june 2014 issue of the stinger
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Pemberton Township (N.J.) High School's newspaper The Stinger is available in full-color here. Highlighting in June issue is an in-depth look at year-round education, including the pros and cons and opinions by students and teachers about the hot topic of education reform.TRANSCRIPT
The Stinger Vol. 20, Issue 5 Pemberton Township High School June 2014
Inside:Several faculty and staff retiring from PTHS. Page 3
Sports:Softball team reaches S.J. final; Richardson places in track Meet of Champions.Page 8
Inside:Top 25 in the Class of 2014 is revealed. Page 2
Preliminary discussions have been had in Pemberton
‘Miss Peregrine’ voted in as summer reading choiceBy Alyssa Gregory
With the school year quickly coming to an end, Pemberton Township High School students took their vote and decided on their choice for the 2014-2015 One Book, One School initiative.
One Book, One School is a way to get students involved with their school and read over the summer break at the same time. Last year’s pick, “Catching Fire,” was widely considered a huge success,
sparking school unity and a true love for reading.
Over the summer, all PTHS students will be required to read the book “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs.
Media specialist Ms. Regina Carvin had the duty of select-ing eight books out of 100 at a professional development workshop. A committee of
PTHS staff members narrowed the choices from eight to two. Student voices were heard as they voted between the two books, “The Rules for Disappearing” by Ashley Elston and “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”
“The book is very intriguing; the pic-tures are what really make the book,” Ms. Carvin said. “The real trick is to not read ahead.”
Ms. Carvin expects this year’s book to be a new experience, given the picture con-tent. When it comes to next year’s activi-ties, everything seems to be a big mystery.
It was hinted that PTHS can expect some-thing completely different, with a possible scavenger hunt. Nothing is written in stone.
“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” centers around an abandoned orphanage in Wales. A boy who suffered a family tragedy decides to follow clues that lead him to the mysterious island facility. The novel, published in 2013, is the debut for Riggs.
Tim Burton is directing a movie ver-sion by the same title. The film is sched-uled for a July 31, 2015 release, according to imbd.com.
By Ross AndersonThe Stinger
Would year-round schooling work in the Pemberton Township School District? The year-round calendar that has been instituted in more than 3,000 school dis-tricts around the nation has prov-en to help students in that the loss of education during the long sum-mer break is cut down due to the shorter break. However would it have the same affects in our school?
According to Pemberton Township Superintendent Dr. Michael Gorman, the year-long calendar has been talked about loosely, but hasn’t been seriously considered by administration or the board of education. Special-education students are offered ex-tended education throughout July, and the district runs other pro-grams during the vacation time.
“We conduct many summer programs because we realize the importance of students remaining connected to their formal learning during July and August,” said Dr. Gorman.
If they instituted a year round schedule, there wouldn’t be a need for these programs.
Dr. Gorman thinks year-round schooling could be beneficial to Pemberton, and that the increased costs could be feasible.
“If we could accept the ben-efits of year round schooling, we could work with the logistics,”
Hot topic: Year-round schools3,000-plus U.S. schools on full year
By Jacinda FordThe Stinger
The debate on year-round education (YRE) has been very popular as schools seriously consider it across the nation, and latest figures show more than 3,000 schools across the country are now follow-ing the year-round schedule.
There are many advantages and disad-vantages to year-round scheduling, or bal-anced scheduling as it is often called. For example, many parents work and it will be harder to get child care for a three-week break compared to the whole summer. On
the other hand, an advantage presented by supporters is that it limits the summer “brain drain” that is often experienced by elementary school students.
Before considering too deeply feel-ings about year-round schooling, it’s best to inform yourself as to what year-round schooling is and what it is not, what the ad-vantages and disadvantages are, and what statistics across the country have shown.
There are 180 days in regular school scheduling but not many people realize that year-round schooling has just as many. What changes is how the days are sched-uled and what key issues are in the stu-
By Matthew LaudeThe Stinger
The idea of a year-round school system often strikes the typical student as some-thing undesirable. Or does it?
The traditional calendar offers a cur-riculum of 180 school days collectively, separated by brief breaks in the spring and winter and a whole 60 days vacation in the summer.
Something that not every student knows about the balanced calendar is that is con-tains the same amount of schools days as the traditional system. The difference lies in how the breaks are evenly spread out across the year.
Marjorie FelicianoI would prefer a full year. I feel it would
be better to have more class time and more breaks.
With the traditional system, it feels like the days stretch on, whereas in a trimester, you have more breaks and time to adjust to transition.
Get more classes in, more art classes or philosophy. Get your GPA up. But if you’re not inclined to be in school, then you aren’t going to like it. To be honest, I feel like summer break is too long.
Kim SagerI think the traditional school system is
better. After that amount of school time, you need a couple of months to just break and chill out. I’m just an old fashioned per-
son; I like the feeling of being off for the summer. While the weather is nice, you want to be able to experience it.
Kia HillI think the traditional school calendar is
better. Kids just need a break from all the school and take a vacation.
Joshua BlankenshipI think it would be more interesting
for the year-round. I would try it. It would keep things fresh. You would never feel like you’re in school for too long at a time. You would probably maintain knowledge bet-ter. It could also be an opportunity to offer more co-op programs to compensate for the shortened summer vacation. The retention of knowledge would last longer. Without
PTHS students voice split opinion
See 3,000-PLUS/Page 4
See STUDENTS/Page 4 See PEMBERTON/Page 7
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School 2 November 2006June 2014
Top 25 of 2014 set for next challenge
Laude wins Pemberton’s Got TalentThe Stinger
www.thestinger.orgLike us on Facebook at “PTHS The Stinger”
Editor-in-Chief: Sarah DaniscsakWebsite Editor: Aly HortonWebsite Developer: Jacob SavilleEditorial Editor: Khaliyah Pugh Copy Editors: Matthew Laude and Aly HortonSports Editor: Ross AndersonStaff writers: Tommy Ayrer, Latayla Branson, Kevin Emmons, Shelby Curtis Jacinda Ford, Alyssa Gregory, Samantha Gregory, Savannah Hill, Christine Martin,Tonya Lynch, Kylie Sposato, Michael Thompson, Brittany Vaughan, Rebecca Wiley, Kayla Wilson. Staff photographer: Cazja Andrades. Adviser: Bill Gurden - email: [email protected] Stinger is a work of the Pemberton Township High School journalism class and after-school club members.It is the policy of The Stinger to accept comments or opinons from any member of the school community. Any author wishing publication should indicate so; any work must be signed to be considered for publication. Names will be withheld from publication and signed anony-mously upon request.The Stinger reserves the right to print any submitted material. All such work becomes the property of The Stinger. The Stinger does not discriminate due to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual prefer-ence, ancestry, national origin, or social status.The opinions expressed are those of individual student writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Board of Education, Administration, Faculty, or Student Body of PTHS.
