On December 11th, 17 contestants arrived at Mor-ris Knolls dressed to compete for

2009’s MK Idol. At 7

p.m., the show began as did the

audience’s clapping, cheering, and laugh-

ing. The performances ranged from serious acts such as Vicki Meade’s “I’m Yours,” James Hatem’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” and Vania Quiles’ original “Live and Learn” to hilarious acts such as Megan Sayther and Liana Glew’s, siamese

twin perfor-mance of

“Every-body Wants

To Be A Cat,” Lorraine Rosen-berg’s “Poker Face,” and Amy Longfellow’s “Maniac” dance routine. The judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jack-son, played by Jessica Van Eck, Sean O’Neil, and Mr. Myers gave their insight on how wonderfully or horribly the performers did. The host, Ryan Seacrest, played by Theo Lowrey, added his in-sight as well and was sometimes forced to escort outraged per-formers off of the stage. During the 15 minute in-termission, the audience got the chance to vote for the best and worst MK Idols of the night. However, the winners of each category weren’t announced until after the two group performanc-es. The contestants had the first group performance, singing and dancing to “Love Train” and the judges and host followed with a performance of “With A Little Help From My Friends.” Once the audience finished applauding for the two lively group performances, the contes-tants and judges returned to their seats to hear the winners. Mer-

cedez Martis, a sophomore, won MK Idol for her perfor-mance of Ri-hanna’s “Um-brella.” The worst of the night, howev-er, went to Kel-ly Flynn for her hilarious version of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” The two winners received gold sparkling reindeer as their prizes and walked away with pride in their accomplishments. Sam Garrabrant, who performed “Party In the USA,” reports “I had a lot of fun re-hearsing and pound-ing out the group dance. Everyone was awesome, the bad acts especially. I felt like I was literally in the p r e s e n c e of Lady Gaga.”

TalenT abounds aT MK IdolIssue 2 Volume 28 February 2010 MORRIS KNOLLS STUDENT NEWSPAPER

INDEX

Staff STuff.....................2 Entertainment..........3 school news............4-5 sports................................6 Mind & Body.................7GamEs.................................8

There are tons of options each year when it comes to choos-

ing electives at MK. There are the obvious, popular electives like Desktop Publishing, Graphic Com-munications, and Chorus, but there are also some fun, less popular elec-tives that The Quill decided to in-vestigate. For a lot of people, public speaking is horrifying, and if you’re one of those people, Public Speak-ing would be a class you are reluc-tant to take. But in this case, facing your fears may be one of the best and most fun decisions you could make. The class is chock-full of fun and games and gives students an opportunity to advance their speak-ing skills as well as their relation-ships with classmates. “The class is a group of very different people

coming comfortably together in a friendly environment…it’s ‘da best!” reports Megan Sayther, a ju-nior in the class, “I’ve learned a lot about being confident and speaking clearly. I really think it’s good to learn skills like that for my future.” In 2008, after a couple of students asked for it specifically, a Philosophy class was added to the list of electives at MK. The class, taught by Mr. Lipsen, begins with basic information about ancient his-tory such as the history of ideas, cultural traditions, and mythology, followed by a study of western civi-lizations. Everything is taught in conjunction with philosophy based on art, music, and culture. Through-out the year students

con-c e n -trate on ethics and the ideas of certain philosophers. Mr. Lipsen says he wants to “help kids better appreciate their day-to-day lives and think about the way they see the world.” Courtney Butler, a junior, explains, “Even though it’s an elective, we do a lot of projects and it actually is work, but Mr. Lipsen creates a relaxed and fun atmosphere, so doing the work isn’t all that bad.”

unsung elecTIves aT MorrIs KnollsMarla HesselinkStaff Writer

Students Participating in MK IdolPhoto by Sam Garrabrant

Students Participating in MK IdolPhoto by Sam Garrabrant

MK Idol JudgesPhoto by Sam Garrabrant

Curtain by Dan Dawson

STAFF STUFF Page 2

Ms. RosenMarla HesselinkStaff Writer

Ms. Rosen is the new psy-chology teacher at Morris Knolls. She became a psychology teacher because she “didn’t like how imper-sonal some tracks of psychology are” and she wanted to make a “broad im-pact on people.” She currently splits her time between Knolls on A days and Hills, where she graduated as valedictorian, on B Days. After she graduated from Duke University, Ms. Rosen worked at Jordan High School, an inner-city school, in North Carolina. She feels the biggest difference between Jordan and Knolls is the “socio-economic diversity” because Jordan was more religiously and racially mixed than Knolls. She recently be-came certified by William Paterson University to teach history and next year, she will teach both history and psychology classes at Knolls exclu-sively. Ms. Rosen’s favorite part of teaching is being able to make learning fun. “It always was for me, but I know it isn’t for all people,” she says and hopes the students in her classes “will take a new per-spective on the way they see the world.” Other than teaching, Ms. Rosen enjoys watching sports, play-ing field hockey, running, and going to the movies. The one thing Ms. Rosen wants Morris Knolls to know is that she’s excited to be a part of the MK community.

Ms. Smith Nicholas PortelaStaff Writer

Ms. Smith, a recent graduate from Penn State University, is new to Morris Knolls this year. She is an Eng-lish teacher who currently teaches Lit-erature & Composition and American Literature & Composition. In addition to her career, she has many interests like traveling, reading, going to concerts and cooking. Ms. Smith also enjoys sports, and says that her favorite teams are the Penguins, the Steelers, and of course, Penn State Football. When asked what she would do if she wasn’t a teacher she replied, “I would want to be a journalist for National Public Radio,” showing that she thoroughly enjoys using her writing talents, even outside of the classroom.

