volume 77, Issue 2
Park ridge high school
February 2009
PRHS Students, Faculty Witness History in
Washington, D.C. at Inauguration 2009
By Julie Perdew ‘11
George Washington added a
prayer at the end of his inauguration. J.F.K. spoke the now
famous, “Ask not what your
country can do for you — ask
what you can do for your country.” President George W. Bush
danced with Ricky Martin, but
nearly two million people attended the Inauguration of President
Barack Obama including forty
students, five teachers and two
parent chaperones from PRHS.
On January 20, 2009, in
Washington D.C., Barack Obama
was sworn in as the forty-forth
President of the United States of
America.
Ms.Weber, Mr. Farrell, Mr.
Fogarty, Mrs. Smith-Raska and
Ms. Schoenkopf escorted forty
PRHS students to the capital to
attend this once in a life time
experience. “It was incredible,
I was a witness to history and it
was a very moving experience.
Standing with two million people
made me realize how important
this inaugural day was,” said
Mrs. Smith-Raska.
The PRHS students in attendance were either in the student
council, AP US History or honors
history. “When we signed up for
the trip no one knew if it would
be McCain, Hillary, or Obama
but I hoped for Obama because
not only was he my favorite candidate but watching the inauguration of the first black President
would be so historic,” explained
Izzy Skovira.
PRHS students were very
passionate about the trip, despite
the fact that they had to wake up
early, travel through crowded
streets, and tolerate freezing
cold.
“It was a momentous point
in history; a black man (the first)
was elected president! It would
be bragging rights and stories that
would be told to my grandchildren,” said junior David Smith.
“I wanted to be a part of history,” explained Rachel Burnstein (junior) when asked about
her reason for attending.
While missing two days of
school probably wasn’t unwelcomed, students who went on the
trip had much to say.
“At first the main reason I
wanted to attend the trip was to
miss a few days of school and
hang out with my friends in the
hotel for a couple of nights. But
once I saw all the people on Inauguration Day I realized this was
a historic trip,” explained Brian
Sloan.
“The most exciting thing was
the energy of the people,” said
Victoria Church.
“I will never forget the seconds immediately after he was
sworn in. People were jumping
and yelling, and the atmosphere
as history was being made was
unforgettable,” said junior Eric
Parrasch.
Time to Show Some Appreciation
By Chelsea Murtagh ‘09
The week of February 2nd
has been dedicated to celebrating and appreciating guidance
counselors across the country in
schools. From class schedules
to college acceptances, school
counselors help students to get
everything they want and need
in school. Every school has
guidance counselors that help
students to make good decisions
about their education. This has
a positive impact on their future.
Sadly, the amount of effort they
put into their jobs every day is
sometimes overlooked.
“I think sometimes there is a
lack of knowledge about the role
of a school counselor,” said Ms.
Heller. “As school counselors,
we are here to assist and speak
with students about all aspects of
their school life. We are here to
help students with any academic,
personal, social, or career concerns they may have.”
It seems as if our counselors
do not need special recognition
for all of the things that they do
to help students. At times, they
get enough reward just from
finding out that they assisted in
getting a student into the college
of their choice.
Ms. Huffman said, “My favorite part of doing what I do
is helping my students. I laugh
and sometimes cry with them. I
take great pride in helping them
transition into the next stage of
their lives. The look on a senior’s
face with the first acceptance can
get me through some of the most
difficult days. It is my only hope
that I can positively influence
their lives the way they have
mine.”
This just goes to show how
much pride PRHS guidance
counselors take in their work.
“The job is so rewarding
in itself,” said Mr. Mioli, “It’s
like winning a game, seeing the
joy on their faces.” Through all
of the stressful and sometimes
overwhelming work they need to
get done, it can be the simplest
of things that makes it worth all
the trouble.
“The job becomes less stressful and more rewarding over
time,” said Ms. Huffman. A small thank-you and an
acknowledgement can go a long
way. For everything that our
school counselors do for us, it
is the least we can do. They deserve recognition for all of their
efforts, and we really need to
take a minute and think about
what our education may have
been like without their help.
The week of appreciation
is sponsored by the American
School Counselor Association,
also known as the ASCA.
“I thought the speech was
inspiring; it was so silent during
the speech besides occasional
‘Amens’ or ‘Absolutelies!’ It was
humbling and empowering at the
same time,” said Stacy Hoenigmann.
“When Obama
was being sworn in,
the whole crowd was
cheering; I went up on
my friends shoulders
and I could see everyone waving flags and
throwing confetti; I felt
like I was united with
everyone else, a part of
a cause larger than me
or anyone else,” added
Hoenigmann.
About President
Obama’s speech, students had much to say.
“I was deeply moved,”
said Jason Antokal, “I
truly believe he has the
power to change the
course of history.”
“The inauguration speech
was both moving and insightful.
It bestowed a sense of hope about
President Obama’s new policies,”
reflected Lauren Mazzei.
“The diversity of the crowd
that came to watch the inauguration was amazing. It was great—
young, old, gay, straight, black,
white—it was an experience that
Students and teachers alike
understood and appreciated the
magnitude of the occasion. “It
was a moment I can say I was a
part of. When I was watching I
would look at the capital build-
ing, not on the jumbotron, actually look at it and realize this was
happening right here,” said Mr.
Farrell.
“Being around all of those
people, to stand around a diverse
crowd in front of the capital building, you could feel the energy in
the air,” said Ms.Weber.
As part of the trip, students
Inauguration photographs courtesy of Mrs. Smith-Raska.
can only be described as unforgettable,” said Skovira.
The festivities started at seven
am when visitors could enter the
parade route, and at nine the inaugural gates opened.
also visited numerous Washington, DC highlights, including
Arlington Cemetery, the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier, Jefferson Memorial, and the Iwo Jima
Memorial.
news
Page 2
The Owl, february 2009
Convicts Bring Important
Message To PRHS
Where in the World is ….?
Middle schoolers, Divy Mehra (grade 7, shown above) and
David Dulberg (grade 8, shown below) were declared school
champs at this year’s Geography Bee, which was held on Monday, December 22, 2008, in the Little Theatre. Thirty students
(15 seventh graders and 15 eighth graders) demonstrated their
knowledge of national and world geography, as moderators, Ms.
Susan Baitala and Mrs. Rachel Avery, questioned them about a
variety of facts. Congratulations to the winners and good luck to
them as they compete at the next level, the statewide geography
written exam.
BY Samantha Bonizzi ‘09
On Thursday, December 8,
an assembly organized by SADD
brought students in grades 9
through 12 to the Little Theatre.
Four inmates came to speak about
drunk driving and other destructive decisions that caused them
to be put into jail. They were incarcerated for different reasons,
from robberies and car jacking
to driving while intoxicated. All
of the inmates were involved in
drugs at some point during their
life.
“I thought the assembly was
extremely moving and a great
eye-opener for the students. I
think people underestimate how
quickly one decision can impact
one’s life,” said English Teacher,
Ms. Cosgrove.
The inmates told their stories,
and pointed out life lessons that
they wish they had followed or
known at the time. They talked
about the value of family and how
important true friendship is.
“The fact that it was real and
not scripted made the issues more
serious, and since it was coming
directly from them it had a bigger
affect,” said Amanda Acevedo,
Vice President of SADD.
The inmates volunteered to
share their message to students
around New Jersey through the
program Project Pride. Taking
part in the program does not show
up on their records or decrease
their time in jail, but simply gives
them the chance to make a differ-
ence in the lives of others.