By Aly HortonThe Stinger
This year PTHS tried something new with Pemberton’s Got Talent, opening up the show to more talents than singing, af-ter four years of production as Pemberton Idol.
There was a huge turnout, raising more than $4,000. There were many fantastic acts, including dance groups, duets, and soloists playing guitar.
Matt Laude, who participated in the competition all four years, won the title.
“I was speechless, so bashful; I com-pletely covered my face when I won,” Laude said. “I have a lot to be thankful for.”
He found an idea while watching “The Voice Philippines,” when a guy was sing-ing with his guitar.
“I was like, hey, that’s what I’m do-ing,” Laude continued, “He was doing a mashup and that inspired me.”
Laude stole the show with his mix of Katy Perry’s “California Girls” and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely.”
He won the hearts of the female audi-ence and Miss New Jersey, who served as one of the judges, with the line, “Hey New Jersey girls, you’re undeniable!”
Finishing as the top runner-ups behind Laude were junior singer and guitarist Natalie Rivera, and the dance group Para-digm, composed of juniors Jairus Reola and Fred Marrero, as well as senior Xavier Luciano.
Money raised went toward supporting the Class of 2015 and the Future Business Leaders of America club, along with form-ing the first Joey Ocasio Scholarship.
Drummer Richie Frantzman, a se-nior, was awarded the Ocasio scholarship, which goes toward a student who has dem-onstrated a serious interest in music. Oca-sio died in a car accident last summer.
“He’s the one who pulled me into audi-tions my freshman year, and that started it all,” Laude said.
The Top 25 ranked students in the Class of 2014 represent a diverse group, with 19 different college choices represented, and an equally diverse set of career paths. Six of the 25 are choosing the medical field (and a seventh as a veterinarian), while three others plan careers in physical therapy.
Rank 1Name: Franchesca Namuco Plans: La Salle UniversityMajor: Pre-medAspiration:Physician Assistant
Rank 4Name: Nicholas CicchinoPlans: The College Of New JerseyMajor: International BusinessAspiration: International Controller
Rank 2Name: Na Hui AhnPlans: Arcadia UniversityMajor: BiologyAspiration: Doctor
Rank 3Name: Mike ThompsonPlans: New York UniversityMajor: JournalismAspiration: Journalist
Rank 6Name: Taylor DormanPlans: Shippensburg UniversityMajor: BiologyAspiration: Physician’s Assistant
Rank 5Name: Anna KornPlans: Rutgers UniversityMajor: Biochemistry Aspiration: Be Happy
Rank 7Name: Nataysa DavisPlans: Howard UniversityMajor: Nursing Aspiration: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Rank 8Name: Nicki MyersPlans: University of PittsburghMajor: Physical TherapyAspiration: Rehabilitation science
Rank 9Name: David JeffersonPlans: Burlington County CollegeMajor: Computer Science Aspiration: network technician
Rank 10Name: Michelle YenselPlans: Rowan UniversityMajor: BiologyAspiration: physician in an emergency room
Rank 11Name: Morgan ClearPlans: ArcadiaMajor: BiologyAspiration: environmental science
Rank 12Name: Jessica JudyPlans: MontclairMajor: AdvertisingAspiration: make campaigns and reach out to people
Rank 13Name: Rebecca WileyPlans: Burlington County CollegeMajor: BiologyAspiration: Pediatric physical therapistRank 14Name: Brooke BowmanPlans: Stockton CollegeMajor: Business StudiesAspiration: Accounting CPA
Rank 15Name: Linda HongPlans: RutgersMajor: NursingAspiration: travel nurse, then a nurse practitioner
Rank 16Name: Percelle HowellPlans: U.S. Military Academy at West PointMajor: Leadership and EthicsAspiration: Combat Engineer
Rank 17Name: Krystal EmersonPlans: Richard Stockton CollegeMajor: Physical TherapyAspiration: to be an athletic trainer for an NFL team
Rank 18Name: Justin SwartwoodPlans: Burlington County CollegeMajor: Computer Network EngineeringAspiration: network technicianRank 19Name: Shirley TeowPlans: Florida International UniversityMajor: BiologyAspiration: to become a doctor
Rank 20Name: Constance JonesPlans: Richard Stockton CollegeMajor: Occupational therapyAspiration: to get her master’s degree
Rank 21Name: Kylie SposatoPlans: Rowan UniversityMajor: Early Childhood EducationAspiration: superintendent
Rank 22Name: Alyssa GregoryPlans: Penn StateMajor: Broadcast JournalismAspiration: ABC News anchor or ESPN reporter
Rank 23Name: Marasia LasterPlans: Monmouth UniversityMajor: CommunicationsAspiration: to work within a newsroom or TV studio
Rank 24Name: Abigail CorbinPlans: Lebanon Valley CollegeMajor: Pre-vetAspiration: to be a veterinarian
Rank 25Name: Thomas HainesPlans: Rowan UniversityMajor: Electrical and Computer EngineeringAspiration: to own and operate an agricultural robotics company
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School 3November 2006
By Khaliyah Pugh and Jacinda Ford
The [email protected]@thestinger.org
Pemberton Township High School is losing a handful of teachers and staff members this year. Unfortunately, that includes Mr. Joseph Pannone. The current English and Advanced Placement Literature teacher has decided to retire after working in the district for 37 years.
Besides the high school, Mr. Pannone also worked at Harker Wylie and Newcomb elementary schools, along with Helen A. Fort, when it was the original high school.
After retirement, he plans to focus on writing his memoirs.
Over the years, Mr. Pannone said his favorite memories include working with colleagues and coaching.
“I enjoyed working with Dr. Bob Arenge and Joe Zangaro as colleagues,” Mr. Pannone said. “I also enjoyed coaching the swim and cross country teams, and in 1984 our swim team had its first win.”
Like Mr. Pannone, math teacher Mrs. Judith Arenge has worked in the school district for 37 years and is retiring. The other teachers retiring at the end of the school year are Mrs. Beth Brady and Mrs. Janet Naccarato, both of the English department, and math teacher Mrs. Cora Collins.
Other retiring high school staff members that students are familiar with are Mrs. Wendy Girer of the child study team, secretary Mrs. Brenda Miller, and nurse Mrs. Anne LaBella.
