IInnddiiaann IInnkkWeehawken High SchoolVolume 32, Issue 2Winter 2016

Students dressed up in clothing from different decades on February 11th for “ThrowBackThursday,” the most popular day of Spirit Week. Pictured from left to right: NicholasMirasola, Camila Streuly, Zionna Loftin, Kevin Acevedo, Caitlin Kielty, Natalie Jonas.

Enthusiastic StudentsEngaged in First WinterSchool Spirit WeekThe second week of February brought the

second School Spirit Week of this schoolyear. Younger students seemed to partic-

ipate more than older ones.The most popular day was “Throwback

Thursday” where students dressed in clothingfrom a specific decade. 1950’s Doo-wop cladstudents skipped down the hallways while1980s Rocker garbed students strutted into

classrooms. Guidance counselor, Ms. Laurie Sieminski,

explained that the Student Council wants tohave a Spirit Week for every season this year tobring more involvement and excitement intothe school.

The Student Council’s goal is to entice evenmore students from all grades to participate inthe upcoming Spring School Spirit Week.

Smoke

The Science Research Proposal cre-ated by Zachary Baxmeyer, Bon-nie Callahan, Katie Dewan, and

Brian Montes has been accepted by theYoung Science Achievers Program. They havereceived the funds to complete their researchwhich will determine if the SPF of sunscreensis a reliable determinant of U.V. protection.

The group is pictured below along with Su-perintendent Dr. Robert R. Zywicki (far left),Science teacher, Mr. Edward Monahan, andPrincipal Mr. Steven Spinosa (far right).

WHS Peer Leadership collected over215 Coats, Scarves, Gloves,Sweaters and other warm winter

clothing for two different Hudson CountyHomeless Shelters this year: PERC, a shelter foradults in Union City and Hope House, a shelterfor women and children in Jersey City.

SignalsNews in Brief

Weehawken was also recognized onthe Gaston Caperton HonorRoll as one of 130 districts in the

USA for creating opportunities for tradition-ally underrepresented students. We are one ofonly 15 districts from New Jersey to receivethis recognition.

Follow Weehawken School Districton Twitter! @WeehawkenTSDfor announcements, photos, videos,

important information, awards, and muchmore!

On November 12th, Betsy Ames, aprofessional fashionista who workedat GlamourMagazine, visited the

students in Ms. Elizabeth McParland’s Artclass to teach them about developing their own“mindful style.”

This December, The Peer Leader-ship program raised more than theholiday spirit. They delivered 537

candy cane “candygrams” to WHS students,raising a little over $400 for the homelessof Hudson County.

Weehawken was one of the 425 dis-tricts in the country to be named tothe 2015 AP Honor Roll for par-

ticipation and high scores on AP exams. Itwas the only district from Hudson County onthe 2015 Honor Roll!

New Superintendent, Dr. Zywicki, BringsInnovative, Ambitious Ideas to Weehawken

Over the last year, theWeehawken SchoolDistrict has seen its fair

share of change. The most re-cent would have to be thenewly appointed Superinten-dent of Schools, Dr. Robert R.Zywicki.

Dr. Zywicki was formerlyAssistant Superintendent ofHigh Point Regional HighSchool where he implementednew, creative ideas. Most no-tably, he employed GoogleApps for all students and en-hanced the Wi-Fi network sothat students could bring theirown electronic devices to

school and access the network.He was also able to increasethe school’s graduation rate by9%.

Although Dr. Zywicki washappy to see the improvementsthat Interim SuperintendentDr. John T. Fitzsimons made,Dr. Zywicki does not believe inchange for the sake of change.He wants to take time to listento the students and faculty tosee where some enhancementscan be made in order to in-crease opportunities for stu-dents.

Dr. Zywicki’s goals arealigned with The Board of Ed-

ucation’s five year goals for thedistrict. “They are goals thatmatch my skill set and I will befocusing on those as I getstarted,” explained Dr. Zy-wicki. Some aspects of theplan include: developing amarketing plan to promote at-tendance, consulting with Co-lumbia University’s Teacher’sCollege to evaluate the Aca-demically Talented program inthird through eighth grades,aligning curriculum and in-struction for pre-k through12th grades, promoting prac-tices that improve the social

By FAITH MAZURE

(Continued on page 5)

Indian Ink 2 Winter 2016

“Muddy Mike,” Ceramicist, Demonstrates Technique LiveBy MICHAEL AVOLETTA

On October 18th, MichaelMahon, a skilled cerami-cist, visited Ms. Elizabeth

McParland’s Art class to displayhis pottery art work and talk to thestudents about this genre. He goesby the name “Muddy Mike” andeven demonstrated live how to cre-ate beautiful ceramic pieces.

He presented the proper tech-nique, and explained the processstep by step. Every student wasgiven a chance to try this craft,

under the supervision of Ms. Mc-Parland and Mike. Students werenot restricted; they could createwhatever they wanted, includingbut not limited to bowls, cups,plates, and vases. As usual in Art class, this expe-

rience was informative, helpful,and fun. Ceramics is just anotherway for students to express them-selves in the new art room.

The First Annual S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g B-e-eBy JOSE MESA

The First Annual WeehawkenSpelling Bee took place onJanuary 13th in the

Theodore Roosevelt School audi-torium. The Bee consisted ofthirty-one 5-8th grade studentsfrom both Theodore RooseveltSchool and Weehawken HighSchool.

After a number of exhilaratingrounds, Nia Eberhard, 8th grader,and Charly Castillo, 6th grader,were each awarded a certificate ofachievement for winning the FirstAnnual Weehawken Spelling Bee.

Eberhard and Castillo repre-sented Weehawken in the HudsonCounty Bee on February 6th atNew Jersey City University whereCastillo finished in 6th place!

The Hudson County Office ofCulture and Heritage Affairs cor-dially invited Weehawken throughan email to participate in theScripps National Spelling Bee.This invitation was seen as an op-portunity not only to enhance stu-dents’ spelling skills but to alsobring an experience for developingpoise, a necessary skill to succeedin public speaking and many other

attributes. Mr. Alfred Orecchio, TRS prin-

cipal, wanted to get TRS involvedbecause it had never been done be-fore, so he asked the seventh andeighth grade classes of Wee-hawken High School to participateas well. Nothing would have beenaccomplished without the help of5th grade TRS teacher, Mrs. An-drea Eberhard, and 7th grade Eng-lish teacher, Ms. Ann MarieManso, and many of the con-tributing teachers “behind thescenes.”

Each classroom teacher chosetwo students to participate in theSpelling Bee who won in smallerclassroom Bees. The number ofrounds varied depending on howlong it took to award two winners.The judges for the district-wide

Spelling Bee were volunteeringteachers who gave up their freetime to participate in this remark-able event. Congratulations to thewinners and a special thank you toall Weehawken contributingteachers for going above and be-yond for this community.

Self-taught ceramicist, MichaelMahon, demonstrates the ce-ramic art process to studentsin Ms. McParland’s Art class.He also brought in finishedpieces (above) as inspiration

for the students.

(Left to Right) WHS Principal, Mr. Steven Spinosa; Englishteacher, Ms. Ann Marie Manso; Spelling Bee winner, Nia Eber-hard; Spelling Bee winner, Charly Castillo; TRS teacher, Mrs. An-

drea Eberhard; and TRS Principal, Mr. Alfred Orecchio

Dr. Fitzsimons Sparked BigChanges in His Short Time asInterim SuperintendentBy GABRIELA HERRERA

When Interim Superinten-dent Dr. John T. Fitzsi-mons first came to

Weehawken, he encountered agreat community and school sys-tem that needed to progress. Priorto his arrival, Mr. Kevin McLellanserved as Superintendent for 20years!

