1. education
2. school

WIZARDS WEEKLY
Volume # 7
January 23, 2015
WIZARDNATION
!
NO NAME-CALLING WEEK
ELITE SENIOR DIVER: IVAN
REATEGUI
BY SAMANTHA MAURO
EVAN OQUENDO
!First year seniorBYdiver,
Ivan Reategui, has been
shocking the diving world by qualifying for the
Section 9 Championship competition. In his third
meet ever, Reategui scored a season-high of 167.65,
passing the section qualification score of 140. Since
qualifying Reategui has continued scoring over 140
with scores of 140.93, 143.35, 163.4, and 152.9.
SSA (No Name Calling) Stickers
“Swam Time Capsule” sculpture by Christy White and Tina Jeroloman.
Photo taken by Imani Mack.
No Name-Calling Week is held at
Washingtonville High School every year in midJanuary by the Safe School Ambassador Program.
This year it was held on the week of January
20th-23rd.
!
No Name-Calling Week is meant to bring
awareness about bullying. But don’t be mistaken,
this is not a week in the year that is reserved for
people to be nice to one another. Not calling
other people names should be happening yearround. Mr. Williams, a co-advisor for the Safe
School Ambassador Program, voiced his opinion
by saying that he believes this week “Works to a
certain extent.”
Continued on page 2
PLASTIC SCULPTURES IN THE COURTYARD
BY IMANI MACK
!
Mr. Strommer’s sculpture class was assigned a task like no other. Mr. Strommer’s “Packaging Tape
Sculpture” project was inspired by George Segal and street artist, Mark Jenkins. These artists created
scenes that modeled controversial issues in todays society, for example, gay marriage. Mr. Strommer
wanted his students to use plastic sculptures to create a scene and bring the stories alive in the courtyard.
Strommer wanted this project to remain in the courtyard until next school year.
!Mr. Strommer began his class by showing a model of a plastic dog sculpture that he prepared himself. The
class was now responsible for creating their own plastic sculptures by using their faces or stuffed animals
as a template. Many students used their favorite memories for an inspiration.
Continued on page 2
Clubs/Activities
Sports
!Plastic Sculptures by Imani Mack
!Project Citizen by Stephen Lynch
!Team Impact by John Honan
!Indoor Track Takes on Yale by
Christiane White
!Elite Senior Diver: Ivan
Reategui by Evan Oquendo
!
No Name-Calling Week by Sam
Mauro
Wizards Hockey By Sam Mauro
Editorials
The College Craze by Rylee Cella
!Human Rights…by Rylee Cella
!Sia Controversy by Rey Gonzalez
!Zimmerman’s Acts of Terror by
Upcoming Sports Events
Fri. 1/30 - Track @ West Point
!Fri. 1/30 - Girls Basketball @ Middletown
!Sat. 1/24 - Wrestling @ Home
!Sat. 1/24 - Wrestling @ Saugerties
Ivan Reategui’s Big Win Taken by
Rey Gonzalez.
Continued on Page 3
Upcoming School Events
1/26-1/30 - Regents Week
!1/30 - End of Marking Period 2
!**Order your yearbooks
@yearbookordercenter.com
Nick Larocca
1
!Project Citizen is a program designed for students,
therefore they are to promote responsible
participation in local and state government.
!“ I chose Project Citizen this year because I spent the
summer teaching a placed- based writing workshop.
I was Inspired by the idea of seniors having a sense
of ownership in their communities,” says Ms. Van.
!The program is a non- profit organization that has
been around since 1983. Project Citizen gets
students to engage in local and state governments. It
makes the students learn about the government and
the roles that every citizen must take on.
“The Runner” by Amanda D’Auria & Rebecca Holter
Taken by Imani Mack
PLASTIC SCULPTURES…
(continued)
!Brianna Parker and Morgan Kivler wanted to
remake their snowball fight that occurred the
previous weekend. They created a figure holding
a snowball in its hand getting ready to throw it
and another figure across the courtyard on the
receiving end.
!In order to create humans, students had to wrap
saran wrap around their face and body to form
the proper shape then use tape to reinforce the
shape of the human. Each body part required a
day to be formed and then had to be attached to
the other parts of the body. It was also difficult
for students to stay in their positions and it was
uncomfortable being wrapped in saran because it
caused you to sweat. Creating a plastic sculpture
was a tedious job.
