the v king vibe
INSIDE
THE
VIBE
FROM THE
EDITOR’S DESK
The real meaning of
Slumdog’s success
page 2
Volume 10 - Issue 5
February 2009
South Brunswick High School
750 Ridge Road
Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
VIBE:
CULTURE
ACOUSTIC
NIGHT
Two looks at
Twilight
entertainment 1
SBHS students
awe the crowds
page 11
ALL
IT
TAKES
IS
A
GRAIN
OF
SAND...
ALL
IT
TAKES
IS
A
GRAIN
OF
SAND...
Assembly Speaker Wows SBHS
Saadia Ahmad
2010
On Tuesday, February 10, the phrase
“You are beautiful!” echoed in the
hallways. People who ordinarily do not
speak to each other exchanged smiles
and greetings. The SBHS community
met Dr. Michael “Mykee” Fowlin and
walked out of the auditorium doors and
classrooms with new perspectives on
discrimination, self-worth, and life.
“A lot of my program uses my life
experience of feeling alone in high school
and parts of college. I just wanted to give
something to those who feel similar to
what I felt. I get the joy of being able to
make an impact on another’s life. I never
feel like it’s work – it’s meaningful,” he
explained in an interview.
The name of his program, “You don’t
know me… until you know me,” is
Dr. Fowlin’s response to people trying
to summarize his personality and “put
[him] in boxes.”
He has an undergraduate degree in
psychology from Evangel University,
and earned a doctorate degree in clinical
psychology from Rutgers University
in 2001. His programs “combine both
professional acting and psychological
training to create an atmosphere of
worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance,
towards all people,” he said.
That was also his goal for the SBHS
community that Tuesday morning.
“Bullies are not the problem,” he
began, “Zebras are the problem. They’re
beautiful creatures, but when one zebra
is attacked by a lion, the others watch.
They see these things happening and
might feel bad about it, but they don’t
do anything.”
Dr. Fowlin used this metaphor to
describe the similarities in human
behavior, and with this he began telling
the stories of six individuals, all in unique
circumstances yet still enduring similar
emotions and troubling thoughts.
Through one character, Ben, Dr. Fowlin
pointed out that even at a young age,
people are taught to “find the things that
are different and cross them out. We’re
taught to get rid of them,” referring to
elementary school assignments.
SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy
Matheney commented, “I was raised not
to judge based on outside characteristics.
I hope we all can live so that no one is
crossed out.”
He added, “Dr. Fowlin reminded the
whole school that diversity isn’t just
about race, ethnicity, or religion, but
varieties of diversity beyond typical.
His characters represent different forms
of diversity.”
After telling the story of another
character, Qwame, Dr. Fowlin asked
the audience to reiterate twice, “I am
beautiful.” He then asked them to say
the same thing twice to someone sitting
close by.
“I said two times for a very specific
reason,” he told the audience, “Get it to
everyone.”
Dr. Fowlin concluded his program
by talking about the Golden Gate
Bridge being one of the top places to
commit suicide. He emphasized that an
overwhelming majority of those who
survived the jump off of the bridge
said upon recovery that “about halfway
down, I realized I was making a mistake.
Nothing in my life is this bad.”
He asked everyone to smile and say
hello to ten people today that they don’t
usually talk to.
“You never know who’s day you’re
making,” he said, “whose life you’ll be
saving.”
“If you’re in pain, please reach out
to counselors, teachers, administration,
friends, anyone. It does not disappear if
you push it away,” Dr. Fowlin advised.
Follow-up activities during lunch
periods included writing down the
“pearls of your life” to make a “String
of Pearls,” writing a personal message
to Dr. Fowlin, and volunteering to help
with food drives on February 21 and 22
at local grocery stores.
As a side note, according to Liz
Butera, a senior in charge of the food
drive, 210 containers were raised for the
Middlesex County Food Pantry, nearly
doubling the amount raised last year.
The day after the assembly, teachers
were asked to hold a discussion during
an extended home base for classes to
share their thoughts, reactions, feelings,
and personal stories and to discuss the
main points of the assembly.
Mr. Matheney said, “All the characters
showed that even though challenges
in life can be insurmountable, it’s still
possible to survive and be happy.”
Dr. Fowlin explained that kids relate
to many pieces of different characters,
interestingly and undoubtedly “similar
in that they’re all reflections of
opportunities to create something out of
the pain.”
Mr. Matheney challenges students to
“find someone in school who you don’t
think you have anything in common
with, and make a connection where you
think there is none.”
vibe:culture
Top to Bottom: Members
of the audience share a
round of applause; Dr.
Michael “Mykee” Fowlin
role-plays as a teenager
speaking out against
stereotypes./PHOTOS BY
Saadia Ahmad (‘10)
Check out the E-vibe!
Contribute to the entertaiment section! Writers meet on http://www.sbschools.org/schools/sbhs/school_
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Wednesdays in A205 with Mr. Honig.
2
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
features
Groundhog Day
A Look at the Origins of an Obscure Holiday
Minna Liu
2009
Every year on February 2, the United
States and Canada celebrate a North
American holiday called Groundhog
Day.
According to http://www.groundhog.org, the official Groundhog Day
website, Groundhog Day is based on a
belief that on every February 2, groundhog Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his
hole after winter hibernation to look for
his own shadow.
If the shadow is seen on Groundhog,
or Candlemas, Day, that sunny day will
be followed by six more weeks of winter
weather.
If Phil does not see his shadow on
Candlemas Day because of clouds, then
spring will arrive. Ironically, a sunny
day signals bad weather in the future
six weeks, but a cloudy day signals the
coming of spring.
Each year, students hear that Phil has
made a prediction on the weather, but
has it ever occurred to them how this
holiday began or who Phil is?
According to http://www.dictionary.com, Candlemas Day is actually a
Catholic tradition celebrated to honor
the purification of the Virgin Mary and
the presentation of Jesus in the Temple
at Jerusalem.
It is named after the candle light procession, which comes before the Mass.
Candles are blessed on this special day.
The official celebration of Groundhog
Day began on February 2, 1886 with a
proclamation in The Punxsutawney
Spirit by the newspaper’s editor, Clymer
Freas:
“Today is Groundhog Day and up to
the time of going to press, the beast has
not seen its shadow.”
The groundhog was given the names
“Punxsutawney Phil,” “Seer of Seers,”
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, Dylan Barlow 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
[email protected]. 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.
“Sage of Sages,” “Prognosticator of
Prognosticators,” and “Weather Prophet
Extraordinaire.”
Punxsutawney is a town located in
Pennsylvania. The name Punxsutawney came from the Indian name for the
groundhog’s location, ponksad-uteney,
or “the town of the sand flies.”
“I never knew that Groundhog Day
had so much history to it, from the holiday itself to the name of the groundhog,”
said senior Jessica Liu, “I guess you really do learn something new everyday.”
“I’ve heard that the groundhog’s predictions are sometimes accurate,” said
junior Amy Kuan.
According to www.kidzworld.com,
Phil’s predictions are only 26 percent
accurate.
This year, Punxsutawney Phil predicted that there would be six more weeks
of winter, so don’t put away those coats
and boots yet.
Have a Happy Groundhog Day!
Phil’s Official Forecast, read at sunrise at
Gobbler’s Knob:
“Hear Ye Hear Ye,
On Gobbler’s Knob this glorious
Groundhog Day,
February Second, 2009,
Punxsutawney Phil,
Seer of Seers,
Prognosticator of all Prognosticators,
Awoke to the call of
President Bill Cooper
and greeted his handlers,
Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.
After casting a joyful eye towards
thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil proclaimed that his beloved
Pittsburgh Steelers were
World Champions one more time,
and a bright sky above him
showed his shadow beside him.
So six more weeks of winter it will be.”
FromSlumdog’s
the Editor’s
Desk:
Success
Let me offer my congratulations to the cast and crew behind Slumdog Millionaire, the
underdog film intertwining the richness of life in India with a semi-typical love story, for
winning eight of the ten Oscars for which the movie was nominated. Those who watched
the red carpet coverage before the 81st Academy Awards may have seen Slumdog’s children, recruited from Mumbai’s slums to star in the film, approach glamorous Hollywood
icons with autograph pads clutched in their eager hands. And those who heard the children
describe their adventures starring in a film, riding a plane for the first time, and dressing
up for the ceremony may have understood that Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscar wins meant
something not only to its producers, but to the very people of India.
Representing a country too often stereotyped as dirty, poor, and backwards (a stereotype furthered, some Indian critics say, by Mumbai’s portrayal in the film), Slumdog drew
attention to India’s admirable progress in the realms of technology and industry with its
success in the realm of the arts. The film presented its viewers worldwide with the opportunity to recognize India’s true potential, instead of dismissing her as merely third-world.
There is no doubt that Slumdog Millionaire not only made a name for itself at the Oscars,
but for the beautiful country represented as well.
Anita Modi (‘09)
Letter
to
the
Editor
re: Hollywood vs. Bollywood
Tom Cruise or Aamir Khan? Angelina Jolie or Aishwarya Rai? Hollywood or Bollywood? These are the exact questions I faced this past weekend when I visited my local
movie rental store. On my right was a copy of Citizen Kane, on my left was a copy of
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham. Both movies are considered classics in their respective industries, but since I could only pick one, I did what any other reasonable teen would do; I
spent 22 minutes comparing Hollywood and Bollywood side-by-side.
Hollywood has undoubtedly been the center for entertainment for the entire world for
the past century, developing into a multi-billion dollar industry. However, many say that
its Golden Age is long past. Nowadays, filmmakers focused on creating the biggest blockbuster possible often sacrifice the art of storytelling for visual effects and cheap dialogue.
Recent movies do not stimulate the audience’s intelligence as those of the past did.
Being someone who has grown up watching both Bollywood and Hollywood films, I
have to say that in terms of pure entertainment, Bollywood wins out. Bollywood captures
the complete imagination and heart of its audience. Although the storylines may seem
unrealistic, Bollywood nonetheless exemplifies the rich culture of the India. However,
Bollywood has its own share of critics who condemn its recent push to become more
westernized, hence the growing trend in which films are now made overseas.
When comparing the two industries, the clear winner is Bollywood, which produces
nearly twice as many films as Hollywood does annually. A 2002 survey comparing the
two showed that Bollywood sold 3.6 billion tickets, whereas Hollywood sold 2.6 billion.
In fact, nearly 14 million people in India go to the movies daily. Even despite India’s
obvious population advantage, Bollywood has been growing by an annual rate as high as
15%, doubling that of Hollywood. And Bollywood is crossing oceans with its mass appeal, as exemplified by Slumdog Millionaire’s eight Oscar wins this past Sunday.
Thus, after my 22 minutes of contemplation were over, I chose Bollywood over Hollywood; after all, I am completely biased as a Pakistani.
Aly Azhar (‘09)
news
February 2009
Ms. Lassiter Re-Enlists in
Army Reserves
The Viking Vibe
Recession
Hits South Brunswick Schools
Hannah Green
2009
Saadia Ahmad
2010
On Thursday, February 13 in the
SBHS auditorium, a small group of students, staff, family members, and military personnel witnessed the Re-Enlistment Ceremony of Sergeant First Class
of the U.S. Army Reserve and English
teacher Ms. Yoshi Lassiter. She chose
Dr. Ithan Zimmer, science teacher and
Captain in the United States Navy, to
swear her in.
Ms. Lassiter has already served 13
years in the active duty component and
the reserve branch of the U.S. Army. At
the conclusion of this six-year contract,
she will be eligible for a pension.
When an enlistment or re-enlistment
ceremony is conducted, an Officer must
be present to read the document.
“Dr. Zimmer and I are colleagues
and members of the military; therefore
it’s another example of how our second
careers blend. I was most fortunate that
he agreed to do it.”