Dr. Fitzsimons came with awealth of experience himself, 28years, to be specific, and althoughhis time at Weehawken was short,his contributions will have a lastingeffect on the Weehawken schoolsystem and community.Coming from a large family that

owned a grocery store, Dr. Fitzsi-mons did not plan on attending col-lege due to an unstable income andfinancial hardships. His originalplan was to join the military afterhigh school until his football coachmotivated him to continue his stud-ies by helping him acquire a foot-ball scholarship. At the University of Bridgeport in

Connecticut, he studied general ed-ucation and became a teacher. Be-tween going back to school severaltimes and receiving several de-grees, he made his way up the ranksfrom assistant principal to superin-tendent. He worked for years in-Connecticut, New York and NewJersey and even retired twice.Then, “I got bored, and I misseddoing meaningful work,” he admit-ted. So when he got the opportu-nity to work in Weehawken, hehappily took it.

He brought some obviouschanges like a 15 minute period ex-tension, a rotating 7 period day, a 3o’clock dismissal for all students,and a reduction of 10 half days.The changes were initially met withhesitance, but soon welcomed withpositive feedback.

“The new schedule was hard to

get accustomed to at first, but I likeit now,” said sophomore MayaAdasse.

Dr. Fitzsimons explained thatthese modifications actually less-ened the burden of work on stu-dents and increased instructionaltime by twenty percent (equivalentto 36 more days) which has lowereddisciplinary problems and willhopefully improve test scores.

English teacher Mrs. ChristineMantineo said, “Dr. Fitzsimonsbrought a new perspective andchange, which for better or forworse, was needed.” Other increments he brought to

the district include a Theater andVisual Arts Program, a World Lan-guage Program, recreational ath-letic teams, and the STEAMprogram. His main objective was simply to

create a secure environment wherestudents can be confident and actu-ally want to learn. "He was verynice and approachable. You caneasily have a conversation withhim," said senior Angy Grullon.Dr. Fitzsimons emphasized that

he was pleased with what he wasable to accomplish due to the ter-rific support and encouragementfrom the Board of Education mem-bers, Mayor Richard F. Turner, thefaculty, and the respectful students.

“You have all made this one ofmy most enjoyable years!” he ex-claimed.

Dr. Fitzsimons plans to travelwith his wife and family but will re-main in Weehawken until the endof the year as a consultant. He as-sures that Weehawken schools willbe in good hands with our new Su-perintendent, Dr. Robert R. Zy-wicki.

Dr. Fitzsimons reminds us to“take care of this gem,” as the webid him farewell.

Indian Ink 3 Winter 2016

A Weekend of Reflection, Empow-erment and Fun!Super Bowl Sunday isn’t always just about football- this year it was

about student empowerment! Several members of Weehawken HighSchool’s Peer Leadership program attended The NJ Elks Peer Lead-

ership Conference down in Long Branch, NJ the weekend of February 5th-7th. The conference is costly to attend and in order to go, students mustapply for sponsorship through the Weehawken Elks. The conference isopen to grades 9-12 only and eleven Weehawken High School studentswere selected to attend based on their applications, letters of intent, andnumber of community service hours completed.Students participated in countless team building activities that ranged

from playing games and singing songs, to salsa dancing. They played scav-enger hunts that forced them to seek out strangers for information andclues, and even watched their friends get hypnotized into believing theywere sitting in a beach chair drinking a cool beverage. Senior Viktoriya Barabash said, “I met so many nice people, everyone

was so wonderful. I had the best time!”Students also attended many workshops and listened to some amazing

speakers; a young man who is almost 7 feet tall who was born with onearm and is a championship basketball player, another who became thefirst person from his village in Ghana to attend college in the UnitedStates, and several other speakers who presented information on topicssuch as leadership skills, substance abuse prevention education and anti-bullying as well as the financial responsibilities of adulthood. The speak-ers had a profound impact on the students.

Senior Sebastian Solano noted that “the things I learned and experi-enced at the PL Conference will come with me next year in college- it’s a

life changing experience.”This year’s 10th and 11th graders can even apply to be a “highlighter”

or student leader and go down a day early next year to work behind thescenes. Highlighter applications are currently available outside room 8.If you missed the chance to go this year- applications for next year will becollected between October and November- don’t miss out!

Mr. Larsen Joins theMath DepartmentMr. Edward Daniel

Larsen joined theMath Department in

December to replace Ms.Jenna Welsh who left to teachin Australia. He teaches Alge-bra I, Algebra II Honors andAP Statistics.

Mr. Larsen graduated fromGreen Mountain College andMontclair State Universitywith a BS in Accounting fromGMC and a Master’s in Teach-

ing from MSU.“I love to teach. I like to see

the ‘wow’ moments when thestudents learn something forthe first time!” he exclaimed.He was a substitute teacher

in Boonton, NJ, where he alsocoached Lacrosse and Soccer.He currently lives in Boonton,NJ, with his wife, two daugh-ters, a dog and a cat.

His long commute is worthit, however. Mr. Larsen loves

working in a small high schoolin such a great town. His fa-vorite part of teaching here sofar? The students, of course!

In his free time, he enjoyshockey and ski racing, listen-ing to The Dave Matthew’sBand and Bruce Springsteen.His favorite book is The GoodEarth by Pearl S. Buck.

Ms. Sotolongo, OurNew ESL TeacherWe are glad to introduce our new ESL

teacher, Ms. Xiomara Sotolongo toWeehawken High School. She began

in December of 2015, but this is not her firsttime teaching. This is her fourth year actually.Before she came to Weehawken, she worked inOrange, New Jersey. Ms. Sotolongo grew up close by in Jersey City

and West New York. She attended MemorialHigh School and wanted to be a Curator for amuseum of History.Her first day at Weehawken High School was

“wonderful and welcoming.” She realized rightaway that “the students here are great!”

Her ethnicity is Cuban and Spanish. Her fa-ther is from Cuba and her mother is from Spain.She lives with her two sons who are 8 years oldand 2.5 years old. In her free time, she likes to run, knit, and

participate in mud races. During the summer,she works at a community college teachingsummer courses. She also loves to travel.Her favorite food is anything seafood related.

She does not have pets but would like to get adog. For the SuperBowl, she didn’t root for aparticular team because her favorite team (TheGiants) wasn’t in it.

By ISABELLA QUINONES

WHS students at the Peer Leadership Conference (left to right) Bottom: Grace Denfeld, Sebastian Solano, Ashley Acevedo,Ruchi Amin, and Yipsi Molina. Middle: Victoriya Barabash,Jamie Pineda, and Adrian Castellanos. Top: CathyLee Cueto,

J.C. Herrera, and Isabel Jaffoni

Indian Ink 4 Winter 2016

World Events: Bad News Travels Fast By JASON DEVANEY

It seems as thoughthere’s almost no goodnews whenever re-

porters focus on worldevents. But then again,what good news is there toreport? Some nations justcan’t get along, whetherthey are right next to eachother, like India and Pak-istan, or an ocean away, likeRussia and the UnitedStates.

