SS he hip’s og he hip’s ogTT LLThe Student Newspaper of Cinnaminson High School

1197 Riverton Road, Cinnaminson NJ 08077June 2012

What’s What’s Inside... Inside...

Volume 53. No. 5

CHS Sees Exit of Longtime Educators by Amanda Weiler ‘12Editor-in-Chief

CHS will not be the same without two beloved teachers: Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Brangan, who are both retiring this year. Having worked for the Cinnamin-son school district for near-ly eighty years combined, Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Brangan’s departures will be greatly felt. A patriarch of Cin-naminson, Mr. Robinson has worked for nearly for-ty years as a teacher in the school district. He spent twelve years as a teacher at New Albany School and the remaining years at Cin-naminson High School. During his tenure, Mr. Robinson has taken on the role of supervisor of his de-partment and has coached track, girls basketball, and softball. He also served as the head football coach for about ten years. He has al-ways been an avid sports fan and player and decided to become a gym and health

teacher because he could continue his love of sports. “I always liked sports and I thought it would be fun to teach and coach kids.” He is enjoying the retired lifestyle but misses the people. “Although, I do miss coming to school and seeing my friends, both stu-dents and teachers.” His affable person-ality has made him a great teacher and role model. Mr. Robinson measures his success by his close bond he has with the students. “There have been kids who have come to me for advice.

That’s what I’m most proud of. I’ve given them good advice.” His fondest mem-ory is “visiting with kids who come back and tell me they’re doing well in what-ever they have pursued or achieved.” Like Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Brangan feels it will be the students she misses the most. “I will miss all of the people, especially the students. I know when Sep-tember comes…that’s when I’m usually ready to come back to school. This Sep-tember will be diffi cult.” Having always had

a profound love for litera-ture and poetry, Mrs. Bran-gan’s decision to pursue a career as an English teacher was natural. “It was a no-brainer. When I was little, I used to teach my dolls and line them up in front of me.” Having taught many different books, courses, students, and grade levels throughout the years, Mrs. Brangan has greatly shared her time and talent with CHS. She has been a class advisor, assistant play direc-tor, and girl’s track coach. She has also created and named the school’s literary magazine, Amaranth, and has worked with Mr. Iaco-no in the English-Speaking Union Shakespeare Compe-tition. Although she will take many memories with her, she feels her fondest memory is that of meeting her husband here at CHS, a former math teacher. “I can’t name all of my memories. I have fl ashbacks. I will take only positive memories.”

Urban and Patel Achieve Honorary Rankby Gulden Memis ‘13Staff Writer Every year the hon-or of being chosen as the valedictorian and the sa-lutatorian is given to two students who have proven themselves as hardworking, deserving, and exemplary scholars. This year, this honor goes to Carolyn Ur-ban as the valedictorian and Khushbu Patel as the saluta-torian. Carolyn and Khush-bu recently took time apart from their very busy sched-ules to answer some ques-tions about themselves and how they accomplished this tremendous goal. When asked about work ethic, both, like many diligent students, admitted to hav-ing a persistent way of ac-complishing goals. Carolyn replied, “I think my work ethic is pretty strong. I take

pride in the fact that I al-ways complete my assign-ments and that I am gener-ally prepared for tests. Al-though, I have to admit that senioritis was a slight prob-lem.” Khushbu responded, “My work ethic has been attempting to avoid pro-crastination, which became harder and harder as the workload increased, espe-cially this year.” Time management has also been a huge fac-tor in their success. Carolyn and Khushbu are involved in many extracurricular ac-tivities that they not only en-joy doing, but also help the school. Carolyn is involved in Battle of the Books, Cin-namentors, Interact, Math League, NHS, S.T.O.P, varsity bowling and has also been involved in Hon-ors Strings for three years. Khushbu has spent her time in Interact, S.T.O.P, Battle

of the Books, Cinnamen-tors, NHS, bowling, manag-ing swimming, math league, physics Olympics, string ensemble and has volun-teered at Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill. Balancing these activities and stellar grades is an act that these two have done fl awlessly. With such hard work placed in front of them, mo-tivation is another key fac-tor that has led to the suc-cess of these two students.

“My motivation throughout high school has been the desire to meet and exceed expectations. I also just want to be able to say that I did my best. I never cared much about what my class rank was, as long as I knew it was the best that I could do,” Carolyn responded in regards to her motivation. Khushbu derived much of her motivation from her family, “My motivation Continued on page 2

photo courtesy of the Buccaneer Carolyn (left) and Khushbu (right) fi nish at the top of their class.

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerMr. Robinson and Mrs. Brangan retire from years of teaching.

Class of 2012 Moves On...

page 5

DeSean Jackson Visits CHS,

Dissapoints Some

page 2

Nikki Kloss Taking Her

Rowing Talents to USC

page 11

Ship’s Log Editors Refl ect

Upon CHS Experiences

pages 8-10

Page 2 The Ship’s Log June 2012

DeSean Jackson Speaks in Anti-Bullying Assemblyby Mary Kostiuk ‘13Features Editor On Friday, May 11th Cinnaminson High School had one assembly that will never be forgotten. As the senior class was dismissed early around noon, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, and even eighth graders began piling into the auditorium. Throughout the whole day and even some-what throughout the entire week, there were rumors spreading about this assem-bly. However, the students were only told that it was going to be an anti-bullying assembly. Most of the stu-dents’ reactions to the theme of the anticipated assembly included rolling of the eyes and deep sighs. It’s never a student’s favorite thing to hear that there is going to be another bullying assembly when they’ve seen plenty of them over the years. But this one was supposed to be “different.” When the rumors

began to circulate that De-Sean Jackson might be at-tending the assembly at our school, the students’ reactions began to differ. Some didn’t believe it; oth-ers began to write about it on Facebook and Twitter, while others prepared stuff for him to sign. The atmo-

sphere throughout the whole school was pure excitement. Sitting in the audito-rium that Friday afternoon,

students were anticipating the arrival of their “special guest.” Everyone kept look-ing at the doors to see which one he might come through. They also looked at DeSe-an’s friends and family who were sitting upfront just as eagerly waiting for DeSean to arrive.

A woman soon be-gan to speak about DeSean and herself. Soon enough, the rumor was confi rmed

when DeSean himself ar-rived with a few extra guests. One of his guests was Nadin Khoury, who was once bullied. He and DeSean spoke to the stu-dents about the harmful-ness of bullying. After the speech, there were many performances by different artists, whose performances had to do with personal ex-periences and feelings. “I liked that the songs people were singing had a mes-sage,” stated junior Sarah Ritter. DeSean and his mother also began to speak about their own foundation, Foundation 10; a foundation for pancreatic cancer. After his father was diagnosed with the disease and passed away from it in 2009, they began the foundation. Some students didn’t feel that the assembly was worth their time and that it didn’t really speak too much on bullying. Sopho-more Brittany Runyen said, “I thought it was awful and

ineffective.” Junior Wesley Per-

kins also stated, “It had nothing to do with bullying. It was a whole bunch of rub-bish.” Even though some students disliked the assem-bly, they were still thrilled to see DeSean Jackson. Some even got his autograph af-ter the assembly had ended. Junior Dana Wilhelm didn’t think it was a good assem-bly, but she was still happy to receive an autograph from him. After the school day ended, DeSean Jackson tweeted about Cinnamin-son High School, and even retweeted some of our own students’ thoughts. Junior Jarrett Bowers was thrilled that he got retweeted by De-Sean. Even though the as-sembly itself may not have been that effective, it was a great experience for CHS to have a guest like DeSean Jackson at our school.

Hard Work Proves Invaluable for Top Two Seniorsthroughout high school has been to make my parents proud of me and to work to the best of my ability in or-der to build towards a career in biomedical engineering and medicine. I have been raised knowing the value of a good education and held it as one of my top priori-ties. My father is a nuclear engineer and many of my family members are engi-neers as well, so that was motivation also. In order to provide my sister and my-self with a good education, my father must travel to and from South Carolina every weekend for his work. The least I could do to was to make the best of the situa-tion and make my parents efforts worthwhile.”

