September 2015 by The Highland Fling

T H E

september

V o l u m e LXXXIX - I S S u e 1

highland/ F L I N G

2015

Me, Myself, Bias and

it a

t’s a u k la strange feeling when you find yourself nodding along to a line only to find it was said by Donald Trump. The New York Times quoted him as saying, “It’s very time-consuming to be politically correct, and I don’t like wasting a lot of time.” Usually I would agree: political correctness is often extraneous. Just try to be fair and objective and you should be fine.

I can’t judge rand paul by his hair. now what? and of what kind? I tend to give the lefties too many shots during tennis. I try to make a point of helping kids in the order they ask for it during art class, but some of them are more demanding and get more of my time than they deserve.

Tennis requires fast judgement calls: was the ball in or out? Do I allow the kid a retry? Whose point is it? It’s pretty near impossible to be consistent, and it’s difficult not to be swayed by the kids who are the loudest and the most confident. Even watching while myself for these things it’s hard to catch myself.

ny orchestras nationwide: auditions now occur from behind screens to allow for real objectivity. Even music experts can’t judge how good someone is when confronted with all their innate and subconscious biases. Nor can a relatively well-informed person really judge the quality of political ideas while distracted by tie colors. On the radio, there weren’t always clear cues as to which candidate was speaking; different candidates came on without an aural transition. Initially, I couldn’t identify each candidate just by his voice; points were brought up without my knowing for sure who was saying them. I was a little surprised at who I found myself agreeing with. Without seeing their speaking tics or facial expressions, I was more capable of judging the content of what they really said. I realized I had misjudged some of them just a few days earlier on television—Rand Paul’s disheveled hair had honestly prevented me from truly listening to him.

INSIDE

Sometimes the kids let me know when I’m slipping up. “I should get another hit.” “His was out and you didn’t call it.” But even making the corThe quote they wrapped up the article with was, rections they tell me to, I’m realizing that I’m “The interesting thing is, I am probably the least pretty fundamentally biased, if not as openly as Even if nine of ten of each of their points do not racist person that you will ever speak to.” That Trump. bear repeating, the one worthy point should still line stuck with me. Although he’s come across be acknowledged. Maybe a candidate’s facial as insensitive time and time again in the news, expressions aren’t appealing, but that shouldn’t I hear a lot about confronting Trump casts himself as impartial; he prides himhave blinded me to conservative views. others’ bias. I hear very little about self on his “objectivity.” Clearly, people think confronting my own. they are well-informed and fair when they arIn the coming months, this self-catching is going en’t. to be even more important. When we’re looking This has been percolating in my head for a while, at the political candidates, and when we’re hearHe made me wonder: to what extent are we all but I realized it has bigger implications than I ing them out, we need to try to recognize when blindsiding ourselves? initially realized. The first GOP debate was tele- we’re disagreeing with what they’re saying and When I read Blink, the famous Malcolm Glad- vised on a channel I don’t get on TV, and there when we’re limiting our own perceptions. well treatise on intuition and bias, I came across were no live video streams available. So I was lisa study about bias. People physically find it tening to the first GOP debate on the radio. Usu- The “strange feeling” I brought up at the begindifficult, it said, to associate “women” and “en- ally, I watch the candidates debate on TV and ning of the article, about identifying with Donald trepreneurship” and to link “black” and “good.” come away without much new insight. Listening Trump, is exactly what this article is about. The They don’t detect an aversion to these things in to them on the radio made me realize how much feeling of unexpectedly understanding someone is often uncomfortable and seems wrong, but their everyday lives; when questioned they say of my prior judgement had been visual. nothing good is comfortable. they’re fair. But in lab tests they have very clear I’ve had mostly liberal influences throughout biases for and against certain types of people. my life, and only during presidential debates do In addition to the fact-checking of the candiI hear a lot about confronting others’ bias. I hear I listen closely to conservative standpoints. It’s dates, we’re going to need some bias-checking very little about confronting my own. Fortunate- easy to dismiss conservatives because I agree of ourselves. ly my life isn’t televised: but the social slipups with most liberal standpoints, and that’s what caused by bias aren’t limited to prime-time. I liberals do. It seems like just listening to their Check out teach art and tennis, mostly to kids who are 7-12 points isn’t enough. There has to be some kind implicit.harvard.edu years old, and sometimes I surprise myself with of filter for my judgement. I had unintentional(an online test/study about implicit biases) my own flaws. Who gets attention? How much ly adopted the new technique used by sympho-

