Highland

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October 31, 2008

October Issue

The Election: So What?

The

By Sam Finegold
Its 7 pm. You just got home from an away socThose
who
stand
cer game, a rehearsal, a job. You need to shower, eat,
News
for nothing fall start your hours of homework. Can you really take
Candidates on
the time to watch a two-hour presidential debate in
education p. 2
for anything.
an election in which you have no vote? Why should
-Alexander Hamilton you even be interested?
Feature
Heres why: this election will shape our future,
To Old to Trick-orredefine our present, and break with our past. For the first
Treat? p. 5
time in history, one nominee is black and the running mate of the
other nominee is a woman (this, actually for the second time). But
Spread
more importantly, issues discussed in this campaignclimate
Sherrell has style p. 8-9
change, energy, and the economyare pertinent to all of us. How
McCain or Barack Obama handles these and other issues will
Arts & Entertainment John
determine not only the lives of voters, but also us under-18s.
HSM3 Horror p. 12
Lets talk economics. Companies have suffered huge losses.
The stock market has plunged by hundreds of points in the past
Sports
two weeks. On the line are jobs, retirement plans, and spending
Football Team Dominates
capacity. Thinking close to home and about the future, what about
p. 15
your college future and job prospects? Its going to be harder than
ever to find a summer job or get a college loan.
Both Obama and McCain have answers. Obama favors
monitoring the economy through government regulations. The
government would not have complete control, but financial institutions would have to adhere to certain regulations to avoid a future crisis. Obama also proposes a $50 billion emergency economic
By Olivia Goldman
stimulus plan, which would not only create one million jobs, but
The modern-day band
would also help to rebuild failing infrastructure in schools and
usually consists of a vocalist, a
local governments. Obama also endorses legislation that would
guitarist, a bassist, and a drumallow families to withdraw up to 15 percent of their retirement
mer, and maybe a keyboardist.
savings (a maximum of $10,000) to increase cash flow.
At times, however, there are
McCain prefers the traditional laissez-faire approach. Inmusical deviants who dip into
stead of increased government involvement, McCain wants finanthe huge reserve of instruments
cial institutions to continue to self-regulate. He also proposes a
outside of these rock staples to
spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs and
produce interesting and differentitlement programs. He strongly supports the creation of a
ent sounds, such as the pass
committee that would come up with solutions to the crisis. ClearYellowcards accent of an elecly, the candidates positions on the economy are fundamentally
tric violin, Radioheads intedifferent.
gration of the xylophone, and
Perhaps more important than the economy are the environPanic at the Discos occasional
ment and energy. We need oil to function; we are having trouble
accordion. And then you have
finding oil; the oil we are burning contributes to global warming;
Sufjan Stevens, a guy from Deand we are too dependent on foreign oil. Both candidates are looktroit, Michigan, that just cant
ing to relieve our dependency on oil by trying alternative sourcget enough of all of them.
es.
Sufjan Stevensan AraObama has a bold energy plan, whichContinuedonpage2
bic name, despite his actual heritagehas a talent for composing striking symphonies and
movements that include blends
of strings, trumpets, choirs and
other classical components,
creating music with intricate
Images courtesy of www.google.com harmonies little heard by the
Two of Sufjan Stevens state-themed albums
mainstream listener while still
incorporating melodies with his own distinct voice. Much of Stevens instrumental layering, like in his albums Michigan and Illinoise, is possible because of his knowledge of how to play such a
large variety of instruments, including the oboe, recorder, banjo,
guitar, vibraphone, bass, drums, the English horn, and piano. He
often plays multiple instruments on a single track. And for those
of us who have an appreciation for lyrics, Sufjan Stevens does not
disappoint. Often, as Pitchfork Media puts it, delighting in wordplay and offering food for thought, Sufjan Stevens musical comImage courtesy of www.google.com
plexities go beyond the instrumentation, re-Continuedonpage13
McCain and Obama, battling over the issues with very different chins.

... And More!

Sufjan Stevens: A One Man Show

Volume LIX, No. 3 ~ Highland Park High School ~ 102 North 5th Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904

News
New President, New Term, New School Life?

By Jaclyn Welsh
In this exciting election, some upperclassmen at Highland Park High School will be voting for president for the very first time. In
order to make such an important decision on who to vote for, these new voters must think of how each candidates promises would affect
their own lives. For students at HPHS, education is one of the main issues that they should be concerned with, not only for themselves,
but for their fellow HPHS students. Below are the education views of Barack Obama, John McCain, and famous Independent Party candidate Ralph Nader, as well as how these positions would affect us as HPHS students:
Source: www.ontheissues.org

Barack Obama (D)

John McCain (R)

Ralph Nader (I)

Summer Learning Opportunities

Obama believes that the summer can be a
wonderful opportunity to gain new learning experiences which one may have missed
during the school year

What it means for us: More funding for summer school and more summer
classes. (Maybe Governors School would
get its funding restored.)

Virtual Schools
McCain wants to use
todays technology to bring the classes out
of the building and onto the computer.

What it means for us: HPHS would
probably not be relocated to the internet,
but extra lessons and learning could all be
done online.

Stop standardized testing

Nader believes that standardized testing is unnecessary.

What it means for us: No more ASK,
HESPA, or any other standardized test that
weve being taking since Irving.

More sex education

Though not the
most popular class in the world, Obama
believes that it is an important subject for
the schools.

What it means for us: Specific classes in sexual education for all grades. Teen
PEP might give more outreaches.
Free public college for any student with
a B- average To seniors who are applying
to college and looking for scholarships, this
could be a dream come true.

What it means for us: Grades will
become more important and the fuss over
financial aid would die down. You could
go to Rutgers University, Montclair State
University, or any other state college in NJ
for free!

Evolution in the schools should be optional McCain believes that teaching evolution should be up to the school districts.

What it means for us: It is not likely
that evolution would no longer be taught
at HPHS, but it is likely that many schools
throughout the nation would offer alternative theories about how the world came to
be.
New at-risk programs
John McCain
wants to have at-risk classes in the schools,
such as homeless education and anti-drop
out education.

What it means for us: More classes
to fill our curriculum with, although they
probably would be classes unlike anything
weve seen before.

We all know what Obama and McCain look like...

Heres a shot of Nader!

Student Congress Update

By President Yuchen Feng

Where did Spirit Week

flyers come from? Those banners in Center Hall and the
Cafeteria? How did we decide
on Superhero/Fairy Day for
Tuesday? Who organized the
Homecoming Dance? Whos
organizing the Pennies for Patients Fundraiser? There is one
answer to all of these questions:
Student Congress.
We have been meeting
every Thursday during lunch
in the club room. We discuss
all kinds of issuesfrom fundraisers to dances to decorations
for our school. Just before the
start of spirit week, a bunch of
us representatives stayed after
school to decorate those banners and posters that you see in
our hallways. As Student Congress President, Id say were
doing pretty well.
Now, with Spirit Week
behind us, were looking towards the months of November
and December. First item on
the agenda: bring in pennies to

More choices in the public schools

Nader wants to have more learning choices
within the public schools that can allow for
a richer learning experience.

What it means for us: More choices
in the school, such as home-based learning,
bilingual education, and job retraining.

help out leukemia and lymphoma patients! Drop them off in

your classs bucket in the main
office. The class that raises the
most pennies gets half the profit and a pizza party. Of course,
its no fun if we cant sabotage
other classes efforts just a little,
so bring in silver coins and paper money to sneakily deposit
them in the three buckets that
are not yours. Get involved!
You wouldnt want another
class to upstage you, right?
Student Congress also
wants to bring you a winter formalwith a snowball theme.
We want to do a Thanksgiving
food drive, so start thinking
about bringing in cans of food
and boxes of cereal. Another
idea thrown up by our representatives involves sending
chocolate covered pretzels to
your friends as a nice little gift
during the month of November. What do you think? After
all, Student Congress is here for
you, so start getting involved!

