October 2012 - Barnegat Township School District

Back To School Edition 2012Volume 9Issue 1AdvisorMrs. CroftEditors-in-chiefMatt AberleErica MargielTori SullivanReporter/PhotographersMatt AberleKyara FergusonAshley HallAlexandra KernCharles LavertyErica MargielRebecca MullerClarissa O’ConnorZack O’ConnorJames PearceMaria PerezJess RyanKim ScullyTori SullivanLayout and DesignKim ScullyAlexandra KernWebsite ManagerClarissa O’ConnorInside this IssueNew TeachersPage 2BlackoutPage 3New LunchRulesPage 4New principal Mr. Nicholgives his two cents, or fiveBy Matthew “Paulie” AberleEvery school yearbrings new studentswith it and sometimeseven new teachers.This year has broughtBarnegat High School anew principal as well,but he is not unfamiliarto the whole studentbody. In fact, he mayhave been your principalif you went to RussellO. Brackman MiddleSchool.With nineyears of leading the Brackman Bulldogs, Mr. Nicholmakes his tenth in the district a debut at the Homeof the Bengals. However, this principal and formerteacher isn’t doing what he had planned on as a career.“If you asked me my senior year of high schoolif I was going to be a principal it was the furthestthing from what I wanted,” he said. “Many peopleknow what they want growing up. I had no clue.”Besides getting used to the earlier starttime, so far the transition from Brackman has beengood, with much help from his office staff. On theother hand, he said things are very different for himsince “there’s always something going on.” Studentsleaving for ROTC and vocational school as well asblock scheduling are a few new experiences to himamong many others involved with a typical schoolday. While there is not much he wants to changeabout any of these procedures, he said he is thinkingabout trying to incorporate what many schools areEleventh grade student Anthony Littell shakes hands withMr. Nichol during an after school talk.doing in the area: having everyone eat lunch at once.During this bigger lunch period, students could meetwith their after school clubs or sports coaches.Something more familiar to Nichol,though, is the student body.The freshman class, consistingof mainly eighth gradersthat graduated from Brackmanjust last year, knowshim as much as he knowsthem. “I wasn’t expectinghim coming here,” said KevinDarbo, a former Brackmanstudent. “It was a shockbut I feel comfortable nothaving to get to know a newprincipal.” Nichol even recognizesthe senior class studentswho graduated middleschool over four years ago.Although they are “bigger” and he has to do a double-takehere and there, he said it is very nice beingable to have mature conversations about college andtheir futures. Surprisingly, some seniors have mixedfeelings about his arrival. “Mr. Nichol is a great guybut I’m going to miss [the former principal] Dr. Saxton,”senior Kerrin Murawsky said. So far though,Nichol said that everyone has been very respectfuland accepting of him running the day-to-day operationsof the school.Outside of being a principal, his life is“consumed by two children.” With a daughter turning3 years old in November and a son turning 1 thesame month, family has become the major aspect ofhis time while away from his school duties. Nevertheless,while he’s not concentrated on his childrenand trying to find time to relax, Mr. Nichol is makingsure for both the staff and students that his first yearcan be summed up into one word: rewarding.New administrator works toward great yearBy Tori SullivanThis year, September brought changes to BHS, one of them being our new assistant principal, Ms.Johns. Ms. Johns is a graduate of The College of New Jersey, with her master’s degree from New JerseyCity University. She “always knew” she wanted to be a teacher, from childhood days of playing schoolto high school when she would tutor her friends.Ms. Johns is not completely new to Barnegat High School students. Her previous job was anassistant principal at Monmouth Ocean Educational Services Commission where, along with otherschools, Barnegat students can go to correct their behavioral issues. From her previous schools, Ms.Johns hopes to bring project-based learning which involves hands-on learning and activities like sciencefairs, as well as art and computer competitions. Business teacher Mrs. Infurna said, “I feel she is a greataddition to the staff and community. She has a lot to offer the students and her colleagues.”Ms. Johns’ goal for this year is to “provide the students with a safe and healthy learning environment”and to see achievement improve throughout the school. Her advice on how to accomplishthat? Ms. Johns’ three words of wisdom: commitment, respect, and involvement. “She seems very investedin her job and in making our year great,” senior Sam Szewczyk said.If Ms. Johns wasn’t an assistant principal, the New York Giants fan would have liked to be aparty planner or an actress. “Anything to make people enjoy themselves,” Ms. Johns said. If you see Ms.Johns in the hallway, don’t be afraid to give her a smile and say “hi”—odds are, she will do the same.

