January - South Brunswick School District

South Brunswick High School
750 Ridge Road
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
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SPECIAL INAUGURATION ISSUE
the
v king
vibe
Volume 10 - Issue 4
Jan 2008
DPS Goes To D.C.
On the morning of January 18, when most other SBHS students and staff were
fast asleep, 44 students and seven chaperones boarded a bus. Destination: DC. The
group endured the lack of sleep, the long bus rides, and the huge crowds to attend
the swearing-in ceremony of the nation’s 44th president.
Last spring, the advisors of the high school’s official history club, the Dead Presidents Society (DPS), social studies teachers Mrs. Corie Gaylord and Mr. Justin
Negraval, received an offer to attend the 56th presidential inauguration via Smithsonian Student Travel.
“We were out of our minds,” said Mr. Negraval, “The logistics of going there
with any number of kids would be difficult because of who was elected. Either way
Saadia Ahmad
2010
[the election] turned out, it would be historic.”
Besides the advisors, chaperones included social studies teacher Mr. David
Cieslak, Mrs. Lauren Negraval, school nurse Mrs. Mary Gentzle, and paraprofessional Mrs. Linda Bavaro.
On the eighteenth, the group visited several of D.C.’s Smithsonian museums and
took a night tour of the FDR and Jefferson Memorials.
The nineteenth featured a visit to Mt. Vernon, the plantation home of George
Washington, which included the first president’s original mansion, his tomb, and
pathways with stunning views of the Potomac River.
The day ended with an inaugural ball at the Camelot Hotel in Baltimore, Mary-
“It was invigorating and moving. [Obama’s inauguration] changed my
view of how people of different races can do great things. United as
one, the nation can overcome all the negativity and turn it positive.”
--Daniel Murphy (‘09)
land for Smithsonian students from many states. Attendees celebrated President Obama’s
inauguration with food, music, and dancing. Students also took photos with cardboard
cut-outs of Barack Obama and Joe Biden on a long, red carpet.
The third day of the trip revolved around the inauguration of the country’s
first half-African-American president, Barack Hussein Obama. The
DPS representatives left their hotel rooms at 4:30 a.m. and moved
with massive crowds to the National Mall to watch the Lincoln
Memorial concert featuring Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen,
Josh Groban, U2, and Shakira among others.
Mr. Negraval noted that keeping track of fifty
people in a crowd of two million was challenging. “But we did it in small steps,” he said,
“We broke down everyone in smaller groups. We
got separated a few times, but we had cell numbers.”
Senior Aly Azhar said, “It was exciting being there in
person because I’ve never been to a political rally before. I had
heard that he’s a good speaker and excites the crowd, and this was
my first time experiencing that. It’s definitely better than watching it
on TV.”
Following the inauguration, the students and chaperones reunited at the Smithso-
“I thought it was a great and timely speech. I was glad to see
both conservative and liberal ideas peppered throughout. He was
definitely talking about this point in history – right now.”
--Mr. Justin Negraval
nian National Air and Space Museum. Early in the evening,
they walked more than 20 blocks to the ESPN Zone since
many roads were closed due to the Inaugural Parade. Before the end of the day, the group enjoyed a dinner at
Fuddruckers.
After a final breakfast at the hotel, the group
left for an appointment at the U.S. Capitol.
Congressman Rush Holt, a current U.S. Representative for New Jersey, made a surprise
visit to talk about the government’s role “to
“Like Obama, I
government
because I
wanted to
help people.”
--Rep. Rush Holt
ensure fairness in
the interactions of
the people.”
“This was a tremendous opportunity for the students,”
Mrs. Gaylord said,
“This will be with
them forever.”
joined the
2
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
news
“Like Obama, I joined the government because I wanted to help people. It’s very satisfying. At the end of the day, I have a sense of
having helped someone. If I have something to offer, I’ll give it.”--Congressman Rush Holt speaks to DPS members on the final day
of their trip to Washington, D.C./PHOTO COURTESY OF Cathy Savas
The Viking Vibe
2008-2009 Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Anita Modi
E-vibe Editor
Hannah Green
Layout Editor
Jovelle Tamayo
Managing Editor
Amy Rowe
Sports Editor
Tom Dunleavy
Illustrator
Amishi Desai
Editorial Staff
Zohrain Hassam, Natalie Twerdowsky,
Saadia Ahmad, Samantha Orlan, Roshni Shah
Staff
Corey Allen, Riya Arora, Justin Berger, Matthew Brown,
Alexis Bruno, Emily Campisano, Tori Capps, Prerana
Chatty, Jaya Chinnaya, Alyssa Chrysafis, Zachary Cohen,
Maxine Deines, Jennetta Dellapa, Brooke DelGuercio, Mark
Desmond, Kevin DeVito, Timothy Doehler, Sukanya Dutta,
Tajah Ebram, Rachel Finklestein, Georgia Foulds, Rosalia
Gambino, Breona Garrison, Andrew Gong, Joshua Gonzalez,
Kristen Huang, Brandon James, Bhanupriya Jayarangan,
William Johnston, Cassandra Joiner, Cassandra Kot, Melissa
Katz, Aaron Lassin, Minna Liu, Catherine Lordi, Gregory
Madia, Ramsha Mahmood, David Mariano,Cody McHugh,
Gunjan Mehta, Alissa Mesibov, Mona Mostafa, Michael
Muha, Monika Nandi, Suman Naringrekar, Sidney Nelson,
Kayla Noll, Alexa Padovano, Ashna Pai, Danilyn Parlow
Tanvi Parmar, Ellen Plocic, Ektaa Sanghvi, Priya Shah,
Kevin Shiraldi, Miranda Sirimis, Jordan Smtih, Jacob Stern,
Morgan Sturgeon, Nicole Tyburczy, Jeffrey Veith, Jessica
Warner, Michael Weber, Krystal Wilson, Keith Zients.
Advisor
Andrew Loh
The Viking Vibe welcomes article submissions and
letters to the editors, which may be delivered to Mr. Loh or
dropped off in his mailbox. Submissions can also be sent to
Aloh@sbschools.org. The Vibe reserves the right to edit,
shorten or comment on any material submitted to the
publication. The opinions expressed on the editorial page do
not necessarily represent the views of the advisor, editorial
staff, faculty, administrators
or the Board of Education.
Students interested in journalism are also encouraged to
join the Newspaper Club, held every Tuesday in room A204.
From the
Editor’s
Desk:
A Promising Presidency
On January 20, 2009, the world rejoiced as Democratic Senator Barack Obama of
Illinois was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. For
months, newscasters and reporters representing all continents hailed the Senator, then the
President-elect, as a John F. Kennedy figure—respectable, intelligent, and internationally
renowned. What remains the most admirable beyond our President’s character, though,
is his ability to galvanize the American people. Unlike presidents of the past, who have
solely relied on the support of their campaign team or inner circle, Barack Obama seemed
to both recognize and value the support of every American, regardless of race, gender,
class, or age. Teachers, students, and administrators alike were called upon for volunteer
work and monetary donations. And teachers, students, and administrators alike responded
to the call of perhaps the most unlikely upstart candidate of the entire race.
If there is anything we can learn from the most expensive and extensive campaign in
American history, it is that leaders are not those who can lead but those who will lead; it
is that voices heard are not those that can be heard, but those that will be heard; it is that
differences are made not by those who can make a difference, but by those who will make
a difference. Here’s to the most promising presidency of our generation; congratulations
to all those who were able to witness the start of it.
-Anita Modi (‘09)
Letter
to
the
Editor
re: Obama: A Real Sizzler
If Thomas Alva Edison is called the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” then Barack Obama can
easily be called the “Wizard of Winning Elections.” No other president in recent memory
comes close in feats of electoral wizardry. Case in point: President-elect (now President)
Obama used his powers of raw masculinity and divine seduction to flawlessly woo the
electorate and immaculately conceive the first black presidency in our nation’s history.
That same robust image he exuded on the campaign trail now fills the Oval Office
with its manly musk. As president, Barack knows he must make good on his grandiose
campaign promises. There is an air of tense expectation from which few can escape. In
my personal and unqualified opinion, I think he will shatter our expectations- and not like
how George Bush shattered our expectations. He’ll shatter them by surpassing them.
I wasn’t at the inauguration, but if I did go, I would’ve bought all those Obama
souvenirs. Wow, I thought ‘souvenirs’ had more e’s in it. Oh, well. Anyway, this brings
me to my next point. People need to stop comparing Barack Obama to Abe Lincoln. I
get it- Abe Lincoln was our greatest president and he had a mole on his face. He also had
something to do with black people, though I forget what exactly that was. That’s basically
where the similarities end.
In conclusion, the inauguration was awesome, but it was just the start. I have every
confidence that Barack Obama will tower over his predecessors: this was already made
evident when he was placed unceremoniously next to the former presidents at a recent
Oval Office photo-op. He was by far the tallest guy in the room, beating Carter by about
four feet. He’s going to be a real sizzler.
-Ellis Klein (‘09)
news
January 2009
Movement Aims to Make
MLK Day “On”
Morgan Sturgeon
2010
In the 1950’s and 60’s, Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. was the symbol of nonviolent activism against the oppressive
racists of his time. Initiated by Congress
in 1994, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has
been a relaxing holiday to remember his
contributions to society.
Traditionally, January 19--MLK Day-is a day people have “off” from work
to commemorate the great civil rights
leader. However, a recent movement is
trying to change this.
The masterminds behind the many
homages to Dr. King on his day came up
with a brilliant idea to make the holiday
“on.” In other words, as opposed to taking the day off, sleeping in, and having
breakfast in bed, Americans would get
out of their houses and take action to
help improve lives of fellow citizens.
Someone eager to volunteer could
go to a soup kitchen, a senior center, or
anywhere that time would be valued.
Even President Barack Obama donated
his time to the cause the Monday before
his inauguration.
“If Obama isn’t too busy to volunteer,
then I should volunteer, too,” said junior
Raynor Andrulewich.
King dreamt of a day for all to do
what he dedicated his life to--civil and
community service.
Junior Abby Weingarten said, “I
think [Martin Luther King Jr. Day] is
an important holiday. I’ve never thought
about volunteering that day before, but
it does make sense because that’s what
he was all about.”
“Without Martin Luther King, who
knows where our country would be today? He changed us forever,” said senior Danny Boyle.
Advocates for Dr. King argue that it
is a much better reverence to his life to
get out and serve.
“…As an observance, we take time
out to remember and to respect [Martin
Luther King Jr.],” said social studies
teacher Mrs. Janean Vivadelli.
The movement to get people to volunteer and dedicate hands on time to his
memory is just improving the meaning
of this holiday.
Ektaa Sanghvi, ‘12
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3
Holocaust Memorial Trip
Cassie Kot memory of those who suffered; and to
encourage its visitors to reflect upon the
2009 moral and spiritual questions raised by
On December 3 and 11, SBHS
students taking Holocaust and Genocide
Studies received the opportunity to visit
the Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington D.C. After going through
tight security, students were taken up
to the fourth floor where they were told
they could roam freely. Students only
had one instruction, which was to meet
back up at a specific time to leave. An
assignment was given to jot down fifty
opinions or thoughts about anything
that caught the eye walking through the
museum.
The museum consisted of numerous
historical artifacts, many coming from
the actual Holocaust. Walking through
the exhibits, the students had to do a
lot of reading to really understand the
history and background of the tragedy.
Televisions played footage of medical
experiments hidden in a spot where
one had to look up due to the disturbing
graphics.
“It was a really powerful experience.