Election: So what? (continued)

includes investment in nuclear

energy and cleaner coal technologies. And using $4 billion
in loans, he would stimulate
the development of energy-efficient cars with the potential to
run up to 150 mpg. This could
help him achieve his goal to reduce carbon emissions by 80%
by 2050.
McCains energy policy
centers on offshore drilling,
which he believes will help the
US become less dependent on
OPEC oil and lower the price
of oil in America. In addition,
he wants 45 new nuclear power
plants built by 2030 to provide
an alternative source of energy.
As for solving the issue of gasguzzling vehicles, McCain offers a $300 million reward to
anyone who invents a battery
that could significantly extend
the mpg of a hybrid plug-in.
You may still wonder
why we should care about these
issues, and even if we do care,
what can we do? The answer is
this: we can get involved in the
process. It is possible to make

The Highland Fling

a difference even if we are not

18. And we should be learning
about the issues becuase soon
we will have the responsibility
of voting.
You dont even have to
leave you computer. Obama
has campaigned all over Facebook, and if you support him,
you can access many of his sites.
You can also create an account
on
www.barackobama.com,
which will allow you access to
news about the campaign. McCain offers similar ways to get
involved; in addition to visiting
his Facebook page, go recruit
friends on www.johnmccain.
com. And remember, both campaigns accept donations. It is
possible to get involved if you
so choose, and there are reasons
to care about this election - the
results will have a dramatic impact on us.
You never know: you
might even be the winner of the
prize for the hybrid plug-in.
(Quotes and references from CNN.com
Election Center and www.johnmccain.

com)

News
Food, Glorious Food

By Ken Chen
The physical distance between Wall
Street, Manhattan and Main Street, Highland Park tempts us to assume that the bedlam there will not spread to here. Congresss
$700 billion bailout and the Dow Joness
11% jump on October 12 seem to reinforce
and corroborate that reassuring belief. And
what about plunging oil prices?Down 35
cents in the two week period leading up
to October 12. Sounds good, right seniors?
And should this trend continue, the price
will probably fall bellow $3.00 in December.
The economy certainly seems to be looking
up on Raritan Avenue, Highland Park.
As though in an act of petulance,
food prices have taken to the offensive and
sought to offset lower gas prices with a series of price hikes. Wholesale food prices
have already increased by 8.7 percenttopping a 7.6 percent jump in 2007. Ordinary
Americans trade fearful anecdotes, warning
each other of egg and milk prices that have
doubled since last year. And it doesnt stop
here: detergent and other essential household items were not spared by the price elevatoin. Thus, the wrongdoing of financial
titans on Wall Street hardly pertains to the
average Highland Park denizen: unless we
consider food, which will force us to tighten up a notch on our belts, literally.

Presidential Debate at HPHS

By Wendy Pan
On October 29th, the AP Government and Politics class will be putting on a mock
debate in anticipation of the November 4th elections.
Brian Feldman and Chris Marshall as the MODERATORS
Describe the debate format.
Both candidates will be accompanied by policy experts, to whom they can defer.
Every student has a role and researches a candidates stance on various topics (war, energy, etc).
Are participants given questions ahead of time?
No. We have not selected our questions yet, but you can certainly expect questions on obvious topics such as our current economic crisis as well as the war in Iraq.
Will you two be coming up with your own questions?
The debates definitely provide inspiration for questions, but we wont concentrate too much on one particular topic. Its tough to maintain neutrality, but well try
our best.
To what extent will you moderate the length of answers?
We prefer a format that is more of a discussion than a set
of stump speeches. Well definitely encourage dialogue going
between both sides.
What are some things you think we should pay attention to when
watching?
Pay attention to the ideas and stances that you support
and how well the candidates answer questions. During the real
debates, candidates who are hesitant or lack a concrete stance
will craftily twist the question to deal with a barely relevant Imagecourtesyofwww.google.com
American flag lapel pin: a must
topic. (Also, keep an eye out for flag pins. Many elections have have for presidential candidates
been decided on the size of ones flag pin.)
Hannah Diamond-Lowe as BARACK OBAMA
What are Obamas weaknesses and how do you plan on accurately portraying them?
His greatest weakness is coming off as too serious. His rhetoric is uplifting, but
in the second debate he reiterated points at the expense of connecting with the audience.
During the AP Government debate, I dont want to bore the students; I wont mock
Obamas serious tone, but Ill try be a bit more on the offensive.

An HPHS student eating

an increasingly expensive sandwich

If it seems that food prices will continue to increase, dont forget this slim
hope for a decrease: food companies can
start a price war to attract customers. This
seems simple and logical enough. Unfortunately, the last time one occurred was in
1996 when Post cut prices by a drastic 20%
and devastated profit levels and related industries. Food companies were not able to
make money in for years! So it seems that
high food prices will likely stay for some
time.
For Highland Park students, the
food price crisis will soon extend beyond
home kitchens and into the school cafeteria. We are already peeved about the 10
cent increase in prices; imagine what could
happen if the cafeteria food was jacked up
by 25, 50, or even 100 cents! (That would be
a whole dollar.) Such an unpopular scenario
is unfortunately likely, since our school is
not keeping pace with food prices. Look
out HP, we will certainly have to adjust to
the new food climate.
Sources: www.news.bbc.co.uk; www.cnn.com; www.
nytimes.com; www.wsws.org; www.msnbc.msn.
com; www.world-hunger.com; www.ers.usda.gov

Amanda Tucker as JOE BIDEN

What is Bidens greatest asset and greatest burden to the Obama campaign?
Joe Bidens asset is his extensive experience, especially in foreign policy, in which
Obama is relatively inexperienced. Some of Bidens more conservative views will win
over Moderates and Independents. He sometimes speaks a bit too frankly, but ultimately, his strengths will outweigh any minor gaffes.
Joe Lobel as JOHN McCAIN
What are McCains weaknesses and how do you plan on accurately portraying them?
McCains weakness is his economic standpoint. He has to clarify his economic
policy; I intend to briefly outline his proposal so that people understand it. He isnt the
savviest politician, a trait that scores major morality points but not too many electoral
votes. Also, McCain is a poor public speaker, but I dont intend on portraying that.
Catherine Popovici as SARAH PALIN
Palin has been called everything from a savior for the Republicans to a MILF. Are any of these
terms accurate? If no, what term do you feel best describes Palin?
Its incredibly difficult to describe Sarah Palin in a single word. Liberals will obviously feel negatively towards her and conservatives might feel rejuvenated by her
somewhat redemption at the VP debate. I feel she is a bit inexperienced, but shes only
human. Im not going to curse her out because thats not who I am. I wouldnt do it to
any politician.
Thanks to Mr. Girvan and the AP Government class for their hard work, and good
luck to all the participants!

Remember to vote in the November 4 Election!

If you cannot vote, encourage others to do so...
October Issue

Feature
NobesPublished Poet?!

By Evelyn Chapman
If I were to ask you which one of the
he says I would write it all down; its just
teachers here at Highland Park High School such a positive outlet. When I asked him if
is a published poet, your first guess would he still writes now, he said not as much as
he would like to, but he is starting to write
most likely be one of the wonderful teachmore frequently again. He also added that
ers in our English department. What if I
were to tell you, though, that it is none oth- the Dodge Poetry Festival was a huge iner than our gym teacher Mr. Nobles! This spiration to start writing again, and anyone
who went to the festival would agree. This
is no joke. While teaching teens the rules of
the road, and showing them how to shoot is a perfect example of amazing things that
are right in front of you, but are not realized
hoops, Mr. Nobles has been writing poetry.
because people are just too busy to question
When I interviewed him about his writing
career, it was as if I were speaking to a com- or to simply listen. Mr. Nobles is already
pletely different person than the guy who held in very high esteem in the eyes of the
taught most of us to successfully throw a students at HPHS; when he walks into a
classroom a chorus of D-NOBES! often
football.
fills the air. Now we have another reason
Derrick Nobles began writing poetry
to admire him.
because of an English teacher he had durThough he initially was reluctant to
ing his junior year of high school. English
offer advice to aspiring poets, he finally ofwas not his favorite subject, but that teacher introduced him to an outlet that soon befered us these words of wisdom, The pen
is truly mightier than the sword: swords
came essential for him. It created my own
undoubtedly lead to tragedy, while writlittle world, he says earnestly, Where
there were no boundaries. Nobody could ing bridges gaps throughout time. So grab
a pen, because sometimes a bark speaks
tell me I was wrong. Whatever I wrote on
louder than a bite. Woof!
that paper, it was set in stone. He explains
how a lot of kids express emotions like anger or sadness through violence. Not me Success is never final, but failure can be.
-Bill Parcells

watching and even performing dances.

