the B E A C O NVolume 65, No. 3December 2016

W-H to celebrate holiday season with winter concertBy Sanjna Patel ‘19

The Upper School Concert Band rehearses for the WinterConcert.

As the weather starts to turn colder and 2016 draws to a close, The Wardlaw-Hartridge School puts on its annual Upper School Winter Concert. This year’s concert will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2016 in the All Purpose Room at 7:30 p.m. With Mrs. Sharon Byrne directing the Choir and MadJazz groups and Mr. Rick Fontaine conducting the Concert and Jazz Bands, there will be a myriad of pieces performed. For this concert, the Choir will be performing four songs. One, an African song named Ose Ayo, will be accompanied by percussionist Katie Lin ’17 playing a type of drum called the Djembe. Adding to the multicultural theme, the choir will also sing a traditional Hanukkah

piece in Hebrew named Mi Yemalel. The last two songs performed will be Believe from the Polar Express and Winter, Fire, and Snow by Órla Fallon. The MadJazz group will be singing Psallite, a very old Latin church song and God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday, a jazz arrangement. “They’ve been

singing the heck out of them and they both sound great,” Mrs. Byrne said. In addition, the Concert band will be playing three pieces that night: Blue Ridge Rhapsody, a lyrical piece named Air for Band, and More Cowbell, a compilation of four rock pieces featuring the cowbell. Mr. Fontaine said that there will be a special guest for

More Cowbell. However, it will remain a surprise until the night of the concert. The Jazz Band will be performing Bad Attitude by Michael Sweeney and Angel by Wes Montgomery. There will also be a fifth group, the Sax Quartets, who will be playing a Johannn Bach composition named Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and a jazz version of God Rest Ye Very Gentlemen. “The students have worked hard all trimester. I’m very excited for them to present themselves to the W-H community,” Mr. Fontaine said. The concert will conclude with the Choir and the Concert Band performing the Hallelujah Chorus together and will be a fun sing-along open to the entire audience.

Post-election gathering helps W-H community come togetherBy Anuva Goel ‘17 On the morning of Wednesday, November 9, 2016, students and faculty at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School walked in to a solemn atmosphere. The 2016 United States Presidential election results had left many with looks of worry, others shedding tears, some feeling awkward. “Our AP Literature class met 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, and I could tell by their looks and body language, some things

were on the students’ minds. Things were on my mind as well. We needed to talk about the election results,” Mr. Richard Fulco, Upper School English teacher, said. The discussion in the AP Lit class brought the entire class together, inspiring Mr. Fulco to collaborate with Dr. Bob Bowman, Upper School Head, to coordinate a school-wide gathering for the community to process the election. Mrs. Stephanie Cohen, Upper School English teacher, also assisted in

the efforts to organize the gathering. “It was important because I had many faculty members and students on Wednesday and on Thursday asking for an opportunity to get together and share their feelings in a safe, respectful space,” Dr. Bowman said. “I think there’s a real power in adults and students coming together in a community and sharing their views about something.” The gathering was scheduled to be held in Mr.

Fulco’s room during the 35-minute Upper School lunch period on Friday, November 11. Instead, such an overwhelming number of students and faculty showed up that the gathering was moved to the Oakwood Room and lasted for three hours until the end of the school day at 3:15 p.m. Open to all viewpoints, the gathering was designed to be a place

See Post-election gathering,continued on Page 4

In Memory of Ms. Allyson SchieveBy Neha Shukla ‘17 and Ellena Son ‘17

On Nov. 16, 2016, The Wardlaw-Hartridge School community lost an integral member of its family. Ms. Allyson Schieve, loved by many, held various positions both inside and outside of W-H. She was a daughter, a wife, a teacher, a colleague, a mentor, a corgi lover, but mostly, a friend.

Without her, many of our rigorous programs, such as Capstone and the Global Scholars Program, and diverse clubs like the Gay Straight Alliance, would not have been possible. Students looked up to her, not only as a teacher, but also as a mentor. Many remember her

wide smile in the hallways, and her constant enthusiastic and encouraging energy. Ms. Schieve’s door was always open. Whether academic or personal, she was willing to help with any problem.

“As I sit through yet another dull lecture, I reflect on what a rare privilege it was to have a teacher like Ms. Schieve. She brought life and passion to everything

she taught. She was also a phenomenal role model, mentor, and friend. Any time I felt lost or unsure of myself, she was there to make me laugh and feel welcomed. She had this effect on everyone around her,” Jack Schildge ’15 said.

