The Beacon

A Student Publication of Shore Regional High School

Volume 49, Issue 1 Fall 2011

IN THIS ISSUE:Shore HighlightsGreat things happen at Shore everyday! Check out some highlights. See Pages 2 & 3

Do You Know Shore’s ScienceDepartment?Test your knowledge of the science department.See Page 2

Curious About Your Future? Fall horoscopes, important dates to remember, and so much more!See Page 7

Free Time?Check out what your peers think about popular books and TV shows.See Pages 4 & 5

School News

Arts & Enter.

Activities

Living

Sports

2-3

4-5

6

7

8

Blue Devils Turn 50By KELLY BRODY

Welcome, Miss LaPrete!By ILIANNA ANISE

What’s New in News?By ANNA WEEDEN

Do You Have Devils Pride?Check in with our fall sports teams. See Page 8

Need Advice?Learn some tips for surviving senior year.See Page 6

Shore Regional is pleased to welcome our new Interim Superintendent, Miss Renae LaPrete, who succeeds Mr. Leonard Schnappauf, who served the district since 1993. Miss LaPrete comes to us with much experience, previ-ously serving as the Assistant Principal and Principal of Rahway High School, Union County, and the Assistant Superintendent in Hazlet, Monmouth County. She re-cently served for two years as Interim Superintendent for the Clark Public Schools, Union County. Miss LaPrete has planned many initiatives for Shore, including beautifica-tion of the school grounds. She also granted a senior’s wish to have a pep rally, which was a great success, and there will be two more this year. Miss LaPrete is very student-centered and wants students to enjoy school and have the best experience possible. When asked what sets Shore apart from other high schools she explained that, “schools are schools. What sets Shore apart is its small size and a close knit family environment. It is more like a private school. Everyone knows one another and there is a real sense of community. There is a definite support system.” Miss La-Prete states that she cannot say enough about the staff and students at Shore, as well as the positive transition by the board of education she has experienced.

Shore Regional is a proud provider of 50 years of excel-lence in education, student evolvement, and athletics. Since 1962, Shore has been a staple in the community, educating stu-dents and preparing them for life

ahead. As Shore celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012, alumni are asked to share their fond memories of Shore on the “Shore Reflections” page of the district’s website. Other events to commemorate the anniversary are taking place throughout the year. On October 7th, the undefeated football team of 1963 revisited Shore to talk to present students about their success after graduating Shore. Also, this year’s Thanksgiving Eve football game on Novem-ber 23rd will be dedicated to Shore’s 50 years of athletic excellence. Clubs and sports teams are encouraged to partake in 50th anniversary activities, where how you celebrate is completely up to you. Perhaps clubs and sports teams can draw inspiration from the Shore Players, in which alumnus and director Todd Aikens (’82), and his assistant director and fellow alumnus Jay Giberson (’01), are orga-nizing a cabaret that celebrates 50 years of Shore Players, in which Shore Players alumni are invited to perform again on Shore’s stage. All raised funds will go to the Shore Regional Education Foundation. To assist in fundraising, M&N Cookies is accepting orders of specially decorated handmade cookies to sell. Order forms are available on www.shoreregional.org/50. Director of Public Information, Mr. Ker, reflected on this special time for Shore by saying, “Shore’s 50th an-niversary is special because it provides all the district’s stakeholders (alumni, community members, current students, etc.) with an opportunity to reflect on a truly momentous event in the histories of the four sending districts. Shore is rich with history and the 50th is an inviting opportunity to kindle interest in the struggles and successes of establishing the district and making it the great school system that it is today.”

Shore’s September Students of the Month

In addition to her im-pressive resume, Col-leen was selected for her outstanding consideration of others. Colleen has dedicated her time and energy to helping many of her peers in need of extra help or even just a pat on the back.

Mike was selected for demonstrating significant academic progress in his IB programme of studies. He always brings a posi-tive attitude to class and has become an exemplary student at Shore.

Our new “Student of the Month” program celebrates indi-vidual achievements by creating a culture of learning that val-ues academic success and elevates awareness of student contri-butions to the Shore community at large. September’s winners are seniors Colleen McCarthy and Mike O’Connell.

New Jersey legislatures have enacted a new anti-bullying law that went into effect September 1st. The new law is part of a state-wide initiative to stop bullying and make schools safer environments for students. More information about how Shore is taking a stand against bullying can be found on the district’s homepage. 56 wild animals, including grizzly bears, monkeys, leop-ards, wolves and baboons, were set free from an Ohio reserve in late October shortly before the reserve’s owner committed suicide. Local authorities were forced to kill at least 49 of the animals, but defended their decision as the animals posed a great risk to public safety. Some Northeast schools declared their earliest snow days ever on Monday, October 31st after a storm dumped as much as 30 inches of wet, heavy snow that snapped trees and power lines and caused widespread damage and power outages. The storm, dubbed “Snowtober” by many media outlets, knocked out power to more than three million homes and businesses. Freed Americans Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer returned home in September after two years behind the walls of an Iranian prison. Fattal, Bauer and Sarah Shourd, Bauer’s fian-cee, were arrested after straying across the unmarked border between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran in July 2009. Shourd was released in 2010, but Bauer and Fattal were freed a year later, after 781 days in captivity and a trial for espionage that Bauer told CNN was based on “ridiculous lies.”