After the morning presentation, the dancers visited the Physical Education classes
in the afternoon, holding small workshops
to allow everyone an opportunity to get a
taste of the dances. Lured by the lively music, even our teachers joined us in dance.
Ms. Klimowicz, who at the time had some
pain and discomfort in her back, simply
couldnt give up her chance to dance. She
claims that this opportunity was not only
enjoyable, but also valuable and helpful.
Ms. Klimowicz believed that the seniors
got the most out of it. They were able to
learn three dances in one period. Ms. K also
asserted that these workshops would certainly help them in the future, with the upcoming prom, and even during weddings
and other special occasions.
Vice Principal Mr. Lassiter pointed
out, the dance company offered a nice
change of pace, especially with the rise in
interest in ballroom dancing in shows like
Dancing with the Stars. Certainly, as the popularity of similar television shows increases, it is evident that viewers are excited by
classical performances. The Phyllis Rose
Dance Company gave us an opportunity
to try dances for ourselves. Furthermore,
as Mr. Lassiter noted, with the addition of
the dance room primarily used by the Step
Team, our physical education program may
make better use of the facility and renew
dance as a component in its curriculum.
Few of us may have realized the addition
of this dance studio, the room with mirrorlined walls in the Gym hallway, but its a
fantastic place to practice dancing and aerobic exercises. In fact, over the past week
senior gym classes have been experiencing
the integration of dance into the curriculum, relearning some basic steps and then
developing their own choreography. If one
wants to learn dance, though, one need not
go as far as New York City. There are classes all over central Jersey. Take New Brunswick, for example: it offers a host of dancing workshops and classes that are open to
the public. Keep dancing HP!

D-Nobes with some Highland Parkers and Naomi Shihab Nye (poet, seated)
at the Dodge Poetry Festival on September 25.

Quieres bailar?

By Xiaotong Li
as a junior student exclaimed, she really
It was Friday morning after the Yom
enjoyed when the students went on stage
Kippur break. Most of us were daydreamto dance. Because the dancers interacted
ing in class and not wanting to be in school,
so we certainly werent expecting a lively with the audience and brought them onto
the stage, the presentation was more enjoyassembly to wake us up.
able and even humorous. At some points
In honor of Hispanic Heritage
Month the Phyllis Rose Dance Company the dancers looked uncoordinated and had
trouble connecting with the audience, but
from New York City visited Highland Park
there was much enthusiasm to work with
Middle and High School to perform a variety of traditional dances. Through dance we since everyone got to take a break from
classes.
traveled to countries like Brazil, Cuba, the
Few mightve remembered that
Dominican Republic, and Mexico, enjoying
October is Hispanic Heritage Month, but
popular dances such as the Samba, Chathrough this upbeat performance we were
Cha, Meringue, and Mexican Hat Dance.
The dancers grace was laudable, but able to learn about Hispanic culture by

The Highland Fling

Image courtesy of www.google.com

Mexican Hat Dance, a new favorite of Highland Park

Feature
Teens on Halloween

By Jasmin Elalfy
Fall is here and with the fall comes one of the best holiday: Halloween! You probably dont even have a clue how Halloween came
to be, but all we know is that it means free candy and staying out late. Halloween was actually observed as a religious holiday by the
ancient Romans and Druids who burned victims in wicker cages as sacrifices to the gods for protection against evil spirits. Halloween is
also the best day to communicate with spirits because it is proven that the most spiritual activity occurs on Halloween.
So, you still want to go trick-or-treating? Arent we too old for that? I went around the school to find out.
Are you going trick-or-treating?
Senior Claudia May: Yes.
Junior Mathew Webb: Should I? ...Yeah, I am.
Junior Isabel Reyes: Yes.
Freshman Natalia Petkov: Yes.
What are you going to be?
Claudia May: Im going to be Superwoman
Mathew: An oreo. Im going to have a white t-shirt and shorts.
Isabel: Im going to have baggy jeans to dress up as a boy.
Tali: I have cowboy boots so Im going to be a cowboy. My friend is going to be
an Indian so it works out.
Whats the best part about Halloween?
Claudia: Getting free candy!
Mathew: Definitely getting candy.
Isabel: Free candy!
Tali: Dressing up.

A Halloween pumpkin
Image courtesy of www.google.com

And my special question to the only senior: Will this be your last year going trick-or-treating?
Claudia: Maybe, I hope not but I dont know how my lifes going to be when I go to college.
So, the conclusion is yes, many will still going trick-or-treating this year. Enjoy a few more years of being a kid until you go to
college. I mean, inflation brought up the usual price of candy from 75 to 89 cents, so why not take this opportunity to get it for free? This
is the only month where you get candy like Smarties (aka the pills) or those caramel Mary Janes that you usually throw out. And I
know you take more than one candy out of the unsupervised bowls on the stairs. If you go trick-or-treating, youll be able to take candy
to school and eat it in the middle of class. Get out on Friday, October 31st and fill your desire for Halloween candy. I know I cant wait to
enjoy this yummy holiday. Have a Happy Halloween!

At the Bass of Max Jacob

Max and his bass

By Sam Finegold
Max Jacob is a red-haired, charismatic guy. Though you may not have seen him, you
have probably heard him. But how can you have missed him? Max is not always seen around
the school because he loves to be in the chorus, orchestra, or band rooms, practicing his bass. He
adores the instrument, and others have become infatuated with his skill. Currently, Max plays
with the Rutgers Wind Ensemble. I was able to ask him what it is like to play with this impressive group.
The Rutgers Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. William Berz, is a prestigious
group that plays many different and challenging pieces. It is remarkable that a high school student is able to play with such a group. But Max is not your typical student. He has played with
groups that include professionals as well as college students, and when he recounted his experiences with the group, he did so with an obvious fondness and ease. Right off the bat, it is evident
that he has a lot of respect for the groups director, William Berz, who is a very well qualified music director. When I asked him whats it like playing with the Rutgers Wind Ensemble? Max
replied that everyone there just loves playing under the direction of Dr. Berz. He expects 100
percent every rehearsal. Max elaborated that this does not mean that everyone plays the piece
right the first time. On the contrary, Max says that when they met for the first Tuesday rehearsal,
the piece sounded less than perfect. But students take down lots of notes based on Dr. Berzs
direction, they remain absolutely focused during the rehearsal, and they come in having practiced in the break between rehearsals, sounding like a whole new group, or as Max said, top
notch. Max says the biggest difference between the music groups at the college level and the
high school level is the level of professionalism. These are college students, he said, they
are music majors, this is what they do. They are always doing music related things. These could
include music theory studies, other rehearsals for other groups, and then studying. The point is
that the students in the Wind Ensemble are primarily focused on music.
There is less difference between the two directors Max plays for. When Max talks about
Dr. Berz and our own music director, Mr. Colmon, he only spouts out good things about both
men, and commends them for their diligence and efforts. Max said Colmon is on the same level
as Berz. He has an amazing ability to teach. And he knows what hes doing.
In addition to the Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, Max played with the Lehigh orchestra

Continuedonpage7

October Issue

Feature
Some More New Faces Around HPHS

Ms. Raj

Interview by Melanie Liu

If youve ventured into the science wing on the second floor
at any time since school started, youve probably met another new
member of our schools science department. Ms. Jyothiraj (also
known as Ms. Raj) is Highland Park High Schools new physics
teacher. Along with years of experience in teaching, she also brings
a passion for physics into her classes.
From the start, Ms. Jyothiraj expressed a great interest in
the environment at Highland Park. When asked about her decision to teach here, she said, Highland Park school is well known
for its achievements. The student community, faculty and other
staff have been a great strength to the school, and I wanted to be a
part of this team. She was also impressed by the helpfulness and
friendliness of the staff, as well as the eagerness and inquisitive
nature of students to learn science. These qualities left a positive
first impression on her.
From a young age, Ms. Jyothiraj had shown an interest in
pursuing teaching and physics. Having high school science teachers as parents, Ms. Jyothiraj inherited their dedication to teaching.
And what was her favorite subject as a child? Physics, of course.
She said that physics holds the key to some of the most fascinating things in the worldthe mysteries of the universe, iPods, satellites, everything.
Ms. Jyothiraj, who has always taught high school students,
said that she enjoys teaching this age group because high school
students are on the verge of embarking on a career and are most
focused on their activities. She also revealed her belief that high
school students hold much potential. As a teacher, she enjoys fostering interest in studying science among students. She cares a
lot about the direction of her classes and encouraging students to
explore the subject. Beyond physics, she also has other important
interests. In her free time during the summer, she enjoys working
on the garden in her yard. Most importantly, though, she loves to
spend time with her family, especially with her little daughter.

