Eastside: January 2022

www.eastside-online.org

Vol. 54 No. 2

Cherry Hill High School East: 1750 Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

January 2022

WELCOME

A majority of students find Cherry Hill High School East to be a welcoming environment. But for one in four, a variety of issues, including the ones shared with Eastside in a student survey and named above, make it the opposite, posing challenges to learning.

We tried to find out how and why.

Read more on pages 10-11.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Vaccination Clinics Pg. 3

Rebuilding Starbucks Pg. 14

Jacy Dickstein (‘23)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

East Competitive Cheerleading Pg. 20

NEWS

Page 2

EASTSIDE

January 2022

Seniors end Spirit Week 2021 with back-to-back wins ■ By Bella Levin (‘22)

Eastside News Editor

From November 12 to 19, Cherry Hill High School East’s halls were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, as the fun of Spirit Week 2021 rang through.

The theme for this year’s Spirit Week was Disney Theme Parks. The seniors picked Hollywood Studios, while the juniors were Animal Kingdom. The sophomores chose Magic Kingdom as their park, and the freshmen were Epcot.

The week kicked off with a sports dress up day, energizing students for the events ahead.

That Friday night, East students collaborated on booths that were going to be judged the following week.

Many students stayed until 10 p.m. to ensure that their grade’s booth was of the utmost perfection. After hours of hard work, the seniors ended up taking first place with their Hollywood Studios themed booth. This win awarded them 425 spirit week points, boosting

their lead even further into search, raising awareness evance to theme and taste the competition. Despite and supporting families to by a panel teachers. The this, the sophomores placed help cure pediatric cancer. juniors placed first in this second, winning 300 points Therefore, the dress-up day contest, followed by the towards their total. The juon Thursday asked for stuseniors, sophomores and niors earned third place for dents to wear either blue freshmen. their booth, winning 200 or yellow, or purchase an Throughout the week, points, while the freshmen Alex’s Lemonade Stand Tstudents were also awarded placed fourth points based and were on the numawarded 100 ber of canned points. goods they After the collected. laborious All non-perwork on the ishable food booths was items brought completed, in were dothe students nated to the gathered Cherry Hill in both cafFood Pantry. eterias and The seniors the DiBart collected the Gym for varimost cans, ous games with 1,674 throughout donations, Rebecca Hu (‘24)/ For Eastside followed the entire by the juniors week. Such Seniors celebrate the ending of their dance. with 1,129, activities conthe sophomores with 1,024, sisted of volleyball, crab shirt to support the foundaand the freshmen with 758. soccer and pie eating. tion.

On Friday, November The charity for this Additionally, on Thurs19, the DiBart Gym filled year’s Spirit Week was day, The Great Cougar with parents, alumni and Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a Bakeoff took place. Stufriends to watch the annual foundation that dedicates dents baked and decorated Spirit Week Dance Comitself to changing the lives cakes that were judged petition. After each grade of children through rebased on appearance, rel-

spent several weeks and hours preparing, the big night had finally arrived.

With their last dance competition ever, the seniors placed first and earned 650 points, their final boost in spirit week points. They were followed by the juniors with 450, the sophomores with 300 and the freshmen with 150.

As the first “normal” Spirit Week in the past two years finally concluded, East’s hallways still remain full of spirit, as students await school events that are quickly approaching.

others struggling with the pandemic and thought that they needed a way to be in touch with administration.

This year however, the two became school-wide vice presidents and believed that opening the committee up to all of SGA would be far more beneficial than just having one class involved. Liu said in an interview that, “It was always the plan to open it up to the entire school,” and

replicate the same success they had last year.

Yoon said that the reason he wanted to start the student voice committee was personal.

He said, “I think student voice helps students feel cared about.”

This year, the committee is looking to continue with putting surveys out, creating focus groups and encouraging participation in town halls. Students can look for a survey created by the student voice committee soon.

Liu said that the student voice committee “provides a mode for future generations to create change,” and looking at the fact that this has now become a schoolwide initiative, it seems as if that might just be.

SGA extends student voice committee to more members ■ By Brielle Lampf (‘23)

Eastside Online Opinions Editor

At Cherry Hill East, it seems as though a lot of students look to get involved with student government whether that be through a class representative, or a higher position such as vice president or president.

However, that leaves the question as to how other students are supposed to make their voices heard and propose their concerns to the East administration.

Last year, Gina Liu (‘23) and Grant Yoon (‘23) created the student voice committee within SGA in hopes of making East students feel heard.

The student voice committee started last year when Liu and Yoon saw

school has been an adjustment for many, and the student voice committee is looking to open up the floor to all suggestions.

Last year, Liu and Yoon used statistics from a survey sent out to the class Rachel Gates(‘22)/For Eastside of 2023, and showed the numbers to this year, they have many Dr. Perry. They had focus reasons to do so. groups and town halls, Students have expressed and encouraged people to concerns regarding hometalk more to administrawork, start times, grades tion. The two are looking to and stress. Coming back to

Transfer students are welcomed to East with new lunches ■ By Jiwoo Lee (‘24)

Eastside News Editor

Transfer students may experience academic, social and physical struggles adjusting into a new school during the middle of the year.

In response to this appealing issue, Mr. Charles Davis, East’s Activities Director, and Mrs. Yanell Joseph, East’s Student Advocate, came together to form transfer student lunches, welcoming and introducing the Cherry Hill East community and customs to the new students.

“We wanted to welcome them and help them feel a part of East, feel that someone was thinking about them and just help them navigate this a bit quicker and easier,” said Davis.

As these lunches have just been implemented this 2021-2022 school year, Davis says they have held three monthly gatherings so far.

The first two lunches held around an average of

twenty-five students, having the transfer students from the previous year invited as well. The recent lunch took place with five new students with the company of five current East students to help adjust and bring direct support to their peers.

Davis said, “The East students that were chosen [to help] actually were students that transferred to East themselves, and are sharing their common experience with the students that are new.”

One of these students is Ariana Santiago Ramos (‘22). Ramos transferred to East her sophomore year when a transfer program was absent for these students. Ramos explains the tough obstacles of becoming accustomed to the systems at East.

“These lunches prevent all the shortcomings I came across when I transferred.

They create a safe environment for students to ask questions and feel part of the community without

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Mr. Davis meets with new transfer students and introduces them to East. that weird acclimation period most transfer students go through,” said Ramos.

Ramos joins each transfer student lunch this year, aiding peers based on her own experience, and has learned the benefits these lunches provide for if they were only administered during her year of transfer.

Likewise, Vanessa Koku (‘23) shares the common view of the program offering a positive environment.

Koku said, “It feels nice being around people who are helping new students assimilate to East. I also spoke to some new students, and said they felt more welcomed coming to

these lunches. Knowing this already made me feel good because I felt that my input would help others feel welcome at East.”

With their visible and promising contributions to the new students, they plan to continue monthly transfer student lunches in the following years.

NEWS

January 2022

EASTSIDE

Page 3

December Board of Education update for the district ■ By Ziv Amsili(‘22)

Eastside Opinions Editor

The Board of Education meeting on November 23, started off with a board recognition. Superintendent Dr. Joe Meloche honored colleagues who had worked or served in the district for over twenty years.

It was very heartwarming to see some district teachers who attended

the meeting and received an honorable round of applause.

Next, board member Carole Matlack announced that, unfortunately, she will be resigning from her position on the board, which was effective on December 31. After 11 years on the board, Dr. Meloche congratulated her for getting through her speech, and farewells to her were

announced by fellow board members.

Afterwards, student reports were given by both the East BOE representative (Ariana Santiago Ramos), and West BOE representative (Kevin Salvatorelli).

Public comments were then taken by the public, and shortly thereafter, Meloche gave a speech about how he himself, as well as the other board

members, were looking forward to district improvement conferences, such as one on December 15, regarding district construction improvement.

Some key points that Meloche brought up later in the meeting included the school lunches–he expressed that all food is prepared in advance and explained how he encourages students to speak up

about their concerns with the lunches served, so that they can be addressed immediately by the supervising adult.

The biggest problem, he mentions, is the lack of staff in Cherry Hill schools that work in cafeterias. He points that understaffing is an extremely pressing concern when considering lunch distributions within the school district.

last year, but organized the sible, but all students were members were required to majority of their plays virrequired to be masked at all wear clear masks. tually. Now that students times, socially distanced, “So much of acting is finally your face. get to S i n c e perform half of live and our faces in-person, are covfeelings ered, our of exciteeyes and ment are eyebrows apparent. have to “Being be really back on expresstage, besive,” said ing able C h a r to perlie Bove form for (‘22). as large Simiof an aular to last dience as year, the we can cast res a f e l y hearsesd house in in the Authe theditorium atre is mostly. a really “We try amazing to use feeling. the set Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor d i s p l a y s As an ac- tress, it East drama members rehearse before performances. and try to gives you make each that rush that you haven’t and the majority are vacrehearsal as close to the had in a while,” said Maddy cinated. real performance as possiReddy (‘23).

Costumes and set-design ble in order to build up our Rehearsals were held as were still designed in the stamina,” Bove said. close to “normal” as possame format, but all cast Despite this, the number

of available costume-crew members has dramatically decreased, which means that the costume designers were forced to work efficiently so that every cast member had a costume in time. The costume director for this production was Shira Weiss (‘22).

Another major change this year is the audience capacity. Admittance for all shows will be ticket-based per usual, but the number of audience members will diminish due to social distancing policies. All individuals in attendance were required to wear a mask.

Regardless of the alternations of this year’s winter play, the entire Theatre Department was beyond ecstatic for this year’s production.

“The entire experience is creative, and it’s a really fun show with a lot of twists and turns,” Reddy said.

The students persevered through the tough circumstances and are optimistically looking forward to the rest of their year.

Visit Eastside Online for a show review.

East’s Theatre Department produces and performs fall play ■ By Tharunika Govindasamy (‘22)

Eastside News Editor

Care to take a trip to the past with me? March 13, 2020: the day when the world shut down. In addition to the isolation that all students were forced into, the Cherry Hill East Theater members had just lost what they were anticipating for months: putting on the Legally Blonde show.

Not only did this leave the Theatre Department devastated, but it left all individuals hoping for a future of acting, in the dark.

When would they be back, live and ready to perform in action? After an entire year, the time had come.

The Theatre Department was ready to perform Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Auditorium on December 10, 11 and 12, with both afternoon and evening time slots.

In comparison to last year, the preparation process was vastly different since school is fully in-person. Cast members did have a few in-person rehearsals

Cherry Hill vaccination clinics re-open following success ■ By Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22) Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Following the summer vaccination clinics hosted by the Cherry Hill Public Schools, the centers reopened on November 20, 2021, and had an event on December 4, 2021.

Superintendent Dr. Joe Meloche spoke of the success of the more recent clinics, which he attributes to the broader requirements for the age eligibility to get the Pfizer vaccine. In the most recent update, children aged 5-11 are now

able to start getting vaccinated. CHPS students in elementary school were eager to get vaccinated but did not have easy access to mega-sites.

Because of this, CHPS reopened their successful vaccination clinics to provide local and easily accessible vaccines to their students. The elementary school clinics were held at Joyce Kilmer Elementary School, Kingston Elementary School and Richard Sharp Elementary School.

These locations saw a tremendous turnout for the

Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Members of the Cherry Hill community venture to East in order to receive their vaccinations.

Cherry Hill residents.

“I think that these were great resources to help our community get vaccinated.

They allowed our students to feel more safe in school, especially the younger ones who didn’t have access to vaccines before,” said Meloche.

The CHPS were able to help over 350 children get vaccinated.

Meloche remarked on the success of the December 4 vaccination clinic. In addition to the elementary schools having the clinics, Cherry Hill East and Cherry Hill West were available outlets for residents to get their shot.

“The overwhelming number of students really made this clinic a great resource,” said Meloche.

The November 20 vaccination clinic was not as successful, with well under one hundred people present. Meloche attributes this to the timing of the event as it was close to Thanksgiving break.

With the state of New Jersey encouraging fully vaccinated adults to get the new booster shot, Meloche is currently in contact with Camden County to see future plans for these clinics.

Meloche does this in hopes to help the Cherry Hill community be safer against COVID-19.

Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Clinic workers await those wishing to get vaccinated to arrive.

Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Young children are able to get the vaccine.

Page 4

FEATURES EASTSIDE

January 2022

Academy Award nominee and alumnus Yang Jin-mo retraces film-editing career

■ By Alena Zhang (‘23)

Eastside Features Editor

Somewhere along the way, Yang Jin-mo’s (‘95) clear-cut path of becoming a movie director diverged.

In the course of his plan to become a director, he discovered that he had the precision–and intuition for a detailed outlook–to manipulate movie frames and to weave raw footage together into a live story of profound impact.

Yang did not know that 26 years after graduating Cherry Hill High School East, he would be a wellknown film editor and an Academy Award nominee for best film editing for his work on Parasite. No one did.

As a teenager, Yang immigrated to the U.S., following his mom’s footsteps in the hopes of a better life in America. They first lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., close to relatives in the area. Then, they relocated to Collingswood, N.J., where his uncle owned a Dunkin’ Donuts. After multiple moves along the East Coast, they eventually settled in Cherry Hill, where Yang attended East in 1994.

As a shy student and new immigrant who could not speak English very well, Yang felt out of place.

“It was very difficult for me because I was such a foreigner...I was not that talkative or good at English,” said Yang.

It was hard for him to find a community at school.

The cafeteria, with its huge crowds, did not appeal to him, so he sought a safe place.

He found solace in the F - wing, more specifically, in the Commercial Art classroom.

Instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, Yang spent his time tucked away in that classroom, getting lost in graphic design and exploring his passion for art.

That passion would soon grow into a deeper love for filmmaking.

Today, more than 20 years after graduating from East, Yang distinctly remembers his Commercial-

Art teacher, who provided him with the support and guidance that encouraged his exploration for art.

Shortly after Yang’s talent for art was discovered, he was offered an opportunity to illustrate for Eastside. He became Eastside’s official cartoonist and joined its homeroom.

There, he thrived in pouring all of his creativity and passion into drawing for the newspaper.

“I was very, very lucky to get into Eastside. I felt like I was chosen,” said Yang.

Yang felt that drawing was a safe haven for him, but he also knew that ever since his childhood he had been fascinated with animations.

Hoping to intermingle his two passions, Yang attended Bard College to study filmmaking after graduating from East in 1995. However, attending college wasn’t completely

an unyielding drive — one that kept him going.

“I had just one aim back then: going back to school,” said Yang.

Perseverance kept him focused and firm in his resolve. His hard work and determination helped him accomplish his goal.