Not only has their own family provided moral support, but so has the teachers here at CHS. When asked if any par-ticular teacher or teachers personally provided sup-port, Khushbu replied, “All of my teachers through-out high school have been great. However, I feel Mrs. Lohan has prepared me the most for what is to come in college. Her class has

taught me to willingly ac-cept challenges when they are handed and her teaching has taught me to work to the best of my abilities. Without a teacher like her my high school career would have remained incomplete.” Car-olyn remarked, “There are so many people who have helped a lot in high school and it would be impossible to choose just one. Every-one has been so support-ive, especially my teachers. Whether they were encour-aging me to challenge my-self with even harder class-es, answering my many questions, cheering me on, or just getting me to laugh when I was stressed out, I have found that my teach-ers have constantly been there for me and I defi nitely wouldn’t have achieved so much without their help.” Both admit to time management as a struggle and also the major work load. “Through all the chal-lenging courses and activi-ties, the hardest aspect of my time here has been the workload which has caused many long nights, busy weekends, and little free time,” Khushbu exclaims. Carolyn agrees, “The most diffi cult part of my time at

CHS has been the amount of homework. This may come as a surprise, but I don’t ac-tually like doing homework 24/7!” With schedules full of Honors and AP courses, the girls always had a large amount of work and assign-ments to complete. With a resume of activities and accomplish-ments, the girls have much to be proud of. Carolyn re-sponded, “My proudest ac-complishment was being accepted to Cinnamentors. I felt honored to be able to join this group and am grateful for the opportuni-ties that Cinnamentors has given me to give back to my school.” However, she re-grets, “[not going] to more school events. I waited until this year to go to our high school’s play and to go to the talent show; there are plenty of events that I never went to. Every event that I didn’t go to is another memory that I don’t have.” Khushbu’s greatest accom-plishment occurred this year, “My greatest accom-plishment has been getting a full ride to Rutgers and admission into their Hon-ors Engineering program. It was nice to know that the ef-fort paid off.” As for regrets,

“I wish I had gone to more events also. I think I would have not only had fun, but would have been more in-volved in school.” As these two exem-plary students leave CHS, they look forward to their futures. Carolyn plans on attending Elizabethtown College to pursue a major in actuarial science and pos-sibly double major in math education. She states, “I am looking forward to the opportunity to explore my interests in actuarial sci-ence and to the many new experiences that college will bring. I will still work as hard in college because I want to continue to succeed and to have the satisfac-tion of knowing that I have done my best.” Khushbu will be attending Rutgers New Brunswick to major in biomedical engineering replying, “I am looking for-ward to experiencing a new environment, meeting new people, and having the op-portunity to learn and try new things. I will defi nitely work harder in college be-cause of my career path and college will lay the founda-tion for my future. College is just as important, if not more important than high

school. My ultimate goal is to pursue a career as a pe-diatrician.” These two girls will leave CHS with a long last-ing impression; one of hard work and diligence. They have proved that staying fo-cused and having the right people for support are some of the key components to obtaining excellence. With heavy workloads from the most challenging classes CHS has to offer, Caro-lyn and Khushbu have still found time to be involved in numerous school activities and clubs. But before they embark on a new chapter in their lives, they both leave with a few words of advice. Carolyn stresses, “Stay or-ganized! There are a lot of different sports, clubs and organizations that you may want to be a part of and time management is the key to balancing all of the respon-sibilities from classes and clubs, but more importantly, to succeeding.” Khushbu leaves with, “I would say to the underclassmen to try to do your best and to never give up. Even though there is so much work ahead of you that is going to be long and hard, it’s all worth it in the end.”

Continued from page 1

photo courtesty of the Buccaneer Guest DeSean Jackson speaks to CHS students about bullying.

Page 3 The Ship’s Log June 2012

Two Students Graduate in Less Than Four Years

Is College Actually Worth All That It Will Cost You?

by Sean Gallagher ‘14Staff Writer

The high school experience is typically thought of as a four year journey. This year, two ju-niors, Nicole Wright and Cayla Cotter, have chosen to graduate a year early. “Freshman year, I came into high school knowing I would graduate early,” says Nicole. Nicole talked to her counselor at the middle school in eighth grade and asked if graduating as a junior was an option. Her counselor called CHS and then informed Nicole that she could as long as she had enough credits at the end of her junior year. “All the years I’ve been here,” Nicole adds, “I’ve doubled up and taken no study halls. I’ve always got to be moving and hav-ing no study halls allowed me to keep pushing my-self.” Nicole will be attend-ing Holy Family University where she has plans to ma-jor in special education, or a similar fi eld where she can work with children. Nicole

stresses that she is “a people person” and that Holy Fam-ily appealed to her because of the relatively small size of the classes where she will “get to know people better.” Similarly, Cayla Cotter talked with a guid-ance counselor to obtain information regarding early graduation. Unlike Nicole, Cayla was in high school when she made the decision to graduate early. In order to graduate as a junior, Cayla enrolled in an online BCC class that provided her with the required amount of cred-its. Graduating early was not very easy for Cayla. “I had a lot more school work than the average senior or junior,” she says. Cayla mentions that she will regret some things about leaving CHS early. “I’ll regret not experiencing senior year with my close friends and not getting the senior experience of doing nothing,” Cayla explains. Ultimately, Cayla is “ready to leave Cinnaminson” and ready to go on to the next part of her life. As for Cayla’s fu-ture, she has already en-

listed in the Air Force and comes from a “very mili-tary-oriented family.” “It was a very natural move for

me,” says Cayla, “I want to get a degree and I joined the Air Force to get an educa-tion.” Cayla has enlisted for six years active duty and two years reserve. This means that after serving in the military for six years, she will be a civilian for two years. As a civilian, the Air Force may call Cayla back into duty if necessary, but it is likely that she will have a normal civilian life for the two years of reserve. Cayla will be enter-

ing the Air Force as a me-chanic. There, she will be working on and fi xing Air Force planes. Her job helps

ensure the safety of the sol-diers who will fl y the planes. Cayla will be stationed is in San Antonio, Texas. “The heat will be the worst part of adapting to Texas life, besides being screamed at by drill sergeants for two months straight,” Cayla re-marked with a smile. On the other hand, Nicole Wright plans on stay-ing much closer to home. However, both Nicole and Cayla share some regrets about graduating early. “A lot of people think gradu-

ating early is all positive, but unfortunately I’ll have to leave some close friends I’ve grown attached to,” Nicole reveals. Nicole also worried about passing the HSPA tests saying, “I was a nervous wreck during the HSPAs. If I didn’t pass them, graduating early would’ve been a lot more diffi cult. Luckily, I was able to get some helpful tutoring.” As she embarks upon a new journey in life she realizes, “There are so many things I’m going to miss, mostly my best friends and my senior class. Now, I’m going to have many more responsibilities every day.” Nicole says she would not have been able to graduate as a junior with-out the help and support of others. “I want to thank Ms. Lobascio for all of her support, Mr. Jenkins for his help tutoring me in math and for my mom, who’s al-ways been there for me.” Regardless of where they are going and what they are doing, both Nicole and Cayla are moving onto bigger and better things.

by Mike Atkinson ‘12Assistant Editor-in-Chief

As you pack your bags to head off for college move in day, or begin the lengthy college application process, you may want to consider the following idea: the benefi ts of college may not be worth its price.

In fact, over half of the college graduating class of 2012 is unemployed or underemployed, in which their current job does not require a college degree. While fi elds in engineering, science, and health care in-dustries have seen a rise in demand over the past de-cade, fi elds concerning the humanities, like psycholo-gy, literature, and sociology, have seen an overwhelming decrease in job demand. Many recent college gradu-ates from these areas have been forced to take jobs that pay well below their expec-tations, or jobs that share little similarities with their intended career paths.

Students that are entering college in the near future have an interesting question to ponder: “Is my

intended career major really worth a signifi cant invest-ment?” The answer is the beginning of a complex and intricate problem.

The values of both a public and a private school education have been af-fected by the recession. Due to the economic downturn, many students have shied away from the huge loans necessary to attend private institutions, fearing years of repaying loans that will not be worth the cost of college. On the other hand, public universities have seen re-cent cutbacks in funding from the state, leading to lower fi nancial aid awards and smaller amounts given in grants and scholarships.