“I think the inmates’ stories
will make people think twice
before doing something that
can hurt themself or someone
else,” said John Duffy, senior at
PRHS.
Project Pride is so popular
around New Jersey that Park
Ridge High School was put on
the waiting list two years ago.
Students and faculty agreed that
the moving assembly was well
worth the wait.
Basketball Challenge Raises
Awareness for Breast Cancer
"Twas A Holly Jolly Season"
PRHS celebrated but also gave back
By Lauren Henning ‘14
What songs are heard over
and over? What holidays have
the parents breaking out in sweat,
trying to get the perfect gift?
That’s right, Christmas and Hanukkah.
On Saturday, December 13th,
the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting took place at
Depot Square. It
was a beautiful
and exciting event,
that gave people
a warm holiday
spirit.
“The Holiday
Tree Lighting has
been going on for
about 50 years or
more,” Councilman Rich Henning said, “It is
Park Ridge’s main
Christmas tradition, and probably
will be for years to
come.”
Around PRHS,
several annual traditions have also
announced the
holiday season as a season of giving. On Nov. 21, together with
students from the Interact club,
Ms. Chambers organized a food
drive for the Pascack Food Center. Approximately 3,000 items
were collected.
PRHS students, faculty and
staff have also bought approximately 60 gifts for families that
cannot afford to buy gifts for
their children. Gift possibilities
were placed on the PRHS Snowman and those interested in giving back to others picked out gift
requests from the many that were
posted.
Ms. Chamber said, “We have
been doing this for about 7 years.
This is my favorite holiday activity; I love to see the expression
on the people’s faces when they
are given the gift.” Santa hands
out these gifts in Paterson right
before Christmas.
Once again, to add more
cheer, the student council sponsored Holiday-grams.
The Holidays are about doing nice things for others, right?
That’s exactly what PRHS did.
In return, they got a lot of warm
smiles this holiday season.
BY Samantha Bonizzi ‘09
Pink whistles in the mouths’
of the refs, pink cupcakes in the
concession stand, and the words
“Feel your boobies” stretched
across the gym. On Saturday,
January 10, the PRHS girls varsity basketball team went to extremes to promote an important
cause.
For the past two years, Coach
Michael Weaver has led the team
in raising money for breast cancer
awareness and research. They
have supported Leigh Hurst,
a breast cancer survivor and
founder of the Feel Your Boobies Foundation. Their recent
effort was a four-game North
Jersey Breast Cancer Basketball
Challenge that the team hosted
for surrounding teams to compete in. The event consisted of
teams from Pascack Hills, Northern Valley, Demarest, Ridgefield
Park, New Milford, Glen Rock,
Ramapo, and Secaucus.
The fundraising at the tournament included charging for admission, auctioning gift baskets,
selling “Feel Your Boobies” merchandise, and making donations.
Adding to last year’s $6,000 that
was raised, the challenge brought
in $2,500. Not only was this challenge meant to raise money, but
it was also aimed to educate the
160 participating student-athletes
and fans about the disease.
“Our main goal in the breast
cancer work that we do is to bring
the educational piece to our student-athletes. We are focused on
educating members of the community and raising awareness,”
said Coach Michael Weaver.
Raising awareness is also the
main goal of Leigh Hurst. The
Feel Your Boobies Foundation
was started to get out the message to women to get themselves
checked for breast cancer, and
also to perform self examina-
tions. The words “Feel Your
Boobies” are printed on trendy
t-shirts and merchandise that attract the attention of young girls.
Leigh Hurst was present at the
challenge to speak to each team
about her battle against the dis-
“Three and a half years
and 10,000 shirts later,
the Feel Your Boobies
Foundation has grown
into an international
campaign focused on
a call to action for
women to get in touch
with their bodies.”
Leigh Hurst
ease and the foundation she was
able to start.
The PRHS girls basketball
team is continuing its fundraising efforts by selling tickets for
the gift basket raffle. Tickets can
be purchased from any girls varsity or middle school basketball
player. The drawing will be held
during the last home game on
Friday, February 27. The money
raised will be put towards hosting
the basketball challenge in years
to come.
“Anyone who would like to
contribute to the cause is welcome because we could definitely
use the help!” said Coach Weaver. Anyone interested can contact
Coach Weaver at [email protected].
“It is important to raise awareness and let others know what
people who have breast cancer
are going through and how others
should get screened,” said Dana
Carroll, co-captain of the girls
varsity basketball team.
The girls’ basketball team
will be continuing the tradition
they have started that goes beyond the court they play on.
student life The Owl, february 2009 Driving Safely in the Winter
BY Joe Origoni ‘09
Driving in the winter can often scare a person when driving
where they need to go. Many
people in the winter months drive
like they usually do in normal
weather conditions, which is very
dangerous to do. Roads are very
slick when driving in the winter especially in the shade where
black ice can form. Even in late
winter (February/March), drivers
need to be attentive.
When driving to school or
work, drivers need to be sure to
give themselves enough time to
travel. If drivers rush and speed,
they are more likely to get into
an accident. It takes longer to
stop in the snow and ice than in
normal driving conditions, so
drivers need to give themselves
more time to stop.
Most vehicles from 1995 to
now are equipped with anti-lock
brakes, that when the brakes are
applied with a lot of force, the
brakes pulsate so the wheels do
not lock up and prevents the car
from skidding. Anti-lock brakes
try to control the vehicle skidding
off the road when braking. There
are many other safety systems
that keep cars safely on the road
when driving.
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Vehicle
Stability Control
(VSC) Anti-Slip
Regulation (ASR)
and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC),
are all safety systems
that provide that extra
safety that helps to keep a
car on the road. The sensors,
in the system, check whenever
a wheel slips and apply braking
power to the wheel that is slipping.
For example, if your car starts to
slide when making a turn, if the
driver has a car that is equipped
with one of these systems, their
car will sort the problems out
for you and brakes one or more
wheels to correct the skid.
Many of the Japanese and
German brands have safety systems like the ones place above. A
few American vehicles also have
the option of these systems. For
example Toyota products have
VSC while BMW has DSC and
Chrysler Products have ESP.
Some more small important
tips, when driving on plowed
roads, drivers must drive slower. When a snow plow comes
through it doesn’t plow the whole
road and will
make the road
narrower and
tighter for two cars
to squeeze by. Every
driver should do this
but make sure to drive
defensively in the winter
months. Don’t trust any other drivers on the road. If you
car is equipped with 4-wheel
drive or All-wheel drive, don’t
think that you can drive faster
or stop quicker. That theory is
totally untrue. Many accidents
in the winter involve over turned
SUV’s and trucks. Driving in the
winter mostly depends on your
speed your tires and your experience as a driver.
When you talk to your parents about a car, talk to them
about how you would like a car
with a safety system that can prevent accidents. Parents are all for
safety systems for their young
teenagers.
Is Homework Necessary?
By Mairead Fahy `14
Is homework necessary? Is
too much or too little given? Is
it necessary over the weekend?
Students and teachers have different opinions.
Most students think that 1to 1
½ hours is too much. After going
to school for seven hours, students feel that they need a rest.
After nonstop learning all day,
students are tired and need to
rest their brains. Seventh grader
Julia Beatini said, “Sometimes
I’m up too late doing homework
and I don’t have time for other
activities.
Some teachers think it is nec-
essary to give homework every
night. Mrs. Kosmogiannis, the
7th grade math teacher, said, “It
is necessary to practice math every night.”
Miss Van Laere, the seventh
grade science teacher, also feels
that homework is necessary every
night to reinforce topics that are
learned throughout that day.