Despite the fatigue and the exhaustion from work, he eventually saved enough money to pay his tuition and was able to continue his education at Bard College.

After graduating from Bard, Yang needed to figure out what he wanted to do with a degree in filmmaking.

His passion led him towards becoming a director, and Yang came up with a master plan to accomplish his goal.

He would first work as an onset editor, which gave him many valuable opportunities to learn from

East Yearbook Archive Yang graduated East in 1995.

Courtesy of Yang Jin-Mo Yang is a film editor now.

smooth sailing. Facing financial hardships, Yang had to pause his college education after his freshman year to save money for his tuition.

“I just did everything possible that [could] get me money. Just work, and work, and work,” said Yang.

He worked long, tiring hours and multiple jobs: a delivery man for a Korean bookstore, a waiter at a Korean restaurant, and a merchandising manager at a jewelry store.

Despite the painful hours that overwhelmed him sometimes, Yang had

the director, and hopefully bring him to his ultimate goal of becoming a director.

He started with a job as an onset editor for the 2005 movie Duelist, the very first film he worked on in Korea.

The movie atmosphere was exhilarating for him.

“Just going into the production itself as an editor was such a powerful memory,” said Yang.

At some point while working as an onset editor, though, the trajectory of his career completely changed.

Yang discovered the essential role of film editing in shaping the final version of

a movie.

The work of creative and effective editing could reconceptualize the scripted version of a film’s story and turn it into something impactful – something capable of touching an audience’s deepest emotions, bringing laughter and tears and delivering a profound message.

It was tiring and probably the most under-celebrated aspect of the filmmaking process; editing the footage can span many rounds of shaping and fine tuning before completion.

However, Yang found a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in nuancing the many shades of interpretation within a film and helping the audience to resonate with these themes.

“Editing a movie is like a Lego block… and I’m the one who combines the pieces. It becomes an art and has a story,” he described.

Yang devoted his passion and creative effort into film editing, with a few of the films he worked on including Train to Busan, Okja and Snowpiercer.

In 2019, Yang brought his extensive professional experience in editing to Parasite, a film that seamlessly tied together several genres of thriller, drama and suspense — all in Korean.

Yang had worked with Bong Joon-Ho, the director for Parasite, in the past, on the 2017 international film Okja, and they decided to keep Parasite in Korean.

“We didn’t want to worry about English subtitles or anything,” said Yang.

Although it was easier to maneuver the film in Korean, Parasite posed a certain challenge for Yang.

“It was difficult finding the right pace for the movie,” he said.

This was in part due to the director’s filming method and style — there was just not much spare footage to sift through. “[Bong Joon-Ho] makes movies in a very efficient way,” explained Yang.

Thus, each piece of footage was crucial in the for-

mation of the movie.

Yang had to seamlessly assemble each segment of raw footage with the next, finding a rhythm that allowed the scenes to coherently flow together, intermixing emotion, tension and mystery in the right shots.

The international acclaim his work on Parasite received from its audiences was astounding. Yang was also nominated for the Academy Award for best editing, further propelling him into the spotlight.

“Parasite changed my life,” said Yang.

The recognition was wonderful to receive, but his favorite part of his work on Parasite was connecting with the many talented individuals in the field.

“I can make connections with people on set and work with them in the future, whether they are a musician...or artist,” said Yang.

Nowadays, Yang is not an onset editor. Instead, he receives the footage at his editing suite and works there. “[Being a director] was my masterplan, but I found a different path,” said Yang.

At present, Yang lives with his wife and motherin-law in Korea, but a part of him still reminisces on his time at East.

“I miss my East teachers. They would be very, very proud of me because they knew I was shy, but for some reason, they believed I would be somebody,” said Yang.

From a newly immigrated student taking refuge in the Commercial Art class at East, to one of the most prominent film editors in the movie industry, Yang has finally found his path.

Twenty-six years after graduating, his time at East has served as a cornerstone for his decision to go and make his mark in the film industry.

Going all the way back to the F-wing of East, Yang can trace his career path back to that Commercial Arts classroom, where his teacher first sparked his love of art and ignited his passion for pursuing it.

Collage by Alena Zhang (‘23)/ Eastside Features Editor

Images courtesy of IMDb, The Film Stage, Snowpiercer, and Hulu

January 2022

FEATURES

EASTSIDE

Page 5

East’s paper usage surges after the pandemic ■ By Aiden Rood (‘23)

Eastside Features Editor

Three hundred and twenty-eight thousand. That is the number of sheets of white paper used at Cherry Hill High School East from August 26, 2021 to November 8, 2021. After a dip in paper usage last year due to virtual learning, the first three months of the 20212022 school year brought a resurgence. From clashing with a nationwide paper shortage to negatively impacting the environment, this stationery churn has had consequences in and outside of East.

One key figure in the use of paper at East is Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, East’s stock clerk. Since assuming the position this past summer, he has been responsible for ordering all merchandise that the school uses, including white paper. He maintains a record of every box of paper that is distributed

and looks at past years’ records to determine how much should be ordered at any given time.

Every month, Rodriguez provides a report to school administrators about how much paper is being used.

Based on the amount of paper available and how high usage has been, adjustments in distribution may be made. For example, Rodriguez said that in an effort to conserve paper, sometimes teachers have been given individual reams at a time instead of full boxes. An individual ream contains 500 sheets of paper, while a box has eight reams (or 4,000 total sheets) inside of it. With smaller amounts of paper given out, there may be more consciousness of its usage.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, such measures were not usually necessary. With most students learning from home,

fewer handouts were printed and overall paper usage went down. Now, East is back to printing and copying at a higher rate. The monthly rate of paper usage at East is currently around five times higher than it was during the period from March 2020 to June 2021. Even looking at the pre-pandemic rates of 2019, East is currently using about 4,000 more sheets of paper per month than it was then.

In addition to the strain on supply caused by a return to in-person instruction, national shortages are having an impact on the East community.

“We [were] calling W.B. Mason to tell them that we needed the paper, and they said that they had no paper,” Rodriguez said of a recent situation.

As a result, East sought new partners in paper supply. Recently, a large order was made from Staples.

The company change actually saved East money, as

R o driguez estimated that his Staples order cost around 20 dollars less per box of paper than past orders from W.B. Mason had cost. Nonetheless, East is spending upwards of 5,000 dollars on paper each year, according to the numbers Rodriguez provided.

As learning continues getting back to normal, educators will have to grapple with the costs and benefits

of using paper in the classroom. Eventually, environmental issues and supply shortages could force a move away from heavy reliance on handwritten learning. For now, though, for better or for worse, it appears likely that East’s paper usage will only continue on its upward trajectory.

Juliana Shin (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Editor

School paper usage negatively impacts the environment

■ By Aiden Rood (‘23) and Alena Zhang (‘23)

Eastside Features Editors

What comes to mind when you think of thousands of sheets of paper?

Perhaps an image of a giant stack pops up, precariously balancing as loose pieces fly off and litter the ground in a white layer. At Cherry Hill High School East, that stack, representing our paper usage, has grown to 328,000 sheets tall in roughly just the first three and a half months of this school year.

With roughly 130,000 K-12 schools across the United States, many of which use paper at similarly high rates, the environmental impact of paper usage by schools is significant. While statistics are unavailable at the national level, looking closely at East’s paper usage can offer a window into larger environmental impacts.

According to the University of Michigan, one tree can produce approximately 8,333 sheets of paper. Based on this metric, it can be estimated that East has used more than 39 trees worth of

paper this school year from August to November. The weight of the wood used would be approximately 13,000 pounds, according to the Environmental Paper Network (EPN.) Their analysis also suggests that East’s paper usage so far this year has required 35,100 gallons of water, and

that it has led to the production of 1,930 pounds of solid waste.

The carbon footprint of school paper usage can add up quickly. East’s 328,000 sheets have produced about 29,500 pounds of CO2, per the EPN. This is close to the equivalent of three cars’ carbon footprint over a full year. If every school used pa-

per at East’s current rate, the national impact of schools’ paper consumption would be that of an additional one million cars on the roads annually.

According to World Wildlife, paper manufacturing has used between 33-40 percent of global wood. In addition, decomposing paper in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that further contributes to paper’s carbon footprint.

As paper usage continues to negatively impact the environment, teachers and students alike will have to evaluate the costs and benefits. Virtual learning brought about a sharp reduction in consumption of paper, leading some to consider ways to prolong that conservation.

With both paper usage rates and levels of concern about climate change rising over time, these conversations will only grow louder; what will come of them remains to be heard.

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Editor

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

OPINIONS

Page 6

EASTSIDE

January 2022

The over-use of technology in class should be avoided ■ By Jacy Dickstein (‘22)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Students used to be encouraged to follow those rudimentary signs in East hallways declaring which parts of the building are considered to be “red zones” and “green zones.”

What happened to that?

Have students silently come to the consensus that they will ignore these posters?

Have teachers grown more lenient by the use of technology on school premises? Or more recently, have teachers encouraged the use of technology on school property?

East students have noticed their teachers shift towards utilizing more online teaching tools since transitioning back to in-person learning.

GoFormative, Quizizz, and Google Forms proved useful during virtual learning, but now that we as a student body made the adjustment back to in person learning, shouldn’t teachers also have to make the adjustment back to designating their teaching for students right in front of them?

“A lot hasn’t changed for me since last year, instead things have improved. Last year I created a lot of these EdPuzzles and Google Forms because we had no choice, but now I use these as a reinforcing resource.

These online exit-tickets and warm-ups now serve

more as self-reflection and self-assessment tools for students,” said East biology teacher Mr. Larry Frociwiak.

Building on this, Frock-

benefits students because if they are absent on the day of a lab, online simulations discovered last year, in response to remote learning, can be reused.

and other classmates,” said Ilana Stofman (‘22). “Also most high schoolers are visual learners and need to interact with things in person to better grasp the con-

owiack says these online resources from last year benefit physical science classes because certain labs they work on have a “shelflife,” meaning for safety, health or productivity reasons, they cannot be repeated day after day. This

Despite these positive attributes associated with online resources, East students do seem to prefer more hands-on approaches to education.

“It’s easier to learn inperson because it’s more engaging to work with peers

cepts. Online videos don’t get these ideas through students’ heads as much.”

When asked if his curriculum has shifted entirely towards digital submission, Frockowiak responded with an immediate objection.

“I would say it’s 50/50:

paper and pencil, and virtual work. My assessments are mainly virtual though,” said Frockowiak.

Additionally, students also shared that online school is limited in that there is a greater disconnect between students and teachers.

“It’s much easier to have the entire class move at the same pace with lesson plans rather than have each person play pre-recorded videos on their computers, then have trouble catching everyone up to speed later,” said Sophie Heidt (‘23).

In a survey conducted by the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research, out of 9,500 high school teacher respondents in the US, 73 percent prefer hands onteaching over online learning.

This likely has a large correlation to personal connections teachers are able to build with their students in a classroom setting.

“In-person lessons are better because they are more interactive. A big reason is that as a teacher, you can look and see who’s lost and can go up to them and try to work with them,” said Frockowiak.

While a compelling argument could be made for either side of the issue, if education is becoming too reliant on technology, the general opinion is that online resources should be secondary to hands-on learning.

or physical lives, performing acts of kindness, caring for students and faculty, and helping fellow peers with their school and social lives.

If we look over at our crosstown sister school, Cherry Hill West, they have implemented a unique Peer Leaders program, which is a carefully selected and trained group of seniors who are there to help freshmen adjust to their new high school.

Throughout the past year with virtual learning, West Peer Leaders made several virtual panels introducing freshmen to what

high school life is like, giving them key tips and advice for their classes and school experience.

As for the seniors involved, the Student Leadership course at West is a requirement for all the Peer Leaders, which gives the students time to prepare and plan to work with the 9th graders.

Seniors have reflected that the Peer Leadership program gave them firsthand experience at leading their community and creating a positive impact with their assertiveness.

East would greatly benefit from establishing a Peer

Leader Program in future years.

Especially with the forthcoming of COVID-virtual-impacted generation of high schoolers, a Peer Leadership program focusing on guiding and giving advice to underclassmen at East would help produce a more positive and welcoming environment for rising high schoolers, and those who struggle to adjust to the new high school lifestyle.

Also, reflecting on the Peer Leaders’ agendas at the middle schools, East Peer Leaders could help spread awareness and lead

events regarding healthy lifestyles and a positive environment, such as taking charge of Red Ribbon Week and other important awareness events.

What’s most important is the East Peer Leader mentality that students who enter this program should have to continuously progress our school.

A true Peer Leader, across all schools, is one who is ready to establish a welcoming and peerfriendly environment for everyone, especially making sure that all students are included and involved with East.

concerts, has elicited a fear in those who thought they had been fully protected by the virus, but unfortunately were quarantined shortly thereafter.

Therefore, New Jersey residents attending large events, as well as public schools with thousands of kids, should be subject to testing, not just provide proof of vaccination with a card.

For a few reasons, a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is optimal to ensure that large events are maintained safe. Primarily, tests are free in New Jersey and scheduling a test through a pharmaceutical website takes about five minutes.

Testing has become so easily accessible, that there are Rite-Aid or CVS drivethrus that can be scheduled

a night prior.

Additionally, as opposed to a rapid test (antigen test), PCR tests are far more accurate because even the smallest genes of COVID-19 in the sample can be detected. Each pharmacy sends these results to a laboratory, that processes results and in as short as 24 hours, people get their COVID-19 results back.

Some may say that everyone in the US should be vaccinated in the first place anyway, and that vaccination cards should still be required to enter concerts or institutions.

Though everyone should still get vaccinated to limit new strains which cause mutations, new strains surmount the effects of the original virus, and vaccines are not so effective in

limiting the new spread.

On November 17, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that in just one day, there were roughly 86,000 new COVID-19 cases in the United States alone.In addition, children younger than the age of five still cannot be vaccinated, and preelementary programs must ensure that enrolled children are not high-risked in school by any teacher, sibling, or parent which may infect the other children.

Children are at a major risk for multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is a condition in which different organs or body parts become inflamed after contracting COVID-19. Los Angeles Unified School District for example, requires all of its students and staff to obey the indoor

mask mandates (as we see in Cherry Hill East), however, they also get tested weekly.

Anyone who shows any COVID-19 symptoms (similar to the common cold) must also be tested to ensure complete safety without any uncertainties.

Overall, New Jersey school districts should implement required COVID-19 testing for all students K-12 to inhibit transmission of the new COVID-19 variants and ensure safety of all residents.

Aside from keeping children and those at high risk safe, free PCR testing and easily accessible scheduling for a test should be the main reasons as to why the Department of Health must work to implement this technical standard.

