Eastside: February 2020

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 53 No. 5 Cherry Hill High School East: 1750 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 February 2020

“OUR

MUSIC,

OUR

STORY”

Andrew Maier (‘20)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Inside

This

Issue

AACC Presents the Black

History Month Showcase

News, Pg. 4

Green Shares Perspective as

a Mixed-Race Student

Features, Pg. 6

Eastside Honors Black

History Month

Features, Pg. 12-13

NEWS

Page 2 EASTSIDE February 2020

New construction near main entrance changes entryway for all

■ By Lauren Smith (‘20)

Eastside News Editor

The Cherry Hill Board

of Education has begun

preparations to build new

security vestibules at both

Cherry Hill East and West.

While construction for West

began a little over a month

ago, East started its renovations

the week before

winter break.

“Everything will be replaced,”

said East Assistant

Principal Mr. Lou Papa

when describing the new

security vestibule.

Papa explained that the

entrance to the school will

still have double doors on

the right side; however,

the left side of the entrance

will now only have one door

with an intercom for students

to use when arriving

late.

There will be windows

all along the entrance so

that adults entering the

Jiseon Lee ( ‘20)/ Eastside Photo Editor

A security vestibule is under construction.

school will not have access

to enter the main building.

The system currently in

place will remain the same

except late students will

scan into school at the vestibule

rather than having

to type in their student ID

in the Main Office.

There will also now be

seating for parents who are

waiting to pick up students.

A teller pass will also be

implemented so that if parents

need to drop off a binder

or school work for their

children, they can simply

slide it through the transaction

window without having

to enter the school.

The construction was

originally planned to begin

over the summer; however

due to technical problems,

the project was pushed to

late December.

These new security measures

have already been

implemented at both Woodcrest

and Thomas Paine Elementary.

“From what I know [the

vestibule is] working very

well [at both schools],” said

Papa.

The company working

on the vestibule is entirely

separate from the contractors

working on the auditorium

for East; however, the

same construction company

is constructing the vestibules

for East and West.

“We’re hoping that by

the beginning of March it

will be close to finished,”

said Papa.

Lauren Smith ( ‘20)/ Eastside News Editor

This map from the BOE outlines construction plans.

Revisions to the bus procedure alters morning transportation

■ By Bella Levin (‘22)


East plans to implement

a new bus procedure to prevent

student car accidents

in the parking lots. This

change will occur in February

and only affects the

morning procedure.

Mr. Lou Papa, Department

Supervisor of Building

Security, Campus Police,

Buildings & Grounds

and Discipline, said he researched

methods to make

drop-off easier for students

and parents. He found information

from a group of

interns that devised a plan

to keep students safe upon

arriving at school.

“I worry there will be an

accident,” Papa said when

discussing the current bus

procedure.

Papa also finds the

morning arrival very unorganized,

commenting on

the “chaos that ensues at

the front of the student entrance.”

Students whose parents

are dropping them off in

cars will now enter through

the student entrance in the

morning, as the main entrance

will be reserved for

injured students or any individual

needing the ramp.

The buses will now enter

on the side of the Main Entrance

and drop students

off at the Library Annex

doors before circling around

the back end of the school

to leave.

Administration plans to

wait until the sun begins

coming up earlier in the

morning, as Papa said that

it will be easier for students

to adjust to the new modifications

when it is not as

dark out. He plans to inform

parents who typically

drop off their students with

flyers, and hopes to get the

word out efficiently.

Papa hopes that

these adjustments

will reduce accidents

and overall be a safer

way for students to arrive

in the

morning.

Kat Maslak (‘20) / For Eastside

Busses will now drop students off near the annex.

East’s annual open house night informs incoming freshmen and parents

■ By Ziva Davis (‘22)

Eastside Staff

East’s annual Open

House was held on Tuesday,

February 4, at 7 p.m.

and was attended by incoming

freshmen as well as

their parents.

The open house is an

information night for students

and parents interested

in attending East next

year. The event began in

the DiBart Gym this year

due to the construction in

the Auditorium.

Cherry Hill East student

representatives from sports

teams, music programs and

clubs were in attendance in

order to inform the incoming

freshmen and parents

about the different ways

that incoming students can

become involved in at East.

Most clubs had two

members in attendance to

present their club to the incoming

student body.

Numerous teachers were

also at the open house to inform

students and parents

about the different levels

of classes to choose from at

East as well as to discuss

sports and extracurricular

opportunities.

The event differs from a

middle school open house

as it is on a much greater

scale with around eight

hundred students and parents

attending.

The event annually

shows students the feel

of East before they decide

which high school they

Art by Max Gaffin (‘22)/


would like to attend. In

many cases, students already

know they will be attending

East but still want

to get a feel for it

“I hope the eighth graders

and their parents get a

taste of East spirit and that

the eighth graders get a desire

to come here,” said Mr.

CJ Davis, East’s Activities

Director.

NEWS

February 2020 EASTSIDE Page 3

“It’s a perfect day” for Legally Blonde

■ By Lalitha Viswanathan(‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

Mr. Pete Gambino and

the East Theater Department

are preparing for

their spring musical, Legally

Blonde, which will

be performed early March

in Cherry Hill

High School

West’s auditorium.

The musical

is adapted from

the 2001 cultclassic

movie of

the same title.

“One thing

we had this year

was an abundance

of strong

actresses, and

Legally Blonde

features numerous

female parts,

so that was the

main reason we

chose it,” said

Gambino.

Alicia Cosenza

(‘20) will be

portraying Elle

Woods, and Morgan

Pierce (‘20),

will be portraying

Enid Hoopes,

law students at

Harvard.

Cosenza and

Pierce are both

huge fans of

both the movie

and musical versions

of Legally

Blonde, though

they favor the

musical. The seniors

expressed

their excitement that this

production is their final

show.

Cosenza said that she is

beyond thrilled to play Elle

Woods for her senior show.

“It’s a really nice feeling

being able to leave the

department this way after

these past four years,”

Cosenza said.

Another reason which

led Gambino to select this

play was the empowerment

of women.

“Other productions we

could have chosen were

ones where the woman is

saved by the man at the

end, the fairytale dynamic,

whereas Legally Blonde

is quite the opposite. We

wanted to offer a different

message through Legally

Kelvin Yuan (‘22)/ Eastside Staff

Jackson Feudtner (‘20) and Marco Porras (‘20) review

their scripts for the spring play.

Blonde,” said Gambino.

Looking back on the

previous fall show and on

the current rehearsals for

the spring show, Gambino

is particularly impressed

with the dynamic of the

student-led production that

takes place in the East theater

department, he said.

“Going into this job, I

was expecting to be in full

control; I did not realize

how independent the students

were,” said Gambino.

“I definitely underestimated

their abilities to put on

a show. They amazed me.”

Caitlin Cepeda (‘21), the

assistant stage manager,

further explained how the

show is more independent

this year since many students

are in charge.

“It’s really

fun for us to

assume these

adult roles for

these shows,

I’m really excited

to see it

all come together,”

said

Cepeda.

The Orchestra

for this production

is also

eager for the

show to come

together.

For now,

they are practicing

on their

own, apart

from the performers.

“[We] typically

start rehearsing

the

week before

winter break

or the week

we come back,

and it’s every

Wednesday

and Friday after

school until

the show in

March,” said

Izzy Neville

(‘20), a violinist

who will be performing

in the

production. “That’s really

only a few months to learn

the whole show and coordinate

it with the actors.”

The stage management,

music and acting all make

up an equal portion of the

show’s overall cohesiveness.

“[Every] year, everyone

is so professional and the

show always ends up being

really amazing. Everyone

works so hard,” said Neville.

Sophomore SGA plans Soph Cot

Jiseon Lee (‘20)/ Eastside Photo Editor

A student crowdsurfs at last year’s Soph Cotillion.

■ By Amanda Merovitz (‘22)


Suits and ties, dresses

and pictures aren’t the only

things to look forward to at

the Sophomore Cotillion on

February 21. Devyn Levin

(‘22), the president of the

sophomore class, and the

sophomore SGA officers and

representatives have been

working hard to impress

all of the Class of 2022 students

who are attending the

dance and their dates.

“SGA has met every day

and is getting ready for the

dance. There are going to

be lots of fun things to look

forward to for the dance,”

said Levin. “There will be

a really big red carpet to be

excited for.”

Not only does SGA meet

every day, but the officers

and reps collectively make

the big decisions involving

the dance.

They decide everything

from food, to T-shirts and

even the theme of the

dance. Levin said that the

hardest part of preparing

was picking out the theme,

Night at the Movies, and

designing the perfect shirts

that would satisfy as many

people as possible. At the

moment, Levin and the rest

of SGA are still working on

perfecting the shirt design.

“Many people underestimate

how much we actually

have to do to prepare for the

dance. A lot goes into it, and

it’s hard to satisfy everyone.

We work really hard and it

really comes together at the

end,” said Levin.

SOPHOMORE COTILLION

Who’s invited? The Class of 2022

and their dates.

What theme? A Night at the Movies

WHere? Cherry Hill High School East

WHEN? February 21 at 7 p.m.

WHat to wear? Semi-Formal Attire

NEWS


■ By Ziv Amsili (‘22)

Eastside Staff

The annual showcase

run by African American

Culture Club took place

on Saturday, February 8,

at 2 p.m. Titled “Our Music,

Our Story: 100 Years

of Making Our Stories

Heard,” the show reflected

the African American experience

through the use of

music from the 1920s to the

2000s.

This year’s theme, “Music

Throughout the Decades,”

has come to embody

the unique history of African

Americans in the 20th

and 21st centuries through

the eyes of the Cherry Hill

Community’s own members.

Mrs. Genene Barnes, Advisor

of the African American

Culture Club, had been

watching the show take

place for the past 19 years

that she has been working

at East.

Sponsored by the African

American Culture Club,

it is still a production that

the students and clubs undertake

in conjunction with

Cherry Hill East, Cherry

Hill West and the Cherry

Hill Civic Association.

This year, the show was

held at Cherry Hill High

School West’s auditorium.

Practices for performers

were held twice a week on

Wednesdays and Saturdays

at West, for two hours

“Our Music, Our Story”

100 Years of Making Our Voices Heard

and thirty minutes each.

The theme of “Music

Throughout the Decades”

was created

in hopes of opening

people’s eyes

concerning the

integration

of African

Americans

throughout

the decades

of

the 1920s-

2000s. Momentous

events of

African

American

history

were reflected

through

dancing,

singing

and poetry

at

the showcase.

S t u -

dents reflected

on

events including

the

Harlem Cotton

Club of the

1920s, lynching

in the 1930s and

the African--American

presence in Vietnam

during the 1960s.

Members of the show

also collaborated with

history teachers at East

to expand their knowledge

of events they portrayed

within their performances.

East special education

teacher Ms.

Tanitra Rogers

taught a

lesson concerning

the protest

of lynching

with

the song

“Strange

Fruit” by

Billie Holiday.

It

helped influence

the

interpretive

dance

to this song,

which was

performed

by Mckenzie

Taylor (‘21),

Mia Bonner

(‘21) and Nia

Slaton (‘22). Another

dance was

performed to the

song “Honeysuckle

Rose” by Thomas

Fats Waller.

“The overall goal is

educating the Cherry

Hill Community about

Black History past, present,

[and] future,” said

Barnes.

Despite the multitude of

extracurriculars that her

own children are involved

in, Barnes still encourages

them to make the time to

be a part of this show.

Many of the students

who are involved in the

show have been participants

of African American

Culture Club in previous

years. They learn to show a

thematic representation of

black lives in U.S. history

while spreading an important

message.

Aliyah Bowles, the director

and choreographer

of the show, incorporated

music of great importance

to project what people

may not know about African

Americans throughout

the decades. Although she

came up with the ideas and

choreography, the contents

within each piece were usually

student driven.

“There are a lot of things

that we do on our own that

Aliyah then [confirms] with

us and [enhances] our vision,’’

said performer Machayla

Randall (‘21).

This year, performers

expressed that they represented

very essential

events that must always

be remembered in African

American history, impacted

by experiences since the

early 20th century and experiences

of students now.

“We have freshmen and

sophomores participating

[this year] so hopefully

they can [establish] a legacy,”

said Barnes before the

show. In the future, East

hopes to continue to grow

the Black History show.

Art by Max Gaffin (‘22)/


Andrew Maier (‘20)/Eastside Photo Editor

Aiyanna Defreitas (‘21) performs “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye.


The cast and crew of the production come together after the final performance

to pose for the camera. Aliyah Bowles (far right), expressed

how “the theme of the production is to highlight some of [the] nation’s

most signifigant African American musicians and demonstrate how

they used their artistry to uplift humanity.” The songs she selected for

the production are an integral part of African American culture. Her

goal in presenting this work “is not only to entertain, but more importantly,

to educate, empower, and inspire.”

Andrew Maier (‘20)/Eastside Photo

Editor

Cherry Hill West senior

Christopher Williams sings

“A Change is Gonna Come”

by Sam Cooke during scene

5, which expressed popular

music by African Americans

during the ‘60s. Williams’s

mother, Dawn Williams,

inspired him to take

part in the show as she was

involved with the show

when she atteneded West in

the 1990s.


Joey Timpanelli (‘20), Kara Willis (‘21),

Mr. Cecil Leonard and Mr. Joe LaRosa

kick off the show with some music for

the crowd.

CHECK OUT

PAGES 12-13

FOR MORE ON

BLACK HISTORY

MONTH


Students from Cherry Hill East and Cherry Hill West come together

during scene 1, in which they choreographed a dance to Fats Waller’s

song “Honeysuckle Rose” from the 1920s. Bowles described how for artists

like Waller, “music is more than entertainment. Music is a powerful

tool for protest that reflects the continued struggle against racism,

discrimination, oppression, and social justice...Whether it’s jazz, blues,

gospel, rock and roll, soul, or hip hop, these songs are the soundtrack

for the history of African Americans in our nation.”

Feburary 2020 EASTSIDE Page 5

Æ

The Score tells Everything!

2018 Y2 Students' College Board SAT Test Scores

FEATURES


East alum makes an appearance on the Ellen Show

■ By Max Gaffin (‘22)


As kids, many people

have a lifelong dream to

meet their favorite celebrity.

For Noel Hartey (‘15),

that dream became a reality.

This fall, Hartey went

on “The Ellen DeGeneres

Show” after watching it religiously

for many years.

Ever since her days at

Rosa International Middle

School, Hartey would rush

to come home and turn on

her favorite TV Show.

“I would just turn her

[show] on and she would

just make my day a whole

lot better,” said Hartey.

Hartey loves how Degeneres

is such a “happy

and lovable person, [who]

brings laughter and joy to

everybody’s lives,” she said.

Hartey became inspired

by DeGeneres after watching

an episode where she

helped a child in need of a

heart transplant by speeding

up their surgery date.

Ever since then, she wished

to one day meet this role

I will

not sugarcoat

this

for y’all.

I could

w r i t e

about how

wonderful

it is to be someone of mixed

race — how I have benefited

from being raised in different

cultures and learned

from the unique perspectives

of African Americans

and Caucasians alike.

While I love my family

and am by no means

ashamed to be of mixed

race, to claim that I have

model of hers.

Hartey, who then attended

Arizona State

University, decided

to apply online for a

chance to meet De-

Generes, because she

lived close to the studio

in Burbank, Calif.

The application

is like a lottery system,

where the winner

gets tickets for

free, but they need

to supply their own

transportation to get

there.

“I applied as often

as I could, and

I hoped that at one

point I would get the

opportunity to go see

her, and luckily for

me, it worked out,”

said Hartey.