From crises that beganonly months ago, such asthe European migrant cri-sis; to long-running fightingbased on ethnic unrest,such as in the Balkans,there is conflict everywhere.If you’ve noticed that a lotof world problems are re-lated to Russia in some way,

well… Russia isn’t afraid tocross the line sometimes.

Whether you see this asgood or bad, it’s still true.When asked about whetherwe should strive to improverelations, Chris Devaney,junior, said, “Russian rela-tions are a touchy subject.There’s good and bad as-pects, so it’s hard to decide.”Turkey warns Russia not

to fly their planes in Turkishairspace. Russia ignores thewarning. Turkey shootsdown a Russian plane. DidTurkey start it, or did Rus-sia start it? It’s hard to tracea source for situations suchas this.Another important prob-

lem that’s plaguing theworld is terrorism. If you’ve

been living under a rock foryour entire life, terrorism isusage of violence to supporta cause. Terrorists can behome grown or they can beforeign, but people recentlyseem to be ignoring the firstpart. I’d like to take this mo-ment to stress that a terror-ist can be anyone. Whatsomeone believes doesn’tautomatically make them aterrorist!Terrorism has also paved

the way for a new issue: Therefugee crisis. In 2013, amassive civil war erupted inSyria. Millions of refugeeshave recently started to seekasylum in European coun-tries, and sometimes Amer-ica. Students are hesitant yet

generally supportive ofAmerica taking in Syrianrefugees. “There has to be acertain limit,” Gabby Bok,senior, said. “If there isn’t,the country gets overflowed,and people start blamingthem for all the problems,regardless of whether or notthey caused them.” J.C. Herrera, senior, said,

“As long as there are checksmade, it’s a good thing.”

Joseph Melgar, senior,agreed. “The United Statesshould be the land of thefree and free for opportu-nity. That’s what makes usgreat.”

When asked about theissue, Mr. Brian Fischer,English teacher, said, “It’s avery big problem, and there

is a lot of paranoia sur-rounding the refugees. It’sjust the sheer number ofpeople, and I think it showshow there is a desperateneed for change in theworld.”So regardless of who you

support, remember thatthere’s nobody who wasright or wrong in worldevents. It all depends onperspective. I can assureyou that if America lostWorld War I or II, we’d belearning about them a lotdifferently. So take every-thing you hear, whether itbe on the news or from afriend, with a grain of salt.

Most StudentsPlan to Vote inUpcoming ElectionsBy LUKAS STEVER

The upcoming presidential election has Wee-hawken students wondering whether or notthey should vote, and if so, for whom. The

election is currently at the nomination stage wherethe two political parties are choosing a candidateto represent them. The current front runner for theRepublican Party is Donald Trump who is infa-mous for remarks that include but are not limitedto being racist and sexist. He has been using fearmongering to sway voters in his favor. Hillary Clin-ton and Bernie Sanders are both contending for theposition of Democratic Party front runner. BernieSanders has been pulling ahead of Hillary Clintonlately in poles.

With the election coming up, Weehawken stu-dents who can vote were asked if they intended tovote and if so which party they intended to vote for.The results were that most students of voting ageintended to vote. Interestingly enough, exactly halfof students surveyed said they intended to vote Re-publican while the other half intended to vote De-mocrat. Students who were not of voting age wereasked which party they supported to which moststudents said they would vote Democrat.

The Primaries and Caucuses are currently tak-ing place. Primaries are a preliminary election toappoint delegates to a party conference or to selectthe candidates for a principal, especially presiden-tial, election. Caucuses are a meeting of the mem-bers of a legislative body who are members of aparticular political party, to select candidates or de-cide policy. Some states only hold primary elec-tions, some only hold caucuses, and others use acombination of both. People may vote in a party'sprimary only if they are registered members of thatparty prior to Election Day. Independents cannotparticipate. Candidates are focusing on gatheringvotes from swing states which are states where thepopulation is usually undecided between votingDemocrat or Republican.

7th and 8th Grade Math Stu-dents Create Scale Models ofEveryday ObjectsBy JOSE MESA

What do we see in everyday life that can be created into a scale model? Almost any-thing! This is what 7th and 8th grade Mathematics teacher, Mrs. Kathleen Old-ewurtel, reinforced upon her students as they began to create their own scale

models.This scale model project is a method used by Mrs. Oldewurtel to help apply as well as

reinforce the material covered throughout the chapter. Students were required to make ascale model of an object of their choice. They were allowed to work individually or in groupsof no more than three to complete the model. They used any object from home or any other object they could research. Each person

had to hand in a completed summary of the object which included the measurements anda description of the actual object, the scale used to complete the assignment, and its cal-culations. Students had to also compose a description of the model’s materials, the meth-ods used, the sources from which the information was obtained from, etc. The scale model project was counted as a test score for each student based on the qual-

ity or neatness, difficulty, and accuracy. Their hard work is apparent. You may admire the completed projects which are dis-

played outside of the Main Office. Their deep comprehension of this difficult Math conceptis apparent.

Seventh Grade students hold their Scale Model Projects (left to right):Edward Alvarado & Jose Marin created a PSVITA; Shanna Solivan created a tis-sue box, Juliana Ovalls, Danielle Whelan, & Arlene Rynoso created a stove; and

Patrick Loos created a fork.

Indian Ink 5 Winter 2016

#LoveWins in 2015By ADRIAN CASTELLANOS

It seems that for people in the UnitedStates, there was one major social eventthat happened in 2015 that completely sur-

mounted all others in importance: the legal-ization of same sex marriage equality in all 50states, as well as in Ireland several weeks later. This seems to have had such a great impact

on so many because it is a civil liberty, one thatmany feel should have always been in place,and one that depriving people of is a crime in

itself. This was so impactful that #LoveWinsreached 6.2 million tweets within six hoursafter the Supreme Court’s ruling, with dozensof celebrities joining in on the celebration.

With everyone from Glee star Lea Micheletweeting "Today is a beautiful day..#LoveWins," to Harry Styles, "Huge day forAmerica.. Happy to see the news. All the love,"to Ellen DeGenres with a simple and sweet,"Love won. #MarriageEquality."

Valentine’s Day:LOVE It -or-

By SAMANTHA CHONG

Valentine’s Day! The special day of the year wherewe show our appreciation for people we care aboutthe most. A day in which non-affectionate people

dread, and others look forward to.There are mixed feelings about this lovey dovey holi-

day that lands on February 14th. Some people love it, andothers love to hate it. This day is supposed to be all aboutlove and affection, and for some, it’s the total opposite.Senior, Keith Hablitz, Jr. said, “I hate Valentine’s day

because I always have to spend a lot of money.”Most people think that women are the only ones who

like Valentine’s Day, but that is not always the case.Senior, Nicholas Iannaccone said, “I like Valentine’s

Day because it’s an excuse to be extra romantic.”Then there are others who don’t really care, but ap-

preciate the holiday. Jennifer Avila, senior, said, “It’s al-right. I mean, it’s a fake holiday because love should becelebrated every day, but it’s also a good excuse to bingeeat and watch a lot of movies.” Amanda Rodriguez, junior, said, “It’s cliché and over

played, you should celebrate your spouse everyday.”Love should be celebrated every day, not just on one

day of the year, but on this day people are expected toshow more affection than usual. Anna Lentini, junior, said, “I love Valentine’s Day be-

cause I get to go out with my boyfriend. We always getice cream; it’s like a tradition.”

Whether you love or hate it, Valentine’s Day is a daywhere you should let the people you love and care aboutknow that you appreciate them, regardless if you are in arelationship or not.

