1

HIGHLAND

FLING

THE

DECEMBER 2012

Above: Mr. Colmon, the director of the HPHS Concert Band, acknowledges the audiences applause before beginning the concert.

Take a Bow
Zoe Temple

INSIDE
NEWS
Israel-Gaza Conflict
p. 3
FEATURE
Winter Fashion p. 4
Local Love p. 5
OPINION
DPOV: Smartphones
p. 7
A&E
The Hobbit Review
p. 11
SPORTS
Winter Sports Previews
p. 16

At their winter concert, the Highland Park High School band

knocked it out of the park again with another fantastic performance! Though the set-up was not ideal (they performed in the
cafeteria), the band powered through and played it cool or
should I say cold? Their first song, Lullaby From a Distant
Star by Richard Saucedo, featured senior soloist Rachel Kim
on flute. The song, spacey and dreamy, flowed until it finished on a single note. The next song changed the atmosphere
completely: A Klezmer Karnival by Philip Sparke started
loudly, with a very bright and lively sound, making the audience
bounce in their seats. Different themes make up the piece, like
different events at a carnival: a higher, lighter part, sounding
magical; a slower, rhythmic part, building suspense; a call and
response between sections, sounding like a tightrope walkers
steps. Rolling drum beats and short, quick notes kept the song
busy and exciting. The third song slowed down with Silent
Night in Gotham by Julie Giroux. A slightly sadder, darker
twist on the well-known carol, this version included a drum line
that reminded me of wind. The band then played Sleigh Ride
by Leroy Anderson, a Highland Park band winter classic. The
band made the season come alive with sleigh bells, the clopping
of horses hooves, and whip-like cracks! The musicians enthusiasm was obvious and contagious. Before the bands last song,
Reindeer Rag by Mark Williams, the seniors presented a bag
of gifts to Mr. Colmon. In their Hurricane Sandy Survival Kit,

they included a black belt, a portfolio, a hat, an All-Access Pass

to the middle school in case of another natural disaster, and gold
star stickers. As Mr. Colmon promised, the last song was fun,
with a steady rhythm and clowny sounds.
After the show, the audience reaction was largely positive.
Freshman Sarah Liebau said, It was great. I loved it. Riley Ernest, a senior and tuba player in the band, remarked Im crying
because I never have to play Sleigh Ride again. Theyre tears
of joy just kidding! Another audience member called the concert unbelievably good so good, in fact, that she thought the
only thing they can improve on is to allow the audience to see
the musicians faces! The critiques from the crowd were based
mostly around the song selection and order. Olivia Wolansky, a
freshman, loved Silent Night in Gotham, but thought Reindeer Rag was juvenile and young. A recent Highland Park High
School graduate, Vesna Miletic wished the band had played
Sleigh Ride last because thats how it always is. She also
enjoyed the second song, A Klezmer Karnival, because she
played it when she was in band and she was not the only one.
It seemed that A Klezmer Karnival was the crowds favorite
song. The band did a great job of adjusting to the new space and
pulled off another successful concert.

Fun Fact: HPHS Has an Award-Winning

Chess Team
Stefana Voicu

As evidenced by the number of trophies in the gym hallway,

HPHS recognizes its athletes. But in the past few years, a group
has won several championships without being sufficiently
recognized. These mysterious students make up the Chess &
Gaming Club After getting to chat with Alexander Ilnytsky and
the other boys in the chess club, I realized how successful they
had been in their competitions over these past few years.
Highland Fling (HF): When and how did you start playing
chess? Why do you like it?
Alexander Ilnytsky (AI): I started playing when I was around
eight years old when my grandfather started teaching me. I did

not like it at first, but after playing (and winning) more and
more chess matches against my grandfather all those afternoons
in Ukraine, I came to love it!
HF: Do you play chess every day? For how long?AI: Yes,
I play every day, depending on the amount of school work we
have, or whether there is a soccer match on TV. I play chess
with my friends and my father, and sometimes I play on Chess.
com when no one else is available.
continued on p. 6

DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

NEWS
Cuz Youre Hot and Youre Cold
Avantika Yellapantala
You start out your day in the cozy
warmth of Ms. Maharanas room. You
shake off your scarf and sweater and
grab a sip of water. Once the bell rings,
you walk up the stairs, and encounter
a very rude shock. Ms. Havas room
could be compared to the Arctic. With
your winter jacket on, you head down
to Dr. Molitoriss room, only to become
cozy and warm again, making you curse
bringing the silly jacket in the first place.
The lunch bell rings, and as soon as you
enter the cafeteria, you wonder how
you could possibly survive in a place
so cold that bacteria would freeze and
die. Why all this uneven heating? Why
does one room need three windows open
and another need six to seven properly
working heaters? As with many things
this year, it all comes down to Hurricane
Sandy.
Around the end of October, we were
informed of a very harsh storm, christened
Sandy, coming our way. The night it came,
it deprived us of our dearly held power
and sent us hurtling into the primitive
era with no phones, no television and
the horror of no Facebook, Twitter, and
Tumblr! As the storm cleared up, we
saw the damages it left behind trees
collapsing houses, power lines ripped, and

flooding in the coastal regions of New

Jersey. Highland Park suffered particularly
bad damage to power lines.
The week after the high schoolers
returned to school or set up a temporary
home in the middle school power
returned to the high school and students
returned to their daily routines and normal
school hours. The only disconcerting
factor was the heat. The entire school was
stuck in a huge ice block.
However, a month or so later, while
walking into Ms. Maharanas room, a
senior noticed, That room is so hot, I
was sweating in the first five minutes with
all of her windows open. Its crazy in
there! On the other side of the spectrum,
an anonymous sophomore told The Fling,
Ms. Havass room is cold. Its just cold.
Youd probably get frostbite. They
added, My day is crazy. I start out with
the cold history room, then I get really
hot in the gym, and then the cafeteria is
just freezing. I get headaches with these
annoying temperatures.
The temperatures in different parts of
the school were varying throughout the
school a few weeks after Hurricane Sandy.
However, the school heating system has
slightly evened out with repairs being
made to many classrooms, so hopefully,
you will no longer need to keep that
winter jacket around with you anymore!

Above: Senior Riley Ernest in the heat and humidity of Ms. Wilsons Room.

Happy Holidays!
From The Fling Staff

THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

NEWS
We Got Sandyd
Julia Kaplan

This school year got off to a rough start with the sudden
arrival of Hurricane Sandy this fall. Some might call it
a blessing, as it allowed students an extra week-or-so
to catch up on assignments (and sleep). However, there
were some academic repercussions to this seemingly
serendipitous break. Sandy wiped out the transformer on
Abbot Street, causing a lack of power and a significant
dilemma. No power, no spaceno spring break? The
system did its best to remedy the situation, shortening the
duration of both the middle and high school days to fit
both student bodies and reducing the number of necessary days off. It got the job done and saved us a week
of make-up days, but the learning process was set back.

Some parts of the curriculum had to be eliminated due

to the lack of time. Furthermore, the reintegration period
detracted from the flow of things. Students had just gotten somewhat adjusted to the schoolyear schedule when
it was interrupted. It took some effort to stay on track
in terms of school in spite of all the chaos and damage.
In all likelihood, Sandy will not ravage Spring Break,
unless, of course, New Jersey is hit with a series of
blizzards this winter. The same, however, cannot be said
for Presidents Day. Thanks to the cooperation and effort
on both the parts of the students and the faculty, we were
able to emerge from the disaster relatively unscathed, and
surge forward into the school year with a newfound sense
of academic ambition.

Showdown in the
Middle East
Grace Chong

Two Cultures, Both Alike in Light

Charlotte Finegold

On December 7, 2012, Highland Park Main Street

hosted its first Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting
between the now-departed Charlie Browns and Midori Sushi. The tree and the menorah stood side by
side, separated only by a tent to shelter the musicians
playing at the event. The tree was, in fact, made up of
several shrubs, entwined by strings of colorful lights.
The menorah, made of white pipes, stood almost as tall
as the tree. The entire night was full of holiday cheer.
Carol singers wandered up and down Raritan, stopping
outside PJs, Apostos, and Rite Aid to serenade those
walking by. The night was dark, but the singers were
well-equipped with their holiday songs and headband
lights. At 6:30 PM, the town gathered to hear the words
of outgoing Main Street Highland Park board president,
Walter Deutsch, and councilwoman Susan Welovits. The
pair spoke about uniting the towns cultures with this new

tradition. Then, HPHSs own a cappella groups, Amandala and Acappellics Anonymous, performed some holiday
favorites, including arrangements of Carol of the Bells,
Oh Chanukah, Jingle Bell Rock, and Noel. As the
night grew steadily darker, Rabbi Shava Shagolow of the
Chabad of Central Jersey at Rutgers University, clambered up a ladder, struck a road flare, and lit the menorah
as he told the story of Chanukah. The event showed the
meshing of cultures and traditions in Highland Park, and
will hopefully be the first of many of these events. Says
Jamie McCrone, of Main Street HP, This was the first
time Highland Park has ever done something like this,
and it was successful, thanks to everyone who participated.On the first day of Kwanzaa (December 26th) the
town will also add a Kinara. The event, hopefully the first
in many years to come, demonstrated Highland Parks
ethnic and cultural diversity, and will give HP residents
three sources of cheery light to look at on these cold
winter nights.