Ms. RosenPhoto by Kristi Viscardo

Ms. ZoellerPhoto by Amy Longfellow

Mr. ZabloskiPhoto by Terresa Adams

Ms. SmithPhoto by Terresa Adams

As the new school year began, the freshmen were not the only ones new to Knolls. This year, history teacher Ms. Bischer joined the Morris Knolls family. Don’t let Ms. Bischer’s rookie status at Knolls fool you though; having taughtat Morris Hills High School for two years, she is not new to the district. Try to avoid asking her the awkward question about which one she likes better, since she still teaches at Hills on A-days. Behind her glasses, Ms. Bisch-er’s eyes show that she has a passion for teaching. She decided on history as an educational focal point when she was in high school. Ms. Bischer enjoyed her college experience at York College, where she double majored to get her Sec-ondary Education Degree and a degree in Psychology. She says that she doesn’t mind communing between schools because both have great environments, but it is harder to stay organized. When not in school, Mrs. Bischer enjoys travel-ing, sports, and spending time with her friends and family.

Mr. ZabloskiCaitlin WoodsStaff Writer

Mr. JencarelliPhoto by Amy Longfellow

Ms. BischerPhoto by Terresa Adams

Ms. BischerCaitlin WoodsStaff Writer

Mr. Jencarelli Ms. ZoellerNew Superintendent Assistant Superintendent Kristi ViscardoStaff Writer

Jillian PayseurStaff Writer

The Morris Hills Regional Dis-trict officially welcomed Ms. Zoeller into the position of assistant superintendent this year. Prior to her current position, Ms. Zoeller was head of the guidance department at Morris Hills and was the interim assistant superintendent for a por-tion of the 2008-2009 school year. Her original interest in the district came from

family members who attended Hills. Ms. Zoeller graduated from NYU in just three years with a major in English Education and a minor in Psychology. She then went to graduate school for Psychology and Counseling. After, she attained her Masters from the University of Scranton and her doctorate from Drew University. One of her many responsibili-ties is overseeing the Magnet program at Hills where students who excel in math and science can take advanced courses to further improve their skills. She also oversees curriculum and observes teach-ers amongst other things. Ms. Zoeller is pleased with the involvement and dedication of students and staff in the district and would like to thank them for their hard work.

This school year, the Mor-ris Hills Regional District welcomes new superintendent, Mr. James Jen-carelli. Mr. Jencarelli comes to the district from Henry P. Becton Re-gional High School in East Ruther-ford, NJ where he was both the Chief School Administrator and Principal. Mr. Jencarelli studied at Ra-mapo College of New Jersey in Mah-wah, where he majored in computer science and minored in math. He also earned his master’s degree from Ra-mapo. As superintendent, Mr. Jen-carelli oversees the entire district: Morris Hills and Morris Knolls. His responsibilities include everything from finances to transportation and technology. Although it is a chal-lenge to familiarize oneself with a new community, build relationships, and tend to administrative tasks with patience, he enjoys the challenges. Mr. Jencarelli points out that the thing he misses most about his pre-vious position is the interaction with students. He hopes to get into class-

Mr. Zabloski, a history teacher of five years, came to Mor-ris Knolls on January 4, 2010. He teaches United States History 2 and Making of the Modern World. Mr. Zabloski admits that the most difficult challenge for him en-tering mid-year is making lesson plans for all of the new classes that he is teaching. When questioned about class length at Knolls, with a bright smile, Mr. Zabloski explained that he enjoys ninety minute blocks as opposed to the forty five minute periods that he used to have when he taught in Morris Plains. With the

rooms, attend plays, band competi-tions, and athletic events soon. As for the future of the dis-trict, he is ready to work on the IB program (which was in its imple-mentation stage when he was hired, but has recently been approved), and he would also like to slowly intro-duce other university-type programs of study to the district in the future. In his small amount of free time, Mr. Jencarelli enjoys mountain biking and reading.

long blocks, he feels as though he no longer has to rush through his les-sons. In high school, Mr. Zabloski did not enjoy history because of the way it was presented to him, but in college he began enjoying the sub-ject. It soon became his passion to teach it to students in an enjoyable way. Outside of school, Mr. Zab-loski enjoys spending time with his one-year-old son and the rest of his family. He also enjoys snowboarding and mountain biking. Additionally, he is fluent in three different languag-es: English, German, and Polish. He can also speak some Spanish, but is not fluent yet, so when you see him in the hallway be sure to say Hello, Guten Tag, or Dzien dobry!

a looK aT HTTT

AvAtAr aMazesNIcholas PortelaStaff Writer

In the small but accommodat-ing St. Bernard’s Parish church hall, members of the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI, or TI for short) began preparing the venue for the local band jam later that night. Clad in their trade-mark red t-shirts bearing the LMTI logo, various members of the club em-bellished the walls with playful string lights and homemade posters bear-ing nonsensical phrases such as “No Chicken-Fighting!” Despite the quirky and lighthearted atmosphere, the mes-sages behind “TI Band Jams” are much more than just frowning upon conflict between poultry. LMTI is a commu-nity program created by a nonprofit organization called the Lindsey Meyer Memorial Foundation, which promotes leadership in middle and high school students. The organizations both em-phasize and encourage abstinence from using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The WRRD (Wharton/Rocka-

way Township/Rockaway Borough/Denville) branch of LMTI is advised by local resident Felice Walker who coordinates the popular “TI Band Jams.” The purpose of these events is to showcase local musicians while providing a substance free activity for teens on the weekends. For only a $5 entrance fee, participants get great lo-cal music and a friendly environment, so why not attend? In addition to a va-riety of community service activities, members also participate in fun, sea-sonal activities such as TI apple pick-ing, movie nights, and the annual TI Bonfire. LMTI meets every other week in Rockaway. When attending a meet-ing one can see that the teens of TI are a tight-knit group of individuals who are extremely accepting, diverse, and most importantly, proud to be alcohol and drug free. For more information about the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute or the Lindsey Meyer Memorial Foundation please visit www.lmteeninstitute.org. If joining LMTI is something that you’re interested in, please send an email to Felice Walker at felice1069@aol.com.