The Early Bird Gets the WormBy SEBASTIAN SANCHEZ

We are creatures ofhabit. Do you findyourself doing the

same thing everyday in themorning before school? Itcan be little tasks you doevery morning in the sameorder that make up the rit-ual. From eating frostedflakes to brushing yourteeth at a quarter to eightevery morning, the ritual ismade. A few WeehawkenHigh School students, andteachers, have very specificroutines. This is certainly the case

for Michael Fitzgerald,freshman. He said, "I wakeup at 7:30am after aboutnine hours of sleep. Then Ieat (eggs usually), do myhair, and brush my teeth...I will only use Colgate

toothpaste or else mymorning is ruined."

Ms. Francesca Amato,Director of Academic Af-fairs and Professional De-velopment, wakes uparound 6:30am to makebreakfast, then she usuallygoes back to sleep for awhile. “I check my email assoon as I get into my officeeveryday,” she said.

Many students andteachers included checkingemail or checking socialmedia as a common part oftheir morning routines.Another common routine

to do in the morning isshower. Thirty studentswere surveyed about whenthey showered whether itbe morning, night, or both.Fifteen of them said they

showered at night, sevensaid they showered in themorning, and eight saidthey showered in the morn-ing and/or night.Morning routines may be

boring, but they get usthrough the morning.Doing one task differentlycan make or break yourday. Senior Michaela Cru-ciani agrees. She said, "Ihave to make my bed whenI wake up otherwise I freakout."

Most people feel thesame way if something ischanged. If you think aboutit, morning routines definethe type of person you are.So next time you wake up,think about what you doevery morning that youwouldn't think twice about.

Sophomores Martha Palma and Maria Ocamporeceived red roses and carnations from their

friends on Friday, February 12th.

Dr. Zywicki, AmbitiousNew Superintendent (Continued from page one)

and emotional well-being of all students,providing training and support to supervi-sors and teachers to refine the evaluationprocess, and promoting the fine and per-forming arts in grades kindergartenthrough 12.

He was extremely impressed by howwelcoming the students and faculty havebeen. On his first day, he visited each class-room in all three of our schools. He said,“Weehawken has a very rich tradition ofbeing a community that supports itsschools and sets high expectations. I amexcited to be a part of such a committedcommunity to public education.” Besides being a Superintendent, Dr. Zy-

wicki is also dad to four children who likesto fish and read when he has the time. Al-though he is a very busy man, he still findsthe time to coach his daughter’s soccerteam. Dr. Zywicki is innovative, ambitious, and

educated. He believes that teachers “areempowered when we provide them withthe tools they need to do the best job goingforward.” He sees the role of elementary and sec-

ondary education in society to provide “anystudent with the opportunity for excellenceand college readiness.”

Dr. Robert R. Zywicki, Superintendent of Schools

The bookcase outside of Mrs. Kitzie’s room isadorned with famous romance novels on display.

Love to HATE It?

Indian Ink 6 Winter 2016

Throwback Winter FashionTrends in the Halls of WHSBy JENNIFER AVILA

This winter season atWeehawken HighSchool, students are

bringing a stylish twist tothe comfort look with a hintof 90’s minimalism. As thetemperature goes down, thelayers and thickness ofclothing have been goingup.

A big trend this season,which is perfect for thesechilly days, is chunky knits.These warm wonders canbe layered in all kinds ofways for ultimate protectionfrom the cold this winter.You can find a huge selec-tion of these in every color,

style, and fit for an unbeat-able price in trendy storeslike Forever 21 and H&M.

“My knitted cardigan isbig and fluffy. It was defi-nitely worth my money forthis freezing cold winter be-cause it keeps me reallywarm,” said sophomoreMartha Palma. She pur-chased her sweater at theGap. It comes with a hoodieand buttons at the top.Another trend this season

is bomber jackets. This 90’sgem has made a comebackonto the fashion scene. “Ifirst noticed the bomberjackets on tumblr. Many

fashion bloggers adoptedthe trend and I felt like itsuited my style, so I wentout and found a cheap lightone in H&M,” bragged sen-ior Gabby Bok.

Other 90s throwbackitems include Adidas StanSmith sneakers and Super-star sneakers. They can bepaired with almost any out-fit, making it the most ver-satile piece in this article. “Ibought the Adidas becausethey tie every outfit togetherperfectly. They are the per-fect pair of sneakers,” saidsenior Erika Cardenas.

Faux fur: a statement

piece that instantly makesany outfit (more) chic. Thiswinter (and last), faux furcan be found in any form: ajacket, a scarf, or a vest.When worn correctly with atimeless color palette, itcompletes an outfit andadds a classic feel.

Senior Celeste Godoyowns a faux fur coat and it'sEXTREMELY warm (bonusbrownie points). “I origi-nally purchased it for thewarmth,” she recalled, “butthen I realized it was a piecethat goes well with so manyoutfits.” Her inspiration tobuy the coat was famous de-

signer Diane Von Fursten-berg.

As for men’s wintertrends, they didn't fall toofar from women’s trends.This winter you can seeknits are very big in themen’s department. You canalso see leather boots trend-ing this season, as well asplaid flannels and beaniehats.

“The plaid flannel isprobably one of the mostcomfortable shirts I own,”bragged senior Elijah Gar-cia.

B a b y , i t ’ s C o l d O u t s i d e !

As the holidays approached, both studentsand teachers in Weehawken High Schoolwere excited for the winter break, which

began on December 23rd and ended on January4th. Since New Year’s Day landed on a Friday,this year’s break was extra long.

Many students were overwhelmed andstressed by all of the tests, quizzes and projectsthey have done since September, and they wererelieved because of this break.So what did students and teachers do during

these glorious 13 days off? Some students werethrilled to leave the country to spend the holi-days with their loved ones. Daniel Vasquez, jun-ior, visited his family in Cuba. “I’m happy wehad a break because I got to visit my family in

Cuba and celebrate Christmas and New Yearswith them, and I got much more sleep,” he said.

Nicole Molano, sophomore, went to the Do-minican Republic. “I spent my break in the Do-minican Republic and got to spend time with myfamily and enjoy the hot weather,” she said. Having enough time to travel and visit fami-

lies in one’s country of origin was a huge advan-tage that this extra long winter break brought tomany. Some students who did not travel still enjoyed

the time away from school. Gabby Bok, senior,said, “I am stressed as a senior and I enjoyed thebreak because I was finally able to relax andwatch an entire season of The Office and hangout with friends.”

David Munne, senior, agreed. “My winterbreak was great and I felt a huge relief from allthe stuff going on, like the SATs.” Winter break gives us time to completely for-

get about stress we may get daily and remindsus to pay attention to what’s really important,like cherishing time we have with friends andfamily, something that both students and teach-ers looked forward to immensely during thebreak.

“What better way was there to end the yearthan with the people we love,” said AndyVasquez, junior.

By ERLYAN VIDAL

Students Enjoy a Long, Warm Winter Break

Senior Cee’Asia Daste’mixes winter trends suchas a leather jacket with along tunic over blackpleather leggings.

Senior Jacob Lopez wearsa button down collaredshirt with chino pants

and sperrys.

Eighth Grader ShaylaLarsen wears a cozy flan-nel button- down top withleggings and warm winter

boots.

Eighth Grader Christo-pher Chavez wears a

leather jacket with trendyfitted jeans and casual,

sporty sneakers.