Also involved in W-H athletics, Ms. Schieve was a softball, swimming, and cross country coach, known to be encouraging of the athletes.

“Ms. Schieve convinced me to play softball even after I told her I had no idea how to play. I started that whole season, running to first base to get a high five from her to know I did well. She taught me to try new things and to just love life,”

Allie Haley ’17 said.Similarly, in writing

lab, Ms. Schieve taught her students to dig deeper in the essay writing process and find their voices. In all of her classes, the “comfort zone” was unacceptable, as she always pushed her students to challenge themselves. Ms. Schieve was also crucial in the college application process, as she passionately met with students regarding their personal essays.

Ms. Schieve was a beloved member of the W-H family who will be greatly missed. Though she will no longer grace our halls with her bright smile and outgoing personality, she will always hold a place in all our hearts.

RememberingMs. Schieve“The word charisma

comes to mind when I think of Ms. Schieve. It is a rare person who possesses the charm and appeal she had. She made people around her, both students and staff, feel good and optimistic. It goes without saying that she has left a significant void in the W-H community.” ~ Dr. Debbie Clifford

“If I had to use one word to describe Ms. Schieve, it might be vital, which is one reason it is so hard to believe she is no longer here. She was my friend for eight years, and I will never stop admiring her intelligence, her great humor, and her empathy. She was truly excited by life’s possibilities; she saw them as endless and faced them fearlessly. Ms. Schieve had real charisma. She taught me how important it is to be fully present in the moment, although she had far too few moments herself. I will never forget her.” ~ Mr. James O’Halloran

“Sometimes an individual will come into our life for a brief time, but they make a tremendous impact on us. That was the case with Ally Schieve. She was a young, dynamic teacher. I had the pleasure of working with Ally for seven years. In addition, I had the great honor to have her as a teacher for my son. Seeing Ally through the lens of a colleague and parent made me a better teacher. She was loved, and she will be missed.” ~ Mrs. Christine Cerminaro

“Ally was more than one description, one example, one memory. Ally was family. She encapsulated the very best of what friendship had to offer. She was not just a colleague, a teacher, an advisor, or a coach. She was so much more to so many.

I met Ally in the spring of 2012, and from that moment on our friendship was kismet. Ally came up to me and introduced herself. Her tote bag read, ‘Eat cake for breakfast;’ she later gave me that tote bag because saying ‘if girlfriends traded, soul friends gifted, just because.’ She said, ‘Hi, don’t worry I was the newbie a few years back. We’re going to be best friends.’ Looking back it’s the kind of greeting you receive when you are 5 years old and waiting to be approached on the playground. As a child you stand there, hoping to be noticed, anticipating inclusion. And, at the first sign of acknowledgement you breathe a sigh of relief for that olive branch handed to you. You were my olive branch Ally. You will forever be missed.” ~ Mrs. Julie Hamilton

“Ally Schieve was the person everyone wished they worked with. She was always willing and able to help you out in any way possible. Whenever she saw something that needed to be done she would do it without waiting to be asked and would offer her help whenever possible. Her smile and sense of humor always brightened your day!” ~ Mrs. Debbie Ruzanski

“Ally was like no one else I’ve ever known. She made you feel alive. She made you laugh. She made you feel tended to. We “clicked” early on in my first months teaching at Wardlaw-Hartridge. I was so happy to know she was my colleague, and that we were in the same department. I did not know Ms. Schieve before her cancer diagnosis. She was a gorgeous composite of all of these remarkable qualities in one person. She made you feel grateful she was your friend.” ~ Mrs. Stephanie Cohen

“You hugged me when I had tears in my eyes because I didn’t get into Columbia. I remember walking into the new library two years ago and you were correcting papers, per usual. As soon as you saw me, you jumped up and hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. You said: ‘Honey, email me for lunch, we must catch up!’ I will always cherish that moment. Rest easy Ms. Schieve, and I will continue to be the fighter and strong woman you always wanted me to be.” ~ Brianna Gutiérrez ‘13

“I’ve always loved writing, but it was Ms. Schieve who taught me how to write well. She was amazing and hysterical, and she and I would talk often about school and life. She was one of my favorite teachers at Wardlaw-Hartridge and I can’t imagine visiting W-H and her not being there, it won’t be the same.” ~ Caroline McNamara ’14

“I can’t help but smile recalling how Ms. Schieve would always give the best constructive criticism, telling me what was bad, needed to be rewritten, and what she couldn’t understand. She pushed her students to emphasize and foster their unique voices so that they would shine within anything they wrote.” ~ Roshun Menon ‘15