Virtual High School gives students more opportunitiesBy Charles LavertyVirtual High School (VHS) allows students from all across the world, including here at Barnegat HighSchool, the chance to choose from over one hundred different online courses. The VHS school year is composed of two fifteen-week semesterswith many single-semester courses.VHS teachers are located worldwide and have the difficult task of teaching students who they have never met, while also having toteach thoroughly enough for the students to comprehend what is being taught, in addition to completing a fifteen-week instructional course tobecome a VHS teacher. At Barnegat High School, history teachers Ms. Thomson and Mr. Bruno teach VHS classes. “Online learning offersso many more opportunities for students and teachers alike to explore classes in subjects that are not necessarily offered at a high school. Forexample, last year I was able to teach a sociology course—which is something that we don't have at BHS,” said Ms. Thomson, who teaches aVHS class called Pearl Harbor to the Atomic Bomb. Students have the opportunity to try different electives. “It is an exceptional opportunityfor students to interact with their peers from across the country and around the world while studying some really interesting topics,” Mr. Brunosaid.Students of VHS are exposed to a fun and independent learning experience. “I was attracted to VHS because there is no one to holdmy hand through the work…” said Marlena Brazill, a senior at BHS and a student of VHS’s Business and Personal Law. The independence ofa VHS class can be extra challenging to those students who have a busy schedule whether it be with athletics or other responsibilities.Students at BHS have an awesome opportunity to take a VHS class free of charge their junior and senior years in place of an elective.Students interested need to talk to their guidance counselors to see if they have the room in their schedules before submitting an applicationto Mr. Aviles, Barnegat High School’s VHS coordinator.Getting to know new teachers of 2012By Rebecca MullerWhen walking down the halls, do you ever seefaces you haven’t seen before? There should befive new faces that you will notice in the halls thisschool year. Miss Callo, Ms. Paulson, Mrs. Cox,Mrs. McCloskey, and Mrs. Florie are new to theschool and it is important that we get to knowthem.Miss Callo teaches eleventh grade Englishas well as creative writing and writing theory.Miss Callo isn’t big on a silent classroom. “My‘To Do’ list never seems to get any shorter, but Iexpected a lot of work, which never hurts a person’scharacter,” she said. If Miss Callo could teach anywhere shewould want to teach overseas one day, possibly in Germany. She saidshe remembers being “the kid begging for ‘teacher stuff’ for Christmasand old teacher edition textbooks from my aunts and uncles, whowere also educators. Although I dabbled with criminal justice and psychologyfor a little while in college, I always knew I wanted to helpothers. Sometimes you end up where you started.”Ms. Paulson teaches English 2, and has a guitar and a classlibrary. Each year she creates a class collage of pictures of her students.She said her favorite part about being a high school teacher is“creating a connection between a love for pleasure reading and a lovefor classroom reading.” Ms. Paulson said Barnegat has the mostschool spirit compared to any other district she has worked for. “Thestaff and students here are incredibly welcoming,” shesaid.Mrs. Cox teaches digital publications and herstudents will be creating projects this marking periodusing typography. Right now, they are creating a characterout of just type (see left). This is Mrs. Cox’s ninthyear teaching, however, this is her first year teachingfreshmen. Miss Cox knew she wanted to become ateacher ever since she was a little girl.Mrs. McCloskey teaches English 2 and 3, andher biggest struggle so far has been the block schedule.She is still settling into the “every-other-day way oflife.” Her favorite part about teaching high school is allthe energy. “No one really ever stops learning,” shesaid. She feels she can be a bit dramatic when readingto her students so if she didn’t teach English she would choose toteach drama.Mrs. Florie teaches English 1 and English 4. Mrs. Florie, likemany of us, has never experienced block scheduling until coming tothis school. The biggest struggle for Mrs. Florie so far has been gettingthe students to use school appropriate language inside her classroom.Mrs. Florie enjoys teaching with a hands-on approach, and sheworks best when “being able to move around the room and conferencewith each student.”These five new teachers have a lot to contribute to the Bengalcommunity and it seems like they are off to a great start.College Spotlight: The Richard Stockton College of New JerseyBy Jess RyanAs it becomes time to start looking into colleges, students want to look for places that have everything they need. These colleges shouldn’tjust prepare students for a great career, but provide a lasting experience unlike anything they’ll find at another college. Applying to colleges is abig step towards real world success, and at Stockton College students are provided with that exact opportunity.The Richard Stockton College Of New Jersey is located in Galloway, which is very convenient for students who would like to stayclose to home. “I liked the idea of not living at home, but being able to get home quickly in case of an emergency,” said science teacher Mrs.Connors, a graduate from Stockton College. Stockton is approximately 26.5 miles away from Barnegat, and also recently opened an instructionalsite in Manahawkin. This site was designed to offer courses to students from a variety of divisions so they could experience the LiberalArts Curriculum.Stockton College isn’t only a great in-state school choice because it is close to home, but it also has a beautiful campus where lots ofpopular majors and activities are offered. Some of the most popular majors Stockton offers are Business Administration and Management,Teacher Education, Psychology, Criminology, and Biology/Biological Sciences. For students who are also very involved, Stockton offers 14varsity athletic teams and numerous recreational clubs. Their basketball team and tennis team are two of the favorites for Stockton students.When looking at colleges it can be hard to choose, and there are a lot of details to take into consideration. For more informationabout Stockton, visit www.stockton.edu.