Record Breaking Blizzard in WeehawkenCloses School for Two DaysBy ERLYAN VIDAL

Winter Storm Jonas blasted throughWeehawken on Friday, January 22ndand Saturday, January 23rd. The

storm left Weehawken residents with 26 inchesof snow. The town was completely coated for thefirst time this winter.Although there were tons of snow outside and

inconvenienced many who had plans, WHS stu-dents found great benefits from the snow. Firstof all, school was closed on Monday and Tues-day the following week. Students and teachers

were excited about the unexpected days off.Michelle Escobar, junior, was excited as soon asshe found out school was cancelled. “I washappy when I found out there was no school andspent most of the day sleeping and relaxing withmy family,” she recalled. Many students from Weehawken High School

went around the neighborhood helping neigh-bors shovel the snow from sidewalks. Others,like junior Daniel Vasquez, helped people un-cover their cars from the snow for a profit. “Cars

were covered with snow to the point where youcould not see the car,” explained Vasquez.

“I made like 200 dollars shoveling snow forpeople,” exclaimed sophomore, Kedwin De LaCruz, who felt that the profit made facing thecold was “worth it.”

Winter Storm Jonas has caused both goodand bad conflicts for students and teachers, eventhough there was a lot of shoveling to be done,they got to enjoy the snow storm with their fam-ilies and have two days off from school.

Indian Ink 7 Winter 2016

B a b y , i t ’ s C o l d O u t s i d e !Warm Recep-tion for FirstWHS Dramain 15 YearsBy ROLAND EBERHARD

For the first time in 15years, WeehawkenHigh School students

performed a drama onstage. This means no musicor dancing, (unlike theschool musical students areused to seeing) but straightacting from the performers.This was a positive change,which came from the newInterim Superintendent,Dr. John T. Fitzsimon’s rec-ommendation. He intro-duced the play along withTheater Arts teacher, Ms.Carrena McHugh, and newTheatre Arts program toour school. Ms. McHughwas also the director of thedrama. The play was called Snow

Angel, written by DavidLindsay-Abaire and pub-lished in 1999. It is about asnow day in a town, and themeeting of a mysterious girlnamed Eva. The main char-acters are all teenagers whointeract with her and createa web of truths and lies. The

students have to write injournals for homework andrecord everything they see.The play was written for thetown of Deerpoint, Ver-mont, but was adapted toWeehawken to make itmore authentic.

The process of develop-ing the play began in lateOctober when auditionswere first held. From thatpoint, actors began to mem-orize their lines and set upstage directions. In late De-cember, costumes were de-signed for the characters,which were based off theiractions and personalities.The character Crank, for ex-ample, wore a torn leatherjacket to reflect his status asa delinquent in the play.Ms. Elizabeth McParlandand her Theater Arts Classdesigned and acquired allthe costumes and props.

During tech week, thebackdrop was set up andprops were used for the firsttime. All of the backstage

work was completed by stu-dents, including stage man-agement, building sets, andmoving the sets on and offstage. Full rehearsals of theplay were on the nightsleading up to the first per-formance on Friday, Janu-ary 7th. The play wasperformed on Saturday as

well, and a surprise per-formance delighted stu-dents and teachers onMonday.The winter play will con-

tinue next year along withthe spring musical. Recep-tion has been positive andwill hopefully inspire othersto join next year. Audiences

responded greatly, espe-cially during Monday’s per-formance.Students are busily work-

ing on the spring musical,The Little Mermaid, whichwill be performed on Fri-day, April 8th and Saturday,April 9th and 7pm.

Senior Andrea Arias tries to escape the locked shed as the fire begins.The special effects in this scene wowed the crowd.

Actors escape the cold by congregating in the shed during Act I of Snow Angel.

Indian Ink 8 Winter 2016

Working Out for aHealthy LifestyleBy SEBASTIAN SANCHEZ

Working out can be defined inmany ways: Lifting weights, run-ning, doing yoga, etc. It is basi-

cally anything that involves physicalactivity. Some people do it to stay healthy,some do it as a stress reliever, and somedo it because they are forced to for athleticreasons.

Many New Year’s resolutions involvesome sort of promise to work out. That iswhy the commercial gyms such as PlanetFitness and LA Fitness are packed the firstfew weeks of the new year. However, thisdoesn't last very long. Working out is hardand it is tough to do daily, but the bene-fits definitely are worth all of the time andeffort you put into working out.

Many students and staff members ofWeehawken High enjoy working out forvarious reasons. Ms. Jenna Wendolowski,Guidance Counselor, enjoys the healthylifestyle and the stress relief working outprovides her. "I started working out cor-rectly when I started college in 2005. I dohot yoga, kick boxing, and crossfit. I've al-

ways been involved in sports, especiallysoftball for years. Working out it just apart of my life,” she said.

Keith Hablitz Jr., senior, said, "I liftweights because I need to get stronger andbigger for the upcoming college footballseason. I want to make an impact as afreshman."

Speaking of freshman, Weehawkenfreshman Jimmy Lopez explained, "I playthree sports so I can stay in shape and alsobecause I enjoy them." Many people get towork out and exercise doing the hobbiesthey love. Weehawken High School offers Zumba

classes every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Jen-nifer Avila, senior, is one of the studentswho participates in it. "Zumba is some-thing I do to stay fit. We do a lot of fast-paced dancing, mostly to Spanish music.The dances require a lot of squatting, totone our legs and butts, and moving ourhips, to help trim our waistlines. I enjoy ita lot."

ReShaping Your Face with ContouringBy JENNIFER AVILA

Makeup has beenaround for cen-turies, but the so-

called “selfie generation”has really become inter-ested in the way it can beused to change the shape ofone’s face. Girls especially,as young as 13, are incorpo-rating it into their dailymorning routines. Onemakeup technique that'strending right now is con-touring.

Previously reserved forrunways and elite photoshoots, contouring is nowan everyday technique foreveryone, even men. Con-touring is basically thedefining, shaping, and en-

hancing of one’s facial fea-tures. It's supposed to besubtle and create the illu-sion of a more chiseled face.

When mastered, con-touring can completelytransform the shape of yourface. “Contouring is funand cheaper than plasticsurgery,” explained seniorErika Cardenas, “It in-stantly brings me from an 8to a 10.” Algebra teacher Ms. Jes-

sica Garcia contours every-day. “I don't do the wholelook like a clown thing,” shesaid, “I contour literally intwo minutes.” Freshmen Jolie Figueroa

and junior Laura Betan-

court both take up to twentyminutes to do theirmakeup, but those who ac-tually go through the com-plete process of contouringcan take up double the timeor more.

“I only contour for spe-cial occasions with my NYXcream contour kit, and itonly takes me about tenminutes. I love it because itinstantly brings dimensionto my face,” explained sen-ior Breanna Koegler.

Thousands of girls outthere completely transformtheir faces with the guid-ance of over a thousand dif-ferent youtubers,demonstrating their tech-

nique according to their dis-tinct face shape, and ofcourse the queens ofmakeup: the Kardashians. Contouring is an art that

requires one to play withshading and lighting. Youshade where you want di-mension, highlight any-thing you want to enhance,and then blend any demar-cation.If you're interested in get-

ting in on this trend, thereare some affordable kits outthere made especially forbeginners. You can checkout Nyx’s “Conceal CorrectContour” palette for just$11.99 that's cream basedand their “Highlight and

Contour Pro” palette that'spowder if you have oily skinfor $24.99. For darker com-plexions, I would recom-mend Sleek’s “Face ContourKit” for $9.99. For those who are already

familiar with the techniqueand are looking to invest alittle extra in a more profes-sional kit, I recommend KatVon D’s “Shade and Light”for $46 and Anastasia’s“Contour Kit” for $40. Anddon't forget that thebrushes you use are just asimportant as the productgoing on the skin, so takethe time to look for qualityones like Real Techniquesor Sigma brushes.