Student loans have been the main factor in the job prospects of students entering the workforce. Just recently, the total stu-dent loan debt in the United States surpassed one trillion dollars. According to the U.S. Department of Educa-tion, about two thirds of the class of 2008 had to borrow money in order to attend college. These loans range from an average of $25,000

to $28,700, with 10% of all student loans being above $50,000. As more and more students are refused fi nan-cial aid from both public and private schools, they are forced to take out loans from banks and the govern-ment. Various CHS students weighed in on their opinions about student loans.

Senior Matt Valen-tine, who plans to attend medical school after under-graduate study at Rutgers University, said, “It is like working with fi re - it can ei-

ther help you or hurt you.” William Gannon, a

senior, agrees: “Everyone should be worried about student loans to some ex-tent.”

Although some stu-dents see loans as a risk worth taking to avoid col-lege, others feel that the only way to beat the subpar job market is to pursue even higher education. They feel that undergraduate degrees do not offer enough to bet-ter their position in enter-ing the workforce. More

students are choosing to re-ceive graduate degrees be-fore paying off their loans. Still others are choosing to move back in with their par-ents as a way to avoid living expenses in order to pay off student loans. Still, many students are undaunted by these facts, and are unafraid of the student loan crisis.

Senior Kenny Walls stated, “I’m not too worried. I plan on working hard and working in various co-ops during my time in school.”

Exceptional Students Honored by CHS

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerWright and Cotter will be graduating among the Class of 2012.

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerCinnaminson High School recognized students who performed random acts of kindness through-out the school year at its annual People’s Choice Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

Juniors Attempt to Create a newJuniors Attempt to Create a new

FEATURESFEATURESPage 4 The Ship’s Log June 2012

Luaces Ventures to Caribbean for Summer Camp

Kenny Jones Takes Perfect Attendance to New Level

by Amanda McAneney ‘14Staff Writer When summer time comes around, most stu-dents would love to visit tropical islands, swim in the clear blue water of the Ca-ribbean, and see the beau-tiful surrounding scenery. This dream was actually sophomore Erin Luaces’ reality last summer. In addi-tion to the above activities, she also became a certifi ed scuba diver, learned various water sports, and studied marine biology while going into the fi eld and exploring the ocean. Lucky for her, she will be doing this all over again this upcoming summer. The program is called Action Quest and is basically a summer camp for teens, but on a more extreme level. Erin’s mom, Mrs. Luaces, discovered the program and thought it would be perfect for Erin. The camp program gives the campers many different options and ac-tivities to choose from. One can learn different water sports such as wind surfi ng and water sailing or become certifi ed in scuba diving as well as learn how to sail. There is also an opportu-

nity to help others with the camp’s community service where campers assist un-derprivileged children in the area, clean up the local beaches, and help rebuild houses. Participants in the

camp can also take classes in marine biology and ex-ploration which involve ex-ploring the islands and hik-ing. Last summer, Erin focused on the program in-volving introductory to scu-ba and marine biology. “I really want to be a marine biologist and this program really helps. It looks really good on college applica-tions.” This summer, Erin

by Grace O’Malley ‘12Staff Writer You may know se-nior Kenny Jones as the school's president, captain of the golf team, or as your friend. However, what you might not know is that this senior has never missed a day of school in his life. His perfect atten-dance began in kindergarten at New Albany School and has continued all through-out grade school and high school. Although Kenny acknowledged himself as feeling like a loser some-times because he has never missed a day of school, he has been very fortunate

and successful because of his perfect attendance. Many students dread miss-ing school because of all of the missed work they must make up. Unfortunately, getting sick is something we have very little control over. For Kenny, his health has been very good for him. “I don't get sick, I'm lucky.” Kenny takes pride in his excellent health and wellbeing. “I just have the world's greatest immune system” says Kenny. While many stu-dents may beg their parents to stay home occasionally, whether for a “mental health day,” a family vacation, or a family emergency, Kenny has never had to miss a day

of school. “I've never wanted to miss school, it was never necessary” he says. Kenny even attended school on the traditional “Senior Cut” day. Many students face disciplinary action as a re-sult of too many missed days of school. Additionally, stu-dents miss out on valuable notes and class discussions when absent from school. Kenny never had to worry about such consequences. As a student who has attended every day of his schooling career, Kenny must love school. “I like the atmosphere because of the students, faculty and sur-rounding environment.”

In Cinnaminson, most students must com-plete thirteen years of schooling. Multiply this by 180 school days per year... That is 2,340 days of school that Kenny has not missed. That is a huge ac-complishment that many students do not get to say they have or can achieve. Kenny will be at-tending Stockton College in the fall. Hopefully, he will be able to maintain his perfect attendance streak throughout his years at col-lege. Kenny really enjoys the people that he has gotten know throughout his years at Cinnaminson. He feels this is what he will miss

photo courtesy of Erin LuacesErin is attending Action Quest summer camp in the Caribbean.

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerKenny Jones has had perfect attendance every school year.

the most when he graduates from high school and at-tends college next year. “I am going to miss the people; the people here are like no other.”

will be leaving for the camp, located in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, on August 3rd and stay for two and a half weeks. She will take a few different fl ights to get to the island of

Tortola, which is the main island she will be staying near. In this program, there will be about 30 different boats, each assigned with about 10-15 teens and two counselors. “Practically like yachts,” these boats will serve as Erin’s home for the duration of the camp. The campers aboard the boats are not just your local teens; these teens come from all over the world to participate

in this camp. “I meet kids from France, Spain, Cana-da… people from all over.” With having almost 15 peo-ple gathered on one boat together, space is limited, especially bedding wise. As the boat does not have enough beds for everyone, some sleep on the deck of the boat or in hammocks at night. Erin also noted that by living on a ship, the freshwater supply is lim-ited. Showers do not exist. Instead, campers jump into the ocean, come out, and shampoo their hair before jumping back into the ocean to rinse the shampoo out. When one has completed their rinsing, the campers are then hosed down with freshwater to clean them off. “It was real strange at fi rst, but you got used to it after a while.” Last year, Erin re-ceived her certifi cation in scuba diving. This year, she will be training for the next level of scuba diving, which is night diving. She will also be taking classes on marine biology and will get to study everything up close while diving. “Last year I saw squid, sting rays, lots of schools of fi sh… I didn’t get to see a shark though.

I hope I see one this year.” Along with moving up a level in diving, Erin will also be learning the art of underwater photography. The camp makes learning an extremely fun experience for campers. The camp is about more than just learning and hav-ing fun, it is also about mak-ing memories and having experiences that will last a lifetime. Campers still have to do their own chores on the boat and make their own meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as hav-ing to clean the boat con-stantly. “They’re very big on sanitation there. They don’t want any of us get-ting sick.” The camp helps make the students indepen-dent and self-reliable. This program is a once in a lifetime experi-ence and Erin Luaces can’t wait until summer. “After this summer I’d like to do it again the next summer, it’s just so much fun!” With traveling to exotic islands, seeing beautiful coral reefs, getting to explore moun-tains and deep seas one nev-er imagined seeing before, and making new friends from around the world, who wouldn’t want to go back?

Page 5 The Ship’s Log June 2012

CHS Class of 2012 Moves On...CHS Class of 2012 Moves On...Priali Abah – Monmouth U.Ian Albasi – Rowan U.Stephen Amoroso – Rutgers N.B.Jacqueline Anderson – BCCIan Ascencio – Temple U.Michael Atkinson – Boston CollegeZachary Axelrod – Rowan U. Nathan Aydelotte – BCCSlade Barrett – BCCThomas Bastian – BCCNicholas Bastos – St. Joe’s U.Carissa Beam – Walnut Hill CollegeRachel Bellwoar – Arcadia U.Brittany Bernard – BCCJoseph Binnig – BCCDanielle Bishop – Drexel U.Faith Blamon – Monmouth U.Deon Brown – Rutgers N.B.Joseph Burns – BCCVenard Cabbler – Delaware StateJoseph Calendo – Temple U.Ciara Cameron – BCCAllison Campbell – Drexel U.Marie Campbell – Rowan U.Paul Campbell – Drexel U.Kendrick Carr – BCCMatthew Chamberlain – BCITSara Charrier – Walnut Hill CollegeMichael Cisero – Monmouth U.Gabrielle Citro – Monmouth U.Victoria Cocozza – Mount St. Mary’s U.Stephanie Colon – BCCBrooke Connolly – Kingsway Learning CenterMarcela Corro – CUNY BaruchCayla Cotter – Air ForceColin Cross – BCCTaylor Cumming – UndecidedKelly D’Andrea – College of CharlestonJames Dale – BCCGailen Davis – Rutgers N.B.Lina Dinh – UndecidedMorgan Donahue – Widener U.Kelly Durr – BCCJohn Dworniczak – UndecidedKara Dwyer – BCCTimothy Eck – TCNJLindsey Eigenbrood – BCCSamuel Ekwonike – Coastal Carolina U.Dominic Elly – Moravian CollegeSara Elwell – BCCFrank Endicott – Automotive Training CenterShelby Evans – BCCDorothy Farino – BCCSarah Finnan – BCCJames Finney – Rosemont CollegeMeghan Flack – BCCSarah Flaer – BCCStephen Fleming – Rowan U.Gabriella Forcellini – BCCRebecca Forcellini – UNC CharlotteKatherine Forte – Salisbury U.Dylan Gabel – UndecidedWilliam Gannon – Rowan U.George Garey – UndecidedSean Gault – Rutgers CamdenMatthew Geib – Drexel U.Ruthie Gono – Fairleigh Dickinson U.William Graham – Undecided