Mrs. Judith ArengeMrs. Judith Arenge has served as
a math teacher at PTHS for 37 years. Retirement was always her plan after her two children left the house, and last month her daughter Gabby graduated from Connecticut College.
She plans on doing whatever crosses her mind because she can. She plans on volunteering at the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation that sets up teen rooms in children’s hospitals around the country.
Mrs. Arenge helps make pillows as part of the kits that the foundation provides.
“My favorite moment here was meeting my husband (Bob),” Mrs. Arenge said, “and the family-like environment that existed here.”
Mrs. Beth BradyOfficially retiring at the end of the
school year, Mrs. Brady has been out shortly after the second semester began.
Seniors often credited Mrs. Brady with helping them become better readers, and she was a long-time special-education English teacher at PTHS after previously working at Delran High School.
Mrs. Cora CollinsMrs. Collins is retiring after working 28
years in the district. In addition to her years at Pemberton, Mrs. Collins also worked as a preschool teacher in Greenville, Miss.
Besides being a special-education math teacher, Mrs. Collins has led an annual Thanksgiving food drive at PTHS for years, and has been an integral leader of the Black History Club.
After retiring, she plans to travel, relax and work with senior citizens. Mrs. Collins also wants to continue the activities she already does, working with homeless and needy families.
When asked about her favorite Pemberton memories, Mrs. Collins said, “My favorite memory was getting to work with such extraordinary and excellent group of colleagues that supported me to be successful on a local, county, and state level. I also loved see students I worked with become successful.”
Mrs. Wendy GirerMrs. Wendy Girer has worked at
PTHS’s child study team for 27 years. Before coming to Pemberton, Mrs. Girer worked nine years at Willingboro and in Virginia as a special education teacher.
She has made an impact on children’s lives throughout her years at PTHS. She said her favorite memories at PTHS center around graduation.
“I love graduation because I find it very exciting to see the people who have made it,” Mrs. Girer said.
She can’t wait to travel places without the tourist rush and she can now go on business trips with her husband. She also is excited to have more time volunteering as a job coach.
“I felt like retiring now because you have to move on in life and it’s just my time,” she said.
Mrs. Anne LaBella Pemberton Township High School’s
very familiar face to numerous students throughout the years has decided to retire this year. Mrs. Anne LaBella has been a nurse in the school district for 25 years, 20 at PTHS and five at Fort Dix Elementary. Mrs. LaBella has also worked in numerous hospitals throughout the years.
She has decided to retire this year for multiple reasons but the main one, she said, is that PTHS doesn’t feel like a family as it used to and because rules have changed and she feels students aren’t being given enough discipline.
Her most memorable experiences at PTHS are when she makes an impact on students’ lives and they come back and show good results.
Mrs. Labella’s retirement plans are to travel and to continue quilting and doing stained glass and of course it gives more time to clean.
When asked what her travel plans were she said, “I want to go to Hawaii and Louisiana. It may sound bizarre but they
do tours of gorgeous Victorian houses and since I’m going to be retired I can avoid the tourist rush.”
Mrs. Janet NaccaratoMrs. Janet Naccarato has been an
English teacher for 20 years, including the past 10 years at PTHS. She taught freshman and sophomore classes.
“There is a season for everything and for me it was the season to retire,” she said.
Mrs. Naccarato plans to enjoy her grandchildren and take time out for herself. She is most excited to volunteer to raise mesothelioma awareness, since the lung disease was the cause of her husband’s death two years ago.
Her favorite experiences at PTHS were when the freshman and sophomore classes were split into four teams of academies. This format ran from September 2005 to June 2009, and freshman teachers moved up with their students to teach them again as sophomores.
“The students really learned and the people I was on a team with really got to know each other,” Mrs. Naccarato said. “We had a lot of fun working together and it made all the students and teachers like a family.”
June 2014
Stinger photo/SHELBY CURTISStudent Frank Morris stops for a photo with retiring math teacher Mrs. Judith Arenge.
Mrs. Cora Collinsmath teacher
PTHS staff members retiring in JuneStinger photo/JACINDA FORD
Mr. Joseph Pannone pauses during class for a photo with sophomore honors English 2 students Miguel Gonzalez and Melissa Ryan.
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School 4 November 2006June 2014
By Tonya LynchThe Stinger
New educational programs are con-stantly being added in the United States, but none are as substantial as No Child Left Behind. The No Child Left Behind program seems to have the most e ffect in helping students score higher on math and language arts tests.
According to the No Child Left Behind Act, states are required to test students on their math and reading skills from 3-8 grade and then once in high school.
The students are expected to meet or surpass the state standard in math and reading by the year 2014. This accountabil-
ity requirement is called Adequate Yearly Progress.
NCLB is mainly focused on closing the gaps in student achievements by providing equal opportunities to gain a high-level education. It is used to ensure students that are disadvantaged achieve academic profi-ciency.
The act grants flexibility to the school districts to federal education funds to im-prove student achievement their way. It emphasizes educational programs and practices that have been proven effective through scientific research and increases the choices available to the parents of stu-dents attending Title 1 schools.
Dr. Michael Gorman, superintendent of Pemberton Township High School, said
that literacy is the most important issue facing the nation, Pemberton included. An important indicator of student success is reading at grade level by grade 3. Dr. Gor-man said that fundamental literacy is the learning imperative.
“You learn to read, and then you read to learn. Everything else will fall into place if we make literacy Job One,” Dr. Gorman stated.
He believes the No Child Left Behind act has done a great job to improve their services to all students.
“Being accountable for the learning progress of sub groups (such as African American, Hispanic, Asian), rather than having the more broad based statistics cloud the services provided these students,
has made all of us more responsible for all students,” Gorman said.
In 2013 the HSPA target proficiency in Language Arts and Literacy was 83.2 per-cent. PTHS scored 3.8 percent over with a performance at 87 percent. Most of the subgroups scored higher than the target.
PTHS, along with the rest of New Jer-sey, is embracing the new Common Core Curriculum, moving into a new method of testing with the Partnership Assess-ing Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and new evaluation protocol for principals and teachers.
“I think that we are seeing the stars align as each of these ingredients will help improve the service we provide our stu-dents,” Dr. Gorman said.
dents’ best interest. The two most common year-
round schedules are “single track” and “multitrack.” Single track is when the students and teachers have the same break. Multitrack includes short breaks but students rotate so more students may en-roll, using less classroom space.
Some common misconcep-tions are that summer schools and daycares won’t accommodate the year-round schedules when in re-ality they won’t mind; instead of August childcare will be in a dif-ferent month.
