RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper CHANGES, CHANGES, CHANGES! BLOCK SCHEDULE POLL BY: LAUREN CHRIST BY: LAUREN CHRIST Over the summer, Raritan High School has The Rocket Review wants to hear from you! made significant changes! This year we transitioned We will be making monthly polls to really under- into a block schedule which changed our usual 10 stand how you, our readers, feel about different periods a day to 4, and 45 minutes in each class to 85 events taking place. This month’s poll is about the minutes. The gym, locker rooms, cafeteria, and the new block scheduling. Copy the link to your brows- hallway near the band room all received air condi- er and give us your feedback! tioning. Last but not least, the locker rooms are new http://goo.gl/5VL35s and improved for a better gym experience. Many people ask why we switch to a block ACADEMIC ALLEY schedule. The block scheduling increases learning time and allows students to get used to a college-like BY: ERIN WOJCIK

scenario. Another change is instead of the usual four Fall 2014, Issue #8 minutes in between each class, it’s six! Now you have enough time to go to the bathroom or to your locker. Going to the bathroom in between classes avoids leaving class and missing important material. Also, having a full six minutes lowers the chances of you being late for a class. During the hot and humid summer months everyone wishes for air conditioning in school to escape the heat. This year all our wishes have come This school year, Raritan is offering a new true! We now have air conditioning in the gym, lock- program called “The Principals Cup.” If a stu- ers, cafeteria and in the hallway near the band room. dent is involved with sports, Principal Smith will You have over an hour in the physical education class present the sports team with the highest average. and if the gym and locker rooms are hot it would be This helps individual students focus on their aca- brutal. Air conditioning was a must with the switch to demics as well as their sport. The best part of it all block scheduling. is that up to three teams can win! This opportunity Along with air conditioning, the team rooms will keep students on track with their classes. On and the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms were all re-done. the other hand, Raritan Rockets can keep up their Instead of the usual cages for the sports teams to motivation for school and passion for sports keep- change in there are now rooms so every sport has ing a great balance! Along with sports, here are privacy. The bathrooms and showers were spruced some tips to pepare for the SATs: up, too! New lockers were also ordered for maxi- - Practice! Take classes in order to prepare mum storage space and a safe place to keep your and expand your knowledge. belongings. Adding to all this remodeling, the hall- - Study the vocabulary. way near the band room has added a new space to - Don’t over think your answers or second sit and eat lunch. If a crowded lunch room isn’t for guess them. you, take a seat at a bench! - Make sure you get sleep the night before All the new changes and transitions are de- and eat a balanced breakfast the morning of signed to help you to enjoy your school experience the test. and get the most out of your years here at Raritan - Just relax! High School! RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper ENTERTAINMENT BY: SCOTT MAIORANA RETURNING SHOWS NEW SHOWS Fall is here and you know what that means. Fall 2014 is full of new shows. eagerly waiting New as well as your favorite returning shows are to draw you in. Here are some shows that are coming coming to your screen. But, let us first look back at to T.V. and just what they’re about: some of the shows that will not be returning: • The Flash(CW)- The adventures of scientist, Barry • Almost Human Allen as the speedy superhero, The Flash. • Believe • Black-ish(ABC)- A man tries to get his African- • The Crazy Ones American family to fit into a mostly white neigh- • Dads borhood. • How I Met Your Mother • Gotham(FOX)- The story of a young James Gor- • Raising Hope don in Gotham City before Bruce Wayne becomes Fall 2014, Issue #8 • Revolution the bat. • Super Fun Night • Red Band Society(FOX)- The lives of teenagers • Surviving Jack living in a hospital. • The X Factor • Stalker(CBS)- A pair of detectives investigate While these shows and more are gone, some of stalker cases in Los Angeles. your favorites are still on T.V. waiting to start their new • Madam Secretary(CBS)- A look at the profes- seasons: sional and personal life of the secretary of state. • The Amazing Race • NCIS:New Orleans(CBS)- Everything you love • American Dad about NCIS, is now moving down south to The Big • The Blacklist Easy. • The Big Bang Theory • Scorpion(CBS)-a genius assembles a group of • Brooklyn Nine-Nine some of the smartest people on the planet in • Chicago Fire order to stop acts of terror. • Chicago P.D. • CSI:Cyber(CBS)- The story of a cyber psychologist • Criminal Minds for the FBI. • CSI I am personally looking forward to Gotham. Being a • Elementary Batman fan, I think this is an interesting way to see • Family Guy how the city was before Batman. • The Following • Glee After this season, some shows will be ending. • The Good Wife One of these shows ending is non-other-than the • Grimm twelve year long sitcom, Two and a Half Men. The • Law and Order: SVU • Resurrection show premiered back in 2003 and along the way has • The Mentalist • The Simpsons said goodbye to Charlie Sheen, playing Charlie Harp- • The Millers • Sleepy Hollow er, and Angus T. Jones, playing Jake Harper. However, • Modern Family • Survivor the show has brought us the comedy of Ashton • NCIS • Two and a Half Men Kutcher as Walden Schmidt and Amber Tamblyn as • NCIS: Los Angeles • Undercover Boss Jenny Harper. The show has had a good run, but all • Person of Interest good things must come to an end. RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper Sweet Creations BRIDGET BAKES: BRIDGET BAKES: ICED PUMPKIN COOKIES CINNAMON BAKED APPLES