I feel more mature coming out of it and
I have more knowledge of what people
suffered through. I now learned to
appreciate the little things in life that I
have,” said senior Jerika Fernandaz.
Since 1993, the Museum has
welcomed more than 25 million visitors.
The United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum is a public-private partnership
where federal support guarantees the
museum’s permanence and donors
nationwide make this experience
possible.
According to the Holocaust Memorial
Museum’s website, “The Museum’s
primary mission is to advance and
disseminate knowledge about this
unprecedented tragedy; to preserve the
the events of the Holocaust as well as
their own responsibilities as citizens of
a democracy.”
“The Museum broadened my
horizons by making me more aware of
what really happened. It made me feel
more compassionate towards people,”
said senior Paulina DeFelice.
This is the sixth year that SBHS
students have attended the museum, the
most important part of the Holocaust
and Genocide Studies class.
Social studies teacher Mr. Marc
Babich said, “It’s a personal experience
for each student. It gives the student a
better appreciation of life and they come
to be aware of how brutally humans can
treat each other. They’ll come to the
realization that good people need to take
a stand.”
The most popular exhibit among the
students was Daniel’s Story. This exhibit
gives the individual the experience of
viewing the Holocaust through the eyes
of the children. It consists of a collection
of diaries from various children written
during 1933-1945, but it only mentions
the composite character Daniel to create
less confusion for younger viewers.
Throughout the exhibit, there were
overhead narrations, diary pages, and
walk-through environments which
helped visitors understand the hatred
toward and violence against the Jews.
“Walking through Daniel’s Story
brought a tear to my eye as I read diary
entries about what happened to the
children during the Holocaust. At that
young age, being separated from your
parents and taken into a concentration
camp must have been more than
unbearable,” said senior Malak Fakhry.
4
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
Science Olympiad Invited to
State Competition
Anita Modi
2009
On Thursday, January 8, the South
Brunswick Science Olympiad Team
placed fifth out of twenty high school
teams at a regional competition held
at Princeton University. As one of the
top ten teams in the competition, South
Brunswick was invited to attend the
state competition, to be held on Tuesday,
March 17, at Middlesex County
College.
At Princeton’s day-long event,
students competed at events stationed all
around campus, breaking for lunch at the
Jadwin gym. The award ceremony, held
at 3:00pm at McCosh Hall, recognized
the top eight participants for each event
and concluded at 4:30pm.
The regional competition included a
total of sixteen different events, of which
eleven involved participating students
taking written tests in pairs; the other
five events required the pairs to construct
a device beforehand, which was to be
tested and judged at the university. Out
of the sixteen events, South Brunswick
placed second in five, and was recognized
for their performance in several others.
The team, composed of eighteen
students and two advisors—Dr. Amrish
Garg and Mr. Michael Poot—is only in its
second year of existence and has already
improved its ranking from seventh place
at last year’s regional competition.
What has changed in the year since
the Science Olympiad’s establishment?
“It was chaotic last year,” senior and
co-President of the team Ajay Roopakalu
(with junior Irene Lin) summarized,
“People were running around with no
idea what to do. This year, there was
better organization, a better idea of what
to expect, and we were able to better
prepare for the individual challenges.”
Roopakalu participated in both
the Trajectory event, which required
students to build a catapult that could
project a tennis ball at the greatest
distance possible, and the Picture This
event, which he described as “Science
Pictionary.”
Rohan Katipally, a junior participant
and returning member of the team,
added, “People were dedicated and
worked harder this year. We were more
prepared overall.”
At the same time, as senior
and returning member Lauren Dai
pointed out, “The test events are
always unexpected; you can never
fully know what they’re going to ask
you,” especially since the given event
subjects are so wide-ranging. Testing
events include Cell Biology, Disease
Detective, Herpetology, Rock Science,
and Forestry—all very broad subjects to
specialize in for a 50-minute test.
To provide time for the testers to
study and for the builders to, well, build,
Science Olympiad meetings are held
every other Tuesday after school, from
2:30 to 4:30pm in room 312.
“We hold meetings to keep the
momentum going, so that participants
don’t put Science Olympiad on the back
burner,” Dr. Garg explained, noting that
many team members were also busy
with sports, other academic teams, and
their own schoolwork.
Dr. Garg was quick to add, however,
that regardless of other commitments,
“Everyone contributed. The new team
members who came aboard just this year
contributed as well, and their experience
will help them in the following years.”
As for this year, the team is currently
focusing on the state competition, which
is to be held in just a few weeks. With
the competition comes an additional
eight events that the participants need
to prepare for alongside the original
sixteen events that will be brought back
to Middlesex County College. Of the
eight new events, five involve written
tests, while three involve building and
testing devices.
“The devices need to come out earlier;
we need to see those at meetings,” Mr.
Poot said, noting that pairs first presented
their devices to the team on the morning
of the regional competition—leaving no
time for suggestions or improvement.
As Dr. Garg assured, “The good news
is, there’s always room for improvement.
The other teams are going to ratchet
up their performances, and we will as
well.”
Members of the
Science Olympiad
team await the
awards ceremony at
Princeton’s McCosh
Hall. /PHOTO BY
Anita Modi (‘09)
news
FBLA Regionals
Members of FBLA
during Regionals
sing, pose, and win
awards./PHOTOS
COURTESY OF
Amanda Izzo (‘09)
Samantha Orlan and
Roshni Shah
2010, 2011
On Wednesday, January 7, the Future
Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
club participated in the regional competition at Mercer County Community
College.
“SBHS students participated in so
many events, from Marketing to Accounting to Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure,” said Ms. Laura Dec,
co-advisor of FBLA.
In each event, students exhibited their
knowledge of business by taking tests.
Ms. Dec said, “We go and compete
at testing sessions. Whichever event a
student decides to compete in, they go
to and they take a test. Then the scores
are compared against the scores of other
schools.”
Some of the other schools that participated were North Brunswick High
School, JP Stevens High School, and
Old Bridge High School.
Prior to the competition, students took
it upon themselves to study for their respective events.
Ms. Karen Hunte, also a co-advisor
of FBLA, said, “We have a few study
sessions [to prepare for Regionals], but
most of the preparation is done by the
students alone.”
Ms. Dec added, “Most students study
on their own and we encourage them to
win.”
Out of the 75 members of FBLA, 47
members attended the competition, and
so far 14 have been recognized for their
exceptional performances.
Senior Jessica Liu took fifth place in
the Marketing category.
She said, “My experience at regionals was amazing. I had a great time especially during the awards ceremony. It
was intense because everyone was so
anxious to see if they placed or not.”
First-place winner in the Introduction
to Business category, sophomore David
Li said, “The best part of the competition
was definitely winning first place. I was
simply hoping to place at regionals and
move on to states, so my expectations
weren’t very high; however I received
first place, which never really hurts.”
Members from FBLA who did well
during regionals will have the opportunity to compete in the state competition
in March. Those who continue to succeed will be able to compete at nationals, held in California this June.
Junior Emil Chen, attendee at regionals, said, “I had a great time. It was nice
to see people that have the same interests as me.”
Miss Hunte said, “I am really proud
of the kids. Their independent study
showed that they take the club seriously
and the competition showed them that
other students in other schools take it
seriously as well.”
news
Registration Opens for Women’s
Leadership Conference 2009
Chelsea McCook
2010
The Twelfth Annual Women’s Leadership
Conference will be held on Saturday
February 28, from 8:00am to 12:30pm at
South Brunswick High School. The South
Brunswick Commission on Women has
been presenting the conference since 1997.
The conference is open to all female adults
and students in grade eight or higher.
The Women’s Leadership Conference
brings together approximately 300 women
annually, ensuring that today’s young
women are exposed to different careers and
can become tomorrow’s great leaders. Over
65 speakers give up a Saturday to educate
the young women while local businesses
donate goods, services, and money.
Junior Trishna Daphtary, Co-Secretary
of the Commission, said she was excited
about the upcoming conference.
“We work for about half of the year trying
to get ready for the conference and then we
get to see how everything plays out. It’s
always great to see everyone’s reactions
after the conference,” she explained.
The goal of the commission was to
create a program that could encourage
and develop leadership in young women.
Its hope is to empower and provide role
models for young women.
Ms. Atiya Aftab, Chair of the
Commission, said she was looking forward
to this year’s conference.
“I’m so glad I have the opportunity
to give back to the community and get
involved,” she said, “To be able to be
part of an organization that can make a
difference means the world to me.”
The conference begins early with
breakfast. Everyone then travels to the
auditorium to start off the day with a
message from the keynote speaker who,
this year, is Assemblywoman Linda
Greenstein. The attendees then break off
into their designated rooms for each of the
two career workshops. The morning ends
with a big lunch buffet.
Junior Karen Sendner said, “I’ve
been attending these conferences since
freshman year and I’ve enjoyed all of
them. My favorite part is the keynote
speaker. Last year, we had author Megan
McCafferty, and she gave us a lot of good
advice about how to be successful in the
writing field.”
Registration papers will soon be
available in SPS. Anyone interested just
has to fill out a form and hand it back in to
attend the free conference.
The workshops include: Music/Art/
Theatre/
Dance,
Law/Government/
Politics, Corporate Business, Health
Professions,
Teaching
Professions,
Date
Rape/Sexual
Harassment,
Communications/Journalism,
Owning
Your Own Business, The F.B.I., Finance/
Accounting/Banking,
Fashion/Home
Fashion, College Life 101, High School
and
Beyond,
Engineering/Science/
Technology, Culinary Arts and Media
Specialist.
Junior Kathleen Hernandez, anxious
to attend the Women’s Leadership
Conference next month, said, “I’ve never
been able to attend the conference and
then I always hear back from my friends
that they loved it. I’m glad I’ll be able to
go this year.”
For more information visit:
http://sites.google.com/site/sbcw2009/.
NJSC LEADERS COME TO SBHS
Emily Campisano
Morgan Sturgeon
2010
On Friday, December 12, student
councils from other schools came to
South Brunswick High School along
with The NJ Association of Student
Councils to interview and select new
members for the board. Junior Samantha
Berk was elected as an Executive Member of the state board.
The New Jersey Association of Student Councils is a leadership group that
interacts with the student councils from
the high schools and middle schools
across the state. The purpose of this
leadership group is to get students to be
part of their school communities and to
get actively involved with school and
community issues.
“I liked that we were able to see all the
student councils from the other schools
and hear their ideas as well,” said senior
Zaniah Maynor.
While the state board conducted interview throughout the monthly meeting,
SBHS students were able to talk with
students from other schools and see how
their daily school schedules compared
with ours.
“I think that this was a good experience for students from other schools to
see how our school runs as opposed to
theirs,” said Student Council Advisor,
Ms. Lauren VanHook.
Teachers as well as students were
able to benefit from seeing how others
schools run.
There are various differences between
the way SBHS runs and the way other
schools around the state run. While
SBHS has block schedules and HAPs,
other schools may not. Students were
able to really see the ways other schools
compare to SBHS.
“I feel like this was a good experience
for us because networking is a part of
life; without it, you can’t experience life
to the fullest,” said senior Jen Luck.
According to Ms. VanHook, this was
a successful meeting for the board and
for the students as well. By getting to
speak to other students, they were able
to appreciate South Brunswick High
School much more.
“I think that the students were really able to be proud of our school,” said
Ms. VanHook, “They were able to realize that we have so many activities, such
as Powderpuff, and events that other
schools don’t have.”
“It was a good experience for us to
show all the other students around our
school,” said junior Rebecca Eisenberg.
