Newspaper: December 2017 by The Voyager

Third Edition

December 2017

Volume L

Wentz Out. Page 23

Cultural Diversity expands Page 2

Women and self-defense. Page 8

Eastern Regional High School

1401 Laurel Oak Road

Voorhees, NJ 08043

“Citadel Bonus”

Major Colton returns from Paris History teacher spends three weeks in France with an international force By ROBERT SUNDSTROM ‘18 Staff Reporter

f you’ve passed through the history hallway over the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed a different face in room 103. That’s because Mr. Colton recently took a few weeks off to go to France with the US Army. After becoming an officer in response to the September 11th attacks and more than eighteen years of military assignments during both peace and wartime as Field Artillery, Military Police, Company Commander, Battalion Officer, and Battalion Intelligence Officer, Mr. Richard Colton has worked his way up from Private to Major. This year his army involvement brought him to France to to participate in

multinational exercise, led by the French, called “Citadel Bonus.” Mr. Colton describes the missions as “an imagined response to a hypothetical independence movement in a European country fomented with the help an unnamed country whose name rhymes with ‘Thrussia.’” In his role of Senior Logistics and Personnel Officer for the American brigade, Mr. Colton was working with his counterparts in a Dutch brigade, a Royal Armoured British regiment, and a French Rapid Deployment brigade. Arriving in Paris November 29th and returning December 15th, much of his days were spent inside a Tactical Operations Center planning convoys and movements, or responding to emergencies. He said

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Major Richard Colton, second from the left, stands with his French, Dutch, and English counterparts in a Tactical Operations Center.

Policy change on vaping

D Mural blends music and art By ALIYAH EL-MUHAMMED ‘18 Staff Reporter

f you walk into Eastern, past the lobby and into the glass hallway, the walls transform from bare and bland beige to colorful and vivid hues, hand painted by the National Art Honors Society. Now, the organization’s newest addition of color blossoms in the 300 hallway. Directed by Mr. McConnell, the new mural is inspired by radical ‘80s artist Keith Haring, who found his medium in street art. Haring was known for chalk outline drawings on black advertising boards.

Students mirrored Herring’s style of colorful people as a representation of Eastern’s diversity. Their dancing movements also represent the music department. Mr. McConnell hopes the mural will not only represent all students, but unify them too. He believes that students love to see color on the walls. Usually, when the National Art Honor Society is asked to paint a certain part of the school, students brainstorm ideas, and then get approval from Mr. Tull. Students do all the painting who find time to express their creativity. Senior Rachel Randell works

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By HAYLEY BELUCH ‘18 Editor-in-Chief

espite the natural “high” that accompanies sporting events and school activities, vaping has permeated Eastern. Vaping, or use of e-cigarettes, refers to the inhalation of aerosolized nicotine and flavored chemicals through various devices. Vaping also encompasses the use of vape pens to inhale other substances, including marijuana. In an attempt to discourage students from engaging in the use of e-cigarettes, the Board of Education approved a change in the disciplinary policy on November 15. The amendment focuses primarily on vaping and vaping paraphernalia and subsequent consequences. According to the new revisions, students Students using tobacco using tobacco products or vaping accesproducts or vaping sories on school property or buses will be accessories on school issued three out-of-school suspensions, and the administration will contact their parents, property or buses will as well as the police. The second offense be issued three out-ofwill increase the number of suspensions to school suspensions, and four, maintain parent and police contact, the administration will and add three extended school days. The third offense will result in a superintendent contact their parents, as hearing. well as the police. The revisions also address students in “a vaping situation,” as well as students in possession of tobacco products or vaping accessories. The first offense will result in one outof-school suspension and parent contact, and the subsequent two offenses will increase the suspensions to three and four, respectively, while maintaining parent contact. The fourth offense will result in a superintendent hearing. Also included in the changes is mandatory drug screening and or medical examinations following possession or use of intoxicants during school or school activities. Refusal to comply equates an assumed positive. Principal Mr. Tull was active in moving this amendment in discipline policy forward. Tull cites three main reasons for doing so: the increased vaping by teenagers (specifically Eastern students), concerns for student and staff safety, and his desire to remove the

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2 The Voyager

AROUND THE SCHOOL

News

December 2017

Mr. Isshak collects funds to help Coptic orphans

Jewish Student Union

rom the exuberant and cheerful environment to the interactive activities, junior Noam Margalit’s recently founded Jewish Student Union proves successful. Around forty students attended the first meeting. Noam had been a part of NCSY, an organization that inspired her to bring awareness to the Jewish culture in a fun and interactive way. The club is part of the larger Cultural Diversity. “I wanted to bring it to Eastern in the hopes that other students will take part in it and enjoy and learn from it like I did,” she said. According to Noam, every meeting will consist of a different activity and will have a different aspect of focus. There will always be food provided, such as pizza, doughnuts, and more. activities include informative kahoots, guest speakers, baking or cooking food related to the culture, and fun and interactive games, which include prizes for the winner. The organization, NCSY, has so much to offer outside of school. There are weekly meetings at Starbucks, leadership programs, ski trips, and summer trips to Israel. “This club gives an opportunity for many students to come and experience something new, as well as meet and make new friends. I hope for students to become a part of this organization and experience all it has to offer,” said Noam, smiling. Meetings for Jewish Student Union are held in room 50 every other Wednesday during lunch A, and sometimes run into lunch B. To join reminds, text @ehsjsu to 81010. By JESSICA BONAMASSA ‘19

Key Clubbers

he world’s oldest and largest service club for high school students, Key Club, is in the midst of another busy year. With new advisor, Miss Stafford at the helm, Key Club provides members with a number of service opportunities. Some services performed this year include a cleanup of local walking trails, and Trick or Treat for UNICEF, which is a fundraiser held by all Key Club chapters to support the United Nations’ fund for needy children. Additionally, Eastern’s Key Club was tasked with decorating Six Flags Great Adventure for the annual District Rally that encompasses 22 divisions of New Jersey. It’s the largest gathering of Key clubbers in the entire international organization. International Fall Rally. The theme for decorations was Monopoly. The club is currently collecting small personal items for the RJK toiletry drive. Coming up in 2018, the club has planned a fundraiser for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, another cleanup, and a candy gram fundraiser. “The officers have been a great help… letting me know how to run things,” Miss Stafford said. “So far, things are going pretty smoothly.” By ALEX MACKLE ‘18

Home receives renovations from money collected by Mr. Isshak’s efforts.

Photos supplied

that if you care for these orphans, maybe the idea of helping other orphans will spread onto their generations.” Mr. Isshak has been donating to this orphanage personally for a few years and just last year he started encouraging and challengince 1988, an award-winning international Christian ing his students to help the cause. Isshak reported that he would development organization called Coptic Orphans double student donations. Last year, the orphanage reached out to have touched the lives of over 45,000 children by him and thanked him and his students for greatly impacting two working with volunteer networks and donations. families in the orphanage. They transformed local communities into a more sustainable One family needed to finish renovations to their second floor place to live for children with no families or those who only have because their sons were not able to have a place to study. In doa mother. ing so, the walls of the house needed to be concreted, electrical The word “coptic” means Egyptian-Christian and, although connections needed to be installed. Four doors and four windows Coptic Orphans are centered inside Egypt, offices are also located needed to be installed. in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and With the help of Mr. Isshak and his students, “No one thinks about the United States. The organization focuses on children that are suffering poverty and social these orphans,” said Mr. the family could carry on with their improvements. injustice. Isshak. “I believe that “Thank God. Now we moved to the upper floor In European countries such as Egypt, the policy of adoption and views on orphans are very if you care for these or- where there isn’t the same humidity. It is more different from those in the United States. Euro- phans, maybe the idea spacious and more suitable for studying our lessons,” said their son with excitement. peans neglect orphans and basically ban adopof helping other orThe second family needed to renovate the bathtion altogether. In European countries, single phans will spread onto room, kitchen, and other parts of their house. mothers with children can no longer get remarOnce again with the help of Mr. Isshak and his their generations.” ried, so they are stuck being financially unstable students, the family was able to construct a new to support their growing children. bathroom, install plumbing connections, renoThere are a few different ways sponsors can vate the septic tank, install a chinaware set with its accessories. help these orphans. Sponsors can invite their families, friends, The family also installed a kitchen sink, concrete walls, flooring and coworkers to plan events in their home or community. They and wall ceramic tiles. The entire house has an electric system, can donate party gifts and volunteer at offices locally. Sponsors wooden doors, windows, and a wooden roof. It is much cleaner have the ability to sponsor a child in the orphanage. By doing and the family was so happy. Most enthusiastic was their eldest this, their child can receive regular visits by a trained, churchson, who is no longer embarrassed to have his friends come to based volunteer, who serves as their mentor, can access literacy the house. tutoring and life-skills workshops, and receive food, clothing, Mr. Isshak is collecting donations year round and encourages all shelter, and school supplies. By helping these children, it brings students to donate, especially in this season of giving. out their talents and enables them to break the cycle of poverty. “You have to remember those that are forgotten,” said Mr. Is“No one thinks about these orphans,” said Mr. Isshak. “I believe shak.

By HALEY ALLSEBROOK ‘20 Staff Reporter

Mural blends music and art continued from page 1 on the mural, and believes that it brings color and fun to Eastern. Her favorite part is the dancing people. “I think it will make students appreciate the arts and music,” Rachel said. Although the mural is unfinished, Mr. McConnell has a vision for its completion. He excitedly pointed towards where students will paint wavy lines in the background, and add music notes. The mural will also include instruments and color guard designs. With each addition being done in phases, the mural is expected to be completed in four to five years, and will definitely be worth the wait.

Rachel Randall ‘18 and Lizzy Sulecki ‘18 work on new mural.

Photo by Hayley Beluch ‘18

News

December 2017

New courses lined up for next school year By JULIA DODD ‘19 Managing Editor Courses for next year have opened! Here are six new courses that the Board of Education has approved:

Lifestyle Fitness This is a new edition to the course guide. This is the first time in years that there has been a change to the Health and Physical Education course. Juniors and seniors are the only grades that can take the class. The class is designed to help students stay fit, both mentally and physically. Part of the course will be learning the principles of fitness, diet, and nutrition. Cardio kickboxing, yoga, and spin room are examples of activities that the class may participate in.

Advanced Architectural Engineering Drawing and Design/CAD This is an addition to the industrial arts section of the course guide. This course is available for sophomores through seniors. In order to take this class, one has to take either Engineering Drawing and Design/CAD or Architectural Engineering and Drawing Design/CAD. Projects in this class include student competitions, two-story residence building, and more. The class emphasizes the use of technical drawing through Computer Aided Drawing.

Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity Honors This course is an addition to the Social Studies department. This course can only be taken by juniors and seniors. Half of the course will focus on the Holocaust, while the other half will consist of genocide and crimes against humanity. The course will also include current events and survivors sharing their experiences. The class will also help with 21st century skills: critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

Applied Statistics This a new addition to the Mathematics section. Seniors are the only class that can take the course and have had to have “successfully” completed Algebra 2. This course will include a nontraditional way of teaching Probability and Statistics. Students will do projects, presentations, and experiments that will be applied to the real world. Topics may include data display and description, probability distributions, and correlation and regression.

College Transition Math CP This is not a new edition, but the course has been changed to a full year course. This course can only be taken by seniors.

In order to take this class, one has to have already have taken Algebra 1, Geometry, and Prior or Concurrent Algebra; one also needs an Accuplacer - an alternative test. This class does not count as a third year course for math; it is considered a math elective. Taking this course provides college credit and placement recognition at Camden County College. Calculators cannot be used to receive placement recognition and there is no cost for the course.

AP Capstone Program This is the final edition to the course guide in its own section. The program is split up into two years, SP Seminar and AP Research. Juniors are the only class that can take AP Seminar and Seniors are the only class that can take AP Research. The prerequisite is “Expected AP Exams of ‘3’ or Higher on Four or More AP Exams by Graduation. The class will teach students about investigations, cross-curricular connections, communication, real world problems, and more. If a student only gets a 3 or more on the AP test for both classes, then he/she will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. If a student earns a 3 or more on the AP test for both classes, in addition to four other AP tests, then he/she will be given the AP Capstone Diploma. The course selection paper is due January 5th for current juniors, January 19th for current sophomores, and February 2nd for current freshmen.

Students blow off steam with P.E. Enrichment block scheduling, a campus-style lunch break, and elimination of homeroom. “This year it’s been better in terms of the school because it’s Senior Brandon Pasley loves meeting new people during the new just spread people out more. You don’t have so many people P.E. Enrichment, which takes place in Gym 4 every day during clustered in one area and we’re keeping kids active which is lunch A and B. good too,” said Mr. Boguszewski. “It’s a great environment,” Pasley said. He stands with a group Generally, the students will shoot some baskets for a while to of about fifteen other guys, shooting hoops before a small game. warm up before starting a 3-on-3 tournament or Freshmen Zayd Lee and Zuear Lee come to “It’s really fun it 5-on-5 tournament. Gym 4 everyday to enjoy the pick-up basketball “For the most part they self-regulate,” said helps you stay fit, games. Boguszewski. “It’s not our job to set up games “It’s really fun. It helps you stay fit, the the competitionfor them it’s really just to supervise. Some of competition- there’s not a lot but there’s still there’s not a lot the kids have been great who have been coming competition,” Zayd said, adding that they will be in here.” but there’s still coming back next year. Because PE Enrichment gives students The idea came about after Mr. Hill, Eastern’s competition,” Zayd so much freedom, there are naturally those Vice Principal of Athletics, came to Eastern said. who will abuse it. While the lunch period from Kingsway, another high school that had is designed so that students may seek extra previously implemented PE Enrichment. According to Mr. academic help, Boguszewski stated that he has seen occurrences Boguszewski, our administration had been trying to think of of misuse. Students have been pulled out of the gym by their more options for student entertainment. coaches because student-athletes are meant to be seeing their Different phys. ed teachers supervise each half hour. Different teachers during this time, instead of playing games in the gym. kids flow throughout the gym during the lunch periods. However, occurrences like this are rare, and for the most part, Mr. Boguszewski said that during Lunch A there are somewhere PE Enrichment has seen a lot of positivity and benefits. between ten to twelve students. “Lunch B usually fills up where “I think it’s good for the kids because it basically is just another we have about 30 kids coming in,” said Boguszewski. gateway to use your energy. A lot of our guys who like to play Last year, due to easy accessibility from the cafeteria, Gym 4 basketball come down here, and a lot of the the guys who like to was usually packed with freshmen. This is one part of the many do the weight room go to the weight room,” said Boguszewski. changes that Eastern went through, including but not limited to, By HANA HANCOCK ‘18 Opinion Editor

COLTON returns from France continued from page 1 that, although the first days of the mission moved slowly, once the ‘fighting’ began it became more fast-paced. See Mr. Colton remarked that this year’s mission differs significantly than a similar one last year in Albania. “The Albanians made up for their lack of training, doctrine, and equipment with eagerness and spirit, the western militaries with whom I’m working now are more or less on par with NATO standards...These guys and girls are the real deal,” said Colton. When asked if he enjoyed participating in exercises such as “Citadel Bonus,” he jokingly responded by saying that he did because it’s a great chance for him to interact with different nationalities and convince them that the American way is the best way of doing things. More seriously though, he noted how humbled he was to be selected to represent his nation in an allied country during a mission like this.

Of course this mission caused Mr. Colton to miss a little over a week of school, which he indicated was the worst part about going. He noted though that, even though he was absent at Eastern, specifically Mr. Young, the History Department supervisor, was great about giving him the time off and working to make sure there were no gaps in the material covered while he was away. It was very important to him that he got the days off from work because of a five year bet with Mr. Lindenhofen over which one of them will be the first to use a sick day. “Even though it’s tough missing school (except when I’m strolling down the Champs-Élysées or walking around Notre Dame),” he said, “ I figure being in Europe and working with Europeans adds value to my AP Euro program”. He concluded his interview with a message to students interested in joining the military, saying that, “Although it is not for everyone, if you feel like you are called to serve then you should approach it like a college search and make sure you find the military path that is the right one for you.” Though he served as a valuable asset to the mission in France, Eastern is certainly glad to have Mr. Colton back in room 103.