Another misconception that worries many is the athletic schedule will be messed up which it won’t because they will con-tinue as if the students were in school and have the benefit of longer, more intense practices. All sports will still be open to all throughout the school whether it is in session or not and will not be affected in any way.
The last most common misperception is that it will inter-fere with family vacations, which may be true, but October and Jan-uary have the fewest number of tourists and will benefit the YRE family in terms of better prices and smaller crowds. Areas of seasonal tourism could be helped or damaged by a switch to YRE,
depending on location and sea-son. The Jersey Shore businesses, for example, would likely feel an economic crunch if many Garden State schools adopted a balanced schedule that cuts summer vaca-tion from 10 weeks to four.
The two most popular YRE scheduling models are the 45-15 quarterly schedule, meaning 45 days of school followed by 15 days off, or the 60-20 trimester, with 60 days of school followed by 20 days off in between trimes-ters.
California by far is the lead-ing practitioner among the states, accounting for slightly more than half of the nation’s year-round schools. It has not been uncom-mon to see districts that had ad-opted YRE earlier this decade switch back to a traditional sched-ule.
When looking into YRE, ad-ministrators and parents must weigh all factors and determine if their school districts would ben-efit from the balanced schedule.
Here are some pros of year-round schooling that are often cited:n Students won’t be affected
by the “summer drain”n Students will be guaranteed
a breakfast and lunch all year (ex-cept during breaks) n Cheaper vacations instead
of hitting the tourist rates.n Students won’t be bored
over break.Some major cons often pre-
sented are:n Teen-agers need to get jobs
and become self-dependentn Students will stress over
little things n Children should be allowed
to enjoy their childhood because it doesn’t last forevern Added expenses to districtsStatistics from La Canada,
Calif., Unified School District’s feasibility study show that the cost of year-round schooling is 5.4 percent more than traditional schooling, which can be a seri-ous economic problem for many districts and potentially can cause them to return to traditional scheduling.
The North Carolina Depart-ment of Education has found that standardized testing has increased in YRE schools, but research-ers have considered the slight increase “educationally insignifi-cant by most standards.”
Chicago’s school district di-vided the school schedules be-tween traditional and year-round starting in 2001, and its statistical analysis show that the traditional-schedule schools consistently out-perform the year-round schools in terms of HSPA test results.
the spring break this year, the period of time in school became stale.
Darren OwensI prefer the longer summer
break compared to the shorter breaks throughout the year be-cause I just need a break away from school. I don’t want to be here all the time. Traditional summer would take away all the stress for a while. Compared to being here and worrying about
school and having little breaks, I just want to not think about it for months.
Johnny HallI think we should stick to the
traditional system because peo-ple do stuff during the summer: sports activities, vacations, etc. If schools follow different sys-tems, then the scheduling would be “wacked” out, especially for sports. We’d have to follow the same schedule, otherwise kids won’t have the opportunity to play sports with different schools.
By Tommy AyrerThe Stinger
Year-round schooling is a po-larizing topic around the nation, and that’s no different at Pem-berton Township High School. All teachers here at PTHS either love or hate this idea, whether it’s for their own personal taste, or regarding the education of their students.
Mr. Robert Allenbach I personally believe it would
be extremely beneficial to learn-ing, but it would be impossible to take into effect. For instance, in the summer the school becomes very hot, so the school would need to install air conditioners which would be very costly. Last-ly, local schools would all need to be on the same schedule as us. It would be impossible for teach-ers who are parents to see or take care of their children.
Ms. Kathy FitzpatrickI am completely against year-
round schooling. Colleges have semester scheduling with sum-mers off, so the kids are used to and have been accustomed to this format for years. Also, families would be disrupted by the new style of schooling. As for the students, they will not be able to get summer jobs to raise and save money for college. Finally, the New Jersey economy would plummet because it relies on peo-ple visiting the Jersey Shore.
Mr. Brian LeedsI love the idea. Year-round
schooling can afford students a firmer grasp on the importance of education in society and has the potential to elevate education as a societal value.
Ms. Theresa HarrisYear-round schooling is a no-
go in my book. Students need a break. Also, a 45-15, 60-20, or 90-30 form of scheduling is too choppy for a student. Throughout the year, students will lose inter-
est and not care about learning. A huge problem that would occur is the excessive heat. Air condition-ing would need to be installed in order to make the rooms possible to teach in.
Ms. Alison StroupI’m not opposed; I believe it
would benefit learning. Although, air conditioning is a must. In years to come it will be the norm throughout the country.
Mr. Thomas RisleyThis would be a great idea.
Students would be able to retain more information because they aren’t out of school for three months at a time. It would be fan-tastic for those who like to travel other times in the year other than summer.
Ms. Tracey DavisI’m against the idea of year-
round schooling. Personally, I’ve been teaching too long for the change. Also, there are too many gaps for the kids to learn properly. If this were to happen, air condi-tioning throughout the school is needed.
Ms. Cecilia CunnanePersonally I’m against this
idea. Continuity is important in education, and having one-month breaks would not be good for the retention of information. Also, in the later months it becomes very hot so air conditioning would need to be installed.
Mr. David FedericoThis is a great idea. As long as
there is an appropriate schedule in effect, students will easily be able sustain information and to build off of it. Year-round schooling, in the future, will be the way of every district.
Mr. Eric TalaricoAs it sits, I think the sched-
ule is perfect. There is a perfect amount of time in the summer in order for teachers and students to relax. Also, the economy in Jer-sey will suffer tremendously due to everyone being in classrooms and not at the beach.
No Child Left Behind, like it or not, leads reform
Teachers feel strongly for or against schedule
Students split on discussion
3,000-plus schools go all year
STUDENTS/FROM PAGE 1
3,000-PLUS/FROM PAGE 1
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School 5November 2006June 2014
Year-round education would help nation’s rank
Parental involvement a good starting point for reformBy Kylie Sposato
Topic of the day: year-round school. Would it work? Here at Pemberton Township High School, the answer is no. People seem to think that forcing kids into a system where they have shorter breaks and longer days in school will make them want to learn, when in reality it will most likely hurt the students and create the opposite effect. And why is it that students don’t want to put in any effort to further their educa-tion and make something of their lives? The answer: they’ve been brought up to believe that they don’t have to.
“Research has consistently
shown that parental involvement is one of the most prominent in-dicators of a child’s academic success,” says Mary Therese O’Sullivan, a lawyer at Fox Roth-schild LLP in New York City.