What You’ll Need: Cookies: What You’ll Need: • 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour • 1 Tsp Butter • 1 Tsp Baking Powder • 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar Fall 2014, Issue #8 • 1 Tsp Baking Soda • 3 Tsp Vanilla Sugar • 2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon • 3 Tsp Ground Cinnamon • 1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg • 1 Tsp Ground Nutmeg • 1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves • 6 Large Apples- peeled, cored, and sliced • 1/2 Tsp Salt • 3 1/2 Tbsp Water • 1/2 Cup Butter, Softened • 1 1/2 Cups White Sugar Directions: • 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. • 1 Egg • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 2) Grease a large baking dish with the butter. Icing: • 2 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar 3) Mix brown sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and • 3 Tbsp Milk nutmeg in a small bowl. • 1 Tbsp Melted Butter • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 4) Layer about 1/3 of the apples in prepared bak- Directions: ing dish; sprinkle with 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Preheat oven to 3500F. Combine flour, baking Repeat layers twice more. powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside. 5) Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 6) Pour water over apples and continue baking 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until until tender, about 15 minutes more. creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly. Helpful Hint: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated Gala or McIntosh Apples are the best to use for oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork. this particular recipe. Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency. RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper Savory Creations BRIDGET BAKES: BRIDGET BAKES: SWEET POTATO FRIES THE PERFECT PUMPKIN DIP

What You’ll Need: What You’ll Need: Fall 2014, Issue #8 • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 large ones • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, • 1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil softened • 1-2 Tbsp sugar • 2 cups Confectioners’ Sugar • 1 Tbsp salt • 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin • 1-2 Tbsp spice or spice combination of your • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon choice: chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chi • 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice nese five-spice, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon & • 1 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate sugar, Cajun seasoning ,etc.

Directions: Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 450°F. • 1) In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese 2) Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. the potatoes in half lengthwise. Then cut each piece into wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled • 2) Gradually mix in the pumpkin. sweet potato into disks as well. 3) Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add • 3) Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and orange juice until smooth and well blended. and spices. Use your hands to mix well. 4) Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a • 4) Chill until serving. baking sheet 5) Bake for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 *Helpful Hints: minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the • Use cinnamon graham crackers or ginger- oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until they snap cookies with the dip (SO GOOD!) are well browned. Let cool before serving. • Hollow out a pumpkin and fill it with the *Helpful Hint: pumpkin dip. It looks decorative as well as fall If you are trying to cut fat, reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp and oriented! use a non-stick coating on the baking sheet. RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper LOCAL EVENTS • Brookdale College’s Annual“Haunted Theater”- You can take a walk through during the BY: ASHLEY MIR and KAITLYN LALLY day time which is more friendly that smaller children Fall is right around the corner; which means may enjoy and at night you can go and have a fright. there are a ton of fun events available to get in the • Alstede Farms- At this farm in Chester, NJ, spirit! Just because the weather is getting colder there are events everyday such as fall festivals, hay- doesn’t mean you have to spend your time indoors! rides, apple picking, corn mazes and more. To check Autumn calls for apple picking, pumpkin picking, the calendar for more details you can visit their web- hayrides, haunted houses, festivals, contests and, site! Alstedefarms.com. everyone’s favorite, trick-or-treating. • Eastern State Penitentiary- Known to be Apple Picking: The best time to pick apples one of the most haunted places in America, this old is in the Fall. Luckily, Monmouth County offers quite prison in Philadelphia, PA, once held Al Capone and a number of different farms available to pick apples, many other famous criminals. Are you brave enough pumpkins and other ripe crops. to try to find your way out in the dark?