Above (clockwise from top left): the three trees, strung together by lights; the two holiday icons side-by-side; Rabbi Shava
Shagolow lighting the menorah with a road flare; the menorah lit for the fifth night of Chanukah.

Above: senior Ariel Glueck shows her support for Israel during
the conflict.

The current conflict in Gaza between Israel and Palestine is not based on a new dispute. Israel has controlled
the borders of Gaza and has enforced blockades many
times in history, leaving Gaza civilians in poverty and
starvation. In order to help the Gaza civilians, many
Palestinians military groups, most notably Hamas, have
been fighting Israel. The history of Palestine and Israel is
dotted with alternating fighting and ceasefires. The latest
exchange began on November 13, 2012, and lasted about
eight days until there was a ceasefire on November 21st.
Hamas had cracked after more borders were imposed,
and began to fire rockets on Israel against the Israeli military. According to The New York Times, before the actual
conflict began, Hamas was estimated to have amassed
an arsenal of 10,000 to 12,000 rockets. Many Israeli officials have calculated that, 135 rockets were fired from
Gaza at Israel on Monday [November 12th], of which 42
were intercepted by the Iron Dome, most of the others
landed in open areas. The conflict has not been one-way,
either. Israel responded with bombs of their own, killing
11 Palestinians. In the deadliest single attack, an Israeli
rocket killed nine members of a single family. Israeli
forces took action to launch 40 attacks on the entrances and interiors of tunnels connecting Egypt and Gaza.
These attacks caused considerable damage.
There have been many casualties and deaths on both
sides. According to The New York Times, The Hamas
Health Ministry said on the evening of November 12
that a total of 107 people had been killed since Wednesday morning, when Israeli airstrikes began, following
months of Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. The rockets
that were fired by Palestinians forces wounded at least
79 Israelis and have affected regions as far north as Tel
Aviv. From Israelis attacks, 22 people were reported
killed, including several Palestinians killed in strikes by
warplanes. It seemed as though neither side was willing
to give up. One Gaza civilian said, Our message to Netanyahu is that we will defeat you like we defeated your
ancestors. We still have so much in our pockets and we
will show you if we have to.
On November 21st, the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary
Clinton, and the Egypts Prime Minister finalized a ceasefire between the two sides. However, the peace is fragile;
the leader of Hamas has already dared Israel on Monday
to launch a ground invasion of Gaza and dismissed diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire. Also, Irans nuclear
program that is growing day by day is another threat to
Israel and is becoming another concern.
There are many students at HPHS with family ties in
Israel, who have felt the effects of this conflict acutely.
Senior Ariel Glueck said of this conflict, The conflict
has been going on too long and has taken too many lives.
Both sides need to find a way to make peace, but the
world must understand Israels right to exist as its own
country. The constant missile threat makes it hard for
Israel to compromise because Hamas has the open goal
of destroying Israel. I have family there whom I visited this summer. My cousins were in and out of bomb
shelters every day for a week. Senior Lance Shopowich
voiced his thoughts: Israel has the right to defend itself.
Palestinians were given this land by Israel and unfortunately a small faction of terrorists are ruining it for the
Palestinian population. I have cousins in Israel, and I also
have a good friend from middle school in Israel. Im always worried about him when I see news like this. I hope
theyre alright.
This drama between Israel and the Palestinians has
been going on since Israel was founded in 1948, and no
one knows when it will be over.
DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

FEATURE
Hannah Weaver

Whats Hot (Cold): Winter Fashion 2012

Yves Saint Laurent once said, Fashions

fade, [but] style is eternal. This famous
quote applies in the cutthroat world of
fashion design, the competitive field
of modeling, and even in a small-town
high school like HPHS. Styles fluctuate
as years pass, but those who ignore the
ever-changing fashion rules and live in
their own skin tend to prosper more why
do you think we have the best dressed
category for senior superlatives? That
being said, however, styles do change.
And Winter 2012 brings new (or old,
depending how you look at it) trends to
the streets.
Winter fashion generally tends to veer
more towards comfort than not. Cold
weather demands layers, which are both
practical and comfortable. Knits such as
sweaters and scarves have been popping
up everywhere; the stereotypical ugly
sweaters have become less ugly to the
fashion-forward. Infinity scarves have
also appeared in the loop these scarves
keep in the warmth without having to be
readjusted. To a high schooler, one could
say the 90s grunge look has been reappearing: lace up boots, oversized flannels
and sweaters, leggings, and denim paired
with denim have all recently been making
a comeback in teens closets.
For the classier tastes, the newest fads
might as well have come off the horseback
trails. Leather boots, skinny pants, and
button-downs have all recently appeared
in stores. Riding capes are especially popular this winter, in addition to vests and

Above (from left to right): Freshman Hannah Burke, rocking rainboots and layers, freshman Jamie Atschinow, looking stylish with a flowing top and
boots, and sophomore Becca Chant, continuing the trend of lace-up boots and collared shirts.

layered sweaters. A more controversial

trend, fur, is also all the rage this winter;
stores like Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters offer a less controversial alternative,
faux fur, in vests and other outerwear and
accessories.
To the average high schooler, getting

dressed means rolling out of bed and

pulling on whatevers comfortable; most
teenagers nowadays throw on jeans and
Ugg boots with a jacket, and possibly
adding a scarf. Thats the great thing
about winter fashion comfort trumps the
aesthetic appeal. But the next time you

oversleep and have nothing to wear, try a

sweater instead of a hoodie, or a headband
instead of a hat. Standing out can be good
nobody wants to fade into a crowd and
isnt standing out the point of fashion?

Be Appy: The Top 10 Apps for High School Students

Shana Oshinskie and Olivia Bridges
As evidenced by this months DPOV, Androids, iPhones, and other Smartphones
have been popping up everywhere in our
school lately, mostly used to kill time.
Like em or hate em, there are thousands
of apps available on one device, and there
are many useful student tools among the
games. If you have a Smartphone, these
apps are great to have on hand:
1. Edmodo- Teachers, such as Mrs.
Sanders, Mr. Gold, Ms. L. Wilson, as
well as various clubs use Edmodo to publish grades, assignments, and upcoming
events. With the Edmodo app, you can
access everything wherever you are!

2. Free Graphing Calculator- Most math

teachers require one, but graphing calculators are expensive and extremely easy
to lose. This app allows both basic and
advanced tools for free, saving money
and stress.

10

3. SAT Question of the Day- Brought to

you by the College Board, the SAT QOTD
is a free app that allows you to answer one
SAT prep question per day. It spans all
three topics: Math, Reading, and Writing, and gives a brief explanation for the
correct answer.
4. Free Pano Tuner- An essential for
every orchestra or band student, the Pano
tuner tells you exactly how many hertz
sharp or flat your instrument is; plus, its
free!
5. Nike + Running App- Just as the Pano
tuner is essential for musicians, the series
of Nike apps are essential for every athlete. They offer features such as tracking
your running distance and organizing
Power Playlists to pump you up as you
exercise.
6. Pandora - Pandora is a free Wi-fi radio
with hundreds of stations to choose from.
Its great to listen to while studying or
THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

What iPhone and Smartphone apps can

you not live without?
Let us know at
thehighlandfling@gmail.com!

even just for fun. Pandora can also be

used as an alarm clock, so you can wake
up to your favorite singer every morning.

individual or group projects and share

them with other students or teachers, perfect for homework on-the-go!

7. Virtuoso Piano - This app is also an

essential for band and orchestra students,
as well as choir students. But this app is
fun to play around on whether youre a
musician or not. On Virtuoso Piano, you
can pick to show the letter (or number) of
the piano keys, so its great for beginner
piano players.

9. Merriam-Webster Dictionary - A
dictionary is always a nice thing to have,
but sometimes there isnt always one on
hand. With this app, you can constantly
look up a new word or pronunciation
when needed.

8. Google Drive - With the Google Drive

app, you can create and store documents,
files, or even pictures. You can easily edit

10. Google Translate - For all students

taking foreign language classes, Google
Translate is a great app to have on hand
when you need to look up a word or check
pronunciation. Just dont try to write your
whole essay with this app!
Which of these ten apps are already on
your phone? Collect them all!

FEATURE
Local Love

December: Holiday Edition

Andrea Boffice

This time of the year is one of everyones favorites,, because everything we love about winter returns: Christmas trees, festive music, and the Farmers Market! Yes, the Farmers
Market has returned for a limited time only. Between chocolates and candy canes, you can sample some delicious tangerines or pears, which are just as sentimental and pretty as
the baubles on the tree. Many years ago, people used to put tangerines and pears in stockings and decorate the tree with a string of popcorn and cranberries (a surprisingly difficult
task). Traditions vary across cultures and families: some eat turkey for their Christmas dinners, while others eat rabbit; some spend their free time making latkes, topping them with
sour cream or applesauce. But good food unites all different cultures in the holiday season.Whatever or however you celebrate, try adding some new food traditions this year!