However, this opportunity this doesn’t
arise very often because students don’t
always get elected to be apart of the state
board.
“This was a good opportunity for the
students because it only happens every
so often,” said Ms. VanHook.
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
5
SBHS Seniors Learn How to Save
Lives in CPR Class
Corey Allen
2009
Seniors taking physical education are
required to take a CPR education class
for one marking period of the year.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
more commonly known as CPR, is
an emergency medical procedure for
victims of cardiac or respiratory arrest
proven to save countless lives. CPR
helps the victim’s body maintain a flow
of oxygenated blood to the brain and the
heart.
In addition to learning CPR, the
students also learn how to use an AED
(automated external defibrillator), which
automatically diagnoses the heart rhythm
and determines if a shock is needed.
The course, taught by health and
physical education teachers Mr. Douglas
Hunt and Mr. John Harding, educates
seniors on how to perform CPR and
devotes significant time to allowing the
students to practice the procedure on
mannequins.
Not only does the course provide
students with knowledge and education,
but allows students to become certified
in CPR and AED upon completion.
“The class is an added service to
students,” said Mr. Hunt, “[CPR] is
a good skill to know and have on any
resume.”
While some seniors may prefer gym
to the course, others appreciate the skills
that the course offers to those who take
it.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for
me and I’m looking forward to taking
it,” said senior Sanket Pandya.
“My sister took the course two years
ago and I admire her skills,” said senior
Joe Mastronardi, “I am excited to be
another member of my family who will
be able to save lives.”
The class excited students in some
other ways as well.
Senior Matt Mortensen said, “I am
already a lifeguard, so the CPR class
gives me a chance to show off my
skills.”
Mr. Hunt and Mr. Harding debated
whether or not the course should only be
given to seniors. They based the final
decision on the fact that senior students
will be heading off to college or to the
work force the next year.
“Students who complete the course
could offer tremendous help to their
peers or co-workers,” said Mr. Hunt.
Seniors train on mannequins like the one portrayed above in class./PHOTO
COURTESY OF ABC Occupational First Aid
6
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
Annual Winter Concert
Wows Audience
Brooke Del Guercio
2011
On December 15 and 22, the South
Brunswick Music Department delivered
a spectacular concert. The performing
student groups included various
orchestras, choirs and bands.
Both the Orchestra and Chamber
Orchestra were under the direction of
Mr. Christopher Finnegan.
While the former orchestra played
“Durango Tango,” “Danza,” and “Five
movements from Bartok’s Ten Easy
Pieces for Piano,” the latter played
“Concerto 3,” “Brook Green Suite For
String Orchestra,” and “Finlandia,”
receiving rave reviews from students
around the school.
“They were incredible,” sophomore
Allison Zimmitti said. “Their music
sounded beautiful and their pieces were
amazing.”
The renowned Wind Ensemble,
which is made up of the school’s most
esteemed musicians, performed under
the direction of Mr. Mark Kraft. This
group of students played “Fanfare and
Allegro,” “Commando March,” “Music
for Prague 1968 Movements One and
Two,” and “Sleigh Ride.”
“Being a part of the Wind Ensemble
is a big honor,” senior Dan Velez said,
“We are really well-known, we practice
extremely hard, and we take a lot of
pride in our performances.”
“The Wind Ensemble was absolutely
incredible, I am always amazed at
how great they are,” sophomore Aaron
Williams said. “Their songs are so
complicated and they always do such an
awesome job.”
The Symphonic Band, which consists
of sophomores, juniors, and seniors,
performed three songs under the direction
of Mrs. Donna Cardaneo: “Third Suite,”
“Jesu Joy,” and “Emperata Overture.”
“Our three songs were challenging
and everyone had to work really hard.
Mrs. Cardaneo really pushed us and it
paid off in the end. I was really satisfied
with our performance,” sophomore
Angela Zhang said.
Mr. Steven Coone directed the
Concert Band, which consists of all
freshmen, for three songs: “Appalachian
Air,” “Grand Canyon Overture,” and
“Garden of the Black Rose.”
All of the choirs performed under the
direction of Mrs. Virginia Kraft.
The Men’s Ensemble performed three
songs: “So It Goes,” “By the Light of the
Silvery Moon,” and the popular hit song
by Billy Joel, “For the Longest Time.”
“The men’s ensemble performance
was really good,” sophomore Alex
Dobermilsky said, “They were really
entertaining and really funny. They’re
always my favorite group to watch.”
“Performing in the concerts are a
lot of fun,” junior James Ross stated,
“Preparing for them are a lot of work but
performing well in the end really gives
you a good feeling.”
news
Class Participates in an
Unusual Holiday Drive
Tori Capps
2010
Last year, social studies teacher Mrs.
Janean Vivadelli directed her classes’
participation in an outreach program for
the holidays which helped fund goats and
chickens to send to an African village.
To add a little fun, healthy competition,
the class that collected the most money
before December 17 won a party right
before winter break.
The winning class was Mrs. Vivadelli’s
3A Global Studies Class.
Each class had one treasurer that
kept track of how much money the class
made. The treasurer was also responsible
for the Goat Collection Jug, where the
class’ money was held.
“Basically I went around collecting
change or dollars from our class. Every
class we made more money,” explained
junior Safa Akhtar.
“A lot of people from my class didn’t
participate at first,” said junior Michelle
Hollander from Mrs. Vivadelli’s 2A
class. “But when they realized it was a
competition, everyone donated to win.”
While some classes were enthusiastic
about the challenge, other students were
a little hesitant in the beginning.
“At first it was odd because we weren’t
sure if the goats would really be sent to
Africa or if the charity was ripping us
off,” said junior Rachel Takacs.
However, the charity they used was
World Vision. Mrs. Vivadelli said, “There
are few charities that I trust. I’ve been
donating to World Vision for ten years.
They’re amazing. I have sponsored a
girl for nine years through it.”
World Vision is a humanitarian
organization working with communities
in 100 countries around the world.
They help communities reach their
full potential by tackling poverty and
injustice. The organization serves all
people regardless of religion, race,
ethnicity, or gender providing access to
clean water, nutritious food, health care,
education, and economic development
tools that can transform lives.
The purpose of this challenge was
clearly not for a party or bragging
rights.
Mrs. Vivadelli said, “The point I was
trying to to show was that we are all
connected on a global level, even to a
much less fortunate village in Ethiopia. I
wanted the students to make a connection
between a remote village and us.”
In the end, the classes were very
successful. They collected a total of
$375.04 in the two-week time period
and were able to send four goats and six
chickens to Africa.
“Each goat will provide a family
with plenty of fresh milk, cheese, and
yogurt, in addition to a much-needed
extra income at the local market,” said
Mrs. Vivadelli. “The chickens provide
fresh eggs, which will raise the levels of
protein and other nutrients in a family’s
diet. The sale of eggs provides money
for other household needs.”
Students of
Various Cultures
Ring in the New Year
Billy Johnston and
Suman Naringrekar
2011
The world is filled with a vast number of ethnically diverse people that take
part in various traditions and customs,
which relate to their way of life. These
traditions may date back to practices of
their ancestors in earlier centuries, or
could be based upon native mythology.
In accordance with these beliefs, a
mixture of festivals and celebrations are
commemorated in numerous ways, one
of the most prominent being New Year’s
Day.
New Year’s Day is often celebrated
in different countries at different times
based upon the lunar calendar. China is
an example of such a country.
Sophomore Andrea Chan, who celebrates Chinese New Year, stated, “We
don’t really have countdown for Chinese New Year as we do for the American New Year, where we drink glasses
of champagne, watch the ball drop, and
blow party favors.”
Chinese New Year is a fifteen-day
celebration, which includes Nian, the
actual New Year’s Day.
Families celebrating Chinese New
Year followed many superstitions in the
past, and some still follow such ancestral traditions. The informative website
www.educ.uvic.ca explains many traditional Chinese New Year’s superstitions.
For example, the Chinese often swept
their house inwards, gathering all of the
dust in the house in the center of the
foyer, and then spreading the dust to different parts of the main room so as not
to remove potentially beneficial luck, or
superior spirits away from their homes.
Chan continued, “We don’t do all of
the traditional practices of Chinese New
Year, but our family passes out red envelopes with money in them, representing
wealth, prosperity, and health.”
According to 123chinesenewyear.
com, the Chinese also decorate their
homes lavishly for New Year’s, celebrating and wishing for prosperity and
joy for the future.
Foods are offered at the feet of ancestors as well at a temple altar. A large
feast is almost always held with an assortment of dumplings. The lights in
the house are also kept on for the entire
night before New Year’s Day, and at
midnight, fireworks are set off to enjoy
the new year.
The Lantern Festival takes place at
the closing of Chinese New Year, and a
parade usually occurs at this time. The
central part of this parade is the dragon,
which represents fortuity.
The Indian New Year contains many
of the same ideas as Chinese New Year.
This celebration is known as the Diwali, or Deepawali, festival. According
to http://www.diwalimela.com, Diwali
is the festival of lights, and involves
burning firecrackers, which represents
destroying evil.
Senior Indraja Karnik stated, “To
celebrate Diwali, my family sets off
fireworks, makes traditional sweets, and
lights lanterns.”
Houses are often decorated with oil
lamps and candles, which are kept near
the front entrance of the house to symbolize the triumph of morality, and to
invite in positive energy.
In addition to this, over fifty types
of foods may be given to the deities of
Hindu temples; this tradition is known
as Annakut Darshan. The Goddess worshipped most extravagantly is Goddess
Lakshmi, who represents success and
wealth.
Surprisingly, January 1 marks a more
important date for Greeks than Christmas does, and is a time of exchanging
gifts and honoring St. Basil, a Greek ancestor who was said to aid the impoverished with his charity and compassion.
Much like Santa Claus does on Christ-
mas Eve, St. Basil puts gifts in the children’s shoes at night to surprise them the
next day for the New Year.
Sophomore Demetri Mavronicolas,
a student that celebrates New Year’s,
states, “In the Greek New Year, the
difference is that Christmas is treated
as more of a holy day, where we go to
church, and spend time with family. On
New Year’s though, we give out presents, something new for the new year
and then have a party.”
The American culture, too, has intricate traditions often overlooked today.
In the past, New Year’s Day meant more
than a toast with Buehler’s best wine and
watching a silver disco ball fall out of
the ceiling with a countdown sounding
off in the background. Some Americans
eat black-eyed peas, which according to
folklore are lucky, and Hoppin’ Johns, a
rice dish. Cake is also a traditional food
eaten.
Although various cultures in the United States that celebrate New Year’s Day
with intricate traditions may be different, the purpose of the new year remains
the same. People of numerous ethnic
backgrounds strive to learn from past
tribulation, celebrate the end of a year,
and prepare for a successful future.
‘Slumdog’ a
heartwearming,
inspiring film.
Tina Saienni
2009
In The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky peels away the tanned
flesh and bleached hair of the glamorous Randy “the Ram”
Robinson (Mickey Rourke) to reveal a naïve man struggling
to stay a part of the professional wrestling hype. His efforts
stress that he’s not just a weekend warrior and that to him,
wrestling is so much more than a hobby.
Die-hard wrestling fans may leave the theater unsatisfied
after watching a film that is not match after match of beatdown. Those looking for a sentimental beef-cake, though,
will find it in this portrait of a man whose very dedication to
his fans prevents anything else from working out for him.