Parental guidance is not seen often in Pemberton Township, and it shows through their chil-dren’s attitude toward school. These kids see their parents get-ting money from the government every month, and think it’s ac-ceptable to do what their parents are doing. Who needs college and a decent education when you can live on welfare and food stamps for the rest of your life?
In Pemberton Township, 12.1 percent of adults and 12.5 percent of children were living below the poverty level as of 2009, accord-
ing to city-data.com. Among Pem-berton adults who did not gradu-ate from high school, 36.8 percent were living below the poverty lev-el, according to the website. The federal government considers the poverty level to be $11,670 for a single-person household in 2014. The annual income level is raised for each additional person in the household. For example, the pov-erty level for a three-person fam-ily is $19,790 this year.
While some parents push their children to surpass their own education level or success, often those who don’t value education pass that message along to their children.
So what would change by putting the kids, who already don’t want to be here for the 10
months that they are, in year-round school? If they don’t have that parental guidance to do well in school, they’re not going to try. Forcing them to go to school all 12 months with little breaks in between isn’t going to help that situation. That falls entirely on the shoulders of the adult figures who are guiding these kids.
O’Sullivan wrote an academic journal on year-round schooling, which was published in 2013 by Brigham Young University while in her final year of law school at Rutgers University. Ultimately she felt that year-round schooling would be beneficial, but she did find that parental involvement is a huge factor in these kids’ success.
If the parents were to step up and want more for their kids,
year-round schooling could prob-ably work. From Day One of school, my parents consistently pushed me every single day to do my absolute best in school. I couldn’t slack off or there would be consequences.
My parents would sit there with me at the dining room table and help me with my homework whenever I needed it. Kids who don’t have that constant motiva-tion and support system do not have a reason to do well or even try in school because what hap-pens if they do? Nothing changes at home. These parents need to step up as adult figures in their kids’ lives and show them they can be more.
But as for now, it’s not hap-pening here, not quite enough.
By Alyssa GregoryThe Stinger
Education is the key ingredient in the soup of success. But are we really using the right recipe? This question lingers in the minds of many students, parents, and educators across the Unit-ed States as we compete with countries all around the world.
With other nations surpassing the U.S. in the most demanding fields of science and math; many agree that some extra class room time might not hurt. After all, practice makes perfect, right?
Many U.S. citizens, along with President Barack Obama, believe that an extended school year will give stu-dents an extra push in their academic endeavors. By extending the amount of time in school, or at the very least avoiding the summer “brain drain,” teachers will then have more time to focus on more challenging areas in cer-tain subjects.
Educators would have the time to get in depth in these essential subjects areas. Without this extra time, these trouble spots may otherwise get swept under the rug, leaving students ignorant of valuable information.
If given the right tools, and edu-cated thoroughly, children all across the United States will outmatch their contention in this competitive world we live in today.
Violence and starvation plague our country in today’s society. Believe it or not, extending the school year can eas-ily help diminish this epidemic.
If more time is spent in school, stu-dents will not have extra time to get in-volved in illegal and mischievous activ-
ities in the streets. This will ultimately cut down on gang violence, drug abuse, as well as underage drinking.
In most cases, bad habits and illegal activity often spark from boredom and curiosity. With an extended school year, students will find themselves with less free time to experiment.
In 2012, about 15.9 million Ameri-can children were reported living in a household with a very low food secu-rity. Many children to this day still do not know where their next warm meal is going to come from. It is heart breaking for a parent to know their child may go to bed on an empty stomach.
This issue can be eliminated, due to the fact that schools often provide free, government assisted, meal plans to children who are less fortunate. Un-der privileged students could wake up every morning with the assurance of receiving at least two warm meals. This is an extra, estimated 30 meals a young child would otherwise not acquire.
Students are not the only ones who can benefit from an extended school year. Parents would see perks as well.
With an extensive summer break, parents are often forced into either tak-ing off from work or purchasing expen-sive babysitting/summer camps to keep their children occupied. If expected to be in school, these extra costs and pay cuts will be eliminated.
Extending the school year would benefit the United States in many as-pects.
Sometimes we have to take a step back and open our minds to realize that change is sometimes good. We have to break our regular routines and confor-mations, to break barriers and better ourselves as individuals as well as a whole.
By Aly HortonThe Stinger
It’s mid-July. You are sitting in a class-room, sweating bullets, trying to concen-trate on the lecture your teacher has pre-pared, but the temperature just makes it too hard to concentrate. Could you imagine having no break for summer, during the hottest months of the year? Many schools around the country are adopting a system of year-round schooling.
“We found that students in year-round schools learn more during the summer, when others are on vacation, but they seem to learn less than other children during the
rest of the year,” said Paul von Hippel, a research statistician at Ohio State. He fa-cilitated a study at Ohio State, finding that test scores for children in both traditional and year round settings improved at the same rate. Year round schools spread the same curriculum children in the traditional schools are getting throughout the year. There are no proven benefits of staying in school during summer.
Whether you have one long holiday in the summer or smaller breaks for winter and spring, when students return, they will have to review. Regardless of the size of the break, when students are out of school they require a period to recover from their vacation, and get back into “school-mode.”
Year-round schools prevent a regression during the summer, but still have to review after the many breaks they give.
If the entire district did not adopt the same year- round schedule, many parents like my own would be stuck with children on different schedules. I am the oldest of five and the go-to babysitter during the summer. If I had classes during the summer and my younger siblings stayed on the tra-ditional schedule, with both parents work-ing, we and many other families would have to find other means of childcare.
Extracurricular activities, such as band, choir and sports, would be affected by the switch in schedule. During the summer, many activities begin to prepare for com-
petitions during the school year. Without that extra practice and preparation, our dis-trict would fall behind in sports and other competitive activities. Summer camps and other programs the school offers would suffer or ultimately have to be discontin-ued.
Pemberton is not equipped to handle the needs of children during the summer heat. Since many classrooms do not have air conditioners and can accommodate the needs of students, the district would have to expand its budget. Maintenance and oth-er employees who may be part-time, would have to be paid more. Bills would rise and lead to less money for extracurricular ac-tivities.
Editorial
YRE is nice try, but notthe right choice for us
A popular topic has been circulating in schools around the country. Is year-round schooling more beneficial for students?
Year-round education (YRE) isn’t exactly what you might think it is. It is still the same 180 days as the traditional calendar, except the days are spread across the entire year with shorter breaks in between the quarters.
The National Education Association wrote, “The most popular form of year-round education is the 45-15 plan, where students attend school for 45 days and then get three weeks (15 days) off. Two other ways to organize a school calendar are the 60-20 and the 90-30 plans.” Students will, of course, still get normal holidays off. This also makes it less likely that students will forget what they learned during the summer. But could year-round schooling improve a broken school system?