Although teachers assign
homework, some students just
don’t do it. When surveyed, most
students said they almost always
do their homework, especially
to get a good grade in class or to
raise their grade. Some students
surveyed said they don’t do their
homework due to other activities.
One eleventh grader said, “I do
my homework because it is only
to help. You are hurting yourself
by not doing it.”
Weekend homework is the
most unwanted homework
among almost all students. Everyone wants to be free over the
weekend. Some teachers also
feel that students need down time
and need to give their brains a
break. After a long, full week
of school students don’t want
to worry about schoolwork over
the weekend. Although opinions
vary, homework still will not be
going away in the near future.
Same Products, Different Prices
for Different Times
BY REBECCA HAHN ‘09
“Happy Birthday Rebecca,
here’s $2. Take your girlfriends
to the mall and buy yourselves
something sweet, on me.” “Wow,
thanks Grandpa!” I replied. “This
should get us each a gumball,
if we’re lucky,” I sarcastically
whispered under my breath.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not
that I’m ungrateful, but let’s be
realistic, $2 these days isn’t going to get me and my girlfriends
very far. Throughout the decades,
from the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s,
and the 2000’s, prices have risen
incredibly, from the price of gas
to cigarettes to college tuition.
Let’s take a closer look:
English teacher, Mrs.SmithRaska gave me a list of how
much things cost when she was
in high school and college, in the
late ‘60’s, early ‘70’s.
My grandfather’s $2 gift for
my birthday would have gotten
me far in the 1970’s, but today,
it would get me and one friend
a hamburger at McDonald’s if
we’re lucky. Prices have risen
1970
$0.33 a gallon of gas in 1974
$0.39 McDonald’s hamburger
$17 prom dress
$3,000 college tuition per year
2009
$2,600 brand new
1968 Ford Mustang
$5 round trip from Park Ridge to
Penn Station
$0.50 for pack of cigarettes
$0.25 Dairy Queen ice cream cone
$0.50 is the average rate for
babysitting
$3 for a pizza pie
$5 for an average pair of sneakers
$0.75 movie tickets
$0.05 candy bar
$2.00 a gallon of gas
$1.00 McDonald’s hamburger
$320 average prom dress
$30,000 to $40,000 average
college tuition per year,
according to collegeboard.com
$20,430 brand new
2009 Ford Mustang
$11.75 round trip from Park Ridge
to Penn Station
$6.50 for a pack of cigarettes
$1.50 Dairy Queen ice cream cone
$10 is average hourly rate of a
babysitter
$12.50 for a pizza at Marc’s
$60 for an average pair of sneakers
$10 movie tickets
$1 candy bar
a great deal in past decades because the times have changed:
salaries have gone up, the demand for goods is greater, which
means prices go up, and the
economy plays a significant role
in rising prices.
Prices in the future will keep
rising which hopefully means
people will get a raise at work
they can afford things; but if
prices rise and people don’t get
raises then they most likely will
either be in debt, or they will not
be able to afford anything. So
where does this leave us? In a
state of panic and fear, with our
fingers crossed with hope that
the economy improves in the
coming years.
Page 3
Teens Stress Out
BY RAQUEL VAZQUEZ ‘11
“Of all the students I see
and all the problems I see them
for, stress is the most common
denominator,” said Mr. Yeager.
Why?
No matter what the problem
is, stress always plays a key
role. According to www.Teenhelp.com, there are five main
sources of stress:
School work (78%)
Romantic relationships (64%)
Parents (68%)
Friends’ problems (64%)
Younger siblings (64%)
As the statistics show,
school work causes the highest
percentage of stress. Students
can certainly attest to the causes
of stress, whether it’s a test to
take or an essay to write.
Sophomore Julie Perdew
states, “When I get stressed out,
it’s like a cycle. I can’t focus
on my work, which makes the
teacher think that I’m not trying
as hard as I could and then it
starts all over again.”
“I get moody and tired when
I get stressed and really irritated,
especially now, I’m stressed out
over going to college and with
all the deadlines and the SAT’s
and ACT’s,” admitted Rebecca
Hahn, PRHS senior.
Caroline Kerhli, a seventh
grader, said, “I feel stressed
when I have a lot of projects
due on the same day and on top
of that, all the extra curricular
activities I take part in.”
Students should not panic.
There are many ways to relax
when feeling stressed. Try these
stress reduction tips, provided
by www.Helpguide.org:
• Go for a walk
• Talk to a supportive
friend
• Play with your pet
• Get a massage
• Sweat out tension with a
workout
• Read a good book
• Listen to music
• Write in a journal or
diary
• Watch a comedy
• Eat a healthy diet
• Get enough sleep
• Be positive
• Spend time outside
If these tips are not enough,
PRHS offers counseling during the school day. Mr. Yeager,
who is happy to assist in any
way he can, is located before
the second small staircase by
the library. Students can see
him if they ever need to talk to
someone.
MS Student Council Cares
By Caroline Kerhli ‘14
The Middle School Student
Council is working hard to make
this school year great as it can be.
President Robbie Schwartz, Vice
President Sean Kelly, Treasurer
Matt Parker, and Secretary Kaitlyn Mital have accomplished a lot
this year, and are making plans
for the future. They are planning
to do a winter dance on February
13, and are hoping to have another semi-casual dance later on
in the year. So far this year, the
Student Council has conducted
a bake sale, and a cookie dough
fundraiser called “Fun time!”
The members really enjoy
their time spent on student council. “The best part about being a
member of the Student Council
is not only being able to have a
say in what events are planned,
but also getting to make the
school year better for the other
students,” said Treasurer, Matt
Parker.
The Student Council members would like to help students
academically as well. President,
Robbie Schwartz said, “I would
like to create a student to student
peer program in which students
can help students if they are
struggling in a subject.”
They would also like to get
everyone in the Middle School
more involved in the school. “I
want to get my peers more involved in school activities,” said
Secretary, Kaitlyn Mital.
All of the members would
agree, being on student council
is a very rewarding experience.
Vice President, Sean Kelly said,
“Being on Student Council provides many opportunities for me
to better the school and make the
year more fun. I enjoy being on
the Student Council and I will
continue to work hard to make
this school year the best it can
be.”
Alumni Speak Out 2008
On Tuesday, December 23rd, several PRHS alumni from the
class of 2008 came back to the Little Theater to share with the
senior class their experiences from college. How do they like their
schools of choice? How did they manage their coursework? Are
they getting along with their roommates? Are just a few of the questions asked. Featured above (from left to right) are Rachel Losco,
Jamie Socco, Brian Desmond, Sarah Christie, Alex Howard, Nicole
Sermabeikian, Chris Meidanis, and Kim Green.
student life
Page 4
What I Wish I Knew...
BY KRISTEN FALLON ’09
As I fill out college applications I can’t help but reflect upon
my past four-year high school experience. Should
I have studied
harder for the
Algebra exam?
Should I have
stayed up later to
write that English
paper? There are
several things I
wish I knew my
freshman year
about academics.
“Freshman
students don’t
realize the importance of every year. They
don’t look to their future and realize that freshman year counts
as much as every other year,”
said Mr. Awais, math teacher at
PRHS.
School work is an essential
aspect of high school, and freshmen and sophomores may not realize this because it is still early
in their high school career.
“I wish I knew how important it was to do well in school,
even in my freshman and sophomore year,” said Dana Carroll,
senior.
Freshman and sophomore
year serves the purpose of preparing a student for junior and
senior year. If a student doesn’t
take the first two years seriously,
it will be incredibly difficult for
them to pick up the slack the last
two years, but it is possible.