NEWS

opinion

feature

arts

sports

recap of summer news 2

how is carbon monoxide affecting your college apps?

summer stem camp experiences 4

back-to-school playlist 7

fall sports preview 8

TWO

News

OLD NEWS, STILL RELEVANT

ou may not believe this, but things not named Donald Trump happened this summer. You know, things like Deez Nuts, the fifteen-yearold Iowan running for president. And, of course, the free helicopter rides at the Iowa State Fair—wait, no, that’s still Donald Trump. (What’s the deal with Iowa?)

Okay, jokes aside, this summer really has been an eventful one—hot, too: NOAA, the US National Oceanic and Atmosperic Administration, reported that, globally, July was the hottest month ever since record-keeping began in 1880. But even though a lot has happened, seemingly perpetual reoccurances in the

news (namely Trump, if you haven’t noticed by now) may have distracted us from, or even shoved aside our memories of, more significant goings-on. So here’s a basic—and by no means even close to comprehensive—recap of the past two-plus months. Jisu Jeong

J U N E 24

official death penalty for dzhokhar tsarnaev

Judge George O’Toole makes official Tsarnaev’s death penalty verdict, which the jury had returned on May 15. Later, on August 17, his lawyers seek a new trial for the Boston Marathon bomber, saying the charged atmosphere in which his trial took place didn’t allow an impartial trial for Tsarnaev.

supreme court upholds the affordable care act

SCOTUS rules 6-3 that Obamacare is here to stay. The law was challenged because it stated that healthcare costs would be subsidized by “an exchange established by the state,” but some states lacked exchanges of their own and were instead using partially or fully federal exchanges. This is the second time the law has gone to the Supreme Court.

same-sex marriage is legalized in all states

In a close 5-4 ruling, SCOTUS strikes down state bans on same-sex marriages and says states must recognize same-sex unions. However, laws that effectively allow discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals persist in many states.

greek banks close as economy worsens

The Greek government later temporarily opens banks only for pensioners on July 1.

governor of puerto rico says debt can’t be paid

Governor Alejandro García Padilla announces that Puerto Rico is unable to pay off its $72 billion debt.

J U LY 05

greeks vote “no” in referendum

ellen pao, reddit ceo, resigns

The referendum is only symbolic, as the deal the Greeks voted on was no longer being offered by European negotiators.

After being wrongfully blamed for the dismissal of an employee in charge of the popular subreddit “IAmA,” Pao resigns.

usa defeats japan 5-2 to win women’s world cup

Third Women’s World Cup title for Team USA. Carli Lloyd scores the fastest hat trick in World Cup history.

confederate flag removed from sc state house

Following the June 17 Charleston church shooting, the confederate flag is taken down from the SC State House.

obama reduces sentences of

46 nonviolent drug offenders

14 of these offenders had received life sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. Their sentences end on November 10.

nasa’s new horizons flies by pluto

The spacecraft sent back high-quality photos and scientific data about the planet and its five moons.

us and cuba reopen their embassies

The move comes after over 50 years since diplomatic ties were severed.

beijing is chosen as host of 2022 winter olympics

Beijing becomes the first city to host both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics.

A U G U S T 06

jon stewart’s final episode of the daily show

Stewart ends his sixteen-year career, inviting his many correspondents on the show, current and past.

protests in ferguson, mi on 1-year anniversary

Protests erupt once again, one year after Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson.