Foods in Season for December:

Apples
Brussel sprouts
Cranberries
Dates

Grapefruit
Leeks
Oranges
Parsnips

Roasted Chestnuts
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yes, these are real people actually do
eat chestnuts after roasting them on an
open fire. I warn you that chestnuts taste
a little bit different than the nuts we are
used to, a bit sweeter and softer, but nevertheless these are a delicious Christmas
tradition. It is actually a common Dutch
tradition to eat boiled chestnuts. You can
boil them or roast them, but somehow the
best ones always seem to come from the
street vendors in New York.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 quart of water
1 cup of uncooked short rice
11/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, in cubes

Ingredients:
Chestnuts (about 1/2 a pound, but I recommend doing a few first to see how you
like them)
1 cup of sugar if making caramelized
chestnuts. You can do half regular and half
brown sugar if you wish.
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Leave chestnuts with the shell, but cut
slits into them. This is very important. If
you do not cut slits into them, the chestnuts will literally explode. It is funny, but
an experience I would not want to repeat.
Put them into the pan with slit side up.
3. Cook chestnuts for 30 to 40 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
4. They get very hot so wait until they are
warm to peel the shell. However, if you
wait for them to get too cool, they will be
difficult to peel.
Alternatives:
If you wish to boil the chestnuts instead,
simply put the chestnuts (with the slits) in
boiling water for about 10 minutes. This
way is faster, but in my opinion, they do
not taste as good or smell as amazing as
roasted chestnuts.
Caramelized chestnuts:
1. Heat one part sugar and two parts water
into a heavy pot on medium heat and
slowly melt the sugar.
2. After cooking the chestnuts the same
way as above, but for less time, about 20
minutes, remove from their shells.
3. Pour chestnuts into the caramel mixture
and cook only for a few minutes. Put candies onto wax sheets and remove excess
caramel from the pot while it is still warm.
(Note: cooking caramel has the tendency to ruin pots, so if you have difficulty
cleaning the pot afterwards, use boiling
water to ease the caramel off. Or just use
an old pot.)
Italian Rice Balls
Cooking time: 2 hours
In my family, it is traditional to have a
feast of seven fishes on Christmas Eve.
Unfortunately, neither my sister nor I
like fish very much. So I make rice balls
instead They are a bit labor intensive, and
the first time I made them, I swore I would
not cook them againuntil we ate them.
They are unbelievably delicious. They are
actually a bit more of a New Years Eve
tradition for Italians since they represent
prosperity. On Christmas day, Italians also
eat lentils to represent money and wealth.
The easiest way to make rice balls is to
use leftover risotto.

Pears
Persimmons
Pomegranates

Sweet Potatoes
Squash
Tangerines
Ingredients:
6 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

1. In a bowl, whisk eggs, cheese, parsley,

pepper, and 1 tsp of salt. Cover and put in
the refrigerator.
2. Pour water and 1 tsp of salt in a large
saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in the rice and reduce the heat to
low. Cook rice until the water is almost
absorbed, stirring often.
4. Remove from heat and slowly pour in
egg mixture, stirring rapidly to prevent
egg from scrambling (it sometimes helps
to have two people)
5. Allow rice mixture to cool for an hour.
6. Pour breadcrumbs onto a cutting board.
Take two scraps of rice mixture, adding a
cube of mozzarella cheese before rolling
rice into a one-inch ball. It helps to have
oiled hands. Roll each rice ball into breadcrumbs.
7. In a deep skillet, heat olive oil and
very carefully fry the rice balls a few at a
time, turning to get all sides. If youre not
familiar with frying things, than maybe
have an adult do it or just be really careful
that the oil doesnt splatter on you or
touch water. Note: The Fling cannot be
held responsible for any fires started by
inexperienced fryers.
8. Allow to cool slightly, but make sure to
eat them while theyre warm!
Matzo Ball Soup
Cooking time: 1 hour
Highland Park is a melting pot of cultures. Though Chanukah may be over, its
a great idea to incorporate different cultures into your holiday traditions! If you
celebrate Christmas, invite a friend over
to help decorate your Christmas tree, or,
using this recipe, make Matzo ball soup!
Ingredients:
2 (10 ounce) packagesmatzo crackers
1/2 cupbutter
6eggs
3 tablespoonsminced fresh parsley
2onions, minced
5 ouncesmatzo meal
96 ounceschicken broth
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Break matzo crackers into small pieces
and place in a large bowl. Add water to
cover and allow them to soak for a few
minutes, until soft. Drain off excess water.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in drained matzos. Stir
until mixture is dry and slightly brown.
Remove from heat, and mix in eggs, salt,
pepper, parsley, and onions.
4. Mix in just enough matzo meal to make
mixture hold together. Roll one golf ballsize matzo ball. Place matzo ball in the
boiling water to test the mixture.

Above (from top to bottom): Roasted chesnuts, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and Matzo Ball Soup

5. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth

to a slow boil over medium heat and add
balls to broth. Serve soup as the balls rise
to the top of the broth.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Cooking time: 1 hour
When I first tried Mexican hot chocolate,
I couldnt decide if I loved it or hated it.
But, I persevered and now I love it! If
you like this hot chocolate, Lindt makes a
brand of chocolate with hot chili powder
in it.

Ingredients:
6 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 (12-ounce) bags semisweet chocolate
chips
1. In a large pot over medium heat, whisk
together milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract,
and nutmeg. Add chocolate chips.
2. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cover
and turn heat to low for 5 minutes.
3. Enjoy!
DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

FEATURE
Decembers Not Just About Christmas
Elizabeth Murphy

Ever wonder if something exists or not?

Ever experience something incredible and
wish there was an entire day to acknowl-

Sunday

edge that something, almost like a birthday, or Thanksgiving? Well, you might
not realize the holidays you wished for,
are in fact holidays. Check out this list of
December Holidays bet you didnt even

Monday

Tuesday

know half of them existed! Some may

have already passed, but mark the date for
next December.
Count how many of them you know.
Personally, I cannot wait for December

Wednesday

Thursday

24th, for an excuse to celebrate chocolate.

Many are ridiculous, but some are pretty
ironic. For instance, December 21st, the
day many predict to be the apocalypse, is
Look on the Bright Side Day.

Friday

Saturday
1

-Eat a Red Apple Day

-World Aids
Awareness Day
2

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

-National Fritters Day -National Roof-Over- -Santas List Day

Your Head Day
-Wear Brown Shoes
Day

-Christmas Card Day -Human Rights Day

-National Pastry Day

-National Choco-National Maple

late-covered-anything Syrup Day
Day

-Roots Day

-National Noodle
Ring Day

-Bathtub Party Day

-Repeal Day

-Poinsettia Day

-St. Nicholas Day

-Put on Your Own
Shoes Day

-Violin Day

-Bake Cookies Day

-Look for an
-Go Caroling Day
-National Roast Suck- Evergreen Day
ling Pig Day
-Oatmeal Muffin Day

-National Chocolate
Day
-National Eggnog
Day

-Christmas Day
-National Pumpkin
Pie Day

-Boxing Day

-Make Cut-Out
Snowflake Day
-National Fruitcake
Day

-International Civil
Aviation Duty Day
-Letter Writing Day
-National Cotton Candy Day
-Pearl Harbor Day
-National
Bouillabaisse Day

-Forefathers Day
-Humbug Day
-National Flashlight
Day
-Look on the Bright
Side Day
-Card Playing Day

-International
Childrens Day
-National Brownie
Day

-Bill of Rights Day

-National Lemon
Cupcake Day
-National Date Nut
Bread Day

-Pepper Pot Day

-National Bicarbonate -Make Up Your Mind

of Soda Day
Day
-New Years Eve
-Unlucky Day

Fun Fact: HPHS Has an Award-Winning Chess Team (cont.)

Stefana Voicu

HF: Did you create the current chess

club? Are you the president?

HF: Do you participate in any competitions? And if so, is the club successful?

AI: No, Jimmy Tu, Daniel Zhu, Igor Bich,

and I created the Chess Club together.
There was a Chess Club before, but it was
unofficial - the members would meet in
the library. We wanted to make it official
and create a competitive team.

AI: We compete in chess tournaments. The four most important tournaments we participated in are 2010 National Youth Action, where we got 2nd team
place, (I got 5th individually), NJ GRADE
SCHOOL 2010 team 1st (2nd individually), NJ Grade School 2011 team 1st (2nd
individually), and NJ Grade School 2012
team 1st (2nd individually). We hope to
participate in more championships in the
future.

HF: When are the meetings and how

can someone join the club?
AI: The meetings are every Wednesday
after school until 4 pm. If someone wants
to join, they should just come and play!
We welcome anyone who is interested!
HF: Do you need any experience to
join?
AI: No, one does not need any experience
to join, but it would be helpful to know
the basic rules. In any case, we can teach
you!

HF: Is there anything else you would

like to add?
AI: The chess club was created to get
people from other grades, primarily 9th
and 10th, to join, and improve, so that we
can start winning tournaments in other
sections, and that we would do better on
nationals.So if youre interested in chess,
JOIN!