¡TI: asK Me abouT It! Films with good special ef-fects are all the rage these days, but of course, a good plot-line should still be a must for any flick that you’re pay-ing for. Many times, advertisements for these action packed special effects films are misleading, and leave view-ers severely disappointed by the actual production, but Avatar is not one of these films. The high expectations set for this film by advertisements were satisfied. Director James Cameron set up a fantasy world that the viewer was able to enter via a 3-D experience. The plot line was intriguing and the politi-cal commentary behind characters’ ac-tions and dialogue was clear- giving the audience both an entertaining and educational experience. However, this film will be remembered mostly for its out-of-this-world special effects. Though my personal expecta-tions were satisfied by the plot, not all viewers felt the same. Brian Cheung, a junior explained that “it was good eye candy, but the plot line could have been better.” This thriller dazzles its view-ers with special effects. It’s a movie that begs the viewer to stay in the the-

Daniel DawsonStaff Writer

“TI Buttons” Photo by Daniel Dawson

Steven LundellStaff Writer

ater and not miss the next cutting-edge technological scene, so make sure you buy the jumbo size popcorn and a small drink. Unwanted food and bathroom runs are not an option during this flick. Overall the movie was a 9 out of 10. If you haven’t seen it yet, go. The 3-D theater experience is worth it, even if you don’t love the plot.

Artwork by Nicholas Portela

“I was watching zombie mov-ies with a friend and the name just popped into my head,” says frontman Oliver Torres regarding his band’s name Handed to the Thousands. This six-piece metalcore group consists of Jon Dolan and Andy Stampfl from Pequannock, Juan Avalos from Dover, Mike Bondy from Hackettstown and Morris Knolls Seniors Oliver Torres and Nick Kuzevski. Back in 2006 Oliver was in a band called Mount Hope, a five piece hardcore group including Nick (of HTTT) and himself. In 2007 the members of Mount Hope parted ways leaving Nick and Oliver searching for members to finish the metalcore proj-ect they started. After looking outside the Rockaway boundaries they found Jon, Andy, Mike and Juan, and began the writing process. This took months and led some people to believe the band was dead. However, Handed to the Thou-sands was definitely worth the wait.

Their first show, filled with progres-sive metal riffs, complex melodies and heavy breakdowns, left people speech-less, and a few in pain. “The best shows we play are mostly with the Teen In-stitute (TI). They’re well-run by great people and it’s always a good time to see all our friends since TI shows are in Rockaway, the heart of our fan base” Oliver explained, “The best part of it is showing people what you do best and having a good time. There’s always gonna be people at shows that I don’t know but we’re all, hopefully, having a good time. We want to show people that they are loved and accepted for who they are.” Of course every band hopes to make it big, and Handed to the Thou-sands is on its way. The band has played shows at locations around the tri-state area such as County College of Morris, NY’s Knitting Factory and PA’s Croco-dile Rock, located in Allentown. With their large fan base, and determination to make it, there’s not much stopping them from making it big. Music and future show dates for the band can be found at:www.myspace.com/handedtothethou-sands.

Steven LundellStaff Writer

MedIa Influence

Nearly every night around din-ner time, I watch my 6 year-old sister dance in front of the television, sing-ing along to the music video of an-other Disney Channel star or reciting lines from an epi-sode she’s w a t c h e d one too m a n y times. My p a r e n t s have to plead with her to turn it off and join us at the dinner table. Nevertheless, the TV’s influence continues to penetrate her as she imi-

tates the attitude of the actors on screen when she refuses to eat her vegetables. “I don’t have to!” she shouts, while raising her eyebrows, wagging her ponytail, and glaring at us. I worry about her. Like many other people who follow the media, she takes what she sees and swallows it up. She accepts the fictional lifestyle presented on the set as the ideal life. Like my sister, teenagers gather around romance movies like moths around a flame, imagining such sweet relation-ships occurring in their own lives. They tend to forget that arguments and divorces are likely to happen after the end credits finish rolling, so they crumble when their high expectations are not met. Adults even commit the fallacy of swallowing news channels’ biases, assimilating their opinions as facts. A brainwashed population re-sults from this type of digestion.

For full article, see The Quill online at:www.MKQuill.moonfruit.com.

Cindy JiStaff Writer

Advertisement by Marla Hesselink

OPINION

OPINION

image courtesy of http://meapcareers.com

ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 3

“To drink more water.” “To get better grades and be more outgoing.”

“To do better in school and make people laugh.”

“To be a better student and get into college.”

Jennifer Diazfreshman

Kevin Luosophomore

Kayla Delgadojunior

Joe Beckmannsenior

“What is your New Year’s Resolution?”

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“To be a better husband and father.”