Some feel that education is lacking in the United States and that year-round schooling will be needed for the U.S. to compete globally with countries that practice this school system, like China. American 15-year-olds recently ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math in a study of students in 34 nations and non-national regions.
Others feel the low rankings are not because of the current school system, but because of Americans’ lack of motivation. Teachers and principals cannot be blamed if the student does not want to learn. Adam Smith of the Collegiate Times said, “For the past two decades, the American dream has changed from having a decent job, a family, health care and a semi-early retirement, to getting rich quickly no matter what.” Not everyone is going to be a successful rapper or play in the NFL, and as a high school student, school should be your main priority.
Students constantly try to explain to teachers why they do not need history or science to be successful in the real world. As true as this may be, most career fields require college degrees for better paying jobs.
Year-rounding schooling, in districts such as Pemberton, will not be effective. It’s just a system where students who already don’t want to be here will continue to not want to be here. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, especially if he’s not thirsty. You cannot force kids to learn if they do not feel the need to. It would be a waste of money to pay for the longer schooling. Yes, students will be here for more of the year, but if they are still not trying, what’s the point?
Khaliyah Pugh is the editorial editor for The Stinger. She can be reached at [email protected]
Going to school all year: bad choice for several reasons
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School April Pemberton Township High School6 June 2014
Graduation set for June 23 for memorable seniors
Journalism students at Pemberton Township High School gained a unique perspective on learning about sports writing and sports broadcasting careers with a trip to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 12. The students received working media credentials for the Phillies-Padres game, spoke with Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Bob Brookover on the field, where they watched the San Diego Padres taking batting practice and interacted with Phillies players in the dugout. They also met with Phillies television broadcaster Tom McCarthy, who gave an tour of the TV booth. They then watched the Phillies win 7-3 from their seats in the press box.Pictured in the Phillies media room are Michael Thompson (back row, from left), Ross Anderson, Kevin Emmons, Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy and Tommy Ayrers. In the front row are Sarah Daniscsak, Khaliyah Pugh, Aly Horton, Tonya Lynch, Jacinda Ford, Kylie Sposato, and Alyssa Gregory. Rebecca Wiley is seated. Journalism teacher and adviser Mr. Bill Gurden is not pictured.
By Matthew LaudeThe Stinger
It’s only a matter of time until the end-ing of the school year. In a matter of days, teachers and students will be liberated from these walls and will be able to experience the freedoms of vacation.
However, for the Class of 2014, it holds an especially significant purpose: Graduation. The time has finally come for the seniors to bid their farewells and take the next steps towards his or her future. But before the day of overwhelmingly sen-timental emotions arrives, the seniors had a special day to share their final days of school as a class.
The senior picnic is simply a day for the seniors to spend time together and have fun. For the past couple of years, events called Project Graduation and Diploma Palooza would have been held.
This year, Class of 2014 advisers Mr. Mark Juckett and Ms. Melanie Rose made the decision to hold a picnic June 11, at Dorney Park. It was a surprising yet en-tirely welcome decision, and the seniors responded with a large turnout.
“2008 was the last senior picnic I think,” Ms. Rose said. “It was a strong tradition at that time. After that, there was a transition to Project Graduation and Di-ploma Palooza.
“But I realized that a lot of students re-ally just wanted to spend time together. So our approach was a picnic for the senior class at a park, so that everybody could en-joy a park experience for their senior year.”
“We figured,” added Juckett, “be-ing that we’ve gone through those events and that they’re minimally attended, we’d rather spend the money on giving you a day you’d remember and that more people would be involved in. We had over 120 kids signed up. It’s a lot better than the 25
or 30 that would have gone to Diploma Palooza.”
Coming up soon is the day of gradua-tion, which will be June 23 at 6 pm. There will be a graduation practice during school hours on Friday, June 20 and another prac-tice on the morning of Monday, June 23. After being dismissed that day, the seniors should return around 5 p.m. to get orga-nized.
Each senior will be receiving eight tickets. Those tickets may be used for when the ceremony takes place outside, which would be at the football field at Helen Fort Middle School.
If the ceremony were to take place in-doors, four of the tickets may be used. Due to limited space, two of the four will be for the gymnasium where the ceremony would take place, and the other two will be for the auditorium where there will be a live feed from the gym.
Here’s what the senior advisers had to
say about the Class of 2014.“It’s probably been one of the most dif-
ficult yet one of the best experiences simul-taneously because it’s a ton of work on our end, but it’s so worth it,” said Ms. Rose.
“Honestly, you guys have one of the best classes. You have so much spirit, dedi-cation, and just in general, you guys are a great class. It makes a huge difference to have that dedication to the school, and I think that makes high school memories last.”
“I love the Class of 2014,” Juckett said. “There are so many good students in this class. Every teacher you talk to can’t say enough nice things about this class. And it’s great because for everybody who comes in for a trip, cap and gown, whatever, I know who they are, and I’ve never known this many kids in a graduating class.
“It’s going to be tough when you guys are gone. I’ve met a lot of wonderful peo-ple by being the adviser.”
Senior journalism students Ross Anderson (left) and Michael Thompson, both of whom will study journalism in college next year, watch the game from the Phillies press box. In the photo at right, the Padres warm up before the game.
Pemberton Township High School April Pemberton Township High SchoolThe Stinger
7June 2014
Stinger photos/ALY HORTONAly Horton (center) takes a selfie with unidentified participants prior to the start of a Color Run held in Atlantic City last October.
Censorship becomes issue with high schools
‘Happiest 5k on the planet’ adds bit of color to running
By Shelby CurtisThe Stinger
The Color Run, also known as the Happiest 5k on the Planet, is a unique paint race that cel-ebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality. It’s becoming extreme-ly popular, tripling its growth since its first debut and host-ing more than 170 events in more than 30 countries.
But who’s sur-prised? Not anyone who has run or has seen one of these races. This isn’t your ordinary 5k.
The creators of The Color Run encourage everyone to wear as much white as possible so they can absorb the most “color,” a powdery die substance that is thrown at racers throughout the course to provide an awesome post-race tie-dye effect.
Right at the crack of the 7 a.m. race coordinators begin sending runners out in 10-minute waves. For each kilometer, run-ners are sprayed with a different color powder by volunteers who are not shy about engulfing you in a cloud of powder.
Those looking to be covered in the most color are encouraged to run in the outermost lanes while those who want to stay away run near the center.