!Other students did not want to go through such a
long process so they made zombies or created
murder scenes so they would not have to attach
the body parts.
WHAT IS PROJECT
CITIZEN?
BY STEPHEN LYNCH
!Here at Washingtonville High School, Ms. Van’s
Economics and Government classes are taking
part in “Project Citizen.” Ms. Van’s three classes
chose a problem in the community and are trying
to fix the problem that was selected.
!
!“ I took this a step further and thought about
students as a-resource to help the community. The
timing was perfect because Washingtonville had just
forward with the New York Rising Community
plans post flooding that include the Moffat Library,
Waterfront park, and a potential rail trail,”
exclaimed Ms. Van.
In Ms. Van’s first period blue day class they are
working on is making a waterfront park in town,
where the empty lot is. This would “Increase access
to youth programs, activities, and other
recreational activities for local children and teens,”
states the New York Rising Community. To make
this waterfront park in Washingtonville across from
the middle school would cost about $670,000. The
New York Rising Communities also states that there
is a history of floods in the center of
Washingtonville. “ The idea of a waterfront park is
not mine but was proposed by The New York Rising
Community for Washingtonville. I am simply
encouraging students to think bigger than simply a
jungle gym set and some swings to include a
learning station,” says Ms. Van. If the park is not
going to be put across from the middle school, there
is always the old village hall site ( a.k.a the junior
parking lot). The park would be designed for what
they call passive and active recreation, linking the
downtown with the Moodna.
!Ms. Van’s third period class is working on getting
the vote passed for the new an improved Moffat
Library. The total cost of the project cost about
$7, 422,000. Moffat Library is going to have new
features such as a community meeting room for 64
people, a small conference room for tutoring or
home office meetings, teen gathering area, expanded
children’s room and craft program room, a
kitchenette, improved technology, energy-saving
mechanicals, glassed-in area for reading, park like
setting, local research display, friends of the Moffat
Library sale area, and ample parking.
The students will be promoting the good word
about the Library. The slogan for the Moffat
Library is Restore, Renew, Reimagine, The Moffat
Library.
!Finally Ms. Van’s fourth period economics and
government class has thought of restoring the old
railroad trails into a rail trail. The rail trail would
be a to walk, jog, bike ride, or even boy scouts and
girl scout events. It would be a great learning
experience for all. The rail trails are the old
railroads that go around the town and go into
neighboring towns.The track and cross country
teams normally run along these trails, so it would
be a great to restore. Everyone would be welcome
to walk or run the rail trail.
Ms. Van states “, I like to think that seniors will
think of this as their legacy to the community, it
might not happen immediately, but they began the
process.”
Jacquelyne Ambrosio signing the No Name Calling
Week Poster. Photo taken by Sam Mauro
NO NAME CALLING…
(continued)
He also added that “The point of it is great,”and
he said that he is glad that it will make people
think, but “in reality, every week should be no
name calling week.”
!During this week, schools all across the country
participated to help put an end to name calling
and verbal bullying of all kinds. Informational
tables were set up and ran by Safe School
Ambassador members during lunch for students to
stop by, and different activities were also set up
throughout the week. Students and staff members
practiced being respectful and celebrated kindness
by having a positive attitude, in efforts to make
themselves better citizens.
!Each day of the week there was a different theme,
On Thursday, Jan. 22nd, the theme was ‘put a
cap on name calling,’ the activity was to wear a
hat, the color was green (don’t be mean), and the
word of the day was happiness. On Friday, Jan.
23rd, the theme was ‘united we stand, divided we
fall,’ the activity was to decorate your classroom
door, based on how your class decides to
represent the theme, the colors were blue and
gold (school spirit, proudly show your inner
Wizard), and the word of the day was “pride.”
!In case you haven’t figured it out already, the
word that the Ambassadors have been spelling
out this week is: kind. Mr. Williams explained
that kind was chosen for the word of the week
because “it was a four letter word that people
could think about, before saying something
mean.”