Officer TorkosSRO

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KNOLLS NEWSPage 4

peer lIsTeners speaKJillian PayseurStaff Writer

Recently, the Peer Listen-ers of MK visited Copeland Middle School in Rockaway and Lakeview Elementary School in Denville to talk to its students about making the right choices. At Copeland, the Peer Listen-ers spoke with the eighth graders, dis-cussing various issues that many face in high school. This focused mostly on avoiding drugs/alcohol and maintain-ing friendships. The student audience reacted well and seemed interested in hearing what the Peer Listeners had to say. Chelsea Cattano, a senior, said “I think it was beneficial for the middle school students to hear advice from actual high school students rather than just teachers or parents.” After having such a positive experience at Cope-

land, the peer listeners hope to visit again in future years. They also may talk to the Valleyview eighth graders later on in the year. At Lakeview, the Peer Lis-teners met with the fifth grade DARE students and advised them on how to remain drug free in middle and high school. They also answered any ques-tions the students had. The fifth grad-ers were surprised to hear the same negative reactions about drugs from students as they had heard from their DARE officers. “I think we really got through to kids. They seemed to be interested in what we were saying,” mentioned another senior peer lis-tener. The sessions the Peer Listen-ers had with the Copeland and Lakev-iew students proved to have a positive effect. The Peer Listeners enjoyed speaking with the younger students and were happy to give insight on im-portant topics that will help younger peers follow the right path.

flora TaKes floor

On December 3rd, seniors Adam Ramadan, Cory Brenner, Jake Marshall, James Hatem, Joe Flora and Tyler Murray all competed against one another for the title of Mr. Mor-ris Knolls. Talent overflowed from the stage throughout the night, making it dif-ficult for the judges and audience to choose a favorite. The contes-tants modeled their swimwear first and then spiffed up for the formal attire category. When the boys walked on stage in their formal attire, each had a senior girl of choice on arm. Next, the talent portion of the show proved to be a hit. James Hatem blew the audience away with a comedy act which included spoofs on teacher discipline at Knolls and guidelines for what is necessary to top the senior prank from last year. “We are going to have to kill a person,” he joked. Hatem’s successful act drew uproarious laughter from the audience. Hatem also contributed to the talent por-tion performed by Cory Brenner, Adam Ramadan, and Connor Mariani who all

Emily SchneiderStaff Writer

expressed their emotions through inter-pretive dance to Enrique Igleasias,’ “Es-cape.” “I thought we were very solid. Everything was done flawlessly. Our practices really paid off,” Adam Rama-dan said, “It was performed with preci-sion and accuracy.” The entertainment continued, with everything from hi-larious skits to other humorous perfor-

mances. The final call to the stage was to judge the boys based on their abil-ity to answer interview questions on the spot. Seniors, Connor Mariani and Jeff Wong questioned each of the boys during this session. Each con-testant answered humor-ously. This along with contestants’ emotional re-sponses got the audience roaring with laughter and sighing with heartfelt

emotions. In the end, Cory Brenner came in third place, Adam Ramadan came in second, and the extremely humor-ous and lovable senior, Joe Flora, won 2009’s Mr. Morris Knolls competition. “I wish that we all could have won Mr. Morris Knolls because we all deserved to win. I enjoyed being in the competi-tion with those other guys. They all did a great job!” Joe Flora, Mr. MK says. Be sure to come out to see next year’s seniors battle it out to become the 2010 Mr. MK!

As all students know, hall decorat-ing is done each year before the winter pep rally. It is a time for each class to get creative and competitive. Class themes are decided by class officers in accor-dance with the class color. This year’s themes were: Blue’s Clues created by the freshmen, The Red North Pole from the sophomores, a yellow beehive by the juniors, and How the Grinch Stole Pep Rally by the green team, the seniors. As in previous years, each team is given from 2:30 until 10:00 pm to suc-cessfully complete its hallway. Students may use their class budget on supplies, but often art rooms have most of what is needed. Despite the seven hour time allotment, students often wish they had more time. This year, one of the hallmarks of the hallway was Cory Brenner’s adap-tation of How the Grinch Stole Christ-mas, which included lines such as, “the Grinch had an awful thought. He would steal pep rally and not get caught. The Grinch would take pep rally away with-out a hall pass and place the victory un-der the tree of the senior class.” In the end, the hall decorating was tons of fun. The junior won hall deco-rating, but the seniors came out on top over all and took spirit week for the 2009-10 Winter Season.

decK THe HallsAmy LongfellowStaff Writer

Hall DecoratingPhotos by Brian Cheung

The quillMorris Knolls HigH scHool

50 Knoll Drive ~ rocKaway, nJ ~ 07866-4099 ~ (973) 664-2200Editors-in-ChiEf

Kristi ViscardoJillian Payseur

AdvisorsMs. Maier

Ms. Schreiner

Writing stAffDan DawsonMarla HesselinkCindy JiAmy LongfellowSteven LundellKevin LuoRyan McAdamsMegan NegronJillian PayseurNicholas PortelaDeanna SherryJessica StilesKristi ViscardoCaitlin Woods

thE Quill, issUe 2,vol.28 FebrUary 2010. PUblisHeD FoUr TiMes Per scHool year by scHool PUblicaTions coMPany, 1520 wasHingTon ave. nePTUne, nJ 07753. THis PUblicaTion May noT be reProDUceD in wHole or in ParT wiTHoUT THe exPress wriTTen consenT oF THe eDiTors. all PHoTograPHs, graPHics, anD arTicles are ProPerTy oF The Quill Unless oTHerwise noTeD. The Quill aPologizes For TyPograPHical errors aPPear-ing anywHere wiTHin. THe oPinions anD iDeas exPresseD THroUgHoUT THis PUblicaTion Do noT necessarily reFlecT THose oF THe eDiTors, THe sTaFF, or THe scHool. anyone wisHing To sUbMiT arTicles or leTTers To THe eDiTor May elecTronically Mail sUcH MaTerial To mkquillmail@yahoo.com. all sUbMissions MUsT be signeD, THoUgH THey May be PUblisHeD anonyMoUsly aT THe wriTer’s reqUesT.

