What you need to know about Virtual Field Trips
By: Abby Whetzel
On Friday May 8th, the English, Mathematics and Language departments hosted a virtual field trip. In recent times, it is easy for students to become caught up with life under quarantine and overwhelmed surrounding their current remote learning workload. In order to combat this, teachers at NEHS have orchestrated virtual field trips in which students can embark on an exciting journey to several places that allow them to learn more about their world.
The first field trip was brought to students through the English Department. Students were able to take a walking tour of New York City through several 50 minute virtual reality videos featuring the different parts of the city. Students then were able to click through and look at all areas of the city and focus on what interested them most. Whether it was the historic buildings that lined nearly every side street or visiting the countless memorials and landmarks throughout the city. In addition to this, the English Department also presented students with a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, a hotspot for several monumental pieces of theatre.
Following this, the language department put together several field trips for students studying both Spanish and French. Students interested in Spanish will have several options for worldwide virtual travel including Machu Picchu (one of the new Seven Wonders of the World), the Basilica in Barcelona and several other prominent Spanish monuments. French students were able to embark on virtual guided tours of The Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower, both located in Paris, France.
The mathematics departments took students on an exclusive behind the scenes tour of EA sports, a popular gaming program responsible for games like Madden NFL, EA Sports FIFA, The Sims, and Battlefield. In their virtual field trip students were able to analyze the relationship between data and video game development, while also learning how data collection, statistics, and insights work in tandem to create an interactive gaming experience.
The English Department’s virtual field trip was a chance for students to apply the knowledge acquired in their core classes in order to have a fun and interactive experience entirely online. On behalf of everyone at the chronicles I would like to thank our teachers for putting together such a unique experience for students to pause from the everyday realities of our remote learning and create a comprehensive view of our subjects outside of the classroom. Make sure you don’t miss out on the coming virtual field trips on May 21st and June 5th.
Warrior Football: Lending Support One Shaved Head at a Time
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By Bailey Manion
The New Egypt High School football program is more than a team, but a family. Recently, a player on the New Egypt football team, Jacob Kramer, had a close family member diagnosed with cancer. In response, multiple players on the team put their heads together and decided to lend support to the Kramer family by taking out their electric razors. The players that shaved their head include: Luke Lacava, Ashton Sempervive, Luke Peslak, Drew Clugsten, Nick Surdo, Jack Kudrick, Ricky Trapanese, Carter Kuey, and Conner Prouty. Along with the players, Head Boy’s Football Coach Mr. Fence and New Egypt High School’s Boys’ Soccer Coach Mr. Carroll joined in.
We asked Head Football Coach Mr. Fence about the selfless acts made by his players. “We will show support any way we can. It’s very important to understand we are one family and we have to support Sticky (Jacob) when his family needs us.” We also asked sophomore Luke LaCava about his head-shaving experience and what this team means to him. “I thought that if I cut my hair it would jumpstart the rest of the team to do the same thing; and it did.” When LaCava shaved his head, a domino effect started for the other players as they all began to do the same. “The team means the world to me. We’re like family. We grind all summer together and during the school year. I’m with them more than my own family. I would do anything for them and I believe everyone else would do the same for me.” The team lifts up one of their teammates in any way possible. Even during these tough times, our football program still manages to support one another and keep their unbreakable bond that makes them a family.
Supporting Local Business One T-Shirt At a Time
By: Abby Whetzel
On Thursday, April 2nd, Plumsted Township School District created a fundraiser aimed at supporting local businesses here in New Egypt. The initiative originally named the Give Back Fundraiser partnered with local printing company Perks Custom Prints, in order to produce custom New Egypt “United We Battle” T-shirts. A message was released to the district through Student Square, the Plumsted Township School District’s communication platform, stating, “We understand the importance of the Stay Home movement, and we respect how important this is for flattening the curve of COVID-19. We also know, however, that staying home has great ramifications for local businesses and families.”