Hartey knew that

she was going to see

DeGeneres live, but

she was unaware

that she was going

to get to be on the

actual show. When she was

lining up to walk in, they

pulled her aside, interviewed

her and determined

been at peace with my racial

identity would simply

be disingenuous. I don’t

think I could truthfully say

that I have fully reconciled

with my racial

identity. As someone

of European,

African American

and Cuban descent,

I often feel

internal turmoil

about my personal

identity. I share

some markers of

each of my ethnic

identities; however,

I have never

felt as though I

had enough of any

to feel completely

accepted.

that she was someone who

clearly cared a lot about

DeGeneres.

On the show, Hartey

was called on stage to play

a game called “What’s in

What does it mean to

be somewhat Black? I can

trace my African-American

lineage directly to a slave

plantation in Virginia. At

Your Wallet,” where De-

Generes went through

Hartey’s purse

and poked fun

at the items

she found.

In a blooper

clip from the

episode, DeGeneres

awarded

Hartey with a

series of presents.

One of

these presents

was a jacket

from DeGeneres’s

new

clothing line,

EV1. As she

took a spin to

show off the

back, she asked

if Hartey liked

her jacket.

Hartey said

she loved the

jacket and

jumped with

excitement

when she was

handed one of

her very own. DeGeneres

laughed when she remembered

she put on a different

jacket before recording the

one point in high school, for

example, I even purchased

a necklace with the African

continent displayed prominently

at its center; not necessarily

because I

thought it looked

nice, but instead

because I felt I

needed everyone

to know I was of

African descent

and identified as

such. Am I not

Black because my

skin is too light?

What does it

mean to be Latino?

My great-grandmother

moved to

the United States

from Havana,

episode and was not wearing

the same one she just

gave to Hartey. She teased

herself about that awkward

moment and said, “There’s

nothing even on the back of

this jacket. I was just like

— hey, everyone, look at

me!”

“I would say the most

memorable part was the

excitement leading up to

the show and not knowing

but hoping for the chance

to meet my lifetime hero.

Meeting Ellen in person

was something I had only

dreamt of, and when it finally

became a reality I

think I [almost] blacked

out from happiness,” said

Hartey.

Scan the QR code on the camera

app or Snapchat for a link to

Hartey’s clip on the show.

Identity through the eyes of a mixed-race student

■ By Harry Green (‘20)

Eastside Opinions Editor

Courtesy of Noel Hartey (‘15)

DeGeneres and Hartey step away from the cameras

to snap a quick selfie.

“Depending on who I’m talking to,

I’ve heard that I’m not really white,

not fully Latino or only somewhat

Black. While in public I try to make

jokes or otherwise ignore people’s

comments, others’ confusion

regarding my race has often generated

my own confusion. After all,

what does it mean to be mixed?”

-Harry Green (‘20)

Cuba as a child. Am I not

Latino because my parents

aren’t native Spanish

speakers?

For years, I asked myself

these questions, and unnecessarily

tried to prove,

both to myself and to others,

the legitimacy of any of

my ethnic identities. With

time, I have come to see the

folly of looking to others for

personal identity. While I

sometimes still feel insecure

about my racial identity,

I am increasingly aware

that identity is something

personal and ever-evolving.

For more on Black History

Month, see pages 12 and 13.

SPECIAL


SGA’s Variety Show entertains cafeteria audience

Jillian MacHenry (‘22)/ Eastside Staff

Sade Willingham (‘20) sings “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna.


Sean Coen (‘20) and Bobby Irwin (‘20) host SGA’s Variety Show.


Mr. Jacob Winegrad plays the ukele and

performs a song about strawberries.

Sarah Zheng (‘20)/ Eastside Video Editor

Rebecca Kim (‘20) and Izzy Neville (‘20), top left, perform a symphony with Jaclyn Kim (‘21) (not

pictured). Chris Bruce (‘18), Golan Levy (‘20) and Sean Duffy (‘20), top right, give a special performance.

Daniel Habina (‘20) and Erica Tran (‘20), bottom left, perform “Open Up” by Daniel

Caesar. Anish Suresh (‘21), bottom right, recites number facts from memory.

Check out Eastside’s YouTube channel

(youtube.com/eastsideonline)

to see videos from the event.


Tyler Leomporra (‘21), Lin Asari (‘21), Ryan Lafferty (‘21), Tyler Burke (‘21), Nick

Gangewere (‘21) and Tobey Maidenburg (‘21) (not pictured) suprise the audience

with their rendition of Justin Bieber’s “Misletoe.”


Lois Nazir (‘22), top, recites an original poem and Jessica

Gollin (‘23), bottom, performs “Killer Instinct”

from “Bring It On: The Musical.”


COMMUNITY


The Matthew Tarnopol Foundation fights addiction

■ By Sami Bell (‘21)

Eastside Community Editor

On August 28, Cherry

Hill East alumnus Matthew

Tarnopol (‘11) passed

away after a long struggle

with addiction spurred on

by back pain. After this

devastating loss, his family

began the Matthew Tarnopol

Foundation in his

honor. The purpose of the

charity is to raise awareness

about addiction and

help those who are fighting

against addiction.

Their mission is to “create

an environment where

people feel confident and

supported to sobriety by

providing financial grants

to individuals who complete

30-day rehabilitation

treatment,” said Samantha

Tarnopol (‘08), Matthew’s

sister.

Matthew’s family wants

to give financial grants to

those combating addiction

and trying to overcome it.

The grants can help assist

in paying one to two months’

rent in a sober living facility;

once entered, the sober

Philly celebrates Chinese New Year with traditional customs

■ By Vivian Rong (‘23)

Eastside Staff

Strolling along the

streets of Philadelphia on

a Saturday evening, the

delicious, mouth-watering

aroma of spring rolls arouses

an instinct to peer over

an evergreen tree. A

quick peek reveals a park

decked out in intricate red

paper lanterns and minuscule

sparkling orbs that

mingle with the stars, overlooking

a crowd of enthusiastic

people milling about

the square.

This year’s Chinese New

Year celebrations in Philadelphia

have attracted the

interest of many of the

city’s visitors and citizens,

who may be seeking a holiday

spirit to warm themselves

in the February cold.

Center City District

hosted the 2020 Chinese

New Year celebration on

the evening of Saturday,

January 25, at Philadelphia’s

Dilworth Park on

15th Street.

This celebratory event

gave residents in the area

the chance to receive a

taste of a traditional Chinese

New Year. Dilworth

Park was outfitted in a soft

and welcoming yellow-andred

ambiance, complete

with bright red lanterns,

a sign of good fortune, according

to Chinese culture.

The festival also featured

extensive strings of shining

lights.

The night at Dilworth

Park, in order to give a

sense of true Chinese spirit,

involved a performance by

Kung Fu and Tai Chi Master

Matt Zhang, as well as

a traditional dance of the

classic prancing lion act

from the Philadelphia Sun,

which is performed every

Chinese New Year’s Day.

Zhang has been in the

performing arts for over 30

years. His students, who

flawlessly performed the

Kung Fu and Tai Chi set

alongside Zhang, have been

practicing martial arts for

over 10 years.

Zhang believes that

Visitors watch a traditional Chinese New Year performance in Dillworth Square.

this event is a good way to

spread Chinese culture in

the Philadelphia area and

merge cultures together.

“Every year we try to

promote all kinds of martial

arts, not only Chinese martial

arts,” said Zhang on

account of his two talented

students.

Later in the evening,

Chinatown’s Philadelphia

Sun, a talented group of

entertainers trained specifically

in traditional Chinese

lion dancing, took the

stage to show to the Philadelphia

audience the magic

of traditional Chinese New

living facility patients may

apply to have monthly food,

clothing, doctor’s visits or

transportation allowance,

as well as continued education

or General Education

Degree programs.

The Matthew Tarnopol

Foundation has become a

passion project for Samantha.

“This is something very

important to my family and

me,” she said.

The foundation is having

its first event on Sunday,

March 8, from 3 to 8

p.m. at the Punchline in

Philadelphia. There will be

live music, free food, a silent

auction and a surprise

speaker. It is an all-ages,

family-friendly event. It is

$100 for those over 21 and

$66 for anyone under 21.

The 66-dollar amount was

chosen because Matthew’s

hockey number was 66. In

addition, children five and

under get into the event for

free. All of the proceeds will

go to the Matthew Tarnopol

Foundation.

They are also partnering

with the Victory Bay recovery

center, a sober living facility

that helps people during

and after rehab. A part

of their foundation is about

trying to prevent people

from relapsing once they

are going back to living on

their own.

Matthew always wanted

to help everyone else. Everyone

saw him as a happy

guy with a contagious sense

of humor that left everyone

joyful.

The Matthew Tarnopol

Foundation wrote, “He took

everyone’s struggles and

made them his own. He

faced his own demons every

day without ever letting

them burden another soul.”

Heartbreakingly, he could

not save himself from the

consuming power of addiction,

but Matthew’s legacy

will always be much more

than that.

Another large portion

of the charity is raising

awareness of addiction.

Samantha said, “We

come from an area where

addiction may not look like

what you might think. Matthew

was a D1 athlete who

hurt his back, and Matthew

was in the process of getting

his masters.”

Addiction does not discriminate,

she added; it impacts

people of every race,

religion and socioeconomic

background. It impacts

people from all walks of life.

“The stigma around

addiction needs to be

changed,” said Samantha.

Society needs to stop

pushing the harsh realities

of addiction out of the

limelight. Instead, everyone

must start addressing

addiction and see it as the

illness it is, emphasizes Samantha.

Since the devastating

loss of her brother, people

reached out and began to

talk about their own struggles

with addiction. Instead

of keeping their addiction

private, by talking about it,

the Tarnopols and community

members struggling

with addiction started a

conversation.

Samantha said, “By

keeping this awful secret,

[addicts] are torturing

themselves.”

Since the start of the

charity, “we have met so

many families that went

through and are going

through what we are. They

are still standing after

two or three years,” said

Samantha. “It is hard to

think: how am I supposed

to keep going? It has been

very helpful to see the other

families who have been in

our position.”

After such a tragic loss,

the Tarnopol family “wanted

to try to do something

good after something so awful,”

said Samantha.

Matthew’s family wanted

his death to mean something

and help others from

the same fate.

The foundation is determined

to make a change.

There is no profit; every

cent from the event will be

used to combat addiction

and raise addiction awareness

in memory of Matthew.

“If we can just help one

person from the demons

of addiction, then we have

done our job,” Samantha

said.

Vivian Rong (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

Year shows. The dancers’

skillful footwork made the

lion cloth they were under

seem as if it were smoothly

prancing to the drums and

sparklers that played with

them.

“We want to get the Philadelphia

community together

in a different way,”

said Marketing and Events

Manager of Center City

District Giavana Suraci.

Suraci explains how this

is the first year in five years

that the Center City District

hosted a true Chinese

New Year celebration. Her

goal was to help Philadelphians

celebrate Chinese

culture and try something

new in a comfortable environment.

“We are in such close

proximity to Chinatown

and I know they always

have a great celebration,

but we never have the opportunity

to merge the two

neighborhoods,” said Suraci.

“A lot of people [are not]

familiar with Chinatown,

or familiar with Chinese

New Year, the Lunar New

Year, so I wanted to really

give people the opportunity

to celebrate the holiday

[without] feeling intimidated

or uncomfortable in

a different kind of setting.”

The event also featured

a unique menu that infused

Asian food with Philadelphia

favorites for visitors

to try, such as Philadelphia

cheesesteak spring rolls,

another way for guests to

feel welcomed celebrating

the Chinese New Year.

The night ended with the

traditions of the festive holiday

being executed to the

spirits of locals in such a

way that presented it difficult

to forget and desirable

to return for next year’s celebration.

COMMUNITY


Rebecca’s Mission donates books to local children in need

■ By Sami Bell (‘21)


Rebecca Benjamin, a junior

at Moorestown Friends

High School (MFS), always

had a passion for reading.

Her passion for reading,

combined with her philanthropic

values, made it simple

for Benjamin to decide

on a way to help others. Her

parents — a teacher and

charity owner — respectively

passed down their

charitable ways to Benjamin

and her sister, Ali Benjamin,

a freshman at MFS.

It all began when Benjamin’s

family started a new

Hanukkah tradition to do

seven nights of receiving

gifts and one night of giving.

One year, Benjamin

donated school supplies to

an underprivileged family.

“I wasn’t satisfied with

the fact that I only got to

help one family, so I just

started from there,” said

Benjamin.

After this realization,

her charity, Rebecca’s Mission,

began.

Since its founding, Rebecca’s

Mission has given

books and the opportunity

to learn to underprivileged

communities. This is reflected

in its mission statement,

which is “to provide

literacy opportunities to

underserved communities.”

“I try to keep it local because

I like the fact that it

is a homegrown foundation

and it is so close-knit. The

fact that we keep it local allows

for the community aspect,

in the communities we

go into, but we have a community

ourselves. I like the

fact that I am able to be at

every single event. I want

not only my name but my

face to be present,” Benjamin

said.

She added, “I feel that

one of our benefits is that

[Rebecca’s Mission] has a

familial aspect. It is not just

me even though the charity

is under my name. Without

the support of my family

and the community, none of

this would be possible.”

Benjamin said her favorite

part of the charity

is “when all our hard work

comes together and we get

to interact with the kids or

the community we are entering.

It really fuels me for

the next one.”

To help with the events,

the family created the

Bookmobile by revamping

a senior citizen van

Courtesy of Rebecca Benjamin

Rebecca reads to elementary school students.

with the help of a

family friend who

stripped it. It now

has shelves on the

inside, hardwood

floors and lights,

making it a mobile

library. They also

have an awning and

outside furniture

for spring and summer

events. With

this tool, the charity

can reach more

people. The Bookmobile

is just another

extension of

Rebecca’s Mission;

they still donate in

mass. It helps them

immerse themselves

into the community

and become

a consistent part

of each community

they enter.

Their most recent

event took

place at a Camden

school in December

2019.

“All the kids came out to

the Bookmobile,” said Benjamin.

“A kid said ‘wait we

get to bring these home?’

And I said ‘Yeah! These are

all for you,’ and he hugs

me… he is beaming with

pride that he gets to keep

it!”

The most difficult

aspect of the charity

to manage is entering

communities.

“Because I am in

school, I usually reach

out to teachers or figureheads

of the communities

over email.

It is hard to communicate

your goals over

email, and then we

have to wait for their

response,” said Benjamin.

“Another difficulty

is staying current. I

am 16, so it is hard

to guess what books

they want to read. For

example, there was

this book [called] Dogman.

I never heard

of the book. The kids

Courtesy of Rebecca Benjamin

Benjamin and students pose in front of the Bookmobile.

wanted more of it. So with

our donations, we will buy

more copies of those books

and popular books like it,”

Benjamin said.

Rebecca’s Mission has

been picking up steam. At

their most recent event,

Channel 6 News came and

covered it.

“It was really fun and

the kids were so excited to

be on TV and something

special they do not get every

day. I was very touched

and encouraged by [Channel

6 News’s] words of encouragement,”

Benjamin sees how the

power of literature flows

into the communities she

enters.

At the latest event for a

kindergarten class, there

was one kid who only spoke

Spanish. He just came from

living on the streets in

Mexico, and the only part of

American culture he knew

was Spider-Man. It just so

happened that one of the

kids in his class took the

last Spider-Man book, but

when that child learned of

the circumstance he happily

gave the Spider-Man

book to the new student

instead. That is just one of

the lessons that come from

books into real life, the importance

of sharing and

community.

