Volume LV
February 2020
20 years of Voyager coverage. Pages 10 and 11
Eastern Regional High School
20 years of editorial cartooning. Page 14
1401 Laurel Oak Road
Third Edition
Bowling had a remarkable season. Page 19
Voorhees, NJ 08043
New math course on the horizon BY MATT STEINSALTZ ‘20 Editor-in-Chief
C
an’t get enough math? Want more calculus? Well, multivariable calculus is coming, starting in the 20212022 school year, according to Supervisor of Curriculum Dr. Borda. The course has been on the table for some time. “It’s been in process for a long time,” Dr. Borda said. When BC Calculus was added to the curriculum years ago, it was the “natural progression.” Over the years, more and more students showed an interest in the course, so administration delivered. Both Mrs. Ryan
and Dr. Borda said they wanted to meet “There are all kinds of ways to be a student demand. stronger candidate,” said Mrs. Ryan. She Mrs. Ryan, the math supervisor, said that did say that she hasn’t yet spoken to adstudents have taken multivariable calcumissions officers. Ryan said it depends on lus outside of Eastern, so they knew they what interest you have in college. had interest. Dr. Borda went a litMultivariable calculus At this time, it is diftle deeper. She doesn’t ficult to predict how think it will hurt, addis coming. many will enroll. ing more rigor is al“Guidance is finishways helpful. Howeving up scheduling, and they are worker, she said some of the Ivy League issues ing to get students on the right track. We Eastern has faced are due in part to the should have a better idea after that,” said high population density of the area. Mrs. Ryan. The density leads to high competition, While administration is excited about the and isn’t an indictment on Eastern. new class, they don’t think it will change “For some students, this could help in Eastern students’ admissions probability. certain majors, but I can’t say it will solve
all of the issues,” said Dr. Borda. The math track, starting all the way in the middle schools, was not a concern for them. Mrs. Ryan said that all schools pretty much do it the same. “We have made it easier to double up on math and reach the level necessary,” said Dr. Borda. “We have tried to find pathways to reach higher levels of math in four years.” Multivariable calculus is a mix of AC and BC calculus, and is the next in the progression of math. Students will be required to take AP AB or BC calculus, but that is logical anyway. “We are excited to provide students with this opportunity,” said Dr. Borda.
The infinite possibilities of poetry
6th Annual Poetry Out Loud performed to a packed hall BY AVA HANCOCK ‘20 Managing Editor
P
oetry lovers gathered in the Recital Hall after school on January 9th to watch the 6th annual Poetry Out Loud competition. In front of a packed audience of students, teachers, and parents, senior Kaylee Braidwood, junior Bryce Dershem, and junior Ariana Reischer recited two poems each. The winner of the competition, Reischer, will continue on to compete at the Poetry Out Loud Regional Competition among around 20 other students from the Burlington/Camden County area on February 6. During the school wide competition,
Ariana Reischer and Bryce Dershem Poetry Out Loud.
Braidwood recited “The Coming Woman” by Mary Weston Fordham and “Little Father” by Li-Young Lee, Dershem recited “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII” by Pablo Neruda and “Break of Day” by John Donne, and Reischer recited “The Tables Turn” by William Wordsworth and “Limitations” by Henrietta Cordelia Ray. “I picked ‘The Coming Woman’ because it had more of a prose-style that I really enjoyed and I thought the ending packed a punch that I really wanted to deliver,” said Braidwood, referencing the lines, “O! how could a civilized woman/ Exist, without a man cook.” This is Braidwood’s second year competing in Poetry Out Loud, but she still gets nervous before her performance. “You black out. You just kind of focus on the wall and just go for it,” she said. Reischer offered a similar sentiment. “I was nervous I was going to forget stuff,” she said, “but once I got on[stage] it was just an elevated normal performance.” Braidwood, Dershem, and Reischer spent the last few weeks rehearsing their poems after school, seeking out the advice of their cofacilitators, Ms. Steller and Mrs. Pomerantz. Competitors are advised to make the tone and pace of their performance match the meaning of the poem, as compete in CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
Cars line up outside VMS where the school was evacuated on January 2.
Bomb scare evacuates Voorhees Middle
Students were safe, protocols followed, but many wanted phones to communicate with loved ones BY ARIANNA MORALES ‘22 Staff Reporter
C
ertainly no one expected a bomb threat. But that was the New Year Surprise for students at Voorhees Middle School. It is difficult for most students coming back to school after fourteen days of rest for Winter Break, complete with holiday cheer and resolutions. But did that resolution include walking as an exercise? The staff of Voorhees Middle found a bomb threat in the school. Mrs. Calabria, the principal, instructed the students to evacuate to the location, according to typical evacuation procedures: Lost Tree Hill. However, a new situation arose: the students were instructed to continue to The Performing Arts Center at Eastern. It
was 1.5 miles away. The walk took over a half an hour. They were told to stay there until further notice. My sister attends VMS. So I was anxious. Mixed feelings of relief and fear loomed over VMS students. The handwritten threat was screenshotted, spreading like wildfire on Snapchat. VMS has a no-phone-in-the-classroom policy, which encourages students’ phones to be kept in their lockers. However, emergency situations like the evacuation help students justify their need for their phones to accompany them at all times. One 8th grader said not having her phone made her nervous and anxious, even when they had arrived at Eastern. It seemed nothing could ease their fear: gripped by an overwhelming force in CONTINUED ON PAGE 10