SEPTEMBER 2015 THE highland fling

google announces creation of alphabet

Alphabet, the new parent company, will oversee all Google projects and companies, with Larry Page as its CEO.

china devalues its currency

The Chinese government devalues the yuan by about 2% to try to help exports and make borrowing cheaper.

greek parliament approves third bailout

Later that day, European finance ministers approve the bailout, worth about 85 billion euros ($93 billion).

3 firefighters die in

washington wildfire

The deaths come as over 600,000 acres burn in the Northwest, threatening 10,000 buildings.

first female army ranger school graduates

1st Lt. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest, become the first two women to receive Ranger tabs on their uniforms.

dow jones index falls over 1000 points

China’s financial crisis creates reverberations in global markets, hitting the US markets especially hard.

THREE

OPINION

CARBON MONOXIDE and how it’s affecting your college application Shana Oshinskie

uzy writes down several aspects of the college admissions process on pieces of paper. On some, she writes, “Preparing for the SAT,” on others, “Applying to two safety schools, two mediums, and two reaches,” on others, “Applying to your top choice through their early decision program.” She continues writing various steps one fulfills during and before the application process. Then she drops them all in a hat and begins her task— trying to pick one that doesn’t disadvantage low-income students.

their rankings will go up further. (Hold onto your hats, readers. That’s not the last vicious cycle we’ll see today.) In order to speed up this cycle, schools try and admit a significant proportion of their entering class through early decision.

What is the probability that she will be able to successfully do this?

In order to hit those high percentages, colleges make their bar for admission slightly lower, admitting some students who likely won’t make the cut during regular decision. While colleges and advocates for early decision deny the existence of this preferential treatment, the data doesn’t lie; a very extensive study (ironically enough conducted

From the list above, zero. Assuming she has included more options than that, though, (“Taking and studying for SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests,” “Sending these score reports to her six schools,” “Taking a trip to visit those schools.”) the probability is surprisingly still zero! Chances are if Suzy didn’t know in advance her objective was to record aspects that don’t discriminate against the impoverished, she probably didn’t do so—because almost every major aspect of applying does. Some of these steps are more visibly discriminatory than others—the exorbitant cost of application fees and standardized test score reports, for example, very loudly demonstrates the extra leeway well-off students possess over others in the admissions process. Some, though, quietly sneak by, rearing their ugly heads only after closer examinations. Early decision programs are the carbon monoxide of the quietly discriminatory application practices. They’re fairly silent—a quick reflection won’t unveil its inherent prejudice. They’re is also extremely deadly, often killing the applications of low-income students.

THE

Though there are a few extraneous factors that influence it, the skinny on early decision is simple. Colleges want high yields (ratio of students attending to students accepting) and the guaranteed matriculation of those admitted through early decision makes those yields go way up. This makes them look really terrific in rankings, which means more top students will apply, which means

Many do this aggressively. Duke stocked 44% of their class of 2016 with early decision applicants, as did Barnard. Many other schools flirted with these percentages on both the high and low ends.

The news outlets that covered it and the individuals that sent letters and made phone calls to protest it banded together and called a man to come rid the hallowed halls of Princeton University of that scary stuff called carbon monoxide. by a researcher at Harvard, a university that at the time employed the policy) proved that applying early does increase your chances at admission. Statistically speaking, making the early deadline was more helpful than scoring an extra 100 points on the SAT. (“An early student scoring 1200 to 1290 was more likely to be accepted than a regular student scoring 1300 to 1390,” the study found, using the old 1600 point SAT scale.) That would be all well and good, albeit a little sneaky, if everyone was able to apply early decision. But that’s not the case. Low (and many middle) income families literally cannot afford to send out that November 1st application because they need to “shop the offers” (see all the financial aid packages offered, compare their ratios of loans to grants, and pick the most financially feasible one) before committing. Ironically enough, this means they need to

