crew seamlessly make the set changes, but the costumes were spot on in relation to the film version. The preppy polo shirts and argyle vests, deliberately boring-looking legal suits and of course Elle constantly dressed head-to-toe in pink, gave
a very accurate representation of the originally intended costumes. Elle even carried around her little dog, Bruiser. One of the crowd’s favorite moments, based on their cheering and laughter, was when Paulette, played by senior Sammi LaPare, did the legendary “bend and snap” to get the UPS man’s attention, played by junior Mattias Voltmer. The show has a complete charm about it and the cast, the people in production and of course the director, Ms. Rizzo, should be proud of their exceptional performance. “‘Legally Blonde’ is one of my favorite movies, so I was really excited to see the show,” junior Spencer Barry said. “The play met my expectations and it stayed true to the movie.” Legally Blonde the movie will forever be a classic, and
Sparking controversy and patriotism, “American Sniper” also has created quite a splash in the box office. Released on Dec. 25, 2014, it is no surprise that the movie made a whopping $286 million since its debut, according to pro.boxoffice.com. Breaking various war movie records, “American Sniper” tells the compelling story of Navy Seal Chris Kyle, America’s most celebrated sharp-shooter. Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle is flawless. He and Sienna Miller (playing Kyle’s wife Taya Renae) have great chemistry while depicting a struggling marriage challenged by the hardships of war. Cooper plays a very humble Kyle, who, despite being nicknamed “The Legend,” never seems to lose sight of what is truly important. Although his kills leave him with a guilty conscience, he constantly reminds himself that his kills are for his men and for the greater good of his country. When returning from the war, Cooper demonstrates Kyle’s struggles with posttraumatic stress disorder. With jumbled thoughts and irrational behavior Cooper shows the illness that Kyle and many other soldiers live with due to their experiences. Kyle starts out as a rodeo cowboy living a wild and carefree life, but when he sees the
embassy bombings of 1998, he decides to enlist in the Navy. As his dedication and his overwhelming talent in shooting become more apparent, Kyle becomes a Seal and find himself on tour in Iraq. The Seal team struggles to take down the Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and his second in command nicknamed “The Butcher.” Kyle’s most prominent mission is to take down number one jihadist sniper Mustafa, who is suspected of killing other SEALs from thousands of meters away. Not only would the plot appeal to the typical war movie buff, but also to those looking for a good love story. The romance between Kyle and his wife is always an underlying factor on Kyle’s conscience throughout the war, and plays out through adverse times in between Kyle’s tours. Through “American Sniper,” we are able to see horrors of war in the Middle East, while our everyday lives remain unaffected. The film recognizes those, including Kyle, who sacrifice themselves for America’s safety. Cooper successfully portrays the courage and selflessness that make Kyle nothing less than a true American hero. 5 out of 5 stars
Knights in Tights dance the night away as ‘Arabian Knights’ Countless hours of practice culminates in the team’s annual performance By Ceana Cuello ’16
After months of practice, the varsity, junior varsity and middle school dance teams performed their annual showcase on Friday, Feb. 6. High school coach Shaun Salmon and middle school coach, Melissa Mooney organized the entire event. This year’s theme, “The Arabian Knights,” presented a total of 25 performances. “We’ve put so much work into this showcase, so I just hope everyone ended up loving it as much as we all did,” varsity dance team member Haley Connington said. West Essex has had a dance team for over two decades now, and there has been more than 20 showcases including a combination of team routines, solo routines from competition at independent studios and student choreography. The girls rehearsed
Photo By Julia MAxman
The dance squad takes a bow after their final performance of the night, “Arabian Nights.”
the entire year for this performance at least two times a week. “I feel like everyone got an equal opportunity to show what they’re capable of, which is one of the
most important aspects of a show in my opinion,” senior Brittany Wolverton said. “Everything came together really well, so the girls should be proud of themselves.”