We welcome this dedicated teacherand her comprehensive knowledge of physicsto HPHS!

Ms. Wotton

Interview by Yuchen Feng

If you walk into Barnes & Noble, theres a good chance
youll spot a woman sitting with a skinny vanilla latte and a book
in hand. If the weather is spectacular, youll likely see her lounging outside. And if you drop by the Guidance Office on Mondays,
Thursdays, or Fridays, youll see her sitting at her desk, eager to
help you out. So who is this mysterious woman? Answer: Ms. Jennie Wotton.
A guidance intern and former meteorology major, now
studying counseling psychology at Rutgers University, Ms. Wotton
is very excited to be a part of HPHS this year. She initially chose us
because were one of the best schools in New Jersey, but after actually spending some time under the albadome, she feels blessed to
have met such welcoming staff and students.
So what converted an aspiring meteorologist to an aspiring
counselor? A little brother. Ms. Wotton truly enjoyed helping her
brother get through high school and survive the college application process. It just felt like the right thing to do, she says. Now
she wants to use those same counseling talents to help hundreds
and eventually thousands of other students succeed.
When not busy studying to be a counselor, Ms. Wotton enjoys a variety of activitiesfrom going to the movies to eating Colby Jack cheese and chocolate chunk cookies (separately, of course).
Over the past year, Ms. Wotton has laughed during Baby Mama
and teared up while watching Disneys Wall-E. As for TV, she
loves CSI: Miami and How I Met Your Mother. When not in front of a
screen, she listens to the Rascal Flatts and Faith Hill. And when she
has a free moment, Ms. Wotton wishes to travel the world (Sydney,
Australia and the Great Barrier Reef above everywhere else). Meeting Bob Barker from The Price is Right wouldnt be too bad either.
In fact, itd be downright awesome. Less exciting but easier to accomplish is her goal of making a quilt. At least she can remain in
New Jersey for that one.
And there you go: Ms. Wottona future counselor who
loves country music and Disney. Why dont you go see her for
yourself? Stop by the Guidance Office; shell be happy to see you.

Autumn in the Park

By Evelyn Chapman

Although people may complain about living in a small town like Highland Park, events like Autumn in the Park gives ours a charming glow that brings the people in it together. Parents sacrifice their childrens bedtime on this night to share with them the experiences
of a horse and carriage ride and listening to the musical groups
whose instruments and voices fill the crisp autumn air. This year
the event almost didnt take place due to lack of sponsorship, but
because the main street office cut back on things like the horse and
carriages it was still able to go on, and was still able to draw substantial crowds. An especially big crowd grew on the corner of
3rd and Raritan Avenue as Highland Park High School students
sang as part of Amandala and AA. It was a huge success! said
an enthusiastic onlooker. Other musicians could be heard further
down the street as well, such as Pete Horvath and a band called
Remember When. A DJ played dance music in front of Roberts
Florals further down Raritan. In addition to performances, there
were activities for the kids like arts and crafts, and discounts and
treats given out in some of the stores. When I asked a main street
volunteer and business owner, Jennifer Chapman, what makes
Autumn in the Park really happen, she said that its all about the
volunteers, and that volunteering in the main street office would
be a great idea for any student - it not only looks good on a college
resume but helps the town to be a better community. How does
the festival help the town you ay ask? Events like Autumn in the
Park bring neighbors together for homespun main street fun, she
says And at the same time it brings in people from out of town
and shows them that we have a vibrant diverse community with
shops and restaurants.
Acappelics Anonymous singing in front of Charlie Browns
at this years Autumn in the Park

The Highland Fling

Feature

Max Jacob GAG: Helping the World

By Diane Lee
the Musician
ment
before
(continued)

and chorus. While the chorus was entirely

comprised of college students, the orchestra
consisted of hired professionals in their fifties and older. Even with the abundance
of talented professionals, Max played assistant principle, or in other words he shared
a stand with the lead or principle bass player in the concert. Max described the concert for Lehigh as the biggest gig he had
ever played in, reminiscing on the hours he
had practiced and the atmosphere of the
concert. Max spends his Saturdays, from
dawn to dusk, at the Manhattan School of
Musics precollege program. This selective
and well-respected program includes eartraining, chamber orchestra, music theory,
private lessons, and bass ensemble.
But what about Maxs other life?
How did he get to the point where he is
now? And how does he, a high school student, manage to play in a role in groups like
the Rutgers Wind Ensemble and still get to
school? Max always knew he wanted to do
something involving music. It was just a
matter of trying out different instruments,
going from electric bass to upright bass, and
then discovering classical music through
camps and programs. It becomes difficult
for Max, who has such high ambitions as
a bass player, to keep up with school. Max
was given the option to be home schooled,
like a friend of his who is also a serious musician, but turned it down. Why? Because,
even though music is a huge part of his
life, he is not a, as he put it, a robot. He
also wants to have a life which includes his
friends and his family. For instance, Max
talked about how he enjoys catching dinner
with older sister who is currently attending
Rutgers University. And last year, he found
time to help Ms. Feng in the Bartle Elementary orchestra. There, he assisted her with
the children, handling anything from disciplinary matters to individual help. Ms.
Feng, who also teaches high school and
middle school orchestra, raves about Max,
and loves his talent and help. Max has also
earned the title of Orchestra President. Yes,
Max does practice hours everyday, seven
days a week, but he is a whole person that
loves life like he loves his bass.
As Max continues to practice hours
on end he will be applying to a number of
schools, which include the Mason Gross
School of Arts, Julliard, The New England Conservatory, Curtis, the Manhattan
School of Music, and Colburn.
Max will play in concert with the
Rutgers Wind Ensemble later in the year.
This concert is free, so come support Max
and listen to this esteemed group play at
8:00pm on Friday, November 14th. He will
also play live at 9:00am in his senior recital
on April 4th for the Manhattan School of
Music. These concerts will be very exciting
to watch and listen to and we are so grateful
to have such great musician in our midst.

each one. People are welcome

any time!

What are some

of GAGs accomplishments in the
past?
L e n a :
Our biggest accomplishment
was last winter when we
bought animals
through Heifer
International
for
impoverished
villages
as our holiSome devoted GAG members outside of the lockers.
day project. We
If you wanna be a global lover, you
raised
about
$800
and
got
to buy a llama,
gotta get with my Global Awareness Group!
chickens, sheep, a cow, and some other aniSome people may remember last year when
the first floor hallway windows filled up mals.
Anna: We have raised money for
with clover-shaped green papers that had
Darfur relief funds that have sent supplies
peoples names written on them. Indeed,
to the genocide victims. We have also sold
that was the work of the Global Awareness
Group (abbreviated as GAG), which took boosters and hung them on the wall in addition to selling t-shirts for Darfur.
donations from teachers and students to
support aid in Darfur. GAG formed two
years ago after a visitor to our school did a
presentation on the genocide in Darfur. A
group of people thought something needed
to be done about such travesties, and GAG
was the result.
GAG, unlike some other clubs or
organizations, does not have specific leaders; instead, everyone makes the important
decisions about the activities and the direction of the group. The main coordinators,
though, are juniors Lena Oshinskie and
Anna Boffice, who work with the groupd
advisor, Ms. Marionni, to keep GAG on
track. Here are some of Lena and Annas
responses from an interview I had with
them:
What does the group do?
Lena: Most of the projects we do
are suggested by GAG members. We have
done a variety of projects including selling boosters, having bake sales, and selling Darfur bracelets. Some of the members
have attended conferences on the situation
in Darfur, and we once did a presentation
for the school.
Anna: We started off trying to help
stop the genocide in Darfur, but now our
focus has expanded. Basically, if we hear
about a problem in the world that we would
like to help out with, we do. We are just trying to help the world.
How often does the group meet?
Lena: The group meets every other
Wednesday in Room 106. We would love
anyone to join us!
Anna: We will make an announce-

October Issue

Do you have any plans for upcoming projects?