pay more in application fees and score report shipments than the rich family, who can “afford” to send just one. Of course, this isn’t to say that “poor” students can’t apply early decision—because they can, and do, in large numbers—but it does dramatically increase their risk for significant post-graduate indebtedness, further contributing to poverty (that’s two points for “vicious cycles,” zero for equality). So. This is clearly a problem. What should we do about it? Should we shame the students that will apply early decision, mock those that have already done so? No. Should we get on our moral high horse and try and convince people on the fence about it not to? No. Should we be any less happy when our friends get in places early decision? Yes! (No, I’m just kidding. No! Of course not!) The answer is not in a feeling of superiority because you have decided to abstain from the early application, or a feeling of inferiority or shame because you will not. The answer isn’t even in the act of abstaining—because applying regular decision instead of early won’t send as powerful as a message as your voice of protest will. In 2006, Princeton dropped its early decision program amidst a frenzy of attention over its discriminatory baggage. The program still had many active participants; it was still benefitting the school and its yields. But the negative attention it received was enough to send it to its death. The news outlets that covered it andthe individuals that sent letters and made phone calls to protest it banded together and called a man to come rid the hallowed halls of Princeton University of that scary stuff called carbon monoxide. So do not remain silent because you are not applying early decision and you think that is enough. Do not remain silent because you are and you think doing so would make you a hypocrite. Do not remain silent because you are a teacher or a faculty member or someone not directly affected by this problem. Yours is a voice that matters. Yours is a voice that has been silent for too long.

highland/ F L I N G

Editor-In-Chief / Shana Oshinskie managing editors / TIA WANGLI / AMITA SHUKLA layout editor / JISU JEONG news / MICHELLE FAN opinion / AMITA SHUKLA feature / GAB ROSENTHAL arts / TIA WANGLI sports / CAMRYN KOZACHEK adviser / BRETT ROCHE

WRIters / your name Photographers / could be here. ARTISTS / Talk to Mr. Roche for more information

InTRODUCTORY / SEptember 17th meeting luNCHTIme room 110

THE highland fling SEPTEMBER 2015

FOUR

FEATURE

LET’s GO L

et’s face it. No matter your grade, you’ve made some dumb choices about extracurriculars throughout the years. Maybe you spent a year with Model UN only to realize you really hate public speaking. Maybe you did a year of middle school wrestling because all your friends said it was a good idea. Don’t make those mistakes this year; use this quiz to find your perfect club!

Clubbing

what is your favorite subject?

{something musical}

[social studies}

are you interested in helping solve major global issues?

{en

s bu

gli

sh }

do you dislike singing?

Shana Oshinskie

es ec s/ } on

{the sciences}

{‘fraid so!} {heck no!}

are you interested in painting, building, lighting, sound, or costumes?

does acting appeal to you?

{maybe next year} would you be interested in learning about international science policy?

do you want to learn more about business or marketing?

to act or not to act: that is the question.

{no thanks} {yes please!}

{not really} {no} {to act}

{absolutely}

{not to act} {yes!}

{no thanks}

{sure}

how are your public speaking skills?

{for sure!}

would you rather write a letter to a corrupt leader or bake a cupcake?

{write} {pretty okay} {not so good}

{bake}

Choir, AA, or Amandala

Global Awareness Group

Keep Calm and Sing On! Advisor: Mr. Jung (Choir), Jamie Atschinow ‘16 (Amandala or AA).

Raise money and awareness for organizations around the world. Advisor: Ms. Wilson.

Band, Jazz Band, or Pep Band

The Highland Fling

DECA

Practice, practice, practice! Oh, did I say practice? Advisor: Mr. Colmon

If we told you we weren’t the best club in the school, you could sue us for libel. Advisor: Mr. Roche.

Learn about business; participate in competitions. Advisor: Ms. Harper.