Heidi Kwak (‘23)/ Eastside Photo Editor

East should implement a peer leadership program ■ By Christopher Shin (‘23)

Eastside Staff

Those who graduated from Rosa or Beck should remember the peer leadership programs established in their middle schools.

Now, a new question has arisen: should East implement a similar peer leadership program, too?

For some background, a peer leadership program centers on the cultivation of a more welcoming and friendly environment for all students. A lot of their activities would focus on raising awareness for issues regarding one’s social, mental

PCR tests should replace vaccination cards ■ By Ziv Amsili (‘22)

Eastside Opinions Editor

Across the country, there has been a recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases due to large events such as homecoming and Halloween.

Students who are fully vaccinated have been affected, and the question now is if another major outbreak will ensue due to the obvious leniency with masks across the country.

Pressing concerns about COVID-19 outbreaks in communities who are all mostly vaccinated persists.

Now, even those who are fully vaccinated are plagued by mutated strains.

It is not news that people can still get infected if they are fully vaccinated. Recent events across the US such as school homecomings and

January 2022

OPINIONS

EASTSIDE

Page 7

East should add an ASL language course ■ By Julia Boehning (‘22)

Eastside Online Features Editor

American Sign Language should be offered as a course at Cherry Hill East.

At this year’s inauguration, Captain Andrea Hall’s American Sign Language (ASL) rendition garnered immense media attention and praise. Similarly, Warren “Wawa” Snipe’s emotional ASL interpretation of the national anthem at the Super Bowl received immense support from millions of viewers.

The increased desire for accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing even impacted Cherry Hill Public Schools. At the beginning of the 20202021 school year, the Cherry Hill Special Ed PTA (CHSEPTA) called for closed captioning or sign language interpreters at school meetings.

Members of the Cherry Hill community rallied behind this request, and the district now includes captions on their videos.

This change was just the start of a broader question: In what ways can CHPS increase accessibility? A simple solution to the district’s problem with deaf and hard-of-hearing accessibility issues is to offer ASL

as a course at Cherry Hill High School East and West.

According to the 2002 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), around 3.7 percent of the US population is deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Consequently, many states have begun offering ASL as a

testing Mandarin language courses. This change exemplifies how the school board set a precedent to adapt its class options based on community needs. Considering how the CHSEPTA has already asked for more accessibility, adding an ASL course would appease the

offered. Many languages offered at East, such as Latin, are not in the top percentage of languages taken in college. Current student interest and the desire for accessibility suggest that the district should offer ASL at East and West.

The primary argument

course option. Thirty-five states, including New Jersey, count ASL as a language in public schools.

Unfortunately, Cherry Hill Public Schools do not have ASL as a course option.

In the past, the district has added courses in response to community desires. A few years ago, members of the Cherry Hill community asked the board to consider adding Mandarin Chinese to the list of available high school language courses. In 2018, the district obliged and began

community’s desires.

In recent years, more young people have wanted to study ASL in school. According to The New York Times, there has been a “sixteen percent increase in the study of sign language” at the college level over three years. Furthermore, it is now the fourth most popular language taken in college (behind Spanish, German and French). This increase in interest indicates that many students at East and West would likely take sign language if

against offering ASL as a language course is that it is solely simplified English.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. According to Sherman Wilcox, professor of linguistics at the University of New Mexico, “[ASL] is not a derivative of English; ASL contains structures and processes” unlike English.

The language eliminates most articles and superfluous words, so one must extrapolate the pure meaning from their sentences.

Because of ASL’s unique

sports for East but instead play an outside of school sport are given a pass to not have to participate in physical education classes.

In between all of the physical and mental activity of a student-athlete, rest is required to rejuvenate for the next day. According to the Sleep and Health Research Center at the University of Arizona, student-athletes “need at least eight to nine hours of sleep for optimal functioning.”

However, students are spending more time studying, reading and writing essays after their long day playing for their high school sports teams instead of making room in their schedules and taking a study hall, opting out of physical education.

District Policy 2425 allows students who participate in outside athletic organizations to opt-out of school-based P.E. classes every week.

All of the criteria in Policy 2425 that needs to be met by student-athletes to opt out of gym are guaranteed to be exceeded by athletes on East sports teams in particular. For example,

East sports are not individual workouts or physical therapy, but are supervised by an adult coach and meet the P.E. standards that include movement skills and concepts, as well as sportsmanship, rules and safety.

East athletes spend at least two and a half hours every day practicing or playing their sport; meanwhile, the required amount of hours per week to optout of P.E. is two and a half hours itself.

Still, District Policy 2425, “permits students to receive graduation/promotion credit in P.E. while participating in alternative programs of athletics/physical education conducted outside the high school program.”

According to District Policy 2425, “it is understood that there are times when the outside alternative athletics/physical education program exceeds the expectations of the Cherry Hill Public Schools’ program.”

2425 also acknowledges that “student-athletes expend considerable time and energy in completing their alternative physical education program.”

Thus, the schools’ physical education has little benefit to the development of this student. However, East athletes are being excluded from this regardless of their dedication, time and energy.

Aidan Dold (‘22), an SJAC and East swimmer, experiences the luxury of opting out of P.E. to receive a study hall due to his time practicing club swimming.

However, if he was solely on the East swim team, he would not be granted this opportunity, no matter how beneficial it would be to him.

“Some of the disadvantages of taking P.E. as a student-athlete include doing extra exercises that could be detrimental to an athlete’s performance later that day in a meet or a game,” said Dold.

As a swimmer and a student juggling rigorous courses, Dold is in the pool seven days a week and has to dedicate his free time to homework.

However, utilizing his provided study hall by opting out of gym makes his schedule a lot easier.

“The extra time in study

grammar and deliberate word choice, it is not merely simplified English.

Another argument against ASL is that it is not useful in the community.

However, very few members of the Cherry Hill community use Latin, French and German daily. Thus, the idea that schools should offer ASL because it isn’t common in the area is invalid.

Modernday school c o u r s e s should reflect the desires of the community.

Since there is an increased public awareness about the plights of people with disabilities, the district should do everything it can to address these issues. Offering ASL as a course would bring Cherry Hill Public Schools one step closer to making a change.

“The problem is not that the students do not hear.

The problem is that the hearing world does not listen,” said Rev. Jesse Jackson in a 1988 letter to the students at Gallaudet University, one of the world’s only “deaf universities.”

By adding ASL as a course option, Cherry Hill will finally listen to the plights of those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Art by Michelle Bookbinder (‘25)/ For Eastside

Student-athletes should not have a required gym ■ By Scout Pullano (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

Student-athletes at East have a lot on their schedule when they are in season: pre-season workouts, after-school practices from 2:45-5:30, game days, long bus rides to away games, and pasta parties on nights before big games. While student-athletes are going through the annual motions of everything that comes with their sport, they have to prioritize their grades and relationships at the same time.

Of course, the success of student-athletes all depends on their time management and hard work, but there is one slight policy change that would make it easier on student-athletes, who are already physically active.

The time devoted toward school sports teams ought to allow student-athletes to opt-out of P.E. To some, this may not sound beneficial, but replacing redundant time dedicated to P.E. with a study hall for East athletes is not only useful, but rewarding.

Athletes who don’t play

hall is crucial to catch up on the homework that couldn’t be done because of practice and meets,” said Dold.

The policy acknowledges that the “exemption applies only during the time that the alternative physical education/athletic program is in session” and would be upheld if the policy is willing to accept East sports hours for eligibility of dropping out of gym class.

This is a change that would benefit the athletic community at East in a variety of ways.

Page 8

GLOBAL COMMENTARY

EASTSIDE

January 2022

Haiti’s crisis requires more American attention ■ By Lauren Winslow (‘23)

Eastside Online Global Commentary Editor

Throughout this year, Haiti faced struggle after struggle, such as the assassination of its president, natural disasters, violence, and extreme political instability. The nation was sent into turmoil on July 7, 2021, when terrorists murdered President Jovenel Moïse and injured First Lady Martine Moïse.

While the prime minister, Ariel Henry, did take over the presidency, the state of the government remained uncertain due to a buildup of mistrust.

The United States began to take steps to help Haitians but failed to prov i d e a n y concrete relief.

For years,

Haitian citizens have opposed their government’s actions, including its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resurgence of gang violence. In fact, President Moïse was often criticized for acting like a dictator; according to The New York Times, “Mr. Moïse was widely accused

of behaving like a strongman who tried to consolidate power.”

The pandemic strained the already fragile health system in Haiti. The United Nation reported that Haiti was only capable of treating a few

gangs fight over territory daily,” according to AP News.

In addition to the unrest caused by the gang violence, after experiencing a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in August that killed thousands, Haitians

assist the Haitians fleeing the country after the presidential assassination, earthquake and

hundred patients at once, even though there are over 11 million people living in the country. This further demonstrates the ongoing human crisis in Haiti.

Due to the instability of the government, gangs in Haiti have begun to increase their presence and violence.

Currently, “gangs control up to 40% of Port-auPrince, a city of more than 2.8 million people where

w e r e desperate to escape to more politically stable areas, including the United States.

In the spring of 2021, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorakas, provided 18 months of temporary protective status to Haitians who were already residing in the United States due to social and political unrest present in the nation.

However, the United States failed to adequately

consequent upsurge in gang violence.

Thousands of Haitian immigrants began to gather at the Mexico-United States border but were not allowed entry. Many were even arrested and were deported back to the unsafe environment of their own country.

While the United States is not able to allow every refugee seeking asylum in the United States without facing negative impacts, there needs to be a better plan in place to assist immigrants who are fleeing from a dangerous environment.

When Kamala Harris assumed the vice presidency, she was given the responsibility of managing the Mexico-United States

tain the integrity of a single market with an open border in Ireland. This means that the constituent states of the United Kingdom, except for Northern Ireland, do not have to abide by the checks and tariffs of the European Union.

Any goods traveling from Wales, Scotland or England to Northern Ireland, however, would. This angered Unionist communities, because it established a de facto United Kingdom-European Union border and required an unreasonable amount of custom checks in the Irish Sea border. The Unionists believe that the border will cause EnglishIrish relations to weaken even more.

The border checkpoints and regulations on goods, according to Politico, have already started to “disrupt Northern Ireland’s food supply chains and have a real impact on [Northern Irish] everyday life,” much to the dislike of the Unionists.

The United Kingdom knows this and wants the European Union to acknowledge that goods going from Great Britain (Wales, Scotland, and England) to Northern Ireland are staying in the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, the European Union assumes that goods, as a result of the

Northern Ireland Protocol, entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain are also entering the single market of the European Union. The contrasting views between the two entities has caused political tension in Europe.

The United Kingdom can quickly bring down the geopolitical wall that separates itself from Northern Ireland. Act 16 of the Protocol states that if the “Protocol leads to serious economic… difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade, the Union or the United Kingdom may unilaterally take appropriate safeguard measures.”

Invoking the Act, however, would likely provoke a legal response from the European Union, which benefits neither side. On the other hand, a plan that allows Northern Ireland to not have to abide by the agri-food regulations imposed by the European Union, if the goods are not deemed at risk of being sold in the European Union, would be best.

According to George Mitchell, the former United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, when discussing Ireland, “you have to include economics right at the very top.”

This issue is largely economical and any plan addressing it needs to hy-

perfocus on the economic situation of both Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland should approach the situation by compromising with the European Union.

If both the United Kingdom and the European Union establish a system of “extensive monitoring and data sharing”, according to Politico, “firms would have consistent data to prove their goods are only sold in Northern Ireland.”

This solution is already finding support in Northern Ireland business groups and would improve the country’s trade relationship with the United Kingdom.

T h e plan will do little to “impact.. [the] everyday life of communities in both Ireland and Northern Ireland,” according to the Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group.

Breaking down the border and creating a system that both the European

border. Despite being responsible for issues at the border, Harris did not address the concerns or even travel to the Mexico-United States border promptly.

Currently, the plan in place for the United States, in regards to the influx of Haitian refugees, is to address the causes of irregular migration, provide a safe way for immigrants to seek travel to the United States, and rebuild the present system of asylum. Critics, such as Patrick Lawrence, a foreign affairs columnist for the International Herald Tribune and The New Yorker, have de-

nounced the way the Biden Administration has handled the influx of Haitian immigrants.

“The Biden administration could have made a strong statement in favor of due process and dignity by allowing for an orderly asylum process. Instead, it has opted for mass expulsions of vulnerable people,” said Lawrence.

The way the Biden Administration handled these issues at the border demonstrates the inadequate legislation currently in place.

In order to help citizens of the world and uphold the ideals upon which the United States was built, immigration reform is needed.

Art by Abby Yu (‘23)/ Eastside Sports Editor

The situation in Northern Ireland needs to be handled with economic care ■ By Asher Boiskin (‘24)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

Following Brexit, Northern Ireland’s political allegiances became scrambled, and separatists’ beliefs, which have historically plagued the nation, were rekindled. The future of the union of the four constituent United Kingdom nations–Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England–remained in doubt as well, and the bonds that held them together began to quickly deteriorate. Many people in Northern Ireland began to desire not just to leave the United Kingdom, but to also reunite with the Republic of Ireland, their southern counterpart.

In 2019’s United Kingdom general election, the changing demographics in Northern Ireland had never-before-seen results: Nationalist Parties, who want to leave the four-nation union and create one Ireland, won more seats in Parliament than the Unionists, who want to remain as one of the United Kingdom’s constituent nations.

Negotiated by the European Union, the Northern Ireland Protocol allowed the United Kingdom to develop its own laws and achieve independent regulatory divergence yet main-

Union and United Kingdom agree upon would benefit both the Nationalists and Unionists, by improving economic relations within the union. Whether or not Northern Ireland leaves the United Kingdom is up to its respective government; however, they s h o u l d at least have economic stability.

Aft e r a l l , leaving the United Kingdom would “trigger a financial shock one which w o u l d require a major hike in taxes or a cut in public expenditure” in Northern Ireland according to Trinity College Dublin economists John FitzGerald and Edgar Morgenroth. Before issues regarding Northern Ireland’s succession are addressed, issues with the Protocol must first be solved.

Art by Ilanna Bernstein (‘25)/ For Eastside

January 2022

GLOBAL COMMENTARY

EASTSIDE

Page 9

The United Nations fails to eradicate world hunger ■ By Batul El Barouki (‘23)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

The primary function of the United Nations (UN) is to tackle global issues like world hunger, climate change and warfare by creating international peace and diplomatic relations.

However, for many of these issues, the UN has not made major strides to address them. The UN’s recent approaches to global issues suggest its inability to properly solve major global problems.

For example, according to the UN Action Against Hunger organization, there are “957 million people across 93 countries who do not have enough to eat,” largely due to the inaction of global powers and the UN. The UN needs to be doing more, especially because it has the power to resolve such issues and ensure that everyone has access to basic necessities.