1. Casola Farms & Greenhouse in Holmdel, NJ Fall 2014, Issue #8 2. Atlantic Farms in Wall, NJ STUDENT AND TEACHER 3. Battleview Orchards in Freehold, NJ OF THE MONTH Casola Farms in Holmdel, New Jersey, is a BY: KAITLYN LALLY local place that holds both night time and day time Michelle Nestor was nominated for being an events for the Fall Season. Starting on September extremely hard working and enthusiastic student, 20th, Casola’s daytime Fall festivities include farm who is an excellent role model to her peers. She is hayrides, pony rides, face painting, pumpkin picking very patient, caring, and helpful, as well as consid- and a petting zoo. Weekend hours are from Friday- erate of others and respectful of both her fellow Sunday 9:00 A.M.- 6:30 P.M. Casola begins Halloween students and her teachers. She is energetic, and festivities on the evening of October 4th until Hal- passionate about her studies as well as her athletics. loween night. The all new House of Horrors begins Elizabeth Rivera was nominated for her the nightmare: there you will encounter your worst graciousness, good manners, and willingness to horrors and have no choice but to continue on to the welcome students and staff. She is an excellent stu- Forbidden Forrest. The next step to escape your fears dent; hard working, high achieving, cooperative and is to go through the Corn Walk of Terror. If you make helpful. She is a welcome addition to the “Rocket” it out, the key to finish your nightmare is the Haunted family. Hay Wagon. The Renaissance Committee is proud to an- · House of Horrors: $8.00 nounce that the Faculty Member of the Month for · Haunted Hayride & Corn Walk of Terror: $15.00 September 2014 is Mrs. D’Angelo! · All Three Attractions: $20.00 ASK THE Six Flags Great Adventure’s Fright Fest be- gins at 6:00 P.M. on weekends from September 20th- ROCKET November 2nd. It is also open Columbus Day (Mon- BY: LAURA AGUINAGA day, October 13th). Brace yourself as you approach “Ask The Rocket” is a new feature of the any of the scare zones or haunted walk-throughs; Raritan Review. You will be asking the questions and some requiring an additional fee. The scare zones we will be giving you the best advice that we can on include Asylum, Voodoo Island and The Manor. Circus focusing on your grades, social troubles and many Psycho and Bone Butcher Terror-Tory are some of the more. Leave your questions in the email below and free walk-throughs. we will get back to you as soon as we can. Email: [email protected] RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper FALL SPORTS BY: ASHLEY MIR Football Cheerleading The 2014 football season has officially begun! Head The Rocket Cheerleaders are eager to be back on Coach Petruzzi has lead the Varsity team to their the sidelines of both aay and home football games! first defeat against Manasquan 41 to 34 at their first Head varsity coach, Ms. Valenti, and her senior cap- game. The JV team also finished with a defeat 14-7 tains Jackie Krajunas, Tori Collins and Jenna Mur- to Matawan with the guidance of coach Dempsey. phy are working hard to perfect every sideline and Following in their footsteps, Coach Nunes swayed halftime dance. All halftime dances are performed at the Freshman Football team to a solid win 7-6! Se- home games. The Junior Varsity coach is Ms. Strum- nior captains Riley Sullivan and Colby Jones plan on wasser. Best of luck this season! bringing their team to the shore conference! Cross Country