Art & PhotogrAPhyTerresa Adams Brian CheungDan Dawson

Sam GarrabrantMarla Hesslink

Amy LongfellowMike Main

Nicholas PortelaEmily Schneider

Kristi ViscardoAJ Zichella

Mr. Morris Knolls, Joe FloraPhoto by Amy Longfellow

KNOLLS NEWS Page 5

Kristi ViscardoStaff Writer

This year, the SGA has taken a new approach for fund-raising. Instead of the usual winter dance, there will be a new event in its place, The Senior Service Auction. Selected seniors will be auctioned off and “sold” to any Mor-ris Knolls student who wishes to purchase them. Seniors will write short biographies about themselves that they will read prior to their bidding. Prices start at $2.00 and bids will go up from there. The winning bidder will sign a con-tract with his senior. Auctioned off seniors will abide by their buyers’ re-quests, accompany them to and from

classes, and join them at lunch time. Although other schools, in-cluding Morris Hills, have conducted the event and found success, there re-mains some speculation in the air. SGA vice president of events, Amy Longfel-low states, “It’s our first year doing it,

and I’m curious to see what happens. I hope we make money.” Some participants include the senior class officers: Jeff Wong, Cory Brenner, Jake Marshall and Connor Mariani, and the SGA: Amy Long-fellow, Christiana Pulice, Deb Hsaio, David Wang and Lara Olechnowicz. The auction will take

place in the auditorium on Feb. 23 at 7 pm, and attendees will be charged a small admission fee. Senior Auc-tion Day will take place on Feb. 25.

n J ’ s p r o b a -TIonary lIcense Is coMIng

It’s almost here Morris Knolls. You can run and hide if you want, but the New Jersey’s Probationary Driv-er’s License is coming. The new mo-tor vehicle laws will go into effect on May 1, 2010 and there will not be any grandfather clauses. The following is a brief break down of the law: • Limits driving time between 11:01 P.M and 5:00 A.M.• The “probationary driver” shall not operate a motor vehicle with-out displaying 2 removable, highly visible reflective decals. The Motor Vehicle Commission is charged with designing and disseminating the decals as well as determining how the decals must be displayed and their cost.

• “Probationary drivers” cannot use cellular phones or any other devic-es. This also includes texting. • A “probationary driver” is al-lowed only 1 passenger, unless there is a parent or guardian in the vehicle - no exceptions.• The fine for violating any of the “probationary driver’s” license re-striction is $100 + costs and fees. No points will be assessed for these of-fenses. • Upon completion of 1 year of driving on a “probationary driver’s” li-cense, the driver must go to the DMV to have the “probationary” title re-moved from his license. If you have any questions re-garding these revisions, please contact SRO Scott Torkos at 973-664-2240 or storkos@denvillepolice.org.

anew fundraIser:aucTIonIng off

sTudenTs

How To be sIngle on valenTIne’s day and love IT

According to MK

Every February 14th Valen-tine’s Day comes along. There are gifts exchanged in every direction and there is over-affection shared between lovers at every corner. Accordingly, it is not difficult for those of us who are single and dateless on this holiday to feel depressed and lonely. However, Valentine’s Day is defined on diction-ary.com as a day to “share tokens of affection to all.” So everyone, single or not, can enjoy this holiday. For all who are single, make this love-fest of a holiday one to remember! Here’s how from the students of MK:

1. Think about how much money you are saving by not having to spend a whole paycheck on something “spe-cial” for someone.

“I hate Valentine’s Day. I spend all my money on candy to make girls feel

good about themselves.” Cory Brenner (senior)

2. Arrange for all of your friends to come over and cook a full course meal for them! Enjoy each other’s company while chowing down on a special meal prepared all by yourself.

Emily SchneiderStaff Writer “On Valentine’s Day, I usually like to

hang out with my friends. They are like my dates.”

Emily Hurley (junior)

3. Spend this holiday with friends and family that truly care about you and love you for who you are. After all, your family is most important and will be there for you forever.

“On Valentine’s Day, I go out to din-ner with my family.”Adam Kong (junior)

4. Call up your single friends and invite them over to avoid being in public when there is a likely chance of running into couples. Order food to your house and rent a good movie (Helpful Tip: not a romantic chick flick).

“On Valentine’s Day, I’ll probably just watch The Hangover with my

friends.” Derek Huston (senior)

5. Don’t think badly of yourself for being single! Enjoy everything that is around you and makes you happy! Re-member that being single is not a bad thing.

“On Valentine’s Day I like to hang with my other single friends because you don’t need a relationship to be

happy.” Sarah Ross (junior)

cHorus concerTDeanna SherryStaff Writer

This year’s annual winter chorus concert was held on Decem-ber 10, 2009. There were 6 differ-ent groups that performed: Treble Choir, Concert Choir, Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, Chorale, and Madrigals. The Men’s Choir sang an arrangement of The Plain White T’s hit song “Hey There Delilah” as the en-tire audience sang along in their seats. The concert choir composed of a group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have choir as an elective sang “I saw

Three Ships”. A group of students acted as the bell choir during their performance. Knolls’ gifted choral group, the Madri-gals, sang Britten’s “Hymn to the Virgin” with extremely talented vocalists: Vicki Meade, Sam Garrabrant, Jamie Engles, and Joe George as the echoing quartet.The quartet stood in the back of the au-ditorium and echoed responses to the larger choir. Ending the concert with tradi-tion, all Morris Knolls alumni were in-vited on stage to sing Handel’s “Hallelu-jah Chorus.” The Winter Concert had a piece to put each audience member in the mood of the season.