Right (from left to right): juniors Igor Bich, Daniel Zhu, Alexander Ilnytsky, and Jimmy Tu, holding a trophy from one of their many victories.

THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

OPINION
The Portal to the
21st Century

Pulling Us Apart by Our

Fingertips

Sylvia Marks

Elena Weissmann

Above: junior Miranda Safir uses Google Docs on her iPhone during a lab in AP Biology

Above: senior Dimitra Xenopoulou is absorbed in her iPhone as she walks down the hallway.

So, Im strolling through the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City toward
the gate where I will board the bus to New
Brunswick and am, naturally, checking my
phone for the bus schedule. Its 4:25 pm.
Next thing I know, Im sprinting up the
escalator to the fourth floor. According
to the schedule on my phone, the bus is
scheduled to leave in five minutes. These
are the types of things that one is able to
do with a smartphone these days. Whether you are traveling and need to access
information quickly, or you have company
at your home and you want to pull up a
photo in the moment, your smartphone is
always there for you.
Smartphones have become a thing of
the present. One can have news updates,
weather reports, and traffic coverage all at
the comfort of their fingertips. In a recent
New York Times editorial, Eben Moglen, a
law professor at Columbia University, said
that smartphones are robots for which
we the proud owners are merely the
hands and feet. Yet, hasnt rapid technological advancement in the light of the
21st century called for a need for remaining connected at all times and the greater
functionality of our portable devices?
I remember those days when my mother
had a beeper for the times she was oncall as a doctor; the number to call would
scroll across the teeny screen leaving her
no choice but to leave behind whatever
she was doing and make her way to the
house phone to call back the hospital.
Now, with fast capability to attach large
data files to an e-mail or to send a url of
a web page in a text message, sharing is
faster, information is more accessible,
and my mother no longer has to rely on a
beeper.
Students tend to use their smartphones
exclusively for Facebook and Twitter.

However, the average high schooler

scrolls thorough a largely-untapped
resource. My Google Drive application
has been endlessly helpful in letting me
update my college essays from anywhere
or to check my grades. The calendar helps
me keep track of after-school activities;
the Websters Dictionary app is simply
one of the most useful apps in existence
for any sort of essay writing or to look up
words. The BBC News app on my phone
has actually encouraged me to keep up
with current events... I really have no
excuse for not knowing about the latest
advances in the war in Afghanistan now
that the information is streamed right to
my phone!
The term of frictionless sharing in
which one passively shares his or her
photos and information with social media
sites is something to watch out for; allowing access to your photos and turning on
the GPS tracker gives people and companies access to your location, but there
are settings to turn these functions off.
You should always be careful with the
information you sync to the Internet and
what you share with people whether it is
on purpose or not. These so-called mini
trackers are just another setting that
anyone with practical sense can manage
responsibly to avoid conflict.
Smartphones take the many useful
functions of computers and compact them
down into one tiny device that is easy to
take with you in the car or to the park.
And of course, I cannot forget to mention
the simplicity of capturing that candid
photo with a crystal-clear 12-megapixel
camera of the electrified expression your
friend takes on while eating a jalapeno
pepper, and uploading it straight to Facebook for the world to see.

Imagine this common scenario: you are

out with your friends at a restaurant,
and someone checks their Smartphone
for texts. Before you know it, everyone
around you is on their phones, scrolling
through Facebook, Snapchatting other
people, or just playing Tetris. Out of sheer
boredom from watching others watch a
screen, you whip out your own phone.
Now what, pray tell, is the point in
going out with friends if you are going
to spend that time on your cell phone?
Why not just stay home and stare at that
little screen by yourself instead of forcing
others to watch you text? As someone who
neither has nor particularly yearns for a
Smartphone, this phenomenon particularly
bothers me. Not only is it incredibly
annoying, but also the consequences of
such social interactions are formidable.
By pulling out your phone whenever
there is a lull in conversation with friends,
for instance, you make it harder for others
to connect with you face-to-face. After a
while, you will be so used to simply using
your phone as a distraction during any
silent moments that you will not know
how to carry on a conversation properly.
Yes, the bright colors and interactive
games of any Smartphone are super cool,
but it is really not worth the damage you
inflict upon your social life when you pick
texting over real life social interactions.
Smartphones have been proven to cause
extremely negative consequences, but
people refuse to listen. Long-term users
often have a crippled ability to stay in the
moment and retain learned ideas, while
the brains capacity for memorization
shrinks every generation due to the girth
of information literally available at our
fingertips. Children growing up with
Smartphones already show an increased
amount of restlessness and less empathy

than older generations. This technology

affects the way we think, solve problems,
and deal with others socially; and yet, we
happily hand over large stacks of money
to phone companies every month just so
we can stay connected.
But, you may say, the Smartphone is
just so productive, so functional. Actually,
it may be the opposite. I am not going
to deny the obvious advantages of an
amazing piece of technology the fast
communication, maps, and scanners are
just a few but the idea that they save
time is simply nonsense thats passed on
by companies like Apple. According to
a recent U.S. digital consumer report,
81 billion minutes were spent on social
networking sites in 2011 with 58 percent
of users accessing the site through mobile
phones. Another study found that phone
calls trail behind Internet browsing,
checking social networks, playing games,
and listening to music. I would not
call any of these activities necessarily
productive a giant time-suck, maybe, but
not productive.
It is truly amazing how much we
deceive ourselves with these devices.
Commercials advertise Smartphones
as these bright, glowing little machines
that will instantly connect you with your
friends and give you a lively, exciting
social life. On the contrary, studies have
shown new technology may be making us
lonelier by blocking true intimacy. Rather
than calling each other these days, we
text. Rather than hanging out with others,
we Facetime. The truth is, all this digital
socializing is alienating humans from one
another. Smartphone providers fool us
into thinking that we will be united by the
ever-expanding online world; in reality,
we are being pulled farther apart from one
another.

Its Testing Season!

But dont stress - visit the Prep Book Drive in the HPHS Media Center
New and Old Books, from $3 to $8

All Proceeds Benefit Global Awareness Groups Fundraiser for Room to Read
DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

GIF
All-Purpose Holiday Gift Guide
Maddie Hehir

Although its the most wonderful time

of the year, holiday shopping can become
stressful when you cant find the right
gift for that special someone. No worries,
The Fling has created its very own Gift
Guide to solve any holiday shopping
woes.
1. Bake something: Nothing says the holidays more than a fresh batch of Christmas cookies or a homemade pumpkin/pecan/sweet potato pie. By baking a dessert
for someone, you are showing them that
you took the time to do something nice
or sweet for them. People know that
baking, especially from scratch, requires
time, patience, and love. Dont think
youre a good enough baker? Then start
with a simple recipe. Try making a batch
of chocolate chip cookies instead of a
baked Alaska. Even if the dessert does not
turn out perfect, remember its the thought
that counts!

2. Buy their favorite movie: Everyone

has seen a movie thats caused them
to laugh, cry, think, and feel inspired.
Purchase your friends favorite movie and
offer to watch it with them. Whether you
like the movie or not, its nice to take an
interest in your friends favorite things.
Make popcorn or bring candy and enjoy
spending time together. Not into movies?
Then buy a season of a television show
your friend or family member really likes.
This gift shows that you pay attention
when they babble on about Glee or describe scenes in detail from the Walking
Dead. And if your friend or family members really dont like watching TV, you
can always get them their favorite book.
3. Find/take/get a picture and frame
it: Today when pictures are taken, they
either end up sitting in your camera or on
Facebook. Break the cycle! Try looking
through some old family photos and framing one for a parent, sibling, or grand-

Do-It-Yourself Holiday Gifts

parent. If you like more than one photo,

buy a photo album and fill out the first
few pages for them with pictures. Want
a more recent picture? Take your camera
or memory card and get some pictures
developed; or try going on Facebook and
sorting through pictures until you find a
pretty and appropriate picture of you and
your friends. Pictures, whether good or
bad, are memories, and its always nice to
remind people of good times.
4. Buy a board or card game and offer
to play it with your family: Remember
family game night? While some might
consider this tradition old-fashioned in
2012, family game night does have good
intentions. Just think of how thrilled your
parents will be to hear that you would
rather stay home and play a board game
with them than go partying with your
friends. Plus, having a board game to play
with on Christmas day is a lifesaver if
younger cousins, nieces, or nephews come

over to celebrate. Board games and card

games can be played by both young and
old. Get your whole family together on
Christmas grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins, and all, and sit down to play a
game together. A board game is a great
way to bring people together and to have
some good old Christmas fun.
Hopefully, with this guide, holiday shopping just got much easier; but remember,
the worth of the gift is in the thought!
Happy gifting!