The Voyager 3

In the Community

Interact Breakfast with Santa

n Saturday, December 6, the Interact Club had their annual “breakfast with Santa.” Interact members got into small groups and were assigned different families with kids to spend time with and help them get breakfast, which was provided by the club. “They were really sweet,” said junior, Marissa Pavorsky. “We got to see families we’d seen in the past and reconnecting was great.” The gym was filled with activities for the children like face-painting, ornament-decorating, and a moon bounce. “The kids love the bouncy house and it was so fun to watch them jump around.” said Jenna Janco ‘19. “It’s awesome that the kids remember you and we can have fun with them over the years.” While the kids play, parents can go to another room where they can buy raffle tickets for different gifts. And, of course, Santa Claus comes for a visit. “It was snowing that day, so it pulled the whole Christmas spirit together when Santa came,” said Pavorsky. “It’s just great to see the Eastern community come together for a good cause.” By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

Craft Fair fundraiser for Project Graduation

roject Graduation’s most significant fundraiser throughout the year, the Eastern High School Craft Show, appeared to be successful once again this year. Held on December 2, the all-day event took over the Intermediate High School building - the main lobby, Gym 4, and the cafeteria were all packed, as was the hallway surrounding Gym 4. Vendors sold what ranged from paintings, to jewelry, to food, to the ever-popular “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” wooden figures. Eastern woodworking teacher, Mr. Bradley, was one of many familiar faces present as a crafter. Catering the event, Eastern’s Interact club sold concessions in the Viking Café under the guidance of Mr. Tom Biaggio. Although his child already graduated, he has chosen to remain active in the program by helping with concessions. The Craft Show would not be complete without its famed silent auction, where countless generous individuals have donated over one-hundred baskets to be raffled off. With assistance from other involved parents, this aspect of the Craft Show is headed up by Mrs. Barb Dixon and Mrs. Tami Israel, both parents of seniors who have been involved with Project Gradation for a number of years. Some other areas of management and operation were handled by Mrs. Michele Bonomo and Mrs. Ellen Mackle, also parents of seniors. The Craft Show brings in a considerable profit, and its twenty-fourth annual incarnation is expected to be no different. Early estimates set profits in step with previous years, surpassing twentythousand dollars. By ALEX MACKLE ‘18

December 2017

News

The Voyager 5

Model United Nations “gavel” in November By ALEXA GRABELLE ‘19 and BRANDON GOLDSTEIN ‘19 Special to The Voyager In November, the Model United Nations team attended two conferences. The first conference TechMUN lasted one day and was held at Camden County Technical Schools. The second RUMUN spanned four days at the end of the month and took place at New Brunswick Rutgers University campus. Both conferences provided students with ample opportunities to assess worldly perspectives as they developed implementable policies on a global scale regarding current international issues. On November 18, Eastern’s 23-person strong delegation represented a diverse group of 17 nations ranging from Afghanistan to South Africa at the inaugural TechMUN. Freshmen, juniors, and seniors participated. Despite some initial bumps, such as a sick keynote speaker, the conference was very successful. Students participated in various committees concerning topics relevant today. Freshmen Mary Zhou, Abigail Malitsky, and Darren Frankel discussed food nutrition and security, while Kruti Karnik, Priya Modi, and Eshita Bhatt debated nuclear safety.

The freshman contingent further proved its excellence. Christos Kokolis won Best Delegate; Brian Baker won Honorable Mention; Melody Dias won Best Novice; and Anna Dolce and Dara Cherkas won Best Position Paper. However, the Juniors and Seniors were not upstaged by the young diplomats. Alexa Grabelle won Best Delegate; Brandon Goldstein and Zachary Boroda won Honorable Mention; Ronak Thakur won Best Novice; Julia Dodd won Best Position Paper; and lone-senior Ben Dias won Best Delegate. Overall, the team brought home 11 individual awards, the most of any delegation. At RUMUN, twelve Eastern students participated in the conference. A few Eastern alumni who are current Rutgers students helped run the weekend’s programs. After a keynote by Jim Kline, debate commenced. Students participated in committees spanning a wide range of topics. For instance, senior Justin Choi attended the International Intelligence Summit, which discussed the topic of cyber defense, while juniors Bryan Eichen and Jainit Patel participated in the historical Bandung Conference of 1955, which discussed neo-colonialism and is known for being an important step towards the creation of the non-aligned movement. The team members worked hard every

Fashion and interior design students take on New York City By GABRIELLE GILHAM ‘18 Staff Reporter It was an eventful day for Mrs. Heyers’s Fashion and Interior Design students in New York City on December 12. Stopping first at The Fashion Institute of Technology, they were lead on a tour of Fashion students pose for a group photo in New York. Photo supplied the campus and The Fashion and Textile After watching the dazzling History Gallery. performances, the students made their The students then walked to Macy’s, Saks way to the Paley Center for Media where Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman’s to they had the opportunity to witness the view the animated and carefully crafted panel Behind the Seams: Fashion and TV. Christmas window displays. Among Special guests included Joanna Coles, them were Holiday themes with Snow the Chief Content Officer of Hearst White, New York City, and trending Magazines, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen, Fashion and pop culture. Project Runway judges. They spoke The class proceeded to Ellen’s Stardust about the fashion industry, the major Diner where entertainment was centered changes it currently faces, the changes around waiters and waitresses singing the industry will experience, and Project various known pieces from Hairspray, Runway’s pavement of new exposure to Frozen, and other broadway productions. the fashion industry.

An update on Eastern PARCC scores By JACOB SAFIER ‘20 Staff Reporter PARCC are measures of content and skills aligned with standards in courses. PARCC assessments are aligned to courses and standards not necessarily grade level. “Grade level expectations” are more aligned in grades 3-8. Here are the test numbers: - 489 freshmen tested up from the 293 that tested in 2015 and 371 that tested in 2016 - 298 sophomores tested up from the 250 that tested in 2015 and 182 that tested in 2016 - 81 juniors tested down from the 121 that tested in 2015 and 112 that tested in 2016 ENGLISH - 53.2% of freshman met or exceeded grade level expectations up from 40.6% in 2015 and down

from 58.7% in 2016 - 55.7% of sophomores met or exceeded grade-level expectations, up from 38% in 2015 and up from 48.4% in 2016 - 18.5% of juniors met or exceeded gradelevel expectations, up from 14.9% in 2015 and down from 25% in 2016 MATH - 23.8% of students that took Algebra I met or exceeded grade level expectations, up from 23.2% in 2015 and down from 40.5% in 2016. - 34.9% of students that took Geometry met or exceeded grade level expectations, down from 35.3% in 2015 and down from 49.8% in 2016. - 55.7% of students that took Algebra II met or exceeded grade level projections expectations, up from 40.8% in 2015 and up from 41.7% in 2016.

Eastern’s Model U.N. poses after winning awards. day, including one 14 hour day, to participate in debate, create resolutions, and speak out in committee. The delegates’ hard work paid off as Cyrena Kokolis, Maddie Portnoy, and Justin Choi each won Best Position Paper awards, and Zachary Boroda and Brandon Goldstein won Outstanding Delegate. The team as a whole won Best Small Delegation, the most prominent team award available.

Photo Supplied

This delegation award snapped Eastern’s four year delegation award drought. Next, the Model United Nations team looks forward to February when they will travel to Moorestown for MooMUN, a day conference, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for JHUMUNC, an overnight conference.

Federal Watch

Changing of Utah monuments

In April, President Trump signed an executive order that enabled Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to reassess any national monuments larger than 100,000 acres, The Washington Post wrote. This included two national monuments in Utah. The Bears Ears created by President Obama which expands over 1.35 million acres is to be cut to 201,397 and The Grand Staircase Escalante created by President Clinton originally 1.9 million acres is going to be 997,490, according to The Washington Post. As a result, outraged citizens are going to court to fight this new government decision. The alteration is due to complaints about federal overreach with strict protections placed on areas as such- preventing workers from drilling on these beautiful landmarks.

By GABRIELLE GILHAM ‘18

VP Pence breaks tie to ban consumers from suing creditors and banks After Mike Pence’s tie breaking vote, the Senate has passed a law banning consumers to sue their creditors and banks via class action. The senate overturned legislation that would require consumers to resolve their disputes through arbitration. The effects of this legislation is huge for the financial industry, like Wall Street. Meanwhile, the consumers take a huge hit. They no longer have the right to sue their banks and credit card companies, even if the banks and credit card companies do bad. According to Richard Cordray, head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new legislation gives the banks and creditors the right to a day in court while the consumer is locked out of court. He also said that companies are now allowed to break the law without fear of being sued. The new legislation also blocks big paydays for lawyers. Consumers are not forced to use arbitration to resolve differences with banks. Which is beneficial to banks and creditors. By MATT STEINSALTZ ‘20

FCC votes to repeal net neutrality Used on the Internet, net neutrality is a principle that states that service providers must treat all of the people using it the same. There can’t be any discrimination of the user, and that user can’t be charged different than others. Net neutrality’s main goal is to make everyone’s status the same on the Internet, preserving their rights on the web. Many people agree and disagree about net neutrality. People want their rights to be protected on the Internet while others think it is best to demolish net neutrality. LGBTQ, people of color, and religious minorities can use the web to organize ways of fighting back against discrimination using economics and education. The web can be used to plan a movement for these people to get social justice. If net neutrality is demolished, they could lose those opportunities to stop the discrimination and may never have a chance to get justice in our society. Phone and cable companies are against net neutrality. Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commision chairman, Ajit Pai, says that net neutrality is “a solution that won’t work for a problem that doesn’t exist.” On Dec. 14th, the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality. By JOSH MEYERS ‘21

The “Cake Case” is no piece of cake For the longest time, same sex marriage was not legal within the United States. On June 27th, 2015, same sex marriage was legalized across the whole country. Perhaps the event that spearheaded this movement the most was the “Cake Case”. When Jack Phillips, the owner of the Masterpiece Cake Shop, refused to bake a wedding cake for David Mullins and Charlie Craig. The same sex couple argued that it was in violation of their rights. Phillips claims that he should be allowed to refuse their request because if he wasn’t allowed to refuse their request, it would be in violation of his freedom of speech. During the week of December 9th, the case was heard. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the case. This case, while being controversial, can set a precedent in this issue which is a debate between marriage rights and the rights of a person to free speech. By MATTHEW MORANTE ‘18

4 The Voyager

News

December 2017

What’s happening in the community, around the state Possible Amazon headquarters in Camden

The gigantic tech-company, Amazon, announced their decision to build a second headquarters in September of this year. The Freeholder Board of Camden unanimously agreed to submit a proposal to Amazon to plant their new building in Camden, NJ. The company is awaiting proposals from other major cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli cited reasons why Camden is a good place for Amazon to construct a new headquarters as the proximity to the Philadelphia International Airport, New York City, and Washington D.C. Not to mention the Jersey Shore an hour away, perfect for its employees looking for recreation. This would be an amazing opportunity for Camden and the surrounding area, providing more jobs and bringing credibility to our county. By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

Book club in a bag Looking to start a book club with your friends? Well, many local libraries, including those of the Camden and Gloucester Counties, are now offering “book club bags.” Each bag contains 10-15 copies of one book, along with handy discussion questions to go along with the novel. Anybody with a library card can check out a bag for up to eight weeks. There are hundreds of titles to choose from when checking out a book club bag, which include multiple Young Adult novels. It is now easier than ever to get together with friends and enjoy discussing and reading a book of your choice.

By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

Ocean City boardwalk renovations Summer may seem far away in the middle of December, but you have much to look forward to when it ﬁnally rolls around. The Ocean City beaches in New Jersey have received $11.5 million to renovate the community and boardwalk. About 930,000 cubic yards of sand will be used to rebuild on the northern side of the beach. The project is mostly being covered by U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers and the state. Renovations began at the end of October, and it is planned to be completed by January 2018. This leaves plenty of time for the boardwalk to be ready for its opening in March 2018.

By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

Evesham Township PD recognized The Evesham Township Police Department has been re cognized as one of the best in the country. The department received a hearing from the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) last month, which included on-site assessments and interviews from elected ofﬁcials and community members. CALEA ranked the Evesham PD among the top one percent in the whole country. Evesham is only one in nine departments in New Jersey to receive this accreditation, so this is a huge honor for the township.

By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

N.J. Transit receives billions for budget The New Jersey Transit Board has recently budgeted $2.218 billion for operating and $1.367 billion for capital. These funds will go into over one hundred new, self-propelled, multi-level electrical railcars to replace the oldest in the bunch. There will also be another 185 cruiser-style commuter buses about to hit the road. Statistics from the Federal Transit Administration have cited NJ Transit as having had the most commuter train breakdowns in the country. The budgeting for new vehicles is planning to reduce the number of breakdown-related accidents and overall improve the NJ Transit system.

By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19

Possible pot legalization in New Jersey? The path to legalizing marijuana in New Jersey has been slow but steady over the past 6 years since medical mari-

juana was made legal in 2011. In 2017, it looks likely that recreational marijuana will inevitably become legal throughout the whole state of New Jersey. Although the legalization of marijuana is inevitable, the debate still remains as to what extent pot will be available. Lawmakers are debating on whether to let the pot industry run wild and reap the tax revenue or to regulate the sale of marijuana and avoid the negative effects cannabis can have on the people who smoke it. By CAMERON DAVIS ‘19

The Big Fix on 295 A project carried out by The New Jersey Department of Transportation began in March 2013 is set to continue until 2023 seeks to alleviate the traffic on I-295. Before construction, there was no direct connection to I-295 through traffic, causing motorists to reduce speed in order to merge. The department wants to ease congestion and prevent accidents on I-295, Route 42 and I-76 with the construction of bridges that would carry I-295 over I-76 and 42. With over 250,000 vehicles per day, the run off ramps are some of the most crash prone areas on the highway. New Jersey officials hope the change will improve safety and efficiency on I-295. By ALIYAH EL-MUHAMMAD ‘18

No More Bear Hunting in 2018? Bear hunting in New Jersey has occurred for the past eight years under former Gov. Chris Christie. With Phil Murphy now in place as governor, he has made the decision to issue a moratorium on New Jersey’s bear hunting, which would run through the week of December 9. Murphy argues that the temporary ban is in effect for public safety purposes and to assure that hunters are using the most effective and safe methods to hunt bears. The bear hunt is used to control the black bear population in New Jersey and many hunters argue that without the annual hunt, there will be an inevitable overrun. Some citizens are even pushing for a new bill sponsored by Senator Raymond Lesniak that will impose a ﬁve-year moratorium on bear hunting in New Jersey. By AVA HANCOCK ‘20

Administration focuses on combating vaping Continued from page 1

illegal act from school grounds so as not to affect student eduaddictive as the concentration increases. cation. Even some e-cigarettes advertised as conAccording to Tull, vaping issues are increasingly evident in taining no nicotine have been found to inbathrooms at sporting events, as well as bathrooms at school. clude the chemical. The commonplace flaThis directly correlates with national studies observing the invoring chemical diacetyl has been linked crease of vaping by teens. Youth are more likely to use e-cigato lung disease. Chemicals that cause canrettes than adults, as e-cigarette usage nationwide has risen to cer as well as heavy metals like lead have 14% among sophomores and 16.2% among seniors, according also been found in e-cigs. to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. All of these health factors play an In addition to this increase in vaping, Tull especially stresses important role in Tull’s assertion that safety as a particularly cogent element of this policy change. students should not be smoking, not “While students are at school, between leaving for school to mention the illegality intertwined in and going back home, they are under the school jurisdiction,” this fad. said Tull. “If students are at risk, our duty is to send them for “We don’t want vaping in our school medical attention or someplace to determine they aren’t at risk environment,” said Mr. Tull. for harm.” Students may experiThe contents of vaping “The sooner we get it out of our school, the better. The foence immediate adverse paraphernalia also can cus should be on education, effects related to vaping, including nausea, harm students who en- and the students who are involved in activities that lead dizziness, respiratory gage in this activity. to higher achievement.” problems, and vomitMr. Tull encourages stuing. Such symptoms dents to tell him, talk to are especially common teachers, or email gradewhen students are unaware of the concentration of the conlevel vice principals when they tents as well as when unaware, surrounding students or staff suspect or witness vaping. He inhale the vapors. also points out that everything Besides the immediate danger vaping poses to students, in life is “choice driven” and other repercussions lurk as well. that teen-parent conFor one, brains do not reach full development until about versations may help twenty five years of age. Chemicals from vaping can cause alleviate this harmful brain processing and development deficits down the line, as trend. well as lung damage. Although this policy The contents of vaping paraphernalia also can harm students change does bring to who engage in this activity. Although scientists have yet to light a select group of determine all of the adverse effects of this relatively new fad, students involved in they have made many observations regarding aerosol content. vaping, Tull hopes the Many harmful substances are commonplace in vape aerosols, attention will turn to even though NIDA reports that 66% of teens who vape think students who exhibit just flavoring is in their vape pen and 13.7% report they do exemplary behavior in not know. school instead. Nicotine is included in high concentrations, which gets more

Art by Jared Wilson ‘19

6 The Voyager

Features

December 2017

The costly truth about the costs of college By GABRIELLE GILHAM ‘18 Staff Reporter

s the college application season comes to an end, millions of students now eagerly await that email. Many students may think they are finished with the stress, but the stress may be just beginning. How are you going to pay for that school? Senior Catherine Staley enrolled at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with an intention to study zoology and PreVeterinary studies. Catherine said the total cost of attendance is $31,980 per year. She plans on paying for her education with, “scholarships, grants, and hopefully no loans.” With eight years of university costs, she is “working on applying to any and all scholarships.” “Prices have skyrocketed” to get a degree over the last twenty years. That’s what guidance counselor Ms. Bosworth said. Research shows that one reason behind the astronomical price for a degree is in part of a mix of increasing inflation rates. The amount of people going to college is also at its highest due to not being able to get a decent paying job without some form of education. According to College Board, people with a Bachelor’s degree earn $21,000 more than someone with just a high school diploma. Another factor that has caused prices to rise from thirty to forty years ago is the fact that more women and minorities are attaining an education than ever before. U.S. News and World Report wrote out-of-state tuition and fees at public universities have risen 194% while in-state tuition and fees have increased 237% in the last 20 years alone. This increase is daunting for students who are paying for the majority of those costs. Whether it is in-state or out-of-state, the costs are more than what most families can afford. On top of tuition, there are other factors, such as room and board, meals, books, and personal expenses. With an average of $32,000 a year for top public Universities and $65,000 for private as Time Magazine wrote, students are in debt and paying off loans years after graduating. Although the prices have gone up tremendously over the last twenty years, there are so many opportunities that students can participate in to avoid being in debt until they retire. It is all in the matter of researching and planning for the long term effect regarding the financial aspect of your college experience. Many students choose to apply to universities that are in the state. In-state tuition can save the average family thousands of dollars. There is also the option of going to community college and transferring after two years to a bigger university. Senior Gabriella Boal plans to attend Camden County College and then transfer to Rutgers University. “I’m trying to get out of college with the least debt possible,” she said. Many students may shun community college owing to the negative “stigma,” but in reality, it may be a smart financial choice, especially if you qualify for NJ Stars. To many, it doesn’t matter where you start; it’s where you finish, and your final goal. On top of financial aid and filing the FAFSA, students can take advantage of: university specific merit and special skills scholarships, external scholarships through websites such as fastweb. com, student loans, and work study programs. There are also scholarships available for Eastern students that can be awarded through the completion of an application in the beginning of the next calendar year for local scholarships. Along with the traditional methods of paying for college, there are also numerous other routes that contain the same end result. Senior Aakash Tripathi is attending a university with a biomedical engineering major next year and is planning to pay the majority of his educational costs. In addition to applying for scholarships and grants, he will be participating in a Co-Op Program. This five-year program will allow him to gain valuable work experience needed by most employers and earn money towards his degree simultaneously. There are even programs such as ROTC where the government offers scholarships for two, three or four years of your undergraduate or graduate school in exchange for a certain number of years you have to serve in the U.S. Military when you are finished schooling. Senior Alex Frattaroli is hoping to participate in an ROTC program for the Air Force next year while attending a university. With a major in Computer Science, the military will aid in the majority of the financial aspect of his education in exchange for three years of Active Duty. There are an abundance of different ways to pay for college. “Either through professions or other opportunities,” Kathleen Carney said. She graduated from Lafayette College in 1993 with only $500 to contribute because the company she worked for payed for her education if she maintained a certain grade point average in her studies. Many young adults put off the thought of the financial aspect of going to college and end up regretting their choices when they are paying off student loan debt and interest. This is especially the case if a student plans to earn a higher degree such as a masters or attend law or medical school. Planning how one is going to finance their college experience before they enroll in a college will save a lot of aggravation and stress in the long run. “It’s like a business,” Ms. Bosworth said. “You have to look for the best deal.”