Dr. Zimmer said that he was honored
to have been chosen by his colleague
and friend.
The ceremony began as all military
personnel at SBHS lined up facing the
audience on stage, behind Ms. Lassiter
and Dr. Zimmer. Ms. Lassiter then repeated the Oath of Enlistment after Dr.
Zimmer. Ms. Lassiter and Dr. Zimmer
both signed an official document citing
her re-enlistment. He then presented her
with a check of $15,000 on behalf of the
U.S. Army as a re-enlistment bonus.
“I couldn’t do [this] without my faith
in the Creator, my co-teachers, students,
my sister, and my family,” she said during her short speech that followed the
ceremony.
She said that it made “good dumb
sense” to have her ceremony at the high
school. “The two lives I have here are
intertwined. As service members, we
can re-enlist anywhere as long it is with
dignity and honor,” she said.
The example she tries to provide students “in terms of integrity and selfless
service comes from much of [her] upbringing and role as a soldier,” she said.
“My low tolerance for unproductiveness in the building or in my classroom
has a direct relationship to my experience as a soldier. And I am not successful in either profession without the support of the personnel here in the South
Brunswick School District or in the U.S.
Army.”
SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney also spoke a few words about
the special importance and recognition
he holds for military personnel, having
grown up with a father in the army.
Ms. Lassiter enlisted into the U.S.
Army Reserves in 2000 after leaving the
military in 1993. This was also the same
year she began teaching.
She hopes that her students realize
what the meaning of commitment is.
She said that being unsure of a goal or
dream is not unusual; however, when a
destination is reached and something is
figured out about what should be done,
the answer becomes a lot clearer.
“I hope that my ceremony allowed
some young people to examine what
their own commitment looks like…to
clearly have a moment to see the values
of selfless service, leadership, respect,
and, of course, integrity,” she said.
“Honestly, with what I do in both
my teaching and military career, there
is no compromise in maintaining high
moral,” Ms. Lassiter explained, “It is
important that I model that as much as
possible because I know young people
are watching.”
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3
The country’s current economic recession is hitting everyone and everything hard, including state budgets and
therefore education spending. With
these difficulties in mind, South Brunswick Superintendent Dr. Gary McCartney has ordered a spending freeze for
the district.
Dr. McCartney said, “We are currently in a recession. Our current budget revenues from the state may not be
forthcoming because of state revenue
losses. In order to avoid spending more
than we take in, I have created a moratorium on spending beyond encumbered
commitments.”
SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney said, “With these economic challenges, we have to be judicious in how
we spend every penny. We want to ask
as little of taxpayers as possible while
still maintaining our academic standards.”
According to Mr. Matheney, the
spending cuts for SBHS only apply to
nonessential discretionary spending.
This means that necessary equipment
and supplies should not be affected.
In addition to this spending freeze,
Mr. Matheney now needs to personally
approve all school trips. Activity-related trips that students fully pay for and
competitive trips will still be approved.
These include athletic events, as well as
science and math league competitions.
“If the trip is essential to the curriculum, it will still be approved,” said Mr.
Matheney. “All other trips will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”
Social Studies Supervisor Mr. Timothy Wright said, “So far our department
has not felt the impact of the spending
freeze. Hypothetically, we may see trips
or professional development opportunities cut, but not yet. Since our department orders our supplies in the summer,
we haven’t had to worry about supply
cuts either.”
Senior Becca Dahl added, “I haven’t
noticed any changes in our school since
the spending freeze.”
It is in this tough economic climate
that the school budget will have to be
approved by taxpayers this April.
Dr. McCartney said, “This year’s yetto-be-proposed budget will most likely
represent the greatest financial challenge
in the history of this school district.”
Mr. Matheney said, “It’s too early to
say if the school budget will pass. We’ll
have to really stress to taxpayers that we
are making tough choices about what to
spend and that our focus is on teaching
and learning in the classroom.”
Pets Also Lose Out
In Economic Decline
Alissa Mesibov
2009
Shelters are packed to maximum
capacity. Victims are starving and
homeless. These are the ones whose
lives have been destroyed by the
economic decline, and they are not just
people.
Pets are losing their homes, too,
and this economic trend is not reserved
for the poorest parts of the nation.
It is impacting animals everywhere,
including South Brunswick.
“We’ve had a lot of surrenders to
the Rescue in the last six months,” said
Ms. Nicole Mura, a veterinarian and
volunteer for the Feline Rescue Mission,
which is based in Dayton, NJ.
As a result of the increase in homeless
pets, shelters have more pets than ever
under their care. Some shelters are
housing more than their maximum
capacity allows in an attempt to save the
pets, otherwise left to roam the streets.
Shelters are left with a difficult
decision; they can either take in all
the animals that come their way and
euthanize the pets that are not adopted,
or as “no-kill shelters,” they can turn
pets away when filled to capacity.
This is a huge problem in South
Brunswick because there is no public
animal shelter, unlike most other towns
in the area, such as East Brunswick.
When the police are called to take
in pets that owners can no longer afford,
they legally must accept the animals.
Unfortunately, more often than not,
the public is not aware of the results of
turning the animals over to the police.
“When the township is called, [the
animals] immediately get euthanized,”
Ms. Mura said.
“I am shocked,” sophomore Tara
Marinelli commented, “I had no idea
this was happening.”
Because shelters have an increasing
number of animal residents, and are
almost all privately funded, several
shelters have had to close in the wake of
the economic decline. This has left even
more pets homeless.
Thankfully, with the help of private
donations, some shelters have stayed
afloat during the decline.
As Ms. Mura said, “The public has
been so generous, even though the
economy has fallen.”
Besides the effect the increase in
homeless pets has had on shelters, it also
has led to an increase in animal cruelty
crimes. People are leaving pets behind
in foreclosed homes, without seeking
new homes for them.
Senior Jennifer Diaz who volunteers
for the Feline Rescue Mission noted,
“We have been finding a lot of homeless
cats lately.”
Though the recent increases in
homeless animals has further burdened
shelters, most shelters would rather take
in an extra animal than have it fall under
police custody, in which case it will most
certainly be killed.
“This is really bad,” said senior
Elizabeth Chang, “People need to get
more information about local shelters.”
4
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
news
World Language Honor
Societies Induct New Members
Hannah Green
2009
On Wednesday, February 18,
South Brunswick High School held
its annual World Language Honor
Societies Induction Ceremony. New and
returning members were honored for
their achievements in French, Latin, or
Spanish.
SBHS World Language Supervisor
Mr. Thomas Decker said, “I think the
teachers and students put together a
nice ceremony, as always. It’s great to
honor the students that have maintained
a high level of work in Latin, French, or
Spanish.”
The evening began with the national
anthem sung by several students. SBHS
Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney then
made some brief remarks. The officers
and advisors for the Latin, French, and
Spanish honor societies spoke and then
inducted their new members.
Returning members of each society
were also recognized. Senior members
of the French and Spanish honor societies
received honor cords for their continued
commitment and achievement, while
senior AP students of the Latin honor
society received medals.
Enrollment into the foreign language
honor societies is mainly based on grades.
According to the SBHS website, the
French Honor Society includes seniors
taking French IV or V and juniors taking
French III. These students have an Aaverage in French and a B or higher
average in all other classes.
Latin Honor Society members are
enrolled in Latin III, IV, or V and have at
least an A- average in their Latin class.
Finally, Spanish Honor Society
recognizes students in Spanish IV or
V with an average of at least an A- in
Spanish and a B in all other classes.
The World Language Honor Societies’
students participate in many activities
throughout the year. French Honor
Society students participated in National
French Week, which included a French
Breakfast, as well as the Adopt-A Familyprogram and various fundraisers.
Latin Honor Society students run
various fudraisers as well, including a
Giants tickets fundraiser held earlier in
the year.
Spanish Honor Society activities
include tutoring in the Homework Help
Center, building a homecoming float,
and assisting with International Night.
In conclusion, as French Honor Society
advisor Ms. Maria Kostis-Economides
said, “Students who participate in our
World Language Program truly realize
the importance of speaking another
language and learning about another
culture - it really opens up another world
to them.”
National Honor Society
Inducts New Members
Roshni Shah
2011
On Wednesday, February 11, South
Brunswick High School’s chapter of the
National Honor Society held its annual
induction ceremony recognizing approximately 100 juniors and seniors, as
well as their special guests.
Every November, eligable juniors and
seniors at SBHS have the opportunity to
apply to become a member of the NHS.
This year, three new advisors, Ms. Alison Cooper, Ms. Kelly Boyer and Ms.
Samantha Saldanha, are in charge of the
organization.
According to the Official Site of the
National Honors Society, www.nhs.us,
NHS is “the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students” and it serves
“to honor those students who have
demonstrated excellence in the areas of
Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and
Character.”
“The beliefs of National Honors Society have stayed the same. We are looking for outstanding leadership, service,
the national standards,” said science
teacher Ms. Cooper.
Although the core of NHS have stayed
the same, the GPA required to become
a member of the organization has been
raised from previous years. Starting
from the class of 2010 students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.6,
as opposed to 3.4 for the class of 2009.
Social studies teacher Ms. Saldanha
said, “The GPA changed before we became advisors. The number of students
accepted dropped by about 50 kids. The
drop looks larger than it really is. There
was just a smaller candidate pool to start
with.”
To apply, the candidates must be
invited to fill out a candidate packet,
which includes a short essay and reporting of service and leadership hours.
After information about the candidates
is solicited from the faculty and staff,
school records are checked for any discipline or integrity issues. Once all of
this information is collected, a group of
five teachers who make up the selection
committee review all candidates and
make the selection.
Junior Devas Modi said, “I believe
that it is much harder to get into NHS
this year only because the school is
looking for well-rounded students with
a good amount of extracurricular activities, great leadership, and a strong academic background.”
“There has always been a gray area
with the number of service hours needed
to become a member. We hope to nail
down that expectation,” said special education teacher Ms. Boyer.
“There is an appeals process which
has always been in effect. Students must
write a letter including further information about why they should be selected
and a different committee makes those
decisions. This committee is run by Mr.
Matheney. I know that what they are
looking for is strong evidence that the
original decision should be changed,”
said Ms. Cooper.
Junior Erika Mandel said, “I think
the difficulty for getting in is the same as
past years. It really all depends on how
hard someone is willing to work.”
Clockwise from
above: Emblems
of the Spanish
Honor Society,
Latin National
Honor Society,
and French Honor
Society./PHOTOS
COURTESY
OF the Spanish
Honor Society, the
National Junior
Classical League,
and the French
Honor Society
Theater II Students Have a
Sweet Performance
Priya Shah
2011
On Tuesday, February 3 and Thursday, February 12, Mrs. Virginia Kraft’s
Theater II class performed a children’s
play entitled “Candyland.”
The audience consisted of students
from many different elementary schools,
some of which included Brunswick
Acres Elementary School, Greenbrook
Elementary School, and Constable Elementary School.
The play takes place in a chocolate
factory, where protagonists Graham
Cracker (sophomore Matt Weinstein)
and Candycane (sophomore Rebecca
Shapiro) both work to produce chocolate for the world.
The antagonists included Krumcake (sophomore John Ahern) and Bink
(sophomore Teri Bellen), who attempt
to take over the Mega Bite Candy Company by using Krumcake’s mind-control potion. Amongst this all, Graham
Cracker and Candycane fall in love.
Mrs. Kraft highlighted “Love can
change the world,” as the primary lesson
that the children in the audience could
take from the play.
“I thought [the play] went very well,”
she said, “The actors weren’t wearing
microphones and they could still be
heard.”
Shapiro agreed, “We worked on ‘Candyland’ for four-and-a-half months, and
it turned out great.”