Twenty years after making headlines for domination over
“Ayatollah,” also a pro-wrestler, Robin (his real name, but
don’t call him that) finds himself wrestling for fans that are
blood-thirsty and don’t really care to compensate financially. After getting locked out of his mobile home, he is forced
to pick up hours for lame side-jobs to support both himself
and his addiction to wrestling fame (namely the expenses
for the bleached hair, tanning beds and steroids). Every day
there are constant reminders of his past fame, from the action figure of “The Ram” that sits on his van’s dashboard
to the lyrics humming through the radio “You don’t know
what you got till it’s gone.”
Although the movie’s central focus is on Randy, it also
tells the story of the lovely Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) who is
in denial about her age. We are introduced to her in a club
where she is told she is old enough to be a mother. It is Cassidy who calls attention to Randy’s battle wounds and dubs
him the “Sacrificial Ram.” Jesus bore the wrath to his body
for so many followers; Randy did the same for his fans.
Randy forces himself to take weekends as a Deli tender
at an ACME. Ironically enough, working this kind of meat
is different than what he’s used to, but in turn he releases the
child in him and has fun with it. There are other instances
when Randy acts more like a child
than an adult, like when he craves
to play a Nintendo wrestling game
with a boy who is in the know about
modern war videogames.
Mickey Rourke’s performance
was transcendent. The pained oldtimer is a direct reflection of Rourke
himself; it was this washed-up
mess of a role that replenished his
career with a Golden Globe award
and Oscar nomination and, to be
honest, there is not one other actor
I could see playing it.
Unlike director Darren Aronofsky’s other films, which include Pi (1998), Requiem for a
Dream (2000), and The Fountain (2006), The Wrestler does
not exhibit any intense, hyperactive cuts. Instead of the frenetic cuts we’re used to with Aronofsky’s other films, this
camera’s perspective places the audience directly behind
Rourke so you need to follow the Ram just to keep up with
him.
You’ve read all about Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, but
Randy the Ram is by far the most admirable of tragic heroes
to wrench himself under anyone’s skin in recent memory.
Mike Ungano (‘09)
vibe:culture
The Wrestler
The Viking Vibe
Entertainment Section
Slumdog Millionaire is a film viewers will want to see
over and over again. I have experienced this first-hand, since
I work in a movie theatre. I saw this movie three and a half
times, and around the second time I saw it, I realized this
film is definitely my favorite of 2008 – maybe even of all
time.
Slumdog tells the tale of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an
eighteen-year-old boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai.
Jamal is a contestant on Mumbai’s version of “Who Wants
to Be a Millionaire” and has progressed farther than anyone
in the show’s history. This is puzzling to the show’s host,
former slumdog and current Bollywood superstar Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), and a police inspector (Irrfan Khan). The
audience meets Jamal in an interrogation room, where he is
violently interrogated for suspicions of fraud.
The police inspector reviews each question Jamal answered on the show, demanding the source of his answers.
The story unravels as the audience revisits Jamal’s childhood
growing up as a slumdog, where he has quite coincidentally
(or through destiny) come across the answers. Jamal tells of
his adventures on the road with his brother Salim (Madhur
Mittal), brutal encounters with local gangs, and of Latika
(Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and repeatedly lost.
Although Jamal is about to win 20 million rupees (approximately $400,000 US Dollars), he seems very detached from
the probable wealth in his future. This is another puzzling
factor of the story, and the police inspector and millions of
viewers proceed to find out why.
British Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days
Later) brings such an original screenplay, written by Simon
Beaufoy, to life. The film has tremendous visual appeal, and
the acting is surprisingly top-notch for a cast of inexperienced
actors. This was Patel’s first feature film, and Pinto (who was
a model in Mumbai) had never acted prior to Slumdog. Both
actors gave convincing and heart-warming performances.
The young actors who played the aforementioned characters
in their childhood were actual children from the slums of
Mumbai. Also without any previous acting experience, they
successfully conveyed the desperation of their experiences
throughout the entire film.
Slumdog is certainly not your typical Bollywood film, yet
it ironically concludes with a staggering group dance to AR
Rahman’s “Jai Ho.” This comedic ending will surely bring
a smile to viewer’s faces, a relief after the film’s powerful
subject matter. “Jai Ho” is just one of the amazing songs featured on the soundtrack that was composed entirely by AR
Rahman with the help of popular Sri-Lankan rapper M.I.A.
I suggest that those who have not seen Slumdog immediately do so. This “little film that could” has already received
so much acclaim from viewers and critics alike. And with the
Golden Globe for Best Picture as well as ten Oscar nominations, it has clearly captured the attention of the Academy.
vibe:culture
Amy Rowe
2009
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1
vibe:culture
Fans return to the Island
for Season 5
Corey Allen and
Tim Doehler
2009
On Wednesday January 21, at
8:00 p.m. EST, Lost fans across
America momentarily paused blogging their theories and predictions
as they tuned in to the highly anticipated two-hour Season 5 premiere
event.
The Season 4 finale answered
a lot of prolonged questions, but as
expected, created countless more.
The biggest mysteries and twists occurred towards the end of the finale.
One minute Ben is spinning a
giant wheel in a frozen room, and
the next the island disappears and
sinks into the ocean. Where did the
island go? Did Juliet, Sawyer, Richard Alpert, Miles, Charlotte, Rose,
Bernard, and The Others get moved
along with the island too?
The final scene of the episode
shows John Locke on the mainland
in a coffin, presumably dead. Some
believe that this was an attempt to
unite the Oceanic Six and convince
them to return to the island. Is this
true? And why did he use the alias
Jeremy Bentham?
The fifth season is assumed to
revolve around Jack’s attempts at
convincing the rest of the Oceanic
Six (Kate, Hurley, Said, Sun, and
Aaron) to return to the island. In
addition, expect the season to shed
light on the new location of the island and the people who are on it.
Fans of Lost do not simply watch
the show. They study every aspect of
it and search for hidden clues to answer the questions that each new episode brings.
From religious and literary allusions, to riddles and anagrams, fans
always have their hands (and minds)
full. They obsessively post their findings and predictions on blogs and
websites. Lost is a culture, which
flourishes and depends on obsessive
viewers and bloggers.
Now, for those who are not religious viewers of the show, all of
these names and references are probably completely foreign. Even though
there have been many twists and turns
over the past 4 seasons of Lost, and it
may seem hard to get into the series,
there are still many reasons to tune in
to the new season, or to catch up with
DVDs of the first four seasons, so
we’ll leave you with the top five reasons why people should watch Lost:
5.) It’s always fun to discuss the previous night’s episode along with potential theories with classmates.
4.) The show keeps the audience on
the edge of their seats with each and
every episode, because of its intriguing storylines and intense moments.
3.) There are great characters that
viewers can connect and relate to.
2.) It stands out from other shows with
its unique style of delivering information through flashbacks and flash-forwards.
1.) Once you watch one episode, it is
nearly impossible to not tune in the
following week to see what will happen.
vibe:culture
staff
E
2
editors
alex kuhn, 2009
craig maltese, 2009
tina saienni, 2009
corey allen, 2009
tim doehler, 2009
josh fischman, 2009
elena georgopoulos, 2011
alissa mesibov, 2009
conner o’reilly, 2010
chris palumbo, 2010
katie rolwood, 2009
amy rowe, 2009
kyle self, 2012
layout editor
jovelle tamayo, 2009
special thanks to
anita modi, 2009
mr. andy loh
mr. frank manfre
advisor
mr. peter honig
Equus brings
Psychological
Intensity to
the Stage
Alissa Mesibov
2009
The first Broadway revival of
Peter Shaffer’s play, Equus is two
and a half hours of pure, unrelenting
intensity.
The play surrounds Alan Strang
(Daniel Radcliffe, better known as
the title character in the Harry Potter films) and his government-appointed juvenille psychiatrist, Martin Dysart (Richard Griffiths, also of
the Harry Potter films). As the play
opens, Martin is introduced to Alan,
who blinded six of the horses at the
stable he works at with a hoof pick.
As Alan slowly begins to trust Martin, the psychiatrist begins to see his
own work as a profession of conformity.
He realizes the purpose of his
position: to make children into what
society wants them to be; and when
he is done, they are little more than
ghosts of their formal selves. As
Martin unravels the reasoning behind Alan’s heinous crime, he finds
himself questioning his profession.
By “fixing” the juvenile freaks of
society, is he stripping them of everything that makes them unique
human beings.
Daniel Radcliffe gives a haunting
performance as the deranged Alan
Strang. His emotions are raw and
real. It is incredible to watch Alan
transform through Martin’s eyes
from a television commercial jingle-singing recluse to the passionate, lonely teen that Alan has always
been on the inside.
Despite the dramatic essence of
the character, Radcliffe delivers his
few comedic lines with skill that
could match many actors who have
been in the business two or three
times as long as he has. To say that
Radcliffe has mastered the difficult
role of Alan Strang would be an
understatement. The future of this
young actor is very bright, and it is a
shame that he does not get to exhibit
his full talent as Harry Potter.
Richard Griffiths is an exceptionally talented actor, but his role
as Martin Dysart is limiting. There
is not nearly the same freedom, as
far as characterization goes, as Alan
Strang. My biggest complaint is that
he barely moves during his many
monologues. It becomes repetitive
and, to be frank, sometimes boring.
Luckily, his line delivery and pacing
is fantastic, especially paired with
the similarly skillful Radcliffe.
Among the smaller roles, Kate
Mulgrew stands out as Hesther Saloman, a court magistrate. She makes
the most of her small role. I cannot
give Carolyn McCormick half that
credit. She plays Mrs. Strang as a
tightly wound woman who only
knows how to speak in monotone,
and that single tone resembles the
sound of nails on a chalkboard.
I give the ensemble of six men
playing horses a great deal more
credit. They move in a way that is
so distinctly equine, that it is easy to
forget that they are humans, despite
their heavy-looking masks of some
kind of metal. They manage to accomplish this while walking on four
or five-inch shoes that are made to
resemble hooves.
Peter Shaffer’s writing is daring. Instead of traditional 10-minute minimum scenes, the scenes in
Equus rarely surpass three minutes.
Often, the scenes are composed
of a single monologue. It is quite
clear that Shaffer has a fondness for
monologues, but he overuses them.
They become repetitive all too
quickly. One can only take so many
monologues about Martin questioning his life’s work.
Thea Sharrock, the director,
sticks to tradition when it comes to
staging Equus, which is smart. The
simplistic and interpretive blocking,
movement of actors and props, fits
Shaffer’s style of writing.
The design elements of the play
are exquisite, especially the lighting
and sound design. While no scene
is brightly lit, the scenes in which
Alan is not reenacting his past have
a warmer, yellow lighting to them.
When Alan is letting Martin and the
audience into his world, the stage is
swimming in cold, blue light. The
only music in the play is an instrumental piece that haunts the scenes
of Alan’s past, and it is exquisitely
frightening.
The most frightening thing about
the play is not its plot, nor its characters, but the audience itself. Going
into the play, Alan instantly seems
deranged and dangerous because
of his crime. By the end, though,
his actions are understandable. The
audience understands the reasoning
behind an act previously deemed
abhorrent. It makes it too easy to
question one’s own judgment.
Overall this incredible production is very well done, with a few
minor flaws. However, it is not for
everyone. It has full nudity, very
strong language, and a scene with
violence.
Equus runs through February 8.
This show has a student discount for
tickets purchased at the box office
on the day of the show with a student ID.
Elena Georgopolis
2011
Anime is a sweeping fad that can take the meekest people and recreate them into fanatics
declaring their love for certain series through cosplaying, fanfics, and just obsessive
collecting. With all these outlets, it is truly a wonderful world for an anime fan.