2 The Beacon Fall 2011

School News

SHORE REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Board of EducationRonald O’Neill, President

Nancy DeScenza, Vice-PresidentDavid Baker

Beth J. GarrigalDiane Merla

Anthony F. Moro, Jr., Ed.D.Frank J. Pingitore

Paul RolleriTadeusz Szczurek

AdministrationInterim Superintendent/Principal: Renae LaPreteBusiness Administrator: Dennis W. Kotch, CPAAssistant Principal: Harry S. Chebookjian, III

Vice Principal: Vincent G. DalliCardilloDirector of Athletics: Michael Carr

Director of Curriculum & Instruction: Bruce PrestonDirector of Student Personnel Services: Jon Warner

Technology Coordinator: Michael Vaccarino

The Beacon StaffAdvisor: Mrs. Victoria Koontz

Copy Editor: Kelly BrodyDesign Editor: Jenna Wyatt

Staff Photographer: Megan SaccoEditorial Assistant: Annie Siegel

Contributors: Kelly Altenau, Ilianna Anise, John Bazley, RJ Bohnert, Kelly Brody, Teresa Campbell, Ali Chirumbolo,

Maria Conroy-Covin, Nikki Damiano, Danielle DeFazio, Alana DeRario, Andre DiStefano, Samantha England, Josh Feinberg, Tom Genovese, Josh Gordon, Christian Grainer, Gina Jelliff, Evan Jones, Jessica Kwok, John Leslie, Becky

Long, Paula Matsunaga, Conor O’Brien, Emily Reiser, Emily Roberts, Nicole Roselli, Katie Sempkowski, Annie

Siegel, Samantha Todres, Caitlin Ulbricht, Allison Vaccaro, Kayla Valinoti, Anna Weeden, Melissa Yacubovich

The Beacon is published several times a year by the students at SRHS, West Long Branch, New Jersey. The staff encourages letters and editorials from interested readers. Items for possible publication should be submitted to The Beacon Staff, c/o Victoria Koontz, Room A15, Shore Regional High School.

The views and opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily repre-sent those of the staff or the administration of Shore Regional High School.

Do You Know Shore’s Science Department?

By JESSICA KWOKSee if you can figure out who these

fun facts are about.

This teacher has over 250 German beer steins.

This teacher had a summer job trapping field mice, secretly enjoys bluegrass music, and could eat pizza for every meal of the day.

This teacher resuscitated a mongoose in the Virgin Islands.

This teacher camped cross country for six weeks during col-lege with the geology department of Lehigh University.

This teacher was born in Chicago, has visited ten countries in Europe and five countries elsewhere in the world, and loved the Marine Biology course he/she took in college... in the Cay-man Islands.

This teacher attended Riot Fest (an all day punk festival), worked as a senior laboratory technician for Rutgers Univer-sity for seven years before moving into teaching high school science, and has a secret passion for watching battle rapping documentaries.

*Another department, and answers for the science department,will be featured in the next edition of The Beacon.

I.B. Corner

Once Upon a TimeBy TERESA CAMPBELL & DANIELLE DEFAZIO

Shore Regional High School’s IB students have been quite busy throughout the summer and fall, as they have assisted various agencies in orga-nizing major charitable fundraisers; and over the next several weeks, they will continue to partici-

pate in community service projects. Less than two weeks after school opened, several students helped various maritime organizations present programs at the second annual “Paddle the Navesink Day” on Saturday, September 17. On September 25, eleven IB seniors assisted BikeNY in the staging of the Twin Lights ride by manning the Oceanport sta-tion. Led by Jaden Dicopoulos and Colleen McCarthy, the Shore IB students took part in the Red Bank Area CROP Walk on October 16. This event is one of the largest world-hunger walks in the nation, and the IB students have participated in it for the past three years. Students supported this effort by donating rice, beans, and/or peanut butter. As always, any student interested in more information about Shore’s IB programme should see Mrs. Ensor in A7 for more information.

DiFede, Class of 1992, described how much the school has changed. “It definitely has had a face lift.” She also added that there were different class offerings when she was a student, such as auto mechanics, which was taught in a garage that is now the weight room. Other classes includ-ed silk screening and typing. She was also asked about the culture of the school and how it has evolved. “There was always a lot of fighting in the hallways and smoking in the bathrooms and I’m glad to see those things have changed.” Ms. Williams recalls the same memory as Mrs. DiFede as she told us that, “teachers smoked inside and students 18 and older were allowed to smoke in an enclosed area outside.” She added that, “cell phones and IPods are a current distraction we didn’t have. Study halls were quiet and there were fewer kids roaming the hallways.” Ms. Williams also stated that, “back then the school spirit was everywhere” and that less school spirit in our school today may have something to do with how many fewer students there are. Ms. Bahrs agreed by adding that, “about 1100 to 1200 students made it crowded. Mr. Kolibas, the principal at the time, would have to direct traffic in the hallway.” With such a large number of students, it may be surprising to learn that when Ms. Bahrs attended Shore, there was no E-hall, back gym, or back cafeteria.