Graphs by Gabrielle Gilham ‘18

Features

December 2017

The Voyager 7

The rippling effects of new tax legislation By JESSICA BONAMASSA ‘19 News Editor

he long proposed tax cut by President Donald Trump, now called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was passed by the Senate on December 1, 2017. The House of Representatives passed their version of the bill on November 16. This cut is projected to lower income taxes and cut corporate tax from thirty-five to twenty percent. Some see tax deductions as a stimulant to the federal economy, while others believe by doing so, the economy falls and the debt expands. It has been said that the size of President Trump’s tax cut has not been seen since the Reagan administration. This cut will impact all Americans, but corporations in particular. The working class keeps our country thriving, which is why it’s important that they see a tax relief. The Committee of Ways and Means says this tax cut will establish a new Family Credit that increases Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $1,600 to financially help parents raise their children and provide a $300 credit for each parent and non-child dependent. It preserves the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help families care for their children and older dependents, including disabled elders. The cut eliminates taxes like the Alternative Minimum Tax, reduces the tax for low and middle-income American families, and nearly doubles the standard deduction. From a business aspect, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is projected to reduce the tax rate on business income to approximately 25 percent for Main Street job creators. Currently, the tax rates for relatively small businesses are around 40 percent, making it hard for some to expand and become successful. With businesses keeping more of their money, they have the opportunity to hire more employees, which decreases unemployment, to invest in their business, expand, and raise wages for workers, which contributes to a rise in productivity. With a smaller tax rate, more Americans are encouraged to engage in entrepreneurism.

“Hopefully it produces a snowball effect. If that guy or girl is wanting to open a business, it produces more jobs and output, whether it’s a service or putting more products out on the market. Even if you hire a few additional people, it’s still a job that allows somebody to pay the bills,” said Entrepreneurship teacher Mrs. Pappas. “It is an additional source of tax revenue. Although the tax rate is lower, there will be more businesses out there contributing to tax fund, which goes to schools, firefighters, police officers, our military,” she said. Additionally, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act proposes a simplification of the tax code from a 70,000 page code on tax laws to a form like a postcard helps American families and businesses file taxes. “That’s the biggest thing they’re trying to push is to simplify the tax code,” said accounting and finance teacher Mr. Dawson. “People don’t feel like being bothered by filing their own taxes. There’s a

lot of loopholes in the tax system they are trying to simplify a bit.” The new bill will cut the amount of income brackets from seven to three. Under Ronald Reagan, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 took effect, cutting corporate tax rates. He cut top income tax rate from 70 percent to 28 percent and the corporate rate from 48 percent to 34 percent. According to the Washington Examiner, “Inflation-adjusted corporate income tax revenue rose every year over the same time period: 28.3 percent in 1987, 8.2 percent in 1988, and 4.3 percent in 1989. As a percent of GDP, corporate income tax revenue rose from 1.4 percent to 1.8 percent in 1987, and then increased slightly again in 1988 and 1989.” Revenues exceeded projections in 1987, 1988, and 1989. The most notable increase was by three percent in 1989. Reports show that the economy had a four percent annual growth under Bill Clinton. In achieving this, he raised taxes on higher income taxpayers and cut mili-

tary spending. There was a rise in federal revenue, but a decline in economic spending. The public debt, relative to the GDP, fell from 47.8% in 1993 to 31.4% in 2001. Trends show that immediate effects of tax cuts are a decrease in federal income and an increase in net pay for the Americans whose taxes are cut. money loss compensation. Critics of the new cut say that the tax cuts most likely won’t be offset by equivalent spending reductions. This would cause the federal budget deficit and debt to grow. However, Mr. Kennedy sees it as an “honest effort to effect the economy and the disposable income of the American people”. “The economy, which has been sluggish for the last several years, was laboring under increased rate, particularly corporate taxes. A chance to undo that and stimulate the economy and get more of the American people’s money back into their own hands was at the heart of it”, he said. Over time, America will see the true effects of this new legislation.

Make sure that charity is credible T

By VICTORIA LAPINSON ‘21 Staff Reporter

he holiday season is here. This is the time of year for showing gratitude, appreciation, and to celebrate the important people in one’s life. When it comes down to choosing a special gift for someone, it can get pretty confusing. If something artistic or personalized is out of the question, the most thoughtful idea is charity. Though it seems as easy as that, there really is background. Information that should be gathered to verify a charity is going to do the most good. One charity, Kids Wish Foundation, was labeled the “worst charity in America” in a CNN article. This organization was created to help give gifts and luxuries to terminally ill children. According to CNN, “Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids.” This emphasizes the importance of watching where the funds go in choosing a charity. It is always good to give a physical gift, though it’s never a bad idea to donate in a friend or family member’s name. Many organizations offer products in exchange for a donation. These can be wonderful gifts that serve a greater purpose. For the coffee lovers, there is a foundation dedicated to two things: caffeine and canines. Grounds and Hounds sells coffee grounds, mugs, apparel, and more. They specialize in simplistic designs and vaious coffee flavors. 20% of the proceeds go towards canine rescue partnerships.

Endangered animals and climate change are both great causes and the priorities of WWF (World Wildlife Foundation). Through this organization, there is the option of a symbolic adoption. This entails choosing a furry (perhaps scaly, spiky, or rubbery) friend and donating to its preservation. There are different levels of adoption, but the adopter/recipient is given a certificate and stuffed version of the animal they sponsor. For those who love the works of Emerson, Thoreau, and other nineteenth century philosophers, there’s a charity connected directly to their lives and beliefs. The Walden Woods project serves to protect the forest where Henry D. Thoreau lived and drew inspiration from. By purchasing his writing, posters, or sponsored products, a portion of the money will go towards maintaining the woods. All of these charities and more offer wonder and meaningful products, but sometimes a simple monetary donation is the best way to go. It this case, there are countless

foundations that suffice and are in need of support. The Stomp Out Bullying charity is nonprofit, and 87% of every donation goes towards the cause. Organizing educational programs, informing teachers about how to handle a bullying situation, and being an open resource for victims--this is a very important and impactful campaign. For classic rock fans, or simply people who want to help as many causes as possible, a great option is the Material World Foundation. Created by George Harrison (yes, the Beatle), this organization serves as a nonprofit charity that donates to almost every imaginable cause: endangered species, women’s rights, scientific exploration, children’s hospitals, music schools, missing persons hotline, Elton John’s AIDS foundation, Adopt a Minefield, American Photo supplied. Ballet, Cancer research. It’s all there, and it’s all going towards it. With the holidays growing sooner and sooner, it’s important to reflect on what there is to be thankful for, and to give back. Through a credible charity, it is a great idea to make this season special by giving a gift that keeps on giving.

8 The Voyager

Features

December 2017

The necessity of self-defense for women By SRISHTI RAMESH ‘19 Managing Editor

ince the sexual harassment allegations of film producer Harvey Weinstein in October, numerous men of power have been accused of similar harassment. This has brought to light the commonality of sexual harassment and how easy it is for men to get away with misconduct. According to the Rape, Assault, & Incest National Network (RAINN), there is an average of 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States. While sexual harassment is not only experienced by women—one of ten rape victims are male—women are generally more likely to be assaulted by men. One out of six American women have been a victim of attempted or completed rape, and many more have experienced other forms of sexual harassment. Additionally, females between the ages of 16-19 are four times more likely to be sexually At the Israeli Krav Maga center in Cherry Hill, instructor Suzanne Daugherty instructs two female students. assaulted than the general population. Photos by Srishti Ramesh ‘19 These statistics are harrowing, as are the erful than their male counterparts, but the truth is that, the number one tool at anyone’s disposal is awareness; if stories told by millions of women in the United States no matter what situation someone is in, self defense is one is mindful enough of the situation, they can avoid it and around the world. Many would consider America to crucial. or overcome it more easily. be a safe place for women, but is it really? Are we safe “I 100% agree that it’s important for women to learn self For high schoolers, self defense is especially imporat night, or out in public, or alone? Are we safe at home? defense today,” said junior Gabby Innamorato. “Though tant because learning self defense as early as possible At work? At school? it’s sad to think about having to use these tactics, having can help develop the skills that could come to use in the In the light of these revelations, self defense has bethe ability to defend your body is a priceless skill.” future. Eastern used to have a self defense class linked come more important than ever. According to a statistic Not only does self defense give one the skill to defend with the PE curriculum, but it was phased out when the from the FBI, 86% of attacks on women were successthemselves, but it also boosts confidence. Senior Aditi curriculum changed. fully diffused by the victim fighting back—something Kiron, who has been taking karate lessons at the NJ Mr. Worthington, who used to teach self defense here that most attackers aren’t expecting. Women are often Black Belt Association in Voorhees for five years, stated at Eastern, stated that bringing back the teaching, either targeted due to the assumption that they are less powthat it has improved her overall health and confidence. “I in PE or a whole separate class, would be beneficial to feel more comfortable gostudents, who should learn how to stay safe and be more ing against people, whether confident. “I think it would be different for the kids,” he it’s physically or verbally,” said. “I would like to see something happen like this.” she said. In the Lifestyle Fitness class being implemented next Israeli Krav Maga, which school year, some sorts of self defense, like kickboxis a self defense system ing, are in the plans to be taught. Self defense classes at with roots in the Israeli Eastern would positively impact all students, not only Defense System, has a women. center in Cherry Hill run “I would love it if there was a self defense course in by Don Melnick. Israeli gym,” said Kiron. “I feel like some people would get Krav Maga, Melnick said, really into it.” is “focused on techniques” Innamorato agreed, saying that since schools already rather than size or strength, implement programs to educate about safe sex, drugs, making it helpful for peoand alcohol, so “why not educate them [students] on a ple who are faced with a way to protect themselves?” physically intimidating opAs some situations that women encounter may be perilponent. In the female-speous, learning about self defense is essential. “Think of it cific self defense classes as a fire escape plan,” Innamorato said. “You never want that are offered at Israeli to have to face a situation where your house is on fire, Krav Maga, the teaching but you create a way to escape just in case if were to hapis focused on soft tissue atpen.” Self defense is the same way. Hopefully someone tacks and awareness trainwill not have to deal with an unsafe situation, but knowStudents at Israeli Krav Maga’s female specific women’s self defense ing. According to Melnick, ing self defense provides a way to fight back. class warm up with a simple partner exercise.

Don’t be SAD this holiday season By HAYLEY BRICKER ‘18 Staff Reporter

ental health has this stigma. While 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, it is still one of the most taboo subjects. There are so many variations of depression that fly under the social radar and therefore remain untreated. There are a plethora of types of depression ranging from major depression to seasonal depression and everything in between. With the holiday season in full swing, the increase of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has begun to take its dark course. Depression is 100% treatable; conversation just needs to happen. Seasonal Affective Disorder is “a period of major depression that most often happens during the winter months, when

the days grow short and you get less and less sunlight” which typically ends in the spring and summer, according to WebMD. The cause of SAD is still unknown but it is possible that it is caused by the lack of sunlight in the winter time, allowing for a depressive state to settle in. Another cause of SAD is the holidays themselves. While the joy of the holiday time can be a magical experience for some, it turns into a nightmare for others. Love, family, and food are plastered around town and on TV making it difficult for those with no family or those experiencing issues in their family, those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, or those with eating disorders, to cope with the stress brought on during the holiday season. SAD and other forms of depression are easy to spot. Those suffering from SAD and depression will showcase symptoms like, “feelings of hopelessness and

sadness, thoughts of suicide, hypersomnia or a tendency to oversleep, a change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods, weight gain, a heavy feeling in the arms or legs, a drop in energy level, decreased physical activity, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, increased sensitivity to social rejection, and avoidance of social situations” according to PsyArt by Jared Wilson ‘19 chology Today. SAD is 100% curable and preventable.

Typical treatment options include various forms of therapy, and more unconventional forms l i k e giving back to the community through volunteering. So, this holiday season, do not let the stigma continue. Talk about mental health and don’t allow those with SAD or depression suffer in silence any longer.

December 2017

Features

Stage Crew throws history teacher, Mr. Isshak, a suprise party for his birthday.

What to Do in Winter

(Cherry Hill) Amazing Escape Room

Whether it’s with a few friends or a large group, an escape room is fun for everyone. You need to solve problems, uncover clues and work as a team to get out of tight situations. Every room has a different theme and a specific mission will be assigned to your party.

Holiday light show at Historic Smithville

Holiday songs and synchronized lights can get anyone into the holiday spirit. Be mesmerized by 120 christmas trees with 50,000 lights floating around the center of historic Smithville on Lake Meone.

Outside ice skating

Multiple locations- Ice skating outsiding with music, lights and hot chocolate is a perfect way to get into the holiday season.

The Comcast Holiday Spectacular

If you are ever in Philly, stop by the Comcast building to watch their fifteen minute holiday light spectacular. The show includes holiday music and clips of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.”

SugarHouse Casino New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront Watch fireworks light up the sky and reflect on the water below. Fireworks are a great way to bring in the new year.

Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor at The Franklin Institute

The Voyager 9

Photo supplied

Grabelle makes a difference To promote book donations, Grabelle goes into many schools, colleges, and companies. After the books are donated, she brings them to her house, lexa Grabelle is not an average student. where she sorts through them by grade level. When Winning the Selfless Student award, the the sorting is complete, Grabelle sends the books to Community Involvement Recognition schools in need. Grabelle says the students are ecstatic when they Award, and the Presidential Volunteer Service Award all by the age of 16, Grabelle is the difference receive their books. “They are always overcome with joy,” Grabelle said. “I’ve had students hug me maker our world desperately needs. When Grabelle was 10 years old, she learned and say it’s the best day of the year.” Along with the radiant smiles about the dangers of from the students, Grabelle says the summer slide. The summer slide is the “The program makes she receives many notes thanking tendency for students to me feel like even though her for her contributions. Running a successful program forget valuable skills they learned in the previous I am young, I have is hard . She constantly checks her school year, which leaves the ability to make a email, updating social media, and contacting companies. students at a disadvantage difference in the world,” Through her networking, Grabelle at the beginning of the Grabelle said. was able to come in contact with next school year. the founder of the Knowledge The summer slide is Power Program (KIPP), Mike is more severe in low Feinberg, who manages over 200 income families where literature is not easily obtained, and Grabelle saw charter schools across America. She is now able to donate to the KIPP charter schools. this as a major problem that needed to be solved. Grabelle is confident in her ability to make a To combat losing skills during the summer, Grabelle started an organization called “Bags of positive change. “The program makes me feel like Books”, which collects and then distributes books even though I am young, I have the ability to make a difference in the world,” Grabelle said. “It inspired to underprivileged children. As of December, 2017, Grabelle has collected and me to teach others that they have the possibility to do the same.” distributed over 130,000 books. By RYAN EMS ‘19 Staff Reporter

From now until March, you can discover the Terracotta Army. The exhibit features more than 160 artifacts, weapons, jade pieces, gold ornaments, bronze bells, ceremonial vessels, coins and architectural pieces from China in 210 BCE.