“I want to be able to give

the children the opportunity

to see themselves in

these books, so monetary

donations are very helpful

so we can go out and buy

these books that correlate

to them and their lives,”

said Benjamin.

“To get involved is to

support us, with the Bookmobile

there [are] a lot of

added expenses like gas

and insurance. We have

so much support from the

community my whole basement

is overflowing with

books. It is great, but monetary

donations [are also important]

because we know

how to fill in the gaps in our

book collection.”

Rebecca’s Mission delivers

new opportunities to

children through the pages

of a book and continues to

inspire the next generation

of readers.

Who’s got the best french fries? Eastside decides

■ By Karissa Murray (‘2o)


French fries, despite

their name, are maybe

the most iconic American

fast food staple. According

to Fox News, the average

American eats 30 pounds

of french fries every year,

which means the US as a

whole consumes around

10 billion pounds of french

fries annually. They are

available anywhere, anytime

and at practically every

restaurant, but which

place can really boast that

they are the best? Eastside

investigates which fast

food place has perfected the

french fry.

Six Eastside editors —

Remy Abrams (‘21), Harry

Green (‘20), Giana Maccarella

(‘20), Jakob Silvert

(‘20), Lalitha Viswanathan

(‘22) and Angelina Witting

(‘22) — put five favorites

up to the test: Five Guys,

Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, Mc-

Donald’s and Shake Shack.

Each of the six editors

judged the fries based on

quality, flavor, texture and

appearance. After, they

rated each on a one-to-five

scale, with one being the

worst and five being the

best, for all criteria.

Coming in last place

overall were Wendy’s fries.

The appearance was not

the issue; “I like how these

ones look,” Maccarella commented.

But the taste immediately

fell flat, with

most feeling like there was

practically no flavor in the

first bite at all.

“These have very obviously

been frozen for a long

period of time,” Silvert said.

They lacked flavor, likened

to soggy air or french

fries out of a vending machine.

Some judges even

said they were repulsive or

disgusting, so it was clear

from the start no one was

very fond of Wendy’s fries.

“The fries tasted like

they were made by a chemist

who got a C in chemistry,”

said Silvert.

Shake Shack came in

fourth place. The opinions

on the appearance of these

fries differed among judges:

some enjoyed the unique

crinkle-cut shape, while

others disliked it and felt

the potato was much too

grainy.

“It tastes like cardboard,”

Abrams said.

Many liked the outside

texture, and for what it

lacked in flavor it made up

in crunch.

“It’s like they fool you. At

first they’re good and then

they trail off,” Silvert said.

McDonald’s fries came

in third. Admittedly, the

appearance scored low, as

they looked pretty soggy.

Despite the outside, the

balance of McDonald’s perfect

salt-to-potato-to-grease

ratio pulled through. Overall,

they were the clear

middle of the pack: not too

good, not too bad, but definitely

enough to get by.

“McDonald’s is the best,

I don’t know what [you’re

thinking],” Maccarella said.

The runner-up was

Chick-fil-A. Everyone

agreed that Chick-fil-A’s

signature waffle shape was

a solid leader for appearance.

“I like the shape of these,

it’s more fun. And it’s easier

to dip,” Maccarella said.

Some felt the texture

was a little gritty, but the

Chick-fil-A sauce helped

enhance the perfect balance

between the salt and

potato.

“Wendy’s tasted like it

was straight out of a lab,

this one tastes like it was

out of a lab, but a good lab,

a higher quality lab,” Silvert

said.

Green said that “[Chickfil-A]

is the lord’s restaurant,”

and most judges

agreed that Chick-fil-A

fries were heavenly.

The winner was Five

Guys. Some of the judges

felt like they were too

soggy or mushy for

their taste, and

could’ve used

a little more

crunch. It was

also noted that

the salt may have

been overdone, and

Viswanathan felt

that they were “too

potatoey.”

Abrams was underwhelmed

by their

performance, saying,

“I would eat them because

I’m hungry, but

I wouldn’t choose to eat

them.”

However, most agreed

that the freshness and

quality of potatoes were

unmatched.

“These taste like they

came straight from —

where do potatoes come

from? Idaho? Idaho,” Green

said.

Although Five Guys’

fries are notoriously greasy,

this brings the flavor that

offered the most authentic

french fry taste,

which won over

the majority

of the judges,

to some of

their surprise.

“Oh,

this is

fire,

c a n

I get

some

sauce?”

Silvert

said after

taking

his

first bite

of Five

Guys’.

“Oh my

God, this is

fire, this is

[very] fire!”

Karissa Murray (‘20)/ Eastside

Community Editor

COMMUNITY


Roller Derby picks up speed in Philadelphia

■ By Alena Zhang (‘23)

Chances are, if you

asked your grandma what

roller derby is, she might

have watched it on a Saturday

evening television

program. Now, roller derby

is resurfacing as a fullcontact,

competitive sport

without the frills and theatrics

of the 1960s TV shows.

Roller derby is not just

skating around the track.

It is intense and fast-paced,

with two teams of five players

competing against each

other in rounds that last

up to two minutes. There

are both offensive and defensive

roles. One offensive

player, the jammer, distinguished

by a star on his/

her helmet, gains points

each time he or she laps

the opposing team’s members.

The defensive players

are called blockers, who

essentially must block the

opposing team members so

the jammer cannot score

points. In the words of Devoida

Mercy, a coach for

the Philly Roller Derby Juniors,

it is “the fastest two

minutes on the track.”

Roller derby originated

in Chicago, created by a

man named Leo Seltzer. In

the midst of the Great

Depression,

Amer-

■ By Sophia Sitnick (‘20)

Eastside Staff

Art by Lily Cohen (‘20)/ Eastside Art

Director


After the October 2019

grand opening of the D&Q

ski and snowboard store

in its new Cherry Hill location,

the owners learned

of an organization that

needed a large donation of

winter coats for the upcoming

season. With a specialty

for outfitting customers

for winter sports gear, it

seems apropos that D&Q

would choose to spread

the warmth this winter

by hosting a community

coat drive. The first annual

D&Q winter coat drive

will benefit the Burlington

County YMCA located in

Mount Laurel.

According to Brandon

Donegan, snowboard buyer

and general manager at

icans were looking for

a new, cheap pastime,

and roller derby quickly

picked up steam.

The sport has moved

in and out of popularity

over the years, but

nowadays roller derby

teams can be found all

over the world.

Mastering skills

is key to being solid

in the game. At the

Philly Roller Derby

Junior program, while

practices take place

once a week, individual

training is crucial

to maintaining physical

strength. Mercy

believes it was this

intensive training and

practice that helped

the teams improve

their game significantly.

In 2017, the team

was eligible for the

Junior Roller Derby

Association Championships,

taking sixth

place overall. Just a

year later at the World

Cup, they worked

their way up to second

place. What was their

secret? Practice and

practice—

D&Q, his boss, Matthew

Hurley, decided to spearhead

a coat drive at D&Q

after learning that the

YMCA in Mount Laurel required

additional coats to

meet its winter distribution

needs.

“My boss saw an opportunity

to help,” said Donegan.

That call for help inspired

the coat drive,

which began around

mid-December in

2019 and ran through

the end of Martin Luther

King Jr. Day on

January 20, 2020. Using

its social media accounts,

D&Q has posted news of

the coat drive on its Instagram

and Facebook pages.

It has also sent numerous

emails to notify customers

about the coat drive. The

Philly’s Roller Derby Team circles up before a match.

especially skating.

“I think the best endurance

[training] for a skater

is skating,” said Mercy.

Many of the roller derby

players participate in other

sports, and some of

Mercy’s players also

skate in rinks during

the week. Aya, also

known as “Aya The

Storm,” a member

of the

Philly

Rolle

r

Derby

Juniors,

practices

at

the skatepark

weekly. Training

can also be done

at home, with exercises including

footwork, running

on the elliptical or cycling.

As a team sport, strategy

is key to roller derby.

Technique and constant

response has been terrific.

Donegan has been keeping

track of donations,

which have already surpassed

100 coats.

As this is the first coat

drive, D&Q did not originally

set a collection goal,

but employees are thrilled

planning is vital to winning

games. Blockers play

defense at the same time

as they play offense. If the

blockers are succeeding in

preventing the opposing

team’s jammer from scoring

points, some of them can

also help to break up the

opposing team’s blockers so

their own jammer can skate

past to win points.

Players do not have to be

a certain size or weight to

be eligible either. Whether

a player is a blocker or a

jammer, having different

sizes on a team proves advantageous.

“I’m a small person, but

I’m still useful... on the

track, even against skaters

who are much bigger than

me,” said Alison Rogers,

nicknamed “Sugar Cookies.”

While many sports can

be played at schools, roller

derby is rarely an option.

As a result, roller derby is

not a widely known sport.

However, many people are

starting to pay attention to

it.

“We just had an open

house for skaters, and

around 70 new people

with the results. Due to

the enthusiastic support

of loyal customers and

community members, Donegan

is hopeful that the

coat drive will help the

YMCA meet its demand

for winter coats.

Donegan said, “If we

can break 200 [coats],

that would be awesome.”

D&Q has provided a

generous incentive for

people to benefit from

the donation of its

gently used coats.

The process is

simple: a customer

who brings a gently

used coat will

receive a discount towards

new outerwear.

Throughout the drive, discounts

have ranged from

$50-$60 for a new adult

coat and $20-$30 for a new

Courtesy of Philaelphia Roller Derby

joined, which is really exciting,”

said Mercy. “Some of

them have no experience in

skating, so we teach them

the basics.”

With roller derby’s

growing popularity, Mercy

hopes that soon everyone

will know about this sport.

“This game is radical,”

Mercy said.

Not only is it one of the

only full-contact sports

for women, it can also be

played co-ed.

“I love how in roller derby

all genders play by the

same rules, share the same

aggression levels and play

all together on the same

team,” said Quinn Shepler,

also known as “Ruff Red.”

The sport itself is not the

only reason keeping roller

derby players coming back

– it is also about the community.

The players accept

and support each other for

who they are. It is a place

where “nobody judges [anyone

for their] unshaven

armpits,” said Dru Shepler

(aka Motley Dru).

Roller derby is making

a comeback, and the Philly

Roller Derby Juniors are

ready to play.

D&Q hosts first annual coat drive to benefit Burlington County YMCA

children’s coat. It is a winwin

for the YMCA and customers.

D&Q already has

plans to run another coat

drive beginning next December.

“Bring in an old coat.

We’ll check it to make sure

it doesn’t have holes or broken

zippers. As long as it’s

in decent shape, we’ll take

it,” said Donegan.

While D&Q has experienced

recent changes in

ownership, moved locations

and emerged as a specialty

store for winter sports enthusiasts,

it has retained a

passion for serving the community.

With cold weather

at the root of D&Q’s mission,

its decision to host a

winter coat drive seems to

be a perfect fit.

Art by Vicki Kahn (‘20)/

Eastside Staff


What does black history

month mean to you?

FEATURES February 2020 EASTSIDE Page 13

Black History

■ By Defne Alpdogan (‘20), Jacy Dickstein (‘22) and Emily Mahaffy (‘20)

Art by Maddie Golden (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

Month

Eastside Features Editors

Word Art by Jacy Dickstein (‘22)/ Eastside Features Editor

After waiting 100 years for civil rights, African Americans were finally

granted equality with the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From the

age of Black Power to Colin Kapernick’s stance at National Football League

games, the landscape of African American culture has changed over time,

but injustices still remain. With examples such as police brutality — highlighted

by the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Philando Castile — these remnants

of the past recall the pain felt by many generations.

In highlighting the history of the past, the month of February celebrates

the voices of the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Lives Matter movement

and the voices of the millions of African Americans living in the U.S. While

the stories of African Americans have helped to shape the United States, in

many cases, American students do not have the same knowledge of African

American History as they do of the American Revolution. According to the

Atlantic, in only about eight to nine percent of history classes are African

American stories being taught. These discrepancies in the United States education

system illustrate the lingering remnants of past discrimination and

injustice.

As the Features section of Eastside, we highlight interesting students,

alumni, teachers and stories about the student body at East. As we all come

from different backgrounds, we as a section do not share the same experiences

as our African American counterparts. However, while we cannot

pretend to fully understand these experiences, we feel the need to highlight

the importance of Black History Month and to give a voice to this part of

our student body. We hope other students understand the importance of this

month in not only our history but also in our present day.

The african American

experience at East

For the celebration of Black History Month, Eastside has reached out to the African American

Culture Club and other African American students to share their own experiences. Many students

and teachers participated in this story and we thank them for their honesty and willingness to tell

their stories.

To Noah Bereketab (‘20), his experience at East has been defined by being one of the only African

American students in his classes.

“I started to deal with racist jokes a lot. It sort of has become a part of my life. I had to accept it

because I know it was going to be a part of my life, all throughout my life,” said Bereketab.

This sentiment is also shared by other African American students, for instance, Michaela Kennedy

(‘20).

“Personally I like to take higher level courses, and I wouldn’t say it’s different, but I kind of feel

like the odd one out,” said Kennedy.

Echoing Kennedy’s sentiments, Christina Cruz (‘20) said, “Personally, in my classes there are not

that many African Americans in my classes. Cherry Hill East is overall diverse but [there] just [aren’t]

that many African Americans.”

Azariah Donaldson (‘21) added that she thinks diversity in school is important.

“When I’m thinking of college I don’t think I’m going to go to an HBCU [Historically Black College

and University] because I feel like in the real world it’s obviously not just black people. It’s

white people, it’s Asians, things like that. So I think Cherry Hill does a great job of bringing diverse

people,” Donaldson said.

For Jarren Andrade (‘20), it seems to be a daily struggle of being singled out. He feels as though

he gets “followed around the school to make sure [he isn’t] doing different things which was said

by the teacher.”

In an experience similar to Andrade’s, Obinna Okorie (‘20) describes one time when “I was in

a candy store with my aunt and my sisters and the clerk kept following us around to ensure we

wouldn’t steal anything,” said Okorie.

While there seems to be an importance in diversity within the core principles of East, there still

seems to be a disparity between principle and culture. Some students like Naomi Bereketab (‘21)

“think the use of the N-word at East is a little excessive by people that are not African American,”

adding to the normalization of the N-word within American culture. The discussion of the N-word

at East also came into play with the musical Ragtime in 2017, where there was a controversy regarding

the use of the N-word in a school production.

The meaning of the N-word traces back to the days when African Americans were not only degraded

by that word, but also abused for the color of their skin. The historical weight of the word

can still be felt by these students, yet these students have heard the word being used against them

or around them so many times that it has now become a normal occurrence.

“The minor discrimination that I would face on a daily basis is something like people saying the N-

word in the bathroom knowing that I am there,” said Okorie.

According to Daniel Pipersburgh (‘21), it is hard for African Americans to stand up because they

are “always getting a second hand opinion” and thus need to refrain from certain reactions. But with this there comes a hard balance. Okorie believes that by

turning his cheek against discrimination, he is avoiding getting into trouble.

However, many students attribute kindness as the way they have dealt with struggles or overcome these uncomfortable situations. Whether it be growing

“thick skin” or learning to understand the situation, African American students at East have learned to become the “bigger person.”

“The big picture is that there is evil everywhere whether someone treats someone poorly but inside everyone is equal. Being the bigger person and understanding

that this is how someone is raised and I can either accept it or go about it in a positive manner and keep my head up even when someone is being racist

or discriminating against me and where my people come from,” said Andrade.

Dealing with discrimination

Discrimination. That big ugly word that packs a lot more meaning and emotion than one can even realize.