School Updates Security PlansBy LUKAS STEVER

Administrators have worked to vastly improve Wee-hawken's school security in recent years. In 2014, anintruder breached the security of two Weehawken

Schools. Since then, efforts to increase school security in-creased drastically. For starters, Identification Tags were introduced to stu-

dents in order to better identify who is supposed to be inthe school and who is not. Exit Alarms have been put on alldoors with the exception of a main entrance that is underconstant supervision by Mr. William Gohde.

Mr. Gohde is a retired detective of 35 years from theHoboken Police Force, and he is also a Vietnam combat vet-eran. He has been hired to filter the influx of people duringcertain high traffic times with the aid of a buzzer and cam-era in the morning and at lunch. He also looks for anyonesuspicious at the door or in close proximity to the school. Ifsomeone of suspicion is at the door, Mr. Gohde will moreclosely identify the individual and their intentions.When asked if they felt safer in the school since the ad-

dition of security over the past few years, senior ScottAquino and freshman Annabelle San said they feel safe.

Nick Caputo, senior, disagreed though. He said, “Itwould be better to have multiple police officers outsidewatching the doors at all times.” When anonymously asked if they feel safe in the school,

4/5 teachers said they feel safe in the school. Yet everyoneseems to agree that there is room for improvement.

Senior Ashley Acevedo rings the buzzer to gain entry into the building.

Senior John Paul Menendez lifts weights in the weight room after school.

Indian Ink 9 Winter 2016

W h a t ’ s i n a N a m e ?

Misspelled, Mispronouncedand Misunderstood NamesBy KELSIE LYNN QUINTANA

N-A-M-E-S. One’sname defines one-self. If it is spelled

or pronounced wrong, itcan be a hit to one’s ego.Some students and teacherssuffer from unique namesthat are misspelled andmispronounced constantly.

Can you imagine receiv-ing a trophy for an extracur-ricular activity you did inschool with your misspelledname etched permanentlyinto it? This happened tome my eighth grade yearwhen I received my firstaward ever for cheerlead-ing. Because of the inci-dent, I was so upset I tookthe plate off and kept thetrophy.

Diuky Padron-Marrero,

senior, can go on and onabout how people misspelland mispronounce hername. Her name has spe-cial meaning since it’s de-rived from her mom’snickname: Diukesma. Nowtry pronouncing andspelling that right on thefirst try. People often mis-spell it as: “dooki,” “duiky,”or “duky.”

The only place where astranger pronounced it cor-rectly was during a familyvacation in Disney World.However, she has learned tolive with it and only gets an-noyed or upset when peopleclearly see the correctspelling on social media andstill manage to spell itwrong.

Neidelyn Pina, senior,has one of the most difficultnames to spell in the school.Because of its uniqueness,she doesn't get mad. It hasbeen misspelled as: “May-delin” or “Needlin.” Shealso had an experiencewhere she went to a UBSevent, and she had to wearan ID with her name mis-spelled on it. “I wasn't sur-prised,” she said. “They hadspelled it as ‘Nedlin.’”

Alexes McGee-Backes,senior, has a common namebut it is spelled uniquely.Her name is usually spelledas “Alexis.” She explainedthat strangers never spellnor pronounce her nameright. As soon as she seesher name spelled wrong,

she's onher way to correct it. Shesincerely said, “My name ismy identity. It’s who Iam.”

Naishme Hache, junior,also suffers from her namebeing misspelled. She said,“I'm constantly getting myname misspelled every-where I go.” When she wasyounger, it bothered her alot more than it does now.Now, she's just used to it,and it doesn't really botherher unless she has to repeatherself more than once.

Students aren’t the onlyones who suffer from mis-spelled names. Ms. MicheleMcCormick, Englishteacher, often gets her firstname misspelled with twol’s instead of one. Recount-ing her highschool years,she explained, “In high-school, I met a girl who hasthe same exact name as meand spelled it the same aswell.” They bonded overtheir often misspellednames, and they are stillfriends today.

Parents think long and hard about what name to bestow upon theirchildren. Sometimes children are named after relatives, sometimesthey are named after celebrities, and sometimes parents just “like a

name.” It’s up to the parents to decide on a name, which is why it’s so be-wildering that these same parents get confused and often call us by oursibling’s name.

Nicole Primero, junior, explained that her mom often confuses hername with her sister’s name: Natalie. "My mom uses a hybrid of me andmy sister’s name, ‘Natcole’ when trying to get our attention.”Usually, the name confusion occurs the most when parents are stressed

or mad. Their emotions perhaps thwart their brain’s ability to recall thecorrect name of the child they need to scold.Keith Hablitz, senior, said, "When my mom is mad, she calls me Ayden,

even though I'm 16 years older.”Parents are not the only culprits when it comes to name confusion.

Teachers do it as well. “I think I do it, unintentionally, because they re-mind me of the other sibling,” explained Spanish teacher, Mrs. Judy

Matos.Nicholas Iannaccone, senior, said, "Even though my sibling is a girl,

teachers still call me by her name.” Confusion of names does not only occur when siblings are in school at

the same time. Steven Higgins, senior, said, "Even though my brothergraduated last year, I still get called by his name." History teacher, Mrs. Laurie Kroll said, “For the first six months I would

call Natalie Varghese by her sister’s name, Valerie, even though they looksubstantially different. As soon I saw ‘Varghese’ as the last name, it justclicked. When I do it, I feel so, so, so bad because it’s almost like an insult.They’re different kinds of people. One reason I feel badly is probably be-cause I’m an older child and I know what it’s like for my younger brother.Teachers have expectations of the siblings when they come into the build-ing and that carries on.”English teacher, Mrs. Kate Kitzie admitted, “I do it all the time. Some-

times the sibling takes the same seat and I become accustomed to sayingthe name of the older brother/sister. Sometimes they share a striking re-semblance, like Natalie and Valerie Varghese. I automatically associatethe last name withthe face of the oldersibling and relate itto the most recentstudent.”

Unique Nicknames Reveal Close-Knit CommunityBy NICHOLAS IANNACCONE

Weehawken is a small, urban community, and be-cause there aren't many people, most residents arevery close knit. People build special relationships

with the vibrant characters around town. These relation-ships are held even closer when people use endearing "nick-names." These nicknames vary from coming from a hilarious in-

cident or just given to someone just because it seems fitting.They range from names such as Ducky (who is formallyknown as Ryan Casey, senior) or Bubba (Steven Higgins,senior) or even Keithy F. Baby (Keith Hablitz, jr.).

Michael Stepkovich, senior, and I were given the nick-name "the toe brothers," because we always jokingly talkedabout joining the soccer team instead joining our friends in

football. We even have a handshake based around our nick-name that we do every time we see each other in the hall-ways. The best part about having these names is that itestablishes a relationship even more and brings a lighterside to everyone's day.

Another famous Weehawken nickname is "Seabass"A.K.A Sebastian Sanchez, senior. "Freshman year, I wasgetting yelled at by my [football] coach and my name wastoo long, so he shortened it the only way he knew how,”Sanchez explained. Jennifer is a popular name in Weehawken, so sophomore

Jennifer Vacca has learned to love her nickname “Vacca.” “I used to hate it,” she explained, “but now it’s just com-

fortable.”