Thank you who all who participated and pledged
to be kind. Be sure to continue this kindness all
year round!
activity, color, and word of the day.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20th, the theme was ‘call me one
name, my name,’ the activity was to decorate name
badges (index cards), the color was red (listen to
what is said), and the word of the day was
confidence. On Wednesday, Jan. 21st, the theme
was ‘walk a mile in my shoes,’ the activity was to
wear two different shoes, the color was grey (think
about about you say), and the word of the day was
kind.
!!
2
TEAM IMPACT
BY JOHN HONAN
!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if
you were unable to play a sport that you love?
While this may not have crossed your mind
before, it is a reality for many children who suffer
from disabilities or illnesses that prevent from
participating in those sports.
!Team Impact is a program that was started from
an old group that had once existed under the
name of ‘Picking Up Butch.’ This group helped
children in their local area that couldn’t
participate in sports and essentially “drafted”
them onto teams. While they wouldn’t physically
play - because of the limitations- they would be
able to do things like sit on the bench with the
team, go in the locker room, get a jersey, etc.
Team Impact formed to expand on this role and
has done so for many years now. The teams,
however, are now college level teams. The group
has been expanding to all areas of the world in
the past few years. Children that are a part of this
also get to see what it’s like for members of the
team on and off the field. Team Impact has given
many children and teens over the years many
new life experiences that they may not have had
otherwise.
!I first was informed about it from one of our
school’s guidance counselors, Mrs. Davis. I was
hesitant at first not knowing much about it, but
was interested in what the program offered. Due
to medical reasons, I normally can’t do sports,
especially in winter; but I was informed that the
team that was interested had been the West Point
Army Basketball team.
!According to the coach of the basketball team at
West Point, Zach Spiker,“ I wanted to be able to
have an impact on the young people of today...It
has been a very humbling experience knowing
how I have affected young people’s lives and has
been great to be apart of.”
According to Lenox, his favorite aspect about the
program has been learning from me, and those
involved: “My favorite aspect is that the whole time
before the program had started, I thought i would be
helping you but you have helped me more than i could
have helped you! It has been a very humbling and
rewarding process that isn’t even close to being over!”
!It was three years ago that I first met Spiker and
SPORTS
ELITE SENIOR DIVER…
(Continued…)
!
Lenox, and over this time I have met many other great
members of the team and program, as well. A lot of
the time, during either holidays or weekends when big
sports games are on, my family will have members of
the team over to help them get away from the stressful
life that West Point can bring. It is a joke between my
family that Lenox is my other brother, since he visits
often and keeps in touch constantly with my family
and me. When the members of the team are at my
house, we get to talk a lot more, and have gotten to
know many of them better because of this extra time.
According to Reategui, “I have always taken interest in
diving but never tried it so since it was my last year to
do it before graduating, I thought why not give it a
shot.” Reategui has always been the type of kid to try
different flips and/or dives off of diving boards, so he
wasn’t afraid of trying to do them off the big diving
board at the high school pool. Coming into diving for
his first year, Reategui said “I didn’t really know what
to expect but I soon realized that it was a lot harder
than I originally thought. The help of Coach Frisbee
and fellow diver Nathan Sorensen, I learned the dives
and techniques at a really fast pace.”
program in New Jersey, Bobby Ludwig. According to
Ludwig, “ Team Impact made me excited for college
life, since I joined later on. At first I wasn’t interested
in going but it helped me find the college I wanted to
go to, Drew University, which was the college that I
was apart of through Team Impact, on their baseball
team…Everyone I met through Team Impact, treated
me like I was a member of the team and liked having
me there, which led to me wanting to get involved in
it.”
team but it seemed to pay off pretty well for him, as he
is one of the two divers on the team, and has also been
able to qualify for sections. “If I had one, I wish I could
have started diving a lot earlier because I could have
been a lot better than I am now,” Reategui said when
asked if he regretted not diving before this year.
Reategui has done well thus far as a rookie diver, lets
see how he does in the Section 9 championship on
February 13th at Valley Central High School. ChaChing!
!One last person I interviewed was a participant of the
!Throughout the years, Team Impact has changed many
people’s lives for the better. But not only those
children who suffer, but the players involved as well.
They are offered an opportunity to make a difference
in the lives of children.
!Thanks to Team Impact, I have met many great people
and their families, and have made friends and new
bonds with many people from all kinds of parts of the
world. It has been an experience that has helped
shaped me more than I was before into the person I am
today, and one I will always remember having.