“I though I didn’t have to
work hard my freshman year, and
that it was going to be easy. This
made working hard and getting
good grades my sophomore year
more difficult, but I was able to
do it,” said Nolyn Birch, senior.
It is important to build good
academic habits, such as studying, as a freshman because it lays
the foundation of how students
will study throughout high school
and college. The first year of
high school is the time to build
good study habits and to balance
a busy schedule.
Academics should be a student’s number one priority during
their four years, but it should also
be balanced with socializing and
activities.
“Although performing well
academically is significant, I
would stress less because one
test doesn’t make or break your
high school career,” said Christine Marchello. Students should
not become too overwhelmed by
school and grades, but should create a balanced lifestyle, including
academics, extra curricular activities, and of course family and
friends.
As freshmen, students anticipate that junior year is the most
important and difficult year and
that senior year is a breeze, as
most students come down
with “senioritis.”
“Junior year was the
most difficult year because
of the tough courses required, and the SAT’s,” said
Sam Bonizzi, senior. While
junior year certainly lives
up to its difficult reputation,
senior year is also equally
important, and should not be
overlooked. A senior could
easily get overwhelmed
choosing a school, filling
out applications, writing
college essays, and preparing themselves for life after
high school.
It may be hard to perceive
the application madness that occurs in the fall of senior year, but
I wish some one had given me a
heads up.
“I never imagined how much
I would have to do in order to
apply to college. It is becoming very hard to balance school,
sports, and applications,” said
Chelsea Murtagh, senior.
Take these years seriously
and don’t underestimate them.
Additionally, create balance
within your life and begin to determine how to have a successful
academic and social life. It’s not
too late to step up to the plate for
those students who have yet to
begin taking academics seriously.
The earlier a student starts building good study habits in their high
school career, the easier their future will be here at PRHS.
Phobias on Valentine’s Day
are Phobias Everyday
By Stephanie Delehanty ‘11
As students arrived at school
on February 14, Valentine’s Day
grams, heart-shaped boxes of
chocolates, and roses were being
exchanged. Walking through the
halls, some students felt more
loved than others.
While Valentine’s Day has
come and gone, the fears of love
are still present. Although Valentine’s Day is a special holiday
for those with significant others,
showered with romantic cards,
roses and candlelit dinners, it is
a different story for those who
suffer from philophobia.
What is philophobia, one
may ask? Philophobia is the fear
of being in love. It is just one
of the thousands of unique fears
that people face each day. So
what are some of the additional
fears that may have been experienced on February 14?
• Anuptaphobia- fear of staying single.
• Autophobia- fear of being
alone.
• Caligynephobia- fear of
beautiful women.
• Eremophobia- fear of loneliness.
• Gamophobia- fear of marriage.
• Gynephobia- fear of women.
• Hominophobia- fear of
men.
• Isolophobia- fear of solitude/being alone.
• Philophobia- fear of falling
in love/being in love.
• Philemaphobia- fear of kissing.
• Sexophobia- fear of the opposite sex.
• Zelophobia- fear of jealousy.
• Those suffering from these
phobias were stuck feeling uncomfortable on Val-
entine’s Day. However, it
isn’t just on Valentine’s Day
when phobias appear.
Millions of people suffer
from some type of fear or phobia on a daily basis. The most
common are the fears of heights,
spiders, being alone, or being in
tight places. There are many
fears that seem outlandish but
are very real and serious to those
who have them. Some strange
phobias include the following:
• Agyrophobia- fear of streets
or crossing the street.
• Sophophobia- fear of learning.
• Chaetophobia- fear of hair.
• Allodoxaphobia- fear of
opinions.
• Alektorophobia- fear of
chickens.
•
People who suffer from these
phobias weren’t just suffering on
Valentine’s Day, they suffer from
their phobia on a daily bases.
There are hundreds of phobias
out there holding people back
from doing everyday activities.
These hinderances leave people
struggling to be normal in a society where one has to be normal
to be accepted.
The Owl, february 2009
Balance: The Key to Happy
High School Years
BY DANIELLE VILLANO ‘09
From a student’s earliest
remembrances of elementary school, balance factors
in through a variety of means
– balancing fractions (math
class), balancing diet (health
class), and, dare it be said,
balancing beams (gym class).
If a student shall take any lesson with them on towards high
school – and later on, towards
college – let it be this: Balance
is everything.
It has been studied and
declared that the children of
Generation Y (children born
between 1978 and today) are
indeed more ambitious and
goal-driven than any previous
generation; therefore, it is almost inevitable that these students will feel swamped with
schoolwork, studying, holding
a job, extracurricular activities,
and the demands of a social life
(this is the age of technology
and social-networking, as well;
Generation Y is also referred to
as iGeneration). These “Trophy Children” continue to impress others with their
achievements and accomplishments, and
are motivated to keep
as much on their plate
as humanly-possible,
despite the physical
or emotional repercussions.
“I’ve felt absolutely flooded with
work since freshman
year,” Tom Rizzie, a
junior, said; “We are
constantly put under
pressure to add more
to our resumes.”
Many teenagers feel that
they must appear “well-rounded” to get into the colleges of
their choice. However, “wellrounded” has gone from meaning “having desirably varied
abilities” to meaning “cramming as many activities and
achievements into as little time
as possible.” Students are no
longer participating in activities because they truly enjoy
them.
“I wish that someone had
taught me how to balance my
school work with my clubs and
my part-time job,” senior Caitlin Mintz said, hidden behind a
stack of textbooks during her
study hall period. “If I realized
back during middle school that
being well-rounded meant excelling at a few activities, rath-
er than partaking in as many
random activities as humanlypossible, I would be in a much
more comfortable position.”
The teenagers of Generation Y are feeling the stress of
having the bar set high.
“Pressure is at an all time
high this year,” guidance counselor, Ms. Heller, stated. “As
more students are trying to
get into colleges, the number
of spots in freshman classes
has stayed relatively the same.
Students feel they need to be
involved in many more things
in order to stand out amongst
the applicants.”
A Collegeboard.com article
stated that managing time is all
about balance. The website reminded students to “keep shortterm and long-term priorities in
mind.” It is beneficial to take
into account the pros and cons
of undertaking multiple activities – is an extra name on a
long list of achievements really
worth the lack of sleep (teens
should be getting 8 ½ hours of
sleep a night) and the risk of
having slipping grades?
“Students shouldn’t be
joining clubs just to put them
on their college applications; it
should be about enjoying what
you do,” Ms. Heller said.
Although today’s teenagers have been declared “Trophy
Children,” they should not let
the name get them down. Ultimately, students should focus
on the activities that they enjoy
the most – a student who excels
in a few select activities will
emerge as the more-appealing
candidate for a college acceptance, rather than the student
who lists activities they are
only half-heartedly involved
in.
“Relax,” English teacher,
Miss Cosgrove says, “and take
the time to enjoy your time in
high school. Every determined
student will come out a winner,
so don’t sweat it too much!”
A Night of Italy
Comes to PRHS
By Rebecca Hahn ‘09
On Thursday, February 5, Operation Graduation hosted the
Annual Spaghetti Dinner. This event was held in the PRHS main gym
and featured the PHHS boys’ and girls’ basketball teams playing Emerson. Between the games, OP Grad parents provided a spaghetti dinner
for both PRHS and Emerson players and fans. Students, teachers, and
residents of both Park Ridge and Emerson packed the event showing
their support for the Park Ridge Class of 2009. The proceeds of this
night will be put towards graduation night festivities.