It has been more than five years since the UN released any charts about the progress made towards world hunger, so it makes sense to wonder what exactly has been done about it since then. According to recent claims made by the UN at the 2021 G7 summit meeting, an inter-

governmental forum consisting of global powers, six billion dollars could solve

world hunger. The UN aimed this statement towards the wealthiest individuals in the world in hopes of financial backing.

Elon Musk responded

to this by saying he would donate Tesla stock to the UN to solve world hunger if they could show how the money would actually be used. The only quick response the UN could conjure was a tweet from David Beasley, director of the UN’s World-Food Program.

According to Beasley, two percent of Musk’s wealth could avert famine. In his tweet, he also provided the public with hypothetical calculations of how much money would go into areas struggling economically such as Sudan, Yemen, as well as other areas in the Middle East.

However, this proposal, which should address global hunger everywhere, failed to mention how

money would help avert hunger in the U.S., or how much money is needed in countries other than those aforementioned. The UN’s lack of food security solution details makes the goal of the World Food Program appear incredibly hazy. Yet it is also important to note that world hunger is a financial issue, considering the world already produces more than enough food to feed everyone. Therefore, the UN should be doing more to help combat poverty in general, because according to the UN’s Secretary, General Antonio Guterres, “without immediate action, millions of people will reach the brink of extreme hunger.”

This is very concerning given that the UN has a goal of eradicating hunger by 2030. In the past, the UN was not able to reach other ambitious goals, such as having less than 3 percent of the global population living on only one dollar and ninety cents a day.

The UN’s very own former Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, even condemned the UN for its inability to relieve the world of extreme poverty and follow through with its goals, especially following the pandemic. In a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council,

Alston said that one dollar and ninety cents a day is outrageously unsound and causes the poverty limit to be ineffective in “measuring poverty.” Alston also said in his report that the UN throws around confusing information, when it should be focusing on the lack of economic growth as a matter of social justice in order to eradicate poverty.

The World Food Program, which generated fifty-six billion dollars in revenue in 2018, received around eight billion dollars from the UN. This vast amount of money should be enough to cause some notable differences in the food security issues of struggling nations. With so much money available, it seems absurd that the hunger rates around the globe keep rising.

The UN needs to step up and start achieving its goals to help solve world hunger and poverty. For example, the UN can reallocate excess food from wealthier locations to countries in need, or provide incentives to governments looking to help. The UN’s weak efforts to meet its goals give the world false hope for change.

The UN needs to start utilizing money in the best ways possible to better the world.

I decided to take up this challenge again now that I’m fifteen. How many female figures could I name?

again are not included in the history and past we learn about. This is largely because, according to Time,

achievements and their work. Instead of looking away from women when we learn about history, we need to change the focus. There are so many influential female figures whom we can explore in history classes. Take Ann Tsukamoto, for example, who helped scientists around the world understand the blood systems of cancer patients, or Stephanie Kwolek, who invented lightweight fiber used in bulletproof vests and body armour.

Women no longer should appear in secondary roles, especially because women with influence, wealth and power are no Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director longer an unimaginable reality. many of our texts about So what should we be women “tend to be written doing to ensure women by men, and often in limitare included in our undering ways that reduce womstanding of the past and en to objects of lust and are memorialized for their affection, or limit [them] historical achievements, to secondary roles.” As a alongside men? result, women often apAccording to the Nationpear as wives, mothers and al Women’s History Mudaughters in stories, rather seum (NWHM), “women’s than the recognizable figexperiences and stories are ures they are. not well integrated into US We need to write more state history standards.” women into our story. CurNWHM’s subsequent rently, our story ignores studies revealed that “the and undervalues female lack of representation and

context in state-level materials presupposes that women’s history is even less represented at the classroom level.”

In the future, teachers, scholars and students need to examine the ways that we teach history and make sure to include female figures. If we fail to do so, “each time a girl opens a book and finds a womanless history, she [will] learn she is worthless,” as noted

by Myra Sadker.

There is no Men’s History Month because we constantly learn about men’s history, or as we call it: history.

Thus, just like my sister declared six years ago, Women’s History Month should not have to even be a thing.

Every month should be Women’s History Month: let’s write women -- peoples of color, gay people, trans people, those who do not fit into a gender binary and everyone else who has contributed to our world but has been excluded from the story of it -- into history, where they belong.

Marcus Newman (‘22)/ Eastside Art Director

Five years later, women still lack historical recognition ■ By Asher Boiskin (‘24)

Eastside Global Commentary Editor

Historical literature often portrays men as the cornerstones of our past. However, beneath these works lie the countless unrecognized women who shaped the world. For example, while most know of Paul Revere’s midnight ride from history class, few know about the midnight ride of Sybil Ludington; a 16-year-old girl who traveled twice as far as Paul Revere to rouse scattered militiamen to address the mounting British threat in Danbury, Connecticut.

In biology class, students learn about Francis Crick and James Watson for their discovery of the double helix DNA structure- even though Rosaland Franklin, a female scientist, first identified and discovered it.

There are countless others, some of which include Dr. Solomon Snyder; who took credit for Candace Pert’s game-changing work in neuroscience, and Charles Durow; who practically stole Elizabeth Margie Phillip’s invention of the game Monopoly.

About six years ago, my sister asked me to name important female historical figures for an Eastside article. At the time, I could only name Besty Ross, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.

Yet when it came to male figures, I listed numerous names, rambling on “for at least ten minutes,” according to my sister, Shari.

I called my sister to time me and record all the people I could name within two minutes. This time, I could name over twenty: Molly Madison, Kamala Harris, Anne Frank and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were just a few. Yet the reality remains that I learned about these women on my own and not from school or textbooks.

While women make up roughly half of the global population, female success stories time and time

Page 10

EASTSIDE

January 2022

FEATURES

January 2022

“We’ve been targeted, followed, barked at.”

“I’ve been called a terrorist.”

“No one here accepts anyone.”

“I personally hear slurs used at least five times every day.”

“We’ve been targeted, followed, barked at.”

“I’ve been called a terrorist.”

“No one here accepts anyone.”

When Eastside surveyed 357 students to share their experiences and comment on whether Cherry Hill High School East is a welcoming environment, these were just a few of the alarming responses.

According to East principal Dr. Dennis Perry, success is only achieved when 100% of students feel welcome at East.

“As the principal of the school, I want [every] student to feel as though they belong here at East... every student,” Perry said.

By that standard, East is failing.

According to Eastside data, 24.9 percent of students do not feel that there is a welcoming environment at East. When examining more specific topics, the picture is even

Eastside Features Editors

is recognized by many as an open-minded and accepting environment, it is evident from students’ experiences that a homophobic, transphobic, sexist, racist, antisemitic and overall unwelcoming environment exists for some.

64.8 percent of

LGBTQ+ students reported a homophobic environment at East.

Homophobia “Boys on my bus use the word ‘fa***t’ every day.”

“Gay [is] used as an insult.”

feel they attend school in a homophobic environment.

Among LGBTQ+ students, the rate of concern is even higher: at 64.8 percent, a strong majority of potentially affected students feel that East is homophobic.

Many students expressed concerns about the use of homophobic slurs at East. One student, who spoke with Eastside on the condition of anonymity, said they hear slurs around five times per day at East. This student, who identifies as LGBTQ+, additionally said they are personally targeted by a slur around one time per week.

“I’ve heard really messed up things,” wrote one student regarding the use of homophobic slurs, adding that they see less pushback against homophobic slurs than they see against other harmful types of speech.

Another prevalent concern relating to homophobia was that of targeted harassment.

Specifically, several students reported ongoing harassment centered around one of East’s courtyards, where some LGBTQ+ students have said they sat during lunch

tory terms.

“I’ve had many friends be called the n-slur, I’ve had myself and some of my friends called the f-slur. There was a thing happening where some kids would physically hurt and target kids in that courtyard strictly because they were LGBTQ+,” an anonymous student said about the courtyard situation.

While they said they did not witness violence directly, they reported having seen friends’ bruises from physical altercations steming from harassment in the courtyard.

While Perry said he was aware of one past incident involving targeted harassment at East, he had not heard of physical violence or lasting harassment in the courtyard. He encouraged students to report all instances of harassment, saying that while students may wish that issues could go away on their own, that likely won’t happen. More generally, Perry also said he believes that the rate of students reporting a homophobic environment is currently high because the COVID-19 pandemic led students to become more immature. He predicted that once students have fully adjusted to being back in school, there will be less homophobia.

Transphobia and Gender Identity Discrimination

1 in 4 students do not feel that Cherry Hill darker — from over 64 percent of LGBTQ+ students feeling that there is a homophobic and transphobic environment at East, to 58 percent of Black and Hispanic students feeling that the environment is racist. In addition to surveying hundreds of students, Eastside conducted interviews and sought to learn how and why some students feel unwelcome at East. What we found was that while East

East is a welcoming environment.

“There would be guys who were like, ‘Don’t get near the lesbian.’”

“Nobody ever… tries to put a stop to it.”

A small sampling of the written responses Eastside received via multiple methods of surveying shared that these experiences represent the accounts of 40.2 percent of East students who

breaks. The courtyard has been repeatedly called derogatory names by students outside of it, including “full of [re***d]s.”

“Some kids call the courtyard ‘the zoo,’” one student wrote.

Students sitting in the courtyard have also repeatedly been called “animals at the zoo” and other deroga-

Page 11

A majority of students find Cherry Hill High School East to be a welcoming environment. But for one in four (24.9 percent), a variety of issues make it the opposite, posing challenges to learning. We tried to find out how and why.

“I personally hear slurs used at least five times every day.”

■ By Gia Gupta (‘24), Aiden Rood (‘23) and Alena Zhang (‘23)

EASTSIDE

“People make fun of pronouns [and] gender expression.” “[There is] intentional misgendering by students.”

“People make fun of trans and gay people all the time.”

Again representing a larger sample of East experiences shared with Eastside, these concerns about transphobia align with data on the subject. The statistics are similar, though slightly worse, than those for homophobia at East. Among all students, 42.1 percent feel there is a transphobic environment at East. LGBTQ+ students report there being a transphobic environment at a rate of 68.5 percent.

Students shared concerns about supposed “jokes” that were intentionally harmful.

Some also shared that their peers lacked understanding

of their experiences.

One student wrote thatwhat it means to be transgender or nonbinary “needs to be talked about more” as some students lack knowledge on the topic, which can contribute to discrimination.

As a result of this discrimination, some students said East is not a safe space for them to be themselves.

“It is not like I can ignore my own identity for so long, [because] this is also a part of me,” said Lyann Mejia (‘23), who uses she/they pronouns.

recognized, witnessed and experienced sexism in many forms at East, with some prime examples emerging from East’s dress code.

“A lot of people have gotten dress-coded; they’ve been told really inappropriate things by teachers [about] things they shouldn’t be wearing or what they should be wearing,” Neubauer said, referring to her findings in a poll she recently conducted on her Instagram account about the dress code at East.

Sexism “Two guys [were] walking by my SGA campaign poster, and [one] was saying not to vote for me because I was a slut.”

“Boys sports teams are favored more [than girls’] teams at East.”

“There was a male student that said females in STEM deserve to make less because they are choosing a male-dominated field…

Another male student said ‘women belong in the kitchen’ when scoring worse on a test than me, a female. And there are more instances than just these…”

What is referred to as “more instances,” are the interactions that foster a school environment that around one in three (33.9 percent) students feel is a sexist one. Among the students surveyed, 39.2 percent of females, and a smaller 17.3 percent of males, believe East is a sexist environment.

“I think it is just so ac-

The Countrymen fan group made 86 Instagram posts mainly encouraging students to attend boys’ sports, but made 0 posts supporting girls’ official teams.

As of December 16, 2021

Another concern students expressed about sexism at East regarded sports teams.

Specifically, some students said that boys’ sports teams receive more support than girls’ teams.

Speaking about students who make that claim, Perry said, “I agree with them.”

He said that the sizes of crowds at boys’ games are

“I think it is just so accepted and normalized that when it happens, nobody speaks up... you just ignore it or push it out of [your] mind and move on.”

- Anna Neubauer (‘23) cepted and normalized that when it happens, nobody speaks up... you just ignore it or push it out of [your] mind and move on,” said Anna Neubauer (‘23).

Neubauer said she has

often larger, exhibiting a disparity in levels of support. Moreover, he called the Cherry Hill East Countrymen, a student fan group, a “perfect example” of this problem. The group en-

courages students to cheer on and attend games for boys’ sports teams at East, but does not do so for girls’ teams. With 86 posts on their Instagram page since November of 2019, they have never dedicated a post to garnering support for an East girls’ sports team (as of December 2, 2021).

Crystal Yeh (‘24), East’s sophomore class president, said she thinks East students do not know where to go when they experience sexism, with some not even knowing they have a gradelevel principal. In Eastside’s survey, it was found that more than one in four students (29.4 percent) feel that they do not have a trusted adult at school with whom they can talk.

Mrs. Jennifer DiStefano, the Student Assistance Counselor at East, even said that when a student needs support and their teacher says to go see her, students say, “Who’s that?”

She added, however, that she has told students what she does repeatedly through class meetings and attending all of the orientations.

“You just forget you don’t need us. It’s when you need us is when you find us,” she said.

Racism and Anti-Semitism “I’ve been called a terrorist... as a Muslim woman.” “[I’m] constantly [called] ch**k, ling ling, [and I have had people] stretch eyelids at me.” “[I] got called [the] n-word with a hard r.”

These experiences are not merely isolated incidents of blatant racism: 34.7 percent of students believe that there is a racist environment at East. Worse, 58 percent of Black and Hispanic students believe there is a racist environment, while 39.5 percent of all non-white students believe there is one.

Sophie Angulo (‘22) has been the target of multiple slurs. While she acknowledged that there is a wide range of diversity at East, she also noted that the racist occurrences that she has experienced have undermined her experience.

These normalized insults

are commonplace within East’s halls, with multiple students having reported their usage.

In her freshman year, a classmate called Angulo “the dumbest Asian girl.”

When facing these situations, Angulo said she talked to friends because they could relate to some of her experi-

Students at East shared that they were called the following slurs while in school:

“Ch**k” “Ni***r” “Fa***t” “Re***d” ences and provide advice.

“I just feel like there [are] not a lot of outlets for me to go to; it’s better if I go to my friends,” said Angulo.

Another senior student at East described the school as a collaborative society that is made up of members willing to help each other. However, the student also described personal experiences with anti-semitism at East, raising another concern about background-based discrimination at East.