Drama & Tech Program

The Leagues & Mathletes

Model UN

Amnesty International

Auditions for “Arsenic and Old Lace” are soon! Talk to Mr. Jung for more information.

Physics, Biology, & Chemistry Leagues, Mathletes. You gotta try ‘em. Advisor: Various Staff Members.

Diplomacy is for lovers. Model UN is for you. Advisor: Mr. Gold & Ms. Wilson.

Write letters; save lives.

SEPTEMBER 2015 THE highland fling

Advisor: Ms. Wilson.

five

Tech Camps This Summer Amita Shukla & Tia Wangli

summer of Science (Left) Tia’s group from Girls Who Code pose with the poster of their final project in the background; (Right) Amita’s group from the Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology enjoy robotics in pajamas.

ummer homework aside, school didn’t end in June for all of us. Over the summer there were numerous academic camps available, especially those geared toward technology with the rise in popularity of STEM education. We were both fortunate enough to be accepted into tech camps, with Amita going to the New Jersey Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology (GSET) and Tia attending Girls Who Code (GWC). Despite the common theme of STEM education connecting these two camps, there were quite a number of distinct differences. Overall though, we can both agree that despite not having over half of our summer to go to the beach, we haven’t regretted our summer program choices at all. Program Overview Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology: GSET didn’t overtly push its students to engineering and technology fields. It was assumed that if you were there, you were headed down that road. Rather, it focused on getting you excited about those disciplines in a more specific way. As I learned, it’s one thing to be interested in engineering, but engineering is so broad that they could dedicate the program to exploring the different branches of it. The behind-the-scenes concern of the program directors was definitely to diversify the engineering pool, but this was a very subtle aim of the program and they didn’t overplay it, for which I was grateful. The program had two core classes, Modern Physics and Robotics, and three electives which were different for everyone; mine were Software Engineering, Nanofabrication, and the Future of Technology in Surgery. Everyone also had a main project, with a final research paper and symposium presentation. My topic was Disposable Paper Sensors: basically, a piece of paper that can sense leaks or act as a touch screen. It was focused on giving its participants a preview of college engineering. Girls Who Code: GWC was created not only to fill the increasing need for workers in computer science, but also to close the gender gap in computer science, a field where only 18% of graduates are female. The program centered around a goal of sparking female interest in computer science and providing girls with coding skills necessary to survive in the Information Age. For the first five weeks, the majority of our classroom time was spent learning new code and then completing projects and improving the projects using what we learned and continued trial and error. However, for the last two weeks, we were split up into small groups of 3-4 girls, and we worked collaboratively to produce our final projects that would be presented at graduation in front of an audience. While GWC does not force students into considering computer science as a future path, there is the assumption that almost everyone there will be involved with computer science in some form.

your own initiative. Everyone did some coding; we had a HackGSET event where we all learned a little handson game design. Everyone also did some robotics, which had both mechanical and coding components. Furthermore, everyone was assigned a group project; most of which involved lab work and hands-on coding or hardware assembly, sort of like a GSET thesis. We did a little bit on presentation skills too, for our final symposium. GWC: While the program name may suggest we spent all day in front of laptops, GWC actually taught more than just coding. Each week the program brought in various speakers, hosted workshops, and organized large field trips. During all of these events we were expected to practice and improve our soft skills, such as networking, communicating, and presenting, with professionals who had years of experience in their fields. While the experience may have seemed intimidating, it undoubtedly rounded out our abilities. Environment & Scheduling GSET: The environment at GSET is hardcore academic— think college-style classes, but six of them per day. Between classes, though, we were escorted everywhere. It was a bit of an odd juxtaposition between the academic resilience expected and the lack of autonomy allowed in traversing campus. Dorm life was a huge part of GSET too; that was probably the way that it most resembled college. Curfew was strict, both at night and in the mornings, but you could stay up with your roommate or suitemates, which we often did. Weekends were more free, at least in the mornings, but we were pretty confined to the building we stayed in, BEST Hall West. GWC: For GWC this summer, I was placed under the Verizon program located at NJIT. In class, the GWC environment was rather laid-back, especially with the college atmosphere. We were able to program fun games and crack jokes with our teacher and TAs, all while making serious progress in learning code. There was also always free time built into our day with lunch being an hour long. On the flip side, though, we were expected to conduct ourselves in a highly professional manner when we visited corporate settings or attended workshop and presentations on campus. Altogether, GWC granted us absurd amounts of freedom as long as we were able to act appropriately when in different atmospheres. Stereotypes