As Shore Regional celebrates our fiftieth year, it may be hard to imagine what Shore was like for the Blue Devils of yesteryear. Luck-ily, our staff is comprised of several Shore graduates who took us down memory lane. Mrs. DiFede, Ms. Williams, and Ms. Bahrs gave us an idea of how Shore Regional has progressed over the years. Mrs.

Fall 2011 The Beacon 3

Mr. Geis, a soccer-enthusiast and veter-an architect, has come to Shore Regional to teach the art of technical draw. A native of Carteret and graduate of St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, Mr. Geis was for-merly an architect for nearly thirty years. So far, Mr. Geis absolutely loves it here at Shore Regional.“It’s a really nice school,” he says. “All of the kids are friendly, everyone is friendly…it’s great!” Mr. Geis studied architecture at Roger Williams University and has worked in the field ever since, up until this year. He felt he needed a change, though he wanted to stay in the architectural world, so when Shore offered him this job it was the perfect fit. Mr. Geis teaches both technical draw and advanced engineering and architecture here at Shore. According to Mr. Geis, tech draw is an introduction to AutoCAD, a computer en-gineering software, and advanced engineer-ing is for students who have an advanced knowledge of the program. Outside of school, Geis enjoys listening to music and playing his guitar. “I like a lot of classic rock, folk and bluegrass,” he says, while citing his favorite song as “While My Gui-tar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles. Geis’s favorite sport is soccer and he has already attended many of the soccer games here at Shore. The Fox Soccer Channel is always on in his house and he’s both a Yankees and Raiders fan.

Ms. Pontoriero, an English major and a Rutgers graduate, is a new English teacher and cheerleading coach at Shore Regional. She taught at Rumson before coming to Shore Regional. She said, “I’ve cheered since I was eight years old and I wanted to be more than a teacher who leaves at three o’clock.” It was her favorite thing to do in high school and the most memorable part of her first week at Shore was her first game. She knew she always wanted to be a teacher, but decided on Eng-lish in her third year of college when she was inspired to become a high school English teacher. She noticed that people always shy away from teaching high school and felt that she could bring something more creative to teaching the subject. Her favorite thing about Shore is that it is such a small community and everyone knows one other. She also says, “the whole English depart-ment is great!” In her spare time, she enjoys reading and her favorite book is The Other Boleyn Girl because she likes the incorporation of history in the novel.

Mr. Siciliano comes to Shore Re-gional after graduating from the Uni-versity of South Carolina with a degree in art education with an emphasis in painting. He grew up in Ocean Township where he attended Ocean Township High School and participated in the football and wrestling programs yet, ironically, he never took an art class. He says that his schedule “didn’t allow electives.” Mr. Siciliano’s interest in his subject is easy to see. “I like everything about art. I like the expressiveness of art and how it gives an individual a chance to have a voice. It is what I really enjoy doing.” He always wanted to become a teacher since high school because he comes from a family of teachers. Before knowing that he wanted to pursue art, Mr. Sicilia-no originally thought about becoming a special education teacher. He enjoys everything about teaching at Shore and believes that the smaller school size al-lows him to develop better relationships with his students. One of Mr. Siciliano’s goals is to become an accomplished painter. In his free time, Mr. Siciliano enjoys fishing, spending time with his family enjoying his favorite Italian dish, “zuppa di pesce,” drawing, painting, surfing and traveling. His most memo-rable vacation was the summer he spent in Portugal with his best friend.

School NewsCheck Out Shore’s New Faces

Meet Ms. DePinhoBy MARIA CONROY-COVIN &

SAMANTHA TODRES

Ms. Cavet is molding minds and fulfill-ing her destiny—all from Shore’s own A-10! Though this is Ms. Cavet’s first year of teach-ing at Shore Regional, she already has a year of teaching experience at Kearny High School in Hudson County. She is excited to be here at Shore where she can become more involved in the school community. In fact, she is already making a mark as the class advisor for the Class of 2015. Students would be happy to know that Ms. Cavet is very relaxed, but if she had to choose one worry, it would be that she considers herself an overachiever and wor-ries about “putting 100% into everything.” She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education from Rutgers University. Ms. Cavet is an avid reader, who just recently finished Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, and takes special interest in British literature as well as comedic novels. In the classroom, Ms. Cavet loves teaching things she can make come alive for her students. Outside of school, Ms. Cavet loves watch-ing Bravo TV and cooking. She even studied abroad in Italy during college, where she visited Rome, Florence, and Pisa. Her biggest role model has been her mom, and she wants her students to know that she loves what she does. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” says the new English teacher.