Raritan’s Cross Country has had a great start so far. Fall 2014, Issue #8 Varsity Coach Pritchard has brought the team to DEREK JETER the Inaugural “Backwards Bowl” Invitation which RETIREMENT they hosted and won! Senior captains Joe Bitto and Joseph Cawley are on the Top 20 all time at Holmdel BY: ERIN WOJCIK Park! Both of them, along with sophomore Donavan Hackley, will be competing to become #1 on that list. On September 25, 2014 Derek Jeter played The rest of the Varsity team consists of seniors Ed his last game for the New York Yankees. He is end- Reash, Ian Crawford, Steve Castella and junior Sean ing his career after playing 2,903 major league Murphy. games, post season included! Fans cheered and cried Dance throughout the last game. Jeter left with a Holly- The dancers are back! Senior Captains Taylor Jef- wood ending when the game was tied in the bot- ferson and Alana Peace are looking forward to a tom of the ninth 5-5 and Jeter hit a double! This got fabulous season. The seniors choreographed the his teammate to home plate winning the game 6-5! first game’s half-time dance and completely killed it! What a way to end his career! The captain left with In Coach Maroun’s absence, Coach Pappas is taking a bang and with a name no one will ever forget in over until she is ready to come back. We are looking baseball history. forward to more jaw-dropping halftime shows and performances! Good luck girls! Derek Jeter was born in Pequannock, New Field Hockey Jersey. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1992 right This year’s Rocket Field hockey team is being lead after his high school graduation and was named to victory by their senior captains Rebecca Eckelyn team captain in 2003. He was the named “Minor and Sam Coppola and junior captain Lindsay Wenzel. League Player of the Year.” Jeter was given his first Head coach, Coach Cox, is determined for her team chance in the major leagues when Tony Fernandez to make it to both the shore conference and states was put on the disabled list. He started his first year as they did last year! The girls’ record so far is 2 wins, with ten home runs and helped the Yankees to vic- 2 ties and 1 loss! As for the JV and Freshman teams, tory. He is definitely one of the most valued players coached by Coach A an Coach Linke, have been in the world series. He received Gold Glove Awards in keeping up their winning streak as well! The team is 2004 for his outstanding performance on the field. looking forward to a fun and successful season! RARITAN REVIEW Raritan High School’s Official Newspaper HOROSCOPES BY: SARAH STRICK • Aries (21st of March-19th of April)- You’ll benefit more from the support or contribution of another in a close relationship. It’s not a time to be going at it alone. You and another could be bonding, teaming up or doing business together. But however it is for you, there is a stronger feeling of mutual interaction. • Taurus (20th of April-20th of May)- You may be dealing with more chores and this may be the moment to get to grips with health issues or a better diet and exercise regime. So, dealing with the ‘to do’ list and getting things organized better seems advisable, but don’t worry, there will be smiles along the way. • Gemini (21st of May-21st of June)- There’s a brighter, less inward, vibration around you. This could mean more opportunities to be in environments with happiness and joy or to join with those out to have a good time. Socialize and get in touch with arts/entertainments or the leisure industry. Leo (23rd of July- 22nd of August)- This month you could be meeting or connecting, and probably running around more. This is a time when you have more on your mind and maybe more to get your head around. Education or

travel is also highlighted and there may be plans to consider. Fall 2014, Issue #8 • Cancer (22nd of June-22nd of July)- Your attention or concerns will probably center around a base of operations, friends or family or extended family. In some respects your gaze will tend to be more inward and you may be pondering more, or feeling things more deeply. Listen to your instincts. • Virgo (23rd of August-22nd of September)- Money, goods, property or anything that affects your mate- rial security or physical well-being is likely to have your attention. There are key themes that are centered around ‘stuff’, perhaps protecting it, moving it, ditching it or acquiring more. • Scorpio (24th of October-22nd of November)- Things are going on behind the scenes or in your pri- vate life - perhaps to do with the past or perhaps it’s a work in progress. You’ll probably have to be more aware of another’s needs or requirements even when you are not in the mood. Others may not fully real- ize how much you are dealing with and that’s okay. But this is no time to cling to ego, as, if you do, you may feel disappointed. • Sagittarius (23rd of November-21st of December)- This month is a forward moving phase when friend- ships, new and old, are more involved. A future-orientated phase, one you may be working quite hard to achieve an aim which has been on the backburner for a long time or on behalf of friends or a group will come to light. • Capricorn (22nd of December-20th of January)- You will be taking your targets or overall direction more seriously or be more aware of outer image, how you present yourself and the impression you are making on others, or how something is representing you. You may have to be more aware of the rules imposed by officials, parents, and anyone else to whom you have responsibilities. • Aquarius (21st of January-19th of February)-New potentials are in the wind. You will see fresh possibili- ties outside of the routine box. Some of you may have itchy feet, this is a good time to get out and about more and try new things. Travel or distant horizons could be emphasized and you may be making plans. • Pisces (20th of February-20th of March)-You may be more conscious of another’s welfare, feelings or requirements. You may also be taking into consideration what another’s side of things is in a financial, legal or moral sense. • Libra (23rd of September-23rd of October)- This is a good time for taking stock and reviewing the dance of life over the past year. In general, improve things for yourself personally by doing whatever is most supportive of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. Also to give more time and energy to aims and ambitions close to your heart and feel the empowerment that it brings.