One of anime’s most prominent American ambassadors has been the company
Funimation. For years it has been releasing Japanese anime not only with English subtitles,
but takes it upon itself to hire high quality voice actors to dub the voices so that even more
American fans can enjoy these shows. Funimation has gone to great lengths, especially
this year, to keep its name as the best in anime, by pulling all the stops including buying
the rights to three already popular anime, and releasing DVDs of them within a month.
The three that came out are School Rumble Season 2 (10/14/08), Ouran High School Host
Club (10/28/08), and Guyver (11/6/08). Now, all these series have dedicated fanbases
to the point of cult followings. Therefore, I decided to focus on one that was not just a
hit, but also happens to be a personal favorite of mine. In truth, even though it had been
popular and I had been hearing about it since it first came out, I find myself only recently
becoming a gushing fangirl. But after deciding that I liked the style of the show, I sat
down and laughed my way through the subtitled series and am now ecstatic to see the
English version of Ouran High School Host Club.
Ouran Academy is a place for the noble and wealthy to send their children so that they
also become noble and wealthy. Enter Haruhi, a scholarship student who is too poor to
even afford the official school uniform and would rather study than be involved with the
students’ issues. Somehow, though, Haruhi stumbles upon the Host Club, a collection of
the most noble and handsome boys in the school who take it upon themselves to entertain
the ladies of the school that have too much time on their hands. And somehow, Haruhi
ends up breaking an eight-million-yen vase within the first few minutes of meeting them.
Now in debt to the Host Club, Haruhi gets recruited and becomes the new favorite host
amongst the girls in the school. The twist is that Haruhi is actually a girl. However, the
other hosts, who enjoy her company, try to keep her gender a secret while she becomes
beloved by the girls throughout the school. Hilarity and love triangles ensue.
What this series lacks in substance makes up in its pure fun and silliness. Obviously
it is a favorite amongst girls. I mean, six adorable guys, where can you go wrong? That
probably explains why more girls gravitate to this series, even though its humor can
reach out to any gender. There are 26 episodes and episodes 1-13 were released October
28, 2008 and episodes 14-26 were released this month. On the DVD, there is the option
of English audio (the dub), Japanese audio with English subtitles, commentary on the
episodes by the actors and directors, and outtakes. While the stories are not intricate and
are quickly resolved, what truly makes the show admirable are the characters and their
mannerisms. All the while, this series pokes fun at the stereotypes of this particular anime
genre and makes fun of the upper class, since the super-rich characters are clueless about
Craig Maltese and
Kyle Self
2011
1: Grand Theft Auto IV: Xbox 360,
Play station
We’re pretty sure that you had already
expected GTA:IV to be our #1 game of this
year. Liberty City has never been more lifelike
and realistic than it is now. The controls
have undergone some serious changes for
the better, lending players a more satisfying
playing experience. The Euphoria engine does
the game many favors in the AI department,
the storyline is touching, yet still has that
Grand Theft Auto ZING we’re all looking
for. I would have to agree with many critics
that Nicco Bellic, the protagonist of the game,
is the most sympathetic GTA character yet.
The added bonus of the online 16 player
multiplayer death match with many game
variants makes GTA:IV a must-have.
2: Wii Fit
For the past two years since the Wii’s
release, people have been willing to wait in
line and even fight to lay claim to the game
system. Thank god there was an end to that
misery, but Nintendo’s up to their old tricks.
Wii Fit, a new game for their over-hyped and
over-used system has a lot to offer. It tracks
your body mass index and your overall weight
rather well, and with Nintendo’s new ‘balance
board’ you can stand up as your Wii console
senses your movements. But don’t be fooled
by the title; Wii Fit won’t make you fit--it has a
maximum weight limit of 350lbs, and focuses
more on balance and muscle tone rather than
lifting weights and dropping pounds.
vibe:culture
FUNIMATION HELPS PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD ENJOY ANIME
anything that does not mesh with their extravagant world. No matter
in what language one sees this, they cannot help but fall in love with
at least one of the hosts: the sincere playboy and host-king Tamaki,
the very close and mischievous twins Hikaru and Kaoru, the brains
behind the whole operation Kyouya, the toddler-like senior Hunny,
and his stoic protector Mori. Of course, let us not forget Haruhi. Her
“un-girlyness” makes the show even more refreshing since she seems
more relatable. In fact, she handles the antics of the Host Club better
than the traditional anime heroines would.
So let’s get down to it. How will die-hard fans react to the new
dub after almost two years of listening to it in Japanese? There has
been a mix of reviews across the internet as the trailer and a few
sample episodes came out. All I can say is: I like it. Yes, the voices
do not sound exactly the same, and maybe that’s a good thing. Vic
Mignogna, the main attraction (famous for his dubs in other anime
such Fullmetal Alchemist) does a great job as the leading host and I
am sure fans are excited to hear him again. The rest of the all-star cast
is equally charismatic and bring great energy to already much loved
characters. Fans shouldn’t shun this dub just because it is not what
they are used to. It’s okay to embrace dubs and to give them a chance
in the first place. Think of it as watching a brand new season of Ouran
High School Host Club. At least now you are justified once again
to buy DVDs and watch the entire series from start to end without
looking too much like an obsessive freak. Even if they say they
hate the dub, old fans and new fans will still end up watching it and
laughing through the jokes again. Most will say they will get used to
it, even though it definitely deserves more credit then it will receive.
Terms to know:
• Anime: Japanese animation.
•
Cosplay: Dressing up in costume as a specific
character.
•
Fanfic: Original stories written by fans using
the original characters of a series.
•
Fangirl/Fanboy: Someone who is a (sometimes
obsessive) fan.
•
Manga: Print comics/cartoons.
TOP VIDEO
GAMES OF
second expansion pack to blizzards already
established MMORPG World Of Warcraft hit
the shelves, and the rush to level 80 had begun.
Blizzard has added many new features to keep
us gamers busy: achievements such as 100,000
honorable kills, 1000 quests completed, world
explorer, as well as new items such as a 20,000
gold mount, flying carpet, mounts with room
for two, and tons of new instances, raids, zones,
quests, and even a new battleground. In addition
to all these new features, Blizzard introduced the
first of many hero classes, the Death Knight, to stir
up the mix a little bit. Wrath ranks number three
on the list of games you must have, and is also the
only PC based game you will see on this list.
2008
them to a good ol’ game of football. Don’t be fooled though,
even though EA Sports releases a new Madden every
year, this one has truly added in some interesting features.
Backtrack, our favorite feature, allows you to rewind a play
and watch it again, to find out exactly why the play failed and
even allow you to redo it. The graphics have had an overhaul,
as they do every year, but EA has added in a vast amount of
new and improved player animations, making the all-too-fun
hits even more fun to watch. All and all, Madden NFL 09
is a great game to sit down and mess around with for a few
hours, whether or not you’re a football fan. The graphics are
spectacular, and game play is easy enough to keep anyone
interested.
4: Super Smash Bro’s Brawl
Even though Wii claimed to be a console for
the casual family crowd, Super Smash Bro’s
Brawl brought the hardcore gaming scene to Wii.
Even with its choppy online system--with no
way to follow your achievements--and usually
completely random matches, you can’t deny how
true it stays to the Super Smash Bro’s genre, how
beautiful the maps are, and how all-around fun
the game is. One of its nicer features is the ability
to take and send photos of your matches online.
The only downfall of Super Smash Bro’s Brawl
is the absence of a ‘cult’ following, or a online
community which is needed to keep these kinds
of games alive.
5: Madden NFL 09
What shopping list would be complete without
Wonder why so many of your classmates a sports game? Everybody’s got to love Madden;
were absent on November 13th? Well, the sit down with your friends or family and challenge
3: Wrath of the Lich King
Alyssa Chrysafis (‘10)
E
3
Actor:
Throughout his career, Clint Eastwood
has portrayed hundreds of characters in as
many movies, but the major fault in many
of these roles is the similarity of every single character.
In each of his acting roles, Eastwood either channels the soul of the all-American
cowboy outlaw, or the grisly, scarred and
haunted elderly man with one last chance
for redemption. His roles in all of the Dirty
Harry & Man with No Name films, as well
as his recent work in Gran Torino, make
good use of the man’s trademark grimace
but underuse his talent as an artist.
It could be said that Eastwood found his
true cinematic calling when called on to direct a scene in Dirty Harry when director
Don Siegel fell ill during production and
was unable to work. Lucky for Hollywood
and for fans worldwide, Eastwood chose to
revisit this position, and eventually settled
into his perfectly-suited niche.
Director:
Eastwood undoubtedly shines his
brightest as a director rather than as an actor or a producer. After his decline in the
mid-80’s, Eastwood found his calling with
films like Play Misty for Me, Firefox, and
Honkytonk Man. Moderately received
by critics and fans alike, these first few
directorial jobs helped Eastwood to find
his niche and hone his technical skill to
be utilized later in his more criticallyacclaimed works.
Eastwood flew relatively under the
critical radar in the 90’s, emerging for
a short spell as a director and actor in
Unforgiven. This returned Eastwood
to his familiar gunslinger origins for
(thankfully) the last time, and the film
is generally reviewed as being a “fitting
eulogy to the Western genre,” which
has essentially died out since.
The film won multiple awards and
established the former wash-up’s status
as a rising star in the directing world.
Much of Eastwood’s popular work
came in the new millennium with the
smash hits Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, the twin docudramas Flags of
our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima,
Changeling, and Gran Torino.
Beginning with Mystic River, Eastwood’s films take a very dark turn with
extremely serious undertones of violence and deception, as well as the incorporation of still harsher ideas such as
rape and pedophilia.
With Million Dollar Baby, the director continued his string of films in
which he would appear in front of the
camera as well as behind. Winning
many awards, it is probably Eastwood’s second-best known work
behind Gran Torino.
Both Flags of Our Fathers and
Letters from Iwo Jima won critical
acclaim as war films depicting historical and modern horrors of the
conflicts in the Middle East.
Two years later, Changeling went
largely unnoticed, but received very
positive critical response. It won
nominations and some victories at
smaller-scale award ceremonies.
While still being a fine film, because of the very little play it received, Changeling could probably
be considered a low point in Eastwood’s directing career. An overlydramatic Angelina Jolie and horribly underused John Malkovitch and
Jeffrey Donovan (of Burn Notice
fame) lead this tale of kidnapping
and corruption onto a somewhat
painful road to walk down.
An interesting side note on
Changeling is that besides adopting his usual roles, Eastwood also
served as composer of the film’s
score, his touching work garnering a Golden Globe nomination for
Best Original Score.
Eastwood’s last work for the time
being, Gran Torino, might also be
his best known directorial work (as
vibe:culture
Alex Kuhn
2009
Eastwood:
The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly Truth.
it is both recent and largely popular).
Highlighted in the article below,
Gran Torino is Clint Eastwood’s
most masterful performance as both
a director and an actor, creating in
the first minutes of the film a feeling
of oneness with the environment
and the characters.
There has been much speculation
that after this film’s run, Eastwood
will announce his retirement from
the film industry, but it would be a
great disappointment to lose such a
fine artist.
Some Eastwood Trademarks to
Look for:
-At the end of movies he directs,
during the credits, the camera tends
to move around the location it was
filmed in. This is followed by a
freeze frame for the remainder of
the credits.
-The lead characters in his movies
are typically outsiders with dark
pasts and numerous regrets and mistakes, which they are finally given
an opportunity to atone for.