Michelle Green – Fairleigh Dickinson U.Monica Green – BCCBrandon Greenberg – Stockton CollegeAllison Greenfi eld – York CollegeMichael Haberle – BCCAlexandra Halfen – U. of AlabamaTerrel Hall – BCCMarcus Hames – Alabama StateCasey Hanstein – Cosmetology SchoolDavid Haughey – Rutgers CamdenMonique Hawkins – BCCAmanda Hawthorne – BCCEric Hellings – ArmyAlexus Helmar – Arcadia U.Joseph Henderson – UndecidedJaclyn Herting – Rowan U.Nicole Hoffmaster – West Virginia U.Sherron Howard – Delaware StateAmanda Huang – Rutgers N.B.Taylor Huber – UndecidedLauren Huckel – TCNJJaclyn Iovine – West Chester U.Alicia Ireland – Cabrini CollegeKenneth Jones – Stockton CollegeMegan Jones – Catholic U.Kevin Kahl – Automotive Training CenterAlexander Kearney – BCCCharlotte Kearns – West Chester U.Timothy Kemmerle – BCCChristopher Kirby – Albright CollegeNikki Kloss – U. of Southern CaliforniaGary Koehler – UndecidedDavid Kozak – Delaware Valley CollegeKristin Kramer – U. of Central FloridaMadison Laskin – BCCJin Hee Lee – Rutgers N.B.Amiri Lewis – BCCKerry Lickfi eld – Johnson and Wales U.Tiffanie Longberry – CCCColin Lynch – Rowan U.Danielle Lyner – Rowan U.Danielle Macey – Rowan U.Benjamin Magness – UndecidedTyler Marr – BCCAlexandra Mason – BCCAllison McAlack – Cosmetology SchoolDaniel McDonald – BCCChelsea McDowell – York CollegeJonathan McGugan – Rutgers CamdenJohn McInerney – Rowan U.Ronnie Mendoza – Rutgers N.B.Lindsay Michalski – BCCNicholas Minieri – William Paterson U.Emily Monnoleto – Salisbury U.Mark Monte – BCCVictoria Mulherin – BCCQuishaun Murden – College of William and MarySean Murray – Monroe CollegeEdward Naulty – UndecidedAustin Neuman – U.S. Merchant Marine AcademyLawrence Nicoletto – BCCMontavius Nworgu – BCCEmma O’Brien – Widener U.Grace O’Malley – Millersville U.Jane O’Malley – Drexel U.Colleen Palladino – Gwynedd Mercy CollegeStephanie Pappas – TCNJHardik Patel – Rutgers N.B.

Khushbu Patel – Rutgers N.B.Minesh Patel – Rutgers N.B.Troy Pawlikowski – BCCMary Peterson – BCCJason Petti – Rutgers N.B.Blake Piccolo – Drexel U.Michaela Plunkett – BCCThomas Pollock – BCCHannah Pottieger – Ursinus CollegeKyle Pottieger – Stevenson U.Stephanie Price – Rutgers CamdenBrian Raday – BCCAustin Rainer – Bowling Green State U.Justin Redziniak – La Salle U.Bernard Richardson – UndecidedDavid Rivera – UndecidedChristina Roach – TCNJTimothy Robinson – BCCAlexa Rocks – UndecidedRachel Rollins – BCCMelissa Rooney – BCCKara Ross – Drexel U.Miguel Ruiz – UndecidedMitchell Sanders – BCCMargaret Schneider – George Mason U.Lindsey Schuster – Gwynedd Mercy CollegeDerek Scott – BCCMorgan Scott – Widener U.Mahir Shah – UCLAAugustin Shallow – BCCMichael Shay – U. of MichiganMegan Shemeley – Rowan U.Patrick Sinko – BCCFrankie Sorisi – BCCNicholas Spence – UndecidedKaren Staub – Eckerd CollegeShannon Stefanelli – Stockton CollegeAndrew Stewart – Rutgers N.B.Matthew Stouffer – BCCAsher Streater – BCCWilliam Strough – BCCDevin Sutko – Centenary CollegeEvan Swartley – BCCCole Taylor – MarinesDeven Tees – BCCBriana Tetlow – BCCAnthony Thurman – BCCAnnalee Tollar – Philadelphia U.Samuel Udotong – MITRachel Ungvarsky – Towson U.Carolyn Urban – Elizabethtown CollegeChristine Urban – Delaware Valley CollegeStephen Uryniuk – UndecidedMatthew Valentine – Rutgers N.B.Francesca Volpe – Holy Family U.Mackenzie Walls – U. of MarylandAmanda Weiler – U. of DelawareChristina White – BCCHeather Wood – BCCNicole Wright – Holy Family U.Brittany Wun – Cornell U.Kristen Yansick – Coastal Carolina U.Kyle Yansick – Widener U.Victoria Zabala – BCCSamantha Zarrilli – James Madison U.Nicole Zerbo – Stockton College

Page 6 The Ship’s Log April 2012

Senior Pirate PollSenior Pirate PollPhotos and Questions by Ship’s Log Staff

How Would You Describe Your Most Worthwhile How Would You Describe Your Most Worthwhile Experience At CHS?Experience At CHS?

-Sarah Flaer- -Amanda Hawthorne- -Morgan Donahue-

“Having good relationships with teachers and I will never have the same camaraderie as I have with my class.”

“Making Project X was one my proudest moments while at CHS.”

“Defi nitely Spirit Week this year. It was crazy. We were all wearing black at Wood Park. My old school didn’t

have that, so it was fun.”-Sara Charrier-

“Probably senior trip because it was really fun and you hang with people

you’ve never have before. Everybody was friends.”

-Victoria Mulherin-

“Defi nitely when we had senior pep rally. It was awesome. I felt together with the grade and everybody liked

each other.”

-Evan Swartley-

“Defi nitely the Homecoming breakfast because everybody came

and bonded. It was really fun!”

What is the biggest difference in you now as What is the biggest difference in you now as -Lauren Huckel-

“I’m much more friendly and outgoing. I’m confi dent with

who I have become.”

-Mitchell Sanders-

“I believe I’m more mature. When I was a freshman I was in a lot of trouble. Now I learned the error of my ways. I’m grown up and ready

to move on with my life.”

-Nicole Hoffmaster-

“I’m a lot more myself and bossy to the younger kids.”

Page 7 The Ship’s Log June 2012

Senior Pirate PollSenior Pirate PollQuestions and Photos by Ship’s Log Staff

...compared to you in your freshman year?...compared to you in your freshman year?-Austin Rainer- -Tina Roach- -Sean Gault-

“I don’t procrastinate as much. I started off freshman year not doing a research pa-per and this year I turned it in on time.”

“My eyesight got worse and I’m more intellectual.”

“I’m taller and more comfortable with myself.”

-Cole Taylor- -Chris Kirby- -Quishaun Murden

“Be more involved because my fi rst three years of high school were really boring.”

“I’d probably apply myself more.” “I’d have studied more for SAT’s.”

-Pat Sinko- -David Haughey- -Devin Sutko-

“I wish I hadn’t broken that sink.” “I should have gotten involved in more things.”