A Longwood Christmas (Longwood Gardens)

Half a million holiday lights and over 50 Christmas trees are waiting for you at Longwood Gardens. Inspired by Versailles in Paris, extravagant is one way to describe this display.

The Philadelphia Auto Show

New, old, fancy, expensive and colorful cars will all be at the Philadelphia Auto Show from January 27th to February 4th, 2018.

Monster Mini Golf, Multiple Locations

If you are looking for something fun to do over break, check out this glow in the dark/blacklight mini golf.

Polar Plunge

The 27th annual Atlantic City polar bear plunge will take place on Monday, January 1, 2018, 12 PM. Jumping into freezing water may not be how you planned on spending your new year’s day, but remember that all of the proceeds go to support families with MS.

Compiled by Lauren Casole ‘19

Alexa poses with all of the books she has collected for schools and children in Photo supplied need.

Features

10 The Voyager

December 2017

No, I don’t have a Hanukkah bush, and that’s okay

By RUTHIE DOUGLASS ‘19 News Editor

he clock strikes midnight on Thanksgiving evening. It has begun, Christmas is coming. Now, everywhere that you turn, lights are ﬂashing green and red, the face of Santa Claus is peeking out of department store halls, and the inevitable voice of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” plays on a loop. For many, this is a winter wonderland dream come true. However, for those who don’t celebrate the “most wonderful time of the year,” it’s a bit overwhelming. While most of my friends are decorating their Christmas trees and breaking out the Elf on the Shelf, I’m planning what menorah I’m going to use each night and awaiting the ﬁrst delicious bite of freshly-fried latkes. I’m practicing my dreidel skills to ensure that I win the most gelt. I’m making periodic trips to my Bubbie’s house, cooking dinner days in advance so that we can freeze and rewarm it the night of the family Hanukkah party. Being Jewish during Christmas-time can be a challenge. Firstly, a lot of people are incapable of grasping the idea

that I don’t celebrate Christmas. “What do you mean you don’t have a Christmas tree?” they ask me in disbelief. And don’t even get me started on “Hanukkah bushes.” The corporatism that surrounds Hanukkah is simply created by those who lack the deeper understanding of their religion and feel jealous of the extravagance of Christmas. Not to say that I haven’t felt jealous myself, because of course I have. The magic and wonder that surrounds the idea of Christmas is certainly enviable. “Well, you get like eight nights of presents, that’s amazing!” Well, I get approximately one thing a night, and you get an entire month dedicated to hype for your holiday. Not really equitable. But I love my religion, and I love Hanukkah. The feeling of unity and family that I get as we all stand around the menorah, lighting candles is one that our Christian counterparts will never experience. Hanukkah in itself is not that important of a holiday in Judaism, but it has become a big deal because of its proximity to Christmas. For this, I guess I am thankful. I am thankful for another opportunity to spend time with my family and, come on, latkes are amazing!

Although it’s not my holiday, I can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit. I live vicariously through the big city girl, who comes home to her small town for the holidays and falls in love with the new owner of her childhood diner, as featured on the Hallmark channel. I sing along to the holiday music on the radio, because there’s not much else to listen to. When I was younger, my family and I used to drive around the wealthier neighborhoods and marvel at the beautifully decorated homes. What could be so religious about pretty lights, anyhow? In the end, Christmas is really supposed to be about philanthropy, charity, and a lot of candy canes, so how could I not get behind that? So, no, I don’t have a decorative tree in my living room, I never believed a fat man in a red suit came down my chimney to give me presents, and I have never reenacted the nativity scene at my local church, and that’s okay. For now, I’ll stick to my candles and deep-fried holiday foods and wait until Easter time for the cycle to start all over again.

Check out Lauren’ Casole’s fashion piece on holiday sequins at voyager-online.org

Holiday gift ideas when you don’t know what to get

By JULIA DODD ‘19 Managing Editor

he hardest part of winter break is deciding what presents to get friends and family members. This can be simpliﬁed if one asks the person, but alas, people never seem to do that. So a survey was conducted to ﬁnd out people’s ideal gift. Some people went with

material gifts such as books, a new camera, and jewelry. For instance, Mr. Bowne, an English IV teacher at Eastern said, “A poem (or letter) composed by my beloved, signed, and framed.” Whereas, other people went with intangible items such as time and world peace. There were also people who just went with memorable moments like spending time with their family. “My ideal

gift would be to spend time with my family and two dogs on Christmas Day,” said Gabrielle Gilham ‘18. In general, people tend to love the fact that someone took the time to buy or make them a gift. “I don’t have any speciﬁc in mind,” said Hayley Beluch ‘18. “But to receive something from a loved one that shows how much they care

about me and my interests makes it special.” So the next time you go shopping, think about your family and friends and just get them something, because it is the thought that counts. Artwork by Hayley Beluch ‘18

Winter break, what everyone’s been waiting for Artwork by Sapphire Thach ‘19

By JORDAN LEWIS ‘19 Staff Reporter

s the ﬁrst snow falls and as the sharp chilling breeze hits, what’s on a student’s mind? Winter break. Being roughly four months into school, everyone is looking forward to the nine and a half days off. During this leave of school, it gives plenty of students time to enjoy the holidays, take a mental break, and enjoy the comfort of winter in their own homes. Mark your calendars, because winter break starts with an early dismissal on December 22nd heading into the New Year, returning on the 2nd of January. “You don’t have to go to school,” said Kasso Peaks’18, as he explains why he feels that winter break is amazing. “You’re able to just chill and have a good time with your friends, without worrying much about school.” As an athlete participating in winter track this year, he also expresses that track practice during break doesn’t change his plans. “I’m going to put lights on some trees and go sit next to a heater with a blanket.” Kasso also counts on seeing his brother return from college, who is also on break. Carly Wolinsky, 2019, is another athlete who is greatly looking forward to a spirited winter break. ”We work hard and it’s nice to have a little break time.” After juggling schoolwork, basketball outside of school, and now inside of school, she’s ready to welcome relaxation. With the school’s basketball season beginning, she must spend some of that time with practices and even a tournament. She simply has no worries. “Well practices are long, but I like it. I love playing

basketball, it’s my life,” Wolinsky said. “We have practice in the mornings then I get the whole rest of the day to relax and hang out with friends at night. Unfortunately I can’t plan any vacations, but maybe I’ll go somewhere on a Sunday. We don’t have practices then.” In hopes of temperature dropping, given any chance to having snow she hopes to “Go sledding and have snowball ﬁghts. All that good stuff.” Coldness is something that’s inevitable to face during winter time. Many things could be done to keep yourself warm and cozy. Megan Borie, 2019, recommends to

“Have fuzzy socks, wear blankets, and to be sure to have a lot of hot chocolate.” Being a hardworking student and lover of the holidays, she has many reasons why you should enjoy winter break. “There is no school, you get to spend time with family and friends, play in the snow, and get to stay indoors watching christmas movies all day.” Megan sees this break in a joyful view, disassociating herself with the negative thought of having a dull, cold winter break.. “If it does not snow during winter break, I am moving to the North Pole.”

Features

December 2017

“Where the Sidewalk Bends”

The Voyager 11

BY KAYLEE BRAIDWOOD ‘20 Special to the Voyager

don’t blame me for the coming of spring or for feeling less devoted to you than i was to the truth it’s not my fault that a bird swept down and took me under it’s wing or that i didn’t want to deal with the consequences of your imitation youth i won’t feel guilty for your colors burning too bright to hide or that i made another crack in something that was already beyond broken

i won’t be accused for your opaque smile enjoying the faces i cried or for taking the thirsty whispers in our heads and making them outspoken

don’t hate me for the forbidden nights when you put me through hell or for your manly decision to play the role of the boy i can’t help that you wrapped your hidden hand over my mouth and said “Don’t tell.”

or that your greedy presence was slowly stealing away my joy

i refuse to apologize for leaving behind my suffering skin or for realizing that love isn’t shown in bruises i’m not responsible for you hiding any silver lining behind taunting sin or for figuring out that your fists were real, but your sincere words were just excuses i can’t be held accountable for my heart learning how to beat on it’s own or for dancing with the addictive insecurity of being free i won’t say i’m sorry for feeling more threatened with you than when i was alone or for letting you play the role of the boy and i, the Giving Tree

“New Money” By NIA QUINONES ‘18 Special to the Voyager It’s what we fiend for What we work for What some of your best friends will betray you for How we survive We heard about what money can buy The scandal it can bring, Or bring down We’ve seen it withhold power Bring fear into someone’s eyes It’s not easy to maintain Especially working for 8.75 an hour raising three kids alone We chase it like a dog coming for a bone We’ve made it become our dictator It runs our lives Whispers to us to buy what we don’t need Gets us to buy what we can’t afford Tells us no when we preferably need it We have a love hate relationship, That crisp green bill, and I It’s what keeps us functioning What keeps us young or old What keeps us fun or dull When we see it, It’s like a gun held to the head The mood will swing and respect is given It follows us everywhere even when we’re gone Our loved ones pay our waking along with debt Instead of feeling sorrow they fill with regret But at some point, like the rest of us It will all just go.

By JOSH MEYERS ‘21

Q: How do I convince my parent(s) to get my family a dog?

Q: How do I handle all of the homework that I get?

A: I was in the same situation. I had been asking my parents for a furry friend for years. During that time, they got me some fish and a couple of hermit crabs. But to actually get a dog or a cat for my family, I had to focus on two major things: timing and making my mom guilty. In the spring before my sister was about to head to college, I asked if we could get a dog or a cat for what seemed like the hundredth time. Again, my mom had said no, but then I thought about something, My sister is heading off to college soon and that means I will be the only child in the house with no sibling to spend my time with. This is the perfect time to guilt my mom. And guilt her I did. I told my mom, “Jordan is going to college in the fall and when she leaves, I will be all alone. With a dog or a cat I will always have company in the house. Plus, the pet could even replace Jordan.” Okay, I didn’t say that last line but what I said before that is total facts. After I told my mom that, I could see in her eyes how bad she would feel if I got lonely in the house without my sister. She said, “Well, I don’t want a dog. But I will think about getting a cat.” So, that April, my mom called a local breeder who had a cat up for adoption and my family adopted her. My relentless years of begging were over.

Staff Reporter

A: Every high schooler always has that one night where they have to do hours of homework, but there are ways to control that workload. If you have a study hall, get off Netflix and Snapchat and complete your homework so you have less work for the night. Study hall is meant for you to get your homework done. Having an hour for lunch is also a great way to limit your amount of homework when you get home. Lunch A, you can eat your lunch, and then Lunch B get your homework done or vice versa. You can work in either the Learning Center, the Media Center, or Gym 1 or Gym 2. Another way to handle your homework is to utilize the new schedule. On Monday, you could might have a class that you do not have Tuesday, so you can push that homework aside for the next night when you don’t have as much to complete. When you are doing your homework at home, maybe try taking a break in between. You can do one piece of homework and then when you are done, take a ten minute break before you move on to your next homework assignment. Handling your homework workload can be easier if you follow these tips.

Complete the Crossword Puzzle Name:

Complet e t he crossword below 1

2 3

6 7

12 13

“Read Me”

By SHANISE KNIGHT ‘20 Special to the Voyager Poems from Mr. Kemery’s Creative Writing

Just read me Read me like I’m a swimsuit catalog See how inspiring I am Read me like you have so much things to do Read me like your favorite bedtime story The one with the pretty princess, and shiny black horses Read me as if I were a magazine at an auto shop and your phone just died Just read me Read me like the recipe from a cookbook Try to figure out which ingredients you need Or better yet, like a high schooler studying for exams Making sure you remember every detail Read me like lyrics to your song Just to let me be the only melody in your head When you get me all summarized, do you think you truly got it right? Am I noticed by you yet?

20 Created with TheTeac hers Co rner.net Cro s s wo rd Puz z le Generato r

Across 1. author of This Side of Paradise 4 . term for flock of crows 7. study of tissues of the body 9. character of M*A*S*H* played by Donald Sutherland 11. inventor of the printing press 12. Portuguese soccer player on Real Madrid 13. 'I like my Sketchers, but I love my _________ backpack.' 14 . a racket sport in which walls are meant to be used 17. name of the world's tallest man in history 18. an art term that refers to portraying a 3D object on a 2D surface 20. name of the legendary monster said to inhabit Scotland's second largest lake

Down 2. last three words said by Julius Caesar of William Shakespeare's play of the same name 3. female character killed in episode 'Flight' of Grey's Anatomy 5. notorious faith healer in Russia 6. name the move: 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning.' 8. Late Night Show with ______________ _______________ 10. machine used by German forces in WWII for coded communication 15. Roman god of wine 16. a score of one stroke over par on a hole 19. acronym used prior to SOS for ships in distress

Voyager Yea

The Clock is

12 December 2017

201

The Best Musical in NJ

Eastern Eastern’s 2017 Spring Musical was an experience anyone involved would tell you they will never forget. Les Misérables brought in huge audiences the likes of which have rarely been seen at Eastern, and left audiences standing after each show. The students involved tackled difficult music and serious acting and over the course of four months created art each of them was proud to be a part of. The show went on to be nominated for multiple regional theatre awards, highlights of which include: a nomination for Best Musical at The Greater Philadelphia Cappies Gala and a win for Best Overall Production of Musical in New Jersey from Tony Award Winning Paper Mill Playhouse.

With a new time slot, “Good Morning Eastern” stages a comeback as “ETV News Live!”

2017 certainly was Voyager takes a loo things that made

Eastern Drumline, First Place

For the first time in over 50 years, The Voyager goes on the web.

tires

Mr. C

r re rozie

Ea w st el er co n Jo me Foo hn s tb C D oa all ho c er h ty

Sheeran for several years, but this was the opportunity to see him live, and I was beyon To see this man perform live was simply s on a one-man show with just a guitar and a snippets that he plays or sings right there on himself. Each song would start with a simple hit out on the base of the guitar, and then an Watching each of the songs come togethe own eyes was breathtaking and like nothing ergy that Sheeran brought to the stage and even by himself, only elevated the show. It w ed this year, and one of the best of all time.

Enterta

ar In Review

s Ticking on

The Voyager 13

News A New President

one heck of a year. The ok back on a few of the this year memorable.

January 20, 2017 was the inauguration of America’s 45th president Donald J. Trump. With patriotic citizens crowded together at our nation’s capital, the president to be gave his speech saying, “Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.”

The Women’s March On January 21st of 2017, not 24 hours subsequent to the presidential inauguration of 45th president Donald Trump, more than 420 separate marches occurred in the United States, but not limited to, as 168 other countries marched as well, with millions of people advocating a fight for women’s rights and gender equality. It became the largest single-day protest in American history. This foreshadowed the upcomming period of political polarization in the United States.. The rise of sexual assault allegations against celebrities such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey as well as politicians such as Al Franken, Donald Trump, John Conyers, and Roy Moore have made waves and been considered some of the biggest disappointments of this year. However, these accusations have also established an open platform for the discussion of sexual abuse and rape, such as the #MeToo campaign and many women and men sharing their stories.

In July of this summer, Ed Sheeran came to the Wells Fargo Center for the Philadelphia stop of his world tour, debuting his newest album, “Divide.” I have been a fan of first time I had had the nd excited. spectacular. Sheeran puts pedal that records live Stephen n stage, and layers it over King’s mame guitar melody, followed by a beat moth novel, nother harmony of his voice. “It”, broke er, piece by piece, right before my box office g I had ever seen before. The enrecords this maintained for a two-hour concert, year by being the second was by far the best concert I attendhighest grossing horror film of all time, grossing $653.9 million dollars. The movie inspired a plethora of real life odd occurrences including red balloons everywhere and a fear of sewer drains.

2017 - Anything but “Old Fashioned”

Looking back at the fashion of 2017, jeans are starting to become looser (with lots of holes) and skinny jeans are slowly being replaced. Yes, it’s still acceptable to wear them, but they’ll not be as prominent in stores as we bring in the new year. However, stripes are here to stay (at least for now). Elle magazine has stripes as the number one defining fashion trend of 2017; I couldn’t agree more. Stripes were everywhere, from shirts to pants to shoes to belts. You could find them in every size and color under the sun. It is safe to say that 2017 was the year of the stripe. Contributors to this page: Alex Mackle, Evelyn Steele, Lauren Casole, Robert Sundstrom, Nick Ray, Diya Goyal, Hayley Bricker, Maanasi Natarajan, Ruthie Douglass Suppliied Feild Hockey photo by Mike Gurnis, NJ Advance Media

ainment

14 The Voyager

Opinion

Keep the stress out of our winter break

December 2017 Cartoon by Sakshi Sehrawat ‘18

he eve of winter break and the holidays are finally upon students here at Eastern. It’s the time to relish our muchdeserved respite and take pause to spend time with family and friends during our respective holiday celebrations. We have been working hard for the larger part of the first semester, so it’s finally time to kick back and enjoy ourselves before we transition into the second half of the school year. There’s just one problem. We’ve got homework to do. The Voyager staff, when collectively compiling responses, found that the amount of homework distributed over break varied from student to student. Some were lucky enough to have never received any major assignments over any of the school breaks; others had the stress of studying for multiple assessments and/or completing projects hanging over their heads at a designated stress-free time. A common assignment that repeatedly cropped up was either having to complete or read parts of a novel for English class. Other times, homework assignments were a little more flexible, with some time before and after break to complete a task. However, a common theme was prevalent in all of the responses—winter break is time meant to be spent away from our chaotic and activity-packed lives without the stress of homework impeding our ability to enjoy ourselves over the holidays. With the block schedule, it has become increasingly difficult for teachers to cover all of the curriculum that needs to be taught. To make up for lost time, many teachers fall back on the long stretches of days off to squeeze in as much content as possible. Understandably, teachers don’t have time for days wasted reviewing a topic; homework is a good way for students to hit the ground running once returning back from break so grades can be finalized and class may proceed as smoothly as possible. A reasonable amount of homework over break is ideally no homework, but to avoid hitting that post-break slump that follows a week sans learning, an independent choice read or assigned book was deemed reasonable enough by the staff for students to deal with over break. It’s largely interpretive, stress-free, and portable; perfect for students going on trips who don’t want to have to deal with the unwieldiness of binders and textbooks. Anything more than that, and students will inevitably push their work to the side and won’t complete it. A study done by Duke University revealed that 77% of students found a positive correlation between homework assignments and achievement. Obviously, there is proof that homework will lead to mastery of certain subject areas, but at what cost? A study conducted by New York University found that chronic stress of today’s youth has impeded their ability to succeed academically, compromised their mental health functioning, and fostered risk behaviour. And that same Duke University study found that homework “can cause physical and emotional fatigue, fuel negative attitudes about learning, and limit leisure time for children.” Students need the winter break to recuperate, relax, and recharge. With ample time in the school year to pile on homework, this winter break, and future breaks, should be stress and homework free.