“Even though it might have been in a joking banter kind of setting, I’ve heard ‘filthy Jew’ being used,” said the senior student.

The student elaborated on this incident that took place in a study hall. After lending a dollar to a friend, another friend asked for a dollar.

Upon hearing that the student did not have another dollar bill, the friend called

just say that to someone,” said the student.

In addition, the student said they frequently hear the term “JAP,” which stands for a Jewish American Prince or Princess.

“Using the fact that [someone is] Jewish as the reason why they deserve to be called this term is antisemitic,” said the student.

Overall, a significant number of students have faced discrimination at East because of their background.

Another student wrote, “You will always overhear someone being rude to another religion or ethnicity.

It’s not spoken about, but it should be.”

Conclusions When asked to respond to various aspects of Eastside’s findings about Cherry Hill East’s environment, Perry repeatedly expressed concern. “Concerning,” “sad,” “upsetting,” “terrible” and “very troubling” were among the adjectives Perry used in reaction to various statistics and written experiences collected by Eastside.

There are some positives, with a majority of students feeling welcome at East and around seven in ten (70.6 percent) feeling that they have a trusted adult at school with whom they can talk. However, the current state of affairs does not meet the expectations of Perry, nor does it provide many students with a safe learning environment. Perry has recently named creating a welcoming environment as key to fostering learning within the classroom.

Perry discussed multiple actions that he said could lead to improved circum-

If you are facing discrimination at East, administrators urge you to report it, including through the anonymous StopIt app. You can also talk to your guidance counselor in A-wing. the student a ‘filthy Jew.’ “I know he didn’t mean harm by it, but...you don’t

stances. Recognizing faults in the community, Perry plans to increase dialogue

East Principal Dr. Dennis Perry responded to Eastside ‘s findings, calling aspects:

“Concerning,” “Sad,” “Upsetting,” “Terrible,” and “Very troubling.” tween him and the student leaders of East’s culture clubs and is looking into a possible expansion of representative garb allowed at graduation ceremonies.

Perry said that people need to be made aware of students’ experiences, including through this Eastside report.

In summary, those expe-

Over decades of diversification in Cherry Hill, progress has undoubtedly been made. Yet, the fact remains: today, East is not a safe and welcoming environment for all students to learn. riences are various and, in many cases, concerning.

From harassment in hallways to inequity in classrooms, East must reckon with the existence of discrimination in its community. Over decades of diversification in Cherry Hill, progress has undoubtedly been made. Yet, the fact remains: today, East is not a safe and welcoming environment for all students to learn.

Layout by Aiden Rood (‘23)/ Eastside Features Editor Photo by Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Page 12

EDITORIAL

EASTSIDE

January 2022

Editorials represent the views and opinions of the Eastside Editorial Board.

East needs to focus on improving schoolwide bathrooms Using the bathroom during school is meant to be comfortable and a place to destress in a clean and safe environment. However, for a majority of students at Cherry Hill High School East, using the bathrooms is dreadful. Full of dirt, the wafting smell of vapes, messes around the toilets and missing soap dispensers, school bathrooms are a grotesque inconvenience.

Eastside believes, in order to ensure students feel comfortable using the bathrooms at school, the administration and district should institute stricter measures to address bathroom-related misdoings. As well, East must provide feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms and increase the number of gender-neutral bathrooms across the building.

With seven sets of bathrooms, each with their own problems, occasionally not open for student use, for many the bathrooms at East are known as places

to avoid at all costs. Instagram accounts and TikTok challenges circling the Internet promote trends to increase bathroom disorder.

Through the use of scanners and student-issued IDs to enter the bathrooms, finding those who create these messes should be easy. However, scanners and IDs are not consistent throughout the school; often many bathrooms do not have an assigned teacher like they are supposed to.

Nearly every period, new problems are found and the disarray that makes up each bathroom, in nearly every East hall, continues.

Students question why hangers, graffiti, chip bags, student lunches and so many more items are found scattered in the toilets and across the tiled floors.

As the Cherry Hill Public Schools make bond referendum requests and determine financing for more school construction, Eastside believes part of the measures should include

building more gender-neutral bathrooms. In areas where construction will occur, like East’s F-Wing, and other areas that lack them, new bathrooms should be built to cater to the East students who do not feel comfortable using the gender-assigned bathrooms.

The only gender-neutral bathrooms are in the back of B-Wing, furthest from the school entrance, and sometimes locked.

Building gender-neutral bathrooms ensures a more inclusive and welcoming bathroom experience for all students. As not all students feel comfortable being labeled by the “Boys’” and “Girls’” bathroom signs, gender-neutral bathrooms would prevent gender nonconforming students from having to experience uncomfortable situations with other students and provide a safe alternative where students can use a private bathroom as they please.

Furthermore, female students would especially

feel more comfortable at East if they had easy access to feminine hygiene products, such as tampons and pads, for free. Female students would be able to gain easy access to products they need and may forget to bring with them. Providing these products in the bathrooms would eliminate the hassle for female students to go back to class to get their products and the embarrassment uncomfortably pulling products out of their book bags may cause.

Providing feminine products makes life easier and is a way for East to show they care about students. Cherry Hill middle schools and other public facilities already provide the products, leaving East as an outlier in the already-established normal. Using the same school bulk wholesale, the East administration can easily buy these necessary products at an affordable price.

Fearing leakage and embarrassment, students

often miss class and do not participate in class as comfortably, which overall prevents students from focussing.

By ensuring soap dispensers stay full, the water stays on, the urinals in the boys’ bathrooms and the doors of all bathrooms stay open, graffiti stays off the walls and messes are cleaned, East can take the proper steps to ensure a more comfortable and sanitary bathroom environment.

School bathrooms, a popular conversation as an aspect of East that needs change, have led to numerous problems and substantial discomfort amongst students. With the addition of new amenities and a stronger urge for signing in to understand where the bathroom problems begin, East can start the process to relieve some of these issues. Together, all of the bathroom problems impact students’ education and the East school environment.

Benefactors

Jen & Ed Winslow

Noah Cohen (‘09) Rachel Cohen (‘15) Rhona and Sandy Cohen Brett Dashevsky (‘16) Raquel and Robert DeAbreu Jake Fischer (‘12) Amanda Hymson (‘06) Paige Hymson (‘10) Joe Guide Sy and Florence Jerome Karen L Jerome Gabrielle Kains (‘12) Ali Koenig (‘20) Gayle Lampf Maria Levin Abbie Levine Louis Levine Sophie Levine (‘19) Sophia Liang (‘19) Habin Ling Anju Mandani

Nate Mulberg (‘10) Amy Myers (‘11) Don Pullano Jessica Reitano (‘89) Gupta Institute for Pain Wellness and Rehabilitation Molly Reiniger (‘04) Classical Rhythms LLC Zackary Rosenblatt (‘09) Amanda Rosten Mr. Greg Rouen Judy Solomon Ethan Tinkelman (‘16) Jia Wang Jordan Wohl (‘11) Mei Zhang The Zhang Family Sarah Zheng (‘20)

Contributors

Judy Benefeld Dana Bookbinder Xiufang Chen Sally and David Finkelstein Michael and Donna Koenig Sameer Jain Stacy and Andy Levin Fang Liu Melissa Merovitz Melissa and Sloan Rosten Jonathan Sobel And Fara Sobel Judy Solomon Connie Tang Mia Gagliardi Matt, Cheri, Becca, Elissa and Sari Cohen Ava and Ben Tolin Krupa and Rajesh Viswanathan

Friends of Eastside

Sponsors George and Rosemary Dolnycky David and Melanie Goodstadt Jill Greenberg Karen Jerome and Jon Eig James Kwak Steven Oppen Shantha Subramanian

Patrons Caroline Babula (‘09) Boiskin Family Christina and Brian Boyle Jordyn Brandman Jarrett Brotz (‘06) Brielle Clearfield (‘15) Jesse Cohen (‘07)

Naomi Bereketab (‘21) Stacey Carusi Abhilasha Chawdhari Carol and Dennis Crosson Rani Emandi Marguerite Guide Brooke Greenberg (‘17) Sky Kwak Marilyn Koenig Minwoo Lee Collette Plaquet Jake & Max Sobel

Advocates ​​Carly Hans Jiseon Lee (‘19) Zachary Pasternack

Eastside 2021-2022 Editorial Board

Managing Editor: Jessica Levin Editors-in-Chief: Jacy Dickstein, Max Gaffin, Lalitha Viswanathan Online Editors-in-Chief: Alexa Atlas, Nicole Vital, Angelina Witting Adviser: Mr. Greg Gagliardi News Editors Tharunika Govindasamy Jiwoo Lee Bella Levin

Community Editors Jillian Koenig Lily Lazarus Ellie Noh

Features Editors Gia Gupta Aiden Rood Alena Zhang

Culture Editors Jamie Bookbinder Ziva Davis Katherine Li

Opinions Editors Ziv Amsili Emily Boyle

Sports Editors Amanda Merovitz Scout Pullano Abby Yu

Global Commentary Editors Asher Boiskin Batul El Barouki Art Directors Marcus Newman Melissa Vital

Photo Editors Heidi Kwak Yena Son

Online News Editor Vivian Rong Online Features Editor Julia Boehning Online Opinions Editor Brielle Lampf Online Global Commentary Editor Lauren Winslow

Business Managers Spencer DeAbreu Alex Levine

Online Community Editor Julia Rosten Online Culture Editor Inessa Linker Online Sports Editor Shayna Oppen Online STEM Editor Sophia Liu Media Editors Natalie Finkelstein Karina Gupta

Administrative Assistant Lauren Greenberg

Editorial Assistants Ella Goodstadt Izzy Sobel

January 2022

COMMUNITY

EASTSIDE

Page 13

Sephora uses Instacart to make deliveries efficient for customers ■ By Julia Rosten (‘24)

Eastside Online Community Editor

Considering Sephora is known for its high-quality beauty products, great customer service and technology-driven environment, no one was surprised when they opened a new location in The Promenade at Sagemore in Evesham, NJ. Although they opened in the midst of the pandemic, this past March, the store did not have a lack of customers. Part of this strong customer retention is due to Instacart.

Instacart is simple and easy to use, which is what makes it so popular. The company delivers groceries, (and in this case) beauty products, directly to customers. Sephora offers buying options through the Instacart app or via their website (instacart.com/

sephora). A personal shopper handpicks the items that you order. Products are then delivered to your doorstep that same day for six dollars and ninety five cents.

Although they are the first beauty company to join Instacart, this partnership has only positively affected them. By creating an Instacart partnership in October 2020, Sephora has been able to provide customers with seamless service and buying options. This was especially crucial to the new store in The Promenade in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, because many people did not want to go out to stores and risk catching the virus.

The Instacart team recently “started [their] same day delivery orders, and

they have been very popular in all of their stores so far,” said B r i t tany, one of

Sephora’s customer-service employees representatives.

Instacart is not directly connected with Sephora, but it has brought more attention to the business.

Brittany has noticed a large number of new customers ordering their products through Instacart instead of coming into the store.

“It is a much better and convenient option for busy customers that don’t have time to shop in-person and need their items quickly,” she added.

Several brands, including Dyson, Morphe and Chanel, exclude their products from the Instacart delivery service. All of their other brands in their store, however, can be ordered through the Instacart app or website and

has an option to be delivered that same day. If you order products before four in the afternoon, Instacart ensures they will deliver them by eight that same night. Items ordered after four will be delivered the following morning.

Sephora’s collaboration with Instacart is rapidly influencing its competitors like Ulta and Bluemercury to offer similar services. It has not only brought new customers to both Sephora and Instacart, but it also offers them a quick, efficient and effortless new shopping experience. If you ever need an eyeshadow, cleanser or even a hair straightener immediately, you can have them all on your doorstep with just the swipe of a finger and the click of a mouse!

rent space to the expanded area.

Although LaScala’s Fire is already a well-known establishment with both indoor and outdoor dining, this expansion will definite-

ly open new doors for the restaurant.

As mentioned prior, the new expansion will allow a bigger kitchen and more seating to accommodate for all their customers.

Art by Marlee Petkov (‘24)/ Eastside Staff

LaScala’s Fire restaurant plans to expand its dining space LaScala actually purchased a liquor license from PJ Whelihan’s, which will be new for the restaurant, Recent news regarding Construction has been LaScala’s Fire shares that in the works for a couple the restaurant will be exmonths now but is prospanding its venue space by pected to be completed in the next few months.

The former Orvis space plans to now have two bars and a brand new kitchen.

The two fronts will turn into one restaurant, considering the front door to the restaurant will be located at the Orvis storefront.

Once the construction is completed, the new restaurant will mainly be there, Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor as they plan to move the kitchA full view of LaScala’s Fire and the former space of Orvis. en from the cur■ By Lily Lazarus (‘22)

Eastside Community Editor

taking over the prior home of Orvis.

In December of 2020 Orvis had announced its closure of their location in Marlton.

In January 2020, Rob

SHOUT-OUTS

Ethan Farber: Wishing you a very happy birthday.

We Love You!! Mom, Dad, Zach & Charlie Lindsay, Madison and Marissa Krieger: Here’s to a great 2022!! XOXO Mom, Dad & Braden Dear Lalitha, We wish you an exciting 2022, full of fun and new adventures!! Lots of love! Mom, Dad, Laavanya, and Luna Happy holidays! Do you want to write for Eastside News Online? Join using Google Classroom code 5t64u53 Dear Nicole and Melissa, have the best senior and junior years! We love you so much! Love, Mom and Dad Dear Jillian, have an amazing sophomore year! Love, Mom, Dad, and Ali Dear Abby, enjoy junior year! Have fun and study hard! Love, Mom, Dad, Amanda, Buddy, and Snowball

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

LaScala’s Fire starts expanding into the space next to it.

Page 14

COMMUNITY EASTSIDE

January 2022

Starbucks rebuilds in Towne Center after fire in 2020 ■ By Shayna Oppen (‘24)

Eastside Online Sports Editor

The Starbucks in Towne Center located within Cherry Hill, NJ is finally being rebuilt after the devastating fire in March of 2020.

This Starbucks has always been a popular spot for the community and many people were devastated about the fire destroying their local Starbucks location.

Not only did Starbucks reap the negative effects of the widespread fire, but so did the other stores in the strip: Classic Cake Bakery, The Hanger Boutique, Camp Bow Wow Pet Grooming, The Makeup Bar and Pho’s Huong Viet.

When they started rebuilding, they determined that it made most sense to rebuild Starbucks as a larger location with a drive-thru rather than a single-store location. Not only is the Starbucks being rebuilt, but it is also being expanded.