Tia Wangli and Amita Shukla

Tis the seasonfor giving and getting presents! If you need a quick, easy,
handmade gift, this is the article for you. Here are two great ideas:
Melted Snowman
1. Start by gathering clay, salt, and a clear ornament (These can be purchased at
almost any craft store).
2.Roll out the clay and start shaping it into a small cone. This will be the carrot
nose of your snowman. Then, use the clay to create the eyes and buttons on your
snowman.
3.Bake or air-dry your clay according to the instructions on the packet. If your
clay was not colored, paint them after they have hardened.
4.While waiting for the clay to be finished, use a funnel and pour in 1/3 cup of
salt into the clear ornament.
5.When your clay pieces are finished, drop them into the ornament and your
snowman is finished! You could also include some cute additions to your snowman, such as mini stick arms or a small scrap of fabric as a scarf.
Heart Gloves
1. Gather your materials. You will need gloves-- the dollar store is a good place
to find gloves for this project. You will also need felt, a needle, thread, and pins
(or hot glue if you dont like to sew).
2. Cut out a heart stencil. Check the size by pinning it to the glove and trying it
on.
3. Trace the stencil onto the felt and cut it out.Cut the heart in half.
4. Pin one half of the felt heart onto each glove, with the center of the heart
turned slightly toward your thumbs.
5. Sew or hot glue the pieces on. Make sure the heart lines up when you put your
gloved hands together.
Variations:

1. Cut off the tips of the fingers off to make fingerless gloves.
2. Use embroidery thread for decorative stitching.
With these easy, but creative presents, all your present worries can be solved!
Happy crafting!

THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

FTS
Give or Receive?
Elisha Eanes

Were all familiar with this time of the

year. It gets dark right after five, there are
freezing cold days when only the occasional
dare-devil wears shorts. Random Christmas
lights and inflatable menorahs pop up on
front lawns, and when you walk through
town everybody is doing a half jog to hurry
out of the cold.
It doesnt matter what holiday it is Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa - they all
have one thing in common; presents are
given or received. But which is better? In
all the winter holiday stories Ive ever read,
watched, or acted out in total secrecy, the
usual moral of the story is that its better to
give than receive. I figure theyre right, and
its all because of that incredible feeling
you get when you clean up the whole house
before your mom gets home from work, or
bake a cake for your best friend whos sick
in bed with a cold. The dishes you washed
and dried meticulously may have still been

Give Instead of Get

really greasy, and that cake may have been

missing a few major ingredients, maybe
sugar and flour, but everyone knows that
its the thought that counts.
You may get all the presents in the worldI mean really good stuff, like seasonal passes to Six Flags, or a used car (that your dad
expects you to pay back every penny for).
But all those material gifts are just stuff they dont make you all fuzzy and tingly
inside. Instead, these kinds of gifts leave
you possibly excited that you get to ride
the Chariot, or anxious because your father
wants you to pay him back in adequate
installments. The bottom line is that it is
kind, and morally sound, to give thoughtful
gifts than to accept brand new ankle socks
and large amounts of Barnes & Noble gift
cards. So, when the next gift giving holiday
comes around, buy a little something for
your boyfriends brother, or your aunts
dog, or whoever. Just remember to wallow
in that fuzzy feeling that comes after.

Amy Wang

When asked, Whats one of the best

things about the winter holidays? most
people, particularly teenagers, immediately think presentsadmit it! Receiving gifts from friends and family is
always a reason to get excited, but every
year, there are many people who cannot
experience that same joy. Some children
never even expect to receive presents
because of financial woes, while others
are deprived of holiday cheer because
they cannot celebrate the holidays with
their families. Particularly with many
families left desolate by Hurricane Sandy,
let us all try to convert our own holiday
cheer into the desire to help others in
need. Donating to charities can be personalized gifts, too. For example, if your
friend enjoys acting and the arts, donate
to a charity that supports arts programs
in high schools in their name. Holiday
charities can also be global or local. By
donating to the Uganda Village Project
or the Highland Park Food Pantry, you
could either help send a child to school in
Africa or feed a family your own community. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Donate to a Local Food Pantry
When families gather together during the
holidays, they sit down to great feasts to
celebrate. Helping a food pantry stock up
their stores will definitely help provide
feasts to those who cannot afford them.
Highland Park is lucky enough to have its
own food pantry, located across town in
the Senior Center!

2. Donate to Toys for Tots

This organization strives to provide underprivileged children with toys, especially during the winter holidays. You can
either donate money (the organization has
also set up a special section for Hurricane
Sandy victims) or drop off toys at a local
Toys R Us or Babies R Us store. Local
branches of the organization will deliver
the toys.
3. Be an Elf
The United States Postal Service created Operation Santa, a program that
accepts wish lists or letters to Santa from
disadvantaged children. These letters are
then posted on their website and anyone
can pick up a letter from the post office,

buy the present for the child, and drop

it off at one of the USPSs participating
locations. The present is then delivered to
the child on Christmas Eve. The closest
location to Highland Park is the Newark
Main Post Office. This is an easy way to
make an underprivileged childs Christmas memorable! Read more about it on
BeAnElf.org!
4. Visit a Nursing Home
Many times during the holidays, the
elderly living in nursing homes cannot
spend time with their families and will
not be able to feel the joy of the holidays.
Grab a couple of friends and go visit a
nursing home. You can carol, put on a
show, or just talk to the people there.
Visitors are greatly appreciated and you
will definitely make their holidays more
cheerful. Some nursing home suggestions
are the Brighton Gardens of Edison and
St Josephs Home.
5. Donate to the Salvation Army
Do you ever see the people shaking bells
outside of a store with a red bucket next
to them? Well, these people wearing red
aprons, collecting money from harried
shoppers, are part of the Salvation Army.
The donations provide Christmas dinners,
toys, and clothing for families in need. So
the next time you see someone from the
Salvation Army, be sure to drop in few
(or more than a few) dollars.
6. Support Global Awareness Groups
iLlama fundraiser
Every December, HPHSs own Global
Awareness Group fundraises for Heifer
International. Heifer International uses
donations to purchase and distribute
livestock to families in need, all around
the world. These animals become part of
their welcoming families, providing them
with milk, transportation, and farm help.
Heifer International presents families
with chicks, cows, goats, bees, bunnies,
water buffalo, and, of course, llamas!
While getting gifts this holiday season,
try to give back to the community a little
too! There are so many things you can do
to make the holidays better for another
person. As in the words of St. Francis
of Assisi, For it is in giving that we
receive.

DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

10

OPINION
Why You Should Apply to Gov School (for the Sciences)
Xuewei Ouyang

Every summer, eighty-five students from

across New Jersey gather for a once-ina-lifetime experience at a free program
called NJ Governors School of the
Sciences. Selected through a competitive
process at the high school and state levels,
these eighty-five rising seniors are no
doubt some of the top students in the state.
Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to
be selected. After the three-week program
at Drew University, where NJGSS took
place, I believe I speak for nearly all
Governors (Gov) School alumni when
I say that the program was one of the
best three weeks of my life. Now as the
application deadline approaches once
more, for you juniors (and ambitious
underclassmen), I hope I can convince
you that applying will be one of the best
decisions you have ever made.
Ranging from traditional lectures to
hands-on experiments and research, Gov
School provided me with a wide variety
of opportunities that came together
to create an intellectually stimulating
experience that I would never had
experienced in a normal high school.
The mornings were filled with lecture
courses concerning advanced or unusual
topics not offered in high school. The
best part, however, was working with the
other NJGSS scholars outside of class
on projects and homework. One group
project involved preparing a presentation
on the connection between ubiquitin
and cancer using scientific papers. We
struggled to wrap our minds around the
process and specifics, working for nearly
two hours in our group. It was tiring,
but surprisingly enjoyable. The program
also focuses on introducing students
to research. We designed a realistic
experiment after discussing and sifting
through a myriad of published journals
and papers. By collaborating, we played
off of each others ideas and concerns
until we were satisfied with our final
procedure and interpretation of results.
Excited yet? Well that wasnt all. The
program tried to expand our horizons even
further by inviting several guest speakers
to talk about topics from parasites to the
mathematical explanation of love. We
also had an extraordinary opportunity to
meet Adam Riess, a NJGSS alumni and

Above: the author holding Adam Riesss Nobel Prize; below: the author participating in a lab.

2011Nobel Laureate in Physics. His

lecture on his discovery added the perfect
icing to an already incredible educational
and intellectual NJGSS cake.
So you might be thinking, An
educational program? Who would
want to spend three precious weeks of
summer at an educational program? Gov
School may be primarily an educational
program, but it is undeniably more than
that. The people you meet are the best
part of Gov School. Even the classes
and research projects would not have
been half as enjoyable and challenging
without the bright people who took part
in it. Although Gov School essentially is
a taste of college with its loosely packed
schedule and abundance of unstructured
free time, it extended beyond that due
to the attending students. The number
of scholars, eighty-five, neither too big
nor too small, allowed us to become a
tightly-knit community that does not exist
in any university in the United States.
Gov School was a place where you could
start a conversation with anyone, or
everyone. The first few days, I sat with
an entirely new group of people for each
meal. Every person had his or her own
special and intriguing talents. There were
musicians, athletes, dancers, and artists,
but there were also some of the funniest
and most entertaining people I have ever
met. Although groups were unavoidably
created, the boundaries were nonexistent.
Regardless of background, everyone
shared a common passion for science
and knowledge (which often expressed
itself in nerdy jokes). After the NJGSS
experience, I understood why alumni
continued to stay in contact with each
other for the rest of their lives.
Although Governors School is known
for its prestige and number of alumni who
attend top universities, I highly doubt
that any NJGSS scholar will say that the
most he or she took out of the program
was its benefit in the college admission
process. But whether it be for prestige,
for education, or for fun, I encourage all
of you to apply for this summer program,
which, to put it simply, is college (the
best four years of your life) condensed
into three weeks and enhanced by 10^6.