Skill Set

GSET: The directors of GSET made a very conscious effort to pick a diverse group of students. The male-female ratio was exactly 50-50, and lots of different interests and personality types were represented. The stereotype about asocial engineers is much less true than you might think, but the classic “Sheldon Cooper” type was hardly absent.

GSET: GSET focused on concrete learning. We had actual classes, note-taking, PowerPoint slides and all. We only had half an hour of real free time a day, and meals, so “soft skills” and socializing were very much based on

GWC: GWC was pretty much built to break stereotypes in computer science. Two major stereotypes we discussed throughout the program were: one: those in computer science can only be antisocial geeks, and two:

females are incapable of competing in a male-dominated field like computer science. The very fact GWC exists proves both stereotypes to be completely false; not only were we able to learn and apply various programming languages, but we also came from various backgrounds and interests. Although some of the girls may have been shy, antisocial was most definitely not an apt description. Outside Trips GSET: We had a lot of tours to various factories and plants in the area. I saw the BOEING factory in Philly and watched the stages of helicopter assembly, which was fantastic. We also went to a window factory, which demonstrates more complexity than you might think. GWC: We took field trips to a number of places, from the Verizon headquarters, to a presentation by Mae Jemison at Prudential, to the Bank of New York Mellon. The most surprising field trip by far was one at the NBA headquarters where we were able to take a glimpse at the massive amounts of computer science and coding behind the final products on TV. On the NJIT campus, we met professors and TAs for mentoring meet-ups, and we also explored various departments involved in computer science, such as tiny Kilobots in the Swarm Lab and smart materials in the College of Architecture and Design. Closing Thoughts GSET: I learned a lot of very specific technical skills during GSET: a lot of technicalities of Java and Arduino code, in particular. But the most important thing I came away with was a better sense of my own resilience. No one really got more than 6 hours of sleep a night, and the whole day needed focus. The final paper and presentation, along with the robotics competitions were exhausting, but my succeeding was really inspiring. There were many difficult moments where code didn’t work fifteen minutes before it had to be perfect, or the robot fell apart, or Word crashed. You learn a certain kind of toughness: one speaker we had called it aequanimitas, which means “with an even mind.” Up to a certain point, every deadline is a crisis, but after a certain point you learn to embrace the struggle. GWC: Although I did pick up quite a number of technical skills at GWC, I think the actual social and life experience I gained was far more valuable. Spending over half my summer waking up at 6 AM and walking half an hour to the train station to catch the NJ Transit to Newark has brought on a sense of responsibility and independency that I previously did not have. The long hours of the program and the commute have also forced me to exercise some form of time-management, which completely goes against the procrastination principles of high school. The most important lesson though, came from Nefatiti Anderson, a speaker from Verizon, who stated, “Attitude is just as important as aptitude.” We will all face failures but what really matters is not how quickly we overcome them, but how we choose to approach and learn from them.

THE highland fling SEPTEMBER 2015

six

organization tips & tricks Y

Wenyi Ouyang & Alyssa Pilch

BACK TO SCHOOL:

ou spend two hours writing an essay only to arrive to class and find that you have misplaced it. With the teacher’s “no late work” policy, you think you’ll have no choice but to take the zero for the assignment. Little do you know, your essay is crumpled up at the bottom of your backpack.