If you could change one thing about your time here, If you could change one thing about your time here, what would it be?what would it be?

“I’d get better grades. Better than I get now.”

OPINIONSOPINIONSPage 8 The Ship’s Log April 2012

Editor-in Chief: Amanda Weiler ‘12Assistant Editor-in-Chief: Michael Atkinson ‘12 Features Editor: Mary Kostiuk ‘13 Opinions Editor: Deon Brown ‘12 Sports Editor: Justin Redziniak ‘12 Advisor: Mr. Kind The Ship’s Log, the Cinnaminson High School news paper, is designed to function as a voice for the school community. Its ob-jectives are: 1. To give a full account of currnet ideas, events, and prob-lems affecting CHS. 2. To present a truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent ac-count of the school’s events in a context that gives them meaning. 3. To project a representative picture of the groups that make up the school. The Ship’s Log reserves the right to edit letters for length and to reject letters if they are libelous or do not conform to stan-dards of goodtaste. The Ship’s Log cannot guarantee publication of all letters it receives. All letters received become the property of The Ship’s Log. Opinions expressesd in letters or guest editorials do not neccessarily refl ect the opinion of The Ship’s Log. All letters and guest editorials should be submitted to Mr. Kind’s email at kindc@cinnaminson.com or to his mailbox in the main offi ce, or even to an English teacher who will submit them to Mr. Kind. Many thanks to Mr. Iacono for his incredible assistance with many photos and timely support to our editors and staff.

2011-2012 Editorial Staff

The Ship’s LogThe Ship’s Log

Senior Ship’s Log Editors Fondly Refl ect upon CHS

Justin RedziniakSports Editor

During freshman year it’s what many of us look forward to. Yet se-nior year it somehow turns into something we dread the most. Graduating high school is a monumental event in all of our lives, and something we will remem-ber for a very long time. However, when I begin to think about graduating high school, I realize that it’s not

the diploma that I will re-member after four years of high school, but the memo-ries made in the school, and with the class of 2012. When you walk around Cinnaminson High School, and walk in the hallways you can see many things wrong with build-ing itself. Just ask a student and they will go off with a multitude of reasons. Yet although this may by a building that needs re-pairs it is our building. Ten years from now we could walk into Cinnaminson High School and our minds would overfl ow with recol-lection. For me, many of these memories were made on the soccer fi eld. Grow-ing up I spent countless hours playing youth soccer, and I really enjoyed play-ing. During one season, our Coach Mr. Pottieger, told us this, “We practice and play these games so that one day we can be on that fi eld, (pointing to the var-sity soccer fi eld).” I really

took that line to heart, and playing for Cinnaminson High school was an im-portant experience to me. From the beginning of the season and “hell week,” to selling pirate cards (or rather not selling them), to the intensity in the play-offs, high school soccer will be something that I will reminisce for years. On the soccer fi eld during lazy practices and penalty kick shooting at the end of the day, bonds were built with coaches and players that will last a lifetime. It’s not easy to exactly portray the feeling, but playing soccer for Cinnaminson has been one of the best times of my life, and I will certainly miss it.

Aside from the fi eld, the bond built with the class of 2012 will be one that will live forever as well. I have gotten the privilege of meeting so many amaz-ing people over my four years here at Cinnaminson, and it’s something special

to be able to share it with a few select individuals. In just a couple months I’ll be somewhere in col-lege at La Salle and many of the people that I associ-ated with everyday in high school will be gone, except for maybe a friendship on Facebook. I think that’s a diffi cult part of life, having to get up and move on, ba-sically start anew.

Yet the most im-portant thing is being able to look back at it all, and enjoy the fact that it hap-pened. Looking back at my high school years I can only smile. Although everything hasn’t always been picture perfect, and there have been diffi cult times (European history my senior year) they will always be unforgettable times.

I entered the high school a shy, quiet boy, and changed quite a bit, and not just in height. I’ve had the good fortune of meet-ing infl uential individuals,

ones that have molded my life; I’ve had the privilege of building friendships with people I would have never imagined myself friends with and I’ve even gotten to experience my high school sweetheart for the past two years.

That’s why the only advice that I can give to the younger class is enjoy it. I distinctly remember wishing high school would hurry up and just end, when I was just a fresh-man. Now most seniors are grasping for the last, fl eet-ing moments of their high school careers. Time and time again I hear alumni of Cinnaminson High say that high school is the best time, and to enjoy it while it lasts.

With my fi nal words in the Ships Log, I can say the same to you, enjoy ev-ery single moment you have, even the ones that you think are the worst, and make every moment count.

Continued on page 9

Deon BrownOpinions Editor

Sitting at my com-puter and writing this story is probably one of the weirdest things that I have ever done. This is the fi rst time that I have actu-ally sat down and thought about where I am at in my life. I’m 18-years old, I’m a senior, and in just a few

short months I will be leav-ing this town and going off to college. This is crazy to me, because in all honesty it feels like freshman year was just yesterday. High school is a peculiar place in the aspect that every-one begins making a name for their selves and branch off to do their own things. It was not until these last four years that many people start to mature and begin to grow into young adults. Freshman year was a pretty good year for me. I think the reason why I liked that year so much was that I felt as if I was making a huge step by going to high school. Everything was just new. It was a whole new school, there were tons of new people to meet, and there were many new ex-periences to be had. When I compare myself now to how I was my freshman year, I can see that a lot has

changed but also a lot has stayed the same. I still can be immature sometimes and laugh at things no one else thinks is funny. But I also learned to hold my tongue when the time is needed and not to get myself in trouble. As I got older, I learned that you cannot win every argu-ment, and you cannot al-ways be right. Dealing with all the different personali-ties in this town defi nitely humbled me. For me, high school was defi nitely a time to grow as a person. Middle school was a cake walk, looking back on those years. It is not until many people get into high school that classes begin to challenge them and they soon begin to realize how much grades now can affect your life lat-er on. Until my sophomore year, whenever a teacher wrote on the board to study

Page 9 The Ship’s Log June 2012

I can remember when Ms. Adelman did a crazy Span-ish rap my sophomore year that was hilarious. It was so funny seeing her let loose for once and start spitting rhymes like it was her job. I remember how in lunch Sean Gault would stand and people would start clapping for no reason, and then boo when other students tried to do the same thing. I don’t think anyone can forgot that one fi ght in 10th grade where Digney leaped down a fl ight of stairs and picked up a full grown kid like it was nothing. And I will always remember my junior year Spanish class where we would randomly start quoting lines from Spongebob and Mrs. Orph-anos would attempt to use the words “Git” and “Deuc-es.” One class I will nev-er forget would have to be Journalism. I signed up for it in the 8th grade because I used to want to pursue journalism as a profession. Although I quickly realized that being a journalist was not for me, I stuck with the class for the past four years, because it was one of the few classes that I actually enjoyed almost every day. Writing for the Ship’s Log was one of the only things I was consis-tently a part of every year in high school and I believe I learned a lot from it. Writ-ing in that class defi nitely helped me as an overall writer and becoming an edi-tor this year helped me real-ize how much work actually goes into putting the whole paper together and making the deadline for its publish-ing. If I can ask one thing from underclassmen, it would be to actually read the paper in future years and learn something from the stories. As my time at Cin-naminson quickly begins to culminate, I can look back at my time here. The ad-vice that I would give un-derclassmen is to not slack off too much during school, set your priorities, and don’t get arrested for doing some-thing stupid. Hopefully, I will remember my own advice next year when I leave for college.