The show opened up with a team performance to “Friend Like Me,” and during the show, many more fun dances were showcased to keep the audience entertained throughout the performance. Some of the performances include the varsity team’s “Arabian Knights” and “Bring on the Men,” the junior varsity’s “Life of the Party” and the middle school’s dance to “Holding out for a Hero.” The show later on ended with a dance to “Don’t You Forget about Me” from “The Breakfast Club.” Every year the showcase also becomes bittersweet because it is the last show the seniors perform in. Senior captains Mia Cana, Kelly Foley, Alexis Alexander and Sammi LaPare choreographed and danced to “Last of Me” as their farewell performance of their final show here at the high school.
The audience showed their appreciation and love for the overall performance from the girls due to the generous applause they received by the end of the night. “I always love watching the dance team show, especially because I have several friends
March 2015
The Wessex Wire: Sports
Page 11
Deflategate begs the NFL to take initiative
By Noah Eagle ’15
It seems every time I look up, the Patriots are making news. Whether a poor start or their stern head coach “kissing” (rather tenderly) his 30-year-old daughter on the lips, the New England team can manage to consistently find themselves being criticized. Fresh off their Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seahawks, quarterback Tom Brady and company are still fighting off the media and their coverage of Deflategate, the scandal that has pinned the Patriots as cheaters once again. Deflategate began after the NFL found that the Patriots tampered with some of the footballs used in the AFC Championship game against Indianapolis, having a substantial amount of air taken out of them. This gave the team an advantage, allegedly having the balls changed to their liking. The Pats routed the inexperienced Colts 45-7, including a 28-0 second half that saw different, legal balls being used. Yet, the media still found ways to twist the entire situation to make it seem like New England did something as bad as banning Chipotle (which I would sincerely hope is not in the team’s power). “Honestly, it’s just a stupid thing that everyone is making a big deal of,” senior and Patriots fan Farukh
Bhatti said. “The media is probably talking about it so much because they love ripping apart the Patriots.” Bhatti is not completely wrong in his thought process, as it seems the now dynasty is making poor headlines a formality in their organization. However, this is not the first time the team has been caught red-handed. During the 2007 NFL season, the public was made aware that the Patriots had illegally videotaped their rival New York Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals on the sideline during the game. The controversy was properly named “spygate,” and made news everywhere. So, how did the Patriots escape major punishment yet again from the league? After weeks of (unnecessary and annoying) media coverage, it remains unclear whether the players and coaches were conscious of the under-inflated footballs, but many people are still not convinced of the continued pleas of innocence by Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick. “I look at it like this: if you’re a painter and you are used to a specific paint brush, and somebody changed the type of brush you were using, you would recognize the difference,” PE teacher Mr. Linsalato said. “Using that logic, being such a professional, Tom Brady probably should have realized the problem.” While all angles of this story are
Sports Commentary more comical than newsworthy, I think people are missing the most prominent aspect of the “controversy.” Instead of focusing on the recurring drug, alcohol or domestic abuse issues the NFL sees daily, the league decided, “let’s put all our energy into Deflategate, and really milk the media attention.” But even with all the consideration being given to the problem at hand, the league wasn’t able to decide on a way to truly bring the justice they had originally hoped for. Finally, something they could actually solve, and commissioner Roger Goodell and league officials did not come through. They are really starting to build a reputation as, the NFL: a league where you can steal, beat people up, do illegal drugs, drive under the influence and even murder, but if you deflate our footballs or spy on teams’ signals, we’re going to get you. The NFL should realistically accept that every team cuts corners in some way or another during the course of the season, and maybe see that deflating the footballs should be the least of their issues. It may turn out that this scandal was just
Cosse joins elite lacrosse list By Kirk Geller ’16
Top Right: “ready to play” by frankieleon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ armydre2008/16350680255)
Photo by sabrina saccente
Coach Cosse looking forward to lacrosse season.