Individuals interested in getting involved with future Op Grad
fundraisers should check out the website at http://www.parkridge.k12.
nj.us/Opgrad2009.htm
ARts & Entertainment The Owl, february 2009 Faculty in Focus: BY KIM MAHONEY & TOM KEENAN ‘09
These youngins’ are all teachers at Park Ridge High. Can you tell who’s who?
Mr. Fogarty – For the little boy in this
presidential pose, he will eventually go
on to teach about presidents and why they
shouldn’t have mustaches, although he
wears one with pride.
Mr. Cosgrove – This lean patriotic
machine shown in this imagine is still just
as intimidating, but now he’s the muscle
behind our high school.
Mrs. Russo – In this artistic picture,
we find a future teacher looking up at the
Starry Sky.
Mrs. Bucci – Another future leader
of Park Ridge High School, the little girl
stands assertively.
Mrs. Sharber – With a natural interest in Earth and everything about it, this
little girl will grow up to teach a class
that goes hand in hand with her job, Earth
Science.
Page 5
Mrs. Blake – A future environmental
science teacher, this little girl will grow
up to teach how to prevent pollution and
keeping the Earth clean.
Mrs. Caine – They say mathematicians like Albert Einstein have crazy hair,
and according to my statistics, she may
not have crazy hair anymore but the little
girl in this photo certainly did.
Ms. Cosgrove – You wouldn’t be able
to know by looking at this photo that this
little girl would go on to travel the world
and volunteer her time in less fortunate
countries. She’s now an English teacher
and coaches the middle school girls’ basketball team.
Mrs. Strammiello – The little girl in
this photo will grow up to be a Special
Services teacher. You may even know
her daughter as she is often the star of
the popcert.
Remember When…
BY RAQUEL VAZQUEZ ’11
Do you recall ever wanting to
Salute your Shorts or be a contestant on Double Dare? Think
of watching the funny and sweet
romances of Urkel and Laura,
Zach and Kelly, or Corey and
Tapanga; many loved watching
the guys chasing after the girls.
People treasured their TV shows
like the Brady Bunch and Rocky
and Bullwinkle.
“I used to love watching The
Angry Beavers and playing with
my hot wheels,” said Stephanie
Delehanty a sophomore.
“I remember when we would
play video games on Nintendo
and you could fix a problem just
by blowing on the cartridge. Easiest fix ever,” stated sophomore,
Julie Perdew.
Nintendo, if you recall, was
the first video game system that
many loved playing with. Shortly
after the Nintendo, Game boy
was created into a world wide
portable game system.
Now you may ask yourself,
“Well why do I care?” Well because it’s strange looking back on
things that you used to play with
or watched and compare them to
nowadays shows, games, or movies. The entertainment industry
moves on and the cool things that
you once thought were awesome
are old news.
Who says you can’t take a
trip down memory lane? Buckle
up and Remember When…
You played with Barbie dolls,
you watched Sesame Street, and
read The Babysitter’s Club. Remember when you played Hungry Hungry Hippos with your
family, watched Gumby and
Pokey, and read The Very Busy
Spider? Remember playing with
Buzz Lightyear, watching Little
Giants, and reading The Box Car
Children?
Remember seeing kids play
with Mr. Potato Head, reading
Dr. Seuss books, and watching Captain Planet? Remember
Watching Ren and Stimpy, playing with Transformers, and reading the Hearty Boys’ series?
But what are the new fads for
2009?
Ever since the first iPod came
out in 2001, the Apple store has
been updating and coming out
with newer media players. This
season’s must have iPods are the
iPod Touch Second Generation
($300) and also the iPod Nano
Fourth Generation ($150). The
Nintendo DS ($130-$180) is one
of the biggest touch screen video
games that Nintendo has ever
made. The Wii ($250) is another
entertaining family game with
which you can exercise and have
fun at the same time. People enjoy practicing their singing while
someone else plays the guitar
and the drums in the game, Rock
Band ($140) and Rock Band 2
($150-$190). The Guitar hero series ($75-$190) is very popular
and you can rock out to bands
like Guns N’ Roses and Poison.
Page 6
arts & Entertainment
The Owl, february 2009
Tom Talks Truth: Barack Obama
BY TOM KEENAN ’09
Lucky me, I was able to vote
in this year’s presidential election. Unlucky you, I shall not be
informing you of whom I voted
for (I’ll give you a hint: They
have the letters O, A, M, and C in
their name). What matters now is
that one man will be inaugurated
this January to become the 44th
President of the United States.
That man is Barack Obama.
Barack Obama will be given
the task of fixing our troublesome
economy, resolving the war in
Iraq, dealing with the pesky environmental issues, as well as finding alternative fuels and using
them efficiently. Now, if it were
up to me (be grateful it’s not up
to me) I’d solve these issues one
at a time in a matter of minutes.
Maybe even seconds. However,
I wasn’t running so luckily we
have a professional to handle
these situations (or do we?).
Suffice to say, whomever was
to win the election, there will be
those who are upset with the winner. Both candidates were fully capable of replacing one of the greatest presidents our nation has ever
seen (sarcasm? You tell me).
I can almost guarantee 80%
(rough estimate) of my readers
do not agree with that previous
statement about Bush (don’t hurt
me). I say only this: Only time
will tell how effective (or ineffective) George W. Bush’s presidency truly was.
Some people may question
whether or not our new President-elect has enough experience
to lead our nation. Does anyone
truly really know EVERYTHING there is to know about
running such a fine country we
know and love as The United
States of America (Exceptions:
Myself and Franklin Roosevelt)?
I didn’t think so. Each candidate
had his strengths and weaknesses
while running for office. Obama,
like every other president, has his
weak points, which is where Joe
Biden will come in handy (don’t
worry he has more work to do
than we all imagine).
Prepare yourself, for I’m
about to go old-school (bring
out the knickerbockers). My
Momma and Grandmother (or
as I say ‘Nana’) both claim they
voted for the candidate whom
they imagined would be a better
dinner guest. They both claimed
that if a President can sit down
and talk with you at dinner about
what they want to change easily
and without hesitation, then they
are suited to become our next
president. My inner scientist (a
molecular biologist) challenged
this theory. I imagined myself at
a nice dinner with both John Mc-
Cain and Barack Obama. Want to
know what happened? Of course
you do. I started a food fight and
that experiment went down the
drain.
My fellow patriots, I’m going
to be blunt. The president himself
is not the solution. He may help
our situation but he truly has less
of an impact than you’d think.
Dare I say the answer? Americans need to help themselves get
out of this situation. It’s up to us
to use more renewable energy,
to lower our carbon footprint
(size 13), and yes, stimulate our
economy. There is no need to explain ways to lower pollution, as
I’m sure we’ve all had it beaten
it into our heads over and over.
Like I always say, do to planet
Earth what you want her to do to
you; and in this case she might
just eradicate us (no lie).
Don’t just stop buying to save
money for when the worse part
hits (pretend it hit). If every single person spent their money like
they did in 2006 business would
be successful and the recession
would go away, in a perfect world
at least. Then again, if it were a
perfect world, we wouldn’t be in
this situation. Sue me.
To bring an inevitable ending
(like the ending to the forty plus
year Cold War) to Tom’s Truthful Presidential Informational
Update (TTPIU) I say this. A
Snowball: A Glimpse into the Real World
BY REBECCA HAHN ’09
In a dark room with strobe
lights flashing, bumpin’ music, and the dance floor packed
with hands in the air, everyone
was having a wonderful time
with their friends. Who would
have ever thought that weeks of
drama would end in such a joyous night? All of the stressful
arrangements—seating charts,
the afterward plans, and pictures
are all part of the pre and post
Snowball drama.