Discrimination comes down to distinction—the way in which we perceive different groups, classes

or categories of people, which results from misconceived negative attitudes, stereotypes and biases.

Racial-based discrimination has deep ties in American history and culture. Less than 200 years ago

the Jim Crow laws were introduced in the South. They brought about the mindset of “separate, but

equal,” further perpetuating and justifying racial-based distinction and discrimination. Almost 100

years later, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s still dealt with this ingrained attitude of

separate but equal. Even today we still feel the imprint of this harmful mentality.

This article acts as a space for African American students and teachers to share their experiences

with discrimination. Whether it be through small microaggressions or deep-rooted prejudices, these

individuals have felt the weight of discrimination.

Daniel Pipersburgh (‘21) remembers the first time he was called the N-word. He was in eighth grade

when a Caucasian student got mad at him and used the word. “I felt weirded out because I never had

someone call me the N-word before,” said Pipersburgh.

Mrs. Jennifer La Sure, a special education teacher at East, remembers her junior year of high school

when a boy called her a “black b***h” in her history class. She also remembers white students at her

school “telling me that I wasn’t like the ‘other’ black students. They would tell me that I spoke well or

that I was smart, or that my hair is ‘nice,’ and those are examples of microaggression. They thought they

were being complimentary. They were not.”

Azariah Donaldson (‘21) remembers a time in middle school when an incident occurred between her

mom and some of the ladies who worked at her school. Donaldson said that the women “were just kind

of sitting there talking about my mom in front of me, and I felt like it was rude because they acted like I

couldn’t hear them… At the end of the day, I am a child and they are adults.”

Christina Cruz (‘20) said that she has a fear of being pulled over by the police because of her race.

She said that there’s “still some fear and apprehension [about police brutality] because of stories on the

news and everything.”

This fear of brutality stems from constant media coverage of instances regarding racial discrimination

in the policeforce.

But how do you deal with something that you cannot control? We asked students and teachers what

they would say to someone who is facing discrimination.

Mr. Julian Vann, a social studies teacher at East, said that while he feels as though discrimination is

an unfortunate part of American culture, “education is the key to really breaking down these barriers.”

Vann emphasized that the more you get to know people, the more time you take to understand their

backgrounds and cultures, it will begin to break down the stereotypes and biases. He added that those

who face discrimination should not “allow themselves to be drug down in the same close-minded attitudes,”

instead “be the best person that you can be and that will allow you to really overcome these

adversities.”

Donaldson believes that her reactions to discrimination stem from the way her parents raised her.

“My mom and my dad always just educate me and my siblings to let us know that we come from

great[ness]. And that we’re not just stereotypes that go around and that we are beautiful. They always

Collage by Emily Mahaffy (‘20)/ Eastside Features Editor just put good thoughts into our heads, so that’s the mindset that I have every single day. If anyone

were to say something rude to me, I would just brush it off because at the end of the day, nobody’s opinion

really matters other than mine,” said Donaldson about responding to discrimination.

Mr. Jason Speller, a health and physical education teacher at East, said that it’s important to have a voice about discrimination.

“To have someone to go to, to talk to, to share [your] thoughts” is important, because “a lot of times, throughout history, people

get silenced,” said Speller.

Following the same sentiment, Ms. Genene Barnes feels that when she faces discrimination, she has to understand where the

comment is coming from. She usually steps back and reminds herself to play “devil’s advocate” and to create a teachable moment

for others.

Speller added that students should try to find a teacher, guidance counselor or advocate to share their experiences and talk

about their concerns.

COMICS


Do You Love Me? by Ian Fulton (‘21)/ For Eastside

Eastside Earl Gets Rejected by Braden Schwartz (‘21)/ For Eastside

Cuffing Season by Jordan Grossman (‘21)/ For Eastside

EDITORIAL


Editorials represent the views and opinions of the Eastside Editorial Board.

Students deserve better communication about busing changes at East

A couple years ago,

New Jersey tightened the

requirements necessary

to receive a Commercial

Driver’s License (CDL).

School bus drivers, who

need CDLs to drive, now

had to know how to repair

an engine. With the wage

staying the same and the

training increasing, many

people who were or would

have become bus drivers

no longer wish to. This

has led to a scarcity in

bus drivers — the same

scarcity that causes buses

to be combined almost

every day at East. If a bus

driver is unable to work

one day, there is nobody

available to replace him or

her. And while the district

has indicated to the bus

companies that they would

be willing to pay more to

Benefactors

Adam Kaminer

Aimee and Rick Sitnick

Bernice & Irving Kernis

Bonnie Grossman

Brody Auerbach

Carol and Ted Bell

Christine Betson-Smith

Christopher Witting

Eric Swift

Frank Sweeny, CPA

Gregory S. Gadren

Jane Gelman

Jody and Craig Rosen

Kenneth S Rosen MD

Krupa and Rajesh Viswanathan

Adam Kaminer

Aimee and Rick Sitnick

Bernice & Irving Kernis

Bonnie Grossman

Brody Auerbach

Carol and Ted Bell

Christine Betson-Smith

Christopher Witting

Eric Swift

Frank Sweeny, CPA

Gregory S. Gadren

Jane Gelman

Jody and Craig Rosen

Kenneth S Rosen MD

Krupa and Rajesh Viswanathan

Maria & Ben Levin

Mark & Judy Hansen

Michael & Donna Koenig

Michael Fleisher

Mr. & Mrs. Fleisher

Mrs. Marilyn Diciurcio

Patricia Bell

Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi

News Editors

Max Gaffin

Isabella Levin

Lauren Smith

Features Editors

Defne Alpdogan

Jacy Dickstein

Emily Mahaffy

Sports Editors

Lily Lazarus

Amanda Merovitz

Lalitha Viswanathan

make sure students have

busing (as the Cherry Hill

Public School District does

not own buses and instead

sources from several

different bus companies),

the issue of buses being

combined and rerouted

remains.

But there is another

problem: students do not

know whether they are going

to have transportation.

Announcements made 15

minutes, sometimes less,

before the end of the day

do not give adequate time

for students who want to

consider other options (such

as a ride home with friends,

getting picked up, etc.) —

especially when some of

those students have to wait

for a bus to drop off its first

group of students and then

come back. There have also

Paula S Abrams

Shantha Subramanian

Sherrie, Jeff, Max, and Rachel Cohen

Stacy and Andy Levin

Stefanie R. Graff

Susan Delaney Frank

The Atlas Family

The Merovitz Family

The Witting Family

Tracey Abrams

Tulin Budak-Alpdogan

Veronica Kelly

Victoria Lowell

Tony and Diane Maccarella

Sponsors

Brielle Clearfield & Shari Dickstein

Mr. & Mrs. Lindaberry

The Lazarus Family

Patrons

Adam and Joy Dickstein

Akiva F. Pipe

Anne and Jerry Fleisher

Ann Hill

April O’Malley

Arlene Spector

Arnold Kaminer

Beth Lazar

Brett and Gail Levin

Damien Del Duca

Danny Kahn

David & Annie Maier

Debbi Pipe Mangan

Dr. & Mrs. Norman Siegel

Emily Fung

Geraldine Tedesco

Opinions Editors

Harry Green

Jacob Graff

Jakob Silvert

Community Editors

Sami Bell

Karissa Murray

Sophia Sitnick

Culture Editors

Remy Abrams

Giana Maccarella

Angelina Witting

been cases where combined

buses fill up and the driver

has to turn students away.

This issue is exacerbated

when some students are not

able to hear the afternoon

announcements due to loud

classrooms, leaving them

unaware of any changes.

Similarly, a student should

not realize that their bus is

not coming in the morning

when said bus fails to show

up

İf the lack of bus drivers

itself is not a solvable issue,

students could at least

be kept in the loop as to

when (or if) their buses are

going to show up. Students

deserve to know if the way

they are getting home or to

school is going to change.

There are many options for

this — Google Classrooms

or Reminds could be made

Friends of Eastside

Gina Maccarella

Gina Stanczyk

Gregory Rothkoff

Harry Green

Jake Fischer

Jake Silvert

Jeffrey Fleisher

Jiwoo Lee

Joshua Dickstein

Joyce Murray

Judith Benefeld

Judy Spivak

Karen Jerome & Jon Eig

Karen L. Regan

Karissa Murray

Larry Schreiber

Laura Mitchell

Leigh D. Costello

Linda and Jordy

Louis Levine

Marcia and Howard Kent

Marilyn Koenig

Melanie, Sydney, Max, and Jack Gaffin

Melvyn Atlas

Meredith Cohen

Michael Kaminer

Nisna Thomas

Regina Green

Rene Abrams

Rhonda Kessler

Ross Kaufman

Samuel Asbell

Samuel Merovitz

Shannon Kahn

Sheryle S. Rosen

Sophia Liang

Sy & Florence Jerome

The Goldfinger Family

The Miller Family

Eastside 2019-2020 Editorial Board

Managing Editor: Jacob Kernis

Editors-in-Chief: Ali Koenig, Aine Pierre, Samantha Roehl

Photo Editors

Jiseon Lee

Andrew Maier

Video Editor

Nate Pullano

Sarah Zheng

Business

Managers

Jessica Levin

Alex Levine

for each bus route, so all

the school would have to

do is send out one message

and it would reach every

student on the bus.

Even better: East is

hoping to roll out student

emails by the end of the

year, according to Mr.

Ted Beatty, Assistant

Principal and Department

Supervisor of Technology.

Currently, G Suite, through

which students have access

to Google Drive and Google

Classroom by using their

student IDs, does not have

email capability. Student

emails offer many uses both

in and out of the classroom,

but the implications for

busing updates is highly

motivating. The program

that the district uses for bus

routing, iBusBoss, ties into

Genesis. This is how they

are able to

find parents’

numbers

when they

need to

u p d a t e

them about

bus-related

issues. Were

student

emails tied

into this

system, it

would allow

them to be

looped into

the status of

their buses.

Of course,

The Pullano Family

The Roehl Family

The Weinstock Family

Tina Wescott

William Cohen

Contributors

Abbie Levine

Adam and Helen Pasternak

Alayne Berkowitz

Alen & Cherie Finkelstein

Amy Levin

Arlene J. Schimberg

Betsy Schwartz

Clara Green

Daniel Benefeld

David Berenstein

David Weinberg

Deb and Brian Maccarella

Debra Stern

Donna Rose

Eunha Chung

Evan and Catherine Kaminer

Gina L. Abrams

Greg Rouen

Harvey Kaufman

Jacob Borowsky

Jeff and Robin Allen

Jodi Napoli

Joe Levin

John R. Salvato

Julia Rios

Julie and Ian Weitzman

Jyll Portnoy

Karyl and Brian Murray

Lauren Sanders

Lisa and Jeff Licht

Lisa and Scott Stegall

Art Directors

Lily Cohen

Jeffrey Kaminer

Webmaster

Eli Weitzman

Online Editors

Alexa Atlas

Tomer Goldfinger

Meghna Thomas

there are still issues that

need to be considered: both

in regards to who would

staff these new initiatives

and also between the

bus company and central

administration. Sometimes,

the school gets a call at

2:15 p.m. that buses are

not coming. Sometimes

the district is not notified

about bus driver absences

until after students were

supposed to be picked up.

But in the cases in which

East knows that buses will

be delayed or combined

or simply not coming, it is

pivotal that students know

as well. No student should

be asking “how am I getting

home?” Art by Jeffrey Kaminer

(‘21)/ Eastside Art Director

Cherry Hill

High School

East

1750 Kresson Road

Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Publisher

School Paper Express

Wappingers Falls, NY

Letters to the

Editor

Submit signed letters to

F087

Lisa Beaubaire

Lisa Gershenfeld

Mark and Alison Shapiro

Murat Timur Budak

Nicholas Dambra

Risa Swell

Sally and David Finkelstein

Sangeeta, Nilesh Doshi and Family

Sharon Sackstein

Shu Li

Sierra Stanczyk

Stefanie and David Tuder

Stephen A. Freidin

Steve Lee

Steven Meyers

Suheyla Selvi Budak

Susan and Dean Andrew

Sy Engel

The Berlins

The Dashevsky Family

The Ringold Family

The Sarett Family

Tom & Kathy Xenakis

Wendy and Richard Feldman

Advocate

Christine and Matthew Gurkin

Coco Puff Lazarus

Gabriela Strifler

George A. Dolnycky

James and Shelley Kahn

Margot Kaufman

Samuel Patti

Sophie Levine

Suzanne B. Meyers

Sybil and Mel Kleinfeld

Tom Murtha

Contact the

Board:

To contact a member

of the Eastside

Editorial Board via

email, type the person’s

first name followed

by a period,

then his or her last

name followed by

“@eastside-online.

org,” ie: lily.cohen@

eastside-online.org.

(Note: There is a

dash between “eastside”

and “online”)

OPINIONS


Radical activists earned their part in Black history

■ By Harry Green (‘20)


Since 1976, people across

the United States have celebrated

Black History Month

in February. This is seen as

a time to celebrate the culture

and accomplishments

of African Americans.

Each year, people like Harriet

Tubman, Rosa Parks,

Jackie Robinson and Martin

Luther King, Jr. (MLK)

are recognized for their

contributions to American

society, predominantly for

their efforts to combat systemic

oppression. As a sign

of appreciation, the country

has erected national monuments

for some, like MLK’s

in Washington, D.C. There

has even been talk of immortalizing

Harriet Tubman

on the 20-dollar bill.

Largely forgotten, however,

are other African Americans

who were no less committed

to racial equality.

Even during Black History

Month, this group will receive

far less praise. These

are the “radicals” of African

American history.

Beyond their race, the

celebrated African-American

heroes upon whom we

heap praise share a common

trait. Each, in their

quest for equal rights for

African Amercans, sought

to do so without dismantling

the very foundations

upon which America was

formed. MLK dreamed of

■ By Emily Mahaffy (‘20)

Eastside Features Editor

There are only five seconds left

on the clock. Number 14 gets the

ball. She shoots; she scores! The

buzzer sounds. The crowd goes

crazy! Except, they don’t; no one is

there to cheer. The buzzer blares in

utter silence.

Why? Should the cheers not be

louder

than the

buzzer?

F o r

most girls’

teams, this

is the startling

truth.

It is not

a secret

that girls’

teams typically

have

low attendance

and

low following

in

comparison

to boys’

teams on

the high

school level

for both

phenomenal

and

mediocre

girls’ teams alike. But this shouldn’t

be the standard.

People are not coming out to female

sports games. So then it falls

on the players themselves to support

each other.

One senior girl on the soccer

team expressed that while she understands

that the boys’ soccer team

had a better season this past year,

she would have liked to see more

students at the girls’ games. She

described the way that the boys’

and girls’ teams support each other

as a “one-way street,” with the girls

supporting the boys, but not always

feeling like it goes the other way

around. She ended the conversation

an America that would

treat his people as equals

but never proposed that

African Americans would

be better off in a country of

their own. Harriet Tubman

helped slaves escape their

bondage while leaving the

institution of slavery intact.

Both sought changes

in degree rather than kind,

seeking not to dismantle

but to improve. As reflected

in the reverence with

which these African American

reformers are viewed,

our country’s history looks

most favorably upon those

who sought incremental,

gradual and

incomplete

change.

Less remembered

a r e

those

w h o

sought

more radical

change.

Some African American

leaders are less remembered.

Instead of seeking to

by stating, “If [the girls’ team] had

the top [field], people would at least

have to walk past us.”

But as much as it is a player’s responsibility

to support their teammates,

there still should be an effort

from the students to do so.

This article is not meant to attack

the Cherry Hill East Countrymen.