-The movies he directs usually begin and end with the death of a character.
-His films often deal with the gap
between the truth and the mythologized version of it.
REEXAMINES THE
MELTING POT IN
GRAN TORINO
Connor O’Reilly
2010
The United States is often considered to
be a melting pot for a vast variety of races
and cultures found across the world. As
our country slowly begins to show signs of
unification, the future holds great promise
for a more cohesive, diverse nation.
There are, however, many citizens who
have trouble adapting to the new changes
occurring in our country. They choose to
ignore those who might threaten their lifestyle, and they continue their bigotry in
hopes of conserving the ideas and values
they were raised on. Unfortunately for
them, it’s becoming progressively difficult
to ignore our rapidly changing culture, especially when it moves right next door.
Such is the case of Walter Kowalski
(masterfully portrayed by Clint Eastwood),
a Korean War veteran who considers himself an ‘old-school’ American, a protector
of his culture, and a man unwilling to accept change (not even haircuts). In Gran
Torino, he lives in a ghetto neighborhood
that has been taken over by minorities, as
one of the only white men left in the area.
Walter has a very detached relationship with both of his sons, and is especially
disappointed by their lack of respect and
spoiled lifestyle. He chooses to spend his
days sitting alone on his porch, drinking
beer and crooning over his prized Gran
Torino, a relic of his cherished past.
He seems to be perfectly content
with this life, until a family of Hmongs
move next door. Walter rejects them--he
wants nothing to do with their kind. Instead, he chooses to remain alone on his
porch, spewing a racial slur in between
each sip of beer.
Despite his initial bitterness, he soon
discovers that he relates to the values
and lifestyles of the Hmongs more so
than he does to those of his own family.
Walter takes particular interest in a teenage boy named Thao, who he witnesses
performing good deeds around the
neighborhood. He teaches Thao how to
talk, walk, and work like an American,
in hopes that he’ll save the boy from a
bleak future.
By the end, Walter makes a key choice
in hopes of giving Thao and his sister
Sue an opportunity to live in peace, in
effect freeing himself from the guilt he
had acquired throughout his life.
Despite the constant racist remarks
and slurs, the message of this movie is
one of unity and change.
Walter Kowalski signifies the changing attitude Americans hold towards
different races and cultures. After learning to appreciate the Hmong’s way of
life, he is enlightened, and respects their
differences. Every day, America is
setting new standards and breaking
farther away from its old ways.
Clint Eastwood is the driving
force behind Gran Torino, treating
the audience to an amazingly genuine and heartfelt performance on
both sides of the camera. He snarls,
growls, and glares his way through
the movie, seldom smiling and always alert.
Gran Torino is a powerful and effective film that conveys a message
without ever becoming preachy.
Audiences laugh at Eastwood’s constant bigotry towards the
Hmongs, but the movie
is effective in taking the
audience on the same
journey as Walter. We
feel with him, laugh
with him, cry with him,
and change with him.
Clint Eastwood has
stated that this could
be his last acting role. I
sincerely hope not, since
his impressive career
has brought audiences
amazing performances
in award-winning classics, and Gran Torino
only continues his win-
ing streak. But if this is indeed
Clint’s last performance, then it will
serve as a fine conclusion to an impressive 58 years in the business.
Gran Torino became the numberone movie in America in it’s opening weekend, and many predict it to
be the highest earning film of Eastwood’s career. If you haven’t seen
the film yet, I strongly urge you to
do so, because it’s entertaining, effective, and (perhaps) a triumphant
end to a legendary career.
Alex Kuhn (‘09)
E
4
features
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
7
Mrs. Maryann Murphy: The Real Voice Behind the Mic
Suman Naringrekar
2011
Everyday promptly after first block, a
voice comes through the loud speaker and
says, “Please turn to channel sixteen for
the VTN announcements.”
However, this is all most students ever
know of the woman behind the walls. The
face is never matched to the voice.
Sophomore Teri Bellan stated, “I have
absolutely no idea who the person is.”
Allison Rockwell, also a sophomore,
concurred, “I just know that it’s some
secretary in the office, and I’ve always
wondered who that was.”
In fact, most people don’t even know
what the announcer’s name is. Several
students actually thought that it was just
a timed recording, which plays every day
at 8:58 am.
There is, in fact, a person who says those
nine words each day, and a personality as
well--Mrs. Maryann Murphy, secretary and
the “voice behind the announcements.”
After the suspicion that the voice was
a practical joke had finally passed, Mrs.
Murphy was able to uncover her character
for those who do not have the good fortune
of knowing her.
Mrs. Murphy was born in Queens, and
grew up in her birthplace, as well as in
Brooklyn, New York.
“That’s why everyone teases me for
my Brooklyn accent,” she said, noting that
she has a job where voice is vital.
“They make fun of the way I say
‘regulla’ instead of regular,” she continued,
laughing, in the midst of printing IDs
for students who had to use the library,
answering phone calls, and never turning
away somebody who needed anything
from her.
Commenting on her family life, Mrs.
Murphy said, “I have two kids, and three
step-children. My sisters and brothers and
I love coming together for various family
functions as well, like birthdays, and
holidays. We all have one thing in common:
all our kids make fun of our accents cause
they were born in Jersey,” she chuckled.
Her family also remains to be the base
of all her aspirations.
“I aspire to see my family be successful,”
Mrs. Murphy said, sitting back and
reflecting on the thought, “I’d love to make
sure I can always take care of them, no
matter what.”
Her dreams also include “doing a good
job at work by always helping the students
who are in need.”
Her hopes include nothing over-the-top
or overly extravagant, which testifies to her
grounded personality and down-to-earth
character.
“I hope to have grandchildren in the
future,” she said, “I just love kids. And I
hope to be able to move closer to the beach
in the future; I love the warmth.”
In her free time, Mrs. Murphy loves
traveling, and she mentioned that she’s
been to Italy, California, Florida, Lake
George, Nantucket, and Hawaii.
She said, “I love going to different places.
When my daughter came from London, I
suddenly wanted to go there; the pictures
and architecture are intriguing. Ireland is
also beautiful. I’d love to go there, too.”
“I also love cooking,” Mrs. Murphy
continued, “Being an Italian-American, I
like cooking Italian food. I can do that, but
I can’t bake cookies to save my life!”
When asked about past work, she
said, “I used to be an assistant underwriter
for reinsurance; I would get quotes for
companies. Say an airline needed money.
I would go to other companies to receive
this for the airline. If the airline had an
accident, they would receive the aid of
other insurance companies to paying for
the damage through me.”
However, her childhood dream job
greatly differed from her current position.
Laughing harder than ever, Mrs. Murphy
said, “I wanted to be an airline hostess,
ever since I saw the movie Airport [a
movie depicting an airport manager trying
to keep an airline alive and running despite
the struggles of supporting his family and
dealing with setbacks], I just thought that
the air hostess life was glamorous.”
Presently, Mrs. Murphy wouldn’t prefer
to work anywhere else.
“I enjoy my work here, I love interacting
with the students and different staff
members. If I could have any other job, I
wouldn’t. I’m happy here,” she said.
Contemplating on her life at South
Brunswick High School, Mrs. Murphy
stated, “I love to see the kids here, how
they grow up; it’s incredible. I love to see
people happy, making the people here
laugh, too. After a while though, you
start to feel like you’re a part of the
student body, because you get so close
to the students, you know?
“I first started in elementary schools
as secretary, so I’ve seen a lot of students
from kindergarten. Then working in
the grade level offices here [at SBHS],
I see the students I saw before change
completely, become mature. When they
graduate, it’s the worst time for me; I
feel like I’ve known them all their lives
and now they’re leaving, so a part of me
leaves, too.”
Mrs. Murphy truly is a member of
SBHS faculty who becomes involved
with the students she encounters. Next
time the VTN announcements come on,
remember the voice and the character
behind them.
Mrs. Maryann Murphy works at her desk in the main office./PHOTO BY Saadia
Ahmad (‘10)
Food Review: Princeton’s Three-Course Meal
Greg Madia and
Kevin Shiraldi
2010, 2009
As college students walk the streets of
Princeton, they are probably thinking of
either one of two things: getting to class
or getting some food. From Chinese, to
American, to Italian restaurants, there are
three locations that stand out. After seventeen years of restaurant experience, we’ve
come up with the ultimate three-course
meal--or as senior Tom Dunleavy would
call it, “The Trifecta.”
Course 1: Appetizers
The meal begins at Chuck’s Spring
Street Café, where wings dominate the
menu. Spreading out 100 wings over six
people was both delicious and affordable.
The buffalo wings are a perfect combination of spice and flavor, with a melt-inthe-mouth texture. With a plate of celery
and blue cheese served on the side, it is
the perfect cooling medicine for the fiery
flavor.
Senior, wing-lover, and Chuck’s virgin
Raghav Ahuja said, “Eating those wings
for the first time was the most satisfying
thing in my life.”
Course 2: Main Entrée
Next, as folks make their way down
Nassau Street, they are called by the delicious smells of Hoagie Haven. The legendary sub shop offers the traditional deli
sandwiches but is famous for its signature
hot specialty hoagies.
Diners can take their pick of “The Dirty Sanchez,” “The Heart Stop,” or “The Fat Lady,” to
name a few. Each one offers a great combo of flavors in the mouth.
“The Sanchez” contains chicken cutlets,
French fries, and mozzarella sticks and the secret
Sanchez sauce.
“The Heart Stop” has fried eggs and cheese
steak with made-to-order fixings.
The world-famous “Fat Lady” has cheese steak,
mozzarella sticks, and French fries, and is usually
served with hot sauce. These three gut-wrenching
subs make Hoagie Haven a must-eat event.
Freshman and Fat Lady enthusiast Bob Spilatore said, “This is my favorite part of the trifecta.
It offers a unique flavor you can’t get anywhere
else.”
Course 3: Dessert
Finally as the meal makes it into the bottom of
the ninth, if the stomach can still handle it, Thomas Sweet’s ice cream will soothe the palate.
With many options to choose from, the most
preferred menu item is the “Blend In.” This combines many of the delicious ice cream flavors with
a wide variety of candy or cookie treats and turns
it into soft-serve ice cream. This makes a great
wrap-up to a scrumptious day.
Senior Tom Spilatore said, “Thomas Sweet’s
is a great place to stop by after you go to Chuck’s
or Hoagie.”
The Trifecta creates an array of flavors that
send taste buds into heaven. Once it has been eaten, cravings for more will happen any given day
at any time.
Senior Bobby Tona said, “It’s amazing, the
trifecta heals all your wounds.”
Princeton’s Thomas Sweet’s ice cream eatery--one of the three essential
components of the ‘Trifecta.’/PHOTO BY Anita Modi (‘09)
8
January 2009
Wrestling Team
Starts Strong
The Viking Vibe
sports
Rec Basketball Teams
Gear Up for a New Season
Tim Doehler and 4. Team Ahuja – Former SBHS basketball players,
Tom Dunleavy Devin Young and Willie Roberson provide strength
2009 and toughness to this dangerous team. Avi Javari’s
For the past 20 years, the South Brunswick Rec
Basketball High School league has been extremely
popular. SBHS students grades 9 through 12 can experience the fun and competitive environment Monday
through Thursday at the Crossroads South Gym.
Students are required to create their own teams of
six-to-ten players and a coach at least 21 years old.
The cost of the league was raised to $30 per player
this year, which is used to pay for the new black and
white reversible jerseys, and to pay for the referees
and scorekeepers.