Eastern Regional High School 1401 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-784-4441 www.voyager-online.org

THE VOYAGER

Alex Mackle , Hayley Beluch: Editors-in-Chief Srishti Ramesh, Shreya Gowda, Julia Dodd, : Managing Editors Hana Hancock, Maanasi Natarajan: Opinion Editors Ruthie Douglass, Jessica Bonamassa: News Editors Karina Madrid, Lauren Casole : Features Editors Jaimie McCormick: Entertainment Editor Crystal Osuji and Layla Turner: Assistant Entertainment Editors Anthony Cutrera, Eric Horn: Sports Editors Lisa Traczyk: Art Editor Kierstin Clem: Photography Editor Nancy Bowne: Copy Editor Staff Reporters

Haley Allesbrook, Hayley Bricker, Paul Brown, Olivia Covington, Cameron Davis, Bryce Dersham, Aliyah El-Muhammad, Gabrielle Gilham, Ryan Ems, Ava Hancock, Tanner Koch, Val Lapinson, Jordan Lewis, Ryan Margolis, Cynthia Meas, Josh Meyers, Matthew Morante, Nick Ray, Dan Rinne, Jacob Saifer, Evelyn Steele, Matt Steinsaltz, Robert Sundstrom

Walter Bowne, Advisor: Room 605

Letters to the Editor

Submit signed letters to Room 605 or email ehsvoyager@gmail.com

Awards

The Garden State Press Association, “Overall Excellence” The American Scholastic Press Association

The Trump administration’s unacceptable dismissal of sexual assault allegations By MAANASI NATARAJAN ‘19 Opinion Editor

hroughout his campaign, Donald Trump had been outspoken. His controversial comments ranged from the infamous “Mexicans are rapists” to his slandering remarks made on Fox News about 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado, brutishly broadcasting that the now well-known Latina “gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem.” As the 2016 election season drew to a close, Trump had consistently added insulting comments about females to his repertoire. It was an interesting strategy to undertake for a man who sought to become President of the United States. Trump’s comments about women garnered an unprecedented amount of attention from mainstream media, prominent politicians, and feminists, men and women alike. On October 7, 2016, a tape from 2005 was released in which Trump can be heard speaking with Billy Bush, now a co-host of NBC’s “Today” show, while on the Access Hollywood bus, bragging about kissing, groping, and seducing women, reasoning that “when you’re a star, they let you do it.” “Grab them by the p---y. You can do anything,” the businessman proclaimed proudly. Fast forward to a little more than a year later. Numerous celebrities and politicians, such as Kevin Spacey, Mark Halperin, Roy Moore, Louis C.K., Al Franken, and Harvey Weinstein, have been accused of sexual misconduct. Following the allegations, these influential men have suffered severe consequences. Weinstein was fired from his own company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Spacey was suspended from “House of Cards” and fired from other projects; Louis C.K.’s movie release and comedy show were canceled. This, however, begs the question: If A and B-list celebrities are forced to face the ramifications of their actions, why doesn’t the president, the supposed “moral” leader of the free world, have to? Trump, too, was accused of sexual assault by 16 women. Yet his allegations are the ones that seem concurrently deep-rooted and lightly overlooked. And while some could argue that the #MeToo campaign would have never begun if not for Trump’s accusers coming forward, it is discouraging that other, more recent accusations are having more of an impact. Despite the number of allegations against him, Trump is entirely unfazed. Although he and his

campaign had unofficially condemned his accusers in interviews, in a press conference last month, Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that it is the White House’s position that all of the women are lying. And the most horrific aspect of it all is that Trump has continued to evade investigation of his sexual assault charges and dodged all discussion about them - and no one begins to question it. The fact of the matter is that Trump lacks a moral conscience. His presidency should not be allowing him to get away with the allegations - it should be all the more reason for a stricter investigation. And his administration’s making light of the situation is not just disappointing, it’s dangerous. It sends a message to the American public and to other countries that society condones the president’s sexual misconduct. Misogyny, objectification, and rape culture are rising epidemics on college and high school campuses as an estimated 68% of sexual assault victims are women under the age of 30. And more than half of those victims don’t report their attacks, fearing that no one will believe them. There is a lot to be said about a Trump society which encourages assault survivors to sweep their experiences under the rug. There is also a lot to be said about a Trump administration that perpetuates rape culture by blatantly dismissing women who had spoken out against the president as “liars”. Considering the Trump campaign did not recognize rape culture as a legitimate issue and continues to ignore it in the White House, it’s not surprising that many of Trump’s supporters, primarily males, share similar viewpoints. It’s also not surprising that none of Trump’s female advocates are outspoken feminists against sexual assault. In fact, the campaign’s manager, Kellyanne Conway, once said that “rape would not exist if women were as strong as men”, suggesting that sexual offenders are not at fault, but rather their victims are - the definition of rape culture itself. Now, with Trump as president, it is more important than ever to realize that serious sexual assault cases are being brushed aside as insignificant by him and his administration. Although Harvey Weinstein and Louis C.K.’s cases are pressing, Trump’s cases are equally, if not more, pressing. We must hold our president accountable for his actions. We must advocate for a society in which every sexual assault case is treated with extreme gravity. It seems that as more cases of misconduct arise, the less Trump seems to care. And that cannot be condoned. Not in the free world.

Opinion

December 2017

The Voyager 15

The Face of Terrorism: The Lone Wolf By OLIVIA COVINGTON ‘19 Staff Reporter

People are people As an American citizen, I was raised by illegal immigrants. My parents came here from Mexico at the ages of 14 and 16 because they wanted the American dream and to have a better life here, and right now they’re in the process of achieving that. One thing I strongly feel about is that it should be easier for immigrants to become American citizens and that they shouldn’t be deported so easily. America should create a process path for aspiring citizens that includes a passing background check, paying taxes, paying a penalty, and learning English. This won’t be an easy process, but it’s fair. Immigrants play an important role in our economy: they harvest our food, build our homes, cook our meals, and even take care of your own children. If you deport them, who else is going to help us? It’s not right to sweep away families that have been here for years. Why should people agree with me? Well, the first people that came to America were immigrants too. Americans that disagree with me think that immigrants are taking their jobs, which isn’t true. Job opportunities will never run out. Also, not all immigrants are drug dealers and criminals. Some might think this way because of the negative stuff that is on the news. Anyways, if the United States decided to deport extraordinary amounts of immigrants, there wouldn’t be restaurants from different cultures and businesses would lose their workers and a lot of money. I feel like we should just accept everyone because most of the time immigrants come here for a better life for their families and kids and I think that they deserve that. Americans just have to put themselves in their shoes because if they were in the same position as them they would want the same for their families. Lastly, at the end of the day immigrants are only here to do better for their families and hope things will change in this country. In my personal life, my family is hardworking and they try to make the best in everything. Everyone deserves a chance in this country. Hopefully in the next couple of years things will change because this is something really important to focus on. -Anonymous ‘21

Protect gay marriage Gay marriage should remain legal in all fifty states. Love is love. Same sex couples deserve the same equal rights as heterosexual couples. Love is never wrong. Denying someone the right to marry who they want is simply wrong. The actual thought of not letting two people who love each other do so is awful. It’s not fair that heterosexual couples can get married without a fight, but same sex couples unfortunately have to put up a fight just to get married. Everyone is human no matter what sexuality they are. Denying same sex couples the right to marry is simply discriminating and would create a second class of citizens. Same sex couples should have the same benefits as heterosexual couples. For example, people who have jobs will put their partner on their health care insurance. A few years back, people used to deny putting same sex couples on someone’s insurance. Just like how they wouldn’t put the same sex couple on a tax form so they couldn’t do their taxes together. Another example is same sex couples inheritance if one of them passed away. Same sex couples should have the right to the same benefits as heterosexual couples. Although people say that children should grow up with a mom and dad, studies actually show that some children that are adopted by same sex couples grow up to be happier and wiser than a child with heterosexual parents. Same sex couples tend to be more caring and nurturing then heterosexual parents. Therefore, same sex couples should have the automatic right to adopt children. Same sex couples should have the automatic right to get married and live a happy life with each other. Just imagine a world where everyone supported equality for all marriages. Then no one would have to fight anymore because everyone would be equal. Then the world would finally be at complete peace. -By Olivia Hersh ‘21

There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. In 2016, there were 3.3 million Muslims, or about 1% of the U.S. population. So just how many do you think are terrorists? Why do 1.8 billion Muslims have to suffer because some terrorists “claim” to practice some perverted interpretation of Islam? There is now unjustified hate and discrimination towards Muslims. The sad truth is that most mass shootings are committed by angry white men. And when they do commit these crimes, they’re never truly labeled as “Christians.” Why is it that when a person that is “Muslim” commits a violent act like a shooting, they’re immediately called a terrorist? Though when it comes to a white man who commits the same act or worse, they are “a lone wolf,” “mentally-ill,” or “troubled.” If a black man were to commit this same act, racists would be exceptionally fast in coming out of the woodworks to call him a “thug,” and everybody would agree. As stated in the online newspaper “The Intercept,” white shooters were “...declared a ‘lone wolf’ before analysts even started their day, not because an exhaustive investigation produced such a conclusion, but because it is the only available conclusion for a white man in America who commits a mass shooting.” White privilege is blatantly shown after a white shooter commits a mass murder. It’s just that white people are never scrutinized at all or as harshly as a person of color is. Maybe instead of Trump trying to ban Muslims from six countries (or “radical Islamic terrorists” as he likes to say), we should get harsher gun laws. After all, what person needs

19 rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition? The irony in all this is that these terrorists are mostly all legal U.S. citizens, and white at that. The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history was committed by Stephen Paddock, a white man. He executed this act of terrorism with an intricate plan of shooting concert-goers through a hotel window on the 32nd floor. He killed 58 people and injured 546, but this was not classified as an act of terrorism. Apparently, mental health problems play a part in excusing Paddock’s actions, the same way it did Adam Lanza, Charles Whitman, Devin Kelly, and others. This happens so often that it’s essentially an everyday thing; Americans have become desensitized as the mass shootings roll onto the news channels. There are clearly some double standards here. As a country, we silently accept that these things happen. We accept it and do nothing about it. It’s normal. When in reality, it’s the complete opposite of normal. The U.S. holds the record for the most public mass shootings in the world. A man executing a classroom of babies didn’t stir any change. We don’t have a gun problem though, correct? This is a recurrence that we do nothing about and when we hear about the latest shooting, everyone wonders “how could this have happened?”. 51 out of 136 who committed mass shootings between the years of 1982 and 2017 were white men, followed by 15 for black, 7 for Latino, and 3 for Asian, and others. According to statistics, only 5% of mass shootings were committed by Muslims. Yet people still have the audacity to think that foreigners, Muslims, and people of color are the problem. Instead of being afraid of someone in a hijab or muslim garb, maybe take another look at that “lone wolf.”

The Hollywood Walk of Shame stained with sexual assualts By HANA HANCOCK ‘18 Opinion Editor Hollywood is still reeling from the ousting of multiple prominent men in showbusiness amidst sexual assault, harassment, and misconduct allegations. As soon as Weinstein toppled, so too did other previously beloved stars. Some that come to mind are Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Matt Lauer, and Jeffrey Tambor, although I think we all know that there are far more offenders that have yet to be revealed in the scandals that have shaken the bedrock of the entertainment industry. It’s not a matter of who but a matter of when. We’ve debated the nature of memorialization before in a far more racially volatile climate—the events of Charlottesville are ingrained well into our memories. Confederate statues around the nation were taken down as swiftly as the media took down some of the biggest names in show business. These men (and women too; let’s not forget Melanie Martinez was recently

accused of rape) have had their reputations thoroughly stamped on, their careers certainly thrown out the window, and their personal relationships fractured and fragmented. If jail time wasn’t enough, then a life of shame and eternal disgrace certainly is. But how far do we go to punish and defame these people? The Hollywood Walk of Fame is another form of memorialization; it’s an honor and a privilege for celebrities to have their names forever suspended i n the amber of the infamous sidewalk along the Greats of film-making and the silver screen. Then again, does their place suddenly become undeserved once serious allegations emerge about sexual

misconduct that trace back to that terrazzo star-enshrined name? In this current climate, it’s clear that America cannot, and will not, separate the artist from his work. We don’t want to celebrate symbols of violation, misogyny, or any other serious offenses just for the sake of saving s o m e o n e ’s art. Spacey was both released f r o m N e t f l i x ’s House of Cards and was replaced by Christopher Plummer in reshoots of All the Money in the World. Their careers have been absolutely demolished, so why do they still hold stars? In fact, why are reruns of The Cosby Show still telecast to our televisions?

Part of me recalls the McCarthyism of the 1950’s (seems as if we can make more than one connection concerning the Cold War era to today). The witchhunt for communists may not be unlike today’s relentless pursuit of men who have violated women in some way. We are constantly, especially on a platform like Twitter, searching for someone to harass even if it involves the most minute and irrelevant details. The effect is so detrimental that lives can be ruined in a span of seconds, with that one tap of a screen or that one share that has the potential to expand into the thousands. But unlike then, this punishment and swift action that is being taken is deserved. From the beginning of time, women have been subjected to such degrading and defiling acts and only now those at the very top are being called out on their inexcusable actions. It’s retribution that has been long overdue. Artwork by Jared Wilson ‘19

16 The Voyager

Issues

December 2017

Opposing Sides of Net Neutrality

Yes, the internet will be fine By ALEX MACKLE ‘18 Editor-in-Chief

here is certainly more to the hot-button issue of net neutrality than meets the eye. A great deal of buildup has come about regarding the issue; according to a Pew Research poll, over eightfive percent of Americans use the internet. The fact that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans on repealing net neutrality regulations has a great deal of people in a tizzy. So what is net neutrality? The policy, which went into effect towards the end of the Obama Administration, states that internet service providers, or ISPs, are not allowed to change the speed of or block any data while it travels from its source to its ultimate destination, the end user. The justification for this policy comes from Title II of the 1934 Communications Act, which is being used to classify the internet as a public utility. This gives the FCC a great deal of control when it comes to the web. FCC is pushing to essentially deregulate aspects of the internet, and restore policy on the internet to a point prior to initial Obama-era regulations. In the U.S., net neutrality was first pursued in 2010 and enacted in 2015. At first, it sounds like a fairly decent policy. “Let’s treat all data equally and fairly.” It seems to make perfect sense. No paid fast lanes, no intentionally slowing down bandwidth, and no blocking of websites. There are a number of issues with these idealistic notions. The greatest fault of the many arguments in favor of net neutrality is that cited examples are constantly filled with whatifs. The fact is that many of the problems associated with a lack of net neutrality is that they seldom occurred within the twenty years that the internet existed before net neutrality. When these issues actually occured, it seemed that no near-apocalyptic results occurred where ISPs blocked the internet. One example, where a North Carolina ISP blocked voice-over-internet protocol services. The service, Vonage, then issued a complaint to the FCC, who proceeded to rectify the problem. But it simply has not been reported that providers were blocking competitors or censoring content, whether or not practices were legal. The often-used models of fees for different sites are also somewhat irrelevant, as this model did not exist in the days of the unregulated web. If implemented, ISPs would be forced to adjust as unsatisfied customers would nodoubt jump ship to another ISP who did not block content. As the first ISP begins to lose clientele, it would be forced to unblock service, self-correcting concerning behavior. Regardless, any anti-competitive behavior would come under the jurisdiction of FTC, who would deal with problems after they occur, rather than attempting to prevent problems that do not exist as the FCC has been doing. The FCC, under net neutrality, has significant discretionary authority to regulate the market, granting the agency the ability to regulate ISP investment and to even control companies’ ability to enter the market as a new ISP. As such, smaller ISPs are having trouble under the new regulatory burden. As stated by FCC commissioner Ajit Pai, investment has been stifled at these smaller

ISPs. “These are the kinds of companies that we want to provide a competitive alternative in the marketplace,” Mr. Pai said in a speech. This lack of investment also applies to these larger companies. According to a report from the FCC, “heavyhanded Internet regulations have deterred companies from introducing several new services and features.” Regarding the dreaded internet fast lanes (also referred to as paid priority) that are also cited by supporters of net neutrality, treating all data exactly the same essentially pays for content originators who use large amounts of bandwidth. Take video-streaming websites like Netflix or YouTube. Without net neutrality, ISPs are able to offer the opportunity for these companies to pay fees for higher bandwidth usage. This especially benefits end-users who are do not use these websites, as they no longer have to subsidize these high bandwidth users, the savings of the ISP can be passed along to these consumers.