!After getting insight from Spiker, I interviewed
the main player behind the program’s
involvement at West Point, Maxwell Lenox. I
asked him what he enjoyed most about Team
Impact. Lenox replied, “The thing that I enjoy
most about Team Impact is meeting you. Meeting
you has been one of the most rewarding things I
have had the pleasure of doing in my life.”
!It took Reategui some guts to come out for the diving
INDOOR TRACK TAKES ON
YALE
BY CHRISTIANE WHITE
!On Friday, January 16, 2015 the Washingtonville
Wizards Indoor track and field team traveled to New
Haven, Connecticut. The wizards were going to Yale
for an Invitational. When the team got to Yale they
noticed that the track was banked, which means the
sides of the
track curve. So this meets that it is raised up.
The boys 4x400 took first place the runners were
Darnell Lubin, Dan Hehir, Jacinto Gomez, and Nick
Pham. They had a time of 3:35:12. Lubin is the only
returning member of the 4x400. Darnell Lubin,
Jacinto Gomez, Tim Henry, and Nick Pham took on
sixth place in the 4x200 with a time of 1:36:01.
Max Lenox, Captain and guard of the Army Mens
Basketball team.
The next race the Boys run was the DMR (Distance
Medley Relay). The Boys took ninth place with a
time of 11:23:70. Tom Quinn, Paul Catalano, Mark
Pietrzak, Mikey Carroll participated in the DMR.
!The girls team ran the 4x800 with they took eighth
place with a time of 10:15.11. The relay team was Bri
Lawless, Debbie Boerke, Katie Smolar, and
Shannon Thompson.
!The Girls ran the DMR( Distance Medley Relay)
taking 13th place with a time of 13:48.57
The runners were Julia Sutter, Michelle Gildea,
Sarah Hendricks, and Sara Aselta.
!
WIZARDS HOCKEY UPDATE
BY SAMANTHA MAURO
!
The Wizards Ice Hockey team had two games
this past weekend. Friday night 1/16 at 7:45 PM
at Ice Time in Newburgh, and Saturday night
1/17 at 7:00 PM at the Mid Hudson Civic Center
in Poughkeepsie.
!On Friday night, the Wizards played John Jay
High School, the number one team in their
league, and gave them a run for their money. The
Wizards jumped to an early 3-0 lead before John
Jay answered to make it 3-1. The Wizards then
advanced their lead to 6-1 in the second period.
John Jay ended up coming back to tie the game
6-6, which is how the game unfortunately ended.
Mike Sacchi, Matt Laya, and Stephan Finkle each
had 2 goals for the Wizards.
!On Saturday night, the Wizards faced off against
Arlington High School. The Wizards beat
Arlington 5-4. Matt Laya scored 3 of the Wizard
goals, while Alex Markgjonaj and Jeremy
McGuire both scored 1 goal each for the team.
There were assists by Alex Markgjonaj (3), Blake
Waaland (2), Tommy Sabilla (2), and Devin
Walsh (1).
!This team is composed of players from
Washingtonville High School as well as from
Warwick High School, since both schools did not
have enough players to make a full team. For that
reason, the team is not directly affiliated with the
High School, it is a club team.
!Their season started in early November and they
now have 6 wins, 10 losses and 1 tie. Good luck
with the rest of your season, boys!
3
EDITORIALS
THE COLLEGE CRAZE
BY RYLEE CELLA
!
In today’s society, everyone is expected to have a college
degree. They say you can’t get anywhere without one.
There is no more “working your way to the top,” but
rather who ever holds the masters or doctorate degree
gets the job.
!Students are expected to have their entire lives planned
out by the end of their teen years. Most will live sixty
years passed that. Before 25% of most people’s lives are
over, they are to know what they want, when they want it,
and have a distinct plan of execution. College is no longer
a place of higher education that extends the thirst for
knowledge and empowers independent thinking. It is a
work force factory.
!Yet, most fresh-out-of-college students are unemployed
and being forced to move back in with mom and dad.
Colleges are more corporate than school, inflating prices
to extents of which are unattainable by most everyone in
the middle class. At twenty one years old, most people are
already swamped in debt.