Mike AtkinsonAsst. Editor-in-Chief

I’ll never forget how much I was challenged and how I succeeded, even in the un-likeliest of situations. I was able to fi nd my passion for history and politics because of Mr. Becker. Had I not taken his class and decided to join Model Senate, I may have never realized my mmy in international rela-tions. Finally, the teacher who had the most profound impact on both my high school career and life was Mr. Kind. My relationship with Mr. Kind was a once in a lifetime bond connection, which extended well beyond the confi nes of CHS. He was my mentor and source of advice. Always willing to lend a helping hand, Mr. Kind helped me mature as I made my way through high school. I learned countless life lessons during my time as his student, including the inevitable consequences of placing girls and Six Flags before journalism. Without Mr. Kind, I would be a sig-nifi cantly different person than I am today. Looking back on my time here, I can assur-edly s ay that the greatest bonds I have forged while at Cinnaminson were those with my friends. Through-out my four years, I have shared common bonds with a wide array of people. Each of these bonds taught me a special lesson – les-sons which I will carry with me as I continue my life. I learned the true meaning of friendship from Matt Geib, who showed me the value of friendship, even when times were the toughest. Through Mahir Shah, I discovered to never relinquish my pas-sion for knowledge, as new things may be learned with each success and failure. I was able to witness fi rsthand the satisfaction of helping others from Kenny Walls. Sam Udotongand Lauren Huckelshowed me the vir-tue of hard work, and the ultimate rewards that come with excellence. However, it was Matt Valentine, my best friend of ten years, who inspired me the most. It was because of his attitude and demeanor in life that I ex-perienced the unparalleled virtues of perseverance and courage. He showed me what it really means to be a champion.

Continued from page 8

Continued on page 10

for a quiz or a test I would immediately disregard it and simply write “no home-work” in my agenda. I wish that I had taken my grades way more seriously now because this would have helped me save so much money going to college. My family is far from rich so any type of scholarships I received in high school would save myself from a lot of debt from school. Sports were never really my thing in high school so I always knew I didn’t have a chance at getting a schol-arship from that, but I think I had a good chance of get-ting one for my grades. The problem was that the more time I spent in high school, the more I be-gan to be eager for it to be done. Senioritis hit me way before I was even a senior and my dedication in school defi nitely dropped because of that. I think that I was too preoccupied with having a good time on the weekends with my friends that I did not focus on what my pri-orities were. I will defi nitely learn from this and take it with me to school next year. In college, I will actually be paying for school as op-posed to high school which was free for me, so I’m planning on putting class as a top priority and get-ting my money’s worth. I’m not going to lie, as much as I still want this year to be over, there is so much that I am going to miss about high school. I’m going to miss being able to go to school every day with people I have known since kindergarten. I’m going to miss the teachers, even the ones I did not like. One aspect of high school that I hope to never forget is the memories. So much stuff happened dur-ing these past four years and it is sad because I am already beginning to forget them. For example, right now I cannot think of my favorite memory of high school, but I can defi nitely think of some good ones. I think the funniest things I remember from high school might be a bit inappropri-ate for this paper, so I’ll try and name some tame ones.

To quote Mark Hop-pus of blink-182, “Well, I guess this is growing up.” As I sit here writing my senior experience, I am constantly reminded by the stream of emails that fl ood my inbox to complete my college housing application, apply for a summer intern-ship, and search for a job to begin to pay off my student loans. I am bombarded with thoughts about my future. What challenges will I face in college? Where will I get a job? What will my life be like in ten years? To fi nd out the answer to where I will go, I fi rst need to acknowl-edge where I have been. To think back upon my four years at Cinnamin-son is a bittersweet experi-ence. While I am sad to see the end of this time in my life, I am proud of the route I have taken to where I now stand. I entered school as a shy and naïve freshman – afraid to make mistakes, afraid to ask questions, and afraid to be different. I re-member the fi rst day of high school, where I awkwardly roamed the hallways, in-timidated by the big upper-classmen. Over time, I was able to establish a name for myself at CHS. Now, as I walk the hallways as one of those freakishly tall up-perclassmen, I see parts of myself in countless under-classmen, who I know will soon embark on the same journey I have experienced. These past four years have forever changed my outlook on life. They have chal-lenged me to my overcome the most trying of obstacles. While at times they have

been frustrating, I can say with confi dence they have been the most rewarding. When I fi rst try and recall my time as a Pirate, I instantly remember specifi c scenes that stand out in my mind. As a freshman, I re-call “Phillies Phever” that gripped the school. One Halloween day, I remember standing in the attendance offi ce line with pure excite-ment as I, along with nearly 90% of the school, prepared to attend a “doctor’s ap-pointment” with the Phillies on Broad Street. I remem-ber one hot June afternoon, where I exited Mr. Kind’s second period class and was greeted by the sight of ten thousand bouncy balls wreaking havoc on the hall-ways of CHS. I also remem-ber the feeling of rebel-liously grabbing handfuls of the novelties and stowing them away in my backpack, much to the chagrin of the school administration.I re-member my amazement at our school’s pride during junior year, as we banded together to help each other through numerous trage-dies. As a senior, I can still see the entire school eagerly anticipating Project X, and the following excitement of making Channel 6 News. What I’ll remember most are the fi ve days I spent in Disney World, where I was able to hang out with stu-dents I never dreamed of sharing a bond with. (I also recall the weeks after se-nior trip, trying to regain the hours of sleep lost from my seemingly week long all-nighter.) While I’ll certainly remember the events that took place in the halls of CHS, the pinnacle of my Cinnaminson experience was the people. It is truly those around me who have infl uenced the person I have become. My teachers have inspired me and shaped the person I am today. Specifi -cally, I’d like to thank Mr. Masi for showing me the importance of being a con-vincing public speaker, Mrs. Brangan for helping me tirelessly improve my writ-ing style, and Mr. McCon-nell for helping me learn to think outside the box.I can attribute my current work ethic to Mrs. Lohan and Honors Chemistry class during my sophomore year.

Page 10 The Ship’s Log June 2012

Amanda WeilerEditor-in-Chief

We’re building a puzzle of our lives-one

piece at a time... For some this distinct piece of the puzzle may be one of the more diffi cult middle pieces of the puzzle that always cause frustration and require patience. For others, the piece may be an edge, one that comes easily and feels naturally right. For me, this piece of the puzzle is a corner. I distinctly remem-ber walking home from the bus stop after my fi rst day of high school in Sep-tember 2008 trying to hold back the tears. As soon as I was in the safety of my house, I called my mom, the tears already beginning to trickle down my cheeks, my voice shaky and upset: I had hated my fi rst day of high school and I dreaded having to return for the next four years. Everyone who knows me knows that I enjoy school, maybe a little too much. However, that fi rst day was not very promising, nor can I say that freshman year in gen-eral was for me. I enjoy a challenge and being independent, but I found myself completely overwhelmed freshman year. I was in classes without the comfort of my friends and the teach-ers no longer “babied” us as they did in middle school. I guess I got used to the comforts of middle school. High school just seemed so daunting and vast. The upperclassmen were not only much taller and older-looking, but they were all so cool. They could get away with say-ing bad words and kissing in the hallway, something middle school never al-lowed. Perhaps I was too sheltered and a little naïve, or perhaps high school just wasn’t the place for me. Flash-forward 720 school days later…As I prepare for graduation, I fi nd myself crying again, but for a different reason. A good reason: I’ve come to love high school. I’ve learned a lot not only about myself, but also about oth-ers. As an upperclassman, I must admit we’re a pretty cool class, but not in the shallow way I thought of as a freshman. We are wise, talented, dedicated, and spirited.

High school is more than just the academics and books. It is a lesson of so-cial learning, something you won’t fi nd in any textbook. I’ve learned the value of hard work and motivation. I am easily self-motivated, but with a class in which the top ten are separated by tenths of a point, I must admit, I have been even more chal-lenged and competitive these past four years. I have also learned to be more confi dent in my character and in my abilities. Serving as Class Historian for the past three years has taught me that others will and do respect you. Lastly, high school has taught me a lot about others. Friends are there to celebrate with you and cheer you on, but also there to support you in times of need and guidance. And it is important not to judge others prematurely as I have learned that some people are better with time and others are not always what they seem. I leave Cinnamin-son High School with more than just knowledge gained and friends made, but also with many mem-ories. From that horrible fi rst day of high school to the memories I will make on June 18th, I know I will always regard high school as one of the best times of my life. Whether it was the fun homeroom chat ses-sions that I shared with the end of the alphabet fresh-man year or the sliding of my butt across the gym fl oor on a tiny carpet sam-ple in order to place in a Homecoming event junior year, I know I will always remember high school fondly. The reenactment of Pickett’s charge in Get-tysburg and the mingled hysteria of exhaustion and excitement that fi rst night in Disney are among my favorite class trips with some of my favorite peo-ple. “Sometimes…I get a good feeling…” Whether it was giggling at a class-mate falling asleep during fi rst period or losing it on the bus ride home when a bowling teammate scored trash cupcakes for the