An employee for Vantage Real Estate, the company rebuilding in this area, Emily Stein, said, “The fire was the result of an electrical fire. It was early in the morning before many of the businesses opened. No one was injured.”

The fire started in the Classic Cake Bakery, but impacted all of the stores in the strip since the gas lines were connected.

Immediately following the fire, each business started discussing a recovery plan. Plans were drawn up and the town-

ship gave approval for a brand new, 8,000 square

big Starbucks was the best idea for this area.

The big question that everyone is pondering is when exactly Starbucks is going to reopen.

A c cording to Stein, they are anticipating the b u i l d ing being completed

by April 2022. The builders have also officially decided that it will include a drive-thru which is Heidi Kwak (‘24)/ Eastside Photo Editor different from the Starbucks begins construction for its rebuilding in Towne Center.

Starbucks plans to have drivethrus at 45 percent of their locations by 2023

foot building. After discussion, it was agreed that one

About 90% of all Starbucks orders are through online ordering or drive-thru

Starbucks has over 30,000 stores worldwide across 76 countries

Jillian Koenig (‘24)/ Eastside Community Editor

original layout. This has caused some controversy in the community because this area is a popular spot for kids to walk around and the drive-thru will bring more traffic to the location.

However, Starbucks has many other locations with drive-thrus in locations similar to Towne Center where this has not been an issue and the builders are not concerned.

In the past few years, Starbucks has started implementing many drivethrus into their locations.

They plan to have 45% of their over 30,000 worldwide locations constructed with drive-thrus. Over the past decade, especially due to COVID-19, online and drive-thru ordering has become increasingly popular at Starbucks. 90% of all Starbucks orders are through order ahead (using the Starbucks app or going to the drive-thru).

As many people know, the Evans-Francis Estates apartment complex was under construction at the same time right near the Starbucks construction project and Towne Center.

Stein said, “The homes had no impact on our project. They were a completely separate project. If anything, the homes will bring more patrons to the new stores and to the complex in general.”

So far, the construction is going as planned. If everything continues that way, there will be a great new addition to the Towne Center community by mid2022.

Haddon Culinary opens their second store in Haddonfield ■ By Jillian Koenig (‘24)

Eastside Community Editor

Whether you are looking to cook a delicious dish at home or just eat a delicious dish at home with all of the cooking taken care of, Haddon Culinary provides it

Chef James Liuzza and Chef Joe Muldoon, Haddon Culinary offers customers with a variety of specialty dishes and cooking ingredients to meet everyone’s culinary needs. The main focus of the store is to give customers the ingredients

Jillian Koenig (‘24)/ Eastside Community Editor

Haddon Culinary prepares for new store. all. This store, located in Collingswood, NJ, includes ingredients, a butcher and even prepared foods. Haddon Culinary is set to expand and open their new Haddonfield location at 9 Kings Highway W in the next few weeks.

Owned and operated by

necessary for cooking their own meals as well as offering delicious prepared foods to those not interested in cooking. The Collingswood location has been successfully doing this since it opened in 2019.

Muldoon said that they were inspired to open the

new location because of their staff and great team.

“We have a great team of professionals that we want to help further their careers. We knew that we would be able to expand and take on more with the team that we have,” Muldoon said.

The new location will feature a few of the same staff members from the Collingswood location as well as some new employees. Muldoon and Liuzza will be splitting time between both stores. Muldoon said that the prepared foods they sell are a fan favorite among customers.

“When you take it home and when you eat it, it’s like you worked tirelessly throughout the whole entire day to make it but you didn’t — we did it for you — and that’s what it tastes like.”

The store’s products include homemade soups, prepared seafood dishes, seasonal vegetables, pastas, rotisserie chickens, and a variety of desserts. The chefs cook the prepared foods at the store daily and post the available dishes on their Instagram (@haddonculinaryNJ) and Facebook (@HaddonCulinary).

The store was originally set to open prior to Thanksgiving, but due to staff shortages and busyness surrounding the holidays, the opening was pushed back. Each year the store sells Thanksgiving packag-

es with prepared Thanksgiving dinners consisting of a turkey, a few sides and desserts that customers can purchase. The pack-

nears, Muldoon is excited to be a part of the Haddonfield community with the new store and begin a new adventure with Liuzza and

Jillian Koenig (‘24)/ Eastside Community Editor

Haddon Culinary sells prepared foods and desserts. ages typically serve four to six people.

While the concept of the store will be mostly the same at the new location, it will also differ from the Collingswood store. Unlike the Collingswood location, there will not be a sitting area for customers to dine at. Due to the smaller space, there also will not be a butcher counter. The Haddonfield location will solely be a grab and go setup with already prepared foods.

As the grand opening

their team. Although it is a big change, Muldoon is confident they will be successful.

“This is something that we’ve been working for our whole lives and the fact that we have trusted employees and such a loyal staff that’s going to be there with us is so exciting,” Muldoon said.

More information about Haddon Culinary and the opening of the Haddonfield location can be found on their website (www.haddonculinary.com), Facebook and Instagram.

COMMUNITY

January 2022

EASTSIDE

Page 15

Aging with Pride unites LGBTQ+ adults 55 and older ■ By Lauren Greenberg (‘24)

offer a welcoming atmosphere and safe place for LGBTQ older adults.

Aging with Pride holds From a local landmark monthly events to encourwithin a global association, age older LGBTQ+ adults the Jewish Community to share their experiences, Center (JCC) is a place unbuild relationships and like any other. Including be there for one another a fitness center, a spa and through similar struggles. child services, the JCC goes Jewish Federation above and beyond measures Program organizer Reva for the community. Leading Farenback-Brateman welthe way for a unified and comes each and every 55 welcoming environment, and older member of the the JCC supports and surLGBTQ+ community to the passes the expectations of Aging with Pride events. a supportive community.

With the common goal Its sister foundation, Jewto unite everyone together, ish Family and Children’s Farenback-Brateman said, Services (JFCS) also takes “Older adults really need [a on these initiatives to serve place to feel accepted] and those in need. Through are so grateful for the protheir core values, they begram.” lieve people can unite and The JFCS provides a form a strong network of welcoming environment for individuals. members of the community, Their beliefs are transincluding the often isolated lated into unifying a wide LGBTQ+ community. Not range spectrum, including only is their initiative to adolescent, elderly and LGembrace everyone, but they BTQ+ communities. This also open up room for celunification effort resulted ebration of everyone’s indiin Aging with Pride: the vidual identities. only group of its kind in In the need for a program South Jersey thus far to to support individuals, as the JCC and JFCS often partner up to do, this program is highlighted just as Farenback-Brateman said, “This age group is often forgotten by the community and yet they have so much to offer.”

Exploration of one’s sexual orientation or gender identity can be not only confusuing but also an isolating experience.

Thus, the role of the JFCS Courtesy of Reva Farenback-Brateman and bonding Farenback-Brateman, the coordinator together creof LGBTQ activities at the JCC and a ates a uniJewish Federation Program organizer, fied environsmiles for a photo. ment in the Eastside Administrative Assistant

world we live in. According to Farenback-Brateman, who organizes the meetings held the second Friday of every month, the group varies from meeting to meeting with some of the same core members. Generally speaking, some are “married, where both partners come, other times a few people in heterosexual marriages come to support their children or grandchildren, some people who came out in their teens, and others who are coming out in their 50s.”

While from time to time different attendees come to listen to speakers, have wholesome conversations, or watch informative films, “the population is 55, yet most are in their 70s.”

Especially during COVID-19, Farenback-Brateman said many older adults are isolated, and the addition of the pandemic can make it feel even worse.

Lauren Greenberg (‘24)/ Eastside Administrative Assistant

During the peak of COVID-19, when meetings were held virtually, the program had gained around 20 members. The core group that attends frequently, consists of 35 individuals, according to Farenback-Brateman.

JFCS Aging with Pride provides reassurance that people are not alone, and that others have been on the same path to become their truest selves. Along with the Aging with Pride program, JFCS also offers Project Rainbow, a youth program that helps to promote relationships that show LGBTQ+ community members have a support system.

Project Rainbow is also held at the JCC all school year, and is a safe, affirming and fun gathering place for individuals to feel comfortable in their own skin. There are separate programs within Project Rainbow including a

tween group, for grades six to eight and teen group in grades nine to twelve, to encourage relating to one another in a more seamless manner. These monthly events go hand in hand with the movement and increased awareness within the community to further promote equality.

The creation of Aging with Pride started with Project Rainbow, said Farenback-Brateman, in that the adolescent program bonded together individuals within a common identity, and thus the “isolation of older adults led to the development and need” for a program to support the LGBTQ+ community in all its life stages.

While as a whole supporting one another comes with the first step in acceptance, programs like Aging with Pride and Project Rainbow lead the way for a more unified society.

LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE Statistics show, the division and lack of acceptance for LGBTQ+ people is uprising with social media. The Aging with Pride provides a welcoming environment 5.6% of the U.S population for those who suffer from discrimination. identifies as LGBTQ+ in the

5.6%

United States

75% 15% of LGBTQ+ people in the US postponed medical treatments due to possible discrimination

75% of LGBTQ+ youth have faced discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identification

15%

Source: Insider Infographic by Lauren Greenberg (‘24)/ Eastside Administrative Assistant

Page 16

CULTURE

EASTSIDE

January 2022

The rise of streaming and how games have changed over COVID-19

■ By Inesa Linker (‘23)

Eastside Online Culture Editor

Quarantining from the COVID-19 pandemic left a lasting mark on our generation, changing the way we interact with one another.

Socialization and connection emerged as the second most important things during the quarantine period, following closely behind keeping our families safe and buying all the toilet paper from Costco. Locked in our homes, texting and FaceTime emerged as the new norms, but along with them came an assemblage of online multiplayer games designed specifically for connecting with your friends–no matter how far apart.

One of the most popular games to emerge from this period of distance gaming was Among Us, a multiplayer online game in which you became a ‘crewmate’ on a spaceship trying to complete tasks and protect the other players from an ‘imposter’ who you would try to vote out through a group decision after every round.

Basically, Among Us is the online version of the classic game, Mafia. The draw of it was that you could join random games or create your own game with just your friends by having them enter a room code at no extra cost. The app topped download charts on multiple different platforms for weeks. Quarantine was the breakthrough the app needed. Developed and released in 2018, the game developers thought it was going nowhere.

Brought to the spotlight

by Twitch streamers, it reached peak popularity in October of 2020. Among Us was the game.

However, the popular-

ity of Among Us decreased drastically, even before the quarantine ended. According to impactnottingham. com, the game is not designed for prolonged interest, primarily because of its simple design with little nuance in each new game loaded.

By the new year, the number of game users had decreased by 73%. Even still, Among Us is not the only game born and killed from the pre- and postquarantine period.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons broke several records for Nintendo after its March 2020 release, tripling company profits

by December. In fact, the game was so popular that Nintendo Switch was backordered for several months.

Within the game, users play as an animated person whose only real goal is to pay off a ‘mortgage’ placed on player’s houses. Besides that, players can do whatever they please, a key draw during the pandemic when so much was limited.

Unlike Among Us, Animal Crossing’s design is exponentially more intricate, keeping users invested in their islands and the animal companions that they come with. However, Animal Crossing has suffered the same downfall in popularity as people began venturing outside their homes.

Switch sales made the company two billion dollars in December 2020 alone, but this figure dropped significantly in March of 2021, with the company only making about 12 million dollars off of Nintendo Switch sales. Nintendo dropped an update to the game on November 4 of this year which is expected to boost end-of-year-sales, but the game has fallen from

its original popularity and there is a slim chance of that being revitalized.

Another phenomenon that inserted itself into the mainstream during the pandemic is Twitch streaming.

Twitch streaming may have been known to some pre-pandemic, but to the wide majority of people, Twitch streaming was foreign. According to statista. com and the Wall Street Journal, Twitch saw a 67.36% increase in viewership during 2020, while also setting a record peak number of users in March of 2020, coming in at 22.7 million users daily and about 1.6 million concurrent views. Twitch, however, is not just a pandemic eSports service. Twitch continues to see a large number of daily users and more streamers on its platform.

Because of how accessible the site is, several YouTubers who may or may not have a channel specific to gaming have taken to Twitch to game or watch videos and talk with their fans in a more casual environment, mimicking celebrities in the way that they use Instagram Live.

One of the most popular Twitch gamers during the pandemic was a Minecraft YouTuber called Dream.

Twitch helped him and other Minecraft YouTubers like Tommyinnit and Ranboo–both of which occasionally go live with Dream– gain popularity.

Dream continues to rack up millions of views on his Minecraft streams; the most recent one garnered 1.1 million views.

Twitch streaming and the streamers mentioned above helped revitalize Minecraft, a game that had existed for a long time but had lost

traction with the majority of the public. Minecraft had a spike in popularity during the quarantine and like Twitch continues to be popular after, on a slightly smaller scale.

In the same way that quarantine brought Among Us out from complete obscurity, it was also enough to raise this game back from the dead. Fortnite was released in 2017 and saw almost immediate public support.

Millions of people were playing Fortnite everyday and millions more tuned in to various platforms to watch people play the game.

Online tournaments grew up around it and it was ingrained heavily in pop culture, featured in YouTube Rewind in 2018, and making an appearance in Avengers: Endgame in 2019. However, in 2019 the game popularity started to slip, and the average revenue made from the game dropped about 2 million dollars. Quarantine resurrected the game, bringing it back to and past the old revenue and user mark.

As of September, Fortnite ranks number 6 on Twitch, and has 80.4 million users monthly with 4 million of those users playing the game daily.

There is an obvious trend to games in quarantine, in which games rise to the tops of download charts around the world and then crash and burn spectacularly.

The key it seems in avoiding this fate is to have a game that was pre-existing in the social sphere prepandemic. These games may have reached a peak financial gain during the pandemic but still continue to be widely played and

downloaded around the world.

Candy Crush and Roblox are two games that have been around for quite some time, but both made the 2020 list of highest grossing free-to-download games. Roblox made slightly under 2.5 billion dollars while Candy Crush made about 1.6 billion dollars in revenue in 2020 alone, the spike in downloads coming in March and April.

Candy Crush and Roblox, like all of the games in this article, have lost a bit of popularity since life has returned to quasi-normal, but they still continue to take up space in the gaming community.

Millions of people turned to online gaming during the quarantine period for millions of different reasons.

Whether you were looking for connection with others or just wanting a fun way to spend the extra time being at home and having minimal schoolwork granted to us, online gaming was there. But as mask mandates faded and people started to venture out of their homes, these games started to dissipate from public consciousness. Some remained, but others were not so lucky.

Quarantine resuscitated the online multiplayer gaming sphere but it also killed it. The free time that was so plentiful when we had no other obligations because of the pandemic and the country being in lockdown is not so readily available now.