“I am at the point where I’m
ripping all my hair out because of
stress with tables and drama with
friends,” said Joseph Origoni, senior at PRHS, before the night of
Snowball.
While students stress to iron
out the event’s details, they are
not aware that they are experiencing a real world situation. Social
events don’t end after prom, but
high school events such as these
ease students into the reality of
the social society. When students
enter the real world, in addition to
weddings, they will have charity,
social, and professional events to
attend. Students also learn how
to compromise and learn how to
deal with people and how difficult they can be.
Juniors and seniors gathered
at the Park Ridge Marriott, on
Saturday, January 17, for a funfilled night that started with a
cocktail hour and then emerged
into a night filled with dancing.
Students who attended voted for
Snowball King and Queen. The
winners were Joey Origoni and
Gerri Guerrero.
“Even though there was a lot
of drama that went into the planning I had a blast at Snowball,”
stated a PRHS junior.
Eric Ingoglia, senior at
PRHS, said, “It was so hard to
get everyone together to agree
on something, but it was worth it
in the end.”
While it is difficult for students to recognize the lessons
they are learning as they figure
out their plans and prepare for
the event, in retrospect they understand.
Prom will be another practice for a real world event. Come
June, juniors and seniors will be
able to experience this fun-filled
drama once again.
new President means change.
Things may get better (American Resilience!) or they could get
worse (Great-er Depression), in
which case we’ll have to somehow bring back to life the great
Franklin Roosevelt to fix things
(Speak louder and carry a slightly
bigger stick).
So, what’s my opinion on
Barack Obama you may ask
(besides what is literally written
right in front of your eyes)? If
you don’t like our newly elected
President, there is still hope. Af-
Hot Trends for the
Fashion Forward
BY SAMANTHA BONIZZI ‘09
In a season filled with snow
and low temperatures, many
find it hard to stay trendy. But
this season has been all about
looking and feeling great.
Purple and grays have been
all the rage for the winter.
Bright tomato red has also been
a popular color for the season,
along with blues and olives.
Also, patterns such as plaid, floral, and geometric prints have
decorated many items.
For a sophisticated look pencil skirts and belted jackets have
been a great way to look classy
while at the same time showing off ones curves. Two other
types of jackets that have been
in style are loose coats with undefined waistlines and seamed
waist coats. Seamed waistcoats
are influenced by the 60’s and
have a military pea coat look to
Park Ridge Band Jazzes It Up
BY JESSICA LAURENZO ‘14
Many people think Jazz is
a very enjoyable type of music,
and it has a very large following.
The Skyliners Jazz Band preformed at the Park Ridge High
School Little Theater on Friday,
November 21st. The jazz concert
lasted an hour and was enjoyable
for everyone who came.
“The music was upbeat and
entertaining,” said Sarah Kinsey
who attended with her father who
also enjoyed the evening.
The director of the band, Bill
Garbinsky kept the audience upbeat and happy with the music of
the evening. Much thunderous
applause followed every song.
To keep the audience entertained
and informed between the performances Mr. Garbinsky and his
band explained the sound and invention of the instruments used
that night. His band consisted
of 14 members, and the instruments used were the trumpets,
saxophones, trombones, and the
drums.
After the Skyliners performed
their last song, Mr. Popolizzio
and the band’s drummer held a
drum battle. This battle added
ter you’ve done your American
duty to clean up our country and
use renewable and efficient energy, combined with the fact you
must grow big and strong and
have eaten all your spinach like
Popeye (who they based off me),
and you’ve become the legal age
to become president, only then
can you run (it’s easier said than
done). Don’t forget, you must be
an American citizen.
Oh, and on that off chance
you DO win, I’ll be sure to be in
contact with you (pinky swear).
excitement to the night.
“It was exciting to see Mr.
Popolizzio playing the drums
and rocking out,” said Caroline
Kehrli, one of Mr. Popolizzio’s
band students.
“The concert was great both
musically and educationally,”
Mr. Popolizzio said about the
event that was sponsored by the
PREF grant.
them. The biker jacket has also
been a key look, especially in
leather. Shimmer effects and
glistening metallic have added
to the trend, as have zippers that
are more decorative than functional.
Dazzling up one’s wardrobe
with sequins has made fashion
fun. Whether on dresses, jackets, tanks, leggings, shoes, and
accessories sequins have made
outfits shine!
The bohemian look can also
be spotted on the streets this
winter. This includes peasant
skirts, fringed boots, and chunky
gold jewelry. Headbands that
go across the forehead are also
included in this look.
And of course, shoes cannot
be forgotten! Ankle high boots
are in style in all materials such
as suede, leather, and metallic.
Shoes that lace up or that contain unique cut out patterns are
also a look for the season.
As winter rolls into spring,
New York City became fashion
Mecca during Fashion Week
(February 13-20). Hosted by
Mercedes Benz, this annual
event had leading designers and
top modeling agencies showing
off the major fashion statements
of the year.
While this is just an overview of what’s been hot, keep
your options open moving into
spring. Don’t limit yourself just
because it’s still cold outside.
See it as an opportunity to get
dressed to impress!
arts & entertainment
The Owl, february 2009 Tackling Shakespeare:
An Actor Reflects
Page 7
Snow Angel Lifts
Spirits at PRHS
BY DANIELLE VILLANO ‘09
What could be more daunting
than performing Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night for your senior
year fall drama? The Park Ridge
Little Theatre Players were about
to find out. Would we be able to
keep the audience interested in
our show? Would we be able to
stay interested ourselves?
The task was made even more
intimidating: not only would we
be performing Shakespeare for
our family, friends, and the people of Park Ridge, but we would
be performing for a panel of
judges as well.
The Theatre Night Awards,
hosted by Montclair State University, are new to the high school
award circuit this year. The first
fifty high schools to register were
accepted into the competition,
and The Park Ridge Little Theatre Players was among them.
This was kept at the back of
our minds from the first (rough)
read-through of the five-act comedy. That first rehearsal spooked
the cast as we questioned how
we could possibly compete when
we could not even understand the
script! Director, Mrs. Lupfer, and
Park Ridge alumnus, Mike Anton, attempted to ease our fears
as they were well-equipped with
dozens of No Fear Shakespeare
books on hand.
The classical piece revolves
around a young girl, Viola, who
attempts to make it in the world
disguised as a young man, and
the love triangle that ensues
(reminiscent of Amanda Bynes’
movie She’s the Man). This complex plot definitely presented itself as a challenge to the talented
PRHS PAC. Armed with Cliffnotes, Sparknotes, and children’s
versions galore, the hesitant cast
dove into the surprisingly-hysterical, excitingly-clever script.
Cast as Viola (and Cesario,
her male counterpart), I quickly
felt the pressure of memorization
breathing down my neck. Would
I be able to memorize my long
monologues as well as the rapid-
BY RAQUEL VAZQUEZ ‘11
fire dialogue that I carried on with
the various characters? Would I
be able to convincingly play an
awkward young girl trying to
convincingly play an awkward
young man? Would I be able to
swordfight?
I soon appreciated what I
have learned throughout my years
with the PRHS PAC – this group
is a family; one never has to go
through anything alone. Just as
I felt the pressure of performing
a show to be proud of, so did every other person in the cast and
crew.