Artwork by Mike Main

Officer TorkosSRO

Cop’s

Corner

Officer Scott TorkosPhoto by Ms. Schreiner

Last Matches of the Season

Photo courtesy of www.mass.gov

February 13@ Roxbury, 9:00AM

February 19 & 20Districts @ Hopactong

February 23, 26 & 27Regionals @ Wallkill Valley

March 5, 6 & 7States @ Atlantic City

eagles wIn In oTKevin LuoStaff Writer

Following a few losses, the Eagles’ Varsity Boys Basketball team needed to get back on track in mid-January, and on Jan. 1 4 t h , the Pope John Lions af-forded them that oppor-tunity. Knolls started off strong against Pope John, going up 12-1 early in the game. However, they started getting cold and were only up 4 at the end of the first quarter. The Li-ons kept this momentum going and were up 2 at half-time. The 2nd half of the game remained close. Teams were tied at the end of the third quarter after one of the most exciting plays of the game. Junior Rob Sinegra stole the ball and threw a jump ball pass down the court. Senior Tyler Daniel was able to bring the ball down and throw a quick pass to Junior Bruce Mayo for a buzzer-beating layup. In the 4th quarter, any mis-take could have drastically changed the game. Both teams had long possessions

throughout, and each was able to work its offense well. Knolls had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but was unable to convert. As a result, the game went into overtime. Knolls jumped on top early in the extra period with 2 quick baskets and went on cruise control the rest of over-time. They played a ball control offense, slowing down the pace and forcing Pope John to foul them. The foul line was where Knolls got the most points in the period. Senior Guards Mike Boylan and Tyler Daniel made clutch free throws to put the game away.

The game ended in a 60-57 vic-tory for MK. Knolls had a balanced

scoring attack with four play-ers scoring in the double digits: Boylan, Daniel, Senior Marc DeFeo, and Sophomore Niko Kotoulas. After the game, Niko

explained that the key to the Ea-gles’ victory was that, “Everyone

stepped up and sacrificed for the team. We played with heart. Our senior leaders

stepped up and under-rated players rose to the occasion. Our coach-ing staff along with the

head coach pulled out a victory.” This win brought the Eagles’ record to 4-5. Check out their schedule for upcoming games online at highschoolsports.net.

Knolls bowlIng

Kevin LuoStaff Writer

The Morris Knolls bowling team has had one of the best records at Knolls this season. They’re cur-rently in 3rd place in their group, be-hind only Jefferson and Butler. Cap-tain, senior Ben Fish returned this year from a devastating freak knee injury that ended his junior bowl-ing season. He has helped return the Knolls bowling team to prominence this year. His infamous bowling ball, “The Black Widow” has been his partner in crime the whole way. Earlier in the season, when asked how the team was doing so far, Fish responded, “Both JV and

Varsity have come a long way this season, and we are only at the mid-point. Hopefully, the team contin-ues the success throughout the rest of the season. As long as we contin-ue making improvements, anything is possible for this talented team.” The top Eagle bowler this year has been Sophomore Adam Engelson. He has been a consistent producer who always puts up high scores. Additionally, the entire team is well rounded and has many tal-ented bowlers across the board this year; they are a force to be reckoned with. If this team continues to im-prove, the sky is the limit for the Ea-gle bowlers. Many team members will return next year as well, making future prospects look good for the MK bowling team.

sporTs In THe 2010sRyan McAdamsStaff Writer

Believe it or not, we’re at the end of the decade, and big sports fans, like me, are probably really excited for the upcoming decade in sports. Accordingly, I have complied a list of ten sports predic-tions for the next ten years in sports. Assuming the world doesn’t end in 2012, here are some things sports fans have to look forward to in the next decade:1. LeBron decides to leave Cleveland and test his luck on the free agent mar-

ket making the Browns the best in Cleve-land. “King James” goes to the Knicks, for many reasons: the biggest market, a chance to start a dynasty from scratch, not to mention that the Knicks have a better supporting cast for LeBron than the Cavs. He instantly makes the Knicks a 50 win team and will make a play that will go down in history as the greatest highlight ever. However, he never wins a champi-onship in New York because of his poor supporting cast.

To see the other nine predictions and to comment on this article, go to The Quill’s website: mkquill.

moonfruit.com.

Kevin LuoStaff Writer

Mr. Benz teaches Webpage Design and Multimedia at Morris Knolls. He also coach-es boys and girls tennis. This year, Coach Benz was named Girls Ten-nis Coach of the Year by the Daily Record. The team went 14-7, which was their best record since 1989. Two of Coach Benz’s tennis players were asked about what it’s like to play for him. Sophomore Na-tasha Kazakevich said, “Unlike most coaches, Coach Benz

takes a realistic point of view of the game of tennis. He understands that one can not win every match, but the most important part of the game is to try your hardest and enjoy yourself. Consequently, it is not surprising that his loving and positive attitude

towards the team has en-abled him to receive the impressive coach of the year award.” Senior Jean Lin said, “He’s very dedi-cated and supportive and he’s a fun guy. He makes practices enjoyable. He doesn’t expect us to win every single game, but wants us to try our best. He makes sure we play to our fullest potential.” Congratulations to Mr. Benz, a very deserving

Coach of the Year.