But don’t worry; the Color Run organizers even have a so-
lution for those who don’t quite get their color fix throughout the course. Each runner is given a packet of color to save until the end of the race, where the real fun begins. The finish line is definite-ly anticipated, as the best post-5k party on the planet awaits the
rainbow racers.Philadelphia is
hosting the next Col-or Run in the area, on July 19. The 5k run will take participants around Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Finan-cial Field and the Wells Fargo Center. Registration is $40 per person or $35
each for a team of four. Atlantic City is hosting a Color Run on Oct. 11.
Color Runners vary in demo-graphics and reasons for running. With no winners or official times, the Color Run caters to everyone – first-time runners to seasoned athletes.
Some Color Runners partici-pate as a celebration and capstone of their healthy living accom-plishments, while others partici-pate for reasons unique to them.
From start to finish, the atmo-sphere is nothing short of uplift-ing and enlivening, but that’s the goal. Upwards of 15,000 people – some walking, some running, but most dancing to the finish line – ultimately find themselves lost in the moment and a cloud of color. Welcome to the happiest 5k on the planet.
By Michael Thompson and Kylie Sposato
Censorship is the practice of officially examining books, mov-ies, etc., and suppressing parts that are deemed “unacceptable.” It is seen in all parts of life, nota-bly high school, where many be-lieve the students are simply too young and immature to properly speak their minds.
How much censorship is ap-propriate in a high school setting, and where does one begin to cross the line into abusive, arbitrative control?
“I don’t think it is a stretch to say that letting public schools censor what student journalists want to write is against basic American values,” said Frank Lamonte Esq., head of the Stu-dent Press Law Center (SPLC).
“Censorship undermines the educational value of journalism, which has such power to teach not just newsroom skills but es-sential career skills.”
Although the First Amend-ment applies to high school pub-lications, there are some limita-tions.
These limitations are based
on several prior decisions that have set the precedent for school publications. In 1969, the Su-preme Court ruled on Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District, deciding that Mary Beth Tinker, a high school student, had the right to wear a black armband supporting a truce in the Vietnam War.
“The SPLC believes that the Supreme Court got it right in the 1969 Tinker case, which said that students have freedom of expres-sion in schools up to the point where their speech is unlawful or threatens an imminent and substantial disruption of school,” says Lamonte. “That seems like a very balanced, common-sense approach that has been workable for decades.”
However, in 1988, Hazel-wood v. Kuhlmeier stripped free-doms from the students, sparking outrage from many in the journal-ism community.
Since then, efforts have been made to restore First Amend-ment rights to students, which was achieved in the Desilets v. Clearview case in 1994, when New Jersey courts found that the Clearview, Gloucester County,
school district was in violation of the state constitution as well as the First Amendment when it censored the movie reviews of student Brian Desilets.
Pemberton Township High School’s print publication, The Stinger, experienced an altera-tion of one story and removal of another in its December issue. Four years ago, the principal be-gan to review the paper prior to publication after a story on “pub-lic displays of affection” received complaints from district admin-istrators. This was the first time The Stinger had been subjected to “prior review.”
Mr. Bill Gurden, English teacher and adviser of the news-paper, said that districts that don’t perform prior review are absolved of most responsibility for any po-tentially offensive material, with that responsibility falling on the adviser.
When administrators remove stories or parts of stories, it could have an adverse effect on the quality of the journalist’s work, and as just importantly, he said, on the student-readership’s faith in the newspaper.
“I think censorship can be
a very dangerous thing for high schools and colleges because an effective student publication needs to be a true authentic fo-rum for a variety of opinions and ideas and needs to have freedom of speech,” said Mr. Gurden.
On the other hand, Pemberton Township High School’s morning radio show, The Morning Buzz, is live without a delay. Although it cannot be censored in the same manner as The Stinger, its super-visor Mr. Robert Allenbach has received criticism in the past.
“It’s hard in high school because there’s two different schools of thought,” Allenbach said. “Treat students like adults, or treat them like children and censor what they hear. I’m defi-nitely in the first camp.”
It is true that there is a line that should not be crossed when it comes to student journalism.
Television production teach-er, Mr. Eric Talarico’s weekly television program The Friday Show has managed to steer clear of much censorship or criticism, but this doesn’t mean students should intentionally take advan-tage and cross the line.
“In a high school environ-
ment, you don’t want to over-censor students because I think then you’re going to turn students off to controversial subjects,” Ta-larico said.
“But you have to make sure that the student understands that there are certain things that can’t be put out there because a school environment is a place where people earn livings and make money, and you can’t disparage somebody or disparage the way something is run because ulti-mately, that’s affecting that per-son individually.”
Freedom of speech in high school and college is a tricky subject. It is a perpetual battle for control between students and ad-ministrators over what is decent and what is indecent.
Does censorship at an early age stifle a student’s desire to ask questions, one of the reasons we go to school in the first place? Should students be viewed under a microscope as if their opinions are immature and mundane? Is the First Amendment in jeopardy if it is being altered?
These are the questions that intrigue journalists, and that is why they continue to forge on and uncover the stories that people may not want to hear or see, but need to.
Horton, a junior at Pemberton Township High School, is covered with dyes of various colors by the end of the Color Run.
said Dr. Gorman. Some educators are skepti-
cal of making the change due to the lack of air conditioning in schools, the cost of running schools all year round, and many teachers have summer jobs which they wouldn’t be able to keep. These are minor setbacks that could be worked with, given an opportunity. It seems that the biggest downfall to a year-round schedule would be cost.
More than half of the nation’s year-round districts are in Cali-fornia, and are geared toward sav-ing space in the classroom.
However, there are some dis-tricts in Iowa where they have two-week breaks between quar-ters, and others have gone to a full-year schedule with four days in the school week.
“There are multiple uses of time, we just have to be open and creative in our approach,” Dr. Gorman said.
While year-round school-ing could be a possibility in the future, Pemberton students and teachers should not get too con-cerned or excited about it happen-ing in the near future.
If any such switch in schedul-ing will occur, it won’t be soon.
“Pemberton has not actively engaged the concept of year-round schooling, although there has been ancillary discussion sur-rounding the topic,” Dr. Gorman said.
Pemberton has discussed concept but no plan for YREPEMBERTON From PAGE 1
Philadelphia is hosting the next Color Run in the area, on July 19. Registration is $40 per person or $35 each for a team of four.
Legal expert, teachers: Students deserve a voice
The Stinger Pemberton Township High School 8 November 2006June 2014
Kyanna Deravinwon S.J. shot put title
Yearbook photosKate Jost jumps on home plate to join her teammates waiting to celebrate her home run that gave the Hornets an early lead in the Group 2 South Jersey quarterfinal win over Barnegat.