Around the world and into BarnegatBy Clarissa O’ConnorWalking through the halls of Barnegat High School are three young students curious about the American culture. Barnegat is currentlyeducating three foreign exchange students. All the way from Thailand, Barnegat has Sarita Niyomphan who is 15 years old.There are also two exchange students from Germany, Nina Edlinger, 15, and Jasmin Poehlking, also 15. “I wanted to improve myEnglish and learn something about the American culture and something new,” said Edlinger, a sophomore.These three foreign exchange students had to learn how to read, write, and speak English, which is thought to be one of thehardest languages to learn. “In the beginning it was hard to understand English but two months in it is getting easier,” said Poehlking,who is also enrolled in soccer at Barnegat.Niyomphan said that there is also a lot of competition to come to America. In Thailand, students have to pass a test and ifthey receive a 90 or above they get to come study in America for free. “The test was in English and was very hard,” she said.Education in America is much different than education in both Thailand and Germany. In Thailand, school starts at 8 a.m.and ends at 4 p.m. In Germany different regions have various educational strategies. Edlinger’s school in a Western city called Bonnhas a different schedule each day. Some days are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and others are only until 1:15 p.m. Also like our “A” and “B” days,her school has different classes each day of the week until the new week begins. Edlinger also feels that the teachers in Barnegat aremuch nicer than some of the teachers back home. Piehlking's school in Niedersachsen had no lockers and instead of the studentsswitching classes, the teachers switch instead.Even though these students have only been in America for a short period of time, so far they are enjoying the experiences ofthe American culture and food. Poehlking was very amazed by American cookies. "They are so soft and they can break. Germancookies are hard," she said.Bigger, better BlackoutBy Erica MargielIn years past, Blackout has gathered together in one group andwalked to the top of our home field only to stand in the bleachers ofour football games. However, this year Blackout has taken boldsteps and made great changes that, according to athletic director Mr.Germano, have placed us as the largeststudent body cheering section in all ofOcean and Monmouth Counties.“On 105.7 The Hawk…thehead coach from Mondon [MonsignorDonovan] said every senior shouldhave the experience playing in front ofthat crowd [Blackout],” Germano said.He continued to say a home game atBarnegat is the most “electrifying homefield advantage.” Becoming an activeaccount on Twitter (@bengalpride67),Germano has pushed for Blackout to thrive and be at every homeevent.Seniors have tried their hardest to advance Blackout, andso far it has been nothing but pure success. From creating a Facebookpage where all members can interact, assembling a tunnelthrough which each football player can run onto the field, to creatingtailgates with endless food, seniors Andrew Sauer and BenHueth have put forth noticeable efforts. “One thing I’d changewould be the perception of Blackout from underclassmen…itdoesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or senior, you are a part ofBarnegat High School, you are a Bengal, and we want you a part ofour group,” Sauer said. Also, with October being Breast CancerAwareness Month Hueth hopes to wear pink in addition to black atthe next home game on Friday the 26 th . “With all the players sportinga pink accessory as well, it will really show support and provethat we as a community can beat cancer,” he said.Not only does the senior classplan to continue this improvement onthe support group, but Principal Nicholand Germano do as well. Blackout becominga school club can help to raisemoney and make more changes possible,and many students encourage thischange. Principal Nichol is “impressed”with Blackout and feels school spirit isan important part of the high schoolexperience. Attending Toms River Eastas a high school student, Nichol explainedhow they were always envious of Toms River South andtheir spirit. However, East has now organized their own form ofBlackout known as “Raider Nation,” which was an official schoolclub. “There’s no reason why we couldn’t be a club,” Nichol said.With hopes of fundraising for the group allowing the possibilityof t-shirts, and the idea of attending multiple sporting eventsyear round, Blackout has a bright future, and according to Germano,“It comes from the student body.”Scully’s Star AthleteWalker strives for best field hockey seasonBy Kim ScullyMany athletes work hard throughout their season, but never get their time to shine. However, throughout this year their moment inthe spotlight is bound to happen. The star athlete of this month is Holly Walker, a senior member of the girls field hockey team whohas been playing since sixth grade. “Working hard is the self satisfaction knowing I left the field giving a 110 percent every time,”Walker said. As a senior on the team, she wants “to make the most of it” and enjoy her last year while she strives to be a good rolemodel for her teammates. “She’s really less interested in what everyone else is doing and is more interested about her success and theteam’s success,” said Mrs. Wrisley, coach of the varsity field hockey team. “I think that shows a lot of maturity and good leadership.”Walker is always helping support her teammates when they are in a tough game or need someone to talk to. “Everyone has abad day and [needs] to just shake it off and come back strong the next game,” Walker said. When she knows the team is down, Mrs.Wrisley says she always does a “good job of getting the team to come together with a common goal.”After starting field hockey when her two neighbors asked her if she would be interested, she continued her career throughoutmiddle school and high school. As a senior on the team, she has thought about her future in field hockey. “I definitely plan to attendgames but I won’t be going out for the team,” Walker said.