Mr. Wishart also known as “Mr. Wish” to his students, is the new his-tory teacher here at Shore Regional. He graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and current-ly teaches US History I and US History II. He says that his favorite part of being a Blue Devil is the great atmo-sphere and upbeat tempo of the school. He notes that everyone seems to be in a good mood, which he thinks is great, and enjoys getting to know his stu-dents, explaining, “I like working with students. I especially like working with students who put in effort and care.” When asked why he decided to become a history teacher, he simply replied, “I feel it’s the most important subject, and I love it.” Mr. Wishart’s favorite historical figure is Richard Nixon be-cause he finds him to be very interest-ing. When asked what he would do if he wasn’t teaching, he replied,”I would be a chef because I’m a great cook...fantastic, actually!” You would be able to find him in a kitchen somewhere whipping up dinner every Wednesday night, like he used to do for his family. After school, his favorite thing to do is grab a Mojo Cliff Bar and either catch waves surfing or watch a movie. Green is his favorite color because it reminds him of the ocean. Mr. Wishart reflected on his high school days at nearby Ocean Township High School where he was involved in many activities, like soccer and basketball. He was in the Spanish and Italian clubs, served as senior class president, and was elected homecoming king and prom king.

Meet Mr. Wishart By CAITLIN ULBRICHT

& MISSY YACUBOVICH

Meet Ms. CaravellaBy NICOLE ROSELLI

& ALLISON VACCARO

Ms. DePinho is the new Video Pro-duction teacher here at Shore Regional. Ms. DePinho went to Monmouth Uni-versity where she studied business ad-ministration, communication, television, video, and radio. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Communica-tion. Prior to teaching here at Shore, Ms. DePinho taught at Henry Hudson Regional. Ms. DePinho’s favorite part of teaching a video production class is news broadcasting. She absolutely loves being in front of a camera and teaching students to be in front of one. Outside of the classroom, she is involved in many activities. She really enjoyed helping with the fall cheerleading team and will be coaching winter cheerleading along with Ms. Pontoriero. She will also be advising the ski and snowboarding club and working with the new sports involvement club on a video. In her free time, Ms. DePinho loves to go shop-ping, run on the boardwalk, and walk her puppy, Blue. So far, Ms. DePinho’s favorite part of Shore Regional has been planning and building the new broad-cast television studio and being a part of the big changes coming to the video production class, including plans to film and broadcast the daily announcements. Prior to teaching, Ms. DePinho worked at New Jersey Network News. Outside of Shore, Ms. DePinho is filming two pilots for television series.

Meet Mr. SicilianoBy GINA JELLIFF &

EMILY REISER

Meet Mr. Geis By EVAN JONES

& CONOR O’BRIEN

Meet Ms. PontorieroBy EMILY ROBERTS

Meet Ms. CavetBy ALANA DERARIO &

PAUL GORDON

Ms. Caravella is excited to be a part of Shore as she teaches Art in the Visual World as the long-term substitute for Mrs. Anders. Ms. Caravella attended Middletown North High School, and

looks back fondly on her time as a stu-dent there, explaining, “I have so many great memories; high school was a fun time.” She then attended Montclair State University and majored in art education. Ms. Caravella was inspired to teach because she “always liked art, enjoyed being a student, and wanted to bestow her passion for art on others.” She describes Shore Regional as a “lib-eral arts high school,” meaning there is a focus on art around the school. During her free time, you can find her outdoors or spending time with her family and friends.

Hallway Q & AQ: What advice do you have for our new teachers?

A: “Be consistent and understand that you’re not infallible.” - Mrs. Cook A: “ Pick one thing to focus on im-proving each year because you can’t do everything perfectly the first year.” - Ms. McGowan

A: “Tomorrow is always a new day.” -Mrs. Burley

Q: What qualities should a good teacher possess?

A: “They should be fair.” -Mike Flood

A: “A good teacher should be clear and to the point.” -Kelly Altenau

A: “A good teacher is admirable yet relatable and has realistic expecta-tions of their students.” -Caitlin Ulbricht

4 The Beacon Fall 2011

Arts & EntertainmentSuperchunk’s Super Album

By ALI CHIRUMBOLO

May The TechBe With YouBy ANDRE DISTEFANO

Fall Into SudukosLevel: Hard

Seventeen years ago Merge Records released Foolish as the first album from Superchunk as the band left behind former label. Matador. The band recorded seventeen songs in only three days since that was all they could afford in studio time. Despite the fact that they were rushed to record the songs, only getting one take for most of them, the record does not feel at all hurried; in fact, it

is slower than previous albums. Foolish begins and ends relatively soft and melodic and alternates between slow and fast songs. The album itself is a turning point for Superchunk since there is a better sense of maturity to it. All of the songs have a serious feeling to them, and as drummer Jon Wurster says that, “there’s darkness to Foolish that doesn’t shade other Superchunk records.” Foolish remains one of Superchunk’s best albums and a favorite among many. Remastered, it obviously has a cleaner sound to it, though still with the raw feel that is custom to the band. The drums and guitars, which are heavy, loud and wonderful, remain prominent throughout all the songs, even the slow ones. This record shows a different side of Superchunk and they deserve praise not only for that, but also for creating an album that rocks.