!Not too many employers hire kids out of college; they are
looking for young, but experienced, workers--a title that
encompasses no one.
!Another fear that parents and students alike have is that
their degree will not be marketable. If one does not go to
school to become an engineer or a doctor, will
unemployment be inevitable? Being a music or sociology
major shouldn’t be a deal breaker if that is what you want
to learn. Paying thousands of dollars to learn about
something you don’t care about is a waste.
!A college education is by no means a bad thing. If the
reasons behind getting a degree, however, are merely to
get a job or because that is the status quo, then you may
want to reconsider.
!College is not for anyone and there are more options:
trade school, the military, or merely waiting to decide.
Moreover, college is not definitive. Most people who have
gone to college do not work in a field related to their
degree, just ask relatives and teachers.
!Don’t let your college education contribute to a mediocre
life you don’t want. Avoiding immense debt and an
education that you are not passionate about is avoidable.
Struggles are inevitable but not impossible. Go to college
for the right reasons, not because your parents want you
to, not for a degree you don’t want, and not at a price that
makes you weak in the knees.
!
!
ELASTIC HEART CONTROVERSY
BY REY GONZALEZ
!Sia has recently released her latest video “Elastic Heart”
which has 12 year old Maddie Zeigler and 28-year-old
Shia LaBeouf dancing together in a giant cage. In which
both characters are wearing nude leotards. This video has
not only sparked controversy but has also received much
praise as well.
!When first watching the video, “Elastic Heart” is
inappropriate, gross, and creepy. Mostly due to the
contact between Shia LaBeouf and Maddie Ziegler.
Because of the way that they are dancing and placed
together, some when she is on his back and when they lay
beside one another, or when their bodies are interwoven.
Sia has sent out a tweet saying that she apologizes for the
video coming out that way but that is not how she had
wanted it to be viewed. She says, "I apologize to those
who feel triggered by ‘Elastic Heart.’ My intention was to
create emotional content, not to upset anybody" and she
also says, “All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the
only actors I felt could play.”
!The clothing in “Elastic Heart” is very similar to the
clothing used by Maddie in the chandelier music video
also containing interpretive dance as well as provoking
emotion and interpretation. “Elastic Heart” was first
recorded in late 2013 for the Hunger Games Catching Fire
soundtrack and Sia recorded a newer version in 2014 for
her album 1000 Forms of Fear which entered the
Billboard 200 at #1 in July the same year. The album
itself is related to her past and she opens up completely.
She explained on Twitter that Maddie and Shia LaBeouf
represented two warring Sia's, saying, “These two wearing
'Sia' self states.” Sia meant for this music video to be an
interpretation of the battle between her old self, which
was Maddie, the childlike self with the past that follows
and her older, grown, more mature self, Shia LaBeouf was
her now, still battling to stay away from her bad habits
and her past that she has dealt with. Part of that past
containing a serious addiction to Vicodin and Oxycodone
and unaware that she was being an alcoholic as well. Not
only that, but her childhood was full of difficulties with
her smoking and drug usage as a child.
!Sia also says that she has bipolar disorder as well.
However, she revealed to the Howard Stern Show that she
refrains from blaming her parents for her messed up
childhood. The ending of the “Elastic Heart” video
features Maddie escaping the cage but returning to help
Shia LaBeouf leave the cage as well. The final 45 seconds
of the video has no words or sound to it, just Maddie
uselessly trying to help LaBeouf escape, but she never
does.
On Saturday Night Live (SNL) Sia performs “Elastic
Heart” facing away from the camera and wearing a
small black veil to cover her face. She now has two
female dancers that clearly represent old and new
Sia that can also be seen as two different
personalities battling because of her bipolar
disorder. However, at the end of the day the
“Elastic Heart” music video is interpretative
dancing, and is therefore up for interpretation and
cannot be forced into any single category or
interpretation thereof. If you are interested go
watch the video for yourself and you can make your
own interpretations, opinions and viewpoints on
this video.
ZIMMERMAN’S ACT OF
TERROR
BY NICK LaROCCA
George Zimmerman was the man who was a
neighborhood watch guard in small community
in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman is most publicly
known for being the man who shot 17 year old
Trayvon Martin on February 26th 2012. He had
stirred a lot of controversy throughout our nation
by shooting the young 17-year-old African
American male Trayvon Martin, who was walking
home late at night through the Sanford
community. Martin was walking back home after
getting Skittles and an Ice Tea from the local gas
station.