No, the internet will change By MAANASI NATARAJAN ‘19 Opinion Editor

he internet is about to be radically reshaped. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed a repeal of net neutrality on December 14th, a hefty addition to the Trump administration’s campaign to reverse everything Obama achieved. Net neutrality was not only the principle that the internet service providers had to treat all content equally, it was also the idea that large providers could not control what a consumer does online, and paradoxically charge higher rates for fewer options. However, this issue is not unprecedented. Once upon a time, traditional cable companies were the authorities of entertainment, determining the majority of what consumers got to see in their curated program schedule. Then, the internet made its claim to fame and broke that business model, and viewers saw

Graphic by Srishti Ramesh ‘19

One of the most suspect areas of the net neutrality debate has been the overwhelming support of the policy from behemoths like Google and Facebook. These companies, who are largely unaffected by the regulations as a result of their size, and the corporate self-interests become clear. Smaller startups are simply devoid of the capital to build the infrastructures that these companies already possess. At the end of the day, a departure of net neutrality will not spell the end of the internet as we know it. Ultimately, the web will return to its pre-2015 state - a state that was successful and saw unparallelled growth. In this time, we have seems some of the most prevalent companies today come of age, and they did so without net neutrality. Despite what some say, everything will be just fine.

plenty of original new content, generating a rapid growth of the internet and thus an essential push for net neutrality. This phenomenon left cable companies distraught. They looked to the consolidation of enterprises as means to gain more power and monopolize over internet connectivity. This was all under the proposition that if they owned the content produced by themselves and their competitors, they could slow the transfer of data and demand higher rates for faster access. Over the past two decades, the FCC has taken steps towards protecting net neutrality to inhibit powerful cable companies from turning the internet into a selective dog-eat-dog industry. However, Trump-appointed FCC chairman Ajit Pai has been advocating for the repeal of net neutrality since his appointment, which could have serious implications―not only for competitive apps and services, but for consumers of them as well.

The topic of internet equality didn’t strike many as an important or pressing issue. Why? Well, as for many overlooked topics nowadays, it didn’t directly affect them. But they are about to see serious consequences for their ignorance. Without net neutrality, we forfeit the freedom to choose our own, unrestricted experiences online. Companies have the capability to begin charging us more for the content we prefer if it’s not their own, giving us ample reason to abandon our choice services for the sake of saving money. Instead of charging a flat fee for access to use of any apps and services as a courtesy, companies could begin compiling services into bundles such as “social” and “streaming,” forcing consumers to pay for one service in a package with two others. It is also worth remembering that internet service providers are led by people who have political and social opinions. A lack of net neutrality could result in disadvantages to minority groups like the LGBTQ and pro-choice communities through a purposeful negligence of positive search results of these groups, leaving only biased, negative choices to the consumer. And although members of the Internet Association―high-flying companies such as Google, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and numerous others―support net neutrality, as it is a major threat to their internet-based business models, dominant cable companies are more controlling than meets the eye. Just in 2014, Netflix paid Comcast to stop slow loading of their site. One would think that a conglomerate of hotshot internet companies would have some effect against the ultrapowerful cable corporations―but that’s just it. They’re ultra-powerful. Even more so, the idea of an anti-net neutrality business model is not new. Countries without net neutrality historically have troublesome mobile plans, tedious data caps, and blatant blocking of certain services―an irritating aspect of daily life for the citizens. The most disconcerting part is that it may not happen all at once. A few slow streaming services here, a few higher rates there―soon, paying sky-high fees for simple, irreplaceable services will become the norm. And the days of an open, free, internet will be long gone.

Read Matthew Morante’s article on net neutrality and other topics at voyager-online. org. Follow The Voyager on Twitter! @ehsvoyager

Voyager Perspectives

December 2017

The Voyager 17

Patriotism, Nationalism, and Jingoism

How do the songs we listen to inﬂuence the way we feel about our country? Admiring the levels of America By GABRIELLE GILHAM ‘18 Staff Reporter

here is a rising issue in America today. Because of recent politics, more and more people are becoming less patriotic towards their country. Throughout the last few weeks I have seen numerous people refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at school. Many years ago it would have been frowned upon if a student or someone at a sporting event did not stand for their flag. With events such as the new trend of football players showing disrespect to their country by kneeling, the general public now believes that they, too, do not have to show they are grateful to have the freedoms that they possess. America is going in the opposite direction in regards to patriotism. Citizens are disrespecting those who fought and died for our country without realizing that the life and freedoms of an American are something that people from third world countries wish they could have. Many American songs represent in some degree patriotism, nationalism and jingoism. Patriotism is defined as support for one’s country or being patriotic towards the place in which one lives. Songs such as “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie and “God Bless The USA” by Lee Greenwood portray straight-up patriotism. Lyrics such as “This land is your land, this land is my land… This land was made for you and me,” portrays the artist’s belief that America was founded on the basis that the land of this country is for everyone to share. Lee Greenwood also shows his respect towards the men who lost their lives so he could have the life he does with words such as, “America, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” By listening to these songs, it forces people to stop and appreciate all that they have and how far America has come. It also makes people stop and think about how lucky they are and that they should be proud to be an American and stand for their country. As there are many patriotic songs, there are also American songs that can be defined as nationalistic. Nationalism is when someone has strong patriotic feelings and feel their country is better than others. “Made in America” by Toby Keith includes a few lyrics that may be viewed as too patriotic. Those words include “It breaks his heart seein’ foreign cars, filled with fuel that isn’t ours…

He ain’t prejudice he’s just, made in America.” This represents the idea that people should only have American cars ﬁlled with people who live in America. The mention of prejudice also portrays that Americans are better than those from other places. Songs range from patriotic to nationalistic, and some are on the edge of indicating jingoistic ideals. Jingoism

is a form of extreme patriotism that can include aggression. “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen includes lyrics such as “so they put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man.” Although this is a song, it can influence people to be prejudice towards or view Asian individuals differently. It is not jingoism, but it is heading in that direction. But most of these songs were written fifty or seventy years ago, when America was a different place. Some may say there is a danger of jingoism today, but others may challenge that idea. Historical evidence of fascism in China, Germany and Italy are examples of how America is not going in the direction of complete oppression and dictatorial power. There are stark contrasts between the two. There are similarities that America is facing again with race and people upset about the government and where it is going, but it has not reached the point to where we would be considered jingoistic or descending into fascism. If America has developed anything, it would be the lack of patriotism one has for their country, regardless of what songs they do or do not listen to.

Read Bryce Dershem’s article on music and patriotism on voyageronline.org!

Justifying patriotism in America By ROBERT SUNDSTROM ‘18 Staff Reporter

he love and devotion to one’s country, patriotism, is an idea that has always been close to Americans’ hearts. It has been a driving force in the nation for many years and justly so. America has achieved an exceptional

Artwork by Hayley Beluch ‘18

history, one that no other country can claim. When world history is examined it becomes clear that no nation has done more to promote liberty and prosperity than the United States of America. Some may disagree with that statement but that is only because they are not examining from a realistic perspective. The reality is that no nation, and for that matter no human, is perfect. The standard is imperfection. Those harsh critics who say the United States has never and will never be enough for them do not realize one critical thing. America is better than most of us. As history teacher Mr. Thompson explains, “America has and continues to correct its ﬂaws, and provide legal toleration for those who disagree with it.” When studying the big picture of world history, a pattern of strong nations taking advantage of weaker nations appears, take for instance the Egyptians or the Romans. But America is exceptional in this way. For example in 1945, when America was undoubtedly the most powerful country both militarily and economically, it used its power benevolently. It used its power to take care of the issues of World War II. Saving millions of lives the country decided to rebuild its former foes and leave them better than before, for example in West Berlin or in Japan. Once again the United States proved itself to be a model for

the world, a model of Government that works to serve the people. That being said Americans have a reason to be proud of their country. They have a reason to be patriotic, maybe even vaguely nationalistic, because after all nationalism in its truest sense means to have devotion the interests or culture of one’s country. America’s culture is best represented by the motto that appears on our seal, “E pluribus unum”, which is Latin for “out of many comes one.” That is what America is, many cultures of immigrants coming together under one ﬂag in support of the inalienable rights of man. Because Americans have no one singular culture to unite them, they rely on the love of their country and of liberty to do so. Music plays an invaluable role in this. Song such as, “The Star Spangled Banner”, “This Land is Your Land”, “America the Beautiful”, “I’m Proud to be an American”, “Born in the USA”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, and “God Bless America”, celebrate the tradition of American liberty and dreams. The songs, when used correctly, become an important unifying factor in our country. They remind the country that despite their differences and divides, they all go to sleep at night equally American. Problems arise though when people use these songs in an inappropriate fashion, as is the case with most things. The beauty of America is that it is always changing and correcting itself in order to become a “more perfect union”. But patriotism becomes jingoism when people believe America is the greatest now and forever, and refuse to allow critical change. Jingoistic people use the aforementioned songs to pound their chest about what they believe makes America great. The issue is the greatness they speak of is merely nominal, it lacks any true understanding of what makes our nation great. Today there is a dangerous increase in jingoistic opinions, especially in the current administration. People are being told that America must be made great again, but they are not told how. People are told that America is at war with people who disagree with them, and so they must obliterate those people off the face of the planet. And worst of all, they are being told this by someone who most likely does not even truly believe this but rather has a undeniable need for attention and loves to provoke strong reactions. If more Americans understood what makes us truly great, if more remembered our historical benevolence throughout our ﬂawed history, if more remembered that the mission of our country established by the Constitution is to “form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and prosperity” and if more could love America and do it for the right reasons, then we would be in a better situation. A situation in which we could continue to be a model of liberty and democracy for all the world.

18 The Voyager

Entertainment

Home for Christmas

December 2017

A play by Samantha Youse ‘18 The set is the same throughout the entire play. A Christmas tree is brought on in the first act and then decorated but the rest of the set has minimal change. The stage is divided into two main rooms of a small Vermont house. Two thirds of the stage is the living room stage right. The last third is the kitchen stage left. A wall with a doorway upstage separates these two rooms. The Living Room: The living room has the color scheme red and orange. Most permanent pieces of the room should be these colors. The upstage wall of the living room is wood paneling with a large window in the center. The window is covered with sheer drapes. Inside the window is a light up Santa in a chimney, light up sleigh, and a light up team of reindeer. These are only light during night time scenes. The walls have many pictures, framed embroideries, wood carvings on shelves, and homey decorations along those lines. The Kitchen: The kitchen should reflect the warm tones of the living room. The upstage wall has a smaller window that is covered by the same sheer curtains. Underneath this window is a sink. The fridge is stage right of the sink and is old fashioned (not stainless steel) The counter to stage left of the sink extends around the corner to the stove. This stage left wall should also be on an outward angle to the audience. This wall blocks all of the wings and has no exit. No actors should at any time enter or exit from this side of the stage. The stove and oven is centered on this wall. The counter tops surrounding it have cabinets indet them that extend down to the floor. There is a microwave on the counter downstage from the stove oven. In the middle of this room is a large kitchen table with at least four chairs, preferably six with one facing the audience, one with its back to the audience (which no one should ever sit in), and two sideways to the audience. Scene 1 [Curtain Closed] HOLLY is talking on the phone with her boyfriend, JASON. JASON is standing on the

opposite side of the stage from HOLLY, wearing a full suit and tie. HOLLY is talking about her trip home for Christmas. HOLLY: [walking across the stage] I know, but it’s just for a few days. Good thing too, I’d forgotten how cold it was up here. JASON: [small laugh] Well you packed your old heavy coat, didn’t you? HOLLY: Yep. JASON: That’s good. Hey, just be sure you email those files by tomorrow morning. You have wifi connection there right? HOLLY: Of course. This is Vermont not the North Pole. I’ll send them out tonight. JASON: Great. [glancing behind him] Look, honey, I’ve got to jump into a meeting right now, but I’ll talk you later, okay? Miss you. HOLLY: I miss you too. Let me know how everything goes! JASON: I will. Bye! [They both hang up. JASON exits] Scene 2 Curtain opens on a warmly lit living room and kitchen, being decorated for Christmas (no tree yet). HOLLY’S family is buzzing about the house. MARGARET is in the kitchen, baking. ARTHUR is sitting in an oversized armchair reading a book. AMBER is sitting on the floor of the living room with a large box of decorations in the living room. DEAN is standing on top of the couch with his back to the audience hanging lights in the window. AMBER: Hey, mom? Where does this Santa Claus go? MARGARET: Well what’s he look like? AMBER: He’s got blue boots and a silver bell in his hand. [MARGARET comes into the living room to see] MARGARET: Oh of course! He’s new, I got him on sale after Christmas last year, isn’t he cute? Uh, how about in the window? [DEAN turns around] DEAN: Nope. The window already has Santa in a chimney, a

Artwork by Lisa Tracsyk ‘19

sleigh, and a full team of reindeer. All of which light up. [MARGARET looks around then talks to MICHAEL and COLIN] MARGARET: Well how about you two decide, hmm? Anywhere you like. [MICHAEL and COLIN begin arguing about where to put the Santa] MICHAEL: Oo Oo Oo! I know! Inside the chimney! COLIN: No! Santa will squash it there! MICHAEL: Then how about next to the door? COLIN: People might kick it! [MICHAEL and COLIN continue arguing quietly, MARGARET smiles and goes back into the kitchen] AMBER: [sighs] Dean, would you help me up? [DEAN helps AMBER up] AMBER: Thank you. Boys, calmly, now, don’t knock anything over! [DEAN picks up the box of decorations and moves it to the couch where he begins dealing with it. AMBER walks into the kitchen. MICHAEL and COLIN are still moving around trying to agree on where to put the Santa] AMBER: Need some help? MARGARET: Oh, no sweetie, you just sit and relax. I’ve got this down to a science by now. [AMBER remains standing in the doorway] Six different types of cookies, all perfectly baked, placed on holiday themed plates [MARGARET and AMBER’S lines overlap for a bit here] AMBER: - themed plates, topped with little chocolate snowflakes and distributed to all the neighbors who absolutely adore them! I know. [pause] You never

get tired of it. MARGARET: How could anyone ever get tired of this face? [MARGARET holds up a stuffed reindeer that had been sitting on the counter] AMBER: [laughs] I know I never could. Hey, isn’t Holly supposed to - Nevermind! [As Amber is talking, HOLLY comes in the front door as AMBER is talking and nearly trips over the Santa that MICHAEL and COLIN eventually decided to just leave in the middle of the floor] HOLLY: Hi! [MICHAEL and COLIN run over and tackle HOLLY’S legs. ARTHUR puts down his book and gets up. AMBER walks into the living room] MICHAEL AND COLIN: Aunt Holly! Hi! What did you bring us?! AMBER: Boys! Give Aunt Holly some room! [the boys calm down just a bit] Speak of the devil! [AMBER goes to hug HOLLY] AMBER: How is my favorite sister? COLIN: She’s your only sister! MICHAEL: Duh, that’s the point! [Smiles and laughs from everyone] HOLLY: I’m good. And look at you! Just about to burst, huh? AMBER: Due in just over a week. HOLLY: Wow! [yells to the kitchen] Hi, mom! Hey, Dad. [hugs ARTHUR] And Dean, how have you been? DEAN: Good, good. Need a hand with those? [indicates towards HOLLY’S suitcases.] HOLLY: That’d be great, thanks.

Go to Voyager-online. org to finish the play

December 2017

Entertainment

The Voyager 19

Netflix challenges Hallmark What’s the Worst Holiday Song? with “A Christmas Prince” By BRYCE DERSHEM ‘21 And VICTORIA LAPINSON ‘21

By HAYLEY BELUCH ‘18 Editor-in-Chief Although Hallmark boasts its longstanding monopoly on Christmas romance movies, Netflix has given the brand a run for its money with its November 17 release of A Christmas Prince. This movie has all the makings of a Hallmark romantic comedy, despite its Netflix original label. With an endearing yet obscure plot, A Christmas Prince follows journalist Amber Moore as she travels to the nation of Aldovia to cover the possible renunciation of the throne by the unreliable Prince Richard. While she’s there, Amber pretends to be the American governess of the young Princess Emily, so Amber can learn more about Prince Richard for her story. The longer she stays, the more Amber finds the tabloid descriptions of Richard’s playboy flakiness to be false. However, her lies and original intent catch up to her and threaten all the relationships she’s formed at the palace, especially her budding romance with Prince Richard. The story itself follows the typical pattern of trite holiday romances, but does so with the right balance of exaggeration and comedic relief. With quirky moments, that make viewers cringe yet continue watching, (like broken vases and uncomfortable monologues), A Christmas Prince succeeds in crossing the line from ‘just another awkward Christmas movie’ to the recognition that accompanies a rare success for both children and adult audiences.