We knew that we were doing
something historic on the Park
Ridge stage; although the middle
school performed an abbreviated
version of Midsummer Night’s
Dream a few years ago, this was
the first serious classical piece to
be performed in a long time. The
support of the seniors, especially:
Eli Rose as the uptight Malvolio,
Caitlin Mintz as the regal Olivia,
Nicole Padula as the jolly Feste,
Nick Manzione as the love-struck
Orsino, Chris Walker as my twin,
Sebastian, and Kevin Desmond
and Cody Scheidle as swordwielding guards, made this production possible.
We all knew that this would
be our last fall play together and
we grasped onto that fact. We put
our hearts into the production,
and in the applause we received
every night we understood that
our dedication (and snappy line
memorization) paid off.
The fact that we had done a
truly wonderful job resurfaced
again a few weeks later when we
received two Theatre Night nominations: Best Leading Actress
in a Comedy – Nicole Padula as
Feste, and Outstanding Production of a Classical Work – Twelfth
Night!
The awards ceremony took
place on Friday, January 9 at the
Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State University. It was
wonderful to spend the evening
in the audience with fellow cast
members, applauding as scenes
from our show were shown on a
video montage of the nominated
productions.
Although we did not take
home either of the awards, we
still felt honored to be nominated
for our hard work. In banding
together for a production that we
were at first uneasy about, we
created chemistry on stage that
dazzled the audience and gave
us the feeling of doing something
wonderful. By being a part of
this production, we learned the
value of true dedication to the
craft of acting and the results that
supportive friendships can bring
out on a group and individual
level. I simply cannot wait for
the spring musical!
Black Ice: AC/DC’s Latest Album
BY CHRIS THOMPSON ’10
“This album is one of my
favorites and is well worth getting,” said Will Mann, junior at
PRHS. AC/DC’s new album,
Black Ice, has been considered
one of the best albums made in
the past year. Since its release
in October 2008, the album
has been very highly regarded
as one of the better of the 19
AC/DC albums. It is remarkable that a band with members
all over 50 years old can pull off
such a great album. Fans and
critics alike found it to be a new,
refreshing, and modern take on
AC/DC’s old rock ways.
To understand why this album has soared to #1 on the
charts in 29 countries, it is important to know a little bit about
the band’s past. AC/DC has released a total of 19 albums, in-
cluding Black Ice. The band has
been making music professionally for 35 years. Their iconic
and best known lead singer, Bon
Scott, is known as one of the
most influential lead singers the
music business has seen in the
past 60 years.
Right when AC/DC was becoming enormous, Scott died at
the age of 33 of alcohol poisoning. This devastated the band as
the surviving members briefly
contemplated quitting. Fortunately for music fans, they kept
on playing and making music.
About AC/Dc’s latest accomplishment, Rolling Stone Magazine, the most dominant music
magazine has said, “No one this
side of Chuck Berry has written
so many great rock n’ roll songs
about rock n’ roll, and no band
short of the Ramones has so militantly refused to reach beyond
the basics of the form.”
AC/DC’s most influential
song from the album is without
a doubt, “Rock n’ Roll Train.”
This song has the vintage AC/DC
sound with Angus Young tearing
it up with crazy solos and Brian
Johnson singing the mic right off
the stage. Even the song’s title
exemplifies the band’s love for
rock n’ roll, and the song shows
off the sounds of power chords
and tapping.
This album is destined to become a classic because of all the
great and classic music it has on
it. Black Ice sold over 780,000
copies at Walmart alone the
week of its release. Many fans
may have been skeptical about
whether or not AC/DC could still
make good music today. The album has quickly changed everyone’s views on AC/DC. It hasn’t
disappointed yet.
Snow Angel, a 1999 play written by David Lindsay-Abaire,
was performed by the Park Ridge
Middle School students on February 8th and 9th. The play started
out with the kids at their homes
waiting to hear the good news
about having a snow day. Shortly
after, they are reminded by their
English teacher that they have to
continue writing their journal assignment. Frida Jensen, played
by Torie Ioppolo, is portrayed as
an outsider whose home life isn’t
so great with her divorced parents. She is used to being alone
except for when she works with
Gus, played by Craig Lombardo,
at the Pretzel Knot.
Writing in her journal, Frida
creates a girl named Eva based
on an article she read about a
missing girl several decades ago.
Soon, the others in the group say
they know Eva and have seen
her too. This fictional character,
played by Christine Villano, ends
up bringing together this motley
group of schoolmates. Reality finally catches up with Frida and
the others who soon find out the
truth but have to untangle their
web of lies.
“I thought the play was
very funny but confusing at
the same time,” said Luke
Guglielmo, eighth grader at
PRHS. It comes as no surprise,
that some audience members
were confused by Eva. It eventually took Ethel, played by Lauren Henning, Vincent, played by
Bryan Zeug, and Arlo, played by
Ryan McIlhargy, to reveal the
identify of the girl named Eva.
Was she fictional? Was she a
ghost? Was she real? The answer
is all of the above.
The main point of this fabulous play is that building friendship is easy but yet complicated at
the same time. The middle school
cast and crew hoped this play was
engaging and humorous.
“All it takes is one thing to
happen for people to be friends,”
said Molly Neilan, seventh grader.
Directed by Mrs. Stephanie
Buckley, the middle school play
offered audiences two nights of
great entertainment
“Hopefully the next play is
even better than this one,” said
stage manager, Julianne Reich.
“The performance had it all,”
said Mrs. Papadopoulos, who attended the Friday night show. “It
was funny, sad, whimsical, and
ultimately very uplighting.”
Fall Recap
continued from page 8
Honorable Mention AllLeague Offensive- C.J. Lange
Honorable Mention All-League
Defensive- Michael Onorato
All County standings:
First Team All County Wide
Receiver- Kevin Hwang
Third Team All County Quarterback- Matt Misley
Third Team All County Linebacker- Tom Klepper
Honorable Mention All County- Matt Moreno, John Duffy,
Steven Diomede, and Chris Entrup
Most Valuable players on Defense- Chris Entrup and Tom
Klepper
Most Valuable player on Offense- Kevin Hwang and Matt
Moreno
Most Improved player- C.J.
Lange
Congratulations to Head Coach
Gary Mioli who was named
BCSL Olympic Football Coach
of the Year! Kevin Hwang and
Chris Entrup were named to the
New Jersey Super 100 Football
Team.
Cheerleading: There were 16
girls on the PRHS Cheerleading
team this fall season. It was the
highest turnout of girls in 4 years.
The girls did a great job supporting the football team throughout
the season!
Most Valuable player- Amanda
Acevedo
Most Improved player- Kelly
Duffy
The Owl
Pa r k R i d g e H i g h S c h o o l
2 Pa r k av e , Pa r k R i d g e , N J 0 76 5 6
Newspaper Advisors: Mrs. Maria Papadopoulos and Mrs. Patricia McClair
Journalism Teacher: Ms. Allison Cosgrove
Contact the staff: [email protected]
Sports
Page 8
The Owl, february 2009
Winter Sports Strive for Success at PRHS
By Samantha Sacco ‘09
Throughout the winter sports
season, PRHS teams have experienced great success. Several coaches were recently interviewed about their teams.
The PRHS Bowling team,
coached by Mr. Buscareno,
currently has 10 players. Last
year’s team leader, sophomore
Mike Wuhrman has returned.
Also, there are two new additions, Dan Wuhrman, a freshman, and Tim Cavaliere, a sophomore. Other returning team
members include seniors, Joey
Origoni, Nick Manzione, and
Rusty Levendusky.
“I’m just looking for significant improvement over last year.