Online gaming isn’t going anywhere, but the cast of characters that are featured in that world are changing and will continue to as new games are developed and start to dominate people’s computer and phone screens.

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Director

January 2022

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Adele’s new album sparks powerful messages to fans

As the songs progress, we sense independence from Adele. She is finding herself and continuing to be strong.

In the final song, “Love Is a Game,” Adele’s lyrics speak to her loving herself once again. In the last lines of the song, she sings “I love me now like I loved him.” Adele’s ability to take the listeners through her divorce through song is unmatched.

While a lot of Adele’s songs on this album are softer and have a more mature tone, “Oh My God” resembles her earlier hits, such as “Rolling in the Deep” or “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” In this song, Adele reflects upon her marriage and questions why she lost herself.

Overall, Adele’s album contains powerful messages of heartbreak, independence, and empowerment.

Her incredible success in the first few days upon release are a reflection of how influential Adele is as a singer. The long-awaited album has put Adele back at the top of the music industry.

■ By Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Adele has topped the charts with her new studio album, 30. This album has been in the works since 2018 and was ultimately delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Her previous album was released in 2015, so fans have been waiting for the international superstar to drop her new one.

Adele is known for her soul music and the control of her deep voice. Her new songs are filled with messages of independence and the struggles of divorce, as Adele had gone through a divorce from 2019 to 2021.

Her album has a very sad tone and yet an overwhelming sense of freedom.

30’s release was advertised through the album’s lead single, “Easy on Me.” Upon release, the song was an immediate success, as there is a very heartbreaking tone. The message of the song was directed towards her son, whom she is pleading to go “easy on her.”

Throughout Adele’s album, she speaks to her son.

She reassures him that everything will be okay during his parents’ divorce. In the song, “My Little Love,” Adele delivers a voiceover where she explains how people break apart.

Adele tells her story throughout her album and never conceals her emotions–she breaks down in “My Little Love.” She is forced to reflect on her newfound independence and convince herself that every-

Collage by Jacy Dickstein (‘22)/ Eastside Editor-in-Chief

thing will be okay.

Critics have commended Adele on the raw and emotional themes of her songs.

While Adele’s divorce was the key theme of the album, ideas about motherhood and fame were also included. My personal fa-

vorite song is “Cry Your Heart Out.” The song is so powerful, as its message is to let out your emotions.

Adele is telling herself and her listeners that it is okay to not be okay.

On November 21, 2021, Adele made it known that

the album is intended to be listened to in order.

Going back to the idea that this album is a story, she wants the listeners to go through an emotional rollercoaster, emulating the emotional rollercoaster of divorce and heartbreak.

Food banks often need items such as peanut butter, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned fish, canned beans, pasta and canned soup. Also, some food banks collect house-

gain as much money as possible.”

Some East students volunteer their time, while others donate money to important causes.

Sophie Heidt (‘23) said,

day.”

Cathedralkitchen.org states that Cathedral Kitchen is the largest emergency food provider in Camden, NJ, serving more than 100,000 meals a year.

“ M y d a n c e studio, ZZ Dance, has a food drive for the JFCS Food Pantry.”

The JFCS Food Pantry provides non-perishable food and personal care items to food-insecure households in Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties.

Heidt said, “My parents volunteer at Cathedral Kitchen on Giving Tues-

This organization provides nutritious meals for food insecure residents of Camden and the surrounding areas. Their mission is “to help people out of food insecurity and champion their pursuit of stability and prosperity.”

Jesse Sklar (‘24) volunteers for Cook For a Friend on Thanksgiving.

Cook for a Friend is an organization that cooks nourishing kosher meals for individuals in the Greater Philadelphia Jewish community.

Sklar said, “Usually Temple Beth Sholom and Beth El, the two conservative synagogues in Cherry Hill, each make 150 meals a month for the unfortunate. On Thanksgiving, we

East students participate in Giving Tuesday events ■ By Ziva Davis (‘22)

Eastside Culture Editor

What is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is often described as a global day of giving. On the Giving Tuesday website, it states that Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. It began in 2012 with the idea of encouraging people to do good. It is held each year on the Tuesday that follows Thanksgiving. The date of Giving Tuesday this past year was on November 30.

Giving Tuesday is a day that encourages people to give back in their communities in any way that they can.

Ever since 2012, nonprofits in the United States have raised more than 1.9 billion dollars. There are 75 country movements around the world involved in Giving Tuesday. Also, there are more than 240 community campaigns in the United States. Some examples of activities that you can do to help your community include donating time to an organization that is important to you. Furthermore, you can support your local community food pantry by volunteering or donating canned, packaged, and nonperishable foods. Food pantries and homeless shelters rely on donations during this time of year to make sure families that come to their food pantries.

hold items and personal care items as well. Giving Tuesday centers around making your community a better place and contributing in any way that you are able to do so.

East students participate on Giving Tuesday and help out in the Cherry Hill community.

Paige Noble (‘22) is on the regional board for BBYO in the Southern Jersey region.

She said, “Every year we have Giving BBYO day, which is the biggest fundraising day of the year for BBYO. Each region has their own fundraising page, and members from each region can sign up to be an ambassador to the fundraiser. There are incentives to raise money in order to

combine to make even more meals for people.”

These meals are distributed to the Jewish family and children’s services food bank (JFCS). This food bank distributes the food to poorer people in the community for free. New volunteers are always needed as food preparers if you are interested in helping prepare kosher meals.

Sklar said, “I have volunteered for Cook For a Friend in the past, but I haven’t since COVID-19. I am excited to continue to help this important organization.”

Taylor Goodman (‘25) said, “For the past three years my family has donated money to Alex’s Lemonade Stand and St. Jude’s Hospital. We donate to these organizations because my family was interested in helping sick children.”

These selfless acts of kindness encapsulate all that Giving Tuesday is about. Helping people in the community never goes out of style. Whether it be donating money or volunteering your time, it is always important to help people less fortunate than you and do our best to help the people in our` community.

No act of kindness is ever wasted, and Giving Tuesday helps remind us of that each year.

Art by Bhoomi Kanojia (‘23)/ Eastside Staff

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EASTSIDE

January 2022

Taylor Swift re-records her fourth studio album, Red ■ By Ella Goodstadt (‘24)

Eastside Editorial Assisstant

Taylor Swift fans were not feeling “All Too Well” when it was announced that the country-pop-alternative singer would be re-recording her first six studio albums. Swift’s first re-recorded album and second studio album, Fearless, was released on April 9, 2021, and her second re-recorded album and fourth studio album, Red, was released on November 12, 2021 after being announced on June 18, earlier this year.

Swift’s journey to re-recording her albums began in 2018 when her contract with Big Machine Records from 2005 expired. The singer changed labels and signed with Republic Records to gain more leadership over her art; however, Big Machine still had ownership of her masters – the original recordings of her first six albums that had been released up to 2018.

The situation turned sour when Big Machine sold Swift’s masters to a private group called Ithaca Holdings, which is managed by Scooter Braun. Braun continued to sell the masters in 2019 for $300 million to a company named Shamrock Holdings. Anytime an individual listens to the music, money goes to Braun and Shamrock Holdings, not Swift. In light of the situation, Swift made the powerful decision to gain ownership of her first six albums by re-recording and releasing them.

Sophie Heidt (‘23), a

huge “Swiftie,” expressed in 2018. One of the most that she would be releasing how “[she] thinks it’s amazprominent additions to the a short film to accompany ing that Taylor has the opalbum is the song, “All Too the ten minutes of “All portunity to re-record and Well (10 Minute Version) Too Well.” Viewers were own her music.”

(Taylor’s Version) (From amazed with the final prodSwift serves as a roleThe Vault).” uct, starring actors Sadie model for so many artists When Swift originally Sink, Dylan O’Brien and who want to take ownerwrote one of her most heartSwift herself. Heidt shared ship of their music, and breaking songs, almost a how “[she] love[s] how well Red (Taylor’s Version) decade ago, it was shockthe film connects to the helps to set song,” as it the standard follows the for what’s to storyline come with the Swift illussinger’s other trates in re-recorded althe music bums. itself.

Red (TayAdding lor’s Version) to the exis composed of citement thirty tracks of the rethat transition recording from genres album, the of country to popstar repop and feelleased a ings of anger, music video love, and hapon Monpiness in a day, Nomatter of secvember 15, onds. The alfor “I Bet bum’s original You Think twenty songs About Me are accompa(Taylor’s nied by ten Version) songs “from (From the the vault.”

Vault).”

In “Taylor The muterms,” this sic video Courtesy of Taylor Swift’s re-recorded album, Red means that starred the songs were Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) aims to repreSwift and written at the sent her change and maturiy. actor Miles time of the iniTeller, and tial Red release in 2012, ingly ten minutes long, and served as Blake Lively’s but they were never actushe cut it down to the fivedirectorial debut. Swift ally released to the pubminute version that was took extensive measures lic until now. The vault released in 2012. However, to promote the new album songs consist of additions with the re-recorded fivethrough her social media like “Better Man,” which minute version of “All Too and appearances on televiwas initially recorded by Well” also came the tension talk shows.

Little Big Town, and counminute addition.

On the night of the retry song, “Babe,” which Excitement built within lease, Thursday, November was originally recorded by Swift’s fandom when she 11, the singer consecutively Sugarland featuring Swift announced on November 5 appeared on The Tonight

Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and later showed up for an interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers just after the album was released. On Saturday, November 14, the I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version) singer starred as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. The singer gave her first live performance since COVID-19, and debuted the live version of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”

Notorious for dropping hints within her social media and music videos, otherwise known as “Easter eggs,” Swift has fans wondering what’s to come next for Red (Taylor’s Version), and many are searching for hints as to which album will be re-recorded and released next.

Although Swift’s journey to re-recording her early albums was “Treacherous,” fans have gotten the chance to “Begin Again” with the singer as they relive her early “eras” of albums.

“I love listening to her music and hearing how her voice developed, and I also love reliving the eras,” exclaimed Heidt as she expressed how exciting it is to get to hear older albums with her current voice. It is “Nothing New” that Swift is able to produce charting albums, and Red (Taylor’s Version) truly lives up to its expectations. Red (Taylor’s Version) offers a euphonious setlist to listeners and sets the tone with a range of somber and upbeat melodies.

workers in the labor market have led some workers to demand raises, which can push costs upward. Oil and gas production slowed during the pandemic, and the number of workers who help transport goods also dropped. The ports have also been unusually congested, which means many goods have been delayed coming into the country.

Gasoline prices rose especially steeply this fall and are 50% higher than they were a year ago.

Food prices are also up 5.4% compared to last year.

Sporting equipment prices also rose dramatically.

Workers may be making more money, but their 4.9% average wage is not keeping up with the 6.2% rise in inflation.

The good news is that according to The Wall Street Journal, supply chains are already showing signs

Those who wish to shop from their couches have countless options even aside from Amazon. For efficiency, travelaway.me.com contained a comprehensive list of stores holding the best holiday sales. This list included Huckberry, Nordstrom, Shopbop, Mr Porter, Anthropologie, The Grommet, Urban Outfitters, The Fancy, Everlane, Society 6, Uncommon Goods, Etsy, Amazon, ban.do and Zappos.

For shoppers interested in purchasing technology and appliances such as computers, laptops, tablets, small appliances, air pods and earbuds, and video games, the website Retailmenot.com warns that people should be wary during every holiday season. According to the site, it is not advisable to buy the cheapest television because some televisions are made for the holiday shopping season and sales and lack an adequate number of input ports. Some electronics, such as Xbox and Playstation consoles, generally are not part of the holiday sales.

Clothes may best be purchased after the holidays.

Shoppers may notice that clothing holiday sales typically only apply to specific garments, and not all clothing from a particular store.

Moreover, clothing will not sell out as quickly as many other items.

With inflation rising, consumers planned their shopping early ■ By Jamie Bookbinder (‘22) Eastside Culture Editor

Buying holiday gifts for loved ones was especially challenging this year. With fewer people traveling due to COVID-19 concerns, more individuals had expendable cash to spend for holiday shopping.

However, inflation coupled with supply chain issues drove up prices, quickly eating into shoppers’ pockets. The best course of action was to plan carefully and also hit sales where possible.

The Wall Street Journal reported that inflation was at its highest point in 31 years during the month of October and the consumer price index for the same month went up 6.2% compared to October 2020, a steep price to pay for those who may have been in the midst of their holiday shopping. The causes of the hike in prices were supply and labor shortages and increased demand.

The Wall Street Journal also published the results of a survey of 560 small businesses that showed that 60 percent of these businesses raised their prices in the last 90 days. Many companies reported that they faced high costs for raw materials and for labor.

Economists credit the pandemic with contributing to the imbalance in supply and demand. Fewer

sale early this year to include potential holiday gifts from a variety of categories.

Amazon continued to feature toys, technology, home entertainment, jewelry, fashion, beauty equipment, sports and f i t n e s s equipment.

Both the L.O.L. Surprise and PAW Patrol collections were especially popular and were deeply discounted on Amazon for the holidays. Amazon also included Katie Sullivan (‘25) For Eastside many LEGO sets in the of easing. Nevertheless, sale as well as tablets made it may take a year before specifically for kids. they return to operating as For shoppers looking smoothly as they had befor a cross between a card fore the pandemic. game and dodgeball, AmaThis year, “shop early zon sold the game “Throw and often” were the words Throw Burrito,” in which everyone heard. players pick cards, look for For those very organized matches, and risk getting holiday shoppers, Amazon hit with a foam burrito. launched its Black Friday

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January 2022

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Athletes discuss their fall to winter sport transition ■ By Lalitha Viswanathan (‘22)

Eastside Editor-in-Chief

Fall and winter athletes are required to have a certain set of skills for their sports. For fall sports, athletes must adapt to the weather and field conditions in every scenario.

For winter sports, athletes must play in a sweaty gym on courts that get waxed every month.

The transition from fall to winter sports for athletes who participate in both seasons can be difficult as each sport demands different qualities.

Caroline Perry (‘22) is a starter for Cherry Hill East Varsity Girls’ Soccer, playing center back, and a starting point guard for East Varsity Girls’ Basketball.

She has been an athlete for 14 years, making sports, especially East sports, very exciting and important to her.

The East Girls Soccer season began on the week of August 16, 2021, and ended on the week of November 1, 2021. These three months were filled with fitness, skills, and team bonding.

While the amount of time devoted to one sport is more than enough for a student athlete, numerous students at East choose to play multiple.

The girls’ basketball preseason started the week of November 29, 2021, giving fall and winter student athletes an apt amount of time to decompress before starting their next sport.