MK Ice HocKeyRyan McAdamsStaff Writer

The Morris Knolls ice hockey team beat Kinnelon in their first game of the season 7 to 3 and didn’t look back. They proceeded to win 13 of 16 with three ties, before losing their first game to Morristown-Beard 4-3. The team also won the Cron Tournament with 33 goals in 3 games. There is no doubt that Morris Knolls has been one of the most dangerous teams this year. As of January 19th, the Eagles were one of only two teams in the MCS-SIHL (Morris County Secondary Schools Ice Hockey League) with seven skaters credited with five or more goals this sea-son, and were ranked number seven in the state according to the Star Ledger’s Top 20 and number 9 overall plus the

number 1 public school on NewJersey-PowerRanking.com. The team also had 12 more goals than any other team in the Mennen Division as of January 25. Top Eagles scorers this year as of February 4th have been Senior captains Brian Manning with 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) and Albert Abaunza with 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists), senior team-mate Nicholas Lieback with 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) Juniors Nick Farina with 20 points (12 goals, 8 assists) and Dillon Garrity with 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists), and Freshman Jack Monahan with 17 points (10 goals, 7 assists). Ad-ditionally, goaltender Tim Kuznetsov has allowed 3 or fewer goals each game, aside from the team’s single loss to Mor-ristown Beard. To see Morris Knolls in action, go to deckbob.com and check out the schedule. Games are played at Mennen Arena, Bridgewater, Aspen or Bayonne.

young eagle spreads HIs wIngs

Amy LongfellowStaff Writer

Freshman, Brian O’Neill was asked to try out for the JV basketball team this year. The Junior Varsity coach, Coach Torkos was in need of a point guard, and Brian was able to im-press him and fill the void. It can be intimidating being on the court with older, more experienced players. However, Brian “Baby” O’Neill, a nickname he was given for being the smallest on the team, knows how to hold his own, averaging about 8 points a game. When asked about the opportunity to play JV, Brian said, “Playing with sophomores and juniors was weird at first ‘cause I was smaller than everyone, but it’s fine now.” O’Neill says his passion for

basketball comes from his father and grandfather, but they aren’t the only proud family members. Sister Brittany comments, “It has truly been an honor to see how his skills have developed over the years and turned him into a great player. He is still becoming a better player by playing with the older kids.” She attends all of “Baby’s” home games joking, “If he doesn’t bring his A-game, I leave.” Brian is now gaining the sup-port of fans. Friend and fan Becky Hedden says, “Sometimes it’s very nerve-wracking to watch him play because I’m scared he won’t be able to match up to the other experienced players, but he always pulls through. I scream at all his games because I’m his #1 fan.” Brian looks to continue his success throughout this season and the rest of his high school career.

Tyler DanielPhoto courtesy of mhrd.k12.nj.us

Mr. Benz, Coach of the YearPhoto by Kevin Luo

congraTs, coacH

OPINION

SPORTSPage 6

Jv news

wInTer worKouT

With the winter season comes the winter weather and after the holidays, some may want to shed a few pounds or simply get more ac-tive! It’s hard to do that when you can’t step outside without a heavy jacket and snow boots. So what are some ways to get active when you’re walking in a winter wonderland? A slightly obvious option for the venue of your winter workout is a gym. There are a lot of gyms located around Knolls that you could easily go to right after school. The prices range from as low as $25 per month, like at Fitness Factory, to as high as $49 per month at the World Gym. However, as most of us know, money is tight. So a lot of stu-dents can’t afford to go to a gym, but have no fear! There are tons of other indoor ac-tivities you can do to get exercise. In-stead of go-ing to a gym that makes you pay for a membership, stop by the weight room at Knolls. To get stronger, lift weights or go to the MK fitness center and do some car-dio work-outs and core exercises us-ing the ex-ercise balls. All you need is a teacher’s supervision! Some people like to workout in the privacy of their own homes, and technology has made that easy for us! If you’re lucky enough to

Marla HesselinkStaff Writer

have a Wii, buy the Wii Fit game ($99.99 at Target). The game in-cludes 15 activities for yoga and/or strength training as well as 9 aerobic and balance activities. You even get a physical trainer! If you don’t have a Wii, there are plenty of workout DVDs that you can use. Some are simply trainers telling you what to do, such as Denise Austin’s DVDs, or there are DVDs that teach you one or more dance routines to work your body in more ways than one, like Petra Kolber’s “Boot Camp Boogie” and the “Five 15 Minutes Workouts for the Busy Teen” video. If you want to leave the house to workout, but don’t want to go to a gym, there are some slight-ly more exciting ways to work out. You can go to a local YMCA and use the indoor swimming pool. Swim-ming is one of the best workouts, be-cause you use almost every muscle

in your body. Not a fan of the wa-ter? Go to a kick-boxing, jazzer-cise, or yoga class! There are weekly classes for jazzercise on Route 46, kick-boxing classes in Randolph’s CKO kickboxing, and yoga classes in Denville’s Prana Yoga Center. The classes are usual-ly less expensive than a gym mem-bership. Some classes even give out “prizes” for going to a certain amount of class-es in a certain amount of time.

So if you’re in need of a

New Year’s resolution, why not make a commitment to getting fit? The weather is no longer an ex-cuse, so get up and get going!

Sagittarius: Nov. 23- Dec. 22

Your family is going to get on your nerves, but you have to be grateful for them. Work things out and then give a general “thank you” to them for being there for you. They will appreciate the attention and you will feel a lot better. After that, your con-fidence level will be at an all-time high so don’t let

anyone put you down, it’s not worth it.