Physical education and health teacher Ms. Cosse was inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Feb. 7. Cosse has been a lacrosse and field hockey coach at West Essex for nearly 20 years, achieving a combined record of 617-71-14. She started out her coaching career at Kean University before finding her way to West Essex in 1997. “Ms. Alimi brought me here,” Ms. Cosse said, referring to the previous girls’ lacrosse and field hockey coach at West Essex. “When she left, she was able to choose her successor and she called me while I
was at Kean University. She asked if I wanted to coach here and I was just shocked.” Over the time she has been at West Essex, Cosse has won nine Essex County Championships, five conference championships, five North A Group Championships a n d t h r e e To u r n a m e n t o f Champions titles. “Coach Cosse knows how to challenge every one of us to be our best and the lessons we learn from her are things that we will carry with us into our everyday lives,” senior lacrosse player Meredith James said. “After four years I would not want to play for anyone else.”
School Sports Records SPORT
HOLDER
R E CO R D
YEAR
Football
Sal LoCascio
Career Tackles: 435
2002
Boys’ Track
Fred Zeiher
High Jump: 6’8”
1971
Girls’ Soccer
Jen Egan
Career Goals: 67
2006
Boys’ Lacrosse
Matt Guido
Career Assists: 145
2004
Photo courtesy of Frankie leon (CC BY 2.0)
The Patriots silenced the doubters with a convincing Super Bowl victory.
what the league needed to open their eyes to how silly they have recently become. One can only hope going forward that Roger Goodell and company can figure out ways to improve their clearly flawed system.
While there is clearly nothing that can put the more serious issues to an absolute end, this scandal might allow league officials to take a big step back and reassess their most important values.
Winter track finishes season on a high note By Rose Pezzuti ’15 This season the boys’ and girls’ winter track teams had a total of nine runners make it to the Group Championship, which took place on Feb. 13. Senior Lenny Mendola and sophomore Liam Fost qualified for the 400 meters. Seniors Alexa Alhout, Far ukh Bhatti and Lenny Mendola qualified for the 55 meters. Lastly, both 4x400 meter relay teams qualified, including seniors Alexa Alhout, Theresa Murray and Kayla Torter along with sophomore Hailey Blum. The boys relay team was made up of senior Lenny Mendola, junior Isaiah Rodriguez and sophomores Liam Fost and Anthony Steets. “I’m extremely proud of my athletes given the challenges we faced in the beginning of the season regarding the track,” coach Mr. Emering said. “We turned our focus to what was possible and this was arguably the most successful winter season I have ever coached.” Bhatti placed first at the sec-
tional championship with a time of 6.79. The 4x400 boys relay team placed second at sectionals by only two hundredths of a second with a time of 3:33.27 allowing them to continue to groups. Furthermore, this team placed third at groups with an even better time of 3:32.34, which is an All-American Silver Status. The Meet of Champions took place on Feb. 21. The boys relay team placed 27 out of 38 teams and finished with a time of 3:31.24. “When you get to the Meet of Champions, the highest form of competition, all of the athletes look the same and I always wondered what made them the top competition. As we were preparing to run the 4x4, all of the teams were congratulating each other for making it,” sophomore Liam Fost said. “I realized that they weren’t successful because they were bigger or faster, but because they had the most heart. We were all so passionate about our sport and our teams and I think that’s what allowed us to achieve such great success.”
March 2015 Issue 4
The Wessex Wire Page 12
Bertscha: 21 on the court, number 12 to hit 1K Four-year varsity standout reaches milestone; gives team momentum heading into postseason By Rose Pezzuti ’15
Senior Shannon Bertscha became the twelfth student in West Essex basketball history to score 1,000 points in a career. On Jan. 22, Bertscha put down her one thousandth point against University High School. As a four year starter for the Ladt Knights, Bertscha has carried the team to a successful 15-9 record. According to highschoolsports.nj.com, Bertscha had an impressive 452 points by the end her sophomore year and a total of 831 points after her junior year. From then, it was obvious to anybody that she was well on her way to make her mark at West Essex. “It’s funny because my older sister Danielle pitched 1,000 strikeouts in softball, and always used to joke to me about how now I had to reach 1,000 points in basketball,” Bertscha said. Bertscha started playing basketball in second grade for the Roseland recreation team. The following year, she joined the West Essex Knights travel team along with senior teammates Sabrina Saccente and Lexie Sabato, and was soon followed by her current co-captain Steff Lee and Haley DeFrank, who are still alongside
Photo courtesy of Mr. Saccente
Berstcha knows what it takes to bring her team to victory on any given night.
