March 2013 issue

Announcements:

The Culinary Arts classes will be hosting a St. Patrick's Day Party at the Civic Center on On February 1, 2013, the American Friday, March 15th. Heart Association celebrated its tenth annual “National Wear Red Day.” Ever since 2003, the Everyone is invited to renowned organization has been successful in come see the WRHS promoting heart health and assisting its followers On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, New performance of “Legally in overcoming obstacles. Prior to the movement, Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum Blonde” on March 22, cardiovascular disease had taken the lives of evaluated the Wood-Ridge School District. The 23, and 24. approximately 500,000 American women each organization, commonly abbreviated NJQSAC, year, yet nobody was paying attention. assesses the thoroughness and efficiency of all The Culinary Arts Surprisingly, the majority of the female public schools in the state every three years. In classes will be taking a population regarded it as an “older man's total, four classroom walk-throughs regarding field trip to the Culinary disease.” In order to falsify these claims of heart academic areas, a special education walk-through, Institute of America in disease as the primary killer of women, the and a walk-through for facilities took place. A Hyde Park, New York on American Heart Association along with the plethora of positive comments was given to March 28. They will National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Wood-Ridge High School administration at the take a tour of the College engendered “National Wear Red Day” to promote conclusion of the day. NJQSAC was especially and then enjoy a awareness. Consequently, this special event is impressed on an instructional level and truly delicious lunch in the recognized n the first of every February, as men admired lesson plan templates, the cohort growth Italian restaurant, and women unite, adorned in symbolic red rate for HSPA, and the annual research paper Caterina de Medici. garments. Both teachers and staff of the Wood- assigned by teachers. They also praised the Ridge School District collected donations and curriculum mapper, successful AHSA appeals, participated in a dress down day. Mr. Tony Albro pupil participation rubrics, and the modifications led this charitable event and Wood-Ridge High made for special needs students. Dr. DeNobile School, Gretta Ostrovsky Middle School, and would like both staff and students to know that

Catherine E. Doyle Elementary School raised she is extraordinarily proud of the commendatory

total of five hundred dollars! Funds were feedback and studious reputation that Wood- gathered in order to boost awareness of Women's Ridge High School continues to display! Heart Disease and celebrate the continuing success of National Wear Red Day. -Priscilla Bauer http://goredforwomen.org/wearredday/

-Priscilla Bauer

On Thursday, February 7th, Chief Scott Russo of the Wood-Ridge Fire Department visited Mr. Sanfiz's first period forensics class. The class had just finished a unit about fire investigations and this visit was an ideal way to culminate the lesson. Fire Chief Russo spoke about previous investigations that he had conducted. He informed the class about his time investigating prison fires and explained how the prisoners would attempt and in some cases successfully set fires in their cells. It was Chief Russo's job to investigate these fires and determine their origins. Along with fire investigations, Chief Russo taught the class standard fire safety procedures. Wood-Ridge High School would like to thank Chief Russo for attending the class and opening a new educational pathway for the students in forensics. *To learn more information about fire safety and the Wood-Ridge Fire Department, visit http://www.wrfd.org. -Marguerite Ammerman

The debate team is having another successful year! The debate team is comprised of a junior varsity and varsity team and currently has ten members. This year, students are debating whether the federal government should substantially increase infrastructure investments in the United States. The debate team has already competed in all seven of their season-scheduled debates hosted at various high schools in Bergen County. At the Wood-Ridge High School debate, Trixie Salvador was awarded “Most Valuable Judge.” Those on varsity are looking forward to the Varsity Championship debate on March 12th at Becton Regional, in which their strongest team and three judges will participate. The debate team is always open to new members and welcomes both experts and beginners. Best of luck to the debate team at the Varsity Championship! -Victoria Ruhle

Michelle Potocki, Gina Gonzalez, and Anais Peralta

How did all of you meet? We met through high school and became good friends throughout the years.

What will you miss the most about high school? We will all miss seeing each other every day and seeing our favorite teachers.

Who were your favorite teachers? We all consider Mr. Ben-Nun and Mr. Maniscalco our favorite teachers.

Where will you most likely be attending college? What major? Michelle will be attending Ramapo College for Biochemistry. Gina will be attending Ramapo College for Business. Anais will be attending John Jay College for Criminal Justice.

What career paths do you plan to pursue? Michelle plans to either become a physical therapist or a veterinarian. Gina plans to go into marketing and business. Anais plans to become a detective.

-Victoria Ruhle

Is It the Day of Love?