Skyfall:The Dark Knight in Disguise?

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
Yang Xu

The obvious popularity of the newest

James Bond film, Skyfall, makes its
success unquestionable. However, as I
watched the action-packed film, I could
not stop myself from comparing the
dashingly-smooth English hero (played
by Daniel Craig) to another famous face
the rich and famous Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight. And the
similarities go further than the fact that
both men are confident heroes who catch
the criminal while seducing women.
For starters, the concept of having
an agent assisted by a personal assistant through a hidden room has been a
clichd aspect of several films. Bonds
Q and Waynes Lucius Fox both assist
the protagonist through a control room
far away. However, I believe it was the
villain, Silva (Javier Bardem), who truly
captured the spirit of The Dark Knight.
Silva and the Joker both play the role of
a psychologically-scarred villain who
attempts to prove his views of society.
While Silva is disgusted with the way
M disposed of him when he worked
for MI6, the Joker wants to expose the
THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

chaos that lurks inside each individuals

soul through his mastermind schemes.
Both of these geniuses even devise plans
that seem to mirror one another: both
get captured on purpose and then escape
with a pre-planned route. While the Joker
cleverly activates the cell-phone hidden
inside an inmate, Silva rigs an incoming
train to intercept his capture. But perhaps
the most indisputable similarity between
the two occurs when Silva finally meets
M after several years and removes his
fake teeth to reveal his deformed face. His
actions perfectly capture the Jokers own
madness as he explains to a victim how he
got his scars from an abusive father. The
list of similarities go on and on between
the two blockbusters.
Skyfall may have been a successful
movie, but Heath Ledgers maniacal Joker
overshadows Javier Bardems Silva any
day. Personally, I will always find Skyfall
to be a mediocre reenactment of a breathtaking film, The Dark Knight.

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Not Many Silver Linings Here
Oscar Lee
One would expect good quality from David O. Russells Silver Linings Playbook,
given all the talent attached: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver. But,
that would just set oneself up for major
disappointment. When it first screened at
the Toronto International Film Festival,
there was a torrent of critical support for
the filmreflective of the film industrys
sorry state of affairs. Apparently, average
is the new outstanding. As the blog Ultra
Culture noted, 90% of the drama, action,
and dialogue of Silver Linings Playbook
[takes place] literally in the middle of the
road. Its basically a Katherine Heigl
movie with good acting and no Katherine
Heigl. The plot itself is just plain ridiculous. It centers on Pat Solitano (Bradley
Cooper), a former high school history
teacher who is sent to a psychiatric institution after beating his wifes lover to a
pulp. The film starts with Pats discharge
into the care of his parents (Robert De
Niro and Jacki Weaver). Pat leaves the
hospital with the goal of winning back his
wife. To do so, he forms a friendship with
Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a nymphomaniac widow, who promises to help
him with his goal, under the condition
that he participate in a dance competition
with her. At the same time, his father, Pat
Sr., an obsessive football enthusiast and
gambler, bets heavily on a football game
and the results of Pat and Tiffanys dance
competition in order to finance his dream
of opening a cheesesteak restaurant.

Jennifer Lawrence. Need I say more?

She holds up the film, even elevating it
a bit, tearing her scenes apart, conjuring
up a peculiar concoction of deep sorrow,
shielded by a rigid, dour exterior. Lawrence lifts her character, written simply as
a crutch Pat uses to get back on his feet,
into the stratosphere. Hers is a striking, yet

points, overactingbut he is certainly a

revelation. Who knew he could act? The
treatment of Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom, The Five Year Engagement), one of
the greatest actors alive, has been one of
my biggest grievances. Her already small
role is further minimized by her characters lack of development and depth. She

Above; the stunning Jennifer Lawrence (left) and the lackluster Bradley Cooper (right).

sensitive performance that will most likely

earn Lawrence her first Academy Award.
My only disappointment is that it will
be in such a lackluster vehicle. Bradley
Cooper as Pat is sufficienthe is weak at

literally just shuttles Pat around in the car

and cooks. Seriously?
As a result of the jumbled, nonsensical
plot, the rest of the movie suffers from
an uneven keel. That roughness does

workto an extentas representative of

Pats bipolar disorder. The sharp, discordant tonal shifts, the juxtapositions of the
emotional highs and lows, which culminate in the artistically chaotic dance at the
end, are exceptionally evocative of mental
illness. Excluding that, Russell utilizes
mental illness too often as a quirk, disguising an otherwise mediocre film, feebly
held together by an anemic narrative. The
oversimplification of mental illnessOh,
hey, lets make him bipolar. Thatll make
him seem wild, which will make audiences laugh!takes away from its serious,
often debilitating nature.
Silver Linings Playbook skims the
surface and makes light of a complicated
issue, cementing its conventionality, almost entirely devoid of substance. Russell
shows his true colors as a practitioner of
lazy, sloppy writing, using characters and
events as mere plot devices, their sole
purpose being to move the story forward,
not to develop it. Fights are fought; disagreements are disagreed upon. Both are
resolved within minutesno, seconds,
diminishing the legitimacy and emotional
impression of said fights. If I wanted safe,
middlebrow entertainment, I would turn
on the Hallmark Channel. Want an unconventionally textured, emotionally nuanced
take on recovery after a blowup? Skip Silver Linings Playbook. Watch Enlightened
on HBO instead.

An Unexpected Disappointment
Greg Burdea
Cloudy skies floated over theaters that
harbored Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and
Tolkien fans. As I approached the cinema, I noticed several empty trays of 3-D
glasses. Arming myself with my pair, I approached my seat, prepared to investigate
a 48 frames-per-second (FPS) journey into
Middle-earth. Having not read The Hobbit, I expected the film to carry me (along
with countless others) through its lore.
Although I didnt fail to follow hobbit
Bilbo Baggins, grey wizard Gandalf, and
their pack of dwarves, the movie failed
to captivate me in the process. My high
expectations from the LOTR movie series
set me up for disappointment with The
Hobbit.
The journey begins in the past as The
Hobbit reveals the history of the dwarves,
an essential par t of the movie-trilogy, to
viewers. In words that dont spoil anything for readers planning on watching the
movie: the dwarves have much that they
plan to reclaim, with the help of Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and their
burglar companion Baggins (Martin
Freeman).
Gandalfs details eventually bring more
depth to what seems like a slow and shallow beginning of a legendary tale. Viewers find interest in all of Middle-earths
fantastical creatures, from trolls to
wizards; from Orcs to elves; from stone
giants to goblins. Size does play a role in

the interpretation of figures that carry super-worldly powers, among other factors
such as voice and facial appearance. Movie goers naturally find the balance between
good and evil, and the subsequent divide
that defines Middle-Earth.
Although The Hobbit succeeds in its
introduction, as well as in some visual

tiful imagery but portrays it in an oddly

fast fashion. Ive never felt that a movie
looked like it was slowly going at fast-forward before. It certainly was unlike
anything I had seen before. Others quickly
overlook the need to adapt and love the
visual delivery of such a first-of-its-type
film. Well, to each his own I suppose.

Above; the stunning Jennifer Lawrence (left) and the lackluster Bradley Cooper (right).

components, it fails to bring viewers into

the world of Tolkien. Chief in this failure
is the 48 FPS display that provides beau-

Another factor that seems to drown the

effect of the film is its length. A 2-hourand-50 minute-long movie isnt easy to

follow if one isnt absorbed into its story.

Fortunately, The Hobbit did pick up pace
with time. Viewers question whether
lengthening The Hobbit[s] plot brought
anything substantial to the film. Many
consider the stretching of the book fruitless in terms of added depth. Freshman
Farhan Rozaidi, who had read The Hobbit
beforehand said, I believe that the reason
they spread it out into three movies was to
just gain money, I think that it [the film]
couldve been done in one long movie or
two average-length ones. The pointless
length of the Hobbit trilogy leaves fans
wondering whether the trilogy can truly
stay on par with its complementary Lord
of the Rings trilogy.
After experiencing The Hobbit in 48
FPS for almost three hours, Im uncertain
whether the film merits recommendation.
Fans of the LOTR series and action or
fantasy movies will surely see the film of
their own accord; however those who are
undecided might be better off saving their
money. Having already earned $38 million
in its opening day, The Hobbit has surely
succeeded in engaging the publics wallet.
Whether it meets their expectations is an
entirely different concern. The creators
of the three Hobbit movies have a large
task on their hands if they wish to have
a trilogy that can stand tall alongside the
epic Lord of the Rings films.

Dont Lose Your High School Memories!

The Albadome Is Now on Sale!