I have some goals for the team
as a whole and some objectives
I’d like to see the individuals
meet, as well. I’d also like to see
them come away with a feeling
of achievement at season’s end,”
said Coach Buscareno. The bowling team currently has a winning
percentage of 62.5%. Recently,
the team competed in the Bergen County Tournament for the
first time in three years. They did
not place in the top 5; however,
they were very competitive in
Group 1& 2. The team suffered
tough losses to New Milford and
Wood-Ridge, but they wound up
defeating Hasbrouck Heights.
The Boys Basketball team
graduated four starters from last
year and their 6th man. At the
start of the season, this meant
that there were many opportunities for the underclassmen to
show leadership qualities. Mr.
Crandall, the boys varsity coach,
said, “We’ve depended on the
leadership of seniors Billy Moylan and John Duffy, and we’ve
been looking for some help from
many of our J.V. and freshman
players from last year.”
“We are going to try to press
all games and on offense look to
run and gun,” explained Coach
Crandall. Leonia looks to be a
favorite to win the leagues this
year, and Crandall feels that every game challenges his players. The boy’s basketball team
is currently 9-9 with victories
over Ridgefield and Dwight
Englewood. The boys also suffered tough losses to Cresskill
and Leonia. The PRHS Girls Basketball
team had a great season last
year as they recorded the highest
regular season winning percentage in the last thirty years. The
08-09 season has been no different. The team did not lose any
players from last year, which has
worked to their advantage.
Mr. Weaver, the girls varsity
coach said, “I am confident that
this will be one of the most successful seasons the program has
ever seen.” Taking on the leadership roles have been captains
Nolyn Birch, Dana Carroll, and
Jamie Kalafut.
According to Coach Weaver,
“Dana Carroll and Jayme Mizzoni are two of the best outside
shooters in the league, and Lauren Lucanie is a determined defender who gives the team great
depth at the guard position.”
“Kelsey Wimmershoff is the
best pure athlete in the league
and with a full preseason to prepare in the post, she will be difficult to stop. Nolyn Birch is one
of, if not the best, post defenders
in the county and Nikki Kalafut
has the touch and power around
the basket,” Weaver added.
This season the girls basketball team needs to stay positive
and learn from their mistakes.
This will lead them to further
success. The team is currently
15-3, and they had their first win
in the Bergen County Basketball
Tournament vs. Ridgefield in
over 30 years. The team also defeated Bogota and Emerson, but
lost to Immaculate Heart Academy in the Second Round of the
Bergen County Tournament.
The Indoor Track team has
roughly 30 runners, including
many newcomers. Ms. Centurione and Mr. Ostrowski are the
coaches for the team.
Coach Ostrowski said, “We
are excited about the new freshman who will be running this
season. This year has been a rebuilding season for the team.”
Coach Centurione added,
“We’ve had a lot of little surprises for this season, and we
have a strong base of committed
athletes and most importantly we
will have a lot of fun.”
The PRHS winter track team
competes against anywhere from
15 to 50 teams so it is difficult to
pick just one team that is their
biggest competition. The state
competitions challenge the team
and give them their biggest competition throughout the season.
Coach Centurione added,
“We look forward to the County
Relays and Championship. Every meet is a building block for
the bigger meets, so they are all
important.”
The team participated in the
Metro Invitational and the State
Sectional Meet. Greg Hoffman
claimed the Group 1 Championship in the Pole vault with a vault
of 13’1. Garret Lacroce also
placed third in this event. Tom
Rizzie placed 4th in the Shot Put
and Kristen Gray placed in the
800 meter event.
Lastly, PRHS Winter Sports
would not be complete without
wrestling. Early in the season
Donny Spataro, the assist coach
for the Emerson/Park Ridge wrestling team said, “If things fall our
way we should win at least 70%
of our matches.” The rival team
for Emerson/Park Ridge is Westwood, who they defeated earlier
this season. The team that will
challenge them the most will be
the team of Hasbrouck Heights/
Wood-Ridge, who they also defeated.
The wrestling team is currently 15-6 with wins over Tenafly, NV-Demarest, and Pascack
Hills. The team also qualified for
the State Tournament, but lost to
Pompton Lakes in the first round.
Senior Kevin Herget has a total
of 93 wins throughout his career
and he is hoping to reach 100
wins by the end of the season.
The winter season is not over
yet, so PRHS students, come out
and support your classmates!
Looking Back on Fall Sports: Recapping the Season
BY SAMANTHA SACCO ’09
Volleyball- The volleyball
girls finished with an overall record of 13-10 and with a record
of 9-7 in the BCSL. The girls
qualified for the County and State
Tournaments and in the State
Tournament they defeated 12th
seed New Milford in 2 games to
advance to the Second Round.
League standings:
First Team BCSL- Samantha
Sacco
Second Team BCSL- Brielle
Buckman
Honorable Mention BCSLJessica Bolella
Most Valuable players- Brielle Buckman and Samantha
Sacco
Most Improved player- Jessica Bolella
Cross Country- The boys
and girls of the cross country
team finished with an overall record of 5-2 in the BCSL. They
also qualified for the County and
State Tournament.
League standings:
First Team BCSL- Steven
Sagona (PR) Melissa Origoni and
Molly McEndry (E)
Second Team BCSL- Chris
Walker, Travis Cwirko, and Chris
Nunes (PR) and Caleb Rumley
(E)
Most Valuable player- Steven
Sagona
Most Improved player- Chris
Nunes
Boys Soccer- The boys finished with an overall record of
7-9-3 and in the BCSL their record was 7-8-3. They qualified
for the Bergen County Soccer
Tournament for the first time in
Featured are the PRHS Cheerleaders with Coach Brecher.
Featured is the PRHS Girls Soccer team with Coach Schneider.
Featured is the Cross Crountry team with Coach Farrell.
Featured is the Boys Soccer Team with Coach Serbe.
school history.
League standings:
First Team BCSL-Kevin Herget
Honorable Mention BCSLBilly Moylan
Most Valuable player- Kevin
Herget
Most Improved player- Brian
Sloan
Girls Soccer- The team finished with an overall record of
13-6-1. They were 7-8-3 in the
BCSL. The girls qualified for the
County and State Tournament
and they advanced to the State
Sectional Semi-Final. Unfortunately the girls lost in a heart-
League standings:
Honorable Mention BCSLLauren Lucanie
Most Valuable player- Lauren
Lucanie
Most Improved player- Rachael Bartz
Football- The boys finished
out a long season with an overall
record of 8-3. The team’s BCSL
record was 6-1. The boys qualified for the State Tournament and
they advanced to the State SemiFinals with a win over Westwood
in the closing seconds. The team
played their final game against
Emerson and they finished out
their season with a win!
breaking shootout to Cresskill.
League standings:
First Team BCSL- Nolyn
Birch, Nicole Heller, Sarah Hespe, and Rebecca Skovira
Second Team BCSL- Jamie
Kalafut, Kristen Menitti, and
Tanya Hughes
Honorable Mention BCSLJillian Lucanie
Most Valuable player- Sarah
Hespe
Most Improved player- Jillian
Lucanie
Tennis- The tennis team finished with an overall record of
6-16 and they were 2-8 in the
BCSL.
League standings:
First Team All-League Defensive Back- Chris Entrup
First Team All-League Linebacker- Tom Klepper
First Team All-League Defensive Line- Steven Diomede
First Team All-League Tight
End- John Duffy
First Team All-League Wide
Receiver- Kevin Hwang
First Team All-League Quarterback- Matt Misley
First Team All-League Running Back- Matt Moreno
Second Team All-League Defensive Line- Tyler Ardizzone
continued on page 7