!Many Americans believed that he racially profiled
this young man and shot him for the color of his
skin and not for being self-defensive. The African
American community, along with a numerous
amount of other races in America including
whites were outraged on the acts that took place
on that February night in 2012.
A couple of years later after the entire Trayvon
Martin saga, George Zimmerman has remained
quiet and out of the news. This man, viewed as a
hated man by many in America, was back in the
news once again in a violent action. Just recently
Zimmerman has been arrested for suspected
domestic violence. He had reportedly got into an
argument with his girlfriend and George’s anger
got out of hand and he threw a wine bottle at her
head, allegedly. With many cases of domestic
violence with high profiled public figures, having
outbursts of these actions it heightens the fact
that the matter is not okay under any
circumstances.
!Also, with much controversy in America just over
the past year with the Ferguson riots and death of
Staten Islander Eric Garner, Zimmerman is
adding fuel to a very big fire, in which the African
American community has an option to point out
flaws in the American law enforcement, judicial
system and society as a whole.
!In any way you look at these situations and with
Martin Luther King Jr. day right around the
corner and this topic can be looked at more than
ever. With the fact that his day is coming up it
should be looked as a reminder to protest in
peaceful matter when you think something is
wrong. No matter how hard times have fell on the
African American community the day can also be
a reflection for how far our country has came as a
whole also. So no matter what happens there will
always be cruel cold-hearted people in this world
but we are all equal and we should treat each
other that way day in and day out for better world
change. This way world stereotypes and actions
can all be erased.
!This was a tragedy which occurred no matter
which way you look at this event a young man
losing his life is always tragic. These events had
almost divided the nation into two with the courts
decision. The court had then decided that
Trayvon was threatening to George Zimmerman
and Zimmerman left the court as an innocent.
The court’s decision had sparked countless
amount of protest by many Americans all around
the country.
!
!
!
4
WizardS Weekly
MEET THE STAFF
Imani Mack is Editor-in-Chief for the Newsletter Crew. She is currently a senior at Washingtonville High School. She
hopes to pursue her dreams by attending a four-year college to become a psychiatrist and then continue learning in
medical school. Imani spends her free time cheering for the Varsity Football team and following the latest fashion
trends.You can say she is one stylish fashionista. #WIZARDNATION
!
Rey Gonzalez is a senior at Washingtonville High School who aims to get a career in
cinematography. He wants to travel the world with his career. He is a caring person, but is
not afraid to tell you how it is. He hopes to get far in life and work on the big budget films.
He wants to enjoy life and take it for how it is. He is still in the process of growing up and has
his own things to work on, but all will come in time. #WIZARDNATION
!Stephen Lynch is currently a senior at Washingtonville High School. He is part of the cross
country and track teams, yearbook club, student council, and is the Prom King. Next year,
Lynch is planning on going to a two year school for communications to save money and then hoping to transfer to a
four year school. In the future Stephen Lynch hopes to become a famous Emmy winning Talk show host.
#WIZARDNATION
!
Samantha Mauro is a senior at Washingtonville High School. She is a cheerleader, the
Senior Class President and is also involved in many other clubs. Samantha is planning on
attending a 4-year university after high school where she will study Actuarial Science and Accounting. She is
an avid dog lover, piano player, and One Tree Hill watcher.#WIZARDNATION
!Evan Oquendo is the former anchor for BGTV. He is also a Senior at Washingtonville High
School. He likes playing all types of sports. These sports include football, basketball,
billiards, etc. When he is not participating in sports, he likes to watch the greatest show of
all time, “Friends,” because it reminds him of his friends and himself. Although he is more of a spokesperson than
writer, he thought he’d give it a shot!#WIZARDNATION
John Honan is a senior at Washingtonville High School who enjoys writing, gaming and
hanging out with friends. He is a caring, and all around fun individual. He is an active
participant in JROTC and the E-Sports club. After he graduates, he plans to go to college
and major in Game Design. He hopes to graduate with his degree after 4 years of college
and get a job at any gaming company. #WIZZARDNATION