Perry said, “I feel that I get enough time in between each sport. The ‘break’ goes by super fast, but I do enjoy being able to go home and get my work done right away after school.”

Another girls basketball player, Marisa Rappaport (‘22), is a starting shooting

guard and point guard for the East basketball team and one of the varsity captains for the East Girls’ Field Hockey team for the 2021 fall season.

is nonexistent, considering she continues working out and playing basketball everyday to get ready for the season.

A reason why the two basketball stars love each sport is because of the way it makes them feel. For Perry, all of the scoring and back-and-forth nature of basketball creates T h e Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Editor a nail-biting break begame. Rappatween the two seasons is port also feels that basketa similar amount of time ball games can be more exthat Perry has, but Rapciting. They reflect on their paport said, “The offseason sports as being entertainbetween field hockey and ing distractions. basketball is the perfect Meanwhile, certain amount of time for a break. sports seem like mere conAlthough, this year powder tinuations of each other puff and Spirit Week dance when in reality, they canpractices were going on, so not be compared.

I didn’t have a huge break.”

Emily Volin (‘22) is a East For Rappaport, her break varsity girls cross country from the physical activity runner and competes in

the winter for East’s winter track team.

Volin said, “My nerves are definitely higher during the fall season because there is a lot more participation and competition whereas the winter season is a good time to get in shape and less stressful when it comes to racing, but either way I feel excited and accomplished.”

Volin feels that the dynamic of track itself creates a different environment.

Although both sports are focused on individual times and records, adjusting to winter track is different because the athletes compete in different events as opposed to a singular event in cross country.

The switches in mentality for fall and winter athletes are not easy to juggle.

However, the drive that these athletes have is consistently shown on the field, court, or track, no matter what season they are in.

the fall in their own unique ways for basketball season.

Levin said, “Half the battle of preparing yourself during the off season is having the right mindset. The rest then falls into place.”

Not only do athletes have to condition their bodies, but also their minds to be in the right state when beginning to endure such an immense amount of physical activity and stress. Levin mentions that one way she can put her mind in the right place is by watching games from previous seasons and seeing what she can improve on for the games to come in

the future.

Levin expresses how beneficial it is having a half-year break, after her lacrosse season, to prepare for the winter basketball season. She thinks this will be her best

season yet, as she has been working hard to improve her shooting, dribbling and motion down the court.

Holmes focused more on

the physical aspect of preparing himself for the off season. After his junior season, he decided to work harder than ever to make his senior season one to remember.

“During the summer and fall, I worked harder than ever before. I hired a personal trainer to help me develop mentally and physically as an athlete. He worked me extremely hard but I’m expecting it to work out in the end,” said Holmes.

Holmes also discussed how he not only worked with a personal trainer,

but also a private basketball instructor to enhance his skills on the court.

He also utilized the East weightroom and gyms outside of school to build up his strength. After working for six months straight, Holmes is excited to see the results on the court.

Athletes of all different kinds of sports train in similar ways: whether it’s prepping their mind, strengthening their muscles, or practicing the specific, necessary skills.

Holmes said, “No matter the sport, as long as you train yourself right, physically or mentally, it should all pay off in the end.”

than I’m burning. However, I still need to do cardio because I need to gain muscle rather than fat.”

Although Panwar is working to gain weight, a majority of his teammates are trying to lose weight, which is a completely different process. When losing weight, wrestlers have to eat less and sweat more.

Wrestlers wear many layers of clothing to practice and do a lot of running to sweat off the weight.

Cohen said, “To remain in the same weight class, I have to be disciplined with what I’m eating. If I am over by a couple pounds, I just hit the treadmill and sweat off weight.”

Mohammed Sample (‘23) makes sure to lose his weight in a healthy manner. In order to successfully reach his weight class, Sample counts his calories to make sure the food he chooses to eat is benefiting him rather than putting him at a disadvantage.

“I plan on dropping about 10 pounds to wrestle at 165 pounds. So I count my calories using My Fitness

Pal and go on a deficit. Currently, I am eating 2,400 calories a day and adding an hour of cardio after each two-hour workout. I am starting early so during the season I will not be dehydrated or have to starve myself to make weight. I eat less carbs and try to focus more on protein intake,” said Sample.

Mr. Michael Brown, the head coach of the Cherry Hill East Boys’ Wrestling Team, emphasizes the importance of staying healthy throughout the season.

In order for the wrestling team to stay healthy and not abuse their bodies, East provides each wrestler with their own individualized weight loss plan. After information is entered into a system, each wrestler is given a certain amount of weight they are able to lose based on their body fat.

“The more body fat a wrestler has, the more weight they are able to lose and the less body fat a wrestler has, the less weight they are able to lose,” said Brown.

The wrestling coaches

never force their athletes to lose or gain weight; it is up to the wrestler and his family to make that decision.

Although wrestling is a very disciplined and mental sport, all the East wrestlers love being a part of such a close team and accomplishing their goals together throughout the season.

Cohen said, “The best part of being a wrestler is winning and knowing that I’m the only person who obtained that victory, especially in really close matches where I really give it my all.”

The Boys’ Wrestling team is thrilled for the start of the season and has set high goals for themselves.

During the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 season, the wrestling team set the school record in wins.

Before this seson, Brown said, “We are looking to continue that success [this season].”

Brown has a lot faith that his wrestlers are able to set the school record once again as well as hopefully qualify for the regional tournament.

Athletes discuss their preparations for their winter season ■ By Amanda Merovitz (‘22)

Eastside Sports Editor

The off season for athletes can be either a pressing or relaxing time: it can be a time where they get to train, prepare and work to get their bodies and minds in the right place before the season starts or focus on resting and getting ahead on schoolwork while they have the chance. Students who only play sports for the winter season at East work hard during the fall to stay in shape. Two East Varsity Basketball players, Devyn Levin (‘22) and Jalen Holmes (‘22), each prepare themselves during

Melissa Vital (‘23)/ Eastside Art Editor

Wrestlers push their limits for weight class restrictions ■ By Alexa Atlas (‘22)

Eastside Online Editor-in-Chief

Wrestling is not your typical sport. Unlike a majority of other high school sports, wrestling focuses on much more than skill and talent; sustaining the proper body weight while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as important. It is essential that wrestlers remain in the correct weight class in order to perform in wrestling matches throughout their season. With this comes a lot of preparation and proper treatment of the body.

East wrestlers prepared for the current season since the beginning of October.

Wrestling is not an easy sport, so it is important that East wrestlers begin their preparation early enough to fit in their target weight class.

“When preparing for the season, we run and train a lot in order to get our bodies and minds in good enough shape,” said Ben Cohen (‘24).

A majority of the East wrestlers emphasize the

importance of heavy cardio during their pre-season. In addition to focusing on physical activity, East wrestlers have to be more cautious about the foods they include in their diet and mentally prepare themselves for adjusting.

In wrestling, there are 14 weight classes that wrestlers can choose from. These weight classes range from 106 pounds to 285 pounds.

Some wrestlers choose to enter a weight class where they are required to gain weight, while others choose to enter a weight class where they are required to lose weight.

It is important that wrestlers enter into a weight class that is similar to their current weight. Dhruv Panwar (‘22), a captain of the wrestling team, plans to gain weight for his weight class this season.

Panwar said, “I check my weight once a week and I make sure to eat a lot of healthy foods, especially protein. Since I am trying to be in a weight class that is more than I weigh, I need to eat more calories

Visit eastside-online.org for updates on East teams.

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January 2020

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East introduces new competitive cheerleading team cruiting members. Initially, Farrell planned on limiting the team to those who could Earlier this year, East tumble because it is a maintroduced a new competijor portion of the scoring. tive cheerleadHowever, ing program in m a n y addition to the of the seasonal sideline cheerteams. This year’s l e a d competitive team ers who consists of eight meet this cheerleaders from criteria the fall team: Alalready exa Atlas (‘22), particiAmanda Merovitz pate in (‘22), Olivia Lass All Star (‘23), Taylor HeCheer, skin (‘23), Diana w h i c h Sosa (‘23), Ariella is when Gvili (‘23), Nicole cheerDrebick (‘24) and leaders Gabriella Neely try out to (‘25). These athbe on a letes have been team for working on their the sole routine since Aupurpose gust and are curcomCourtesy of Amanda Merovitz (‘22) of rently preparing The East Cheerleading Competition team from left to p e t i n g . for their upcoming right: Nicole Drebick, Olivia Lass, Taylor Heskin, Gaby T h e r e competitions.

Neely, Diana Sosa, Amanda Merovitz, Ariella Gvili and f o r e , Creating any Alexa Atlas. m a n y new program inevhours of itably comes with struggles but the pandemic stalled training and practice go and the competitive cheer our efforts,”said Farrell. into All Star Cheerleadteam did encounter a few Although COVID deing. Due to the conflictsetbacks in the creation of layed the beginning of the ing schedules of All-Star their program. When East program, they were able to Cheer and the high school first hired Ms. Amanda successfully start up this competitions, many were Farrell to be the head cheer past summer. reluctant to join. However, coach, she and the athThe cheer team also the competitive cheer team letic director, Mr. Micheal faced some struggles in rehas enough participants to

compete in a few competitions which are being held virtually.

“It is my hope that once the team builds a name for itself, we will be able to compete in person with a larger group of athletes,” said Farrell.

Although the competitive cheer program has faced a few setbacks, many East alumni have stepped in to lend a helping hand.

Alex LaGrossa (‘04), a former East cheerleader, produces the music for the routines. Another former East cheerleader, Dr. Zachary Goldstein (‘07) of Unlimited Performance, helps out with training. With the help of these East alumni, the cheer team continues to make great progress. In preparation for their upcoming competition, the team practices weekly for two hours where they clean and fix their routines. The team also runs the routine full-out a few times to perfect it and build endurance.

Heskin said she decided to join because she wanted to be a part of a new program that would challenge her. According to Heskin, the new cheer program has been a great experience so far.

“My favorite part of being

on the team has been bonding with my teammates.

We are all navigating the new competition team and it’s fun being able to experience it all as a team,” said Heskin.

In October, the competitive team had their first competition and ended up placing first in their category. Their second, and most recent competition was on November 22, 2021. They ended up, again, placing in first and had the highest overall score of the entire competition. Coach Farrell is extremley proud of all of the team’s accomplishments.

The legacy of the East Cheerleading Competition team is just getting started, and they are most definitely off to a great start.

the sports teams take advantage of the gym access to train and condition themselves. Additionally, during the winter season, the weightroom reaches its maximum usage as winter sports such as basketball, swim, and wrestling typically focus greatly on muscle training.

Evidently as usage of the weightroom has increased, it was redesigned about eight years ago by the weightroom teacher, Mr. Keith Kovalevich.

Raising about 50,000 dollars through a basketball fundraiser, East was able to create a weightroom that could maximize students’ strengthening potential.

Kovalevich said, “One of

the best parts was that I was able to design and pick equipment that requires minimal maintenance.”

The weightroom is approximately 2,000 square feet and has the same brand equipment as other gyms in the area.

Hammer Strength is the brand of most of the apparatuses used in the weightroom and allows for a multitude of different upper and lower body workouts.

The weightroom also has an MJ-5 workout machine in the center of the room along with the Synergy 360 machine that allows six to eight people to workout simultaneously.

East’s weightroom measures up as a majority of

the equipment in the room are multi-purpose apparatuses that the students can use.

In comparison to other high schools, Kovalevich believes that East has one of the best weightroom facilities for the students.

“I have been to many different high schools and even college training rooms, and East’s is designed with high quality equipment in comparison,” said Kovalevich.

However, the weightroom might have to consider new options to keep some of the equipment up to date.

Because no taxpayer money was used in the creation of the new weight-

room, no operating budget was put into place.

“The weightroom has no operating budget like most science and art classes do, so in the near future we are going to need to have a serious discussion about how to uphold it,” Kovalevich said.

For example, equipment such as the upholstery on the benches is beginning to crack, which could cost up to 3,000-4,000 dollars, and would need to be put into place by reliable technicians for liability and proper utility purposes.

East’s weightroom is a great strengthening room for East students to utilize, but funds to upkeep this great advantage will soon be necessary.

and games will take place.

When school gets out, Hatch makes sure the locker rooms are opened

many athletes who need to be taped before a game or evaluated and informed if they could participate in any physical activity.

Subsequently, Hatch drives around on his Gator to each field as well as the track to check in on all of the teams and see if they need any help from him.

After he does his rounds, he waits for coaches to call and let him know if there is an injury and therefore perform an on-field evaluation, or whatever injury they may call about. Once the sports have completed, Hatch gathers and returns the water and ice supplies to the training room, makes sure athletes have everything they need and that players have rides home, concluding his day.

Hatch describes the immense amount of focus he needs during games.

He says that he views the games differently than others: most people are on the

look-out for good action, but he is focused on athletes who may not be able to continue all the action due to

to continue, he catches up to the rest of the play and keeps tabs on each player during this time. He says

■ By Chloe Lin (‘25)

For Eastside

Beirao, had discussed establishing a competitive cheer program at East.

“The original plan was to start up in the Fall of 2020,

Kovalevich advocates for student weightroom utilization ■ By Jessica Levin (‘22) Eastside Managing Editor

At East, students have the option of different types of gym classes that are available to target certain workouts. One of East’s most popular gym courses is Mind and Body 1: A course offered to juniors and seniors that involves East’s weightroom.

Located next to the East Gym, East’s weightroom is utilized for class, used after school by the general student population, and makes use of many of East’s sports teams.

Throughout the day, the class focuses on workout techniques and muscle strengthening. After school,

Scott Hatch explains a day in his life as the athletic trainer ■ By Izzy Sobel (‘24)

Eastside Editorial Assistant

Mr. Scott Hatch, the Athletic Trainer at Cherry Hill High School East, takes us through a basic day in his life. His day starts off by arriving at school at 11 in the morning.

After his arrival in the building, Hatch has athletes who have scheduled appointYena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor ments with Hatch smiles after a day of work him for things like rehabilitation, taping, and everything is ready to bracing, therapeutic mogo for the athletes. As studalities, etc. dent-athletes come rushFollowing that, around ing down to the basement, 1:30 p.m., Hatch fills up all he is flooded with different the water and ice supplies requests. Hatch says that and sets them out at the this is his busiest time of fields where the practice his day as there are so

Yena Son (‘22)/ Eastside Photo Editor

Hatch wraps athletes’ limbs in need of stabilization. an injury. Hatch mentions that he particularly watches the linemen during football games because they are the players most likely to get hurt. Once he sees that all athletes are okay

he cares more about everyone’s health than the score of the game.

Hatch always says, “If everyone can play through the game and not be injured, that is a win for me.”