“Having the opportunity to work with Ms. Schieve really helped me grow as a student and an individual by encouraging me to question existing ideas and constantly working to increase my awareness, both of myself and the world around me.” ~ Julian Hernandez-Webster ‘15

“They say a person becomes immortal through the memories they leave behind. Our advisory meetings, our conversation about superheroes during my Capstone proposal, reviewing my senior speech with her - these are the memories of her I will never forget.” ~ Jay Raval ‘15

“Ms. Schieve helped Ian and I start W-H’s biggest GSA, she helped me through my coming out, she read my college essay, she wrote my recommendation, she was always there, even when she had a million things to do, and now she’s not there at all. It was such an experience to be her friend and have her in my life.” ~ Dana Afflu ‘16See Remembering Ms. Schieve,continued on Page 3

SPORTSW-H swim team poised for success despite small rosterBy Soorya Srinivas ‘18

Coming off a strong year, the Wardlaw-Hartridge swim team looks poised for another solid season. Despite the loss off a talented and deep senior class, the team will have a strong combination of experience and ability that will lead to a successful season.

“We lost so many talented swimmers but I think we still retained a lot of talent plus we’re adding a lot of strong newcomers,” captain Sidney Daniel ’17 said.

Daniel leads a strong group of returning swimmers that also includes Jimmy Huang ‘17, Brennan Wright ‘17, Suraj Chandran ’18, Jason Yin’18 and Kelly Lawrence ’19. They will combine with a group of

promising newcomers, highlighted by Zach Brown ‘20 and Logan D’Amore ‘20, to give W-H a core to help last through the season.

“These new swimmers will really make us competitive next year and the fact they contribute so much as freshmen says a lot about the future of this

team,” senior Andrea Tobar ‘17 said about the strong freshman class.

The 2016-17 season will prove to be an interesting one for the swim team, due to its small size. The team has one of its smallest turnouts in recent years due to the large graduation class and will see many swimmers participating

in multiple events in each meet in order to make up for the lack of numbers. Nevertheless, they already look strong out of the gate. The Rams performed well at the annual six-team Relay Carnival and won their first meet against Woodbridge.

“Although our team this year is relatively small, we have a lot of good swimmers, so I think we can still be competitive.” Chandran said.

The swim team clearly faced a hurdle coming into the season, but with more experience in the returning swimmers and a group of freshmen already putting up results, the team is once again formidable and in contention to win the division.

W-H boys’ basketball looks to make a strong runThe Wardlaw-

Hartridge School varsity boys’ basketball program is looking forward to another season this winter with high hopes. The W-H boys’ basketball program is in its fourth year under varsity head coach Eugene Maxwell and has very high expectations.

“The boys have been working hard on their own and it shows. As long as they play smart and for the team we will go far. Everyone

By Isaiah Singh ‘19 needs to step up this season and fill their role and we will win games, no doubt about it,” Coach Maxwell said.

The team is coming off a season in which it went 9-17 overall but made a very strong run in the division. The team has a roster that is similar to that of last year, having only three senior varsity players graduate. Returning is captain Scott Hargrove’17, Amaan Bhojani ‘17, Raphael Genty’17, Jordan Rose ‘17 and Ryan Petela’19. The team also

adds Shalon Wallace’18 and Ayush Menon ‘19, both of whom transferred in this year. The Rams combine youth with experience and hopes that blend with push them over the line.

“My goal for this season is to bring home the division. As we all get better we play better and the team performs better. We need to step up and improve on last year to succeed now,” Hargrove said.

The W-H boys will try to combine some old

and some new in order to reach their goal of winning the division and also try and make some noise in postseason also. They also hope to qualify for the tough state tournament, which has not been done since Maxwell arrived.

“I can’t wait for the season to start. I hope everyone stays healthy and works hard on and off the court. I just can’t wait for the first tip-off, because we are going to put on a show,” Rose said.

W-H swimmers warm up before a recent practice session.