Its laurels rely primarily on the skill of writer Karen Schaler and Nathan Atkins, as well as on the strength of the main actors. The movie stars Ben Lamb and iZombie’s Rose McIver as Richard and Amber, respectively. The duo possesses undeniable chemistry and the actors immerse themselves in the fanciful, humorous plot in such a way that earns the movie a certain novelty. Honor Kneafsey dominates the movie as the defiant and independent Princess Emily, contributing to the playfulness of the plot, while facilitating Amber and Richard’s romance through purposeful manipulation. With absurd royal decrees and excessively pompous royalty, this movie makes the obscure seem possible, while maintaining the qualities of Hallmark movies. A Christmas Prince encompasses the ironic scene in which the love interest calls the lying protagonist the most genuine person he’s ever met, the ‘Why is everyone staring at me?’ scene, the two lovebirds falling in the snow on top of each other scene, the major reveal, and the classic Hallmark kiss. Although Netflix takes a chapter from Hallmark’s book with those fragments, A Christmas Prince as a whole stands alone as a testament to the skill Netflix has.

“The Spirit of Christmas” has Christmas movie spirit

Dr. Molotsky: “Deck the Halls”

Mr. Tull: “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ”

By MAANASI NATARAJAN ‘19 Opinion Editor A successful city girl, an unrealistically attractive ghost, an aesthetically pleasing Christmas, and a romantic looking-intoeach-other’s-eyes scene: “The Spirit of Christmas” has all the ingredients to a cliche yet addictive Hallmark holiday movie - except that it’s on Lifetime. Jen Lilley portrays Kate Jordan, a lawyer who is given three weeks by her boss to appraise and sell a haunted bed and breakfast. She is determined to sell the inn as soon as possible in order to get a promotion, but doesn’t anticipate the unapproving spirit that dwells inside it. Kate meets the innkeeper, who warns her of the spirit, but arrogant Kate is determined to believe that the supposed ghost is a silly rumor. However, after experiencing a series of inexplicable events, she begins to realize that the ghost is very much real. Kate is then introduced to Daniel Forsythe (Thomas Beaudoin), the resident ghost who peculiarly comes back to life during the 12 days before Christmas. Upon this realization, she can think of only one logical course of action for the benefit of the both of them - find out the reason for his reappearance every December so he can move on. But, just as in any Hallmark-inspired film, she does not plan for one thing - to fall in love with him. Overall, the movie is extremely unrealistic - but

Mrs. Wojdon-Smith: “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” that’s also the appeal of it. There’s something so tempting about escaping the real world with a story of a “normal” woman falling in love (with a ghost, for that matter) around the magical holiday time. “The Spirit of Christmas” is predictably filled with falling-in-the-snow-on-top-of-each-other scenes and overdramatic first world problems, but it’s also sweet, and to its credit, it is a bit more creative and different than Hallmark movies. And although cliche, it is no surprise that many networks, such as Lifetime, have taken after Hallmark in their predictable holiday features. Hallmark movies have stood the test of time, relying on a simple formula for their feel-good Christmas films. B-list actors play successful women that live in nonexistent towns and fall in love with seemingly perfect men, all while discovering the true spirit of Christmas and living happily ever after with their Prince Charmings: because that’s as realistic as it gets, right?

Ms. Steller: “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”

20 The Voyager

Entertainment

December 2017

A Second-Rate Hack What’s on Your Nightstand? By HAYLEY BELUCH ‘19 Editor-in-Chief

want to be a second-rate hack. Until this past April, I would have never defined my aspirations in this way. Why would anyone—a future English teacher, no less— want to be a dull, unoriginal writer? I had no answer until I read the following passage quoted in Maureen Corrigan’s So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures. After Scottie Fitzgerald decided to sell the works of her late father, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Princeton refused to raise its offer, Princeton University Librarian Photo by Kylie Easterday ‘18 Julian Boyd responded, “Princeton was not a charitable institution, nor was its library established to support indigent widows of, and I quote, ‘second rate, Midwest hacks,’ just because they happen to have been lucky enough to go to Princeton, unfortunately for Princeton.” My answer lies in these words of Boyd, a man who served as Princeton librarian from 1940 to 1952. I want to be a “second-rate hack,” because F. Scott Fitzgerald was a “second-rate hack,” too. But at this point, I wasn’t as confident in the definition of hack as I once had been. How can the author of works which literary scholars deem the quintessence of the 1920’s be unoriginal? How can an author who has published 25 million copies of the book that displeased him most be unsuccessful? How can an author whose characters he has written into existence be dull, yet also increasingly recognizable as time passes? These curiosities festered as I read Corrigan’s book, ultimately overflowing as I listened to and spoke with Georgetown professor and NPR critic Maureen Corrigan this past April at the NEA Big Read Book Discussion. As she addressed Boyd’s criticism, she countered with examples of unparalleled prose exhibited in The Great Gatsby. A man able to incorporate water imagery on each of the 180 pages of his book, all while depicting the timeless American dream, is not, certainly, in the traditional sense, a hack. Subjectivity accompanies any piece of fiction, and I choose to extend that subjectivity to Boyd’s criticism as well. I choose to redefine hack in congruence with the effect Fitzgerald has had on me. While reading his works (and quite often, rereading), I find not unoriginality, but a boundless appreciation for his ability to transcend time. Yet, he stays true to the Roaring 20’s. I relate on a more personal level to James Gatz and Amory Blaine than I do to numerous adolescents of my age. They reflect the same romantic idealism that pervades my emotion as a lover of literature. Most importantly, as I reread his works, I never cease to find something new. His words disrupt my center of gravity. It forces me to recontextualize everything. When Gatsby described his surprise that he loved Daisy to Nick, I was astounded. Love didn’t drive any of Gatsby’s actions; love never once—not even with Daisy—usurped his pursuit of the American dream. His astonishing prose is evident beyond even East and West Egg. His adherence to lyrical imagery saturates Tender is the Night and The Beautiful and the Damned. When my English teacher printed a copy of the recovered short story “The I.O.U” from The New Yorker, the same literary skill captivated me. When a “new” collection of lost short stories was released, I pre-purchased it. What hack has that effect decades after his death? With his inspiration, I write. Last year, I wrote and staged a 61-page play that my English teacher described as “Shakespearean.” Feuding peoples enveloped in ancient dialogue came to life as my peers read out loud what had once been within only the confines of my head. I am a writer of poetry, short stories, and school newspaper editorials, just as Fitzgerald was. My greatest hope lies in the possibility that one day Princeton compares me to Fitzgerald, calling me a “second-rate, East coast” hack.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT EDITION

“Dreaming of Babylon”

by Richard Brautigan About a private detective investigating a murder in the 1940’s. His habit of daydreaming incessantly keeps sidetracking him. My husband recommended it, but I kind of hate it. I’m hate reading it just to find out who the killer is. - Mrs. O’Keefe

“TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN,” by John Green

I really enjoyed it although felt it was a bit long. The book explores what it’s like for a teenager with OCD and incorporates friendship, love and mystery into to mix. - Sharon Sobel, Library Media Specialist

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison “A Brief History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson It is a look at science through the perspective of a historian, and it has given me a greater appreciation of our world. It proves how significant and insignificant we all are in the universe. - Mr. Fulton

“Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth” by Mahatma Gandhi

Although dry, it is a wonderful book about one of the most significant figures in history. His “experiments” give insight into the man, and guidelines for how to lead your own life. “The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of truth.” ― Mahatma Gandhi. - Mr. Bill Fulton

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

by Margret Atwood As with other dystopian novels, it gives the reader a creative and horrible possibility of how society could change for the worse. Although fiction, it is based on the author’s experiences in and around Eastern Europe during the Cold War. It is a book I would love to study, but not the most entertaining piece of literature at first read. - Mr. Bill Fulton

Toni Morrison’s Beloved sits on my nightstand, regrettably primarily unopened. (Oh, the irony that as an English teacher I have little time to read books of my own choice or write!) I have difficulty reading Morrison yet REALLY want to get better at it because she is such a powerful literary figure. I believe that the way she tells stories about slavery and suffering will enrich me in ways nothing else can—and I am bound to educate myself about my own “white privilege” by experiencing the suffering of the “other” in the realest way available to me. - Mrs. Pomerantz

“Night” by Elie Wiesel

Night is about an adolescent boy’s and his father’s imprisonment in a concentration camp during the height of WWII. The narrator voices his disgust with humanity and details life in the concentration camps in this quick read of approximately 100 pages. - Ms. Houghton

“Two by Two” by Nicholas Sparks

Any one who truly knows me realizes that I am ALWAYS reading a Sparks novel. It’s my daily escape. At 32, Russell Green is living the dream. But no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter, and struggling to adapt to a new, emotionally challenging reality. NOT your typical Sparks romance! - Mrs. Leason

A thousand stars for “The Thousandth Floor” By MATTHEW MORANTE ‘18 Staff Reporter

between her parents, she is forced to move down to a poor floor. The list of characters goes on and on, all of whom are united by one common character trait: their place in society completely determines who they are. Katherine McGee’s The Thousandth Floor throws a By far the most interesting part of McGee’s tale is wrench in the generic YA dystopian formula by making the structure of the story itself. While most novels tell a creatively ingenious story while still being relatable a linear tale from one point of view, McGee does not to teenage audiences. The Thousandth Floor tells the follow this rigid story format. The story stories of several teenagers who live in from it’s jarring ending, leaving a dystopian New York City. Katherine McGee’s starts the reader in suspense throughout the Like the popular classic Pulp Fiction, The Thousandth whole novel. Furthermore, the story is the novel begins at the end, with the told through the point of view of several Floor is distinctly death of a person the reader has yet to characters. While popular YA author meet. While the dystopias of Suzanne different than most Rick Riordan does this with his Heroes Collins (The Hunger Games) and of the popular YA of Olympus series, it is not a commonly Veronica Roth (Divergent) focus on used strategy. This style of storytelling, novels. the brutal nature of the future, McGee while rarely used brings an extra spice focuses on the truths of teenage life to the story and makes the story less while not differing much from the dull than it could be if it was linear. present. Overall, Katherine McGee’s The Thousandth Floor is The central point of The Thousandth Floor however is distinctly different than most of the popular YA novels. evident in other YA novels: a rigid class structure. One It takes apart the generic young adult dystopia and crafts of the main characters, Avery, lives a lavish life, but is a story that is more relatable for the teenage genre than brought down by issues within her family and a brother most YA novels are. Overall, The Thousandth Floor is who went missing. Leda, another rich girl and a friend of well worth the read as it is being made into a TV show for Avery’s also has a secret: she had a severe drug addiction. release in early 2018. Rating: 8.5 Floors/10 Eris is another friend of Avery’s, but because of a dispute

Entertainment

December 2017

The Voyager 21

Green Day releases two decades worth of power hits

By VICTORIA LAPINSON ‘21 Staff Reporter

een angst has plagued the adolescent years of man since the dawn of time. While the inexplicable emotions and constant aggression has been channeled into countless rebellious activities such as skateboarding, smoking, dying hair, and more, at the center of it all is the holy grail of angst: Punk music. Generations of rebellious individuals have watched the acts come and go, but one band that remains a classic, and relevant today, is Green Day. Formed in 1986, while all of the members were still in high school, the punk-driven trio has released an unbelievable quantity of chart topping hits, from “2000 light years away” to “Basket Case” to “American Idiot” to “21 guns” and back. This November, the band paid homage to its glorious collection of songs in a greatest hits album titled “God’s Favorite Band”. It contains twenty-three tracks spanning throughout Green Day’s decades of releasing music. Being sixteen years since their last official greatest hits compilation, International Superhits, the new release was overdue. God’s Favorite Band features eight of the songs on the original greatest hits album. Listening to the music on the album, it is made evident that the classics from over twenty years ago haven’t aged a minute. The newer tracks, such as “Bang Bang” from 2016’s Revolution Radio album, showcase the band’s ability to adapt and improve with the punk genre. Despite praise over the great variety of songs, there was one very common complaint following the release: not enough. Some fan favorites like “Jesus of Suburbia” and “King for a Day” felt missing from the compilation. However, this did not take away from the fantastic set list that made the cut for the album.

Among excitement for the release was the announcement that God’s Favorite Band would be featuring a brand new song entitled “Back in the U.S.A”. The politically inspired musicians did not hold back in expressing their thoughts about America’s current state in this single. Known for being outspoken about his disdain for (most) politics, singer-songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong said in a Rolling Stone Interview, “I feel like the government is trying to create a culture war between us in a lot of ways. They’re trying to get between your average citizens based on red and blue”. This fueled writing the track. Theses thoughts are expressed not only in the song, but in the bold music video. Without spoiling it, the video parallels tv sci-fi show They Live, takes direct shots at

president Trump, and features the punk trio in classic fifties threads. God’s Favorite Band is an excellent addition to Green Day’s body of work. Listening to it in its chronological order is a journey, watching the guys slowly refine the punk and pop-punk genres of music over time. Listening to it backwards is a splendid stroll down memory lane, moving back in time until the iconic early days of California’s local punk scene. There is no wrong way to listen to Green Day. Available on Spotify, Apple Music, CD, DVD, and vinyl, God’s Favorite Band is out of reach to no one. The album is definitely a winner, anyone looking to rock out is encouraged to give it a whirl.

Underground rappers Move your lips to Dua Lipa British singer breaks through the airwaves going mainstream with her new female-anthem, “New Rules.” By SRISHTI RAMESH ‘19 Managing Editor

By CYNTHIA MEAS ‘21 Staff Reporter

ontrary to popular belief, hip hop has a song for everyone. So much of the genre doesn’t blow up with popularity, and in the cesspools of the vague boundaries that constitute rap music, there is something for everyone. While I love a bit of Kanye West or Jay-Z, underrated artists are often some of the best. One of those rappers is New Jersey’s own Mir Fontane. A Camden-born artist, Fontane’s rap style is a mix of smooth trap beats, catchy verses, and intricate wordplay. His 2016 mixtape “Who’s Watching The Kids” contains faster hype songs like “Whatever You Want,” but is contrasted with slow tracks like “Space Jam.” His most recent release is a 12-track album named after his hometown, containing songs like “Down by the River,” which tells the story of the murder of one of Fontane’s friends, and “Cold,” which incorporates lyrics from the 1994 track “Suicidal Thoughts” by influential rapper The Notorious B.I.G.; the album is available to stream on SoundCloud and Spotify and for purchase on iTunes. Fontane is signed to 300 Entertainment, whose roster also includes well known names like Young Thug, Migos, and Fetty Wap. With his label as a stepping stone and backed by his obvious talent for rap, Fontane is on a path to fame: one that hip hop fans should jump onto now. On another side is rapper Dumbfoundead, born Jonathan Park, from Los Angeles; he began his career with rap battling, but now has released five studio albums and two EPs. Park is one of few Asians in the music industry, and as a KoreanAmerican, he has collaborated with many artists popular in the rap scene in Korea, such as Epik High, Jay Park, and Jessi. As a result, his album “Foreigner” is a

E synthesis of English and Korean lyrics, but still has the authentic hip-hop feel that he carries in his other music. His most recent release is his 2016 album “We Might Die” which features lyrical songs such as “Murals” and “Banned In the Motherland.” Most known for his song “Broad Shoulders” featuring Chance the Rapper, Taylor Bennett is another prolific artist who often passes under public eye. In fact, he’s Chance’s own younger brother, and his rap skills are almost just as good as those of his sibling. He also has been featured on several singles and has released two albums: “Broad Shoulders” and, most recently, “Restoration of an American Idol.” Like his brother, he selfreleases his music, and his albums can be found for free through streaming sites. However, these rappers only represent a small portion of the music out there. Other artists that deserve a spotlight include Denzel Curry, Vic Mensa, Vince Staples, and more. While songs by these artists may be known by hip hop fans, they lack the presence that would lead them to widespread fame, a presence that they have the talent to live up to. So, next time you’re on Spotify or browsing YouTube, look up something that you’ve never heard of, and maybe you’ll find something just for you.

nglish singer Dua Lipa’s new self-titled album came out on June 2, 2017, creating a hit in the pop world. Born on August 22, 1995, Dua Lipa is a model, songwriter, and singer and is new compared to other artists. Currently 22, her top songs are “New Rules” and “Blow your Mind”. Her style in the music industry boosts confidence within the teenage realm like no other artist at the moment. “I choose the songs that I feel really confident in, and describe me,” according to Spotify, said Dua Lipa, “It’s just about gut feeling.” “New Rules,” the most popular of her songs, includes the emotional stress of a breakup and how to get over it. She involves funky beats, catchy lyrics, and has a purpose for her song. All a girl needs is a group of unity to get over a boy that makes you feel like nobody else. She lists the steps in four and encourages you to use them in real situations. This is helpful and unique for a song to give you confidence while having an amazing rhythm to this song. One would say this song is very “groovy.” It’s the perfect song to blast after a breakup, even if you never had a boyfriend to begin with. “Blow your Mind (Mwah)” is the best song on the album. The beats, lyrics, and even the music video, make you

feel more confident in yourself. This song revolves around the, “if you don’t like me, then move onto someone else,” factor and really makes you value your worth way more. Dua Lipa tried hard to make music based around her, “I don’t care about what you think of my persona,” and it pays off well in her songs. Unlike, Taylor Swift and her breakup songs, Dua Lipa shows you how to cope with your breakup and be born a new woman (or man). This artist has incredible talent. She puts her feelings in her music that touches her audience. Her lyrics and her voice are an amazing combination. It creates that feeling where you feel like you can do anything. Next time you’ll see me, I’ll be moving my lips to Dua Lipa.