Ferg’s Creative WordBy Kyara “KyKy” FergusonAyyy! What’s good, faces of BHS?The word on the “street” (or hallway)is that there are a lot of very talentedand very creative students among us,and as the voice of the people, it ismy duty to make sure I find them all.Many of you might not know this butthis school has artists of all kinds.One of these great artistscomes from Mrs. Schuler’s room andher name is Brooke Bilker. Bilker is asenior at BHS and is currently enrolledin AP Art. Bilker’s latest pieceof senior Junelle Corcuera’s face wasvery time consuming. DrawingJunelle’s face took her “on/off 30hours” because she wanted to get it right. “I just want to try to bebetter overall and to hand in my work on time with no disappointment,”Bilker said. If it was up to Bilker, she would rather drawfairies than people in art.Besides her ability to draw, Bilker loves the friendship shehas with Corcuera, Ariana Koncelik, and Kelly Blood. Bilker likesBilker’s lastest drawing featured senior friend Junelle Corcuera.New 2012-2013 lunch changes surprise studentsBy Alexandra Kernto show them in her drawing. “I like toshow my appreciation to my closefriends,” Bilker said.Ms. Schuler believes that Bilkerhas great potential to do well in AP Artas long as she keeps improving. “She isable to capture realism, emotion, andpassion of artwork,” Ms. Schuler said.“As good as she is she doesn’t know itand is not cocky about it and admitswhenever she needs help.” Schuler feelsthat Bilker is very unique and now sheis “given the opportunity to experimenther artistic ability.” Schuler believes allher AP art students have the ability toimprove on their work. She likes to callher students “The National Arts Team” where they all work togetherin creating great things.“All AP artists are good now and when they see their finalprojects it’s truly amazing,” Schuler said. However, Brooke Bilker isonly one of the creative students in this school so be on the lookoutfor the next edition of Ferg’s Creative Word. Keep calm anddraw on.For many high school students, lunch is their favorite time of the day. During that half hour, they have time to talk with friends, catchup on homework, and most importantly, eat. But lately, there have been some dramatic changes to the beloved lunch time and studentsare left without an explanation as to why the modifications have been made. New meal requirements were issued by the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (U.S.D.A), and lunches across the nation have been altered to include more fruits, vegetables, proteins, andwhole grain. The contents of the lunch trays have not been the only changes made though, and everyone is looking for answers.In addition to the food changes, portion sizes have also been adjusted to ensure that students receive age appropriate servingsand nutrients. Have you been wondering why you’re now required to take a fruit or vegetable with each meal? Not only do the fruits andveggies contribute to the nutritional aspect of your lunch, they affect the price of it as well. Without taking one, students then have topay the individual item prices for foods instead of paying the complete meal price. But what many students do not know is that insteadof taking a fruit or vegetable, they can substitute the fruit juice that is offered near the registers and pay the standard $2.50 meal priceinstead. Although all of these changes seem positive, some concerns have been voiced by students and staff members on the new lunches.There have been mixed reactions from the students to the new lunches, and many of the lunch room workers have been noticinga lot of the fruits and vegetables going into the trash before students even reach the table. “They just don’t want to take the fruit orvegetable. There’s so much going in the garbage,” cafeteria worker Mrs. Lombardi said. Students have also been concerned with thehigher priced meals; they don’t feel that they are receiving enough food. The main problem, according to the lunch staff, is that thehealthy lunches are not being continued at home. “You can’t start something at school that won’t be continued at home,” junior KelseyRitner said. “We can try everything in our power, but it won’t change unless the students continue eating healthy at home.”For more information on the lunch changes, visit www.chartwellsschools.com.Yearbooks are now on sale for $85!Purchase yours by October 31!For stories on fantasy football by Maria Perez, the presidentialelection by James Pearce, Chowderfest by Zack O’Connor, and theFright Fest Ghoulmaster by Ashley Hall, visit The Roar’s webpageon the Barnegat High School website under Activities.