The actors and actresses thoroughly
enjoyed this experience. Not only was it
fun for the audience to watch, but it was
exciting for those who performed the
play as well.
According to Mrs. Kraft, “they were
shocked at how much they enjoyed it.”
Sophomore Jeffrey Rosenthal, who
played Dean and Chase, said, “Doing
the children’s theater was a lot of fun.
Just hearing the kids’ reactions and seeing their enthusiasm made the entire cast
eager to do more performances.”
Sophomore Michelle Freeman said,
“The children’s play was a lot of fun to
perform and I thought it was successful
at entertaining the kids.”
The Theater II students also learned
a lot from their production of “Candyland.”
Weinstein said, “We learned a lot
about timing and character development.”
Before the performing the play, the
students learned the essentials of an
audition. In fact, members of the class
voted on which students got chosen for
each role based on their audition performances.
When asked if she would do this play
again, Mrs. Kraft said, “I don’t repeat
plays because many high school students
remember the plays they came to see
when they were in elementary school.
Choosing a different play each year
forces the [theater] students to grow.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF www.
candyland.com
news
February 2009
HiTOPS Presents:
“Talk to Me”
Anita Modi
2009
On Tuesday, February 17, South
Brunswick High School’s division of
HiTOPS (Health-Interested Teens’ Own
Program on Sexuality) hosted its annual
Family Night Event in the Blue Cafeteria from 7:00-9:00pm.
The evening ran as would a typical
HiTOPS workshop—which the thirtytwo seniors involved in the program
perform for freshman, sophomore, and
junior health and physical education
classes—with opening skits, small group
discussions, and a closing activity.
This time, though, their audiences
consisted not solely of fellow teenagers, but of parents and administrators as
well. And instead of focusing on specific
sexual health topics, such as pregnancy
prevention, sexual harassment, and homophobia reduction, the educators instead focused on parent-teen communication with the workshop “Talk to Me.”
But messages relating communication
to sexual health were made evident from
the very start of the evening; HiTOPS is,
after all, HiTOPS.
As senior DJ Roche addressed the audience in the workshop’s introduction,
“Some of you may not know that one of
the best ways to prevent teen pregnancy
and sexually-transmitted infections is
for adults to talk to the teens in their
lives.”
And yet, talking about sexuality issues may prove immensely awkward
for everyone involved. The educators’
goal that night was to raise awareness
to the sexuality issues that teens face,
to address the seeming disconnect between teenagers and the adults in their
families, and to highlight the instances
(“Teachable Moments”) in which teens
and adults can bridge a sometimes-overwhelming generational gap.
While such a wide-reaching goal may
seem daunting to some, the HiTOPS
educators and their seven advisors had
been planning for weeks in preparation
for their largest performance this year.
Over 60 guests were in attendance—
doubling the audience of any classroom
workshop presented to date—and obstacles associated with the sheer size
of the performance had to be taken into
consideration.
Organization with regards to props,
seating, and materials handed out during the activities was key to ensuring the
smooth conveyance of the messages and
the overall success of the night.
All in all, though, “I was really impressed with how smooth things went,”
Advisor Ms. Sue McGrath commented.
The night began with an opening that
depicted the confusion that teens face
with regards to sexuality issues on a daily basis, as sixteen HiTOPS educators
posed various questions to the audience,
often cutting each other off to create a
chaotic, yet dramatic, effect.
Some questions included, “Why can’t
I talk to my parents about sex?”, “Where
can I get birth control?”, “Why don’t my
parents trust me?”, and “Does my mom
have any idea what’s going on?”, which
immediately drew connections between
sexual health topics and the importance
of parent-teen communication.
The seven opening skits expanded
on this theme, featuring fourteen paired
educators who portrayed different scenarios in which parents and teens find
themselves at opposing ends. By acting
out typical interactions—such as a fight
over permission to attend an unsupervised party—the educators emphasized
that the common lack of communication
is an issue that needs to be addressed for
teens’ safety and emotional well-being.
Guests were then asked to participate
in an activity in which they recounted
messages communicated to them when
they were growing up by their families,
religious or cultural backgrounds, peers,
and the media. They were also told to
comment on what messages they’d like
to communicate to their children or future children. When broken up into ten
small groups facilitated by three HiTOPS educators each, the parents and
teens in the audience had the opportunity to share their sentiments.
“It was a lot easier than I expected,”
senior and educator Carlee Elghossain
said, “I was really nervous about facilitating parents, but they were actually
listening to what we had to say, and surprised me with all the things they were
willing to admit and share about themselves!”
Advisor Mr. Michael Dennehy recalled, “The interactions [between facilitators and guests] were excellent. I
saw some humor, good discussions, and
even some parents taking walks down
memory lane,” as they offered the facilitators and other teens in attendance
some glimpses into sexual health education (or lack thereof) years ago.
“And it wasn’t awkward,” senior
Hannah Hester added.
In fact, as Advisor Ms. Cleo Lowinger said, “A lot of parents commented on
how professional the facilitators were
and how easy it was to talk to them.”
The talking ended for the guests,
though, just after the small group discussions and the twenty-minute break
which preceded the next activity of the
workshop: The Fishbowl.
While the audience members silently observed in chairs around them, the
HiTOPS educators sat on the floor in a
large circle to hold a group discussion
centered on questions. Selected by the
advisors from a question box that the
guests contributed to during the break,
the questions related to a variety of topics, from the kinds of peer pressure teens
face to the HiTOPS program itself.
“The fishbowl had good conversation, a good mix of everyone talking,”
Roche said.
Overall, the educators and advisors
alike agreed that their two-hour workshop was a success, addressing many
issues related to parent-teen communication that needed to be exposed despite
anticipated awkwardness and discomfort.
Senior Mari Nicolas said, “I felt like it
was one of the better workshops, and we
really got a lot out of it. We had to learn
to handle things differently.”
And as Advisor Ms. Jana Novitch
noted, “We got a lot of positive feedback
from the parents that night.”
The Viking Vibe
5
Random Students Selected for
NAEP Testing
Justin Berger
2010
Standardized tests are inevitable for
all high school students. Passing the
High School Proficiency Assessment, or
HSPA, is a graduation requirement and
most college-bound students take the
Standardized Aptitude Test, or SAT.
For the first time in SBHS history,
though, 100 seniors took a different test,
the National Assessment of Education
Progress, on Friday, February 6.
The NAEP is one of the most
reliable sources in assessing just what
American students know in several key
subject areas such as reading, math,
social studies, and science.
According to a letter sent to parents
of the selected students from Assistant
Principal for Academic Leadership,
Mr. Peter Varela, “[The NAEP] is the
only ongoing nationally representative
assessment that provides this valuable
information.”
Although the test has existed for
nearly 40 years, this year was the first
that SBHS was contacted about it.
“Last spring, we were asked to
participate in this national test from
an organization called the National
Assessment of Educational Progress.
Across the country, they sample schools,
randomly test students, and in our case it
was twelfth graders,” Mr. Varela said.
According to the letter, “The results
are completely confidential, and your
child’s grades will not be affected.”
Likewise, “The grade will not go on
the students’ transcript…So there’s no
downside to taking the test,” Mr. Varela
said.
Senior and test-taker Amishi Desai
said, “I would [recommend taking the
test if selected] because it doesn’t count
for anything and it’s for a study, so not
taking the test actually makes it harder
to find results. Also, they gave us an
hour-and-a-half of community service
just for taking it.”
Though students had the opportunity
to opt-out if they chose to do so, “very
few students selected that option,” Mr.
Varela noted.
The results of the test are published
in a report called The Nation’s Report
Card. The report is available to the
public on nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
Students’ grades are viewable in
categories such as gender, race, parents’
education, and location of school.
The proctors for the 90-minute test,
which was administered in the Annex
Cafeteria, were all from NAEP and
the U.S. Department of Education,
according to Mr. Varela.
Desai said, “[The proctors] were
really nice and helpful. They supplied
us with pencils and all other materials,
and they came to you whenever you
needed something. And they thanked us
for taking the test a million times.”
According to several selected students,
the test was not too difficult.
Senior Walid Ahmed said, “I didn’t
think the test was too hard; I think I did
pretty well.”
And if the simplicity of the test, the
fact that the results had no implications
on students’ grades, and the community
service hours weren’t enough to convince
students to take the test, all participants
received a free red pencil with “NAEP
Thanks You!” inscribed on the side.
How could anyone resist that?
6
The Viking Vibe
February 2009
Public Library Hosts
Anti-Valentines Day
Maxine Deins and
Monika Nandi
2012
On Thursday, February 12, teens from
grades eight to 12 gathered to celebrate
friendship and to poke fun at Valentine’s
Day during the Anti-Valentine’s Day
party at the South Brunswick Public Library (SBPL).
“It was a great way to hang around
with friends and socialize,” said librarian and host of the party, Ms. Saleena
Davidson.
The party took place in the octagonal
room at the library. From 6:30 to 8:30
pm, students enjoyed talking to each
other at the casual party set up to mock
Valentine’s Day.
Unlike other library events, this
party had no set agenda. After receiving a plastic black rose with thorns at
the doors, teens mingled and conversed
in the dimmed setting, decorated with
black curtains hanging over the windows. Completing the setting was a
snack bar on a table covered with a
black tablecloth.
The snack bar included chips and
sugar cookies, which students could
decorate with an Anti-Valentine’s Day
logo or picture using black frosting.
The Friends of the Library, an association of adults and teens that do fundraisers to help the library and its events,
provided the food.
During the evening, many genres
of music, from hardcore rock songs to
love songs that were mocked by the
teens, blared in the room. Along with
providing the music, partygoers were
also asked to wear black to enhance the
theme of Anti-Valentine’s Day.
“I loved the music and the fact that
the party didn’t have a theme. It was so
random,” said senior Akila Ramaraj, “I
also liked the part where we got to decorate cookies with black icing.”
Around 30 students enjoyed the setting, where friendship was emphasized
and the romance of the upcoming holiday could be forgotten.
“It was a cool, low-key party that was
relaxed, and just a chance for the kids
to hang out with each other,” said Ms.
Davidson.
“I liked the party. It was fun, and
I especially liked the black roses,” said
freshman Neha Dutta.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day
for couples but at the party, it was a day
for single teens. The students were not
surrounded by couples, but by friends.
One common topic discussed during the
party covered the flaws of Valentine’s
Day. Some said that Valentine’s Day,
once a day for love, has become too materialized.
Ramaraj explained, “Valentine’s Day
pretty much exists only with products,”
referring to cheesy Hallmark cards, Cupids, and candy.
Senior Josh Kohn agreed, “Valentine’s Day has become overly commercialized.”
Some also noted that Valentine’s Day
is more enjoyable for younger children.
“Valentine’s Day is cool when you’re
younger, but if you’re older it makes
you feel alone,” said Ramaraj, “Also, if
you’re not allowed to date or don’t have
a date, it’s pretty annoying.”
“Valentine’s Day is a cute little holiday when you’re little, but as you get
older it gets a little awkward,” added
Ms. Davidson.
As Kohn concluded, “Valentine’s Day
is a day to spread love among family and
friends, not just [people in love].”
Attendees of SBPL’s
Anti-Valentine’s
Day Party enjoy
black candy, black
roses, and time with
friends./PHOTOS
COURTESY OF Ms.
Saleena Davidson
news
Temptasian Invasion:
Show in the Making
Members of the Asian Club pose before Temptasian 2008./PHOTO
COURTESY OF Amala Narayan (‘09)
Jaya Chinnaya and
Katie Lordi
2012
On Saturday, March 28, SBHS’s
auditorium will be booming with vibrant
energy. The members of the Asian Club
are currently in the process of putting
together Temptasian 2009, the tenth
annual show that incorporates many
different aspects of the Asian culture
while tossing in a few good laughs.
