Academic Challenge

By NICK VITALE ‘22 Staff Reporter

Don’t let the name scare you; there are very little academics involved. Run by Mr. Lindenhofen, Academic Challenge is our school’s premiere club for anyone with a nose for trivia. “It is a quiz bowl, trivial style competition,” Mr. Lindenhofen says about the club. “It’s like “team Jeopardy.” As far as the team itself, the club’s equivalent to a star quarterback would come in the form of senior Valora Wong, who was a key player in the team’s success this season. “We actually didn’t have a season last year due to COVID. We continued to meet over Zoom and did trivia questions with each other, but did not compete with other schools. However, we were undefeated this year and conference champions,” Wong said about this season. “I believe two years ago we had 2 or 3 losses, so I was really proud.” Finishing with an undefeated record, it’s safe to say that the team is back and better

than ever. Although the team may not get varsity jackets or posters on the wall, their camaraderie and passion makes it worthwhile for each member. However, one problem the team faces heading into next season is the amount of seniors on the roster, as the team is losing eight. While there is some uncertainty surrounding next year, it surely isn’t enough to warrant any real distress. The bottom line is that if you’re interested in joining, don’t hesitate. The club could use you, and it truly is a blast to be Finishing with a part of. While I don’t know that an undefeated from experience, take it from Valora. record, it’s safe “Academic Challenge is to say that the actually a lot of fun, especially if you like Jeopardy team is back and trivia. It’s relatively laid back too. There’s no studyand better than ing or preparation needed, ever. nor is it based around a specifi c topic.” says Wong. “I’m really going to miss it though. It’s been so much more fun and enjoyable than I could have expected or hoped.” So there you have it. Academic Challenge is a club at our school that is not only a ton of fun, but one that could use you. Feel free to swing by Room 205 to see Mr. Lindenhofen with any questions.

Water bottle chandeliers: Ms. Hughes’ brilliant idea to save the environment

By KAITLIN SWIFT ‘24 Staff Reporter

As you enter Ms. Hughes’ classroom, you may notice a very unique piece of artwork above her desk. It appears to be some sort of chandelier, made of spirals in almost every shade of blue you can think of. But how was this masterpiece made, and what is it made of? Ms. Hughes is one of Eastern’s wonderful art teachers. She has been teaching at Eastern for fi ve years, and teaches Art 1, 2 and 3, AP Studio Art, Pottery, and Art of Crafts. Ms. Hughes’ Expression 6 class, Art of Crafts, has been learning how to communicate and work as a team through their environmentally friendly upcycling project. For this project, the class is split into two teams, and tasked with creating a colorful chandelier made of water bottles. “I think the project is a really interesting as a concept, and a great way to reuse materials. You just need a good group of committed people to make it beautiful,” said senior John Sharp. “It is extremely important for everyone in our group to contribute. A huge factor of this project is collaborating and team work,” said sophomore Selin Cagatay. “The project was inspired by a goal to recycle materials used in art projects from the class,” said Hughes. “A lot of waste is typically made from different projects throughout the year.” She was also inspired by the designs of Seattle glass artist Dale Chihuly’s chandeliers. Hughes collected water bottles from Eastern students and staff for about three weeks in order to have enough materials to use for the project. Chicken wire, string, and paint are used along with the water bottles in order to make these spirals of plastic into beautiful chandeliers. “I like that we’re using what would be considered trash to make art,” said senior Chloe Spence. Both teams have taken unique approaches to decorate their chandeliers, using different colors and techniques in order to create their artistic vision. “We are using a sunset gradient, with a mixture of yellows, oranges and reds,”

“The project was said Sharp When asked about inspired by a goal their thoughts on the to recycle materials project, this is how the class responded. used in art projects “This project has from the class. A lot seriously been a blast. of waste is typically I’ve had a lot of fun and I hope everyone made from different gets a chance to take projects throughout this art class and do this project,” said the year.” sophomore Braxton Brown. “I really like this project! It’s a good way to upcycle something that’s otherwise really hard to reuse,” said senior Annette Kroes. “It’s calming, it’s fun, it’s confusing, but all in all it’s pretty great. The diffi cult part is attempting to paint the inside of the bottle and it doesn’t want to spread,” said sophomore Alvaro Rea-Morales. Overall, Ms. Hughes’ upcycling project has taught her Arts And Crafts class how to work as a team and collaborate to create a gorgeous, environmentally friendly product. The photos speak for themselves, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what these young artists create next.

Scholar of the Month: Leah Snyderman

A scholar is a student striving for intellectual activities and pursues academic achievement. As a sincere student of Eastern Regional, there was no doubt when Leah Snyderman received Scholar of The Month for April. Something with such responsibility takes an immense amount of balance between personal life and education. When she is taking breaks from her studying, Leah dances, hangs out with family, and volunteers as a teaching assistant in the Jewish community. As an active student, Leah is committed to The Voyager, Student Council, Model UN, National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, and many more activities. The tedious workload can cause stress onto any student. To relieve any tension, Leah enjoys “family dinner…almost every night…just knowing at the end of day that I get to sit with them.” Having her family as her biggest supporters leads Leah step by step into success. Striving to become a journalist, Leah will continue being a wonder in the making for our high school, even after she graduates in June and leaves for UCLA in the fall. Eastern congratulates you, Leah!

- Alana McLeod ‘25

REGIONAL

NYC’s Eric Adams’s Protection of Mask Mandate

The Big Apple is implementing big mandates. The city’s mayor, Eric Adams, placed a mandate that toddlers ages two, three, and four wear their masks while in public. He defended the health of New York City’s vulnerable youth, but the city’s attorney, Daniela Jampel, could not have disagreed more. She took to Twitter to claim that Adams “broke [his] promise to unmask our toddlers.” Jampel’s degradation of Adams certainly was not taken with a grain of salt. It wasn’t long after Adams found the tweet among the populated crowd of Euphoria retweets and Grammys claims when he took action to fi re her from her position. The 38-year-old woman is no longer a 38-year-old attorney. So, to answer Jampel’ concern, the toddlers will not be unmasked, while her job most certainly will be.

- Molly Smith ‘25

GLOBAL

Energy Crisis in UK and Asia

The energy crisis has taken the world by storm due to COVID and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The International Energy Agency has warned that the energy crunch would last for about two years. Energy prices have risen, and they will continue to rise because of this ongoing crisis. Countries like Germany, who have been suffering, are expanding the amount of energy it sources from Russia. Russia has 40 percent of the energy that Europe uses. Gas prices rising have also been an effect of this energy crisis. In Asia, Kazakhstan had a 100 percent gas increase. In Uzbekistan, there have been ongoing severe power black outs. Climate change has also been a factor in the energy crisis. The government’s failure to enact proper policies to diminish the severe environmental effects of global warming has caused the natural gas prices to rise. Before the war, prices in Europe increased throughout the winter. This goes to show that COVID, war, and climate change are the reason the energy crises have occurred in Europe and Asia.

- Areeba Mehmood ‘22