The beginning of a new school year offers a unique opportunity to become organized in everything that you do. In fact, it is imperative that every student remains organized throughout the year if they wish to be successful—organization is the first step to a successful career as a student! Here are three easy ways to improve your organization:

calendars

labels

post-its

Calendars are a great way to relieve your mind of unnecessary stress, stay current with all of your activities, and organize yourself all at the same time. Feel like being crafty? You can make one yourself by following these steps.

Labeling all of your folders and binders is a crucial task when trying to stay organized in school. Never again will you show up to math class with your English binder. Here is a fun and innovative way to label your school supplies.

1. Choose a few rolls of your favorite patterned masking tape.

Worried about remembering everything that you have planned for the day? Post-its are a great way to remind yourself of everything that you need to do, making them essential for every busy high school student to have. Aside from helping to remind you of your daily tasks, post-its can serve as bookmarks, note-taking devices, and labels, making them, perhaps, one of the most versatile supplies you can use to keep yourself organized.

2. Take a pair of scissors and cut the masking tape into even size strips (about 4 inches long).

1. Find a variety of post-it notes of all different colors and shapes.

3. Place a strip on each of your folders and binders.

2. Set them on your desk/workspace and use them to take notes, bookmark pages, or write reminders whenever necessary. Be sure to post your reminders on surfaces that you look at routinely, such as your computer screen, your nightstand, or even your closet door.

1. Find 7 five-shade paint swatches. 2. Pick out a picture frame to hold your swatches. 3. Arrange the swatches in 7 columns. Make sure the color arrangement is to your liking, and enclose them in the picture frame, leaving space at the top to write the month. 4. Using a dry erase marker, write the month at the top and label the days. 5. Now you have your own colorful, personalized calendar!

4. Lastly, using a thick sharpie marker, write the corresponding subject names on each of the designated strips.

YOUNG PEOPLE and Voting Gabrielle Rosenthal

large number of Highland Park’s juniors and seniors will be 18 in time to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. As exciting as it is that Highland Park High School students will have an opportunity to influence our country’s future, it can also be a bit nerve-wracking. Personally, this feels like an amazing way to both influence the country and motivate myself to stay informed about candidates and significant issues. This is a huge responsibility for high school students to have, and as we can see, young people have not always handled it well. According to the United States Census Bureau only 45% of people ages 18-29 nationwide voted in 2012. The statistic for New Jersey from that year is only minimally better, at 46.1%. Meanwhile, 65.7% of voters over 30 years old went to the polls, a significantly higher number. The difference is striking. Why is it that young people’s voter turnout is so much lower? Youth comprise a large portion of the population— they have the power to greatly influence elections. Youth are also traditionally very ideological, but this doesn’t show in their voting behavior.

45% SEPTEMBER 2015 THE highland fling

Although the elections are months away, it is important to be prepared and informed if you are eligible to vote. One of the biggest problems is registration. Many young people don’t know how to register, making it very difficult for them to vote. If you are going to be 18 before the next election, you can find the registration form at http://ow.ly/RuCxu. Just print out the application, fill it out, and mail it in at least 21 days before the election. Even easier is registering at the Motor Vehicle Commission. This can be done at any time so long as you are eligible to vote—when applying for, receiving, or renewing a license. Just ask to register, and the Motor Vehicle Commission will report the information to the New Jersey Division of Elections. Whether or not you will be 18 by the upcoming election, there are ways to help and to influence the decision, starting now. Look up any candidate to see whether you can help him or her by making phone calls, handing out leaflets, or contributing any other form of support. Above all, it is crucial to stay informed. Watch the debates, follow the controversial issues, and stay aware of the candidates.

of people ages 18-29 nationwide voted in 2012 (source: US Census Bureau)

seven

ARTs Tia Wangli

BACK TO SCHOOL PLAYLIST An instrumentals-only playlist to keep you pumped for the next big game or focused while cramming for tomorrow’s chemistry test.