Lena: We are trying to get a donation of energy-efficient light bulbs to hand
out as part of a global warming awareness
project. Around the holidays, we are hoping to be able to buy more animals through
Heifer International again. This year, we
are also going to try to do some service
projects in New Jersey. Its great to be able
to raise money to send to other countries,
but its also important to see whats going
on closer to where we live. If you have any
other ideas wed love to hear them!
Anna: Mrs. Johnson also said that
she has a lot of old text books, so I think
we might try to send some books to other
countries in need.
Are there any funny or memorable moments?
Lena: We got to meet George Clooneys dad. I think Ms. Marionni enjoyed it
the most, though.
Anna: We definitely had some funny moments when we were counting the
money at the end of bake sales. Oh, and
when we did the iLlama and iGoat, Lenas
top broke, so I made her a top out of duct
tape rather than getting a new jar since hers
was so great. And it was really funny when
we went to the Save Darfur conference
and George Clooneys dad spoke.
GAG really is a great group. When I
sat in on one of their meetings I was pleasantly supprised by the friendliness of the
group and their dedicaiton to humanitarian causes. GAG is open to anybody who
want to join in helping make this world a
little bit better.

Spread

Like OMG

Interview by Soyoung Kim; Photog

In a consumer society where shows such as Project Runway attract millions of viewers, and everyday t-shirt
can teens hold interest in style as a way of personal expression. Even within our high school, many stud
Senior Daniel Sherrell offered up his ow

How would you describe your personal style?

My style is kind of relaxed indie,

though Im usually too lazy to maintain that consistently.

Who or what is your fashion inspiration?

Hmm... fashion inspirations

somewhere between Thom Yorke
and Brian Guetti.
What does your style reflect about your personality?

My style reflects that Im awesome. Period.

The Highland Fling

Spread

G Fashion!

graphs by Hannah Diamond-Lowe

ts serve as billboards for advertising a brand, opinion, or celebrity, it comes as no surprise that many Ameridents (and even teachers) exhibit their creative sides, or their eye for style through their own wardrobes.
wn style for this months fashion spread.

Where do you usually shop for clothing?

Im pretty eclectic in
wear I shop. Actually, I rarely shop. Stuff just ends up
in my closet.
Whats more comfortable:
Ugandan garb or American clothing?

Ugandan garb no question. Much more flowy and colorful. People rock some crazy
dashikis over there. American
fashion kind of pales in comparison.

What is your current favorite trend? Your least favorite trend?

Favorite trend: those khafiyas all the kids are

wearing around their necks nowadays. Its awesome that Lil Wayne managed to make MiddleEastern headscarves ghetto. Least favorite: ridiculously large purses.

If you were a super model,

what would be your super model name?

What do you mean if I was a

super model?

Thank you so much to Dan Sherrell

who reluctantly engaged in this
potentially embarrassing yet
extremely hilarious photo-shoot.
October Issue

10

Feature

Need a Job? The Candidates Can Help

By Wendy Pan
High schoolers looking for a job often remember you better.
Example: When debating the econostress over the interview, oblivious of how
to prepare. But thats okay, since the Presi- my, McCain zeroed in on tax cuts, a theme
that cropped up repeatedly in his answers.
dential debates essentially interviews of
the candidates conducted by the moderator He sounded decisive and created a memorable argument. Audiences were not only
and American public offer tons of advice
aware of his plans, but also assured of
for a tte--tte. And when the candidates
screw up during their interview, heed the them.
mistakes: consider it one less blunder youll
make during your own. Here is some insight on perfecting the interview you can
acquire from the Presidential debates.
1. Talk about yourself, not your connections.
You are being interviewed for the
job, not your friend, sibling, or parent.
When handed a tough question, your first
instinct may be to respond, My friend
once did this If you must make a reference to someone else, insert the pronoun
I first. Instead of saying, My dad made
a mistake but eventually learned a lesson,
say, I learned a valuable lesson from my
dads mistake.
Example: During the VP debate,
Sarah Palin frequently mentioned McCain
what he has done and what his ideas
are. As VP, part of her job is to support the
President, but citing McCains work gives
no insight into what she herself can do.

Image courtesy of www.google.com

McCain making a point

2. Have a theme.
Emphasize a particular quality you
possess diligence, creativity, etc. Let that
trait become evident through your answers
(obviously, its okay to mention other qualities if the interview is long). If youre having trouble with a question (like What is
your biggest flaw?), think about your trait
and go from there (I have a lot of ideas, so I
sometimes have trouble focusing on a few
important ones). Instead of coming off as
someone who may be reliable and may be
diligent and may be creative, be someone
who is 100% reliable or 100% diligent or
100% creative. This also helps interviewers

If You
e

h
t
n
i
o
J

FLING...
Image courtesy of www.google.com
Obama making eye contact

3. Use eye contact the correct way.

Youve probably heard this a thousand times. Everyone tells you to make eye
contact, but maintaining it is hard. Therefore, just be sure to have eye contact when
making an important point or emphasizing
a certain answer. Dont gawk, though. Talking to someone who stares at you nonstop
is creepy.
Example: In the first debate, Barack
often looked into the camera, especially
when he wanted to stress a particular idea
or phrase. Afterwards, commentators applauded Obamas eye contact, noting his
confidence and the important connection
made between himself and the audience.
4. When talking about your experience, be
sure to relate it to the job youre applying
for. Dont just give a string of random anecdotes.
Almost every interviewer will ask
about your experience at a particular post
or any work experience in general. Give
concrete examples of experiences that directly prepare you for the position youre
applying for. For example, if applying to be
a waiter, mention experiences where you
dealt successfully with other people. Dont
try to answer the experience question by
offering a bunch of stories; you will sound
less coherent.
Example: When debating foreign
policy, Joe Biden alluded to his career in
the Senate his history of pro-Israel sentiments and his dedication to the Pakistan issue. These examples were relevant to the
topic at hand and clearly demonstrated his
aptitude in foreign policy.
Knowing how to give a good interview is an important skill. Chances are
youll be in the running for a job opening in
the upcoming years. Learn from our candidates and hone your skills, and who knows?
You could end up in th Oval Office.

The Highland Fling

All Yo

ur
s

m
Drea
will
come
True.

Dont
Believe
me?
Join

the
Fling

and Well
see whos
right...
e-mail us at:

thehighlandfling@gmail.com

Feature
My Story: Adopted by Poets

11

By Hannah Diamond-Lowe

On September 25th I
went with Ms. Marionnis creative writing class to Waterloo
Village, New Jersey where we
attended the biannual Dodge
Poetry Festival. The air was
rainy and cool but the grounds
were swarming with teens,
most looking vaguely artsy in
one way or another; some went
for the Goth look while others
preferred a more modern, indie-punk style. I think I wore
jeans and a jacket.
I am not someone who
has ever been in to poetry. I
would always brush it off saying that I didnt really care, but
in reality I was probably just intimidated by it. Poetry was full
of hidden meanings and references that only a few could pick
up on. My narrow exposure to
poetry consisted of some bor-