However, there is a student-run social

media platform that is meant

change what they viewed

as an inherently oppressive

system, these leaders

endeavored to dismantle

it. While Harriet Tubman

worked to free slaves, Nathaniel

Turner led slaves to

take up arms against their

masters. While Martin Luther

King, Jr. preached

sermons about demonstrating

compassion

and forgiveness

for white

oppres- sors,

Malcom X argued

for equal rights

for African

Americans

(“by any

means necessary”).

American history

self-servingly

de-emphasizes or otherwise

sanitizes

those who

maintained

m o r e

extreme,

or “radical,”

ideas

about African

American

equality.

Frederick Douglass,

a former

slave and counselor

to Abraham

Lincolm, is

often thought of as

merely an abolitionist. Few

realize, however, the extent

to which Douglass was

willing to fight for African

American emancipation. In

a speech delivered in 1857,

he alluded to the potential

necessity of a war and that

the country’s sins would be

atoned for in blood. People

like Malcolm X, Frederick

Douglass and Nat Turner

are often

p o r -

trayed

as on

t h e

pe-

riph-

e r y

rathe

r

than

the

center

o f

American history.

Some might argue that

African American leaders

are more often recognized

or celebrated simply because

they were more successful

in accomplishing

their goals. After all, Martin

Luther King, Jr., is remembered

for his role in the

passage of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964. Few could argue

that this was indeed

to represent the student body of

East and promotes East sports, yet

we see rare if any representation of

the girls’ teams at East. We have to

question if this is in fact representing

the scope of our athletic programs

at East. That doesn’t mean

that those who run or follow the

account do not in fact support the

girl’s teams at our school. It is simply

a fact that the “Instagram for

the BEST student section in SJ” (as

per their Instagram bio) only showcases

half of the student-athlete

population.

Title IX, added as one of the

Education Amendments of 1972

that provides equal opportunities

regardless of gender, ensures

that female student-athletes are

provided “other athletic benefits

and opportunities” by their school.

These benefits include the nature

of publicity, marketing and media

services. While the Countrymen

are not technically affiliated with

the school, thus do not legally need

to follow Title IX, when half of the

student-athlete population is not

represented on social media and

when they can barely fill bleachers,

it puts into question the priorities

of girls’ teams in the stewardship of

sports at East.

Mr. Mike Beirao, Athletic Director

for the district, said that “nothing

promotes women’s sports more

than success and opportunity. So

with our programs, the more success

they have, the more accolades

and acknowledgments that our female

student-athletes are going

to receive, which brings more attention

to them…I think the other

piece, too, is opportunity. How are

we providing more opportunities for

our female athletes to be involved

some measure of success.

But given the profound

economic disparities that

still exist between African

Americans and their white

countrymen, one is left

to wonder to what extent

MLK’s accomplishments

can be termed success at

all. Further, the role proponents

of radical change play

in fostering change is often

underestimated. Without

characters like Malcolm X,

would King’s

Often, when a system is

asked to either make significant

changes or marginal

changes, it typically

chooses the latter. Thus,

when the United States

government and its citizens

who were committed

to white supremacy

were left to choose

between MLK’s “civil

rights” versus Malcolm

X’s “Ballot or the Bullet,”

the former seemed

the more palatable option.

The radical message

served as a necessary

juxtaposition to the

moderate one.

It can be a complicated

thing who we revere or consider

our heroes. History

often tells us that it is only

the people who leave the

system intact who are worthy

of our reverence and remembrance.

But there are

others, no less committed

to change, that are equally

worthy.

Art by Madelyn Golden (‘23)/

For Eastside

Students must show support for East’s female athletes

in athletics?”

But we already have successful

girls’ teams at East. Beirao looks to

“our women’s tennis team, I think

19 out of the past 20 years, they’ve

won sectionals. And 21 out of 22

years they’ve won the conference.

Same with our swimming team, our

girls’ swimming team is going for

their fourth in a row sectional title

and they have a tremendous amount

of accolades.

We have

s o m e

p h e -

nomenal

t r a c k

and field

athletes

on our

female

side,”

among

o t h e r

h i g h -

achieving

female

athletes.

T h e

girls’

swimm

i n g

team is

currently

undefeated

and at the top of their division.

The girls’ cross country team

took first at the Olympic Conference

Championships in October.

Annie Behm (‘21) qualified for the

June Olympic Trials in two events:

100 and 200 LCM backstroke. And

Grace Yoon (‘20) has won the NJ-

SIAA Meet State Championships

for the past four years. East has

some stellar athletes, and there are

many more than just the select few

mentioned earlier.

But how would you feel, if year

after year after year, no matter how

successful you become or how many

records you set, the buzzer is still

louder than the cheers?

Courtesy of Mitchell Cassel and Allie Rosen (‘20)/ Eastside Staff

East boys’ and girls’ teams play the same, regular season game for the same goal but play to different sized crowds.


■ By Brielle Lampf (‘23)

Eastside Staff

Throughout the classrooms

at Cherry Hill East,

it is not unusual to find

students struggling to recall

a topic the class covered

months ago. While

the classroom settings at

East are more than beneficial

to some within the

student population, the key

to improved student performance

lies in increasing

one’s usage of Khan Academy.

Khan Academy is a nonprofit

organization that provides

tools for students in

virtually any subject. These

programs are designed to

develop personalized learning

courses for any student

looking to study at their

own pace, rather than at

the pace of their classmates.

Khan Academy is a

globally used program that

students around the world

have given their thumbs up

to, which begs the question

as to why Khan Academy is

not used more at East.

Khan Academy is not

only helpful to students

looking to study for a test

coming up, but it can also

be helpful to teachers as

well if they were to use it

in a classroom setting. Incorporating

Khan Academy

into a teacher’s lesson

plans is not impossible and

Khan Academy has made

sure of it. It has a

setting in which

a teacher can set

up a “classroom”

on the website

and students are

able to join just

as many other

programs have

been designed

to do as well. If

teachers were

to use this more

in a classroom,

not only would

students benefit

by going at their

own pace in order

to ensure they

are not falling

behind in classroom

teaching,

but teachers additionally

would be

able to see where

students are struggling and

where they are surpassing

the goal of comprehension

of the material. Additionally,

Khan Academy can

also help juniors as they

prepare for aptitude tests

like the SAT and ACT.

OPINIONS

With classrooms overcrowded, East students need more options

■ By Jacob Graff (‘20)


There was never any reason

for the existence of the

media uproar surrounding

the Duke and Duchess of

Sussex’s decision to remove

themselves from the Royal

Family. In fact, since the

inception of their public

life, it always seemed like

their futures lied some

distance away from that

of Harry’s brother, Prince

William, their late mother,

Princess Diana, and their

beloved grandmother,

Queen Elizabeth of England.

Maybe a part of their

decision stemmed from the

maverick lifestyle of Prince

Harry as a globetrotting

soldier and public speaker

and Markle’s fickle familial

situation and acting profession.

Nevertheless, there is

no doubt that the media’s

unethical and invasive coverage

of the Royal Couple’s

personal life was the straw

that broke the camel’s back.

The Duchess of Sussex

was never welcomed into

royal life in the same way

her sister-in-law was graciously,

and such a seemingly

innocuous subject

as fashion became the

battleground over which

the press waged war on

the Duchess. From criticism

over her white shoes,

which Catherine, Duchess

of Cambridge wore only

months later, to differing

perceptions in the media

over the Duchess’s cradling

of their pregnant stomachs,

it’s clear Megan has been

“subjected to double standards

that are blatant in

their intent to frame her as

ignorant, uncouth and unfit

for the aristocracy, much

less the royal family,” said

Kristen Meinzer, a royal

commentator.

But this, people may

claim, can be easily dismissed

as the norm for

the notoriously aggressive

British tabloids. Except,

Khan Academy and College

Board have created the official

SAT Practice through

Khan Academy. There are

questions designed just as

they would appear on the

Jacob Graff (‘20) / Eastside Opinions Editor

A screenshot of the Khan Academy student

homepage displays lessons on East courses.

this situation is anything

but normal. Markle, as the

first member of the Royal

Family of mixed race, appears

to have become the

victim of a tragic, veiledform

of racism, where the

actions of white individuals

are glossed over for

criticism while those of all

other races are subject to

intense, possibly unwarranted

scrutiny. Not all the

British press are guilty of

this; esteemed houses of

journalism like The Guardian

have largely had their

blushes spared. Nevertheless,

the ostensible result of

this coverage, the breakage

of the royal lineage, should

signal a call to arms for the

British public to call out

the unethical journalistic

practices of the British tabloid

industry.

In addition to their systematic

racism, the British

tabloids have come to

resemble their American

counterparts in their total

disregard for personal

privacy. After announcing

their intention to resign as

royals, Markle retired back

to her home in Canada.

Even there, she cannot find

refuge from the press.

Long-lens photography

and video footage showed

Markle walking with her

newborn son in the privacy

of her own home, his face

publicly plastered on the

front page of The Sun, a notorious

British tabloid. Up

until recently, the British

press had resisted printing

photos of Archie in a sign

of respect. Now, there is no

pulling of any punches.

This development has

repercussions beyond Megan

and Harry; it serves

SAT, and since its inception,

more than 3.7 million

students have used it to

study for the SAT, according

to the College Board. It

gives the students instant

feedback and creates a personalized

schedule for students

on what to focus on

before their upcoming SAT

assessment. The program

also focuses students on

their pacing to encourage

beneficial test-taking habits.

All of Khan

Academy’s

teaching tools

are free as well.

In addition to

SAT preparation,

this includes

courses

like Physics,

Calculus and

even Finance.

There are few

negatives due

to the low cost

of the material,

so the district

should have no

problem supporting

its implementation

into the curriculum.

Just as the

district wants

teachers to include

more technology in

the classroom, the district

can also require teachers to

utilize Khan Academy as a

resource for the students.

While other programs like

Course Hero and Coursera

do exist, they are not

to highlight the domestic

proliferation of a hostile

paparazzi that completely

lack respect for an individual’s

right to privacy.

This problem has been simmering

below the surface

of public consternation for

a while. But like Megan

and Harry, it is time for the

United States public to do

something about it.

It all starts with your

eyeballs; refuse to give in

to your cravings and walk

past the Us Weekly and In-

Touch tabloids jutting out

at you at the cash register.

These magazines cover divorces

and pregnancies like

they are televised events.

Don’t kid yourselves; they

are not. Fame does not exclude

individuals from an

expectation of privacy in

one’s daily life.

All this is not to say

nearly as optimal for student

use. Despite them being

very useful websites for

students, they are not personalized

like Khan Academy

is and are not free to

students.

Khan Academy can only

help the school improve.

Just as Khan Academy

encourages students to improve

their scores by making

it personalized, it also

creates missions to empower

the students to continue

to learn and improve

their skills. Missions are a

leveling-up system in Khan

Academy that rewards the

students every time they

are able to complete a mission,

only making them

want to better their scores

even more.

Khan Academy is the

key to more students’ success.

It is empowering for

students, and instead of

sitting in a classroom setting

where the teacher has

to address all the students’

needs, Khan Academy can

fit every individual student’s

needs. Cherry Hill

East and schools throughout

the nation have the

power to help students

even more by using Khan

Academy in schools.

Society has to finally embrace privacy by rejecting the paparazzi

Jeffrey Kaminer (‘21)/ Eastside Art Director

there are no photos of celebrities

that can and should

be printed. Award shows,

galas and fundraisers are

all times when celebrities

expect to be

photographed, and

as such, the practice

becomes acceptable.

Where it crosses

the line, however, is

when a flash mob of

blinding lights surrounds,

say, Jesse

Eisenberg, as he

buys groceries, or

long-lens photography

of a “celebrity

couple” at a private,

intimate dinner.

No matter what

the paparazzi will

say in defense of

their profession,

these are times

when boundaries

need to be respected,

and furthermore,

reconstructed.

When their actions

amount to stalking,

the victims of the

paparazzi can “become

paranoid and

anxious” through

no fault of their

own, according to

psychologist Emma

Kenney.

One paparazzi,

Englishman George Bamby,

said that they do “‘sit

outside people’s houses. If

they have a problem with

it then we just sit further

down the road,’” according

to an interview he gave

with Glamour Magazine.

However, people do

not deserve to be treated

like rare animals in a zoo

(which is an issue in and

of itself). And while “‘these

days [picture editors] have

a lot more conversations’”

on “‘where the pictures

were taken or how they

were taken,’” it seems fairly

obvious that the best route

forward for this shady, intrusive

industry is that

there are no more conversations

to be had at all.


Every other week another

bombshell news story

breaks. This story dominates

coverage for days and

the media feverishly attempts

to squeeze as much

hysteria out of it as possible.

For those few days,

the world will never be the

same; this unprecedented,

never-before-seen story will

be the one that takes down

Western civilization. The

thing is… it never happens.

It has been less than

a month since President

Donald Trump ordered the

airstrike that killed Iran’s

most prolific terrorist, Qassem

Soleimani. Soleimani

served as the leader of

Iran’s powerful security apparatus,

the Revolutionary

Guards Quds Force, and a

“diplomat” for the past 20

years. Not to be confused

with Merriam-Webster’s

definition of “diplomat,”

Soleimani shuttled around

the Middle East, funding

and organizing terrorism

wherever he could.

“When the war to prop

up Bashar al-Assad was

going poorly, Soleimani

would leave Iraq for Syria.

And when Iranian-backed

militias in Iraq began to

struggle against the Islamic

State, Soleimani would

leave Syria for Iraq,” according

to Andrew Exum,

the U.S.’s former deputy assistant

secretary of defense

for Middle East policy.

He added, “I do not know

of a single Iranian who was

more indispensable to his

government’s ambitions in

the Middle East.”

Soleimani’s orders became

a death sentence for

thousands of American

■ By Aiden Rood (‘23)

Eastside Staff

If you’ve heard anything

about politics lately, you’ve

probably heard about

healthcare. A Hill-HarrisX

poll from December found

that healthcare remains

the most pressing issue

among a plurality of voters

heading into 2020, with

previous polls supporting

said conclusion. Without a

doubt, dealing with healthcare

will be one of the top

priorities for whomever is

President next.

From decreasing the

government’s involvement

drastically to creating a

soldiers worldwide as well

as thousands of Iranian

citizens who criticized their

government. Less than a

week prior to the airstrike,

the Iranian government

opened fire on peaceful protesters,

killing an estimated

180-450 people, injuring

over 2,000 and detaining

7,000, according to the New

York Times.

Thus, when an opportunity

arose to take out one

that affects Americans so

deeply, it is time that leaders

put their focus in the

right place.

President Trump argues

that the Affordable Care

Act was bad policy, too

costly as a result of overregulation.

His plan would

cut back many of the ACA’s

protections and requirements.

Trump says this

would save money while

still ensuring Americans

are covered.

However, according to

the Economic Policy Institute,

29.8 million people

would lose their access to

coverage under Trump’s

plan.

OPINIONS

You’ll never guess what journalists are using now

■ By Jakob Silvert (‘20)


of America’s, as well as

many other nations’, greatest

threats, our military,

under the orders of President

Trump, took action.

Rather than phrasing the

situation in such a context,

the media largely framed

this action as one of aggressive

irresponsibility and

recklessness, as a spark

towards world destruction,

and even as the possible

start of World War III. It

grew increasingly easy for

many to forget Iran’s recent

airstrike on Saudi oil fields,

their capture of a British

tanker in international waters,

and their sponsorship

of an attempted take-over

of a U.S. embassy.