According to club Co-Advisor, Ms.
Janean Vivadelli, last year’s sold-out
show “went the smoothest and was
the best year so far,” especially with
the overflowing audience that took to
standing in the aisles and along the sides
of the auditorium.
But the club is ready to go above and
beyond the norm of any show so far.
“The show revolves around a script,
with dances and modeling embedded
within,” said senior Rohit Gijare,
president of Asian Club.
The unique idea of combining all of
these components draws quite a bit of
attention, and not just for Asians. The
script is easy to understand, and the
dances range in genre, so the show does
not just target an Asian audience.
“Dances usually have an aspect of
Asian or Indian culture to them, but it
is not limited to that,” said junior Devas
Modi, secretary of the Asian Club, “We
bring in a wide audience from teenagers,
families, and cultures other than Asian
with hip-hop dances as well.”
The show seems like three hours of
non-stop fun for audiences, but for the
club, it’s a relieving finish to months of
sometimes exasperating practice.
Gijare said that it takes patience and
a lot of organization to run such a large
show smoothly. Especially this year,
with over 130 participants, everyone
must play his or her part and cooperate.
And every member is valuable. As
Modi said, “Without everyone in the
club, the show is nothing.”
For freshmen especially, participating
in the event is an introduction to the high
school. Planning and practicing for the
big production on a weekly basis allows
students to interact with one another in a
cooperative and positive manner.
“It’s a good way to meet new people
and make new friends,” said freshman
Rajita Sanji, “Students have the chance
to get in touch with their culture and
background in the process.”
Although the show is held primarily
to entertain, the club donates all of its
profits to a different charity each year.
For example, in previous years, the
Asian Club donated to several Indiabased charity groups that raise money
to give children school supplies and
the necessities for a better living
environment.
This year, the club has not yet decided
on the charity that the money will be
given to, but rest assured that someone
in need will be helped.
At 7:00pm sharp, a whole troop
of SBHS students will be preparing
themselves for a night of hilarious skits,
intricate dancing, and a fashion frenzy
on a fabulous runway.
Tickets, at $8.00 each, will be sold
at all lunches about a week before the
show, so get ready, SBHS: a Temptasian
invasion is coming this way.
For more information about tickets
or the show, please contact coadvisor Ms. Maritza Arango (Maritza.
[email protected]) or Ms. Vivadelli
([email protected]).
Elise Greenberg
2009
Alissa Mesibov
2009
When Twilight premiered in November, it received
mixed reviews because the critics thought only as critics, and refused to open their minds to other perspectives.
Twilight is a fantastic film, as long as you keep in mind
whom the film was geared towards as you watch it. From
the very beginning, the production team made its point of
view public and clear. This was to be a film for the fans.
First and foremost, the story has originality and it certainly does not rely on the typical vampire archetypes. Unlike every vampire film made after 1922’s Nosferatu, it is
not a repeat of the same typical vampire story. Until Stephenie Meyer‘s books were published, vampires were either
purely evil murderers, like in Dracula, or pathetic wimps,
like in Interview with the Vampire. While the first type does
appear in Meyer’s novels, the most important vampire,
Edward, is a well-developed and well-rounded character.
The cast, though controversial when it was announced, is
brilliant. Kristen Stewart, who until Twilight stuck to relatively small roles, plays the lead, Bella Swan, with incredible
realism. In fact, her acting was at times disturbingly realistic.
For example, when Bella is seriously injured towards
the end of the film, Stewart perfectly recreates the expression and mannerisms of a person who has gone
into a state of shock. British import Robert Pattinson,
to put it simply, embodies everything Edward is about,
and he does it with an accent he had never done before.
The one weak element I will admit to is the script. It reinvents “cheesy,” not to mention screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg’s apparent obsession with primates (“Hold on tight, spider-monkey,” “That’s
my monkey man”).
However, CathHardwicke’s
erine
directing makes up
for everything that
the script lacks.
Her sharp, harsh
style makes Twilight
believable.
Rather
than play up the fantasy of vampires, she
emphasizes the reality of the characters’
emotions. In vampire
films of the past, it
was all about the fantasy. Just look at the
Lestat films, Interview
with the Vampire and
Queen of the Damned.
They were so over-theBetty Wang
top that the average person could not relate
to them. The beauty of Twilight is its reality.
The production design is also based on reality. Twilight was actually filmed in the Pacific Northwest, where
the novels take place. The world of Twilight, so beloved
to the fans of the novel, was not some false recreation that
happened in Los Angeles, like so many other big-budget
films. Many of the costumes were found in everyday stores.
Fans have embraced this film, making it an instant hit. The
critics who dislike Twilight might need to think outside the
box. They may be surprised to find that Twilight is far from
what they thought. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can decide
for yourself when the film is released on DVD next month.
The Viking Vibe
Entertainment Section
For the past few years, Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight has
been virtually everywhere. Besides the numerous posters,
billboards, and movie trailers, there were the packs of screaming girls waiting on line at the movies. And, unfortunately, I
succumbed to this pop culture phenomenon.
I, like many of my peers, used to hate the idea of a girl falling madly in love with a “dazzling” (only my fellow Twilight
readers will understand) vampire and living happily ever after. It all seemed like a childish waste of time. Then, I was
introduced and inevitably captivated by the surprising depth
and detail of the story. Upon finishing the book three days
later, I wanted to see the movie. I went in hearing mixed reviews and came out wishing I had not wasted $9.00 on such
a poorly-made, poorly-acted film.
Essentially, Twilight is supposed to be a modern fairy
tail with a twist. Instead of the Prince Charming being, well,
charming and perfect, the man in this story is a vampire. Intimidating? Hardly. He is gorgeous and mysterious. Bella,
the unsuspecting, clumsy, ordinary high schooler immediately falls for him, and when Edward finally lets her into his
world, things go terribly, terribly wrong. In the end, the notso-charming Prince Charming saves her and they live happily ever after…for now.
In the opening of the film version, there was just one
awkward exchange after another. Unfortunately, the dialogue
didn’t pick up much, and the awkwardness continued. Although Kristen Stewart’s character, Bella Swan, is meant to
be awkward, you would think that with the supposed love
of her life she could let herself go a bit. Even with her new
friends, she sat in the background with her one-liners. In the
book, she makes an effort to be more engaging, yet in the
movie she hides behind her long sweater and shyness.
What is even worse is the dialogue given to Robert Pattinson, the elusive Edward Cullen. At one point he calls Bella
“spider monkey.” While that is romantic and all, who calls
someone they love “spider monkey?” And in the beginning
of the movie when Bella is trying to figure out his big secret,
he asks, “What if I’m the bad guy?” Come on. With a hundred of years of education and experience, he could come up
with something a little better than that.
On top of the dialogue being repulsive, the acting is not
much better. In the scene in the woods, Edward asks Bella
if she is scared. Of course she says no because she is special. But really, she looks terrified. She should be sitting there
with a smirk on her face laughing at the notion that he would
even think to question her comfort around him. Instead, she
sits there, straight-faced, as if she is trying to hide the fact
that she wants to cry, and simply says, “No.”
Another example of her poor acting skills are beautifully
portrayed in the hospital scene, when Edward feels so bad
for getting Bella into her current situation that he wants to
leave. Well, when he suggests that--leaving her--what ensues
is a childish, forced hissy fit filled with stuttered words and
fake tears. I felt like I was sitting next to a bad actor desperately trying to portray sadness. Unfortunately, she failed
miserably.
The last thing that really bothered me was the constant
scowling portrayed by virtually every character. Bella never seemed happy, even when she felt that she was in love.
There is a fine line between being a professional and trying
too hard.
Altogether, this movie was poorly done. But if you are
still curious as to how the best-selling book that was actually really good stooped to this level, the rentals are on back
order for next month’s DVD release. I strongly recommend
the books as a quiet, well-written alternative.
vibe:culture
Two Twilight fans discuss the
bad and the good of the movie
(‘10)
E
1
vibe:culture
A thrilling
but standard
action movie
Kyle Self
2012
When you look at a movie like Taken, you can figure out pretty
much everything that it’s about from the start, especially if you’re
familiar with director Pierre Morel, who was behind movies such
as War and The Transporter. I am no fan of his work as a director or
cinematographer, and this movie most certainly did not change my
mind about him, even though it has been well-received critically
and in the box office.
I’m sort of surprised that Harrison Ford didn’t take up the main
role in this movie considering that the plot is right up his alley. Taken is about a man named Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) who has been
divorced for a while and rarely gets to see his daughter because his
incredibly nasty wife refuses to let him. After a while, some thugs
capture his daughter during her vacation in France. Obviously, he
has to find the scum who captured her and kill anyone who gets in
his way. Since he’s a retired agent who used to work for the government, Bryan is able to handle any type of situation that he faces
in rescuing his daughter. I’m sure we’ve all heard this sort of plot
several times before, and this movie is no surprise at all. There isn’t
any sense of mystery whatsoever, which is something that would
have helped to spice up the story.
I would have liked a different cast choice for the protagonist,
too. Don’t get me wrong, Liam Neeson is a competent actor who
has played a lot of great roles in the past (most notably, that of Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List). However, he just doesn’t come
across me as a bona fide tough guy. He has been in action movies before, but he’s usually not the main character in them. Here I
would have preferred him in more of the antagonist role. He’s just
not fit for this kind of leading role. The only part where I liked his
acting was when he calmly but bitterly says, “I will find you. I will
kill you,” after he finds out about his child’s kidnapping. It is no accident that this line of dialogue is advertised on the film’s poster!
Whenever there is action in the movie, it’s brief and underwhelming. You never really get those “wow” moments that you’re
waiting for, although there were more brutal deaths than I expected.
When you see Bryan electrocute a man to death or shoot a guy’s
wife for information, you know this person will do anything and
stop at nothing to save his daughter.
The ending is predictable. Nothing huge or original happens.
Nonetheless, quite a few of the other audience members in the theatre did enjoy the movie, so it’s not like this movie doesn’t have an
following. Taken may not be for the violence junkies or the nitpickers, but somebody looking for a decent run-of-the-mill thriller will
find it satisfying.
vibe:culture
staff
editors
alex kuhn, 2009
craig maltese, 2009
tina saienni, 2009
elena georgopoulos, 2011
elise greenberg, 2009
alissa mesibov, 2009
conner o’reilly, 2010
kyle self, 2012
E
2
layout editor
jovelle tamayo, 2009
advisor
mr. peter honig
special thanks to
anita modi, 2009
ektaa sanghvi, 2012
mr. andy loh
mr. frank manfre
Surprise! Another weak
horror remake
Conner O’Reilly
2010
It seems as though every two weeks, the world is treated to yet another horror movie ’re-imagining.’ This time around, the classic slasher flick Friday The
Thirteenth gets the now-obligatory makeover, but unfortunately, the movie fails
to offer anything new or original to the over-populated genre.
A common criticism of horror movies similar to Friday The Thirteenth highlights the lack of relatable, memorable, or even remotely interesting characters.
Friday The Thirteenth is certainly no exception. Not only do all of the men and
women look exactly the same, but they have no intelligence whatsoever.
Complaining about such issues is completely useless however, because everybody knows the only character worth discussing is the big guy himself, Jason
Voorhees. Jason has become quite a celebrity in the 29 years since his debut. One
could find his iconic hockey mask on a variety of official merchandise, including countless t-shirts, action figures, video games, and Halloween costumes, but
what is it about Jason that attracts such a large audience?
He is a lumbering, mindless zombie whose only goal in life is to satisfy his lust
for blood. His violent actions are motivated by the untimely death of his mother,
but they’re almost never justified. The promiscuous, party-obsessed victims he
encounters appear to be at least 25 years old, well above the legal drinking age.