The Name Game: Parents andTeachers Confuse Sibling NamesBy SAMANTHA CHONG and RUCHI AMIN

Sophomores Brian Torres and Bryan Torreshave found a way to distinguish their names.Brian (left) is called “Little Brian” while

Bryan (right) is called “Big Brian” by most oftheir friends at school.

Hello, my name isBrian Torres

Hello, my name is

Bryan Torres

Senior Steven Higginsgot his nickname

“Bubba” when he wasvery young and mis-pronounced the word

“brother.”

Indian Ink StaffAdvisor

Ms. Michele McCormickEditors-in-Chief

Ashley Acevedo & Faith MazureSports Editor

Sebastian Languidey

Photography by Celeste Godoy

Headlines & Proofreading by Bonnie Callahan

Would you like to write for this publication? Do you have story idea?

See Ms. McCormick for more details.

Students areExcited toWatch The58th GrammyAwardsBy BREANNA KOEGLER

On February 15th, tune into CBS to watch the58th Grammy Awards held at the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles, California. The

Grammy’s is an annual presentation ceremony thatfeatures performances by established artists andawards those who have had an outstanding achieve-ment in the music industry this year. Rapper LLCool J will be hosting the show for the 5th consecu-tive time this year.

This year there are 83 categories that have fivenominees for each category. The “general field” arefour awards which are not restricted by genre.Album of the year, Record of the year, Song of theyear, and Best New Artist of the year are most pop-ular.

The award that’s most looked forward to is bestRap album, as the nominees this year are J. Cole,Dr. Dre, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj.Millennials gravitate more towards this category.

Seniors at WHS are torn. 50% polled thinkKendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly should winAlbum of the Year while 50% think The Weeknd’sBeauty Behind The Madness should win.

By KEITH HABLITZ, JR.

Abel Tesfaye is better known for hisfamous stage name, “The Weeknd,”released a new album on August

28th called Beauty Behind the Madness.It went off the charts in sales and was fly-ing off shelves both literally and in digitalsales.Two popular songs from the album are

“Can't Feel My Face” and “The Hills.”They play over and over on the radio topromote his album. These songs in par-ticular are so popular because they are re-latable to both genders. Fans can’t get enough of his upbeat and

sad love songs since the music speaks tothem and explains how they feel inside.Instead of expressing themselves, theWeeknd does it with his music for them.His concerts are full of energy, and he

connects with the crowd and goes off theirvibe. I attended one of his concerts inMadison Square Garden, and I loved theway he makes his lyrics and music pleas-ing to listen to. I personally love listeningto the Weeknd more than any other artistout there simply because his songs put mein an amazing mood. That's what musicis all about.

Movie Review:Star Wars, TheForce AwakensBy ADRIAN CASTELLANOS

The newest installmentto the Star Wars Se-ries, “The Force

Awakens,” delighted movie-goers. Almost 32 years fol-lowing the 6th installment,the series was finally up fora revamp, and what com-pany could have done it bet-ter than Disney itself.

The new Episode "TheForce Awakens," has shat-tered the previously set boxoffice sales record. The lat-est installment holds somany secrets and new plottwists. Sophomore Jose Gonza-

lez saw the movie threetimes, once in 3D. “No dif-ference,” he said of whetheror not it was better in 2D or3D.

Disney will be opening abrand new addition to theirOrlando Park, completelybased off of Star Wars. “I’llcheck it out,” said sopho-more Gabriel Saldariagga,whose favorite Star Warscharacter is Jar Jar Binks.

Junior Shane O’Rourkesaw the movie twice, oncein 3D, once in 2D. “For thismovie in particular, Ithought 3D was better be-cause all of the action se-quences were vivid,” hesaid.

O’Rourke is a big StarWars fan actually. He ownsall of the movies on Blu-Ray. “Since I was a kid, Iloved the concept of it...good vs. evil, light vs. dark,”he explained.

Music Review: “The Incredible True Story”By JUNIOR RODRIGUEZ

In my opinion, The Incredible True Story is anamazing album. The artist Logic expanded hisflow and ideas. Fans and critics were asking,

"Where can he go after such a great album likeUnder Pressure?" The answer is “outer space.”

Logic certainly did not flop on his sophomorealbum. Many fans consider him to be a lyrical ge-nius and very intelligent. People don't realize thatLogic calls himself a "nerd" even though hedropped out of high school. The Incredible TrueStory is very advanced, and it's set in the future. This album is basically reminiscing on the past

and how you can't revisit it, so you should move

forward and get ahead. The album makes youreminisce about the 90s in the song “YoungJesus.” Then the album makes you think and feellike you’re in the future in the song “City of Stars.”

Fellow student and hip-hop head PatrickNicholson loves this album. Nicholson, who is ajunior, said, "It is genius how Logic expanded hisgame and flow in this album, and you can tell hehas been growing a lot and learning new tricksabout hip hop music.” Patrick and I both agree that the album is great

because of Logic’s new flows and ideas.

Indian Ink 10 Winter 2016

“The Weeknd” (pencil on paper) bysophomore Brenda Taveras.

Seniors Aaron Cippaghila and JerryTejada read up on Star Wars in

Timemagazine in the Media Center.

Music Review: “Beauty Behindthe Madness”

Senior Natalia Torres listens to Rihanna on her iPhonein the Media Center.

Indian Ink 11 Winter 2016

WWrreessttlliinngg TTeeaamm TTrreeaatteedd aass EEqquuaallss By SEBASTIAN LANGUIDEY

Head coach Pat Clark instills the importance of teamwork on his Weehawken- BogotaWrestling team. At the end of every practice, they put their hands in a circle andscream “FAMILY.”

In this male-dominated sport, two female students compete alongside their male team-mates. Sophomores Nadiia Fuchedzhy and Gensis Hernandez feel like they are treated asequals. “I’ve never won a match- ever,” admits Hernandez, “but Nadiia is a savage!” The Weehawken-Bogota team typically does not compete at Weehawken, so it was a treat

this season when they did on Wednesday, February 3rd. The gymnasium bleachers werepacked with students eager to watch the matches. Sophomore wrestler Roland Eberhard saidthat wrestling in front of the people he knows and in the town he grew up in was “really spe-cial.” The cherry on top was that Weehawken- Bogota won against Secaucus!

WWiinntteerr PPrreeppaarraattiioonnss ffoorr SSuummmmeerr OOllyymmppiiccssBy MICHAEL STEPKOVICH

This year, the 2016Summer Olympicswill be held in Rio

de Janeiro starting onFriday, August 5th andending on Sunday, the21st. There will be 206nations participating witha total of 10,500 athletes.They will be holding 306events in 28 Olympicsports including rugby,sevens, and golf.

These sporting eventswill take place in 33 ven-ues in the host city andadditionally in five ven-ues in the cities of SãoPaulo, Belo, Horizonte,Salvador, Brasília, thecountry's capital, andManaus.

This year's Olympicmotto is, “Viva suapaixão” (Portuguese), inEnglish meaning: “Live

your passion.”Patrick Nicholson, jun-

ior, feels that this year’ssummer Olympics will beheld in a good spot. “Riois beautiful in the sum-mer,” Nicholson said. Junior Rodriguez, sen-

ior, feels that the Olympicgames are very entertain-ing, and he watches themevery four years whenthey take place.