“Intro”

“Loud Pipes”

The xx

Ratatat

“Merci”

“Wizard”

Stromae

Martin Garrix & Jay Hardway

“Hot Chocolate”

“Zi-Zi’s Journey”

Sungha Jung

Lindsey Stirling

“Lost in Thought”

“The Red Truth”

Jon Hopkins

Helios

“Greyhound”

“A Walk”

Swedish House Mafia

Tycho

“Android Porn”

“Bootcamp”

Kraddy

Jay Hardway THE highland fling SEPTEMBER 2015

eight

SPORTS

Fall Sports Preview Camryn Kozachek

sporting season (From top left, clockwise) [Boys’ Soccer] Jesse McDermott-Hughes ’16, Kyle Theringer ’16, Botond Szabo ’16; [Girls’ Cross Country] Hannah Burke ’16, Kate Atschinow ’18; [Boys’ Cross Country] Alexander Saff ’17, Keith O’donnell ’17; [Girls’ Tennis] Nicolette Polos ’16; [Girls’ Soccer] Elisabeth Landis ’16; [Football].

ith the beginning of school comes the start of classes, homework, and extracurricular activities. However, one integral aspect of many students’ school years begins early in the summer. Highland Park High School students often begin unofficial training for fall sports shortly after the end of the school year, continuing to attend captains’ practices until official preseason training starts mid-August. On the fall sports roster is boys’ and girls’ cross country, boys’ and girls’ soccer, girls’ tennis, and football. All team captains have predicted promising seasons, with some even hinting at the possibility of division championships and states. An influx of freshmen and devotion from returning players has helped the girls’ soccer team recover gracefully from the loss of their senior members. Elisabeth Landis ’16, co-captain of the team, said, “I’m really excited to see how we will change and build off of our newest additions. So far we have all been clicking really well together.” The girls’ soccer team has a bright season ahead of them, and the team is looking forward to representing Highland Park on the field.

SEPTEMBER 2015 THE highland fling

The boys’ soccer team also has high hopes for their upcoming season. Kyle Thieringer ’16, co-captain of the team, said, “all of the returning players have the state competition in mind during preseason training, so we are ready to work hard and win states.” High attendance at captains’ practices and dedication to official practices and double sessions indicate that this goal is an attainable one for the boys’ soccer team. Of the football team, co-captain Cameron Petkov ’16 said, “We have been working very hard to get into the physical and mental state that we need to be in for the season. This includes team runs down to the park and even working with the white board inside to learn more about the game.” Due to the loss of invaluable senior members, this will be somewhat of a rebuilding year or the football team, but the team members remain hopeful. Coming off a division championship, the girls’ cross country team is optimistic, with captain Renee Delamater ’16 stating, “we have some new freshmen with very good potential, and of course our faithful pack of girls.”

Her counterpart Ethan Bull ’17, boys’ cross country captain, shares his goals for the upcoming year. “My personal goal for this season is to break 17 minutes for our 5 kilometer race. That requires dropping nearly a minute from my current personal best. My team goal is to have 7 boys running under 20 minutes. And get in some quality team bonding time.” While those goals may seem lofty, the boys’ team had a strong showing at summer practices, and should be well on their way to achieving them. Also recent division champions, the girls’ tennis team has a bright season ahead of them. Co-captain Nicolette Polos ’16 said, “We have a lot of strong seniors this year and as a team we are determined to win our division again.” Last year, the girls’ team had an impressive record, with 14 wins and 4 losses. Overall, fall 2015 promises to provide Highland Park High School students with entertaining sports seasons! Show some school spirit and come out to support our sports teams. The boys’ soccer team has its first home match against Spotswood September 9th, while the girls’ first home match is on Friday, September 11th against Mother Seton. The football team squares off against Keansburg on the 18th for their first home game. Good luck to all student athletes!