In addition to his bizarre desire to terrorize his unsuspecting victims, Jason’s
dirty work in Friday The Thirteenth is extremely uninspired and rushed. After
ultra-violent movies such as Saw and Hostel virtually desensitized moviegoers to
on-screen carnage, Jason’s quick work seems rather tame in comparison. Whenever a scene of violence takes place, the quick camera cuts make it extremely difficult to see exactly what’s going on, and it’s over quicker than it began. In short,
the over-long setups are simply not worth the disappointing payoffs.
The overall design and look of Friday The Thirteenth is incredibly similar to
that of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake in 2003. Coincidently, the two
movies were made by the same director, Marcus Nisbel. There is nothing new in
terms of style, nothing at all. The modernized, digital look to the film is now the
standard of the industry, and the sets are nothing impressive.
In all honesty, there is simply nothing new here. The only reason this movie
is being billed as a ‘remake’ of the original Friday The Thirteenth is to sell more
tickets. It might as well be called Friday The Thirteenth: Part 11. The last thing
the world needs is another remake, but until Hollywood starts producing more
original material, fans are going to have to cope with such exploitative garbage
as this. In case anybody’s interested, the next classic horror movie up for a ‘repackaging’ is Wes Craven’s Nightmare On Elm Street. Whoop-Dee-Doo!
Best Version: Friday the Thirteenth: The Final Chapter (1984)
Disregarding the embarrassingly out-dated title, Friday the Thirteenth: The
Final Chapter is a genuinely entertaining and satisfying horror film. Featuring
stars such as Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman, if there was such a thing as a
‘good’ Friday the Thirteenth film, this would be it.
Worst Version: Jason X (2001)
Extreme Make-Over: Serial Killer Edition!!! Too bad Jason’s new ‘modernized’ design makes him look more like Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than a lumbering zombie maniac. What more can you expect from a movie
that features a space-bound Jason Voorhees? Apparently, not much.
Elena Georgopolis
2011
Let me admit something first: I love stop-motion animation. So imagine my joy when
I heard that stop-motion director genius Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas,
James and the Giant Peach) was directing the stop-motion film of literary genius Neil
Gaimen’s (American Gods, Stardust) novel Coraline. Coraline is a children’s fantasy/
horror story that has been turned into a fantasy/horror film for children and adults alike.
It is amazing because it teaches that imperfections are what make everything perfect.
The story starts out with Coraline Jones, who has just moved into a historic house. She
is a curious girl with parents who both always claim to be busy, and cannot bring herself
to like her new oddball neighbors. Soon, she discovers a more interesting alternative
world she can enter through a small door in her own house. On the other side, she meets
“other” versions of her mother, father, and her neighbors. Everything there seems better
and more exciting than aspects of her original life—that is, if it weren’t for the fact that
all the “other” versions of people have buttons for eyes.
While at first everything is wonderful in the “other” world, things change when the
“other” mother pressures Coraline to stay there permanently, but only if she sews buttons on her eyes as well. This, of course, freaks Coraline out and she decides to return
to her old, boring life. However, the “other” mother, who, as now Coraline finds out, is
the creator of this alternative world and has taken - but then forgotten - other children in
the past, is willing to take drastic measures in order to keep Coraline in her handmade
world forever.
The original book was released in 2002 by Neil Gaimen, and director Henry Selick
had been working on it since then. The story and concept are eerie, but, thanks to Gaimen’s writing approach, a style of engaging simplicity, the book seems more fantasy
Kanye West’s latest leaves
fans heartbroken
Craig Maltese
2009
The first thing to make apparent in this review is that, contrary to popular belief,
Craig Maltese has listened to R&B, enjoyed R&B, and even put R&B songs on repeat.
So surprisingly, Craig can give a honest review of a R&B album. Now as I slowly slip
out of the third person, let me just say this: I have always disliked Kanye West as a person. He is a bit pompous for my taste, yet I must admit that I loved West’s music and
his last album, Graduation. I can honestly say that it was the first rap album I ever purchased. It single-handedly showed me that I, the kid who loves Coheed and Cambria,
can enjoy rap. So obviously, I had very high expectations for 808s and Heartbreaks. I
expected to be blown away by more great beats and strong lyrics.
I was pretty excited when 808s dropped; I heard nothing but good things from the
people around me, saying Kanye has changed. I assumed they were talking about his
music growing and becoming more mature, but I was wrong. 808s was a mere attempt
at branching out of the rap genre into more of a pop/R&B setting. Kanye refers to the
album as a pop album, which is, sadly, true.
West succumbed to the newest fad among rappers started by lil‘ Wayne: a music
production software called Auto-Tune, software used by producers to correct pitch in
final recordings. Auto-tune is used in all genres, not just rap. Yet when used the way it
has been by West and Wayne, most of the talent has been taken out of the equation. All
Kanye needs to do is record his voice onto his computer, then use Auto-Tune to distort
and correct his pitch as he sees fit. Basically, he doesn’t sing one bit. He can just speak
monotone into the computer then make his voice seem like it has the range of Michael
Jackson’s, or in this case, lil‘ Wayne‘s.
Even though I had my own reservations about West’s personality, I still wanted to
listen to my CD. I was informed that track number 10 was the best on the CD, “See you
in my nightmares (featuring lil’wayne).” I listened to the song, and was thoroughly
disappointed. The same repetitive beat and absence of a climax or crescendo made the
song seem deadpan. I assumed that I was misinformed and scrolled back to track #1,
and listened to the album from the beginning. I was pained as I heard the same exact
mainstream junk from song to song. No noteworthy lyrics, beats, or anything of the
sort. All of the songs conformed to the same singular beat. I honestly expected a level
of change from album to album, but this wasn’t a rap album.
One thing I must note: ‘Heartless’ is relevant to my interests. Great beats, good lyrics, and a strong message. Though ’Heartless’ was nothing more than tolerable (similar
to how I would tolerate ‘Stronger‘ from Graduation), essentially, 808s and Heartbreaks is a break-up album. Recently, West lost his mother and split from his wife, and
the pain shows through his work on this album. But I feel like he had the chance to
really make a good album. Frankly, he didn’t.
So all and all, 808s and Heartbreaks didn’t quite do it for me the way Graduation did. I realize that this Auto-Tune fad is ‘in‘ right now, because apparently a
robotic voice is a good thing, but I don’t want to hear mechanical voices singing on
every single track. I must say Kanye, I am a little bit heartbroken over your new CD.
vibe:culture
A Handmade World
than horror. The ‘simplicity’ that gave the book its pace was not
applied to the movie as much as the fantasy was. The movie is visually stunning; it is really beautiful to look at, and it will probably
be looked upon in the future as a major artistic accomplishment in
the world of animation.
Some additions and changes from the book are questionable.
For example, what is with the Wybie character? He is a local boy,
whose grandmother is the owner of the old house that Coraline’s
parents are renting. He did not exist in the book at all, and would
most likely not have been needed in the film, except for the fact
that he helps Coraline and probably makes events move faster than
in the original story. And I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the
portrayal of the two elderly British actresses that live downstairs
from Coraline and her family. In the book, they were sweet, helpful
ladies who talked fondly of their days in the “theatre” and provided Coraline with the good luck charm that would eventually help
her defeat the “other” world. In the movie, their characters were
creepier. Most likely, this was an attempt to make their characters
more unusual and thus their visual designs and appearances more
entertaining--which is what you want to do in stop-motion. This
gives the stop-motion puppeteers the opportunity to overlook certain rules of anatomy and physics.
Also, it was a really good call to recreate this story in stop-motion. If it had been live-action, it would probably be too frightening;
if it were done in 2D animation or CGI, it would have missed much
of the eeriness that the handmade quality of stop-motion provides.
Finally, as engaging as the story was, it was impossible to not pay
attention to the amazing soundtrack. Its hum-worthy score was
composed by French composer Bruno Coulais.
The amount of work that went into creating the world of Coraline was astounding. Everything from tinsel to dog toys to popcorn was used in creating the background setting and props. All
the hair was real, and all the clothes were meticulously handmade.
The puppets have different face masks to change expression and
mouth movements for every shot. In stop-motion, animators are
considered lucky if they get about 4 seconds of usable film a day.
This obviously means that a feature-length film is going to take a
long time. But for the visual beauty of the film (which is even more
enjoyable in 3-D), it seems that the time spent was well worth it.
Just be careful if you are going to have a movie day with your little
sibling or on a babysitting job. There are things that pop out from
the screen and some scary images that could be disturbing to sensitive children. Nonetheless, this movie will want to make you walk
right into an alternative world, just like the heroine Coraline does.
The Fray disappoints in
follow-up effort
Alex Kuhn
2009
Following their international success with 2005’s How to Save
a Life, The Fray went on a three-year world tour to promote their
newfound fame and attempt to reach new audiences. Drawing some
criticism for their similarity in sound and formation to Coldplay
and Keane, the band played on and was able to win over skeptical
critics.
Fast-forward to late 2008, when the band announced the release
of a new album, composed mainly of songs written while on tour
and recorded whenever it found free time. No doubt this hasty writing and producing are what led to a completely sub-par compilation of songs. The CD seems to have no real form or organization,
and the songs have no connection or lead-ins, unlike the carefully
crafted form of How to Save a Life, which started loud, dwindled
down, fired right back up, and faded out, silently and satisfyingly.
The Fray (an uninspired title itself) starts fast with all of the songs
sharing Issac Slade’s familiar sore-throated drone, slows down a
little near the end, and just dies out. Take the time to listen to it, and
you’ll probably fall asleep without the band even remotely trying
to wake you up again.
Keep in mind, I consider myself a fan of The Fray, but my main
complaint about their sophomore effort is that every song not only
sounds similar within the constraints of the album, but that each
song very strongly resembles everything from How to Save a Life.
Fray’s openings ‘Syndicate,’ ‘Absolute,’ and ‘You Found Me’ are
exact parallels of the opening three songs from How to Save a Life:
‘She Is,’ ‘Over My Head (Cable Car),’ and ‘How to Save a Life’.
In each album, the first song opens strong and loud and stays that
way, the third song keeps it a little slower, and the in-between track
falls almost exactly in between those two levels of music-making.
Both albums also end with a slower tune. The primary difference
between Life’s ‘Trust Me’ and Fray’s ‘Happiness’ is that the former
is filled with heartfelt lyrics and relatively pleasant melodies, while
the latter just lulls you to sleep.
If you’re a fan of The Fray, pick up their new release, and
you’ll be in for exactly what you fell in love with. But if you want
the better experience, I strongly recommend finding the band’s EP
entitled Reason. It’s what got them signed, it’s been their best work
thus far, and it might be the only truly above-average offering from
The Fray that we’ll see for (at least) another four years.
E
3
vibe:culture
That’s It, That’s All
Even Red Bull couldn’t supply you with the kind
of energy that this snowboarding film does.
Tina Saienni
2009
Rarely has the snowboard industry pumped out a film quite like That’s
It, That’s All, an instant collectable. This new-age snowboard film is truly
unlike any other out there. Put the fisheye-filmed rail jam video in your back
pocket for a moment and absorb all of what snowboarding has to give to
the world. This type of cinematography will be nothing but contagious for
snowboard films to come. Seriously, from the moment you push this DVD
in to the moment it reverts back to the main menu, the high definition will
make you feel like you are watching the natural beauty that comes with
an episode of Planet Earth. That’s not all there is to it, of course. The film
centers itself mainly on Travis Rice and the crew of most transcendent and
diverse riders he has put together. This is two years of blood, sweat, and soul
packed into a film that deserves the hype it received this season.