Members of the creative writing class making the secret CW symbol

my first experience with Patricia Smith. It cant

get better than
this, I thought. It
did.
Next came
Martn
Espada.
Some members of
the creative writing class buzzed
when they heard
his name. I had no
idea who he was
before he got up
on stage and introduced himself. He
was a large man
strongly
resembling a pirate, with
a big bushy beard
and a cap that he
took off when he
reached the podium.
He
was
calm on stage and
quite funny, but
when he read his
poetry he put on a
We sat in the front row for Martin Espadas reading. He
deep, resounding
was incredibly charasmatic and eager to answer questions.
tone and seemed
to read with his whole
ing old ladies writing about
body, leaning into the
marriage or something. (This
words and sounding
was probably left over from a
out the syllables. I was
bad encounter with Anne Bradliking this poetry thing.
street.) I was curious, then, as
My intrigue grew
we wandered over to a tent
as poet after poet refrom which the rich voice of a
vealed their words and
woman was talking about mixtheir lives to me. Marc
ing corn bread. After she was
Doty, Lucille Clifton,
done with her poem she fieldNaomi Shihab Nye
ed pieces and talked about her
they were all so warm,
work. She was charismatic and
so friendly, like every
she was interesting. Her obsercelebrity should be. I
vations would alternate from
was totally enthralled.
serious to humorous. That was
For Naomi Shihab Nyes

reading my friends and I sat on

the ground, feeling that it was
closer to the nature of poetry
to be touching the grass rather
than sitting in metal chairs.
At the end of the day
it didnt seem to be enough.
There was this whole world of
poetry and Id sampled a little
bit of not very much of it, and I
wanted more. Three days later
I drove back to the Dodge Poetry Festival for its final day of
poetry celebration. I drive a Corolla, not a bus, so I only took a
few friends with me. We heard
some of the best: Ted Kooser and
Charles Simic and Billy Collins.
They were fantastic. They alone
could read their poetry the way
it could be read. I felt like I had
to thank them in some way
and I went crazy in the Borders
book tent, spending half my
biweekly paycheck in the span
of a few hours. Ted Kooser and
Billy Collins both signed copies
of their books. When it was my
turn to approach their table and
have a few seconds with each

I became so tongue-tied. To
Ted Kooser (who I would like
for a grandfather) I could only
muster, Thank you so much.
It was really great. What a
stupid thing to say. Of course
its great. Hes a famous poet.
Stupid. Billy Collins was easier
to talk to. So youre the trouble-maker in your school? He
joked as he scrawled his name.
I nearly died of glee.
I came home that day
laden with books and a T-shirt,
completely inspired. Id been
given a hand into this new
world that Id always scoffed
at before brushing it aside. No
more, though. I keep my new
poetry books next to my bed
and I try to read one poem every night. I still do not write
poetryI dont think I have
anything much to write about
yetbut Im taking the first
step in reading and appreciating it. Ive been adopted by
these poets who welcomed me
so warmly into their world.

Naomi Shihab Nye preparing for her reading

October Issue

12

Arts & Entertainment

High School Musical 3:

ATestofStrengthandTolerance
By Brian Feldman

It has been a while since

I have seen a movie that actually made me ashamed not only
of myself, but also of American
culture as a whole. Lucky for
me, High School Musical 3 ended that drought. For
those of you who have
been living under a
rock for the last few
years, the HSM series
is about some teenagers in high school and
it is a musical. On his
show, comedian Stephen Colbert recently
described it as Totally the best! The first
two premiered exclusively on the Disney
channel, but not content with pumping
the saccharine filth
through your TV, Disney decided to cash in
and release the third
one in theaters. Thats
really what it boils
down to. This movie
is a cash-in, and every
tween from Highland
Park to Los Angeles is
going to eat it up like
free candy.
Im not sure
where
to
begin
when discussing what is wrong
with HSM3. The plot has something to do with putting on a
play during the class senior
year, but some scheming diva
whose name I have blocked
from memory is going to ruin
it by trying to put the spotlight
entirely on herself. Also, everyone is going to college and they
have to struggle with and balance following their dreams,
saying goodbye to their friends,
and some other generic moral
quandaries. Wow! Such dra-

ma!

Compounding the utterly predictable story is an

outrageously large number of
plot holes and continuity errors. The grades of characters

HSM3 makes me cry.

are constantly jumbled and the

school year makes constant and
random leaps forward in time.
In one musical number, Troy
breaks into the school at night
only to be confronted by his
drama teacher who I assume
has taken up permanent residence in the auditorium. That
reminds me, the drama teacher
constantly flip-flops between a
British and an American accent.
That is just lazy filmmaking and
poor writing.
The songs of the film

cover all types of important topics that teens, like totally, have
to, like, face today: materialism,
friendship, high-octane sports
moments, the prom, junkyard
monsters, and last but not least,
some sort of raining
basketball
apocalypse. The music is
definitely varied, but
all of it made me feel
equally
nauseous,
so I guess you could
describe it as consistent.
The
entire
movie is perforated
with a tone of what
I can only describe
as exploitation. It is
a corporate cash-in
from the House of
Mouse, and the sad
thing is that tons of
kids (or their parents) are going to buy
the soundtrack, the
DVD, the DVD again
when it comes out as
a special edition, and
the deluge of shirts,
backpacks,
lunch
boxes, and other assorted merchandise.
Is this what we have
become? Drones that
will eat up anything advertised
to us constantly? It starts with
High School Musical, it continues with the Jonas Brothers and
I shudder to think about what
bland, mass-produced drivel Disney will feed everyone
next.
I did enjoy one part of
going to see High School Musical 3, however: when the credits
started to roll. Save your time,
money, and sanity, and sit this
one out.

Weekend Concerts for

NOVEMBER

Compiled by Olivia Goldman

Getting cold? Concerts
will let you jump around with
a bunch of other people... snuggly warm.
Chiodos and Silverstein ($25)
Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY
Fri, 11/07/08, 6:00 PM
Smashing Pumpkins ($50-90)
United Palace Theatre
New York, NY
Fri, 11/07/08, 8:00 PM
Hellogoodbye ($15)
Crazy Donkey Bar and Grill
Farmingdale, NY
Sat, 11/08/08, 6:00 PM
Dir En Grey ($29.50)
Terminal 5, New York, NY
Fri, 11/14/08, 7:00 PM
Blind Melon ($25)
Manhattan Center
Grand Ballroom
New York, NY
Fri, 11/14/08, 7:30 PM
Staind ($42.50)
Convention Hall
Asbury Park, NJ
Sat, 11/15/08, 5:30 PM
The Academy Is... ($24.50)
Starland Ballroom
Sayreville, NJ
Sat, 11/15/08, 6:00 PM
Jacks Mannequin ($32.50)
Blender Theater at Gramercy
New York, NY
Fri, 11/21/08, 7:30 PM
We Are Scientists ($12)
The Wonderbar
Asbury Park, NJ
Fri, 11/21/08, 8:00 PM
Method Man ($30)
Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
Fri, 11/28/08, 7:30 PM
OneRepublic ($29)
Starland Ballroom
Sayreville, NJ
Sat, 11/29/08, 6:00 PM
Mindless Self Indulgence ($22)
Starland Ballroom
Sayreville, NJ
Sat, 12/06/08, 7:00 PM
Sources: Ticketmaster, Coast to
Coast Tickets, TicketWeb, iLike

Everyone likes music

Send us your favorite songs and well add them to our
HP Playlist!
Share your music, or write about your favorite bands!
thehighlandfling@gmail.com
The Highland Fling