This year, there are two leagues. League A, which
consists of mostly juniors and seniors, plays on Monday and Wednesday nights from 7-10 pm. League B,
which is mostly freshmen and sophomores, plays on
Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7-10 pm. Games are
played in two 20-minute halves with a running clock
that will stop for whistles under two minutes. There is
also a 5-minute overtime period if needed. Each team
has three timeouts per half and anyone ejected from a
game is suspended for the next two games.
League Commissioner Mr. Rex Mangrum, who has
been running the league for 12 years, enjoys what he
does. He said, “I love running the league. It’s great to
have 26 teams. It’s competitive, but also very fun, and
the kids have a lot of fun.”
Dunleavy’s Top 10 Preseason Rankings
1. Team Allen – The two-time defending champs look
to three-peat and continue to dominate their opponents. Tim Doehler, Danny Acevedo, and Pat Goldsmith lead this veteran squad. Team captain, Corey
Allen, said confidently, “Our experience and skill put
us in a league of our own.”
Viking wrestlers take on their opponents in Edison and
Middlesex./PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www.
bgsportshots.com.
Kevin Shiraldi and
Jake Stern
2009, 2011
In what is being hailed as a largely successful turnaround
season, the Vikings continue to excel. After a disappointing
2006-2007 season, the 2007-2008 varsity wrestling team lost
to Howell in the state playoffs, but finished 15-11. This year’s
wrestlers seem similarly strong.
Led by Coach Joe Dougherty, the Vikings have looked
promising so far, getting off to a 6-3 start with an impressive
37-33 win over number-7 ranked (GMC) Middlesex High
School, and notched a landslide victory over rival JP Stevens
with a 64-12 win.
Sophomore Kris Kuhn said, “I like being part of a team that
wins, and we want to win every time we go out to wrestle.”
Unfortunately, the Vikings lost a tough match to open the
season against a very impressive Cinnaminson squad (33-30),
and also fell to JFK and Perth Amboy.
The team is led by upperclassmen wrestlers Kevin Wadiak,
Brenden Vercammen, Cody Shelcusky, and Jeff Goldhagen.
However, they have also had younger members step up when
needed, like freshmen Fran White, Drew Seroka, and Tyler
Jaramillo. These three wrestlers show a lot of potential for the
rest of this season and for the next three years.
The team has shown an incredible work ethic for the first
nine matches, and wants to finish out the year stronger than
they started it. With an ambitious goal of a district championship, the Vikings work hard and attempt to get better every
time they step onto the mat, whether at a match or at practice.
Sophomore David Dominguez said, “The rest of the season
will be exciting, and the JV team has shown a lot of promise
for the future.”
In the upcoming schedule, the Vikings will face South
Plainfield, which is ranked number-1 in the GMC, Colts Neck,
and East Brunswick.
shooting prowess and Dan Silver’s overall game
will definitely take this team to the post-season. This
team turned a lot of heads when they reached the
century mark in their first game.
5. Team Berrios – The intensity and tenacious defense will be provided by the team’s spark plug,
Mikey “Icey” Ferrara. SBHS football offensive lineman, Dillon Bruzanno, will bring a football mentality to this underrated team.
6. Team Bobev – The undefeated champions of
the freshmen-sophomore division last year look to
surprise a senior-dominated league. Chris Palumbo
and Christian Baros lead the way for this offensive
powerhouse.
7. Team Overstrom – Dylan Gianinni brings toughness to this newly-formed team. Big bodies, Brian
Rubel and Brandon Cirlicione, provide a dominating presence on the boards.
8. Team Vishal Patel – An offensive-minded team
heavily relies on the play of Vishal Patel. If taken
too lightly, this team can certainly provide the league
with a big upset.
9. Team Vinh – Alec Schwartz and John Vinh are a
dangerous duo that have a lot of chemistry playing
together. Look for Schwartz and company to dominate the paint and play an up-tempo style game.
10. Team Tash- Dan “Murph” Murphy is a scrappy
player who inspires his teammates with his heart
and desire to win. John Tash and Phil Tagariello can
be dangerous from 3-point land when they get hot.
2. Team Dunleavy – Mike Muha and Billy Rogers
It is obvious that there is a lot of hype building up
add height to this team composed of SBHS baseball for Rec Basketball 2009. Students are excited and
players. Juan Perdomo and Jeff Dunleavy will provide ready to start playing.
consistent shooting and Mike Heyer and Jordan Smith
Senior Robbie Powers said confidently, “We’re
are relentless defenders. Early season OT thriller the best. Enough said.”
against Khetani gives this team a lot of confidence.
The regular season ends on March 25, and it is
widely believed that six teams will advance to the
3. Team Khetani – Team Captain, Soham Khetani, did playoffs. These top-notch teams will battle for sua great job in the off-season by picking up the best free premacy and play for the glory of being named Rec
agents in the league. Top players include Colin Mu- Basketball Champions.
chanic, Eric Lorber, Kyle Mariano, and Teddy Holmes
Senior Joe Mastronardi said, “I have been waiting
among others. This team looks to dethrone the dynasty for this season for my whole life. This is the year it
of Team Allen.
ends! The Allen dynasty will fall!”
sports
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
9
SBHS Dance Team Competes
WInter Sports
Capsule
Tom Dunleavy
2009
Boys Basketball (2-10) – The Vikings are in a rebuilding stage this
season, but they continue to compete and are a tough opponent for all
teams. Seniors Cody McHugh and
Andrew Buckner are doing their best
to keep this team afloat in the highly
competitive GMC.
Girls Basketball (5-8) – Sophomore Bianca Ceile is leading this
young but talented team. In the last
two games, she has scored 20 and
21 points, respectively. Come support the Lady Vikes as they take on
Edison High School this Thursday at
home.
Wrestling (9-6)– After three tough
losses in a row, the Vikings came
back to defeat Colts Neck HS by a
score of 45-18. This tough team is
led by seniors Cody Shelcusky, Kevin Wadiak, and Randy Christie.
Boys Winter Track – The Vikings
finished fifth overall in the Winter
Track GMC Relays. The team was
led by a second-place finish by the
shot put team of Jordan Foreman and
Dominick Podovano. Derek Forthun
and Padovano also placed third in
the high jump.
Girls Winter Track - The Lady Vikings easily won the GMC Relays,
as they won five of the eight varsity
events, broke two meet records and
one school record! In all, 19 girls
contributed to the 64-point total. The
sprint medley team of Alicia Osley,
Rachel Johnson, Melissa Dardani,
and Sophia Ginez destroyed both the
meet and school records.
its Way to Success
Alyssa Chrysafis and
Rachel Finklestein
2010
On January 18, the Battle of The
Northeast Dance Championship was
held here at South Brunswick High
School. Hosted by the United Dance
Association, high school dance teams
competed in different styles of dance
against other schools in New Jersey.
The Battle of The Northeast is
annually hosted by South Brunswick
High School, and was a great opportunity
for the SBHS dance team to prepare
themselves for other competitions.
The South Brunswick dance team
proved themselves a force to be
reckoned with when they took home
a first-place trophy in all four of their
categories.
“We love going to competitions,”
said junior Brianne Spahr, “The Battle
of the Northeast is fun because it’s right
at home. We’re used to the gym floor
where we practice, and it just makes the
stress of competition a little bit easier.”
Beginning early Sunday morning,
dancers arrived from various schools
across the Northeast to show their stuff.
With a lot of time and effort, the SBHS
dance team was ready to display what
they had worked so hard on.
“Competing with a school dance
team is much different than competing
with a dance school. You’re representing
your school, and it brings a lot of team
spirit and pride,” explained senior and
captain of the varsity team, Lauren
Lagunavich.
“Another difference is the actual
performance. Along with technique,
much of the adjudication is based on
precision and togetherness,” she added.
“It’s my first year on the team and
I’ve heard so much about how fun
competitions and nationals are,” said
freshman Dakota Barrios. “I was very
excited for The Battle of The Northeast
competition because my family and
friends from school came to see what
the dance team is all about.”
On Sunday, January 25, the dance
team traveled to Hazlet, New Jersey to
dance at the Eastern Cheer and Dance
Association where the Gold Team
(Junior Varsity) won first place in the
jazz and pom junior varsity categories
and the Black team (Varisty) won first
place in the varsity jazz division and first
runner-up in the varsity pom category.
On January 29th, the SBHS dance
team will travel to Orlando, Florida
for what they call “the ultimate away
game”: national competitions, where the
girls will compete against three hundred
teams representing all fifty states.
Assistant Coach Stephanie Whitefield explained, “A big goal of ours has
always been to make it to finals, as well
as maintain our title as state champions,
and continue to receive the school’s
GPA award. If we can keep up our already productive work, I have no doubt
that we’ll achieve the highest results.”
“We’ve had some really great routines
in the past,” added Lagunavitch, “but
this year’s routine surpasses every other
in difficulty and style. Every year the
talents succeeds that of the previous
year, and I can’t wait to see what
happens.”
Last year, along with the achievement
of sending both teams to nationals, the
varsity dance team advanced to semifinals in the jazz category, and the junior
varsity team made it to semi-finals in
hip hop and jazz.
Many other victories included placing
first in both their jazz and hip-hop routines in the West Milford Invitational,
the Ramampo College Invitational, the
Pascack Valley Sweetheart Invitational,
and the UDA Garden State Invitational.
This year, the dance team will
participate in approximately five other
competitions that will help them prepare
for the national competitions.
Former SBHS dance team member
and newly-acclaimed Coach and Choreographer Ms. Regina Beesher-Boudwin
said, “This year’s team is filled with
twenty-three exceptionally talented
young women that we hope to continue
to succeed with throughout the upcoming months.”
The dance team has made a big
impression this year with their many
amazing performances--including one
at the Tent of Terror Haunted Trail this
past Halloween in full zombie attire.
And their fundraisers are no less
exciting. Scratch cards, lotteries, dance
clinics, and babysitting, among others,
have also been held to help once again
send the group of thirteen to nationals.
For the first time, the dance team
tested an unusual fundraiser that turned
into a great success. Last November,
the girls hosted the “Cow Flop,” a
fundraiser in which squares of the girl’s
soccer field were divided and sold along
with a cookie.
A cow was let loose onto the field, and
whichever square the cow “flopped” on
determined the winner of the cash prize
of a portion of the proceeds.
“The Cow Flop was my favorite
event. It was a lot of fun selling tickets
and then watching the cows roam
around the soccer field,” said junior
Jordan Abramson. “It turned out that the
winner was Coach Whitefield’s dad.”
The team’s next goal is to obtain a fan
bus for in-state competitions, but invites
all students and staff to come support at
SBHS-hosted basketball games and pep
rallies!
Swimming – The boys and girls
swimming teams both placed second in the GMC relays last Saturday
at Denuzio Pool in Princeton. Gess
Charniga was the 100-meter Breaststroke Champion. The meet was a
huge success as ten swimmers qualified for the meet of champions and
nine SBHS records were broken.
Boys Bowling (7-7-2) - Dan Caruso
and Dave Sutton each qualified for
the GMC finals. The team feels proud
of their season, as they have finished
with a .500 record in a tough GMCRed division in a rebuilding year.
Look out for this team next year.
Girls Bowling (14-0-1) – The girls
bowling team clinched the GMC
Red Division title and is living up to
their high expectations. The top four
bowlers are averaging between 202
and 178 and all four advanced to the
GMC finals.
The SBHS Dance Team poses together before their Cow Flop Fundraiser./
PHOTO COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com.