Once Travis Rice and director Curt Morgan drew up the concept for the
film in March of 2006, the two-year journey took edge. They traveled first
to the wintry mountains of New Zealand, where most who are passionate
about the sport spend their summers. Getting dropped off at the summit of
a real mountain is ideal for anyone used to shredding the ice coast; that is,
only if you can get beyond the illusion that riding powder is as easy as these
riders make it seem. Each rider sparks a different style and you really can
determine who is who by how they slay the powder across their path.
The 2006-2007 season brings home mountain riding at Jackson Hole,
Wyoming and all arrows point toward Travis Rice. He takes his daring riding skills from San Francisco to Tokyo, winning so many firsts and pulling
off the first-ever double back flip backside 180. The film also features a triple back flip on Rice’s part with the upbeat song “Kids” by MGMT playing.
It’s not uncommon for a snowboard video to house some of the best music
ever, but TITA features a lot of fair jams like “Press Gang” by the Murder
City Devils and opens up the film with “We Own the Sky” by M83.
Most shredder films follow a path of humorous desire.
“That was not cool, that pretty much ruined snowmobiling for me,” Pat
Moore tells the camera after gunning it across a body of water at least 100
yards wide and making it back to land.
That’s It, That’s All also features the comical Danny Kass, one of the three
riders from New Jersey whose home mountain is none other than Vernon’s,
Mountain Creek.
Each spot on this expedition scores among the most scenic views you
could ever stumble across while sitting in your living room. The boys, including Nicolas Muller, Terje Haakonsen, John Jackson, Jeremy Jones, Mark
Landvik, and Scotty Lago, take their stamina from the Rocky Mountains to
the Alaskan peaks, where they claim the conditions to be the most optimal
yet dangerous. “Man, you really can’t let your guard down out there, you’ll
get spanked,” Rice warns. The only way to the top is by helicopter, seeking
paths on the way up. Without taking precautions, these eminent riders could
end up dead or wiping their nose bleeds like Jeremy Jones does.
It’s the incredible lineup of big air tricks and honest shredding of pure
powder that places these riders above everyone else. It’s the love of the sport
that sends them across the world and possesses them to make a film like
That’s It, That’s All. As Rice says, “As long as I am able, man, I will ride
until the day I die.”
Man on Wire
Prepare for a film that teaches its audiences
how to live on the edge.
Alex Kuhn
2009
Every year, hundreds of documentaries are released in the United States
and in the other countries of the world, but usually only one or two make
it into the public’s eye and find their place in popular culture. In the past
few years, we’ve seen March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth, Farenheight 9/11, Super-Size Me, and Murderball. Some have won Academy
Awards, and some haven’t, but there’s no denying that they’ve all been
awe-inspiring, shocking, or just plain tear-jerking. But something 2008
gave us was a first for me: something that would reinstill my belief in the
documentary feature by combining all of the qualities above into a single
hour-and-a-half-long journey.
For those who don’t know, Man on Wire chronicles the planning and
execution of one of the most famous events in New York City’s history.
In 1974, Philippe Petit and a select group of friends set out to string a
tightrope between the roofs of the Twin Towers of the world Trade Center.
Through years of scheming (presented cleverly in the form of a common
heist movie), the group was successful in the placement of the rope. Petit
then proceeded to walk out onto it, and walked back and forth eight times
over the course of 45 minutes. In addition to walking the wire, Petit also
saluted guards on both towers as well as the onlookers more than 1,300
feet below him. When rain began to fall, Petit moved to one of the two
towers and allowed himself to be taken into police custody. After garnering
what amounted to a slap on the wrist from the judicial system (Petit was
sentenced to perform his regular act for elementary school children), he
continues to live in New York State to this day.
This astounding story was brought to life by a combination of actor
reenactments and interviews with the perpetrators themselves. For reasons
unknown, Petit is mesmerizing in his interviews, combining slight humor
and utterly astonishing emotion. He recalls the walk and hundreds of other
stunts with a shimmer in his eyes and can’t help cracking a smile that would
make the most hardened viewer grin with unbridled glee. After watching,
nobody could deny that the man is completely satisfied with his life and
everything he’s done with it.
Recently, Petit appeared on The Colbert Report to promote the film’s
DVD release, and he must have expected to be mocked and joked with by
host Stephen Colbert, but I strongly doubt anybody expected what happened
when the interview began. Petit started things off by shuffling around a few
items on Colbert’s table and explaining his quirky need to rearrange things.
This itself seemed to catch Colbert off-guard, and as things continued, Petit
repeatedly seemed to throw Colbert off his usual rants and nonsense and
onto something the show hadn’t seen in a pretty long time: a real interview.
That takes one heck of a man, to catch another man who gets paid to be
funny and nonsensical for a living off-guard.
Philippe Petit hates when people ask him why he did what he did, so
even when Colbert asked him if it was for reasons besides getting all the
chicks, Petit came in with his standard response to the question. “There is
no why.” And these words echo in the feature when Petit explains, “To me,
it’s really so simple; life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise
rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as
a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope.”
This is truly awe-inspiring, ladies and gentlemen. This is a man who
sucks the marrow out of life, who does what he needs to do, not what he’s
supposed to do. This isn’t just a story about what some might consider an
eccentric circus performer, this is a message to the world: be extraordinary,
be everything you can be, and realize your true potential.
E
4
features
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
7
Turn the Music Up!
Madcats and Beehives
Sukanya Dutta
2009
Many SBHS students may remember
the prominent local ska band Flat
Soda (FS), which included both
South Brunswick and West WindsorPlainsboro students. Then sometime two
years ago, Flat Soda suddenly morphed
into Madcats and Beehives (MCBH).
“FS could no longer function as
a seven-piece band. Our rehearsals
were chaotic and we got into fights,”
explained WWPS junior and MCBH
drummer Rohan Rath, “We went through
two singers, three bassists, and dropped
a trumpet player and a saxophone
player.”
When Rath and singer and guitarist
Dylan Cohen, also a WWPS junior, felt
like playing again, they called on an
original FS member, Tony Zaun-Lokos
(a former SBHS student who moved
to Montgomery), to be their trumpeter,
bassist, and supplementary vocalist.
Zaun-Lokos then enlisted SBHS
sophomore trombonist Keith Lalley.
So now with a solid band together, the
problem of forming a distinct sound had
to be settled. Referencing their influences
to be Fahrenheit 451, Mars Volta, The
Police, Rage Against the Machine,
and Sublime, MCBH realized that they
were no longer content with solely
playing ska tunes, thus prompting them
to experiment with other genres, like
reggae, metal, and progressive in their
industrious jam sessions. The resulting
eclectic tone was something that MCBH
was happy to present to the masses. And
thier sound is MCBH’s only worry, for
their verses are cavalierly written.
Cohen said, “As our name might
imply, we have no set message, or any
hidden meanings. Completely arbitrary,
but pleasing to the ears.”
Besides pleasing ears at typical high
school events, MCBH often holds shows
at Finnegan’s Pub in East Windsor,
where the band feels no pressure to do
an amazingly good job.
A typical audience member will not
only be auditorially amused, but also
visually so, as the quartet performs
without their shirts.
Rath disclosed the hidden agenda
behind this shirtless tomfoolery as a
ploy for “Cash. Money. Girls.” Already
MCBH has adopted the philosophy of
the professional rock bands.
Yet not prematurely so; over the past
several months, MCBH recorded a set
of fourteen songs with Timm Mulhern
at Left Hook Studios. Their album, The
Race, is due for release in March. While
the CD may bring the exposure necessary
to propel MCBH out of the backwaters
of New Jersey, the recording process is
not without considerable drawbacks.
“Money runs low, and we aren’t
always happy with what comes out as
the end product. By that time, we would
have spent so much money that doing it
over would be impossible,” Rath said.
Regardless, MCBH is enthusiastic to
finally complete such a massive project.
“This is a really rare feat. I honestly
don’t know of any other high school
band that has created its own CDs on
a professional level,” said Lalley, who
recommends the track ‘Regret,’ which
features “happy chords and peppy beats
that contradict the title.”
Another MCBH song, “Evolution,” is
currently available on iTunes, as part of
the Ska 4 Life, Vol. 2 compilation.
Additional MCBH compositions
can be heard on myspace.com/
madcatsbeehives.
Acoustic Night
Amy Rowe
2009
The AMPED club hosted its annual
concert on Thursday, February 19, sticking
to tradition by successfully compiling a
night of mellow acoustic sound. The night
consisted of fifteen sets, including local
bands interspersed with solo artists who all
had to adhere to the one rule of the night
– no amps or drum sets!
The event switched from its usual Friday
night slot to a Thursday night, which
initially worried club officers.
AMPED Club Vice-President, senior
Brendan Coleman, said, “I wasn’t sure
how many people would actually show up
for a concert on a school night, and for a
minute or two in the beginning, we were all
kind of doubtful.”
But sure enough, SBHS students made
their way out in support of their fellow
classmates performances.
The night started out with Acoustic
Night newcomers, Renewed Insanity, and
brother-sister duo Ezra and Kiera Rufino
followed. Next was AMPED member and
acoustic night veteran, senior Dave Casey,
who covered John Mayer classics “No
Such Thing” and “Daughters.”
A Flag for Sunrise, a band known
for its screaming vocalist senior Kevin
O’Laughlin, toned down its act a bit and
adopted a low-key sound consistent with
most of the night’s performances. Chelsea
Gohd took the stage next, and quickly
became a crowd favorite with her soft,
bluesy voice accompanied by ukulele
strums.
Performer and senior Tina Saienni said,
Bands perform
on Acoustic
Night./PHOTOS
COURTESY OF Tina
Saienni (‘09)
Madcats and Beehives./
PHOTO COURTESY OF
Ria Dutta (‘09)
“Chelsea Gohd’s performance was so cute!”
Audacity performed next, and noticeably
traded their drum set for a set of bongo
drums. Afterwards, three consecutive solo
acts, SBHS seniors Emily Gabriele, Mike
Ungano, and Calvin Gohd offered up their
acoustic sounds.
Senior Craig Maltese joined forces with
Lux Astra members and SBHS alumni
Troy Veglatte and Ezra Rufino. Seniors
Tina Saienni, Sara Jansson, Adrianne
Gold, Camille Bayas, and Mike Ungano
collaborated for a cover of “Blister in the
Sun” by Violent Femmes. Gold and Bayas
went on to perform as their own act, When
I was 12. Their set included a few original
songs and a notable acoustic version of
M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes.”
Junior Abby Weingarten commented, “It
was a very interesting rendition.”
Senior Mason Madden supplied and
impressive jam session that highlighted
his skillful guitar playing. Resident ska
band Madcats and Beehives performed
afterward, and undoubtedly kept their
blaring horns for the performance. The
night concluded with a band that is always
a crowd favorite, Lux Astra.
Since the AMPED club has gone under
the new advisement of social studies
teacher Mr. Justin Negraval, the club has
been reformatting its usual routine. The
proceeds of the event are largely helping
the club plan for another concert later in
the springtime.
Mr. Negraval said, “The night went very
well. It’s assuring that students came out to
hear their friends perform, especially on a
school night.”
8
features
The First Couple Influences
All Things American
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
outro are pieces of Obama’s “Yes We
Can” speech.
Nas provides inspiration in each stanza, “I think Obama provides hope/and
challenges minds of all races and colors
to erase the hate/and try and love one
another, so many political snakes/we in
need of a break.”
He alludes to prior presidents, as
well as Martin Luther King, Jr., saying,
“New-improved JFK on the way, It ain’t
the 60’s again…We ain’t falling for the
same traps/standing on the balconies
where they shot the King at. McCain
got apologies/ain’t nobody hearing that.
People need honesty.”
With famous faces like John Legend, Common, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Scarlet Johansson, Nick Cannon, viewers of will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” video
see how Obama’s speech after the New
Hampshire primary on January 8, 2008
influenced some of Hollywood’s most
talented performers to come up with a
video based on hope for the future.