By Tonya LynchThe Stinger
With a strong senior core the Hornets Softball team knew they had a good chance at a good sea-son. They exceeded their own ex-pectations.
Pemberton Township High School advanced to the Group 2 South Jersey Championships before falling 7-3 to top-ranked Buena. The Hornets finished with a 16-10 record, matching the school’s all-time record for most wins in a season.
“It was definitely an experi-ence, especially since we played Buena last year as a 16th seed against the number one seed,” said Taylor Dorman, senior out-fielder. “To play them again as the second seed, it was more than any one of us expected. Honestly, we surprised ourselves.”
First baseman Shelby Curtis hit an RBI single during the sec-ond inning, putting the Hornets in the lead. Buena then scored six runs in the fourth inning to give Buena a 6-1 lead. Sopho-more Hanna Sullivan hit a two-run double, cutting the deficit to
6-3, but Buena wouldn’t give up its second straight South Jersey Group 2 title.
Pemberton held the distinc-tion of being the highest-scoring team in Burlington County this season with an average of 10 runs per game. By driving in the win-
ning run against Haddon Heights during the sectional semifinals, Sullivan pulled in another win for the Hornets.
The third baseman surpassed the school record of 37 RBIs with an amazing 44 RBIs this season. What’s even more remarkable is Sullivan didn’t lead the team in RBIs. Fellow sophomore Gabi Earley, a catcher, led the Hornets with a school-record 47 RBIs.
On June 9, the Hornets soft-ball team held their annual ban-quet. Four players received a team award from first-year head coach Mr. John Brida. Kate Jost earned the Hornet Award, Katie Cassidy received the Coaches Award, Jaelyn Doyle was named MVP, and Amanda Allison achieved Scholar Athlete.
Six players received All Pa-triot Division Awards from Bur-lington County League coaches. Sullivan with first team for in-field, Earley with first team for catcher, Dorman with first team for outfield, Doyle with first team for utility player, Cassidy with second team for outfield, and Jost with second team for infield.
Dorman, who is headed to Shippensburg University on a
softball scholarship, is one of three seniors to play varsity all four years. Curtis and Jost are the others. She credits Mr. Brida for much of the improvement the team made from a year ago.
“We had the same roster as last year. The only difference was the coach,” Dorman said. “From the past four years I wasn’t ex-pecting a lot but I knew this year it would be different because of our chemistry. Obviously, it worked. My junior year we were getting used to each other. It takes time to build that chemistry. We learned from all our mistakes last year and kept learning from them this year.”
Dorman said the seniors take pride in the school’s best season ever, and that the whole team came together this year as a sup-portive family. While Dorman, Curtis and Jost supplied a great deal of veteran leadership, sig-nificant contributions came from each spot on the roster.
“With the three of us being on varsity since freshman year, we knew that the younger play-ers looked up to us,” Dorman said. “They didn’t want to let us down.”
By Ross AndersonThe Stinger
The Hornets had a preseason team goal to send an athlete to the Meet of Champions for the third year in a row. The Hornets met that goal, and exceeded it by sending three athletes.
Senior Jahmir Foman and ju-nior Rashaan Richardson ran in the 110 meter hurdles at the Meet of Champions, and Richardson placed seventh in the state with a time of 15.0. Foman ran 15.22. Richardson placed second in the
state among Group 2 runners, and ran 14.6 in the preliminaries.
Foman is attending Nassau Junior College in the fall to play football.
“Making it to the Meet of Champions is something that these athletes work for through-out the season; that’s the ultimate individual goal,” said head coach Brett Flood. “Rashaan’s accom-plishments started in winter track and his success spiraled into the spring.”
Kyanna Deravin threw shot put in the Meet of Champions. She threw for 38 feet and placed
17th in the event. “I wasn’t too happy with my-
self,” said Deravin, who received a track scholarship to Ship-pensburg University. “I know I could’ve done better. I have done better in past events.”
Deravin had placed third in the Group 2 state meet after win-ning the South Jersey champion-ship.
The post-season meets ac-centuated what was Pemberton Township High School’s best track season in years. The boys team won a dual meet for the first time in more than 10 years.
Richardson, Foman and De-ravin weren’t the only ones to excel in the season-ending meets.
The girls 1,600-meter relay team of Tanaesza Russell, Cazja Andrades, Gia Sorrentino and Shannel Smith placed third in the Group 2 South Jersey Champi-onships. The 400 relay team of Tierra Taylor, Russell, Andrades and Smith placed fourth in South Jersey.
“Such success shows that we have kids in Pemberton ca-pable of doing great things,” said Coach Flood. “It shows how our program has come along.”
By Kylie SposatoThe Stinger
Baseball came to a good end this year, especially for the seniors, who finished their last year playing well down the stretch.
The Hornets made it to the playoffs, and played their last game against Bordentown, losing by just one run, 8-7.
“I’m really going to miss it,” said captain David Jefferson, who played varsity all four years as a pitcher and right fielder.
“This season was our best season so far, and I’m really proud of my team. They’re like family to me and I’ll never forget these past four years.”
Coach Thomas Achey feels the same way about this year’s seniors leaving.
“They are by far my most favorite group of guys in my five years of coaching,” Mr. Achey said. “All the seniors have been in the program since freshman year and all have been an integral part of our success. Although we were 8-11, we lost five games by less than two runs, four of which were in an extra two innings.”
The Hornets’ strong senior leadership probably helped them continue to play at a strong level in a very competitive Burlington County League Patriot Division.
“So even though these were all tough losses, they never gave up and ended up winning more games at the end,” Mr. Achey said. “These kids will be missed, and I hope to see good things for them in the future.”
In addition to Jefferson , the other seniors leading the Hornets were Thomas Haines, Joshua Burd, Marc Ayala, and Shane Young-Lopez.
Another final week highlight came in a bit of a revenge game, when Pemberton followed up its playoff loss to highly regarded Haddonfield with a chance for a little revenge in beating rival Northern Burlington, which had won the BCL Patriot Division title.
“What I’ll remember most is when we beat Northern by the 10-run rule and put a beat-down on them,” Burd said. “That, and how we were like a family.”
Baseball family to miss key seniors
Hurdler Richardson places 7th in state
Second baseman Amanda Allison (left) high-fives Taylor Biesecker, who threw out a runner at second base from right field to end the third in-ning in the playoff victory over Barnegat.
Softball team reaches S.J. final