See Ms. Marionni for Payment Plans
DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A New Kind of HPHS Production
Sarah Cheng

As usual, the Highland Park High

School Drama Department presented
us with an amazing play this fall. Our
Town by Thornton Wilder explores
the dynamics of a small town in New
Hampshire through the relationship of
two young inhabitants, as they grow
up together and evolve from a bond
of friendship to romance. The Drama
Departments production starred
sophomore Christopher Michael
and junior Maddie Hehir as the
protagonists, with senior Riley Ernest
as the stage manager and narrator.
Unlike our usual school plays, Our
Town had a dark underlying tone. The
play was about human experience,
and was therefore full of comic and
tragic moments, including the death
of Hehirs character.As a viewer, I
was very impressed by how well each
character adapted to their role and
broadcasted their emotions across the
stage.
The fact that Our Town had little to
no props was not due to the crews
indolence. The play purposely has
minimal scenery; only tables, chairs,
ladders, and a few other objects are
involved in the set. Thornton Wilder
created the play in this way in order to
force the audience to concentrate on
the characters and themes, rather than
the props and appearances. Luckily,
such a small set was compatible
with the Bartle Auditorium, as the
high school auditorium is currently
undergoing renovations and could not
be used for the performance this fall.
The aforementioned renovations
presented the cast and crew with
considerable setbacks, as they had
to work in a completely different
environment and adapt to a round (a
stage viewable from all four sides).
One of the problems I noticed was
the way that sound echoes throughout
the auditorium, which made certain
lines harder to hear and understand.
In order for the best sound, actors had
to carefully form and articulate each
word. The tech crew also had to work
with brand new equipment that they
were simply not accustomed to, which
obviously provided considerable new
challenges. However, they definitely
deserve praise for effectively
mastering the new sound and lighting
systems in such a short period of time.
On top of all these adjustments, the
cast and crew also had to deal with the
week of school lost due to Hurricane

Above (clockwise from top left): junior Aubrey Shombert, playing Mrs. Gibbs, mimes her way around her kitchen; junior Charlotte Millet, as Mrs.
Webbs, tearfully awaits her daughters wedding; junior Maddie Hehir, as Emily Webbs, and sophomore Darcy Thompson as Mr. Webbs, walk down
the aisle; the cast at the wedding of George Gibbs (Michael) and Emily Webbs (Hehir)

Sandy, which drastically decreased the

amount of preparation and rehearsal
time. Nevertheless, the members

persevered and scheduled around the

natural disaster. All in all, the play was
very successful, especially considering

the huge obstacles involved with its

production.

Philharmonic in the Cafeteria: An Unexpected Find

Amy Wang

Although the winter music concerts were

held in the cafeteria this year due to the
renovation of the auditorium, the orchestra displayed an amazing performance,
as usual. To start off the festivities, a
talented quartet, consisting of three violins
and a cello, played a beautiful rendition
of The Star Spangled Banner. Then,
the Middle School Symphonic Orchestra
showed off their skills with three well-rehearsed pieces. Taking the stage next,
the expanded High School Philharmonic
Orchestra rapidly moved their bows to
Sprint, impressing with their agile
fingers. The concert changed tempo with
a bouncy Badinerie, evoking the joyous
spirit of the season. Finishing off with
Perseus, an exciting medieval-soundTHE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

ing piece, the Philharmonic once again

wowed the listeners with their fluid, but
detailed music. The terrific Chamber
Orchestra then came on stage, showering
the audience with the tranquil tones of
Yirumas When the Love Falls. Changing the mood again, the group played
Calypso Jam, an extremely fast-paced
and funky song. After a brief intermission
and a joyful presentation of thanks, the
complete high school and middle school
orchestras finished off with the famous
Rock the Bells, bringing in the holiday
spirit. This years concert was very enjoyable and exciting. If you missed it, dont
worry! The HPHS Philharmonic will give
an encore at this years winter pep rally!
Right: the expanded orchestra playing under
the direction of Ms. Feng.

13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Playlist:
A Break from
Holiday Music

PLAYER PROFILES
Name: Nina Xue
Grade: 11
Instrument: Violin
Jacob Choi

Highland Fling (HF):

When did you start
playing violin? How did
you start playing?
Nina Xue (NX): I started
playing violin when I was
in fourth grade. In school,
I joined the first year that
orchestra was offered to
the student body. Before
then, orchestra was nonexistent in the school
district, but because
the Music Department
wanted to start another
music-oriented program
besides band and choir,
orchestra was formed.
Our first orchestra concert
consisted of thirty students
from all three schools. It
amazes me how far the
program has come along
in eight years, with the
membership rising up to
about a hundred students.
However, I was the first
batch of students to see it
grow from the beginning
to an interminable time
in the near future, so
bragging rights go to me!
HF: Do you play violin
outside the school? If
so,where?
NX: Besides playing in

school concerts, I also

play in a church orchestra
called Five Loaves Two
Fishes. We hold a concert
every February to raise
money for a different
organization every year.
For example, two years
ago, the money earned
went towards helping
the victims of the Japan
Earthquake. I also played
in the Central Jersey
Regional Orchestra in
eighth grade, and the very
same year, I was accepted
into the New Jersey All
State Orchestra. However,
as of now, I play for
fun and entertainment
purposes.
HF: How do you feel
about playing violin? Are
you dedicated to it?
NX: I can always count
on the violin to relieve
me of my stresses and
worries. Closing my eyes
and listening to the music
brightens up my day. My
main enjoyment is tackling
a challenging piece that I
cannot play right off the
bat. I will practice it for
a few months, and once I
finally feel the style and
rhythm of said piece, I can
reach my goal. Playing
the violin has not always
been easy for me. In the
beginning, I screeched my
bow across all four strings,
but I have improved

tremendously since then,

thankfully. Since I am
busy with other activities,
I do not practice too much,
compared to the two-three
hours I practiced in middle
school, but occasionally on
days when I want to play,
my violin would always be
there waiting for me.
HF: What other activities
do you participate in?
NX: Other than orchestra,
I am in DECA and work
on the Albadome. I also
play on the girls tennis
team. Outside of school,
I write for the Chinese
News Observer, which is a
newspaper for the Chinese
community. I also work at
the library every weekend.
HF: Who/what is your
favorite music and
musician/band?
NX: The Backstreet
Boys and the Wanted.
Sometimes, I listen to
Chinese and Korean pop,
but American music suits
my tastes better. I do listen
to classical music also,
such as Mozart and Bach.
My favorite composer is
Soon Hee Newbold, and
professional violinists that
I want to meet include
Itzhak Perlman and Sarah
Chang.
Highland Fling (HF):

Name: Luke
Schroeder
Grade: 9
Instrument:
Saxophone
Simone Kusnecov

When did you start band

and why?
Luke Schroeder (LS):
I started saxophone in
fourth grade, because it
seemed like an interesting
instrument and Mr. Presty
encouraged me to play it.
HF: Whats difficult
about the saxophone?
LS: A lot of people say
its difficult because it can
easily get out of tune and
the fingering is hard.
HF: Would you recommend for other students
to play the saxophone?
LS: Yes, I would, because
it fun and pretty easy to
learn how to play.
HF: How was the concert?
LS: The concert was great.
The audience was pretty
big and I think we played
our music really well.
HF: What can we look
forward to in the next
concert?
LS: The next concert
should be even better.
Well have more time, and
the music will be more
advanced and difficult.

Jana Choi

Having just recovered from post-Thanksgiving

turkey comas and the rush of Black Friday
shopping, American culture, as usual, begins to
usher in the climax of the holiday season as soon
as the turkey is off the table. Everyday life is
bombarded with everything holiday related; 25
days of Christmas specials aired by ABC Family
start even before December arrives, while snippets
of A Charlie Brown Christmas and other holiday
songs repeat on the radio with increasing frequency.
By the start of winter break, most radio airtime
will probably be dominated by Jingle Bells and
Santa Baby, leaving us sick of the holidays before
they have even begun. Christmas tunes have their
place, but after thirty plays, the cheerful jingles are
no longer as cheerful as they are infuriating. Take a
moment to yourself and listen to a couple of these
songs before returning to the monotony of holiday
music that we find ourselves knee deep in during
this time of the year.

Eyes Closed
The Narrative

Tiptoe
Imagine Dragons
How to Be a Heartbreaker
Marina & the Diamonds

Madness
Muse

28
The Weekend

We Are In Love
Cider Sky

Little Numbers
BOY

Crave You
(Adventure Club
Dubstep Remix)
Flight Facilities

Spain
Jubilants

Wish You Well

Bernard Fanning
Left (from left to right): Luke Schroeder with his saxophone; Nina Xue with her violin.

DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

14

FUN & GAMES

PHOTO STORY
The Fart. By Boning Zhao, Featuring David Siegel and Mr. Kruger

THE HIGHLAND FLING, DECEMBER 2012

15

SPORTS
Putting Down the Football Helmet:
Coach McGlynn Returns to the Basketball Court
Highland Fling (HF): Youre
well-known as the high
school football coach, so what
interested you about coaching
basketball?
Coach McGlynn (CM): I have
coached basketball before;
in fact, for the first seven to
eight years that I worked in
Highland Park, I coached the
boys freshman basketball team.
Im really looking forward to
coaching the girls because it
will be a change of scene for
me, considering that Ive been
coaching boys for so long.
Interestingly enough, it ties back
in with my family as well. I
have two little girls at home, so I
asked myself why not?
HF: Did you have a lot of girls
interested in playing basketball
this season?
CM: There were about 28 girls
this season. I think thats a good
number compared to numbers in
the past. There are a lot of girls
interested which is refreshing for
the program.
HF: Did you host tryouts?
CM: No, we didnt host tryouts.
We feel we have a good number
of girls; however, we may have
to establish rotating lineups. Ms.
Washington and I have discussed
the fact that if we have too many
girls we may have to rotate the
players between home and away

games, being that there are 28

girls altogether. We definitely
do not want to cut anybody,
especially the younger girls. We
want them to stay interested in
the program throughout the rest
of high school.
HF: Would you consider this
new position a challenge for
yourself?
CM: Yes and no. In a way it
is challenge because I havent
coached basketball in five years;
on the other hand, I look at it
as more of a refreshing type of
challenge for myself.
HF: Do you notice a difference
in coaching girls rather than
boys?
CM: A difference that I see
between coaching the girls and
the boys, and this is no mark
against the boys; the girls are
more inclined to want to be
coached. They listen and their
work ethic is better than the
boys.When it comes to being
at work everyday and coaching
them -- I just cant wait. Im
excited everyday because
theyre looking forward to being
coached.
HF: What are your plans for
the upcoming season?
CM: The JV coach always has
to prepare the girls for playing
Varsity the following year, or

even at the end of the season.

My job is to get the girls to
understand the game. It is critical
that they learn from what Varsity
is doing. They have to learn
about offensive and defensive
plays for both home and away
games, and it is important that
they understand how to be better
students of the game. If I can get
them to not just be better players,
but better students of the game,
I can prepare them for the next
level, which is playing with Ms.
Washington.
HF: Are there any strategies,
concepts, or mentalities you
have developed while coaching
football that you have brought
to the court?
CM: I would say I carried over
a defensive mindset. I think the
fact that everything starts with
the defense in any sport, and the
fact that Ms. Washington and I
have the same mindset, really
sparks the importance of having
a strong defense, having an
aggressive attitude, and creating
turnovers that become great
offensive plays.This defensive
as well as aggressive mindset
is what, I believe, will help us
receive more baskets in a game.
HF: How do you feel
about working with Coach
Washington, the girls Varsity
coach?

Above: Coach McGlynn is his most well-known domain of football. He is

eagerly embracing his new coaching position.

CM: Were very much alike,

which is beneficial to the girls;
they have gotten used to it
quickly.I think that because
we are two very intense people
who want to win and expect
the best, causes us to feed off
of one another. We challenge

one another, and in the end it

helps out a lot. We help each
other improve as coaches, which
benefits our team continually
throughout the season.

STUDENT ARTWORK
John Yang

DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING

16

SPORTS
WINTER PREVIEWS

Basketball

Annie McCrone
The girls and boys basketball teams
are getting ready to start their seasons,
and their coaches have high hopes. The
starting team is made up mainly of seniors
Lexus Blocker, Jessie Dominick, Dierra
Doyle, Ashley Lozada, Hannah Stern,
Angelica Villanueva, Dimitra Xenopoulou
as well as some underclassmen Zoe

Karagan, Zanae Torres, and Rachel Beyer.

With seven seniors on this years team, the
program will evidently need to fill a lot
of spots for next year. Similarly, the boys
line up has a majority of seniors: Jarren
Miller, James Webb, Jordan Long, Ehren
Whitfield, and Mike Erlich. The Varsity
team has only four non-senior players: Uri
Bar, Andy Powell, William Jacobs-Perez,

and Harry Landis.

The boys teams goals are to be more
aggressive and finish at or above a 500 record. The girls want to play well together
and learn more about the game. The team
is valuing these less material goals over
winning.
For those of you wondering when their
games will be, itll be every Tuesday and

Wrestling

Jacob Choi
Wrestling is one of the most competitive
sports in our school, and already our
athletes are working hard to take their
positions. Our veteran coach, Coach
Girvan, who has coached since 2000, is
preparing well for the season, managing
the team and strategizing with his wrestlers. This year, we have seven seniors
who have wrestled all the way throughout
the high school years, which give advantage for our team. Two well-known names
in the sport are Freddy Cacace and Alex

Vanarthos, both of whom won fourth place

in Districts last year in low weight class.
David Siegel, also a returning senior, won
over 15 matches last year, and Melshawn
Taylor, another senior, has just joined
the team and is already looking strong.
Although we have talented wrestlers, we
do not have many. In other sports, such
as soccer and tennis, coaches often end
up with an overabundance of players.
However, there are 18 wrestlers wrestling
for 14 weight classes this year. There is
more than one position in certain weights,

and obviously, one wrestler cannot fill

multiple spots. With his current numbers, Coach Girvan cannot fill all these
spots, and is hoping for late recruits. As a
result, this year, Coach Girvan has unique
goal of the season from other sports. He
wants to get as close to the full line up
as possible, as well as qualify for state
tournament, being one of the top six
teams from the Central Jersey Group One.
Wrestling is the most difficult sport in
high school. It lasts only six minutes, but
very tough and difficult, said Girvan.

Friday for the boys, with a game or two

on Wednesday. The girls will have opened
on December 14th. They play mostly on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Good
luck to all the players!

In order to be in tremendous shape, both

individually and as a team, wrestlers
must invest their entire bodies to get into
shape. The wrestlers week-long purges
to hydration tests attest to the rigor of the
sport. Regardless of a smaller-than-usual
turnout, as Girvan says, we will go as far
as we can and will not regret.

Track Club in Highland Park

Grace Chong
The Garden State Track Club (GSTC) is
a non-profit organization that was created
in order to help runners of all abilities and
ages in New Jersey. The club is divided
into four groups: sprinters, half-milers,
distance runners, and elite distance runners. This club hosts three races per year:
the Get the Gorilla 5K in the fall, the Road
Relays in the winter, and the College Ave
Mile in the spring. They are also in charge
of a charity called Essays 4 Equipment,
which collects gently-used running equipment, such as shoes, spikes, and shorts,
and then donates these to inner-city youth
runners in need.
The Club is divided into regions: GSTCNorth, GSTC-Beach, GSTC-South, and
GSTC-Central. The GSTC-Central has the
clubs headquarters in New Brunswick.
The club practices every day. On Mondays
and Wednesdays, the team practices right
on the HPHS track at 5:30 pm, and on
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, they
practice at the Rutgers University Student
Center. All HPHS athletes are welcome to
practice with this club this winter and all
year-round.

The Fling interviewed the coach of

GSTC, asking why people should join this
club, and received a wealth of answers:
The club is great because it offers a
fun, unique experience. It offers good
coaching, diverse training partners, and
a challenge that looks great on a college
application! Since the club consists of
people of all ages, it is a chance to meet
interesting people from all over New
Jersey. For example, some of Americans
best runners are on our own club; joining
allows you the chance to get to know
these kinds of runners! Also, you should
join because it is a group that can help you
get in shape for any sport. You can also
enjoy the team year round: some people
come only for the summer, others during
the winter, while some they participate
year-round!
Currently, some HPHS athletes have
been going to the clubs practices,
including juniors Joe Ambrosio, Lucas
Marin, Emmet Brennan, and yours truly,
seniors Dan Siegel and Sylvia Marks, and
sophomore Becca Chant. As the coach
said, the club is very worthwhile, and all
of our athletes should join, whether they
are on the track team or not, because it is
a great experience to be training with a

Editors

Chief: Charlotte Finegold

Online: Xuewei Ouyang
News: Oscar Lee
Feature: Amy Wang
Opinion: Maddie Hehir
Sports: Sylvia Marks
A&E: Elena Weissmann
Layout: Stefana Voicu
Advisor
Brett Roche
Photographers
Maggie Dominick, Zoe Temple, Jacob
Choi, Miranda Safir, Tia Wangli, Amita
Shukla

Above: elite members of the Garden State Track Club compete in a meet. Hopefully HPHS
members will soon join their ranks.

group of great runners who accept runners

of all levels. Garden State Track Club
offers great opportunities to receive good
training in our own backyard.
In order to join, you can send an email
to the coach of the Club (gardenstatetrack-

The Highland Fling

Staff

club@gmail.com) and find out more at

www.gardenstatetc.org. You can also join
the GSTC group on Facebook: GSTC
Sprint Squad and our HPHS running
group, HPHS Track Off-Season Training.

Writers
Sarah Cheng, Belle Gabel, Boning Zhao,
Olivia Draper, Simone Kusnecov, Grace
Chong, Gregory Burdea, Sam Trub,
Andrea Boffice, Jana Choi,
Shana Oshinskie, Avantika Yellapantala,
Jake Callahan, Maverick Lin, Zoe Temple,
Annie McCrone

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact

thehighlandfling@gmail.com
Write, draw, and take pictures for
The Highland Fling!
Come to our next meeting!

DECEMBER 2012, THE HIGHLAND FLING