The fundraiser quickly gained traction through social media as orders piled in throughout the district. However, the T-shirts could not be delivered traditionally due to social distancing concerns, John Percodani, owner of Perks Custom Prints recalled. Instead, the Percodanis took a unique approach in order to deliver the custom t-shirts to their customers. John began brainstorming a remote control or drone that would drop packages to the customers curbside. However, John’s final idea gained much more appreciation through his customers. The Percodanis created a makeshift zipline that took shirts from their garage all the way to customers waiting curbside. Beth Kimmick looks back on receiving her shirts through the zipline, “I picked up my United We Battle T-Shirts with full social distancing rules in place! Proud to support the Plumsted Township School District Giveback Fundraiser. Thank you Perks Custom Prints for helping us be Warrior Strong!”
This fundraiser not only helped boost morale during these uncertain times, but also helped to support local businesses that make New Egypt so unique. Proceeds made by the District would be donated to local businesses struggling to keep their doors open in light of the current pandemic. In fact, in a statement the initiative pledged to support local businesses through gift cards, “The Plumsted Township School District will use all profits from the sale to support local New Egypt businesses through the purchase of gift cards. Those gift cards will then be distributed to families in need from our community.” Great job to the Percodani Family! Stay safe New Egypt!
April Print Edition!
STARSET – Blending Music with Narrative: A Review
By: Kevin Stone
Music can be used to spread a message, share thoughts and feelings, or played to unwind and have a good time. Music compliments movies and serves as a backdrop to add more depth to a scene, but what if the music was the main event and the story was the filling? Energetic rock band Starset has mastered this reversal over their three albums, live performances, and even a book.
Lead singer Dustin Bates has always been intrigued by science, having a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering, having enrolled and even taught at the International Space University. After working on music in the background from his other band Downplay, he got a record deal and decided to drop his Ph.D studies. This extensive background
led him into creating a little-known science fiction band we now know as Starset.
On the surface, the music is very digestible and written similarly to other punk and pop songs, but the real defining factor is the story intertwined in the music videos, concerts, and the book. Most of the narrative is kept out of sight which splits the audience. If you just want to listen to the music, you can do that. If you want to go a step further, then you can go down the rabbit hole and uncover a deeper story. The novel ‘The Prox Transmissions’ tells the story of an astronomer receiving a cryptic message and it tells of what he should do with this information. In the pages, the band Starset is formed to spread the message to the public through music, which ties into the live performances named ‘Demonstrations.’ With every new album comes a tour and with every tour comes a new chapter for the story. To fully uncover it all; reading the book, watching the music videos, and going to a concert is truly the best experience if you love stories.
An extremely popular band to do this is Twenty One Pilots. They too have a similar idea of a narrative behind the scenes, but more cryptic. Their music videos, songs, and even their album covers, are filled with small details tieing a narrative together, but unlike Starset, which requires a bit more effort to unveil. The inclusion of a fictional narrative from a band is certainly interesting, but also captivating. As a listener it can feel so much more connecting as you develop a love for them, not only as a band but also characters as you would in a film. Music is constantly evolving and while everyone has their go-to artists, genres and albums, it never hurts to branch out and you can’t predict what you’ll find.
https://starsetonline.com/
Boys Soccer Releases Alumni Interview Podcast
Check out the Boys Soccer Podcast with interviews of alumni including Travis Ward (Michigan Stars FC), Nick Sample (Jackson Lions), Chris Bette (Albright), and Cody LaCava (Manhattanville) here:
The Warrior Chronicles: Writing Contest Edition
***Prior to the pandemic New Egypt had planned on having a Pride Night where all the clubs and academies in NEHS would have presentation booths and The Warrior Chronicles team, led by Alex Pavljuk, reached out to hundreds of students to get essays to put into a special edition of The Warrior Chronicles. Through Alex’s diligence we were still able to pull the article together despite the cancellation of Pride Night. Included in the link below is that print copy, please enjoy***
WRITING CONTEST EDITION FOR PUBLICATION
Thank you to everyone for the submissions. We received hundreds of articles from grades second through eighth and it was a very tough process to file through and select our print edition. Due to the fact that we are no longer in school, we were not able to do as we planned by uploading all of the runners up on our online site. We are thankful however we were able to produce this special edition of the Warrior Chronicles that was initially intended for our now canceled Pride Night.
Once more, thank you so much for all of the submissions. We apologize that not all made it in to this special edition. From the bottom of our hearts here at the Chronicles, we ask that all of the young writers, who both are featured and not featured, to continue writing because that is the fuel of creativity and passion.