team senior year, I made sure I laughed during high school. I also made sure I took risks including senior year’s seining in the Mul-lica River fully dressed, jeans and all, during an environmental trip and by running for Class Historian for three years. However, I also had my share of con-fusion during high school, including Mrs. Brangan’s very diffi cult chronologi-cally-ordered pop quizzes sophomore year and Mr. Walt Perekupka’s chal-lenging Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry course ju-nior year. I also demon-strated my Pirate Pride by never failing to forget to perform the Pirate Rumble before the opening of ev-ery home football game’s concession stand or by cheering on my favorite CHS football Pirates as they advanced to the sec-ond round of the playoffs at Haddonfi eld. Some of my favor-ite Pirates, however, are the teachers at CHS. No matter what the subject is, the teacher makes the dif-ference. Have it Chemis-try with Mr. Perekupka or World Literature with Mrs. Hyland, it is the gentle patience and enthusiasm these teachers possess that encourages students to not only learn, but strive for their best potential. I have become very close with a few of my teachers, including Mr. Kind and Mrs. Maupin. Although two polar oppo-sites, these teachers have one thing in common: I feel as if both of them have fi gured me out (I like to think that I am hard to decipher) and have gotten to know me very well for who I really am. I like to refer to Mr. Kind as the all-knowing go-to source for nearly everything and Mrs. Maupin as a close friend. I feel comfortable going to both teachers for necessary help and sup-port. I must also thank Mr. Becker for his ever-present advice and sugges-tions, especially in chal-lenging me and helping me achieve my Girl Scout Gold Award. I must also ac-

knowledge my family, with whom I am very close with and love dearly. As many people know, I am a home-body and I know that when I leave for college in the fall, it is my family that I will miss the most. My dad always knows how to make me laugh and keep me grounded while my mom is more than just a mother, but a friend. I’m not quite sure where I would be without her, as she has pushed me over the years to achieve my absolute best. And Jennie, my lit-tle sister, is my best friend. She knows me like no one else and with just a look we can understand each other. I will not only miss her, but also her sweet, twangy ac-cent calling my name down the hallway… “Manda…” So for Jennie and all of the underclassmen, I wish you the best of luck in your remaining years at the high school. My biggest advice is for her to enjoy every day, defi nitely don’t wish it away. Jenn, stop those stu-pid countdowns of yours…you’ll wish later on that you could return to these days. Also, never be afraid of who you are. Be confi -dent in yourself and in your abilities. Don’t change who you are for someone else. And lastly, don’t be afraid to take chances or risks; never hold back. As I fi nish my senior year and complete my time as an offi cial Pirate, I am arranging other pieces of my life’s puzzle. Graduat-ing from Cinnaminson High School is a corner piece, however, because it will re-main a permanent fi xture in my life, something I will al-ways remember, including the people I have met and the lessons I have learned. Although sometimes jagged and uneasy, once fi gured out, it became manageable and stable. A future Blue Hen at the University of Delaware, I will always support my red, black, and white. It is hard to believe that four years ago I was crying at the thought of having to return to CHS and now four years later, I will be fi ghting back the tears as I graduate, reminding my-self, “Don’t cry.”

Continued from page 9

As a resident of Cinnaminson for my entire eighteen year existence, June 18th will mark not only the end of high school, but the end of a long and ful-fi lling chapter in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t have enlightening words of wis-dom to leave behind. I don’t have a secret to happiness, nor am I able to share les-sons that are guaranteed to change your life. What I will do, however, is leave you with one piece of ad-vice: “Dare to achieve ex-cellence.” It is this motto by which I have strived to live by. By following these four words, I can confi dently say I have no regrets as I leave CHS. While it does not en-sure success, I can attest that it will set you on the path to greatness. Like that clichéd classroom poster we all have seen, “Shoot for the moon.Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” In a little over two months, I’ll be on my way to Boston, anxious to begin my life as a college student. I’ll arrive on campus and become a freshman once more. I’ll quickly make new friends, meet new pro-fessors, and establish new routines. But I’ll never for-get my time in high school. I’ll arrive on move-in day proudly sporting a red and black sweatshirt. And when I’m asked by countless people, “Cin-naminson? Where is that?”, I’ll respond with a smile: “Home.”

Page 11 The Ship’s Log June 2012

Senior Rower Nikki Kloss Taking Talents to USC

Cinnaminson’s Finest Moving onto D-I Athletics

by Justin Redziniak ‘12Sports Editor

One of the most dif-fi cult transitions for any athlete is the transition from high school sports to colle-giate level sports, especially Division I athletics. How-ever, Nikki Kloss of Cin-naminson High School, is not the average athlete, nor does she participate in an everyday sport. Nikki Kloss is a senior at Cinnaminson High, but next year she will be participating on the Uni-versity of Southern Califor-nia’s rowing team. For an athlete from Cinnaminson High School to attend such a prestigious program, such as the one that USC has, is very impressive. Even more impressive is USC’s rank-ing in rowing. Currently, USC’s women’s rowing is ranked in the top ten in the nation.

“It’s really hum-bling to get this opportunity, and when everyone says or mentions me and USC and then makes a big fuss about it, it’s humbling,” says Nik-

ki. For such a quiet and

easygoing girl like Nikki Kloss one wouldn’t neces-sarily expect her to be go-ing to such a large school. However, when asked about living at USC she answered

enthusiastically, “I can’t wait for the football games, basketball games, certainly rowing, and living there, oh and of course the cute boys.”

Southern Califor-

nia is a large school based in Los Angeles, and made up of around 17,000 un-dergraduates. “When I was looking at colleges, USC kind of fell on my lap. I vis-ited the campus and it was

gorgeous and beautiful, and I really enjoyed the area. Al-though it’s a larger school, I can’t wait to meet new peo-ple.” Nikki will be attending USC in pursuit of a Premed/English degree.

However, being re-cruited by a Division I pro-gram means basically sign-ing away your life to that particular sport. In Nikki’s case that means rowing, or commonly referred to as crew. Rowing is a demand-ing sport that exercises the quads, biceps, triceps, gluts, and abdominal muscles. Al-though a low impact sport, it focuses more on tech-nique than anything else.

“I started rowing my freshman year and I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to participate in college row-ing, but rowing is a recruit-ing sport, and when my ju-nior year came along I start-ed getting more in contact with coaches and I knew that I wanted to participate in college”, says Nikki.

Before Nikki actu-ally decided on Southern California she had to decide between other schools, such as University of Pennsyl-vania, Loyola-Marymount, and Fordham.

“Before I was decid-ing on what school I want-ed to go to I was seriously

talking to UPenn and was strongly considering it, but then the USC coach called me and I fl ew out there for a visit and I loved it. I think that he found me on BeRe-cruited.com.”

Although Nikki didn’t receive an outright scholarship, she received one based on her perfor-mance in rowing, and that can be earned over the years. She also received an academic scholarship as well. “The sport is really physically demanding, and it takes a lot out of you, but the best part of it is the ca-maraderie and the relation-ships that you build with your fellow teammates, it’s defi nitely the best.” The women’s row-ing team, or otherwise known as the “Trojans” or “The Women of Troy” are a powerhouse. Ranked third in the nation in Division I athletics, and headed to the NCAA Championship again this year, Nikki will certain-ly have her work cut out for her when she attends in the fall.

photo courtesy of Nikki KlossNikki Kloss prepares to start rowing with her club teammates.