her this season. “It was obvious from the time she was in middle school that Shannon would be an outstanding player,” assistant girls’ basketball coach Mr. Glenn said. “She does a lot of little things that go unnoticed. She is an excellent defensive player, an outstanding communicator on the court and has an overall calming effect on the team in tense situations.” With two older sisters as ath-
letes, Bertscha was surrounded by sports from a very early age and from then she has not stopped playing. Since she was young, Bertscha was mesmerized by every game of her siblings’, allowing the senior to pick up on several sports and began to fall in love with the thrill of competition. Even her father, who still plays basketball, has inspired her to become the player she is today. With the support and motivation frwom her family and teammates, Bertscha has made history. “She is a great teammate,” Lee said. “I have been playing with her as long as I can remember and it is going to be hard to see it come to an end.” Bertscha is an extremely accomplished athlete, making varsity basketball and lacrosse as a freshman and varsity soccer as a sophomore. She plans to attend Cornell University next fall and will play Div. I lacrosse. “Growing up and playing with all of my best friends and improving together as players allows me to look back at how we were, and how we are now, which has been the most memorable part of my career,” Bertscha said. “The best part of high school sports are the friendships made that these rela-
Photo courtesy of Mr. Saccente
Bertscha goes for a layup against University en route to 1000 career points.
tionships will last longer than high school itself.” With Bertscha leading the Lady
Knights’ charge, the team is primed to make a deep run in their section. Grabbing the sixth seed this year,
Wrestling team takes home county championship By Luke Magliaro ’15
The West Essex wrestling team won the county championship on Jan. 24, at the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange as they were impressively able to send home four individual champions. This county championship marked the third time in school history that the Knights were able to take home the title and their first time since 2011, where they defeated Seton Hall Prep by only two points. This year however, the Knights were able to easily conquer Nutley by 10.5 points to take home the team crown. S e n i ors Marc Mc D ona l d, Roberto LoCascio and Jaxon Panico all took first place in their weight class, as well as junior Thomas Tabatneck. In addition to the first place winners, the Knights had several others in the top five of their classes. Senior Mike Panzarino took home second place and sophomore Marco Macrino took third, while sophomore Chris
Zaccaria and senior Matthew Tiritilli added fifth place finishes for our championship knights. Marc McDonald, a three year county champion, is proud of all their hard work and that thinks the family atmosphere is what is bringing their team to the top. “We work hard and fight harder for each other. We’re willing to do what needs to be done to make each other better. When you push each other like we do, you expect nothing less than to be champions,” McDonald said. This season, although they have had several younger up and comers carry their weight and surpass expectations some had, the Knights have relied on their seniors to help lead their team to a county championship and a potential state title. “The thing that has driven this team this year is senior leadership. We have a group of seniors that have grinded out four years in this program and are model examples for our younger wrestlers,” coach Mr. Markey said.
According to a several wrestlers, the program is one who prides itself on hard work and determination, traits that allow a team to make deep runs in tournaments and win championships, and the coaches don’t think anything different. “Our program is what it is. It is very demanding and because of that it is rare for us to have a large group of seniors. For the wrestlers who meet the demands, their hard work usually pays off and that’s what you’re seeing from these seniors,” coach Mr. Markey said. Recently, the team competed in the district 13 championship, taking second in the team overall, with Marc McDonald defending his title in the 220 pound weight class on our home mats. Mike Panzarino placed second in the 152 pound class, falling to Tyler Tepe of Passaic Valley. The Knights have a positive outlook after their strong performance in districts and hope to make a deep run in their section under coach of the year, Coach Ruggiero.
Photo courtesy of Glenn Kross photography
Matt Tiritilli and the Knights are primed for a deep run in their section.
Wise words: Coach Markey
“If you want to be truly great at this sport you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”