THE
ISSUE 1 FALL 2018
PAWPRINT Montgomery High School
The Dawn of Senior Year by Ananya Sankar ‘19
Early on the morning of October 1st, MHS seniors rolled into school to witness the break of dawn. Flaunting fuzzy pajamas and breakfast food from Wawa, the Class of 2019 waited expectantly for the traditional “Senior Sunrise,” symbolically marking the start of Spirit Week and senior year. Friends gathered in their open trunks facing the sky as a drone flew over the school capturing pictures and videos. Picnic blankets were sprawled over the wet grass to protect the comfy onesies. However, at the expected sunrise time of 6:55 AM, the sky mustered a mere orange glow. Clouds obstructed the usual picturesque Montgomery sunrise, for the third year in a row. Rather than dwell on dampened spirits, many seniors chose to spend the rest of their morning enjoying the company of their classmates. “Even though there was no sunrise, I think that because this was one of the first times we came together as a class for an event, the experience of being together and seeing each other in fun outfits made it [worthwhile]” admits Savan Patel, an MHS senior. Despite the anticlimactic start to senior year,
Fun Things to Do in Fall Page 2
To Juniors, About College Page 6
Calendar of Events November 7 Staff in Service, School Closed for Students November 8 & 9 NJEA Convention Schools Closed November 21 Early Dismissal November 22 & 23 Fall Recess- Schools Closed December 4 MHS Career Fair
Source: Christine Cirullo ‘19
Senior Gracious Anithanam joked, “All of my friends wanted to wear matching kangaroo onesies. Even though the sun didn’t come out, our Joeys came out of our pouches!” Savan, like Gracious, echoes the sense of community that drifted in the air that morning. It appears that the Class of 2019 has chosen to take their cloudy “Senior Sunrise” in good humor, and
instead look forward to future events. Larissa Jimenez, Senior Class President, explains, “We don’t plan on rescheduling, but the Senior Sunset in June will serve to draw the curtains shut on senior year and the fraction of our lives that we’ve spent growing together.” As the clock ticked closer to 7:20am, the seniors turned their backs on the sky’s
December 5 NHS Induction cloudy glow, and embarked on a fresh new day at school. With or without a sunrise, the enlivened atmosphere of the morning promised great things to come. “The significance lies in the memories made and time spent together, since that time is slowly dwindling,” Jimenez sums up.
Student in the Spotlight: Lena Maruitte by Larissa Jimenez ‘19
Senior Lena Maruitte is one of Monty’s freshest faces with a unique background to add to our community’s mosaic of diversity. Having moved to Montgomery from the south of France in her sophomore year, Lena has had the opportunity to meet “amazing people with whom [she] has a lot of fun.” Despite lacking a shared culture and mother-tongue with the vast majority of Monty students, she finds that her participation in sports has helped her become integrated within the community, expressing that “being on a team creates a bond that can be really strong.” For her, France lacked the Friday Night Lights experience that she “will forever remember and will probably not live again in [her] life.” Even though she had no prior exposure to American football, Lena stood out in last year’s Powderpuff game, where she helped make Montgomery history,
when the juniors beat the seniors. Among the differences between Montgomery and her school in France, she enjoys ending class in the early afternoon as opposed to the evening, having class with different people, and “going to the bathroom whenever!” I took the liberty of asking Lena a tough question: where does she consider home to be? She expressed that “home would be where [she] feels safe, good, happy, and [her] self.” She can only be herself “110%” in France, serving as grounds for her to call the hexagon home. What has made Monty more of her home is definitely the friends she has made whom she recognizes “are a little crazy.” As one of the most outgoing people I’ve interviewed, it was natural for her to acknowledge her belief in including and loving everyone, a wholesome reminder that we are all in need of at times. Lena is passionate about mixed martial arts, wrestling, and boxing. She loves “fighting
sports” such as “rugby but only the outdoor one with real grass,” claiming that “tackles are funnier.” In Monty, she plays soccer and lacrosse, and runs track and field, while back in Europe she began horseback riding at the age of 3 and played European handball. Other than actively engaging in sports, she loves taking care of animals. Lena volunteers at SAVE and has expressed that she wants to be a vet. When asked about her biggest inspiration, Lena opened up about her relationship with her grandpère: “He had a big character and always was really honest! He would prefer saying the truth and no lie. So I always said that I would be like that.” With such an interesting background, one can’t help but be curious about her future plans. Expressing an all-too familiar truth that “schools in America are too expensive,” Lena wishes to return to Europe. She also wants to learn another language, travel all over the world, and most of all, be
Source: Lena Maruitte ‘19
happy. “That is my biggest goal in life.” Truly a unique student, Lena embraces the duality of her existence: her femininity and passion for “fighting sports,” her American and French sides, and her fondness of the past and the hope of an even better future.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day at Montgomery High School by Skyler Fong ‘22
Source: MHS Photography Class
Growing up today, it is difficult to envision our country divided and confused by a brutal war. World War II took place over fifty years ago; however, more than 82,000 soldiers are still unaccounted for, their silent hopes of returning home often overlooked by the government and mainstream press. The National POW/MIA Recognition Day event on September 21, conducted by the Rolling Thunder, was centered around remembering those prisoners of war (POW) and those missing in action (MIA). A Missing Man Chair was presented to Montgomery High School, standing unoccupied in solitude to serve as a constant reminder the obligation we have in our American brothers’ and sisters safe return. MHS also raised a flag which stands for the POW and
MIA soldiers, honoring the lives lost and those captured for the sake of our freedom.. Speakers at the ceremony included Montgomery Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Mike Maloney, Somerset County Freeholder Mark Caliguire, U.S. Congressman Leonard Lance, Principal Popadiuk, and Artie Muller, executive director of the Rolling Thunder and Vietnam War Veteran. Muller spoke of the importance of honoring and spreading awareness about the sacrifices made by our soldiers: “I realized that if I was captured, I would want somebody to fight for me. That’s why I fight so hard for them”. Many students were reminded of our duty to commemorate and honor the soldiers’ courage and sacrifice. ”It was interesting to hear so much about something that
isn’t always publicly addressed. [A lot of] people, especially younger generations, don’t always know about this problem, so it was really good for us to hold this event” freshman Mia Wong said. Senior Rohit Vadodaria said, “There was definitely a lot of pride throughout the ceremony. And the core of American background is having that pride in our veterans. [In the end,] the ceremony was a testimony to the pride we should have in them.” This ceremony has introduced a different side of veterans’ stories to Montgomery’s students. The location of Missing Man Chair in front of the main office door reminds students the importance of appreciating everything that we have and what the bravery of the veterans has done for us.