“What I remember about Ms. Schieve was her commitment to every student. She never would pick the students that she thought were the smartest, but rather she would see the potential in everyone and try to tap into that and find a way for each person to enjoy learning.” ~ Carlin Schildge ‘17

Remembering Ms. Schieve,continued from Page 2

“She always made me feel like my voice was heard and appreciated.” ~ Neha Chhabra ‘17

“Mrs. Schieve reminded me that I’m so much more than the number and the grades that I receive. She reminded me that high school is about experiences, friendships, and open doors. I thank Ms. Schieve greatly for that.” ~ Brittney Wilson ‘18

“I had the opportunity to see Ms. Schieve outside the classroom. She was my swim coach and also taught me SAT material. Always her bubbly and enthusiastic self, she gave us energy when we were tired and hope when we were lost. Ms. Schieve will forever and always be in my heart, her energy and radiance guiding the way.” ~ Tiffany Le ’18

“I only had Modern World History with Ms. Schieve for a couple months, but the moment I sat down in her class, I knew she was such a beautiful person, inside and out. She always had a smile on her face, was always positive about everything, and honestly brought the W-H community closer.” ~ Sanjana Nalla ’18

The Beacon • Volume 65, No. 3

Published by the students of:

The Wardlaw-Hartridge School1295 Inman AvenueEdison, NJ 08820

Editor-in-ChiefAnuva Goel ‘17

Assistant EditorsNeha Shukla ‘17

Soorya Srinivas ‘18

Sports EditorAndrew Park ‘17

Faculty AdvisorMr. Rudy Brandl ‘83

Staff Writers

Zishan Sajid ‘17Ellena Son ‘17

Sanjana Nalla ‘18Sanjna Patel ‘19

Laura Prishtina ‘19Isaiah Singh ‘19

The Beacon serves as a student voice for those in all divisions. The paper strives to give a full account of current events and problems facing The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in a truth-ful, comprehensive manner. The paper also serves as a me-dium through which all members of the school community can voice their opinions about issues through “Letters to the Editor.”

The Beacon reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity and to reject letters. Opinions expressed in letters and signed opinion writing are only those of the writer.

All letters should be sent via e-mail to beacon@whschool.org

W-H girls aim to prove themselves in new divisionBy Andrew Park ‘17

After a rough season last year, The Wardlaw-Hartridge School girls’ basketball team looks to prove itself in new surroundings. The team will be playing in the GMC Gold Division this season rather than playing in the Blue Division, which they have done the last four seasons. With the change, the team is extremely optimistic about its chances.

“We don’t really look at the change in who we play, because I’m more concerned about how we play,” team captain Allison Haley ’17

said. “If we just tighten up, I know we can compete with all of these teams.”

Haley and Priya Golding ’18 will look to be the leaders, since they are two of the top returning players from last year’s team and both have multiple years of experience as varsity starters. Vicky Cui ’17, Audrey Cheng ’18 and Audrey Vu ’18 also return to the team from last year. The new players include Hazel Yu ’17, Kristyn Smith ’20 and Silvia Xia ’20.

“All we can do is work hard and put our best effort,” Golding said. “We

might face hardships, but if we don’t push through, we definitely won’t get better.”

The team is looking to come in and wreck havoc in its new division. Although the Rams endured a rough season in the GMC Blue Division last year, the returning players hope that the experience of playing against stronger competition will now help them grow into this year.

“All the returning players have gained a lot playing really strong competition and I think that it’s all going to come together and help us a lot,” Haley said.

where supporters of Donald Trump could feel comfortable speaking up among supporters of Hillary Clinton, and people of contradictory beliefs could share their concerns, talk to each other, and begin to empathize. “The gathering made people feel that their opinions mattered, that people could get these things off their chest,” Jordan Rose ’17, an active participant in the discussion, said.

Upper School to engage in meaningful discussion in a supportive and understanding environment. “When the gathering was over, there was more lightness and optimism, or at least some of the heaviness had been lifted. There was a difference in student’s and faculty members’ countenance,” Mr. Fulco said. In fact, through enabling conversation on such a divisive topic, the gathering helped bring the members of the W-H family

On the other hand, John (JJ) Stueck ‘19 came to the gathering and did not feel comfortable enough to express his feelings about the election results. Yet, he still believed that holding the gathering was a good idea. “The meeting seemed to be a good idea because people, understandably, were having trouble coming to terms with the recent results of the election,” Stueck said. Overall, the gathering encouraged students and faculty from across the entire

closer together. “It showed me how we can be a part of a community even though we are not seeing things the same way,” Mrs. Cohen said. “We were living our core values, supporting the others in the group.” The gathering also served as a stepping-stone for future handling of such controversial topics. These informal gatherings will now continue to be held periodically throughout the year.

Post-election gathering,continued from Page 1

Audrey Cheng ‘18 gets ready for basketball practice.