Bob Dylan’s son, Jesse Dylan, filmed
the video and his collaboration with will.
i.am resulted in a masterpiece educating
its audience to realize the importance of
voting. The video also acknowledged
Barack Obama as the new focus of music and television alike.
The video highlights the idea of the
potential Barack Obama has, with the
contributions of people like Enrique
Murciano and Adam Rodriguez saying
“Sí, podemos” and “Sí se puede” (“Yes
we can” in Spanish) and Maya Rubin
saying “Qen Annu Yecholim” (“Yes we
can” in Hebrew).
In “President Rock Star,” Entertainment magazine’s article about President
Obama’s “superheroic” Inauguration
author Benjamin Svetkey writes, “He’s
bigger than Brangelina, bigger than Beyonce: How our new president has become the biggest celebrity in the world.
Roll out the red, white, and blue carpet
for Barack Obama.”
The author discusses how Obama’s
“optics…from the start of his campaign…have been fabulous…McCain
complained at the time that Obama
was too much of a glamour-puss to be
president…but Obama was speaking to
voters in a visual language they totally
got: the celebrity-saturated shorthand of
21st-century consumerism.”
In an article called “Obama Inauguration Celebrities: The List” posted on
www.vanityfair.com, author Cassandra
Handley produced an impressive list of
celebrity attendees of Obama’s Inauguration: Jon Bon Jovi, Bono, Mariah
Carey, Common, Aretha Franklin, Macy
Gray, Alicia Keys, Beyonce Knowles,
Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Lil’ Jon, Rihanna,
Shakira, T.I., T-Pain, Usher, will.i.am,
Stevie Wonder, and Young Jeezy among
many others.
While it is hard to debate whether or
not President Obama is “the most popculturally clued-in president in the history of the republic,” according to the
“President Rock Star” article, he is an
inspiration to all races of our nation, and
speaks the message “Yes We Can” to every person of our country. Ready or not,
Obama has come, and we will find out if
he was the change America needed.
According to an interview with The
New York Times on January 23, Wu designed the ivory, one-shouldered, layered-in-Swarovski crystal dress for the
First Lady in November without confirmation that she would actually wear it.
Wu, being only 26 years old, was just
as surprised as the public was to see his
stunning dress on Mrs. Obama.
During the interview, Wu said, “I was
over the moon. I know I am an unusual
choice for a first lady. I didn’t think it
was my turn yet.”
Despite her high fashion choices for
big events like the Inauguration, Michelle Obama also includes many American retailers in her wardrobe.
Fashion magazines embrace her occasional moderately-priced clothes by
consistently featuring articles on where
to buy them. The public might find the
First Lady easily relatable because her
style is so accessible.
In addition, the Obama’s family style
is beginning to be the focus of America,
particularly that of the First Daughters,
Malia (10) and Sasha (7). Both appeared
in J. Crew coats at the Inauguration and
at the “We Are One” concert.
The attention J. Crew received for the
First Daughters’ fashion choice included
more than just positive reviews.
According to an article from The Flint
Journal, dated January 21, shares of J.
Crew stock increased by more than 10
percent the day after the inauguration,
clearly proving that publicity boosted
sales for the already-popular company.
J. Crew plans to feature the clothes
worn by Sasha and Malia in a way that
does not necessarily exploit the girls.
Plans to sell the custom-designed coats
this fall are already taking place.
The Obama women seem to be the
new trendsetters and they will probably continue to influence fashion for
the next four years. Already, accessories
are being produced in the “lemongrass”
color the First Lady distinctively wore
while President Obama was sworn into
office.
Michelle O. appears to be impacting style in a way that has not been seen
since Jackie O. ruled the fashion industry. Although she has yet to establish a
specific style like Jackie O. did with her
large sunglasses and headscarves, it can
be assumed that her style will come to
influence women throughout the country.
The President
Samantha Orlan
2010
It is easy to say that blacks have
dominated the hip-hop scene since it began in the ‘60s, so the fact that the new
president is black is a reason for rappers
to celebrate through their lyrics.
President Obama is the first president
who is really in tune with pop culture—
not just because of his race, but because
of his age and his small shows of ‘swagger’-savvy that make him very relatable
to the youth of America, (alongside his
wife, Michelle Obama, known as the
“First Trendsetter” and also featured on
this page). Is it Obama’s policies, his
race, or his youth appeal that sparked the
outflow of raps about the President? The
answer lies within the lyrics.
It seems to artists like Young Jeezy
that today’s songs needed a changed thesis. In between profanity, Young Jeezy’s
“My President is Black” is a ballad to
Barack Obama, focusing on the hope he
is bringing with his presidency. Some of
his lyrics include, “Me, I see great white,
heavy as killer whales,” referring to a
white majority in the work force, and “I
cannot believe this, who knew it came
in bails. Who knew what came with jail,
who knew what came with prison. Just
cause you got opinions, does that make
you a politician?”
He continues, “We ready for damn
change so y’all let the man shine. Stuntin on Martin Luther, feelin’ just like a
king. Guess this is what he meant when
he said that he had a dream,” alluding
to a monumental moment in AfricanAmerican history to emphasize what a
huge step this is for his race.
Now, fifty years after MLK’s death,
a person is “not judged by the color of
their skin, but by the content of their
character” in the words of Dr. King.
Young Jeezy portrays the importance
of a man’s roots, and rapper Nas helps
him to conclude the song, “Mr. Black
President, yo Obama for real, they gotta
put your face on the five-thousand dollar bill.”
Rapper Nas has a single called “Black
President,” yet another hip-hop, Obamainspired song. Both Nas’s intro and
The First Lady
Emily Campisano
2009
America’s First Lady seems to attract the public not just with her new
title, but also with her far-from-traditional fashion choices. Although many
people approved of Laura Bush’s classic
conservative style, not since Jackie O.
has a First Lady been seen as a political
fashion icon.
Michelle Obama has sported styles
ranging from Gap to Jimmy Choo. Recently, Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball
gown has been in the spotlight because
its designer, Jason Wu, is not a big name
in the fashion industry yet.
Barack is to Hip-Hop as Michelle is to Fashion./PHOTO COURTESY OF the
Associated Press
9
sports
Girls Viking Winter Track: Relays!
February 2009
Kayla Noll
2012
For yet another year, the girls winter
track team took home the first place title
at the GMC (Greater Middlesex County)
relays. This year they also managed a
sixth-place finish at the Group IV State
relays.
Held at the Tom’s River Bennet Center, the GMC’s saw the girls take gold at
five of the eight varsity events, and also
win both novice races. In total, 19 girls
contributed to the 64-point total that
gave South Brunswick the lead.
The sprint medley team of sophomores Alicia Osley and Rachel Johnson,
and juniors Melissa Dardani and Sophia
Ginez broke both the meet record and
school record with a time of 4:15.01.
The relay team of sophomore Janea
Baker and juniors Jenni Smilgis, Amanda Smilgis, and Lyndsey Sample, took
gold in the distance medley as well.
Another first-place finish was the
4x800 relay team of juniors Jenni Smilgis, Jamie Samper, and Sample, and
senior Ashley Edwards, which made a
time of 10:27.05.
The last win on the track was the
shuttle hurdles (35.52), with a team of
sophomore Jen O’Laughlin, juniors
Darlene Braithwaite and Lauryn Strebeck, and senior Sharon Liu.
The event most often forgotten compared to the rest is the high jump, but
it takes a strong effort in every event to
win a meet.
“People don’t realize that the mental aspect of high jump is half the challenge. We have to be able to look at the
bar, and not psych ourselves out, and
also adjust our technique every time the
bar is raised,” junior Emily Skalko said.
The Vikings did win the high jump,
with Skalko jumping 5-2, and sophomore Brooke Sassman jumping 5-0.
Also, both the shot put team and
4x200 relay team earned themselves a
third-place finish.
The two novice races that got the gold
The Viking Vibe
were the 4x200 and 4x800. The Vikings
swept the meet, as they have been continuously doing in the past.
But does the thrill of winning ever
die down?
“No, it does not. It is more motivating because we have to fight to keep
that spot. And other teams could come
out and give us a good challenge, so we
have to work just as hard to keep that
title,” Samper said.
On January 17, the girls winter track
team competed in the Group IV State
Relays in Tom’s River. They scored 16.5
points, scoring in five of the nine events,
and finished sixth overall.
The distance medley team earned a
second-place finish, which broke the indoor county record by 12 seconds. The
team of freshman Cayla Del Piano, sophomore Baker, and juniors Jenni Smilgis,
and Ginez had a time of 12:27.01.
The 4x200 team of sophomores Mariah Browne and Osley, and juniors Jamie
Thompson and Dardani placed fourth,
and the sprint medley foursome of Os-
ley, Browne, Dardani, and Ginez, earned
a fifth-place finish.
Another fifth-place finish was earned
by the shot put team of sophomore Amber Browne and junior Ginelle Walker.
They combined to throw 66-1.75. The
high jump team of Skalko and Sassman
tied for sixth place.
Another notable performance was
that of the 4x800 team of Ginez, Jenni
Smilgis, Sample, and Del Piano. They
managed a seventh-place overall finish.
All the South Brunswick relay teams
finished in the top eight, with the shuttle
hurdles, and 4x400 relay team taking
eighth place.
The Vikings excelled at the relays
at these past meets, though many people
don’t realize that running in a relay is
very different from running an individual race.
“There is more pressure because
you’re running for your relay team,”
Edwards said, “I guess the girls handled
the pressure well, because they came out
on top once again.”
Members of South Brunswick High School’s girls winter track team compete at the GMC Track Relays on January 17./PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze,
www.bgsportshots.com.
SBHS
Tom Dunleavy
2009 Winter Sports Capsule
Boys Basketball – The Vikings finished the season winning two
GMC Tournament preliminary games against JFK and Woodbridge.
The future’s bright for the basketball program as Javon Tyree (‘12)
and Nick Muha (‘12) gained valuable varsity experience.
Girls Basketball – Captain Shannon O’Brien (‘09) led the Vikings
to victory over Carteret in the first round of the GMC Tournament,
scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. The Vikings won 44-41.
Wrestling - The wrestling team is currently 15-9-4 and finished off
the season with three straight wins. Varsity wrestlers will compete
in the District 20 tournament this weekend at SBHS in hopes of
qualifying for the Region 5 tournament.
Boys Winter Track – Brian Oni (‘10) is the lone qualifier for the
Meet of Champions, placing seventh in 55-meter dash in the Group
IV meet. His time of 6.72 earned him a wild-card spot.
Swimming – The boys and girls swim teams both went undefeated
in the Red-Division and were crowned Division Champions. Both
teams finished very successful seasons after losing to state power
Bridgewater-Raritan in the State Tournament.
10
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
sports
The End of an Era:
Coach Mantz’s Resignation
Greg Madia and
Mike Muha
2010
Just three months after the end of
a great football season at SBHS, Head
Football Coach Rick Mantz has decided
to step down from his position.
After arguably one of the greatest
turnarounds a high school football program has ever witnessed, the man who
led the charge from one of the worst
teams in New Jersey to a state championship contender has chosen to drop his
reigns as head coach at SBHS.
SBHS Principal Mr. Timothy Matheney said, “I’m disappointed he’s
leaving, but on the other hand, I think
very highly of him and I understand his
decision. He has given his all to this program. I respect him for his decision and
I am very happy for him about the opportunity that he was granted.”
Coach Mantz took the South Brunswick job prior to the 2007 season. There
was feeling that the “sleeping giant
would awake,” he said.
He took over for an average program,
a program that was never pushed to its
full potential, and turned it into a GMC
Red division co-champ in a matter of
just two years.