No longer a part of the red, black, and white Pirates, four remarkable senior athletes will be play-ing on a much larger fi eld next year when they pursue their athletics in Division I schools. Victoria Cocoz-za, Sam Ekwonike, Faith Blamon, and Rebecca For-cellini will take their expe-rience and lessons learned at CHS to each of their re-spective schools when they continue to play next year. According to re-search released by the NCAA in September 2011, of the major sports of bas-ketball, football, baseball and men’s soccer, around 6% of student-athletes go on to compete for any NCAA schools in sports, from Division III to Divi-sion I. Division I, or D-I, is the highest level of intercol-legiate athletics imposed by the National Collegiate Ath-letics Association (NCAA) in the United States. Divi-sion I schools usually have larger budgets, more elabo-

rate facilities, provide more scholarship money, and are usually the best of colle-giate athletics. Next year, both Vic-toria Cocozza and Rebecca Forcellini will be pursuing

collegiate careers in soc-cer. Rebecca will be attend-ing the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in the fall. Rebecca was one of the leading players for the Lady Pirates soccer team and believes that playing for

Cinnaminson helped her a lot by teaching her the value of team work. When asked about her thoughts on playing soccer at a more competitive level in col-lege, she replied, “I think the competition next year will be a lot better than it was in high school and it will defi nitely be harder.” Victoria will be leaving next year to attend Mount St. Mary’s Univer-sity in Maryland. Victoria was the goalie for the CHS and acknowledges that be-cause of the deep playoff runs over the past couple of years she was able to get attention from college re-cruiters. Cocozza also cred-its her coach, Mr. Digney. “Coach Digney helped us with our discipline and being physically fi t. Play-ing for Cinnaminson also helped a lot with learning time management.” Al-though she knows college sports will be way more time consuming, she be-lieves she has what it takes. Another Cin-naminson athlete that will be joining the ranks of a DI school is senior Faith

Blamon. Faith will be at-tending Monmouth Univer-sity in the fall and will be a part of the school’s track & fi eld team. Next year, Faith expects to be able to focus on just one event in the sport. “In high school I had to do other events such as running to help out the team, but now all I have to do is javelin year-round. It will be harder, because there won’t be an off-sea-son.” Faith believes that if there is any advice that she can give underclassmen athletes, it would be to, “Al-ways listen to your coach and push through the pain and keep going.” Sam Ekwonike will trade his Pirates uniform in for a Chanticleer one when he attends Coastal Carolina University in South Caro-lina in the fall. He will be playing football for the Di-vision I school. Sam credits his experience playing vari-ous sports in Cinnaminson for getting him to where he is today. “In general, foot-ball, wrestling, and track all helped me. Patrizi was always hard on us and we did everything to the fullest.

by Deon Brown ‘12Opinions Editor

Wrestling taught me how to fi ght through obstacles like making weight and over-coming adversity. Track was a chance to build up my strength and get me into the weight room.” Although

he feels prepared, Sam also knows that playing football for Coastal Carolina will be the toughest thing of his life. He will be preparing for college next year by get-ting his conditioning up and becoming more fl exible.

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerVictoria Cocozza led CHS to a 11-5-2 record this past fall.

photo courtesy of the BuccaneerBecky Forcellini scored seven goals for CHS this past fall.

Page 12 The Ship’s Log June 2012

SPORTSSPORTSCHS Athletics Experience a Mixed Spring Season

Boys Volleyball

by James Kennedy ‘13Staff Writer

This year’s boys’ volleyball team posted one of their best records thus far, defeating many of the opponents they faced. They have an impressive record of 22-8 and some of those wins were against the best competition in New Jersey. During the course of the season the boys faced three teams from the top ten in New Jersey, facing #1 St. Joe’s Metuchen, #2 Chris-tian Brothers, and #3 Old Bridge, losing to each team by only a slim amount. The team has been carried by their senior leadership, specifi cally senior Kyle Pottieger who has been an X-factor in matches. In the playoffs the Pirates defeat-ed both North Brunswick and Hillsboro, and look to make a deeper run, toward winning a state champion-ship.

Boys Baseball This year the boys’ baseball team faced a tough schedule and had to do their best to replace key guys in their lineup. Coached by Mr. Merrill, the boys started out on a rough note losing to rivals Holy Cross and Del-ran early in the season. The boys played two exciting games at Waterfront Park, home of the Trenton Thun-der. The second of the two games was the BCSL cham-pionship game, in which the boys lost to Moorestown High School. With a record of 11-12 on the season, the Pirates were able to manage a berth in the playoffs. The Pirates won their fi rst playoff game against Haddon Heights 3-1 as they look to add to their end of season success and make a strong run in the playoffs. The boys were led by seniors John McGugan, Mike Atkinson, Mike Ruiz, and Tim Kemmerle. The seniors had to lead a young

and inexperienced team. The year began with adver-sity for a team that looked poised to make a play-off run. Junior pitchers John Bednarak and Clinton Hart contributed in the team’s success, along with sopho-mores Christian Deluca, Cody MacNair, and Marty McDonald.

Girls Lacrosse This year the girls’ lacrosse team, led by Coach Rickus, battled a diffi cult schedule and showed a lot of potential. The girls fi n-ished out with a record of

Boys Lacrosse

This year’s boys’ lacrosse team had to fi nd out the hard way what it feels like to play a varsity schedule. In their second season and fi rst as a var-sity team, the Pirates faced many challenging teams and ones that they had nev-er seen before. The Pirates suf-fered from a roster that did not have much experience, aside from a few athletes that were from the JV team the prior year. Coached by

Boys Track

This year, the girls’ track and fi eld team, couldn’t produce the same success that they have en-joyed in previous years. The team experienced a dev-astating blow when junior sprinter/jumper Amaris Ko-bolak suffered a season end-ing injury. Regardless, Faith Blamon, one of the team’s most prolifi c athletes, was able to excel considerably in the javelin event. She performed so well in jav-elin that at one point she was ranked nationally, and ranked among the best in the state. All together, the team, which was coached by Mr. Moore, managed a 2-2 record. In previous sea-sons the team has had more success in the division, but next year they look forward to continued success.

Girls Track

Boys Tennis The boys’ tennis team had yet another great season under Coach Mike Perekupka. The team was led by Stevie Blatz, who helped the Pirates gain an impressive 13-3 record. Only a junior, but still cap-tain of the team, Blatz came up big for the Pirates in many of their matches. Al-

Golf This year, the golf team at Cinnaminson High School made incredible strides. The team performed well in the conference and for the fi rst time in six years, earned the title of conference champions. The Pirates’ overall record was 8-8, but within the confer-ence is where they truly dominated, coming up with a record of 7-1. The golf team will also send a few of their best golfers to the BCSL tournament, includ-ing Kenny Jones, John Mc-Inerney, David Gall, and Mike Jones. Although the Pirates will lose a few key golfers to graduation, the team can rely heavily on both David Gall and Mike Jones to carry the team for years to come.

Softball The Lady Pirates have battled through a dif-fi cult stretch of games this season. Coming into the year the team knew that they lacked experience, and failed to return any se-niors from 2011. Starting off the season, the girls en-dured three early losses, but bounced back with convinc-ing wins against Palmyra and Holy Cross. However, the team soon suffered a lapse and lost six games in a row. Unfortunately, the team fi nished at leass than .500 with a 5-14 mark. However, they did make the playoffs where they lost to Buena 7-0. For the future of the softball team, they look to again rely on young, tal-ented players.

though they earned a spot in the playoffs, they were eventually eliminated. The Pirates look only to add onto their success of this year with the majority of their starters returning and looking to mold the young-er underclassmen. The team will lose only a handful of athletes and look to build on their success next year.

This year’s boys’ track season marks the fi rst time in six years that the team hasn’t gone undefeat-ed. They went 2-2 on the season and lost tough meets to rivals Delran and Holy Cross. However, they did defeat opponents in Maple Shade and Bordentown. The Pirates battled this season, but couldn’t keep the long running unde-feated streak alive. The key athletes for the team this year were pole vaulters Ben Magness, Austin Neuman and Ryan Lilley as well as thrower Sam Ekwonike along with a cast of new-comers looking to start a new winning streak.

10-7 and came away with a berth in the playoffs. Guid-ed by senior leadership and raw ability this season, the team split games with Ran-cocas Valley, and then de-feated rival Delran twice. The girls stumbled in the playoffs against opponent Manasquan, but enjoyed a considerable victory on their senior night. Senior Chelsea Mc-Dowell and junior Carleigh MacWilliams both reached the 100-goal mark this sea-son, a considerable feat in the sport. The Lady Pirates look to next year in hopes of making a deeper run into the playoffs.

Mr. Angelini, the boys fell to a 0-12 record. To add injury to in-sult the lacrosse team had to battle through losing their best player, John Caruso, to a season-ending leg injury. Coming off a JV season in which they went 6-4, the team believed they could compete. With games against legendarily strong programs such as Lenape and Moorestown, fi nding a win on their schedule was diffi cult. However, with the loss of only a few seniors and a varsity year under their belt, the lacrosse pro-gram can look to the future with higher expectations.

photo courtesy of the Buccaneer Senior John McInerney approaches his next shot on the green.