Fall ConcertSchedule

By ALI CHIRUMBOLO

The Stone Pony:

11/01 Yellowcard

11/12 EOS Benefit Show

11/13 Asbury Music Awards

11/18 Keller Williams

12/9 Gaslight Anthem

Starland Ballroom:

11/04 Panic At the Disco

11/05 Sebastian Bach

11/06 Jersey Shows Battle of the Bands

11/12 Anthrax & Testament w/ Death Angel

11/13 Owl City

11/23 Four Year Strong

12/11 The Devil Wears Prada

IZOD Center:

11/5-11/6 JAY-Z & Kanye West

11/17 Guns N’ Roses

11/18 Judas Priest

One new and innovative piece of equipment recently released is the Droid Bionic by Motorola. This intuitive Smart-phone allows users to interact with friends, play games, and browse the web with ease. It joins the ranks of the other Verizon devices using the 4G LTE network, the fastest to date. Of course, I would be remiss as an Apple fan boy if I did not mention the newest innovations from the super company. One of these is the much awaited release of IOS5 for IPhone and IPad, as well as IPod touch. This new OS will be the most seamless for Mac users, par-tially due to the creation of “ICloud.” This program will integrate all Apple devices on a Mac network. Finally, I’d like to share a personal tribute to the late Steve Jobs. There are many amazing individuals in this world, and now there is one less. There is no creative force strong enough to replace the insight and wisdom you were, and in spirit, still are as a man. Your inven-tions inspire greatness and you were a societal phenomenon. You were taken too soon from us, but alas, are finally in peace.

Surviving Senior YearBy BECKY LONG & NIKKI DAMIANO

You finally made it to your senior year! Less work, more play, right? WRONG! Hey, hey, don’t have a nervous breakdown just yet--wait until the college applications have been sent in. Take a look at this nifty list, compiled by some of your absolutely AWESOME classmates (no shame in self campaigning, right seniors who took the time to go around exclaiming, “Put me for best ______!”?), which details some of the things YOU need to do before applying to college.

• Make a list of 6-10 colleges that you are going to apply to.• Find out what types of applications are accepted by your col-leges, keeping in mind that many schools accept the Common Applica-tion.• Begin creating an activity resume highlighting your involvement from freshman year on.• Ask two teachers to write a letter of recommendation for you. Some teachers will only do this for a certain amount of students, so get a move on it!• Begin drafting your essay and remember that essay requirements may vary from college to college.• Sign and return all forms to your guidance counselor as soon as possible.• Attend the college fairs offered at Shore Regional to gain infor-mation about your possible institutions of higher education.• Make sure all college forms are handed in to guidance at least two weeks before your school’s deadline. • Register for the SATs and ACTs if you need to take them. • Keep your grades up!

Fall 2011 The Beacon 5

Of all of the future society novels in which the characters’ world has crumbled, The Hun-ger Games stands above them all. In the past year and a half, The Hunger Games has be-come extremely successful and popular. The story focuses on a girl named Katniss who lives in the Twelfth District of the country Panem, which is a new country that flourishes in what used to be North America. Panem is divided into twelve districts. Once a year, two young adults, one girl and one boy, are picked from each district to compete against

each other. All twenty-four teenagers are put in an isolated environment and forced to kill each other for survival. The last one living out of the 24 returns home with riches and glory. The barbaric games were created after the failed revolt of district 13, in which the Capital resorted to de-stroying the districts. The games are meant to remind the poor citizens that the Capital should not be questioned and revolution is hopeless. Suzanne Collins’s plot is intriguing and captivating and, although the wording is average, the suspenseful story keeps the reader hooked. It’s a fantastic novel for all readers. Sequels to The Hunger Games include, in order, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, both now available. Current The Hunger Games fans are looking forward to the film adaptation, which is set for release on March 23, 2012. The story is amazing and a true waste to miss. If you like The Hunger Games, another adventure book you should check out is The Lost Hero. Many readers know about Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, in which the story of beloved Percy Jackson is incorporated with Greek mythology. Rior-dan’s new series begins in the same world and picks up only months after the ending of the Percy Jackson series. The novel intro-duces Jason, a teenager who can’t remember anything about his life; Piper, his supposed girlfriend; and Leo, Jason’s best friend. Soon after the novel begins, the three friends are attacked. Readers travel back to Camp Half-Blood, where they reunite with old friends like Annabeth Chase, and a missing Percy Jackson. It is a new adventure that will reveal much more about the subject of Greek mythology and dedicated readers will be familiar with old friends and places. The writing and story is just as good, maybe better, than the original series. The story is beautifully written, and the plot goes deeper, sucking in any reader like quicksand. The sequel to The Lost Hero, Neptune’s Son, recently arrived in book-stores this month.

Arts & EntertainmentFall’s Top TV Picks

By KATIE SEMPKOWSKI & KAYLA VALINOTI

Steals and DealsBy JOSH FEINBERG

Fall is a season with much to offer, in-cluding the shows that are projected onto our television screens. Keeping up with all of the shows airing during this season can be a difficult task, but with many cable companies offering an OnDemand feature or DVR, you can catch all of your favorites.