Keep writing, keep creating, keep thinking, and keep believing. It was an honor and a treat for us to hear from and read the work of hundreds of such young and bright students.
Stay safe and stay healthy in this wild time and remember, Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior! Sincerely, The Warrior Chronicles Writing Staff
Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Sent Out Over NY/NJ to Raise Spirits During Pandemic
By: Abby Whetzel
Tuesday April 28th, the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds flew over several areas throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to honor healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight began at noon in New York City and continued through all five boroughs, the New York Suburbs and Newark, New Jersey before their arrival at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. About an hour later the formation flew over Levittown and Trenton before turning South and making its final trip through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware.
New Egypt residents had a stunning view of the flyover due to our close proximity to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Today’s shows have been in the works for over a month now in order to give a formal salute to healthcare workers, first responders and other essential workers. The Navy and Air Force worked in part with local government to ensure spectators maintained social distancing and other current practices during each of the shows.
While the show’s initial purpose was aimed at honoring healthcare workers and those on the frontlines, it also fulfilled necessary flight requirements for both teams. Due to the global pandemic, many of the teams’ shows have been cancelled or postponed, and the flyover gave them an opportunity to unite the nation while satisfying their training requirements.
Following today’s riveting show of unity, it is rumored that both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels will fly over other major cities including Baltimore, Atlanta, Houston and Austin, Texas in the next few weeks, however a definite flight path has yet to be released. “In order to reach the maximum number of Americans, some portions of America Strong will feature only the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds, while others will include both teams flying in their signature Delta formations simultaneously,” the Air Force said in a statement.
The initiative has been referred to as, “America Strong” and focuses around spreading a message of national unity and gratitude to all those being affected by the current pandemic. In a joint announcement from the United States Navy and Air Force they reported, “America Strong is a collaborative salute from the Navy and Air Force to recognize healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential personnel while standing in solidarity with all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2164689/america-strong-blue-angels-thunderbirds-to-conduct-multi-city-flyovers-champion/
Remote Learning Providing Unique Challenges for Students and Teachers Alike
By: Christian Olivo
As students across the country continue to learn more every day about the pros and cons of remote learning, I decided to reach out to two of my teachers to see how they have also adapted to this abrupt change in the educational process. From my own standpoint, the teachers of New Egypt High School have made a seamless transition from the start while also making sure students are understanding the information taught, are comfortable, and are staying positive.
History teacher Mrs. Drake made a point in her email which really stood out. “The Warrior Personalized Learning Platform has set students up for success in many ways and has prepared us for the transition to Remote Learning. Adaptability has been necessary but we have always had the tools to be able to do so.” For many classes, the only thing that has really changed is the face-to-face interaction with teachers and students. While the socialization aspect was something that everyone across the United States has had to adapt to, teachers have been able to maintain lines of communication with students. Mr. Drake discussed this point, “ Utilizing the tools we have such as our Google Meets, Google Hangouts, and Parent/Student Square have helped make communication as effective as possible during Remote Learning”.
Many students have found the use of these tools effective, “communication between the teachers and myself has been very good because my teachers will reach out to me and are doing their best to make sure my senior year is fulfilled during these tough times” Senior Chase Sempervive explained. Senior Anthony Surdo added, “Teachers are just as new to virtual learning as we are, and there has not been an instance where I have not been able to reach out and receive help. We should feel very lucky for how our students and staff were prepared for such an unpredictable scenario.”
When asked about communication with the parents of students, history teacher Mr. Feddema stated, “communication with parents is critical during this process. The entirety of New Egypt’s community has really come together to make this experience as seamless of a transition as possible during this difficult time.”
COVID-19 will be seen as a historical event by future generations, and some teachers have taken this as an opportunity to incorporate news about the virus into their lessons. “Some of my students are actually making their art piece for their project about COVID-19, my project not only explains the effect of war on soldiers but how art can also be used as a therapeutic experience during a traumatic experience and how art can reflect society during a certain time period. I find it almost fitting that this art project came during this difficult time because drawing/creating art can be a distraction from the difficult times we face as a nation, much like the concept my project explores, but also students are reflecting society at the moment through their art,” Mr. Feddema explained.
Overall, I believe English teacher Mr. Palumbo said it best, “This is new territory for everyone. Come together as a community and family, understanding that we will all come through this stronger.”