Unfortunately, this kind

of coverage has become the

norm. Society’s most trusted

sources of information

have turned into ready suppliers

of clickbait. Journalistic

practices have reached

a generational low, a situation

that must be addressed.

When the Soleimani story

wards.

The question, then, is

how far forward the system

should be taken and

in what direction. Former

Vice President Joe Biden

believes we should build off

of the Affordable Care Act

without creating an entirely

new system right away.

Senator Bernie Sanders

thinks we need to have universal

coverage for every

American. Andrew Yang

wanted to start by addressing

the root causes like the

way doctors provide care

and prescription drug costs,

then move towards universal

health care. In different

ways, they are all right.

broke, a flood of readers

desperately searched for

information. Publications

such as the Washington

Post, Los Angeles Times

and the New York Times

wrote with political fury

encouraging what became

a cultural phenomenon and

internet meme of a ‘World

War III draft’. Headlines

such as, “Will There Be a

Draft? Young People Worry

After Military Strike” and

Marc Celine Nicholas (‘21)/ Eastside Staff

mer Mayor Pete Buttigieg

is right that taking away

private insurance that

people want to keep is not

necessary. Yang was right

that the first step in reaching

universal coverage has

to be addressing the base

problems.

Keeping the status quo,

where Americans are underinsured

and bankrupted

by health issues, is not an

option. The current President’s

plan would only

worsen the problem by further

reducing healthcare

access, so it’s not a realistic

option either.

The next option that

needs to be eliminated,

“How inevitable is war with

Iran?” began to pop up.

These publications

pushed the possibility of a

grand-scale war, going so

so far as to tease readers

regarding a forced draft.

Those who read past the

first 400 words were relieved

to discover the unlikelihood

of a draft ever

occurring. Unfortunately,

these stories’ headlines,

leads and images told a different

story. These hysteriabreeding

stories came one

after another loaded with

black and white draft photos.

The Washington Post

even had the audacity to

craft an entire multimedia

package with a conscription

theme—on Snapchat of all

places. As if their coverage

was not enough, they decided

that teenagers should

be the ones they taunt with

the possibility of a draft.

Since the airstrike, Iran’s

Supreme Leader, Ayatollah

Ali Khamenei, issued some

threats and a minor act of

retribution near an American

base; that was it. This

story has found a nice spot

in Iraqi dirt, right next to

where Iran fired its counter-attack.

In light of such

coverage and its growing

popularity, society should

begin viewing news outlets

for what they are: profitdriven

companies. While

they may practice journalism,

it is not what keeps

their doors open. In order

to do so, they need to reel in

viewers with jaw-dropping

headlines that seem worth

the click.

It seems like yesterday

when parents “lost” their

children to the American

draft, when Brett Kavanaugh

“irrecoverably corrupted”

the Supreme Court,

when moving the American

Embassy from Tel Aviv to

Jerusalem sparked “catastrophic

violence” in the

Middle East, or when the

repealing of net neutrality

“permanently shut down”

the internet.

It’s time to wake up.

Democrats need to find middle ground on healthcare

everyone.

The most dangerous idea

would be to do nothing at

all. Diseases like cancer

are bad enough without

draining finances in addition

to health. Less severe

ailments, too, cause enough

problems without poverty

becoming a symptom. In

the wealthiest, greatest

country on earth, people

can and should be taken

care of. So whether it’s

a more extreme solution

or less dramatic reforms,

something has to be done.

Stop the infighting. Appreciate,

don’t hate, the

ideas of others. Forge consensus.

Create a solution

Photo Illustration by Eli Weitzman (‘20)/ Eastside Webmaster

massive new government

program, ideas on healthcare

reform span an entire

spectrum. With such a wide

range of beliefs in play,

debate has often strayed

from productive conversation

and devolved into unhelpful

infighting among

Democratic presidential

candidates. For an issue

Healthcare is a human

right, so no amount of saving

or deregulation is worth

the pain that Trump’s proposed

cutbacks would bring.

With 27.5 million people already

uninsured as of 2018,

the system needs to go forwards.

Trump’s approach

would clearly constitute

an unacceptable step back-

Many criticize Biden’s

plan for being too far to the

center or Sanders’s for being

too far to the left. What

we need, though, is a combination

of all these good

ideas. Sanders is right that

we need to absolutely ensure

that every American is

cared for in America, without

financial burden. For-

though, is one in which

great leaders tear each other

down and distract from

their shared goal of fixing

the system. The Sanders

plan isn’t perfect. The

Biden plan isn’t either. Nor

was that of Yang. However,

whomever is elected this

coming fall, save Trump,

will make things better for

that will work for everyone.

If leaders can do those

four things, millions of lives

can be greatly improved by

new access to affordable

coverage. They could keep

on arguing with no results.

Or, they can come together

and bring justice to one of

America’s most important

issues at last.

CULTURE


Eastside Culture Presents:

A Valentine’s Day Special

■ By Karissa Murray (‘20)


■ By Olivia Pollack (‘22)

Eastside Staff

Valentine’s Day: the one

day a year dedicated to being

in love and showing your

partner how much you care

for them. When Valentine’s

Day comes around each

year, the expectation

is for partners to buy

expensive gifts in order

to demonstrate their

love and affection.

However, there are

many other budgetfriendly

options that

can still make your

partner feel loved.

Some popular alternatives

to getting

expensive presents

are gifting people with

chocolate, roses or teddy

bears. These are kind

gestures that, while cliché,

are an effective way to let

someone know how much

they mean to you.

On the contrary, even

Staying in vs. Going out

Money cannot buy you

love. Every Valentine’s Day,

people are bombarded by

cards, chocolates, flowers

and engagement ring commercials.

If you’re in a relationship,

it is bound to put

the pressure on to find the

perfect restaurant or the biggest

teddy bear possible and

make one feel like whoever

spends the most money is directly

correlated to who loves

whom the most. In order to

avoid all this materialistic

stress, the best Valentine’s

Day date would be one spent

in the best place possible: the

comfort of your own home.

Rather than money being

what proves that you care

about someone, the effort

and thought that you put

into them is more important.

A home-cooked meal,

streaming their favorite

movie, making them a playlist

or anything else of the

sort has much more potential

to be a great date when

you really like someone.

It allows you to get

to know

them

better,

a n d

y o u

don’t

need

t o

spend

much

money

at all

to have

f u n o r

make something special;

at the end of the day, it’s really

all about the person you

are with.

So next Valentine’s Day,

skip the fancy dinner and

overpriced flowers, and remember

it always has been

and always will be the

thought that counts.

■ By Lily Yudis (‘20)

Eastside Staff

There is no better way to

celebrate Valentine’s Day

than going out on the town.

Whether it is the traditional

candlelit dinner at a favorite

restaurant or a romantic

walk in the park, Valentine’s

Day is a perfect opportunity to

get out and be with the

one you

love,

serving as an excuse to step

up your average date night

and replace it with a new

and exciting activity that

just might bring you closer

Roses & Chocolates vs. Jewelry

though buying inexpensive

gifts are an effective way

to convey an appreciation

for someone you care for or

love, the best presents are

the ones that come from the

heart.

While the price tag of an

expensive product may

show how much you

care for someone, a

more heartfelt way

to approach Valentine’s

Day is with a

scrapbook of photos

or a list of reasons

why you love someone,

whereas finding

jewelry may be

easy to do, it can be

a bit… impersonal.

Meanwhile, putting

effort into a scrapbook

or some other

project shows that

time was taken out of your

day to make your partner

happy. At the end of the day,

it’s not the price that counts,

but the thought.

■ By Angelina Witting (‘22)

Eastside Culture Editor

Chocolates get eaten,

roses wilt within a matter of

days, but jewelry serves as a

constant reminder of the love

you share with your significant

other. While

sweets and flowers

serve as a

great, though

temporary, romantic

gesture,

wouldn’t

you rather

gift your significant

other

something they

could cherish

for more than a

few weeks?

This isn’t

materialistic — some

individuals would just prefer

to have a constant reminder

of the love shared between

them and their partner, and

jewelry is the optimal way to

do so.

as a couple. If the classic dinner

date does not appeal to

you, there are tons of alternative

fun dates that you can

take part in. Anything from

bowling or ice skating to taking

a cooking or art class can

be an enjoyable experience.

On the other hand, you

can go the cliché route. This

would include activities like

recreating your favorite

date, watching the sunset

or having a picnic outside.

Whether your price

range is high or low, finding

a convenient activity

to do on Valentine’s Day

will create a fun experience

and a memorable night for

you and your partner. You

and your significant other

can go out and have the

pleasure of being together

while creating unforgetable

memories on the most romantic

night of the year!

Art by Emily Collins (‘20)/

Eastside Staff and Alison Maier

(‘23)/ Eastside Staff

For example, you’re having

a rough day, but it’s

made a bit better by the

sight of the necklace your

boyfriend bought you for Valentine’s

Day. This isn’t to say

the jewelry has to come

with a hefty price

tag: if you are at a

point in your

relationship

where that

is justified,

then go for

it. However,

even a simple

necklace or

ring ranging from

$20-$50 will spark joy

for your significant other.

And alongside a nice,

handmade card, you’re as

good as gold. So break away

from the Valentine’s Day cliches

and get your significant

other a piece of jewelry they

can show off every day to remind

them of your love.

Art by Lydia Cheng (‘23)/

For Eastside and Jeffrey Kaminer

(‘21)/Eastside Art Director

Or, maybe, treat yourself on Valentine’s Day

■ By Sarah Zheng (‘20)

Eastside Video Editor

While February

is filled

with romantic

movies and love

songs, many of

us may relate

to the couples

that are typically

portrayed in these films

or lyrics. On Valentine’s Day,

you might’ve scrolled past articles

that told you where all the

cute date spots were, or seen

Snapchats and Instagram stories

of everyone else’s significant

other.

In these cases, we often forget

that Valentine’s Day is not

just a day for couples, but also

a day to embrace

self-love and

treat yourself to

something that

makes you happy.

Rather than

sitting at home

alone, dwelling,

go get a

massage, schedule

a spa day,

get your nails

done or even get a

blowout or haircut.

At home, you could

take a nice warm and soapy

bath and apply your favorite

facial. I recommend a panda

sheet mask — it’s adorable.

There is nothing better

than sitting in the comfort

of your own room with the

lights dim and your favorite

scented candle lit and a

face mask on while watching

your favorite movie.

It is so relaxing to spend

some time away from your

phone and everything that

is going on around you in

order to just indulge yourself

in a story that takes away

from your hectic day-to-day

life. Instead of a movie, you

... a few days late

could even explore new music

and make yourself a playlist.

Lastly, spend time with your

friends! Go shopping, dress

up and grab dinner together

or stay in and try new recipes

from a new cookbook. Whether

it is a recipe for dinner or a new

sweet treat, sometimes staying

in for a home-cooked meal with

your friends can be extremely

cozy and comforting.

While these self-care tips

may seem simple, they make

all the difference in embracing

self-love, independence and

treating yourself on Valentine’s

Day.

Art by Sydney Krupnick (‘20)/

For Eastside

Border by Lily Cohen (‘20)/Eastside Art Director

CULTURE


Iconic looks strut down the red carpet

■ By Emily Boyle (‘23)

Eastside Staff

The Academy Awards,

commonly known as The

Oscars, date all the way

back to 1929. It was that

year when, for the first

time, a plethora of the country’s

most respected actors

and actresses flooded into

the Dolby Theatre, ready

to receive that now-famous

statuette. As the years

passed, The Oscars dished

out more awards and collected

more esteem. With

the elegant red carpet laid

out before each celebrity,

all eyes would be glued and

all cameras would be pointed

toward the expensive

garments draped around

their bodies. The question

on everyone’s mind: Who

are you wearing?

The Oscars have grown

to be a staple for American

fashion, creating some of

the most iconic looks to date

and a new market for designers

to advertise. Jessica

Pastors, stylist for actress

Emily Blunt, told The Cut

that designers are willing

to pay celebrities $100,000-

$250,000 and their stylists

$30,000-$50,000 to appear

on the red carpet.

In some cases, instead

of contacting designers on

an event-by-event basis,

celebrities opt to do longterm

brand collaboration.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence

accepted a $15 million

contract from Dior, which

expired in 2017. For three

years, Lawrence was required

to wear Dior fashion

to each red carpet event.

The process of choosing

what to wear, however,

only begins when nominees

are announced. This year’s

Oscar nominees were revealed

on January 13, and

The Oscars were held on

February 9. There is no

time to dawdle; the celebrities

and their stylists must

get to work.

The stylist’s job is to work

with designers on behalf of

their clients. On rare occasions,

a custom piece will

be made for a celebrity, but

most commonly, they will

borrow from a designer’s

collection. Because only one

person can wear each item,

the race to win a favorite

piece can get competitive.

Announcers and nominees

Collage by Ali Koenig (‘20)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

are prioritized by designers

determining who they loan

their clothes to.

Celebrities do not just

borrow clothes, however.

Practically everything on

their body, from shoes to

purses to jewelry, is given

to them by brands. All accessories

and articles of

clothing are usually returned

in one to two days

following the event.

In recent years, a celebrity’s

fashion choice has usually

gone beyond money or

vanity. At the 2018 Golden

Globe Awards, for example,

many celebrities wore black

in support of Time’s Up, a

movement protesting sexual

harassment.

Actor Billy Porter told

Vogue, “My goal is to be a

walking piece of political

art every time I show up.

To challenge expectations.”

At last year’s Oscars,

Porter wore a revolutionary

tuxedo and ball gown

hybrid, made custom by

Christian Siriano. The

femininity of a long velvet

gown was intertwined with

the masculinity of a black

suit jacket and bow tie.

Danielle Kaplan (‘21) is

fascinated by these rapidly

evolving trends, and from a

young age, she began sewing

her own clothes and

creating her own accessories.

Kaplan pays attention

to the fashion showcased

in events like The Oscars,

which serve as inspiration

and add to her understanding

of the fashion industry.

“[Award show fashion

is] usually much fancier

and everyone tries to wear

something that you’ve never

seen before, so it’s interesting,”

said Kaplan.

For the 92nd Oscars,

stylists and designers

worked frantically behind

the scenes in preparation.

Undoubtedly, a number of

hefty contracts with large

checks were finalized, as

celebrities secured their favorite

outfit.

It all comes back to the

big question: Who are you

wearing?

Retro genre swings listeners back to the ‘20s

■ By Samantha Roehl (‘20)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

T h e

first time

I listened

to electro

swing, I

was falling

down a

YouTube rabbit hole. I had

jumped from Panic! at the

Disco to Frank Sinatra to a

video called “The Andrews

Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du

Schön (Alfonso Swing Remix)”

by YouTube channel

Beyond Radio.

I was instantly hooked.

Electro swing is a relatively

new genre that originated

in the late 1990s

with the rising popularity

of sampling vintage music

in modern songs. The genre

(sometimes referred to as

“swing house”) combines

swing and jazz music from

the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s and

‘50s with elements of hip

hop and electronic dance

music (EDM).

When researching electro

swing, the consensus

seems to be that the French

band Caravan Palace encapsulates

the genre. Their

music is upbeat with noticeable

jazz influences and

a liberal use of samples

from vintage songs. (They

describe their music as a

“decadent, potent cocktail

of jazz, electro, hip-hop, jive

and beats.”) Some of my

favorite songs of theirs are

“Dramophone” and “Jolie

Coquine.” These songs keep

large swathes of sampled

vintage music while still

modernizing it with EDM

and hip-hop flair.