The third season of Glee is underway, and with this year being senior year for fa-vorites like Kurt, Finn and Rachel, it will prove to be the show to watch. The X Factor has also started its first U.S. season, and though it just seems to be just another singing show, the prize of five million dollars is the largest cash prize in

TV history. Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul are together once again, making many people call The X Factor a show to look out for. Two and a Half Men has started a new season as well, and with Charlie Sheen gone and Ashton Kutcher as his replace-ment, it will be fun to see if this show will

be able to keep its original flavor. With a brand new cast, Dancing with the Stars hits our television sets once again. Its cast includes professionals from past seasons, and obvi-ously the stars, who consist of David Arquette, Hope Solo, Elisabetta Canalis, Rob Kardashian and others. The cult favorite Modern Family started its new season as well. It won an Emmy for the second year in a row for Best Comedy, so we will just have to watch and see if it can live up to its reputation.

With holiday shopping season right around the corner, here are some websites that can save you some money. • Groupon.com is a site that features entertainment, clothing, restau-

rant, and hotel deals at great prices. Sign up for their emails to find out what the daily deal is. For example, retail deals have featured $25 for $50 worth of merchandise at Nordstrom Rack.

• Ebates.com allows you to sign up for their site and save a desig-nated percentage off your total purchase at different retailers. Four times a year they will send you a rebate check, so if you buy more, you get more.

• Restaurant.com offers discounted restaurant gift certificates and features extreme discount days. There are offers from an array of restaurants across the United States. Be sure to check for excluded days and holidays on which certificates may not be valid.

• Citypass.com offers discounts throughout major cities across the country including New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.

• Playbillonline.com sells tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows at extremely discounted prices, allowing people to experi-ence theatre and the arts at reduced rates.

• Local stores and retailers will often send exclusive deals and promo-tions right to your e-mail, so sign up through your favorite retailers’ websites to gain access to even more hot coupons.

Check Out These AdventuresBy JOHN LESLIE

Heard in the HallsBy SHORE JOURNALISM STUDENTS

Question: What are you reading right now? Natalie Toro, 10th grade:

“I just finished The Last Song in three days. It was really good, but I cried a lot.”

Mr. Valenti:“My favorite book right now is The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. It’s very intriguing because it shows

a different side to the justice system. I’m going to read all of Michael Connelly’s books because that’s how I roll.”

Mrs. Cook:“A Storm of Swords, from the Game of Thrones series. It’s a fantasy po-litical novel with dwarfs, knights and death. What more could you want?

Oh wait, and dragons.”Allye Amorino, 11th grade:

“I’m reading Such a Pretty Girl right now.”

6 The Beacon Fall 2011

A special thank you to the mem-bers of our senior class who par-ticipated in the September 17th car wash: Jake Laurino, Lauren Kessler, Megan Hunziker, Dana Kelly, Rachel Rodriguez, Angelica Ciaglia (pictured), Gabby Amado, Abby Reinhard, Caroline Shep-pard, Jen Latteri, Nicole Britton, Kayla Golden (honorary senior), Nicole Bocco, Tyler Sperling (pictured), Colleen McCarthy (pic-tured), and Julia Watts (pictured).

SADD is proud to announce the new executive board.President: Katelyn PattiVice-President: Lauren KesslerSecretary: Samantha MarchisinTreasurer: Dana KellyCommunications Liason: Jenna WyattFreshmen Representatives: Jessica Layton & Natasha ToroSophomore Class Representatives: Natalie Toro & Caitlin UlbrichtJunior Class Representatives: Harrison Baker, Kelly Brody, & Josh FeinbergSenior Class Representative: Emily Acerra

Clubs & ActivitiesLet’s Go Clubbing!

Your guide to Shore’s clubs and activities.

On October 16th, approximate-ly 65 Interact members partici-pated in the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Point Pleasant Beach. The club raised over $1,900 for breast cancer research through online fundraising and cash donations submitted at the walk.

Do you need something to look forward to?

*Check out these upcoming events!*

Put Up Your Paws For SAWBy SAM ENGLAND & PAULA MATSUNAGA

There has been a lot of buzz around Shore about the new SAW club. SAW stands for Students for Animal Welfare. Juniors Ilianna and Justina Anise and Harrison Baker created the club with the mis-sion to inform students and adults about the harsh realities of animal abuse, animal testing and animal cruelty in society. One main goal is to make people become conscious of making decisions that benefit animals. The advisor for the club is Mr. Labush, who explained that, “even though I love bacon, I have always been a supporter of animal rights.” This year, SAW will be fundraising for various causes and or-ganizations and working to raise awareness and support for a number of issues. There will be many opportunities to raise money for SAW and participate in events throughout the year. If you want to contribute in your own personal way, you can volunteer or donate to some of the following foundations: The Roses Foundation, Fur Bearer Defenders, and the Whaleman Foundation. The creators of this club said, “Any and all members are able to make a difference for the treatment of ani-mals in society.” Interested students should see Mr. Labush in A5.