KKoobbee BBrryyaanntt,, NNoott YYoouurr AAvveerraaggee NNBBAA PPllaayyeerrBy NICHOLAS IANNACCONE

Kobe Bryant might have the most interesting background of any NBA legend.He is a second generation superstar, son of NBA hall of famer Joe JellyBryant. When his father retired in 1984, the Bryant family moved to Italy

where Kobe started a social life and began his love of basketball. Moving back toAmerica was a difficult adjustment with getting reintroduced to the culture, butjust like in basketball, his attitude helped him persevere.

Kobe Bryant isn't just your average player in the National Basketball Associa-tion; he's a five time NBA champion, a multiple time all-star, a scoring champion,and MVP. He's one of the all time highest scorers ever and is one of the best play-ers of this and the prior generation.

He was drafted in 1996 and immediately traded to the Lakers and has stayedthere for his 20 year illustrious career. He has all of these great accolades becauseof his one of a kind work ethic, which he continues to instill in his young Lakerteammates. His determination and skill is enough to overcome any obstacle, andthat's why he is one of the greatest of all time.

The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 Sunday, Feb-ruary 7th at Levi's Stadium, beating the CarolinaPanthers 24-10. This is Broncos' quarterback Peyton

Manning's second Super Bowl win. NFL MVP Cam Newton threw an interception and fum-

bled twice, including one that was returned for a touch-down by the Denver defense in the first quarter. ThePanthers offense struggled all game against the Broncos'tough defense. Linebacker Von Miller, who harassed New-ton all game and came up with two critical strip-sacks, wasthe game's MVP.

The Super Bowl is based on which two teams did thebest in the regular season and playoffs. It was held inSanta Clara, California and aired on CBS. The players fromthe winning team each received a ring and pride that willlast a lifetime.Students from Weehawken generally did not care much

for the big game since local teams weren’t playing. Somedidn’t even watch for the football; all they cared aboutwere seeing the funny commericals.

Junior Nick Anasa said, “I really enjoyed how the Su-perBowl was played like ‘old’ style football.” Some seniors were quick to criticize Newton who “blew

his and his team’s chance at victory.”Many students watched the game with their families

and enjoyed the traditional snacks, wings, and pizza.Some, however, munched on frijoles while others savoredbowls of ravioli. Most agreed that the halftime show was disappointing.

It featured performances from Beyonce, Coldplay, andBruno Mars.

By STEVEN HIGGINS and JOSE MESA

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SSuuppeerr BBoowwll 5500

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Alfonso Salandra, junior, fights to avoid getting pinned on his home mat.

Freshman Sheriff Hache’, Nicole Molano, andJacob Medina enjoyed watching The SuperBowl.

CChheeeerr,, CCoommppeettee,, tthheenn RReeppeeaattBy JASLIE FERNANDEZ and SEBASTIAN LANGUIDEY

Special Education teacher, Ms. NicoleHegarty, took over the coaching posi-tion for the Winter Cheerleading team

this season. Ms. Hegarty (who was not acheerleader when she attended high school)said, “Cheerleading is a great opportunityfor students to support and cheer each otheron.”

The Weehawken Indian cheerleaderscheer for the boys and girls basketballteams, a new addition under Ms. Hegarty.Apart from adding that little extra confi-dence to both teams, the cheerleaders alsocompeted in the annual winter competition. Ms.Hegarty has learned a few things her-

self. “Communication is one of the manykeys to success for the team,” she explained.She also mentioned that meetings where

students can voice their opinions andchoose their own music and choreographykeep the team enthusiastic about the sea-son.Freshman Donna Gutierrez said that the

first competition was “fun and exciting. Itwas a good learning experience for all of us,and a great opportunity for us to start doingmore competition cheering in the future.”

When recruiting students to join thecheerleading team, Ms. Hegarty is lookingfor students who are committed and dedi-cated to being at every practice and game.She claims that it helps if the student is out-going and has had experience with cheer-leading before.

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YYoouunngg bbuutt EExxppeerriieenncceeddBy SEBASTIAN LANGUIDEY

These Lady Indians are onto a strong start! Com-ing off a 13 win season, these ladies look to im-prove on what hopefully becomes a

championship year. The young but experienced starting five consists of

junior guards Anna Lentini and Nicole Primero. Inthe front court, Jennifer Acosta and the dangerousChong sisters (Samantha and Sophie). Key contribu-tors Selena Cheng and Amanda Ruiz-Rodriguez givesome added depth to this year’s squad.

This year’s goals according to sophomore NataliaOrdonez, include “a home game for the state tourna-ment.” Ordonez and Selena Cheng are the high en-ergy, scrappy players on the team this year.Head coach Christian Hernandez pushes the team

during practices to try their hardest and stresses thatpersonal improvements will benefit the whole team.Practices are certainly more intense this year com-pared to past years, but players still try to have fun inbetween drills. A big win was against Dickinson, a group 4 school,

that ended with a 45-34 score. Weehawken came inas the underdogs who had lost to Dickinson last year.Hopes were further diminished during the gamewhen Sophie Chong got injured. But the girls foughtuntil the end and pulled through.

Another huge win was against Waldwick in thetournament game. Weehawken was losing the wholetime but went on a run the last two minutes to endwith a 42-38 score!There are no captains, and there haven’t been for a

few years. All of the team members work well to-gether and pitch in.

Freshman players Alexa Ruiz and Nicole Molanobring some energy off the bench.

BBooyyss BBaasskkeettbbaallllTTeeaamm GGeettssBBaacckk oonn TTrraacckkBy SEBASTIAN LANGUIDEY

In what many believed to be a rebuildingyear, the Weehawken boys basketballteam has exceeded many expectations.

Losing all five of their senior starters fromthe previous year, the team battled to getback to the season’s initial winning streak.Close fourth quarters with nail-biting fin-

ishes had fans on the edges of their seats asthe team managed its way to a 5-0 start.Suddenly, this young lineup had matchedthe record of last year’s squad.

“Winning our first game against Wood-Ridge was a great moment. The team hadchemistry,” recalled captain Donato Cieri.They would eventually cool down to a 8-

8 record, but the team has shown that any-thing is possible with a little hard work.

Head coach and Physical Educationteacher, Mr. Jake McNish, inspired the

team to go 110% during practice. After aninjury, the team feared whether or not hewould return. It was a great team boostwhen they found out he would return. “Thewhole team is a family,” said Cieri as he re-membered how happy they were to learn ofCoach McNish’s return.

“He’s still the same tough guy- yelling,screaming, pushing us to our limits... mak-ing us the best basketball players we canbe,” Cieri explained of Coach McNish.

Team captains Donato Cieri and JerryTejada are only two of the three seniors onthe team. The third being starter LeuryDeLaCruz. Junior starters include BraynPadron, Alessandro Romano and MaxSingh.“Freshman like Sebastian Rios and Fabio

Gonzalez show a lot of potential,” Cieri said.

(Left to Right): Anadina Segarra, Yipsi Molina, Donna Gutierrez, Ms. Hegarty(coach), Alice Yao, Jolie Figueroa, Loen Alberqerque, Victoria Vion at their an-

nual Cheer Challenge at Hackensack High School on January 16th.

Jennifer Acosta and Selena Cheng fight for thedefensive rebound against Dickinson players.

Junior Alessandro Romano goes up fora layup while junior Max Singh waits

for the rebound.