Arts & Entertainment

Saturday Night Live:
Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

By Michael Chernin
Im sure that many of us have seen
We know that Senator McCain is an
the show Saturday Night Live at least once elderly candidate. In an attempt to poke
or twice, but for those of us who are new fun at McCains forgetfulness, SNL wrote
to the show, it consists of ninety minutes
in a funny bit on him not being able to reof great sketch comedy. SNL debuted on member an audience members real name.
October 11, 1975, and has been a hit and
Kevin asked a question about Russias
presence in Georgia. McCain responded,
Well,
first of all Luther,
thank you for
your
question.
He went on to call
him
Eduardo,
and
incorrectly
called another audience
member
Zebadiah. In a
jab at McCains
tendency to wander around the
debate floor, the
McCain
impersonator
moved
about the set, cutImage courtesy of ww.hulu.com
ting in front of the
SNL alums Tina Fey and Will Ferrell playing Sarah Palin and George W. Bush
camera and behind
modern comedy influence ever since. Re- Obama.
cently, SNL has picked up quite a few extra
In mocking the third debate, Joe the
viewers as former cast member Tina Fey
Plumber did not go unnoticed. On SNL,
returned, playing Governor Sarah Palin.
they spoofed McCains obsession with usFor the last three weeks leading up to the ing this man as an example of a likely vicpresidential election, SNL has had special
tim of tax increases under an Obama adpolitic editions on Thursday nights. If you ministration. In the actual debate McCain
missed the shows, here is a recap of the
mentioned Joe twenty-five times! SNL did
great, humorous commentary on realistic
a good job of commenting on realistic issues
issues Americans are facing today.
such as the economy, government spendIn an opening sketch mocking the
ing, and tax policy, while still remaining
second presidential debate, SNL portrayed humorous.
the lack of time the candidates were allotted
Last but not least, Tina Fey has done
to present their views on the issues. The real an uncanny impersonation of Sarah Palin
Senator Obama and Senator McCain found for the last few weeks. Palin has been critithemselves constantly being cut off or incized for her lack of knowledge in the areas
terrupted by the moderator, Tom Brokaw. of foreign policy and various other aspects
More than once, Brokaw had to remind the
of politics. In an interview with Sarah Palin
candidates of the debate rules they agreed (Fey) administered by Katie Couric (Amy
to. For viewers, this became a constant in- Poehler), Palin spoke about her trip to the
terruption, tedious even. SNL cut off the UN. She said, It was just amazing, so many
candidates from speaking, going so far as interesting people, though I have to say, I
to cut off the audience from asking ques- was disheartened by how many of them
tions. In one last humorous attempt, SNLs
were foreigners. I promise that when SenaTom Brokaw impersonator (another alum- tor McCain and I are elected were gonna
nus, Chris Parnell) requested two questions get those jobs back in American hands!
from the audience to be asked simultaneTo sum it up, SNL has gotten milously to save time. Then, both Obama (Fred lions of viewers on television and online
Armisen) and McCain (Darrell Hammond)
from their witty commentary on politics,
answered the two questions at the same
government, and issues facing our nation.
time. This was all a mockery of the lack of You can catch SNL on Saturdays at 11:30
time allotted to the candidates during the
pm on NBC for more of this topical comedy
actual debate.
show.

Iftheresamovieyouwantustoreview,letusknow.
(Anything would be better than HSM3)
Or, write your own review!
October Issue

13

Sufjan Stevens (continued)

sulting in his widespread critical acclaim in

both the U.S. and the U.K.
Aside from being a long-time favorite of HPHSs own Acappellics Anonymous, it took a while for Sufjan Stevens
music to reach such a level of popularity.
While virtually unknown, with no intention of compromising his musical impulses
in exchange for popularity, Sufjan released
two albums on a private record label, Asthmatic Kitty Records, that he ran with his
step-father. His second album, Enjoy Your
Rabbit, merges his coming symphonic style
with digital and electronic sounds, but
without any lyrics. Upon its release, the album featured twelve tracks (one for each
zodiac animal), and wasnt really taken
seriously by anyonethe album confused
critics, and found its place in the reduced
price section of record stores. It wasnt
until Seven Swans that Sufjan Stevens began to sing, and his CDs started ending up
somewhere other than a dark, dank closet
somewhere in the vacuous black hole of
the universe. His music gained increasing popularity with each album, leading
to numerous awards, such as being named

Image courtesy of ww.google.com

Sufjan Stevens

Male Artist of the Year by the indie-music critics of Pitchfork and reaching #3 on
the U.S. Independent charts.
With the release of his album Michigan, Sufjan Stevens announced his overthe-top plan to create an album for each of
the fifty states of America. While no one really believes that this dream will ever be accomplished, it serves to emphasize Stevens
eccentric personality and fascination for
music of epic proportions (as well as song
namesout-lengthening even the most
ridiculous Fall-Out Boy titles with pieces
such as To the Workers of the Rock River
Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning
Your Predicament, and It Involves an Inner Tube, Bath Mats, and 21 Able-Bodied
Men). But this does give us something to
look forward tothere is reason to believe
that New Jersey could be the inspiration for
the next album!
Sources:
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufjan; www.pitchforkmedia.
com; www. asthmatickitty.com; www.stereogum.com

14

Opinions
Halloween, still got it?
By Hannah Diamond-Lowe
cal figure. In some ways I think
minimal. It it totally free if you
we have come to appreciate pull together a costume of old
this holiday more than any oth- clothes and grab a pillow case
er. Valentines Day requires too
to cart around your haul.
much pressure.
T h a t
High
school
is not to say
couples rarely
I expect the
know how to
same
afterappropriately
trick-or-treatcommemoing pow-wow
rate this Hallwhere we all
mark
holiday,
sit
around
and the level
and compare
of
awkwardwhat
candy
ness about who
we got and
wants to ask out
then eat half
who is tedious.
of it. Alas
The
presentnew
forms
giving holidays
of entertainof
Christmas
ment
have
and Chanukah
trumped this
Image
courtesy
of
www.google.com
are always enritual: namely
joyable, but they are more famparties. Luckily this Halloween
ily orientated, as is New Years,
falls on a Friday, and school the
for some.
next day will not keep anyone
But Halloween is a thing
from staying out late.
unto itself. Almost by definition
One unfortunate evoluit is a kids holiday. For us teens
tion of Halloween, that I think
it is a nostalgic throwback to a
Highland Park High School has
simpler time, in which we rebeen spared so far, is the gromember dressing up and candy
tesquely skimpy nature of Halto be the norm. This is a holiday loween costumes made for oldyou spend with your friends.
er women. I grew up on Disney
There is not pressure to take movies and unless I was misson the maturity of buying gifts
ing something, I do not rememor giving cards and the cost is ber Snow Whites dress being

cut so low or her skirt so many

feet off the ground.
In this regard I am actually quite proud of Highland
Park, for the most part, for its
rejection of this look and its embrace of home-made costumes.
This approach is usually best
anyway, and expensive, readymade costumes are more than
ever being viewed as a copout.
It is also more original
and more fun to go as a group
and disguise in tandem. I think
some of the group costumes
Ive heard have been phenomenal, including the Scooby-Doo
team,
Obama-Biden-McCainPalin quartets, and the Arthur
crowd. After all, its more fun
to haul in treats as a coherent
group then as a conglomerate
of witches and Darth Vaders.
I think weve done a
good job of maintaining the innocent spirit of Halloween that
we loved as children. We may
be older and beyond the years
of being cute, but we still like
to have fun on Halloween. We
still like looking a bit strange
and being able to laugh at each
other. We definitely need the
stree relief and the time to unwind. And we still like candy.

.
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The Highland Fling Staff

Advisor: Ms. Marionni

at

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r
w
we

Dontli
ke

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..

Halloween goes through

phases along with the American
youth that celebrate this candygrabbing holiday. I gave every
costume my all until about the
age of eleven or twelve when
it was suddenly cool to question such fun and games as the
Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause.
Halloween was lumped in with
these two figures as questionable - is this cool?
The holiday revives itself a few years down the road
when we decide that, yes, it is
cool. But not quite in the same
way. Weve given up trying
to frighten each other and the
house displays of light-up
skeletons and fake spiderwebs
have lost their scare factor. We
appreciate their effort, but no
longer grab our candy and run
for safety. And another change,
now that were older - we are not
chaperoned by a parent, making sure a bunch of elementary
school children are not wandering the streets of Highland Park
alone and undefended.
Since those years weve
gained some freedom and some
self-confidence, and dressing up
has become cool again - whether you are a member of the Justice League or a current politi-

h
e
er

o
y
r
e re f o

Editor-in-Chief, Layout: Hannah Diamond-Lowe

News Editors: Yuchen Feng and Melanie Liu
Feature Editor: Soyoung Kim
Arts & Entertainment Editor: Brian Feldman
Opinions Editor: Katy Naples-Mitchell
Sports Editor: Jenny Xie
Reporters: Evelyn Chapman, Ken Chen, Michael Chernin, Alvin
Choi, Jasmin Elalfy, Sam Finegold, Olivia Goldman, Saskia
Kusnecov, Christine Lee, Diane Lee, Xiaotong Li, Wendy
Pan, Jacklyn Welsh
Photography: Hannah Diamond-Lowe

Thank You!