Just like every other year, February 14th is the day of love, family, and friendship. The stores are filled with different chocolates, candies, and sweets, teddy bears holding hearts with “I Love You” or “Be Mine” written on it, and balloons that are in the shape of hearts. Red, pink, and white is seen everywhere as decorations for the holiday are put up in classrooms, in stores, and on houses. But what makes this day so special? So many people will answer in different ways. Some will say that the love that they feel that day makes it all the more special. Some people say that there is just something about coming home to a box of chocolates bought by your dad, reminding you that you’ll always be his little princess, makes the holiday all the more unique. But some people will laugh at you and tell you how the “red holiday” holds no importance and reflects badly on those who don’t have “Valentines”, hate chocolate, and think that the “Hallmark” day is a waste of time. But why be so bitter? Many people believe that Valentine’s day is the cause of why the phrase “I Love You” has been holding less and less value through the years. That’s one of the many reasons why people no longer are relating to Valentine’s Day. Why else are people hating on this day of love? So many people have tossed love right out the window as soon as they get their hearts broken, and this happens to a lot of young people, especially teenagers. Their first shot at love fails, and that automatically ruins the rest of their love life. People should start looking at the positive side to this loving holiday. It’s a time of year when there is a happy atmosphere, people feel appreciated, and most importantly, loved. Showing appreciation for the people you love is such a kind and considerate gesture that should be done much more than once. However, there’s something about everyone sharing love and kindness all over the world on one particular day that makes Valentine’s Day so special. -Cassie Kriegel

Black History Month is observed in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the United States and Canada, it is celebrated throughout the month of February. In the United Kingdom it is celebrated in October. The purpose of Black History Month is to remember all the significant events and heroes throughout African-American history. Black History Month was created 1926 and was first celebrated as "Negro History Week." This week marked the birthday of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, it was expanded to Black History Month. During Black History Month, teachers try to bring the celebration into the classroom. Some history teachers have lessons about the history of African-Americans in the United States. While English teachers have students read African-American literature. This celebration helps everyone to remember the importance of African American History. -Heather Nolting http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about.html

Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. According to legend, if the groundhog does not see his shadow when he emerges from his burrow, spring will come early. If the groundhog does see his shadow, it will retreat to its burrow and there will be six more weeks of winter. This celebration started as a German custom in Southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th century. Since then, it has become a modern custom to celebrate this holiday with morning festivals to watch the groundhog emerge from its burrow. The largest and most well known groundhog day celebration takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This year in Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow and did not see his shadow, which predicted an early spring. Start planning your trips to the beach because spring will come early this year. http://www.groundhog.org/ -Heather Nolting

Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday," is the final day before the season of Lent that begins on Ash Wednesday. While Mardi Gras has no official status in the Catholic Church, it is a custom in many Catholic countries to celebrate the day with lavish parties and feasting. The American city most famous for its Mardi Gras festivities is New Orleans, Louisiana. Parades, masquerade balls, and Mardi Gras parties are traditional events that take place during the Mardi Gras season. The official colors of the holiday are purple, symbolizing justice, green, symbolizing faith, and gold, symbolizing wealth. These colors are said to have been chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff of Russia during a visit to New Orleans in 1872. Beaded necklaces in these colors are thrown off floats during parades to crowds flooding Bourbon Street, a well known parade route in New Orleans. A typical dessert eaten during Mardi Gras is, "King Cake." The delicious, rounded- doughnut style cake is made of sweet Danish dough. The shape of the cake is symbolic of the crowns of the Three Wise Men of The Bible. A plastic trinket of a baby is baked into the cake, symbolizing the baby Jesus. In New Orleans, when the cake is served, whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake is obligated to purchase the cake for the following year. In other cultures, if your slice has the baby in it, this means you will be the next one in the family to become pregnant, but more often finding the baby means you will have good luck. Who would have thought that a cake could have so much history! Mardi Gras is an upbeat, celebratory holiday that should be celebrated nationwide, rather than mainly in Louisiana. This way, the whole nation could take part in the awesome madness that is the Mardi Gras season! *Information derived from About.com and mardigras.com -Laurel Dragonetti

-Dipal Patel

On Sunday, February 3rd Super Bowl XLVII was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The game was between the AFC, American Football Conference, champions the Baltimore Ravens and NFC, National Football Conference, champions the San Francisco 49ers. The game started off like any other football game, but it was definitely not normal. The game presented a sibling rivalry between the Harbaugh brothers, head coach of the Ravens John Harbaugh and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. It began with a blowout ending the first half Ravens 21, 49ers 6. Some crazy events occurred and topping the list would be the power outage. During the third quarter, a power outage occurred due to equipment failure. This caused a thirty four minute game delay. This delay was said to greatly affect the 49ers’ second half performance. Due to the long break and time to rest, they made a strong comeback ending the third quarter Ravens 28, 49ers 23. Also, Jacoby Jones of the Baltimore Ravens broke a Super Bowl record by scoring a 109 yard kick return touchdown. The game ended with a score of Ravens 34 and 49ers 31, making the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XLVII champions. -Amanda Romero

What Were Your Plans for Valentine's This month, we asked the student body what their plans Day? were for Valentine's Day. A majority of the students didn't have any special plans; however, many students spent the day with Spent it with a boyfriend of their special someone! girlfriend -Erin Lang Spent it with family