“I choose the songs that I feel really confident in, and describe me,” said Dua Lipa

Commentary

22 The Voyager

December 2017

The left-wing hypocrisy on the First Amendment

By JESSICA BONAMASSA ‘19 News Editor “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”. Surely, Hossein Derakhshan and Claire Wardle, the alt-left, and liberals know this. Hossein Derakhshan and Claire Wardle collaborated in an article for CNN titled “Ban the term ‘fake news’”. They described the origins of fake news, its international use, and how the term “oversim-

plifies a complex problem”. They made plies to everybody, not just whites. Peothe strong claim that everyone needs to ple defended themselves against reverse re-think their vocabulary. Proposition racism and shouted “white lives matter” to ban the terms is irrational because it or “all lives matter.” Except, according would violate the Constitution. Society to society, there is a huge difference betoday clutches onto the First Amendment, tween the left-wing and right-wing prothe freedom of speech in particular, for tests. The liberals protest for minorities, dear life. Liberals love their freedom of whereas those defending white lives and speech and know their First Amendment all lives were labeled as white supremarights more than they know manners. cists and racists. To me it is quite uncerIt’s hilarious when they tain what makes the two attack someone with difdifferent. If black lives “Proposition to ferent opinions and try to matter then why don’t ban terms they don’t like. ban the terms other lives matter too? Liberals exercise this The First Amendment is irrational beright to the fullest when was deemed applicable throwing derogatory cause it would strictly to liberals at terms towards other racUC- Berkeley, the camviolate the es, whites in particular, pus that birthed the Free while preaching that it’s Constitution” Speech Movement. They their right. To them, free scheduled conservative speech rights go out the window when Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on campus in their opposition expresses their opinions. February. Protesters wore black scarves A prominent example is Black Lives over their faces (a true symbol of their Matter. On one side of the spectrum, strength), threw fireworks at the building mostly left-wing Americans stood up for he was to speak in, tore down barricades, blacks and fought against police brutalset fires, and smashed windows. The perity. On the other side, people saw that the petrators included Antifa members and black population had gained an increasstudents. Yiannopoulos wrote on Faceingly strong distaste for white Americans. book that night, “One thing we do know Today’s politics aside, a sense of supefor sure: the Left is absolutely terrified of riority ariseswhen any group or race of free speech and will do literally anything people become racist towards another. to shut it down”. Damages totaled roughLet Hitler serve as a reminder. This aply $100,000.

An article titles “Unmasking the leftist Antifa movement” published to CNN reported in an interview that the goal of Antifa is peace and inclusivity. Antifa admitted their willingness to physically attack anyone who condones racism in order to “eradicate hatred.” The left-wing and alt-left follows a rationale that uses hatred to limit another person’s freedom of speech, while exercising their First Amendment rights, to eradicate hatred by using violence. The public has seen Antifa members attack anyone who disagrees with their beliefs. They stoop so low as to throw water on, and almost violently attack, a disabled veteran. 14 Antifa members were arrested this July after attacking police officers with explosives and bricks. Their ideas of peaceful protesting include property destruction, attacks on those with opposing beliefs, and outright hatred. Political correctness has become a major issue intertwined with the use of the First Amendment. For instance, it’s not politically correct to describe someone as black, even though it’s acceptable to describe a white person as such. If we are supposed to call black people African Americans, than why don’t people call whites caucasians? Bottom line, you can’t protest for free speech while trying to revoke it. It’s time for people to grow up. When will this madness end?

What would be a good name for our generation?

Artwork by Jared Wilson ‘19

1. Vocal Generation 2. Generation App 3. Tech Gen 4. Generation Z 5. New Generation 6. New Socialists. 7. The Communication Generation 8. iGeneration

The Voyager’s 2017 Word/Phrase of the Year The Voyager staff voted on what we thought was our word of the year—a word that we felt encompassed the craziness and unpredictability that was 2017. Here are our top five contenders along with our winner:

5. “Triggered”

When something intense happens that makes you feel annoyed and angry. Almost as if an old, bad memory has resurfaced and you have just remembered it.

4. “Sus”

When someone is being suspect/suspicious as heck.

3. “Heated”

When you get uncomfortably angry or upset in a situation; moderate form of triggered.

2. “I feel attacked”

When an insult psychologically “attacks” one’s personal being, ex: — “Cancel my subscription, because I am done with your issues.” — “I feel attacked.”

1. “Shook” “This entire year has me shook!”

Artwork by Hayley Beluch ‘18

Sports

December 2017

The Voyager 23

Carson Wentz tears ACL, out for rest of the season By JOSH MEYERS ‘21 Staff Reporter

he Eagles won against the Rams on Sunday, December 10th and clinched the NFC East, but at what cost? Things were going so well for the Eagles. Before the Rams game, they were 10-2 and needed to win one more game to clinch a playoff spot. On that Sunday, they won a shootout with the Rams, 43-35, but it was a bittersweet win. Their young star, MVP frontrunner quarterback Carson Wentz, left with an injury that many people were calling a torn ACL which would require surgery and cause Wentz to miss the rest of this season. He may miss some games next season. Before the injury, Wentz was cruising through the game. He had thrown three touchdowns and 289 yards passing and one interception. The play where Wentz got injured happened like this. The Eagles had a first and goal at the Rams’ three yard line. Wentz snapped the ball and had good protection from his offensive line but his receivers weren’t open. Wentz took the ball himself and got past two players on the defense who hit his knee at the same time and dove into the endzone for the touchdown. The score didn’t count; it had been called back because of a holding penalty by Lane Johnson that brought the play back ten yards. Wentz had looked dazed on the ground after the defensemen had hit his knee area during his dive to the endzone and needed his teammate’s help up. Wentz stayed in the game, eliminating the worries of the fans who thought Wentz had been hurt initially. A couple plays later, the Eagles were at the Rams’ two yard line. It was fourth down and head coach Doug Pederson went for it. The Eagles snapped the ball and Wentz looked around the end zone for a receiver. Wentz was about to get hit so he tossed it to where his two receivers were, including Alshon Jeffery who went on his knees and caught the ball just as it is about to hit the ground. Eagles took the lead 31-28. Wentz had set the record for the most touchdown passes in Eagles franchise history.

Fans got concerned when Wentz hobbled off the field after the touchdown to Jeffrey and had gone straight to the medical tent to be looked at. Minutes later, the camera shows Wentz limping to the Eagles’ locker room. Later, it was reported that Wentz would be out for the rest of the game. Backup quarterback, Nick Foles, stepped up as Eagles QB. The Eagles hung, winning a thrilling 43-35 game and clinching a playoff spot but the big concern was the future of Carson Wentz. The Eagles hadn’t confirmed if Carson had torn his ACL, but many people worried that that was the case. In the press conference after the game, Doug Pederson told them that Carson would get an MRI the next day, Monday, to see what the injury looked like. So, that night, Eagles fans around Philadelphia held their breath. At the press conference the next day, Pederson said that Carson did indeed tear his ACL and would miss the rest of the season. He also told reporters that it looked like the injury occurred when Carson was diving into the endzone, not when the defenders hit his knee at the same time. “It appears watching the film again today, it (the injury) was actually before the contact so it could be a non-contact deal. But that’s just what it appears on the tape,” said Pederson. After Wentz was ruled out of the game and before it was ruled that Carson had a torn ACL, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter had tweeted, “ If Carson Wentz does indeed have a torn ACL, he will have stayed in the game, played four more plays, and thrown a TD to Alshon Jeffery with an injured knee.” Wentz posted a video on the next Monday night, looking distraught, but he was very excited that his team clinched a playoff spot. On his injury, Wentz said, “This will not stop me.” Fans shouldn’t count out Nick Foles as the Eagles starting quarterback since when he was the starter back in

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2013, he had thrown twenty-seven touchdowns and only two interceptions, leading the Eagles to the playoffs, the last time they had gotten in. Foles was also the Pro Bowl MVP that year. Notable backup quarterbacks that had led their teams to Super Bowl wins are Terry Bradshaw, Kurt Warner, and Tom Brady. Wentz will finish the year with 3, 296 yards on 265 completions while throwing thirty-three touchdown passes, the Eagles franchise record. He will look to return to the team sometime next season.

Philly sports: A year on the rise W

By ANTHONY CUTRERA and ERIC HORN ‘19 Sports Editors

ith 2017 coming to a close, it is only right to take a look back at Philadelphia sports in the past year. From outstanding breakout seasons to hiring new coaches, a lot has occurred in the City of Brotherly Love from a sports perspective. The Process has indeed been trusted. The 76ers started 2017 right going 10-5 in the month of January and giving us a glimpse of just how bright the future is. Sixers fans were also able to enjoy the fantastic rookie campaigns of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. The Sixers rookies finished second and third in Rookie of the Year voting, although they seemed to be the two most deserving players for the award. The 76ers started the 2017 offseason making moves. They traded up for the first overall pick and selected point guard Markelle Fultz in June and later signed sharp shooter JJ Redick along with center Amir Johnson in July. And in the early months 2017-2018 NBA season, Philadelphia fans are finally seeing how phenomenal Ben Simmons really is as he seems to be recording a double double every night. The Sixers as a whole have started the season strong with a record of 13-14. The incredible start for the Eagles has the entire city singing “Fly Eagles Fly!” New acquisitions in Alshon Jeffery, LeGarrette Blount, and Jay Ajayi have reinforced a roster in which many young talents took the leap to elite. Carson Wentz played like a legitimate MVP candidate in his 13 games of 2017, and he has only scratched the surface. The feel good story of the year was wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has completely turned his play around, from one of the worst at his position to a Pro Bowl candidate. This excellence combined with victorious battles in the trenches on both sides of the field resulted in the Eagles team that could do what no Eagles have done before: win a Super Bowl. However, Carson Wentz’s season came to an abrupt end in Week 14 due to a torn ACL. For Eagles fans to receive the parade down Broad Street that they desper-

ately crave, they will have to rely on a forgotten legend: Nick Foles, who just happened to have the best season an Eagles quarterback has ever had in 2013. Regardless of what happens in 2018, the Eagles have made great strides as a team, have a young core who is locked up for years, and a terrific head coach. The mystery of the Philadelphia Flyers continued throughout 2017. The team offers more questions than answers: Is aging captain Claude Giroux still elite? When will they be more than a fringe playoff team? Is head coach Dave Hakstol competent at the NHL level? The Broad Street Bullies missed the playoffs last season, prompting them to fully embrace their youth movement. Rookies Nolan Patrick, Robert Hagg, and Travis Sanheim have all seen significant playing time this season, with second year players Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny improving their craft. With all eyes turned to the future, it seems as though some have forgotten to perform in the present; the Flyers went on a 10 game skid in late November into the first week of December, leading to calls for radical changes. However, the Flyers are far from out of the playoff race, and their performance in 2018 could easily negate their subpar finish to 2017. Hockey is a game of momentum, and it can shift on a dime. Oh yeah, the Phillies play in this city, too. The past year was not kind to the Phillies as they finished last in the NL East with a record of 66-96. On the brightside, the Phils got to see a glimpse of up and coming stars Rhys Hoskins and JP Crawford. Hoskins took the MLB by storm hitting 18 home runs in just 50 games. After the season, the Phillies made a coaching change hiring Gabe Kapler as their new manager. Although 2017 was rough for baseball in Philadelphia, young stars and a new manager give fans hope for a turnaround in 2018. It truly is a great time to start following Philly sports. With every team stockpiling young talent and opening up their payrolls to sign talented veterans when the time is right, we could be on the cusp of something the likes of which the city has never seen. A golden age of Philly sports could be right around the corner, one that has so many parades that the city will have to repave Broad Street. For now, we hope the Eagles continue to fly, the Phils continue to fight, the Sixers keep on processing, and the Flyers stay bullying.

Sports

24 The Voyager

December 2017

Girls basketball is looking for a winning season

By ANTHONY CUTRERA ‘19 Sports Editor “Success will come this year from playing well together and wanting the best for each other,” said Eastern Girls Basketball Coach Joe Murphy on the upcoming season. The girls went 14-15 last year but are looking too produce winning season this winter. Coach Murphy has been head of the girls basketball team for over a decade at Eastern and has found great success in the past even winning back to back Group 4 Championships. As far as this season goes, Murphy predicts the team to be “very quick and athletic”. The girls have a young team this year as they only have one senior, Danielle Jackson. Coach Murphy had high praise for Jackson. “She is a very good leader. She stepped in right away and took charge of a lot of things that we do” said Murphy. Jackson embraces the role of a team leader. “I take the role of being a leader very seriously. I made sure that this past summer

I studied what successful teams and their leaders have done and tried to incorporate their tactics into my own style. My goal is to always be the leader that I never had” said Jackson. Another key player to the Vikings this year is junior Anna Accardo. Accardo spoke on the team chemistry saying “Since our first practice together you can definitely see the chemistry developing.” Accardo also added that the team is strong when it comes to defense and shooting. She believes the team will thrive off getting steals and scoring transition buckets along with knocking down open threes. The Vikings have had four scrimmages so far and have won all four, which gives the team great momentum going into the start of the regular season. Jackson and Accardo are both confident in the team this year. “If we stay healthy as a team, with our athleticism we should have s strong year” said Accardo. Hopefully Jackson, Accardo, and the rest of the Vikings can carry their early success into the regular season and be a threat in the Olympic Conference. Anna Accardo dribbles through defenders.

Photo Supplied

Eldridge looks to finish out a strong career By MATT STEINSALTZ ‘20 Staff Reporter

Jake Harley, Bob Young, and Alex Andrews run track. Photo by Casey McAleer

Changes to winter track By MICHAEL CARRINGTON ‘19 Special to the Voyager

As the season goes from fall to winter, many of Eastern’s cross country athletes prepare to transition into winter track. Even though many of the athletes may be looking forward to the spring track season, they are not looking to pass on the opportunities that the winter track season holds. This season is experiencing new changes from past years. One of the major changes, 4 year veteran track senior, Jacob Harley notices is the increase in interest over the four years he has run for Eastern. He states, “I believe that there are a lot more people interested in running track than before, and I feel the sport is growing in size.” The increase in popularity of the sport not only means a brighter future but also adds more competition to practices; it helps keep everyone improving and staying in shape. While Jacob Harley notices an increase in interest, Alex Andrews notices a change in the way the team is managed. Alex Andrews is a junior track star who started running in the winter season of his freshman year. What Alex Andrews cites as the major change this year, specifically, is the manner in which the warm up routine is run. Before the change, all the athletes (sprinters, distance runners, throwers, and jumpers) would all stretch separately. Now, everyone stretches together and this alters team unity. Alex Andrews comments on this by stating, “I believe it helps bring the team closer together.” While many may view who you stretch with as a miniscule part of any sport, this new style of warming up will, hopefully, positively change the performance of all the branches of the winter track team. While the future looks bright with an increase of participation for winter track and the improvement of team unity through the warm up routine, the team is looking forward to winning meets this season before looking into the future.

As Eastern opens up their 2017-2018 season, Senior Tanner Eldridge is at the forefront. He is looking to improve upon his 21-4 mark that he posted as a Junior. Tanner, along with the rest of his team, opened their season last Saturday in their first tournament. Tanner wrestles at 152 pounds, but depending on his opponent he will fluctuate weight. “Depending on the other team’s lineup coach will bump us up or down weight classes so we have the best chance of winning certain matchups,” he said. How does Tanner get to his wrestling weight? He likes to keep his weight about 5 pounds above the weigh-in weight and then lose by working out and dieting in the days leading up to the weigh-in. Like any sport, practice makes perfect. However, wrestling practice is a whole different ballgame than in other sports. Tanner and his team practice 7 days a week. Monday through Saturday they practice wrestling, and on Sunday they go on a run as a team. Total that up and you get 20 hours of practice and workouts a week. According to Tanner, “We train and condition like no other team

does.” Leading into the match Tanner is all business. “When I’m preparing for a match I like to listen to music and get a sweat going so I’m warm when I get on the mat,” said Tanner. Not only is he getting his body ready, but he is getting his mind ready. Strategy is what is going through Tanner’s head as he warms up before a match. “A lot goes through my head before a match, I’m thinking about what setups I’m gonna try and what I’m gonna do on top or bottom,” he said. Like most would, Tanner always has the pre-match butterflies. The Eastern Wrestling team is a close knit bunch. Tanner has been wrestling since he was 5 years old, so he has grown up wrestling with the same kids. Throughout the year the team also has few team bonding events on top of the twenty hours a week they spend with each other at practice. “I would say we’re all pretty close to each other,” said Tanner. For Tanner, wrestling goes beyond the mat. It has a greater impact on him than wins and loses. He feels that it shapes him as a person not as a much as a wrestler. Senior Tanner Eldridge has just one more season to go but he hopes to make it his best season to date, and to leave behind a strong legacy.

Tanner Eldridge gets tangled up with an oponent.

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