Mr. Matheney continued, “The greatest accomplishment Coach Mantz might
have achieved was changing the mentality and the culture of the program. He
turned the program completely around.
Coach Mantz convinced people that we
could compete.”
Early on in Coach’s first season the
team struggled, losing its first three
games to Monroe, Sayreville and Piscataway. But Coach Mantz’s triple option
offense and ferocious defense won five
consecutive games (Edison, Old Bridge,
JP Stevens, East Brunswick and Woodbridge), to clinch SBHS’ first playoff
berth in over thirty years.
In 2008, the program looked like it
had more potential than ever before.
Publicly described as undersized, the
Vikings were projected by the Home
News Tribune to finish no higher than
fourth in the GMC Red Division. With
an outstanding senior class coming back
Mantz exceeded expectations.
First, the Vikings started the season
out with a 6-0. Promising wins were
over Woodbridge, Union City, and Old
Bridge. As the GMC Red Division
schedule was getting tougher, more obstacles for the Vikings came to follow.
In Week 4, East Brunswick led the
Vikes 10-0 at the start of the second half,
but Mantz’s gritty tough defense came
through and the Vikings came back to
win the game. After that, the Vikings
posted a win over JP Stevens. Following
that came the greatest victory in South
Brunswick football history.
On October 17, 2008, the Vikings defeated perennial powerhouse Sayreville.
Coach Mantz led SBHS to the most significant win in school history, it was the
first time the school had clinched a playoff berth.
Following that, the Vikings lost their
last regular season game against Piscataway but clinched the number-one seed
in the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs.
The playoffs started great with a hard
fought victory over Pennsauken High
School. Following that came the toughest loss of the season.
Brick Memorial High School came to
SBHS and beat the Vikings, but the effort was there. Coach Mantz’s team did
not give up, and that is what he expected,
to fight to the end no matter what.
Finally came the rivalry game against
North Brunswick and after that heartbreaking loss in the State semi finals,
Coach Mantz found a way to get the
players motivated for virtually a game
just played for pride. Nevertheless, the
Vikings brought home the Mike Elko
Trophy.
The Mantz era at SBHS can be described as a two-year period full of firsts:
the first playoff berth in 2007, then the
first nine-win season in 2008, the first
victory over Sayreville in 2008, also the
first number-one seed in the state playoffs and the first GMC Red Division title
in SBHS history.
Overall Coach Mantz went 14-7 and
1-2 in the post season in his two years as
head coach.
In 2008 (9-2), he was crowned THNT
Coach of the Year.
He leaves behind the knowledge required in order for the football team to
continue to be successful. He taught this
program how to win and emphasized
the importance of the hard work and effort required to compete at a high level.
Most importantly, Coach Mantz turned
football players into young men.
“Coach Mantz is a great football
coach. He gave our players here the
great confidence that it takes to win,”
Mr. Matheney said.
The fate of the SBHS football program is unknown. The team returns next
season with only ten seniors and only
six guys with legitimate playing time in
2009. It is going to be up to the seniors
and the new head coach to determine
well this program will do in the future.
The Mantz era will always be known
for the teams that turned this program
around. His teams were brought up as
kids that never quit. Kids that were nasty
on the field, but the greatest young men
off the field.
Mantz’s teams at South Brunswick
will be remembered as reflections of
what it means to be a Viking, to pillage
and scratch, to claw and fight and to do
anything necessary to score that victory
on a Friday night.
Girls Bowling
Team Makes
History!
Brooke DelGuercio
2012
The 2009 Girls Bowling Team went
down in South Brunswick History this
season. Whether it was going undefeated in the regular season, winning GMC’s
and sectionals, being number one in the
Red Division and in the Greater Middlesex Championship, or making it to states,
the girls bowling team can do it all.
Math teacher, Mrs. Tara Lynn Burniston, coached the girls. This was her seventh year coaching the Lady Vikings.
“Coach Burniston is very positive,”
Allison Zimmitti, sophomore and member of the bowling team, said, “She always encourages us to do our best and
she tells us to pick it up where we’re
down.”
Mrs. Burniston stated, “I think the
secret to this team’s success was not
worrying about the other team and just
bowling our game.”
This season was filled with hard
work and dedication, which came from
each and every member of the team.
“We normally had practices four days
a week for two hours. Also, we usually
had two or four games a week,” Zimmitti said.
During the practices, Coach Burniston worked with the team to improve
their skills and to help prepare them for
the GMC.
The GMC is a meet between all the
schools in Middlesex County. The meet
took place at Brunswick Zone Carolier
Lanes on February 7.
The girls ended up coming in first
place after intense preliminaries and
semifinals.
Junior Kayleigh Kimberlin bowled a
406, junior Jackie Sutton bowled a 393,
Zimmitti bowled a 367, junior Carly Kohutancyz bowled a 428, senior Marissa
Rodriguez bowled a 331 and freshman
Justine Bleacher bowled a 374.
Kohutancyz also rolled the highest
round in the match with a score of 246.
The final match of GMC’s consisted
of South Brunswick defeating Carteret
in two games. The first game they won
983-841 and the second 1001-978.
From GMC’s the Lady Vikings went
to sectionals where they, again, proceeded to win after a dramatic come-frombehind victory.
Mrs. Tara Lynn Burniston and the girls bowling team pose with their
awards./PHOTOS COURTESY OF Bill Gaze, www.bgsportshots.com
After the first two games in the meet
Howell had a 41-pin advantage. However,
the Lady Vikings came back in the third
game with a score of 953, being the only
team to score two games over 900 points.
South Brunswick came in first followed
by East Brunswick. The Vikings bowled a
2756, while the Bears bowled a 2771. This
enabled both teams to qualify for states.
While the Vikings did not bowl as well
as they normally do there, they came in
fourth place with a score of 2615. Tom’s
River ended up coming in first with a final
score of 2829.
However, the Vikings had two bowlers
qualify from sectionals for the Individual
Tournament of Champions. Kimberlin and
Sutton earned spots in the tournament.
“All the other girls on our team try to
beat my score,” Sutton said.
Sutton was the GMC’s leader in average and bowled a 613 series and Kimberlin
earned her selection after bowling a 606.
Kimberlin ended up finishing first in the
tournament.
All in all, this season has been extremely
successful for the Lady Vikings and they
have a lot to be proud of.
sports
11
The Viking Vibe
February 2009
Mr. Ziminski Wins Interscholastic Athletic
Association Lacrosse Service and Dedication Award
Cody McHugh
2009
Boys Varsity Coach Mark Ziminski
was honored by receiving the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association
Lacrosse Service and Dedication award.
“I was completely surprised and flattered,” said Coach Mark Ziminski, “The
award was totally unexpected.”
The award is given to one coach from
the state of New Jersey for each sport.
Mr. Ziminski was nominated by Athletic Director Elaine McGrath and was
then selected from a group of nominated
coaches to receive the award.
Mr. Ziminski founded the boys lacrosse program in 1999 and has been
head coach ever since. Over the past
ten years, Mr. Ziminski has compiled
a record of 119 wins, 60 losses, eight
appearances in the Greater Middlesex
Conference Championship, three GMC
Tournament Championships and two
GMC Divisional Championships.
“Starting the program was the hardest
challenge I had as a coach in my whole
career,” said Coach Ziminiski. When
Mr. Ziminski first started the program
the sport was not well known and many
of his players had never played lacrosse
before in their life.
However, he was a very experienced
coach at this point. His coaching career
started in 1980 at Johnson Regional
when there were only 36 lacrosse teams
in the state of New Jersey. There are now
over 150 high schools that participate in
boys lacrosse.
sunday
After coaching at Johnson Regional,
Mr. Ziminiski coached at Rutgers University for a few years, then eventually
founded the boys lacrosse program here
at SBHS.
“Coach Ziminski is a very experienced and knowledgeable coach,” said
junior lacrosse player Mike Lopez,
“In one season of working and being
coached by him I improved tremendously as a player.”
With Mr. Ziminski’s coaching experience and knowledge he was able to turn
a program from a 1-13 first season into
a powerhouse in New Jersey and even
finished number 15 in the Star Ledger
top 20 rankings.
“You really just need to have high
expectations and demand perfection,”
Mr. Ziminiski said, “Usually if you have
that, your athletes will respond.”
SBHS English
teacher and
Coach Mr. Mark
Ziminski in the
classroom,
on the field./
PHOTOS
COURTESY
OF Anita
Modi (‘09), Bill
Gaze, www.
bgsportshot.
com
March 2009
monday
tuesday wednesday thursday
friday
saturday
HSPA TESTING
1
8
2
9
History Honors
Society Induction
INTERACT NIGHT
3
4
Winter Varsity
Awards Night
10
INTERACT NIGHT
11
5
6
7
12
13
14
St. Patrick’s Day
Dodgeball
Tounament
First Day of Spring!
16
17
18
19
Winterguard Show
22
23
24
29
30
31
Percussion Festival
Early ReleaseParent/Teacher
Conference
25
Winter Guard Show
FCCLA SEW IN 6-11
STATE CONCERT BAND FESTIVAL
15
SATS
26
20
Viking Volunteers
Senior Citizen
Prom
27
21
- Project Graduation
Used Book Sale
- Temptasian Show
28
12
February 2009
The Viking Vibe
Celebrating the Life of Sandor Timar
“Sandor was honestly one of
the most caring and loyal
people we’ve ever met.”
~Melissa Schulman (‘10) and Jennifer Dye (‘10)
Breona Garrison and
Cassandra Joiner
2010, 2012
In May 2008, junior Sandor Timar was diagnosed with leukemia. Even though his body weakened, his resolve only grew stronger. He
battled his illness for eight months, but on January 23, he lost his fight and passed away.
Instead of seeing his disease as a disability, he looked at it as a way to give hope to others.
Even though he was not in school for long periods of time, he made sure that he persevered and handed in all of his work.
Social worker Ms. Amy Finkelstein said, “Sandor was very motivated and he never complained about his work, especially during his
hospitalizations. I was amazed at his hard work.”
He was able to make the honor roll for the school, but never had the opportunity to read his letter of recognition.
Sandor used his personality and skills to motivate others all the time. He excelled at soccer and played on numerous travel teams.
“He was amazing at soccer,” junior Laura Manka said, “I went to all of his games, and his room was filled with soccer awards and
trophies.”
He loved coming to school to socialize with people he cared about.
Friends of Sandor’s, juniors Melissa Schulman and Jennifer Dye wrote in an email to the Vibe, “He was friends with many people
around the school, all from different groups, and there was always something about him that would put a smile on anyone’s face. We’ve
personally had some of the best memories with him and are so thankful to have him as a best friend. And we know there are many other
people in this school who feel the same way.”
Junior Laura Manka shared one memory that she had of him.”I remember when he begged the doctor to let him out of the hospital for
the weekend. He really wanted to go to his friend Tyler Smith’s birthday party. Finally, the doctors agreed and he was so happy!”
In addition to socializing, he enjoyed coming to school to learn.
“You could tell he loved to learn and he was on the way to finding himself. He may not have always showed it, but school was a place
he liked to be,” said social studies teacher, Mr. Justin McCuen.
Despite the progression of Sandor’s illness, he was very hopeful and optimistic about the future. His high spirits were present in many
situations and he used them to his advantage. He showed others that even through hard times, happiness is possible.
Junior Harris Fliegelman said, “I know he inspired me and inspired others as well.”
Schulman and Dye wrote, “If you ask Sandor’s close friends about him they could probably go for on for days and days about all their
times they shared, but there isn’t enough room in the newspaper to convey how much of a joy Sandor Timar really was.”
Glimpses of Sandor Timar./
PHOTOS COURTESY OF Chelsea
Stebbins (‘10)