The Highland Fling

Sports 15

Owls Football: Impressive All-Around

By Jenny Xie

Quick Recap
Despite the fact that constructions have taken away the
Owls home field, the HPHS football team has shown tremendous
determination and success. As of mid-October, the Owls have four
impressive wins under their belt, with the victory over Metuchen
as the cherry on top.
The season opened up with a 12-6 win over rival South River. The boys then cruised past Cardinal McCarrick 35-18. The third
game against Dunellen was not as easy; at half time, the boys were
down 6-14. But no fear! The Owls made a remarkable comeback
in the second half and ultimately destroyed the Destroyers 25-14.
Afterwards, head coach Mr. McGlynn whom we endearingly call
Mac reflected, We grew as a team.
Such growth shone through in the truly exhilarating game
Our players
against our arch-rival Metuchen Bulldogs. The Owls led through
revealed, Its all about repetition. Our guys need to really know
the first half 28-14. With 58 seconds left, the Bulldogs made a huge our game so that offense becomes second nature.
comeback, taking the score to 30-28. But our teams calm and cool
But by no means is the Owls football all work and no play.
from Dunellen carried over. Mac recalled tellThe night before each game, the guys gather
ing the guys, Theres time left and we have
for a team dinner. We can only imagine
From a fans perspective
great players. Were going to do this. They
how much merrymaking and camaraderie
sure did it. With 11 seconds to go, the Owls Ms. Washington is a dedicated Owls foot- happens there.
made another touchdown and defeated the ball fan. Her thoughts on the Metuchen
Bulldogs 34-30.
Were doing good
game?
I asked some members of Owls
One of the best football footballWhen
Day In Day Out
how their season is going, Were doAway from all the excitement on the
ing good seems to be the popular response.
games ever.
grassy field, the HPHS football team remains The last minute to 25 seconds were filled The same optimism and confidence extends
a highly dedicated and passionate group. with ups and downs in the stands. It was to the freshmen players. Quawi Bachelor,
Unlike the soccer or tennis teams, which usu- full of emotion. But we came out on top!
the freshman quarterback for the Junior Varally compete in two or three games per week, . To sum it up, HP Football is very excit- sity (JV) team thought away games would
Owls football only have games once a week. ing to watch. You all should come out and be harder; but instead, the JV team routed
This means that the rest of the week is spent support!
their first opponent of the season, Metuchen,
in practice.
31-6. Juan Sanatana and Jack Karagan, both
According to Mac, The boys like
freshmen, are also extremely impressed with both the Varsity and
practice; they work hard. In fact, preseason sessions in Donald- JV teams. Sanatana and Karagan believe high school football is
son Park lasted two-and-a-half to three hours under the scorching
definitely an upgrade from middle school football. They expressed
August sun. Now, in regular season, the practices last two to twothat although they had a good team in MS, they didnt know how
and-a-half hours. To compete and win, the Owls have devoted ex- to use plays. We have a good coach, good players everythings
tensive mental and physical energy towards preparing for every good, they agreed.
facet of the other teams game. Talking specific strategies, Mac
After the October 18 tough loss against Robbinsville, the
Owls still possess much faith in themselves. Junior Nate Smith, the
teams linebacker, saw the defeat as a wake-up call. But looking
into the future, he says, We know what we gotta do play smart.
Were dangerous.

Whats next?
Owls football is now working for the Gold Division Conference Title and another shot at States. According to Mac, when
looking for States, the difficulty
level escalates with each successive match. To qualify for states,
we need first and foremost a winning record. Then, by playing and
defeating more big schools, the
team earns more Power Points.
Records and Power Points determine rankings for States. As of
right now, the Varsity record is 51. In a fantastic 27-0 win on Sunday our Owls beat Spotswood in
an away game, with Fitzgerald
scoring four touchdowns.
Go getem, Owls! Grab the
top seed!

Metuchen falling to a crowd of HP defenders

Yeah, right! The HP Owls punished the Metuchen Bulldogs 34-30.

Bryant Fitzgerald and Louis Middleton

jump for joy to celebrate a touchdown
in the first half against Metuchen.
Photos courtesy of www.mycentraljersey.com
Follow Owls Football online at:
www.maxpreps.com and www.mycentraljersey.com

October Issue

16

Sports
Soccer Success: Our Lady Owls
By Saskia Kusnecov

In an exclusive interview with Coach

Ruck, I got some first hand information on
the amazing girls soccer team this year,
and an inside look on the mechanics of the
team.
The teams in 08 and 07 were very
similar to this years, and it is only accurate
to distinguish them upon size and leadership. Each year, four senior girls are chosen to be the captains of the entire team
but this year, there are only four senior
girls on the team! Ally Kessler, Zoe Tatiner,
Abby Petkov, and Audrey Krum had the
overwhelming responsibility of training a
team of almost thirty girls over the summer without the help of Coach Ruck. Their

older girls in charge are clearly outnumbered by the juniors and underclassmen.
There are four seniors, eleven juniors, five
sophomores, and around seven freshmen.
So the teamwork factor is clearly a tough
one for all of them to grasp because in order to have teamwork, there needs to be an
authority outside of the coach.

Hopefully, as the Owls make
their way into States in the upcoming weeks,
theyll band together better than ever and
prove that they can excel as a team!

Congratulations on making
States girls, and heres hoping for a great
rest of the season!

Thanks for taking this picture, Brian

Senior Abby Petkov, goalie for the team

task was a difficult one, but based on the

tremendous amount of technique demonstrated in the team this year, Id say they
succeeded with flying colors.
Skill and heart are two entirely different things when playing a game of soccer. At the beginning of the season, the heart
just wasnt there. As the season progressed,
and the girls experienced a few more wins
and losses, the heart started to grow. The
games became more fluid. Ruck says that
part of what it takes to win a game, is the
wanting it factor. If you dont truly want
it, then you are not going to put everything
you have into getting it. And as the girls
wanting it factor rapidly built up, so does
success!
Another factor that goes into a great
win is the teamwork. When asked about
the girls teamwork, Coach Ruck says, The
teamwork is interesting. They have their
good and bad days and its really a work in
progress. Theres nothing that I, as a coach,
can do, but my idea is that there needs to be
more of an intimidation factor between the
grades. What he means by this is that the

Itsfuntobepartofateam,
right?

So join the Fling!

Oryoucouldjoinarealsportsteam
andthenrightaboutitfortheFling!
OrIguessyoucouldjustjoinasports
team...

Welltrytodosomethingathletic.

Like cookie-eating!
The Highland Fling

The Pros and Cons

of Boys Soccer

By Alvin Choi
The Highland Park High School
Boys Varsity Soccer is packed with many
skillful players. Most of these soccer players will say that soccer is the number one
sport. Even though many say this, there are
still some negative factors to soccer. Here
are a few of the answers I received when I
asked some varsity soccer players, What
do you like least about soccer?:
Min-Sung Choy, a.k.a. Kitty Cat
I hate the stupid referees, like the one
in Timothy Christian who needed some
glasses.
Chris Marshall, Captain of the team
- I dislike all the running and nightmares we have to do during practice.
Sam Lobel, Lucas Vanarthos, and
Dan Sherrell The feeling you get
when you lose.
Sam Finegold Coming back home
from soccer feeling tired and knowing
you have a bunch of homework to do.
Even with all these let downs, all of
the varsity soccer players still love the sport
and are devoted to the team. When I asked
what them what they loved about soccer I
got a diverse set of answers, showing that
soccer is different for each person. One of
the freshmen on the team, Min-Sung stated that My favorite thing about soccer is
breaking the opponents leg and the feeling
I get when I score a goal. Another freshman, Noah Weinberg (who unfortunately
does not yet have a nickname) said that his
favorite part about soccer is playing with
friends. A few more answers to the question were:
Montgomery Draper and Lucas
Vanarthos When I score a goal.
Sam Lobel No matter how much
you play or how much devotion you
have it never stops being fun.
Chris Marshall Playing goalie.
All of these answers show truly that
soccer is one of the best and one of the most
fun sports around.
When interviewing the coach of the
team, Coach Keith Roig, I asked him some
questions about the team:
What are the strengths of the team? How about
the weaknesses?
The team is filled with skilled players. Theyre still young, they know how to
play soccer, and they are very calm. As for
weaknesses, the only thing I would say is
the lack of physical strength.
What would you improve for next year?
I would improve the backline of
defense, because many people are leaving
next year and the junior varsity players
have to step up and be defenders.
Even if it doesnt show in the records, our HPHS Boys Varsity Soccer
Team is filled with amazing players, all of
whom clearly love the sport. Though there
are some cons, there are still more pros to
counteract them. As you can see, soccer is a
great sport, so join the team and have fun!