Spent it with friends

I didn’t have any plans

On Saturday, February 2nd the competitive cheerleading team attended “The 10th Annual Bears Invitational Competition” held at David Brearley High School in Kenilworth, . The team was in a large division with six teams and had a tough day. The routine had some mishaps and mistakes, causing the team to place 6th.The weekend of February 9th the team was supposed to attend the St. Anne’s competition at , but the competition was postponed due to snowstorm Nemo. On Saturday, February 16th the team attended the “Just Cheer” competition held at Clifton High School. The girls competed against two teams. They hit a beautiful routine and won first place. The next day, Sunday, February 17th, the girls competed again at the St. Anne’s competition that was postponed from the previous weekend. This was held at Fair Lawn High School. The girls performed a strong routine, winning 1st place and Grand Champion. Congratulations girls! -Amanda Romero

In early February, the Blue Devils bowling team finished its season with a record of 5-8. The team worked hard all season long and was led by senior Domenico Leuci. Returning players and next year's seniors include Josh Skorupski, Mario Tartaglione, Ryan Macri, and Katie Fontana. They look forward to having a strong team next year along with other players Steven Lagriola, Danielle O'Byrne, Danielle Nylander, Kimberly Emmanuele, and Nick Rozas. The team made it to the first round of the State Sections, which unfortunately ended their season. On a positive note, they are already looking forward to next season and are very excited. -Marguerite Ammerman

The Wood-Ridge/Hasbrouck Heights High School wrestling team finished off the month of January with four strong matches. On the 24th of January the team defeated Hackettstown by a score of 49-20. On the 26th, they went up against Central Regional and Ocean Township. They won the first match against Central Regional 51-24, but the team lost the second match against Ocean Township 21-46. Adrian Lopez defeated his opponent by a sudden victory of 9-7. On January 26th, the Wood-Ridge/Hasbrouck Heights team defeated Manchester 50-30. The last match of January was on the 30th against . The Wood-Ridge/Hasbrouck Heights wrestling team brought home a 71-12 victory. The next two matches were on February 1st and February 7th against Garfield High School and St. Mary's High School. Both matches were tied with a score of 0. Frankie Altamura was one of the players that won against his opponent from Garfield High School. On the 13th of February, the wrestling team faced Union City and won, 46-34. The next match was on February 16th against Old Tappan High School. Unfortunately, the wrestling team was defeated by a final score of 28-43. The Wood-Ridge/Hasbrouck Heights wrestling team finished off the month of January with outstanding scores and continues to excel throughout February. . -Jenny Jones

The Wood-Ridge High School boys' basketball team started off the month of February against Ridgefield Park on the 2nd. They were defeated by a close score of 70- 62. The next game was on February 5th against Becton High School. The Wood-Ridge Blue Devils won by a score of 75-59. On February 7th, the team defeated North Arlington, 84-76. The following game was on the 11th against Garfield. The Wood- Ridge boys' basketball team beat Garfield, 97-91. Congratulations to Michael Gibney for scoring his 2,000th point at this game. The following day, the team won against Hasbrouck Heights High School by a score of 71-63. CJ Madalena contributed 18 points to the game. The team continued its winning streak when they played Saddle Brook on February 14th. The final score was 88-56. They next day, the boys faced Pascack Hills and unfortunately were defeated by a score of 83-75. On February 19th, the team got back to its winning streak when they played Wallington High School at the last home game. At this game, Gary Whritenour scored the most out of his team by scoring 44 points. The final score was 96-51. The Blue Devils played Weehawken on the 21st and won, 93-69. Michael Gibney scored 39 points at this game. The Wood-Ridge High School boys' basketball team has been doing extremely well throughout the season and is sure to keep it up as they start playoffs. -Jenny Jones

The Wood-Ridge girls’ basketball team continued its season with a game on January 29, at St. Mary’s High School where the tight score of the game, 42-44, resulted in a Wood-Ridge loss. On January 31, the girls suffered another unfortunate loss against Cresskill with a final score of 44-13. On their first game of February, the team triumphed as they won against Emerson with a final score of 40-26. Sophomore player, Karina Tayaba, had one of her best games yet as the girls earned another win against Becton on February 5th by a score of 42-39. Their game on February 7th was a huge success, as the Wood-Ridge Blue Devils scored another victory against North Arlington, 45-34. The girls’ home game on February 14th ended in a close game with a win against Saddle Brook, 34-30. On the 15th, the girls lost to Queen of Peace, resulting in another very close 40-38 game. On the 19th, the team played against Wallington and lost, 22-58; however, Alisa Giordano and Camryn Barteck were two key players who played a strong game. The girls had an impressive season this year, with many close games ending in victories. Good luck in the upcoming state games! -Cassie Kriegel

The Wood-Ridge High School track team has been exceeding greatly in their achievements. On Tuesday, February 5th they went to State Sectionals at the Bennett Center. Alley Cox took 6th place in the hurdles, Kofi Addo took 5th place in the high jump, and Akua Addo took 3rd place in shot put. Thursday, February 7th they went to an invitational meet from Ed Church at FDU. Anthony Latoracca took 5th place in the 55 meter hurdles. On Wednesday, February 13th they had their last meet of the season at Garfield High School. Again, Kofi Addo took 5th placed for the high jump. A few athletes attended the Garfield Classics on Wednesday, February 20th and Kofi Addo took 2nd place this time for the high jump. Although winter track is over, spring track is approaching. The track athletes are prepared for a season outdoors to achieve higher goals. -Erica Azor