Homecoming GameNovember 23rd

Thanksgiving Break- School Closed

November 24th-25th

Winter Break-School Closed

December 26th-

Cheers to New CheerleadingBy CAITLIN ULBRICHT

Cheerleading is back and better than ever! New coaches, new captains, and new uniforms are bringing this squad to a whole new level. Ms. Pontoriero and Ms. DePinho are this year’s cheer coaches and have brought new ideas and energy to the team. They are both new teachers here at Shore Regional and want to take the cheerlead-ing squad to new heights. With almost double the amount of girls as last year, the coaches need a little help from the captains, Olivia Sipler, Katie Sempkowski, Kayla Valinoti, and Kaitlin Scarpino. These cap-tains are motivating the team and doing anything they can to help them succeed. So far, the buzz about the new squad has been very positive, and all the girls are working hard. So, come out and support the Shore Regional cheerleaders!

COME SEE OUR FABULOUS STUDENT MODELS!

Senior Fashion ShowMain Gymnasium

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 20117:00 p.m.

Beginning of Marking Period 2

November 9th

NJEA Convention- School Closed

November 10th-11th

Shore Players- Grandma’s Getting Married

November 11th-13th & November 17th-20th

Homecoming DanceNovember 21st

Fall 2011 The Beacon 7

Music Review: The Wonder Years--The UpsidesIn May of 2009, the Philadelphia-based al-ternative rock band The Wonder Years spent days and nights in a 15 square foot basement writing The Upsides, an album that would change countless lives. The album stays true to a central theme of getting over depression and looking for the upsides in a life that is constantly bringing you down. The theme immediately shows in the first lyrics of the album opener “My Last Semester,” a song about not fitting in at school: “I’m not sad anymore, I’m just tired of this place. The

Living

Scorpio (October 22nd-November 21st)-Your relationships will flourish effortlessly this month, but you may have a tendency to slack in your work ethic. Try to stay focused and stick to your schedule!

Sagittarius (November 22nd-December 21st)-The first half of November may not be too exciting for you, but the second half will bring new projects and opportunities for you to enjoy.

Capricorn (December 22nd-January 19th)-A lot of important events may go on this month, allowing you to be very social and amiable to oth-ers. This will also allow you to further develop your relationships with others.

Aquarius (January 20th-Feburary 18th)-This month you will naturally be more apt to stand strong in your opinions and views, but try to sympa-thize with others or you may come on too harshly.

Pisces (February19th- March 20th)-November will bring you a busy schedule that may seem hectic at times, but it will also bring you new friends full of charm and new ideas, allowing you to broaden your horizons.

Aries (March 21st-April 19th)- This month you will have hard decisions to make concerning long-term events and relationships. You will also have plenty of energy allowing you to do extra activities.

Taurus (April 20th- May 20th)- November brings warmth and light to your relation-ships this month, allowing you to be more charming to others. It will also bring recognition to your merits if you have been working hard on a project lately.

Gemini (May 21st- June 20th)- You may feel more emotional this month, but this will help you highlight your talents and work better with others. Your workload is a bit more relaxed this month, which will motivate you to do better with what you have.

Cancer (June 21st-July 22nd)- Your confidence will shine through to all of your relationships and will let you make positive changes in your life. You will also work extremely well with others this month, as you may need their help.

Leo (July 23rd-August 22nd)- This month, you will be extremely passionate in everything you do. You won’t let anything hold you back, nor will you take no for an answer.

Virgo (August 23rd-Spetember 22nd)- November will make you extremely emotional and sentimental, though things will most likely work themselves out. Communication is key this month!

Libra (September 23rd- October 22nd)- This month is all about strategies and decisions, whether it’s about school projects, or relationships with friends, so make sure you think critically about your actions.

Fall HoroscopesBy ANNIE SIEGEL

Things You’ve Never Heard Of...By GAIL WYNAND & JOHN BAZLEY

weight of the world would be okay if it would pick a shoulder to lean on, so I could stand up straight.” This energetic track leads into “Logan Circle,” which uses the fountain at Lo-gan Circle in Philadelphia being turned on in the spring as a metaphor for change in singer/lyricist Dan Campbell’s life. “Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack” is about life on the road and raises questions about where “home” really is, while the short, but fast-paced “Dynamite Shovel” takes a stance against hatred, particularly that of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. The three songs that follow, “New Years With Carl Weathers,” “It’s Never Sunny in South Philadelphia,” and “Hostels and Brothels,” flow into each other well, slow-ing down the pace of the album with slower tempos and somber lyrics. “Melrose Diner” is an infectious pop-rock song that emphasizes the imperfections in everyone and why they should be praised. Lightening the mood of the record, “This Party Sucks” mocks MTV’s Jersey Shore with sarcastic lyrics such as the memorable “I don’t need to pump my fist to look sweet.” “Hey Thanks” is The Wonder Years’ take at an acoustic jam, featuring a uku-lele chord progression and a trombone lead in the second half of the song. The final tracks, “Washington Square Park,” and “All My Friends Are In Bar Bands” go hand in hand, with Campbell announcing, in reference to the first track, “I’m not sad anymore, I’m just tired of this place. If this year would just end, I think we’d all be okay.” Through catchy hooks, a unique sound, and memorable lyrics, The Wonder Years have created one of the greatest

rock albums in recent history.

and “Wake,” moves to songs of hopeful optimism in “Bear” and “Two,” and concludes with “Epilogue.” However, apart from the divine beauty found in the instrumental por-tion of the songs, the lyrics of this album are extremely powerful, with a deeply emotional tone that perfectly compliments the solemn atmosphere. The lyrics tell a story of a hospice worker and his relationship with a terminally ill patient, an allegory for suffering through an emotionally abusive relationship and the pains of breaking free. Silberman wrote the entire album, and claims the lyrics come from personal experience. Nowhere else could you find such sincere, raw emotion. If you are in the mood for the emotional experience of the decade, and have a box of tissues at the ready, then this reporter strongly suggests you give this beautiful piece of art a listen.