10
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
sports
FALL SPORTS 2008
ATHLETES of the year
SHANNON O’BRIEN (2009)
Height/Weight: 5’8”, 135 lbs.
Position: Defense
Hobbies: Playing sports
Other sports: Basketball, Lacrosse
Favorites:
Food: Chocolate-covered
strawberries, cheddar Chex-Mix
Sports team: NY Mets
T.V. show: That 70’s Show
Subject: “Overall, it’s Algebra II.”
Music: “A variety, but I only like a
few rap songs.”
Movie: Transformers
Book: 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Pre-game ritual: Music. “I don’t really socialize
before away games.”
Dream vacation spot: Italy
Life in 10 years: “I intend to find out during my
first year in college.”
College Plans: “I hope to play lacrosse, but I
haven’t decided where.”
Tim Doehler and
Tom Dunleavy
2009
On December 11, the SBHS athletic department held the annual Fall Varsity awards night in the auditorium. SBHS student-athletes
were recognized for their accomplishments on the field, as well as in the classroom.
At the end of the event, Athletic Director Ms. Elaine McGrath, awarded the most prestigious award of the night, Athletes of the Year.
Chosen by the SBHS coaches and athletic directors, this award is given to the most successful male and female fall athlete each year.
The criteria for this award includes a solid academic background, leadership abilities, and athletic skills on the field. This year, the
award winners were seniors Shannon O’Brien and Sean Tyree. O’Brien and Tyree were both major contributors to the success of the
SBHS soccer program.
O’Brien led the girls varsity soccer team to the GMC semi-finals and the second round of the state tournament; both firsts for
the program. She accomplished many of her personal goals and locked down some of the top forwards in the conference. She was
named to the GMC 1st Team - Red Division, and was an honorable mention for the Home News Tribune (HNT) All Area Team.
Tyree played a key role in the success of the boys soccer team this year as he provided leadership, composure, and experience.
He led the team to a 15-3-2 record and the program’s third straight GMC Red Division title. Tyree scored nine goals and had an areabest 16 assists. He was named to the 1st Team All State (Top 15) SCANJ, 1st Team All State Section Central 1, 1st Team All County
Middlesex County Coaches, 1st Team All Red Division, 1st Team All County HNT and Star Ledger, and 3rd Team All State Group 4 Star
Ledger.
SEAN TYREE (2009)
Height/Weight: 5’7”, 160 lbs.
Position: Midfield, Forward, Defense
Hobbies: Music, art, snowboarding, skate-boarding
Other sports:
Basketball, Lacrosse,
Hockey
Favorites:
Food: Pizza (thin-crust)
Sports team: NY Giants
T.V. show: Nick @ Night
Subject: Art
Music: Rock/Alternate
Movie: Sweeney Todd
Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pre-game ritual: Listening to Taking Back Sunday
Dream vacation spot: Cancun
Life in 10 years: “Still breathing, doing something I love to
do.”
Biggest Influence: “My older brother, Mike Tyree.”
sports
The Viking Vibe
January 2009
11
Home News Tribune
CoachES of the year
Rivera
Every year, one football coach out
of the many representing the Middlesex
County area receives the Home News
Tribune award for Coach of the Year.
For the 2008 football season, this person
was South Brunswick’s Coach Rick
Mantz.
Surprisingly, more so than practices
or drills, Coach Mantz said a lot of
the Vikings’ success came from all the
support that stemmed from the South
Brunswick community.
“We wouldn’t have gotten anywhere
without the assistant coaches, who did
a phenomenal job, and the community.
The cheerleaders and marching band
were amazing; everyone embraced the
team. And that really drove those guys,”
Coach Mantz said.
“Coach Mantz is a great motivator.
He’s an intense guy who really pushed
his team hard, especially at practice. We
got a bunch of kids who wanted to come
out and play, and they did a great job
in the off season,” Assistant Coach Jon
Carnes said of his former coach.
“We did not have much football success
until Coach Mantz came in. We had two
playoff experiences [since]. It was the
first time in school history,” junior and
backup quarterback Mike Muha said.
Mantz has done great things for the
team, and as senior quarterback Tim
sunday
Mantz
Georgia Foulds
and Kayla Noll
2010, 2012
The Homes News Tribune’s 2008
Football Coach of the Year: Mr. Rick
Mantz./PHOTO COURTESY OF Bill
Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com.
Doehler said: “Coach Mantz put South
Brunswick football back on the map.”
Throughout the season, Coach Mantz
had many proud moments, but he
said that the Sayreville game was his
proudest one.
“It was the first time in school history
we had nine wins, and it was great to see
the seniors lead. Of course we wanted to
go to Rutgers stadium, and I felt bad for
the kids, like we let them down,” Coach
Mantz said, which brought him to his
goal for next year:
“We want to go to Rutgers Stadium.
Every year brings new experiences and
new challenges,” he concluded.
Breona Garrison
2010
After years of hard work and neverending perseverance, SBHS English
teacher and coach, Mr. Wilfredo Rivera,
was named Girls Cross Country Coach
of the Year by the Home News Tribune.
In his seven years of coaching in
South Brunswick alone, Coach Rivera
has truly made a name for himself
with what he has helped the girls cross
country team accomplish.
Coach Rivera worked at Old Bridge
High School, then continued his
work here with the students in hopes
of teaching them the discipline and
maturity they needed both in and out of
the classroom.
Sophomore Utsarga Sikder agreed,
“He inspired me to work hard on and off
the field.”
He has coached seven years of crosscountry, and this season will be his fifth
coaching track. Even though people
consider both sports very similar, Coach
Rivera disagrees.
“Cross country is everyone doing
similar things where as with track you
have to worry about different people and
different events,” he explained.
Coaching different people, girls and
boys, has improved his overall skills as
a teacher and coach.
Junior Dan Claps said, “I had him as
a teacher and a coach. In the classroom,
he makes sure that work gets done and in
The Homes News Tribune’s 2008 Girls
Cross Country Coach of the Year: Mr.
Wilfredo Rivera./PHOTO COURTESY
OF Bill Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com.
track, he pushes me to my own limits.”
Mr. Rivera has done a lot for South
Brunswick High School, not just with
students but with athletes as well.
This past fall, he led the girls crosscountry team to the Central Jersey Title,
which they won by one point.
“He really pushed each one of us
personally to achieve greatness,” junior
Sophia Ginez said.
After winning both the title and the
Coach of the Year award, Coach Rivera
said, “I was excited to know people
were acknowledging me. I just want to
continue to give every individual athlete
the 100% they deserve.”
FEBRUARY 2009
monday
tuesday wednesday thursday
friday
saturday
CHILDREN’S THEATRE
1
8
2
9
3
NHS Induction 7
pm
5
Sketch Up
“Wing-It “ 6-10 pm
FLOWERS, BEAD GRAMS AND DATA MATCHES ON SALE @ LUNCH
10
NO SCHOOL!
15
4
16
17
11
World Language
Honor Society
Induction
18
12
Sophomore Rings
@ all Lunches
AMPED Acoustic
Night 6-9 pm
19
6
NO SCHOOL!
13
Anime Movie Night
7 pm
23
24
25
26
Valentine’s Day
14
Freshmen/
Sophomore Trip
Winter Guard Show
20
One Act Festival
7 pm
22
7
27
21
Women’s
Leadership
Conference
28
12
January 2009
The Viking Vibe
Dead Presidents Society
Hosts Inaugural Ball 2009
Glimpses of DPS’s Inaugural Ball 2009./
PHOTOS BY Jovelle Tamayo (‘09)
Natalie Twerdowsky
2009
On Friday, January 9, the Dead Presidents Society hosted its third Annual Inaugural Ball. This
yearly event once again took place in the blue cafeteria and cafeteria alcove, though the venue
was considerably unrecognizable after receiving a makeover of red, white, and blue. Tickets were
$8 in advance and $12 at the door. Approximately 300-350 students, faculty, and family members
comprised the attendees as well as other members of the community, including Mayor Frank M.
Gambatese and South Brunswick historian Dr. Joan Luckhardt.
The Inaugural Ball is a fundraising event to raise money for the club to go on historical field trips
to places such as Baltimore and Washington D.C. The members of the club actively participate in
raising the money, and played a huge role in the planning of the Inaugural Ball.
DPS co-advisor and social studies teacher Mr. Justin Negraval said, “We’ve got it down to a
science. By now we know how much food to get, about how many people will come. It’s definitely
gotten easier over the years.”
“Months before the ball, our club split into different committees such as advertising, prizes,
food, and decorating, and each committee was in charge of a specific part of the ball. We also
stayed after school to prepare the food and decorate,” DPS vice president and senior Stephanie
Klarer said.
In previous years, the Inaugural Ball focused primarily on American history, and even South
Brunswick’s rich historical background. This year’s ball still honored both the history of South
Brunswick and America in general, but also placed much emphasis on President Barack Obama’s
inauguration held less than two weeks from the night of the ball.
The South Brunswick Jazz Band, led by music Director Mr. Mark Kraft, welcomed guests as
they began arriving at 7:00pm. As the band performed numerous songs, guests mingled about, and
student volunteers served as waiters as they walked around with platters of hors d’oeuvres. Other
students stood by the food, beverage, and silent auction tables.
After the Jazz Band played their final song, Mr. Negraval, SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy
Matheney, Mayor Gambatese, Dr. Joan Luckhardt, and Klarer all made speeches addressing the
educational value and historical significance of the Inaugural Ball.
During his speech, Mr. Matheney acknowledged the uniqueness of club, saying, “I don’t know
of any other high school that has a history club like this one.”
Mr. Matheney also said that during these changing political times, the Inaugural Ball and DPS
alike will help “these young people face the transformation that confronts us.”
Mayor Gambatese stressed the significance of mixing a good time with the importance of
learning about South Brunswick today, and South Brunswick from the past.
During his speech, he said, “I’m proud of you South Brunswick students, and especially history
students, because [South Brunswick] is where it began, and that’s where it continues today.”
After the speeches had concluded, guests watched a video by senior Stanley Baguchinsky titled
“Presidential Inaguarations.” The film began with a montage of past presidents being sworn into
office. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president featured, because his inauguration was
the very first to be recorded and televised for the rest of America to see. The film continues by
discussing what this year’s inauguration means to the average South Brunswick resident, and what
it means for our country. Baguchinsky included interviews with Mr. Negraval, DPS co-advisor and
social studies teacher Mrs. Corie Gaylord, English teacher Mr. Peter Honig, and Town Historian
Ms. Ceil Leedom.
“It was very interesting, making this video. As citizens, we don’t always notice a lot of the things
that happen that make our country so great. The presidential inauguration symbolizes the peaceful
transition of power that so many other countries struggle with. Making the video really opened my
eyes to how important this aspect of the United States is,” Baguchinsky said.
Mrs. Gaylord founded the Dead Presidents Society about six years ago. Its purpose was to bring
history to life for students who wanted to learn more about US history beyond a social studies class.
Two years later, Mr. Negraval signed on as a co-advisor. Two years ago, the club came up with the
idea to host a ball to combine the history and fun DPS focuses on.
While having a good time was certainly an important factor of the
ball, its primary goal was for guests to truly realize the importance of
remembering the past, and looking forward to the future.
Klarer said, “The DPS ball is important to South Brunwick because
it celebrates our town’s history and tries to get more students to become
more interested in their history.”
Senior Josh Kohn said, “It was my first time attending the Inaugural
Ball, and I really enjoyed myself. I think that everyone should attend
because learning about our history is really very important.”