Another musician I have

enjoyed is Jamie Berry. He

is much smaller than Caravan

Palace, boasting only

300,000 monthly listeners

on Spotify to Caravan

Palace’s 1.5 million. While

most of his music is less

jazz and more hip-hop, my

favorite song of his is “Old

Records.” The remix samples

“Get Out Those Old

Records,” a song originally

recorded by Guy Lombardo

& His Royal Canadians in

1951, and adds a pulsing

beat that makes it near impossible

not to dance along.

One final song — “Bei

Mir Bist du Schön” by Osundi

— I stumbled across

while trying to find a remix

of the song that I could

listen to on Spotify, as the

song that first interested

me in electro swing was

not available on that platform.

(While there is a lot

of electro swing accessible

on Spotify or Apple Music,

there are many songs that

are only on YouTube or

SoundCloud. I assume that

those platforms are looser

when it comes to copyright

restraints and therefore

easier to upload remixes

to.) While I don’t enjoy the

rest of Osundi’s music, as it

lands firmly in EDM territory,

the song brought me

full circle.

I’ve never been a fan of

swing or EDM or jazz or

even hip-hop. But something

about electro swing

pulled me in. There is

something beautiful about

making the old new again,

about repurposing music

for the modern dance floor

that would have only been

listened to by vintage enthusiasts

or hidden in the

back of record shops. The

live brass bands and improvisations,

the fast tempos of

swing and jazz might seem

like a far cry from modern

dance music. But that energy,

that excitement, has

never gone away.

It has just been reimagined.

Valentine’s

Day Playlist

Although Valentine’s

Day has passed, it’s

never a bad time to

listen to true love

classics. Whether

you spent your holiday

with friends or

a significant other,

prepare to fall in love

with this playlist.

“Because You

Loved Me” by

Celine Dion

“I Have Nothing”

by Whitney

Houston

“All of Me” by

John Legend

“Can’t Help Falling

in Love” by

Elvis Presley

“Still into You”

by Paramore

“Everybody

Loves Somebody”

by Dean Martin

“Stay With Me”

by Sam Smith

“Always Be My

Baby” by Mariah

Carey

“Someone Like

You” by Adele

“Me And My Broken

Heart” by

Rixton

Scan our QR code

to listen!

Infographic by Samantha Roehl (‘20)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

CULTURE


The good and the bad of halftime shows

■ By Sean Meyers (‘20)

Eastside Staff

The biggest TV event of

the year is the culmination

of the NFL season: The Super

Bowl.

This game has been

played since the 1967 merger,

either in late January or

early February, to crown

a new champion of the

league. It has become such

a huge attraction that the

average price for a ticket to

the game today is between

$4,000 and $5,000.

The largest TV audience

for the Super Bowl

occurred in 2015, when

114.4 million people viewed

Super Bowl XLIX between

the New England Patriots

and Seattle Seahawks. Yet,

this global attraction is not

solely about football. For

people who are not huge

football fans but are more

so fans of pop culture, the

halftime show is a huge

staple of the big game. The

biggest names in music

have been brought out for

what has been dubbed “the

biggest concert of the year.”

Rock legends such as Paul

McCartney, The Rolling

Stones, U2 and The Who

have all appeared onstage

at the beginning of this century.

The 2010’s performers

were more pop-oriented.

The biggest acts of the past

decade were Beyonce, Bruno

Mars and Coldplay.

From 1967 to 1984, all

of the halftime shows were

college marching bands

from the city where the

game took place. The Super

Bowl started hosting

more acts as the ‘80s commenced,

but the shows all

revolved around a central

theme. The first “big name”

that performed was New

Kids On the Block in 1991.

Then in 1993, Michael

Jackson took the stage as

the headliner. He started

off the show by holding a

pose perfectly still for almost

three minutes and

then seamlessly broke into

a jam. This performance

has become legendary and

truly started the trend of

top artists performing at

the Super Bowl. However,

the game continues to keep

the old tradition going, as

bands are still used on the

field during the show as

backup for the performer.

Since the Super Bowl is

considered a major event,

there’s no shortage of criticisms.

The show has had

odd combinations of artists

put together like Aerosmith,

NSYNC and Brittany

Spears in 2001. Then there

was the infamous Janet

Jackson and Justin Timberlake

incident in 2004 where

Timberlake accidentally

revealed Jackson’s breast.

Many people were upset

about the selection of Coldplay

to do the Super Bowl

50 show, and many critics

dubbed it the worst show

yet. And last year had an

extremely underwhelming

performance from Adam

Levine and Maroon 5, along

with the whole “Sweet Victory”

debacle with Travis

Scott that was vastly hated

on, as the pair promised to

include Sponegbob’s Bubble

Bowl scene to honor the

show’s deceased creator.

The majority of viewers

were very disappointed in

the short time that Spongebob

was actually shown.

The clip that was shown of

the yellow character was

shown before Scott performed

clocked in at two

seconds.

This year brought something

new to the table. At

the 54th Super Bowl, Jennifer

Lopez and Shakira

headlined the big event,

celebrating Miami’s Hispanic

culture. This year

was the first time that

Spanish-influenced music

was featured on the major

platform and mainstage.

With Jay Z’s Roc Nation

taking a much bigger part

in the NFL’s public image,

they helped bring these

two pop stars together to

perform in Miami. It was

an exciting new chapter for

the “Biggest Concert of the

Year.”

Super Bowl ads give brands crucial exposure

■ By Liam Reilly (‘20)

Eastside Staff

The Super Bowl is the

final showdown between

the remaining two teams

of the NFL after a 16-game

season and weeks of playoffs

and the Pro Bowl. It

is also one of the biggest

days of the year for advertisement.

During the 2020

Super Bowl between the

Kansas City Chiefs and the

San Francisco 49ers, neartly

100 million viewers

tuned in. Due to the incredibly

high amount of viewers,

companies shell out

over five million dollars for

a 30-second Super Bowl ad

slot, and pay hundreds of

thousands of dollars more

for celebrities, locations,

production and staff.

As far as industries that

seize the game to advertise,

Ms. Leanne Shine, a business

and marketing teacher,

explains that “beer,

car, consumer product like

detergent, and snack foods

because the Super Bowl is

the biggest snack food day”

tend to place the most ads.

Shine further explained

how the commercials grew

into being as popular as

they are now.

“Back when the game

wasn’t that interesting, the

commercials became things

to look out for. Particularly...the

1990’s when there

were a lot of big blowouts,

advertisers realized they

can get more eyeballs.”

There is so much potential

that the entire marketing

and advertising budgets

of medium-sized companies

are spent producing a commercial

for it.

Companies that do this,

according to Shine, “use

commercials just to inform

viewers of their products.”

When it comes to the actual

development of a commercial,

there are a few

popular elements that companies

utilize. They typically

utilize A-list celebrities

and athletes or try to portray

a typical family. Furthermore,

they try to contain

either humorous bits,

pull-at-your-heart stories

Photo Illustration by Jeffrey Kaminer (‘21)/ Eastside Art Director

or patriotism. Snack and

beer companies typically

opt to utilize humorous elements,

with products such

as Doritos and Skittles as

the most widespread, and

car companies are more

likely to use patriotic appeals

or tug-at-your-heart

moments.

Platforms such as Instagram

and YouTube offer

companies to millions

of other viewers. Shine

explained that “companies

sometimes leak the entire

commercial beforehand,

which is a weird move to

do, but one reason might be

that there are a lot of eyeballs,

particularly with the

18-35 year-old viewership

watching YouTube and

they’re trying to get extra

viewership.”

Given the rise of online

presences of these companies,

Shine said that “the

data and statistics show

that the cost will continue

to rise because there will always

be viewers, but when

the data comes out of companies

that leak the commercial

beforehand, they’ll

adjust from there.”

Even with NFL’s controversies

with players such

as Colin Kapernick’s stance

for social justice, data

shows that there won’t be

an impact on viewership

during the Super Bowl.

As far as the election

season, Shine said that

“billionaires will spend that

money but candidates like

Bernie Sanders will stick

to the traditional routes of

advertising.”

Though the teams in

the final game change each

year, the marketing potential

does not differ year

by year. Companies will

continue to develop new

tactics and commercials to

fit in with the new trends

and popular cultural ideas.

Hopefully, 2020 brought

everyone some memorable

commercials that distracted

from the main idea of

this event: football.

Who needs to watch football

when the commericals

surrounding the game are

even better?

■ By Eli Weitzman (‘20)

Eastside Webmaster

The year

was 2009. I

was in first

grade at

Bret Harte

Elementary

School. It

was an interesting year.

President Obama was inaugurated

for his first term.

Michael Jackson died. The

Nook was released. “Boom

Boom Pow” by The Black

Eyed Peas and “Poker Face”

by Lady Gaga were among

the top songs. And a piece of

software called Windows 7

was released, changing the

game for everyone.

This past month, on January

14, Microsoft officially

shuttered support for Windows

7, killing an amazing

operating system. In honor

of this, I would like to take

a walk down memory lane

and remember this piece of

software.

It began early as a response

to Windows Vista,

a nice but flawed operating

system that debuted three

years earlier. Vista was the

first to use Microsoft’s new

Aero interface, which was

modern and futuristic looking

at the time. Many disliked

Vista’s processing and

performance while its device

requirements worked

to its detriment. So, Microsoft

responded with Windows

7.

Windows 7 used a similar

Aero interface design,

but was stable and a breath

of fresh air. It came built-in

with classic games, including

Hearts, Solitaire and

Purble Place (the last version

of Windows to feature

games out-of-box). Plus, it

was scalable and became

rapidly popular.

Even when Windows 8,

another redesign of Windows

interface, was released,

people stuck with

Windows 7. When Windows

10 was released, Windows

7 was number two in usage

(below Windows 10).

According to Statcounter

GlobalStats, Windows 7 sat

at number two in usage last

year, having 26.79% of all

Windows users. In the end,

people seem to love Windows

7.

Now, in 2020, it’s time for

Windows 7 to die. Its technology

is old — and slow in

comparison to today’s. Most

applications that worked on

Windows 7 are able to run

on Windows 10. Microsoft

even provided developer

assistance to those remaining

software applications

left on Windows 7 that are

needed for Windows 10.

There’s enough support

that Windows 7 is not needed

anymore and has become

a blockade in the world of

technological innovation.

It’s time for Windows 7 to

go away.

Windows 7 was a great

operating system that I

have memories with. But it

is time to move on.

SPORTS


Where are the fans: Lack of spirit or lack of wins?

■ By Jessica Levin (‘22)

Have you ever

counted the students

at the football

games? I have

and I can tell you

for sure it is not

what most people

would expect for a spectator sport

that normally would draw fans in.

The reason often falls on the idea

that our football team had a record

of two wins and eight losses this season.

Similarly, the girl’s field hockey

team had a fall season with two wins

and 16 losses. Last spring, the boy’s

lacrosse team had a season with five

wins and ten losses. In my opinion,

the poor records of some of East’s

sports teams makes the spirit often

lack at those games.

Walking through the hallways

on a game day is no different from

any other day of school. No pep rallies

for a big game, no uniform clothing

color to support the team and

no school pride. Some schools direct

their school spirit toward a one-star

player.

Over the last few years, some of

East’s sports teams have been improving

their performance, which

has tended to spark more spirit from

students. For example, East’s boys’

basketball team has a small but committed

group of Countrymen that

have fostered more camaraderie and

school spirit in the stands of the basketball

games. In the past couple of

years, East’s Countrymen have been

dying out and have been lacking the

spirit that used to light up the stands.

The name of Coach Bo

Wood has been well-known

in the Cherry Hill East

community ever since he

led the Cougars football

team to a state championship

victory in 1988.

However, his journey

did not start at East. Wood

was a three-sport athlete

at Haddon Heights High

School, where he earned 11

varsity letters. He was an

outstanding athlete in any

sport he played, whether it

was football, track or swimming.

Not only was he able to

prove himself as a player,

but he was also honored

as the team captain for

all three teams. Although

those three sports were a

key part of Wood’s life, he

knew if he wanted to make

a living, but also do what

he loved, he had to make a

decision. Also, coming from

a school that, at the time,

was not huge on sports, he

had to work even harder to

get where he wanted to go.

For all three sports, he won

All-South Jersey and received

notable honors during

his athletic career. Life

as a multi-athlete wasn’t

easy for Wood; however, he

did get more exposure in

one particular sport: football.

Along with his many

other accomplishments,

Wood was inducted into the

New Jersey Coaches Hall of

Fame in 1987 and the East

Athletics Hall of Fame in

2018.

“I guess the biggest reason

I chose to continue on

with football was that I

could make money… Also,

in high school, I was able

to play games with the

Varsity team and see the

game at a higher level,

and I knew that’s what I

wanted to do,” said Wood.

And it was in football

that he gained notoriety;

he earned a football

scholarship to the University

of North Carolina,

where he played for

the Tar Heels his final

three years and became

an All-American in 1966.

His football career

didn’t stop there.

“I was contacted by a

lot of teams when I got

closer to the draft time,

different teams saying

they were interested, and

of course I was interested

in [going into the NFL

too],” said Wood.

In 1967, the New Orleans

Saints drafted him

in the sixth round, and he

stayed with them for roughly

a year. Although

he was drafted, he

still had to work

extremely hard

to make the team

and prove he

should wear the

Saints’ black and

gold.

“When I was

drafted I was extremely

excited

about it, but of

course when you’re

drafted, you’re not

on the team [yet]...

you have to make

the team,” said

Wood.

After staying

with the Saints

for a year, he was

eventually traded

to the Atlanta

Falcons, played

with the Canadian

There is something special

about Friday night

lights. The roari

n g

crowd,

t h e

band

playi

n g

“Sweet

Caroline”

a n d

t h e

cheerleade

r s

entertaining

the

crowd

during

stoppages.

There

is something

s p e -

cial in

packing

the

bleachers

of the gym

for basketball games.

The loud “OOOOO”s while

the other team is shooting

free throws, the eruption when

a three-pointer is made, and storming

the court after a big win. High

school sports are special, but without

the student body being there to

Football League

in 1969 and then

returned to North

witness, it can feel trivial. The impact

that school

spirit has on not

only the community,

but the

actual athletes

playing is greatly

underappreciated.

At Cherry

Hill East, the idea has been formed

that high school sports is just a “fun

activity after school” or “a place

to meet friends” or for some, just

a means to getting to play at the

next level. However, there is true

glory in competing highly at the

high school level. There is pride in

representing your community and

your fellow classmates on the field,

on the court, in the pool and so on.

This idea of pride can’t just come

from the athletes. It is a mindset

that needs to be established in the

minds of every East student.

Earlier in the basketball season,

East played Eastern on a Friday

afternoon in the DiBart Gym.

During the first half of the game,

the relatively big student section

was quiet. Everyone was sitting

down, no chants were started and it

kept the energy low. The Cougars

went into the locker room down 10.

While the team talked in the locker

room, a few students who noticed

the lack of energy made everyone

stand and come together. When

the second half started, every student

was on their feet, cheering,

chanting, clapping. The team fed

on that energy, and eventualy they

turned it on.

Coach Bo Wood’s legacy shows the best of East sports

■ By Lily Lazarus (‘22)


Eastside Businesss Manager

The boys’ varsity hockey team, which

is a club team, has won three championships

and routinely brings in a

committed fan base that braves

cold condi-

tions at the

rink to

cheer

o n

their

East

team.

The

combined

hockey

c l u b

t e a m

t h a t

consists

of East

and West

brings

in a huge

fan base

from both

schools,

and the

games

are more

fun because

of the continuous

wins that

the team

pulls accrues.