Taurus:April 21- May 21

It’s all about you this month! Think of good ways to relax and pamper yourself. But remember, don’t go overboard. Some down time is good, but don’t let it take away from more important things in life. Alliances are a big thing for you this month, too. It may be with a friend, family member, or whoever, but these relationships are going to be invincible.

Gemini:May 22- June 21

Your friends are really close and intact with you this month. Whatever you enjoy doing most, go for it! They will be there for you and will have good insight on problems you might face too. Count your blessings and be glad for what you have. You are also more re-ceptive to absorbing informa-tion now. So read, study, and get on track!

Cancer:

June 22- July 22Usually you are quiet, but you start feeling the edge and spontaneously receive the urge to be utterly glamorous. So who’s stopping you? Be-cause of your new self, you are taking the role of class socialite. Just don’t make any major deci-sions too quickly and be sure to also pay atten-tion to those around you.

Virgo:Aug. 22- Sept. 23

You are very confident and charming this month and it shows. Be careful though, you’re a bit out of character and you may have trouble finding out exactly how you will react to the events of the month. If things seem out of your control, don’t stress. It will all blow over by the end of the month.

Leo:July 23- Aug. 21

You are starting to realize that you have the power to make your life what you want and how want it. The strength within you is bursting, lion! Take con-trol and try something new. You may find that change is a really good thing. Celebrating is a new hobby too; throw a party! Keep things in check and the month should breeze by without a problem.

Scorpio:Oct. 24- Nov. 22

Making big decisions isn’t going to be a fun thing for you this month, but you are going to have to make them regardless. Calm down, ask a friend, and you will get through it. Your goals are practical and easy to visualize now. Don’t let anything get in the way of them. It’s important to maintain your confidence and persistence so stay focused.

Aries

March 21- April 20 This month, you are still in a great mood from starting the new year, and it’s work-ing out for you. Your energy levels are soaring and they help you achieve amazing things. As an added bonus, the planets align in your fa-vor bringing some overal luck your way the last few

days of the month..

Capricorn:Dec. 23- Jan. 20

Suddenly, you feel in the mood to work on everything to your fullest potential, and it’s work-ing out. Keep going with the flow, it will be better for you in the long run. Why not call up an old friend? You may find that you enjoy hearing his voice. Plus, that’s just one more

person that will listen when you need it most.. Remember your wildest dreams and go for them.

Aquarius:Jan. 21- Feb. 19

Relationships are the main focus for you this month. Sometimes things go wrong between family and friends, and you can’t help that. Come to an agreement and after some serious thinking, you will need to take some time for yourself. It will all get better. So don’t go crazy and remember to be

patient.Pisces:

Feb. 20- March 20It’s all about your inner chi now. Work on exercising and eating healthy without giving up on the things you like best. Match your favor-ite yogurt with fruit instead candy mix-ins. It will be the best choice you make, don’t doubt it. Stay clear of drama and you will be less stressed. It will add up nicely with the workout and good food choices you’re making.

Libra:Sept. 24- Oct. 23

You are very confident and charming this month and it shows. Be care-

ful though, you’re a bit out of character and you may have trouble finding out exactly how you will react to the events of the month. If things seem out of your control, don’t stress. It will all blow over by the end of the month.

February Horoscopes

Megan Negron, Jessica Stiles, & Marla HesselinkStaff Writers

are we ouTgrowIng facebooK?Marla HesselinkStaff Writer

In middle school, the world revolved around MySpace. Our picture pages were filled with pho-toshopped pictures of us wearing peace signs, puckered lips, and over-sized sunglasses. We had in-depth about me’s, thousands of com-ments, colorful backgrounds, and listed every movie we’d ever seen in our “favorite movies” section.

As we moved onto high school, or at least 8th grade, we grew up a little and began us-ing the famous Face-book that we all hear about so much while MySpace struggled to keep up with the times. Admittedly, the Face-book crowd is slightly more mature than the MySpace crowd. We’ve stopped commenting on every sin-gle thing we see (well, some of us),

stopped posting a survey every 20 minutes, and even started to smile

in our pictures (so much for teen angst). It’s been a few years now and unrest has begun. Face-bookers are getting rest-less and annoyed. For some, Facebook is sim-ply the website they go on to play Farmville and Café World while

for others, Facebook is the web-site that endlessly sends invita-

tions to start playing Farmville and Café World. It seems that everyday there’s a new useless group stat-ing that the members “restart the song when [they] miss [their] favorite part” and “hated naptime in preschool.” As time goes by, Facebook is becoming less of a social networking website and more of a mindless gaming site. Is Facebook getting old? Will it wither away and be made fun of like MySpace did not so long ago? If so, what’s next?

MIND & BODY Page 7

Image courtesy of best-free-workout-plans.com

How to beat the fitness blues when it’s below zero

GAME PAGEPage 8

A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

Which watch did which witch wear and which witch wore which watch?

If one doctor doctors another doctor does the doctor who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does the doctor doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors? baboon bamboo, baboon bamboo, baboon bamboo, baboon bamboo, baboon bamboo, baboon bamboo......

A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

BADwolf

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2 3

1

Riddles!

1.) What can you catch but not throw?2.) Who has married many women but never married?3.) What goes around the world but stays in the corner?4.) What can you serve but can’t eat?5.) What answer can you never say “yes” to?

sUDoKUAnswers to Rebus Puzzles:

1) Optical Illusion2) Just in Time3) Big, Bad Wolf4) Big Fish in Little Pond5) No One Understands6) Hannah Montana7) Too Funny for Words

Answers: A cold. A priest. An envelope stamp. A tennis ball. “Are you asleep?”