Music Review: The Antlers – HospiceThe term “emotional roller coaster ride” is thrown around a lot when it comes to powerful pieces of media, but none seem to come as close to the meaning of the phrase than the The Antlers’s 2009 album, Hospice. It starts with a solemn atmosphere created in the prologue, followed by the frail and deeply emotional vocals of Peter Silber-man during “Kettering,” and continues to headphone-shattering heights in “Sylvia” and “Thirteen.” The album then dives to heartbreaking depths in “Atrophy,” “Shiva,”

8 The Beacon Fall 2011

SportsFalling For Fall Sports

By TOM GENOVESE & RJ BOHNERT

All fall sports started the season strong and the post season is well underway. Solid play by all Blue Devils, especially the field hockey and gymnastics teams, set the bar high. We had the chance to interview some of the captains and coaches to find out the keys to their success. Head field hockey coach Williams led her team to win the North Jer-sey Section 2 Group I title by defeating Oak Knoll 2-1. Oak Knoll was previously undefeated in their season and in their last 49 games. Shore Regional now advances to the Group I semi-finals. Coach Williams told The Beacon that the team’s chemistry is “…the best I have ever seen. The seniors have taken control of the leadership.” Coach Williams attri-butes the team’s success to executing the basics, stating that, “our tech-niques have not changed. We’ve been executing the basics for 46 years; it is an all out team game.” Aileen Johnson and Hannah Barreca, team captains, have embraced Coach Williams’s philosophy and continue the tradition of success and love of the game. Both captains will be taking Shore’s standards of excellence to Duke University next year. When asked about how field hockey changed their lives, they both explained that, “opportunities have grown tremendously. Our travels to Chile and Uruguay were some of the greatest experiences in our lives. There is no feeling like representing your country while doing something you love.” Similar to field hockey, the gymnastics team has shown true pride in their sport. When we interviewed the two senior captains, Julia Watts and Tyler Sperling, they explained that gymnastics means everything to them. Julia explained, “to me, gymnastics is working hard everyday, be-ing determined to become better, and being a leader on and off the mat.” Tyler mentioned, “gymnastics taught us how to be better people besides being better gymnasts.” Head Coach Kristen Zdanowicz described her team as one unlike any other year. Coach Kristen explained that, “this year we have more depth and strong seniors in leadership roles. A majority of this year’s team has had a background in gymnastics, which always is helpful.” The Shore gymnastic team participated in the Shore Conference Meet and will compete next in the NJSIAA state sectional meet. Both of the Blue Devil soccer teams have had great success this fall. They have both clinched the “B” central division title. The girls’ soc-cer team got their NJSIAA state tournament off to a fast start with a 6-0 first round win over Spotswood and was victorious with a 2-1 win over Governor Livingston. They now advance to the Central Jersey Group II finals. The boys’ soccer team is set to play in the first round of the NJ-SIAA state tournament against Hillside. Both have outstanding records that reflect their play out on the field. The cross country teams’ records did not reflect how well they did this season. Although they battled injuries and tough meets, they had much individual success for almost everyone on the team. Times dropped more and more each week. As of October 20, the football team’s record stood at 5-2. They had some great victories over Keyport, Keansburg, Mater Dei and South River. Team leader Nick Grigos said that, “we have a pretty strong team this year and are looking to go back to back as state champions this sea-son.” It will be an exciting November filled with post season games. The girls’ tennis team completed their season compiling an overall record of 12-7 for the year. They played some really great matches and we have seen some stellar performances. Junior Melissa Granet made it to the third round of the state singles tournament, which is a huge ac-complishment.

Shore Physical Education Department Steps Up

By KELLY ALTENAU “From a physical education standpoint, we are moving on from an outdated system overall,” said physical education teacher Mr. Rankin. “A more comprehensive grading policy now puts students in a position to earn their credit rather than having points deducted as the marking period progresses. At the same time, the new policies hold students more ac-countable. We still want Shore students to enjoy their physical education classes and understand the importance of them.” All of the new policies are in alignment with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Stan-dards and are aimed at promoting overall fitness while doing new things, like fitness testing using the fitnessgram protocols. These new procedures are working to promote standards in physical education that are just like any other course offered here in the school. Classes will be participating in a wider range of activities, and incorporating Project Adventure Initia-tives and character education with the Full Value contract. The classes will also be utilizing the fitness center more. All of these changes in physical education have been designed to benefit everyone.

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Check back next issue for our fall sports wrap-up andwinter sports check-in!