S u p - port for

sports teams naturally dwindles

when there is not that

feeling that the team can win any

given game. After all, who wants

to spend their time watching their

school repeatedly embarassed by its

sports teams’ losses?

Courtesy of Mr. Erick Wood

Coach Bo Wood encourages young East football players.

■ By Sean Coen (‘20)

Eastside Staff

Art by Marcus Newman (‘22)/ Eastside

Staff

Courtesy of Mr. Erick Wood

Coach Bo Wood is recognized for his endless hard work.

Carolina where he earned his mark on East, but several

his Master’s degree in

players and coaches

Physical Education.

Before Wood came to

East, he started his coaching

career at Bishop Eustace.

But he eventually

found his way over to the

Cougars. Wood’s first grade

teacher had been in the

Cherry Hill School District

and reached out to Wood to

offer him a position at East

as a physical education

teacher. Wood accepted the

position and coached all

also left a mark on his

journey. When coaching at

East, he was lucky enough

to coach players that eventually

moved into the NFL

(one of them, incidentally,

played for his old high

school coach). Players including

Pete Kugler (‘77),

Glenn Foley (‘89) and Stan

Clayton (‘83) all joined the

NFL after their time under

Wood.

With so many outstanding

three sports he had previously

players and other

participated in. He coaches, Wood certainly

coached the football team

through one of its best seasons

in 1988, going undefeated

and being named the

New Jersey State Champions.

“I wanted to make a pro

offense and ran the back

had an incredible run in

his athletic career and has

always shown his passion

and dedication in his favorite

field, football.

After being inducted into

the East Athletics Hall of

Fame in 2018, Wood said,

all the time… I wanted a “Thirty-three years at

change and expose the players

to professional plays,

too,” said Wood.

Not only has Wood left

Cherry Hill, and I couldn’t

have asked for a better experience,

home or workplace.”

SPORTS


Athletes reflect on the college recruitment process

■ By Abby Yu (‘23)

Eastside Staff

The recruitment process

is, arguably, one of the

most stressful periods in

high school for a studentathlete.

From visits to interviews

to choosing a major

to pursue, these athletes

have a lot to keep track of

while being recruited.

The college recruitment

process varies from senior

to senior. The option to

pursue a sport along with

their major comes as a huge

choice as well.

Eddie Grant (‘20) played

midfield for East’s Varsity

soccer team and will be

playing for Lafayette College

starting next fall. He

grew up playing soccer and

his passion for the sport

continued to grow during

freshman year when he

began playing for East. He

has also played Varsity all

four years of high school.

Not only does Grant play

soccer at East, but he also

plays for South Jersey Elite

Barons (SJEB) Rush. He

was surrounded by a competitive

atmosphere that

allowed him to develop certain

skills and sportsmanship.

He and his team won

the US Club Soccer National

Championship in 2018,

which was and still is a big

deal to Grant.

Emily Mahaffy (‘20) will

be attending Rutgers University

this upcoming fall

and will be a coxswain on

the Women’s Rowing Team.

Her passion stemmed during

the winter of her freshman

year. Her role was

serving as a coxswain — a

ship driver — for boys. Being

a new freshman in the

district, Mahaffy found a

way to channel her personality

into rowing. The sense

of being “in control” empowered

Mahaffy and allowed

her to branch out as

a newcomer in a new school

environment. Her stepsister’s

experience and her

parents seeing how rowing

positively influenced her

was the push for Mahaffy to

give rowing a try. Mahaffy

is a part of the South Jersey

Rowing Club that pulls

kids from all over the South

Jersey area to row. She has

placed in Youth Nationals

twice, during her sophomore

and junior year.

In May of her junior

year, Mahaffy received an

offer from Rutgers. Not

quite ready to accept, she

kept up the dialogue with

her coaches. The coaches’

encouragements were a big

reason why Mahaffy decided

that Rutgers was the college

for her

“I felt as though I had

the capacity to be a high

performer rather than just

a number,” said Mahaffy.

Rutgers was her first

and only official visit. Mahaffy

committed the day of

return from her official, or

college-paid, visit and ended

the recruitment process

with other schools, including

self-paid or unofficial

visits to Duke and Georgetown.

Grace Yoon (‘20) played

a wide range of sports during

her middle school years.

She was an active athlete

in cross country, track and

soccer along with swimming

competitively for her

club team.

As freshman year came

around, she decided to

make swimming her primary

sport and priority

until senior year. Yoon has

been swimming for Wahoos

Maggie Balderstone (‘20)/ Eastside Staff

Eddie Grant (‘20) committed to Lafayette College for soccer.

Swim Club since a young

age and the East Girls’

Swim Team since she was

a freshman, and her best

events are the long course of

butterfly and breaststroke.

Swimming had not been on

her mind when it came to

college until the peak of her

sophomore year.

Yoon began her early

commission June of her

sophomore year by sending

emails to coaches. She

toured Harvard on her official

visit in April of her

junior year and found that

she wanted to be a part of

the team.

“Once I committed, I had

a renewed sense of motivation,”

said Yoon.

On her official visit to

Harvard, Yoon was impressed.

Going with her

gut feeling and evaluating

other factors, Yoon found

that Harvard would suit

her personal and academic


Grace Yoon (‘20) committed to Harvard University for swimming.

priorities best. She is more

than excited to be a part of

a unique community that

immerses herself with different

people of different

backgrounds.

“Around 6-8 girls are on

the team per class,” said

Yoon. “[Getting accepted]

was definitely a special

day.”

Yoon describes the recruitment

process as a very

stressful one. She explains

that it was difficult at first

to balance good grades,

swimming and college applications.

Yoon was unsure

what was suitable and

realistic for her, but when

visits and recruiting began,

Harvard soon rose to the

top of her list.

During the recruitment

process, a common element

in the college’s sports team

stood out: teamwork.

Mahaffy recalls on her

official visit a distinct

memory that displayed active

elements of teamwork.

Watching the girls was like

a ripple effect to Mahaffy.

When the fastest girl finished

her piece of the workout,

she would cheer on the

next girl. The process continued

until a whole crowd

of girls cheered on the last

girl to complete her training.

“That was the team atmosphere

and support that

I wanted,” said Mahaffy.

Yoon remembers admiring

the girls perform swimming

events on her official

visit to Harvard.

“I was in awe that these

girls could live like that every

single day, almost like a

vacation,” Yoon said.

Yoon wanted to be on a

team that embraces teamwork

and learning from one

another.

On the other hand, Grant

hit a bump in the road that

altered his progress.

“I broke my femur my

junior year, a time when

many students are in the

process of looking for colleges,”

said Grant.

Grant was unable to play

soccer for months, having

to undergo surgeries and

physical therapy. The tedious

recovery process prevented

him from displaying

his talent during the school

year. However, Grant’s

drive and determination allowed

him to strive for and

achieve his dreams in the

sport by playing for Lafayette

College.

“I was looking for a

school where I could play

soccer on a Division I level,”

said Grant.

Mahaffy recounts her

first year of freshman year

as the “new kid.” Rowing

allowed her to meet some of

her closest friends from all

over the South Jersey area.

Mahaffy says the struggles

and accomplishments are

what make up her identity,

and she is grateful for

them.

“Being in control the first

day forced me to toughen

up,” said Mahaffy.

Yoon describes that the

biggest challenge for her

was finding a balance between

swimming, keeping

her grades up and the recruitment

process.

“It was tough to balance,”

said Yoon, “I had to

give up a lot of things.”

Swimming has taught

Yoon how to manage her

time. Without swimming,

she would have had a different

college search experience

and not meet some of

her closest friends.

“I felt a lot of emotions,

good and some bad, but ultimately

swimming has done

a lot for me,” said Yoon.

Several sets of challenges

came along with pursuing

the sports. Each athlete

had his or her own ups and

downs, but cannot imagine

life without the sport.

Their sports have become a

part of their identity.

“Strive for your goal and

commit the time and practice

into the sport to improve,”

Grant said.

Grant believes that in

Courtesy of Rob Pungello

Emily Mahaffy (‘20) committed to Rutgers University for rowing.

order to achieve your goals,

a player must commit the

time and effort to improve

on their technique and

skills.

“It’s important to allow

sport to be a passion

of yours, not a chore,” said

Mahaffy. “[Being] in the

presence of your sport as

much as possible is important.”

Mahaffy encourages aspiring

athletes to be a constant

learner of their sport.

Having a passion for the

sport means enjoying the

team members and the atmosphere.

For future and current

college athletes, Yoon offers

some advice:

“Don’t stress too much as

long as possible,’’ said Yoon.

“It is important to enjoy

your high school experience

as much as you can to prepare

for the future.”

SPORTS


Brookover and Merch display their love for swimming and each other

■ By Alexa Atlas (‘22)

February is the month of love,

and swimmers Karolyn Merch (‘20)

and Jackson Brookover (‘20) express

love for each other and the

sport.

Swimming brought them closer

together as a couple in freshman

year. They have dealt with the

stresses of swimming, schoolwork

and college applications together.

Merch has committed to swim at

the University of Tampa and Brookover

is committed to swim at Penn

State University.

They are both excited to take the

next step in their lives and continue

pursuing their

dreams.

Merch started

swimming competitively

at the

age of six and has

been ever since.

From the moment

she first raced

through the water,

she instantly fell

in love with the

sport.

Like many

student-athletes,

Merch swims inside

and outside

of school. Her program

outside of

school, South Jersey

Aquatic Club

(SJAC), is very different

from East.

“My competitive

team is much

more individual,

while the East

Swim Team has

much more of a

team atmosphere.

You are relying on other people,

and they are relying on you, whereas

with club swimming, you are doing

everything for yourself,” said

Merch.

Merch swims six days a week for

at least 14 hours. She has to balance

swim practices, school work,

friendships, her relationship and

time with family.

“Swimming is one of the most

Sports are nothing without

the referees who ensure

that the rules are being followed

and that no one gets

hurt. Despite the importance

of this job, it can be

an unforgiving one, both in

rigor — one must see and

call everything — and in

the criticism one faces.

Still, there are many

who love it, like Jordan

Ablon, who referees high

school and college basketball

in New Jersey and has

refereed many East games.

A Cherry Hill native and

seven-year refereeing veteran,

Ablon has always had

an intense passion for basketball.

“I thought I wanted to

be a coach, and I started

coaching a little bit and

then I... realized to be a

Division I basketball coach

you kind of needed financial

support from your parents

to chase your dream,

and I didn’t have that luxury,”

said Ablon. “And then

I randomly thought, ‘let me

give refereeing a try,’ and I

sort of ‘caught the bug,’ as

they say.”

On the court, Ablon said

his goal is to get every call

Eastside Online Editor

challenging things you can do when

you are at such a competitive level.

Every single day I am going from

school to swimming, and I am there

for two-and-a-half hours with no

breaks and no days off. It is draining,

but in the end, it has really set

me up to be disciplined in every aspect

of my life,” said Merch.

Although the sport can be challenging,

Merch does not know

where she’d put all her time and energy

if she did not swim. She cherishes

the friendships she has built

and the memories she has made.

Just like Merch, Brookover also

puts his heart and soul into the

sport. From the second he could

walk, he and the rest of his family

knew he would be a swimmer, as

swimming

has always

been a major

part of

the Brookover

family.

“ M y

dad was a

swimmer

and he is

currently

a swim

coach. My

brother

and sister

both swam

at East

and in college,”

said

Brookover.

“My whole

family is

a bunch of

swimmers.

I got tossed

in [to the

sport] at a

young age.”

Brookover

swims at East and he swims

competitively for the Mount Laurel

YMCA (MLY). Just like Merch, he

thinks East Swim is more teamoriented

than his competitive team.

Between both his teams, Brookover

spends most of his days in the

pool. However, he would not want

it any other way. Brookover is so

thankful for swimming. The sport

has helped shape Brookover and

Courtesy of Karolyn Merch (‘20)

Merch and Brookover pose at their

swim banquet freshman year.

correct — which he cites as

the most stressful aspect

of refereeing — while also

communicating with coaches

and players about the

calls he does and does not

has made him the person he is today.

Merch and Brookover both agree

that they are completely different

athletes. They have different work

ethics and different mindsets.

When it comes to swimming,

Merch

tends to

stress out

more under

pressure.

She

is also a

very hard

worker

and is

very hard

on herself.

However,

Brookover

usually

stays calm

in intense

situations

and does

not let the

sport get

the best of

him. They

feel they

make the

perfect

match by

each of

their personalities

balancing

Courtesy of Karolyn Merch (‘20)

Brookover and Merch pose in the pool

during a meet at Bucknell University.

out the

other.

Brookover said, “[Merch] is a

harder worker. She lifts, she works

out and she eats healthy, while I

sometimes slack off and eat junk

food.”

Not only is Merch hardworking,

but she is a natural-born leader.

She is always there to lead the team

and help out her teammates.

Isabel Andino (‘20), one of Merch’s

teammates, said, “Merch shows

her leadership when she gets the

swim team together, focuses them

all on a single common goal and

she can motivate anyone with the

speeches she gives.”

Although Merch and Brookover

are completely different athletes,

they have ironically won the same

swim awards throughout their high

school careers.

make.

“I have a pretty good

rapport with all the coaches...

what it comes down to

is communication, so any

coach that asks respectfully

me a question... I always

try to give them an

answer,” said Ablon.

Ablon also gives verbal

warnings to players if it

looks like they are coming


Eddie Grant (‘20), captain of the Boys’ Soccer Team, reacts after a referee makes

an offsides call at a game last season.

Merch said, “The past three

years, Jackson and I coincidentally

won the same awards at the East

banquets. Freshman year we both

won Rookie of the Year. Sophomore

and junior year we both won Tough

‘nut.’”

With the dedication

the couple

has to the sport,

it is no surprise

that swimming

brought them together.

Though

they barely talked

during the first

part of their freshman

years, they

became inseparable

by the end.

Brookover said,

“Right after State

Champs, we started

really talking

to each other and

became closer.”

Swimming

plays a big part in

Merch and Brookover’s

relationship.

The couple

always finds

themselves talking

about their

swim practices

and experiences.

“It is nice having

Karolyn to talk

to since she understands

what I am going through.

She is always there to encourage

me when I need it and help me out.”

Merch and Brookover are always

there for each other and help to

boost each other’s confidence.

Merch said, “I am so happy if

Jackson wins.”

The couple wants nothing but

the best for each other. They both

dedicate so much time to swimming

and love to see each other succeed.

Although swimming takes up a lot

of their time, they still find ways to

hang out and talk throughout the

day.

Merch said, “Jackson and I always

make time for each other. He

is my best friend and I love spending

time with him, so even if we’re

both super busy, we still find a

way.”

Local referee explains his perspective on heated games

■ By Aine Pierre (‘20)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

close to committing a technical

foul. Of course, with

the job of refereeing sometimes

comes derision from

the stands.

Ablon says he has been

called all kinds of names by

fans, but he is usually unfazed.

“You really just try to ignore

them, because 95% of

the time they’re absolutely

wrong,” he said.

Though sometimes

Ablon will quip back at the

fans if they start becoming

rowdy, it is usually taken in

good humor.

Ablon said he does not

eject a fan until they cross a

line, like cursing or threatening

someone.

So, in such a hard job

with nominal pay, why stay

in the field of refereeing at

all? Well, Ablon explains, it

all goes back to his passion

for basketball.

“I enjoy giving kids the

opportunity to play,” said

Ablon.

Despite, and perhaps in

part because of, his love for

refereeing, Ablon does wish

that others would be more

mindful of what referees

sacrifice, in terms of time

with family and gas money

for drives as long as 90

miles and that referees are

human beings, too.

Eastside: February 2020

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