Prepare Valentine’s Day

continued, JDD, Spring

Musical

2-3

Black History Month,

President’s Day, Lenape

Night Out, Couple’s

Game

4-5

Lenape High School, 235 Hartford Rd, Medford, NJ 08055

THE SMOKE SIGNAL FEBRUARY 2012 VOLUME 49 ISSUE 4

By Adriana Gallina

Editor

Like many other holidays

and activities, teenagers are

often put in awkward situa-

tions on Valentine‟s Day.

Sure it is nothing more

than a Hallmark holiday, but

is an excuse to appreciate

your loved one such a terri-

ble thing?

Katelyn Weldon („13),

despite not having a Valen-

tine this year, does not think

so.

“I don‟t have any plans

for Valentine‟s Day, but I

still like the holiday. Its

traditions go back centuries

and it‟s an adorable holiday

to celebrate love,” she said.

Andrew Stockhecker

(‟12) would disagree.

“I love the idea of

treating my girlfriend spe-

cial, but I feel like the holi-

day is an excuse to spend

money--when in reality

making your girl friend feel

special is not about the

amount you spend,” he re-

marked.

Instead Andrew

suggests that, “It‟s the ex-

perience and memories you

give her that she will hold

onto forever.”

So what do us teens do if

we don‟t have a Valentine,

and even more important,

what do we do if we have

one?

For the teen loners un-

sure what to make of the

day, never fear you have a

couple of options. Go about

your day like any other be-

cause really that is all it is.

Or you can get together with

friends, order a pizza, and

watch a movie.

Don‟t have friends

or a date? Make a few bucks

instead. There will

be plenty of desper-

ate parents in need

of babysitters that

night. You‟ll feel

good about yourself

for two reasons:

you‟re helping peo-

ple who probably

haven‟t had a dinner

without their kids for

a while, and while

the parents dine,

your hungry piggy

bank will also be

fed.

To the status

happy Facebook us-

ers, whining on Face-

book is not an effec-

tive way to get a Val-

entine. Plus, chances

are if you take the

time to proclaim to

the online world

about how little you

care about being

alone on Valentine‟s

Day, you do care.

Save us all the trou-

ble and no sad, self-

loathing statuses.

As for those of us cele-

brating it, we too are put in

a pickle. Many of us teens

do not have the necessary

means to celebrate the eve-

ning. There‟s no car to get

to the store to buy the roses,

chocolates, or dinner, and

no money to pay for any of

it.

For the hopeless -

romantics, there are plenty

of things you can do to

(continued on page 2)

Lenape Couples Prepare for Valentine’s Day

Lenape Basketball, Ask

Mary Jane

6

Marisa Montgomery (‟13) and Ryan O‟Malley (‟12) Photo by Chrisa Ra-

moundos.

Alyssa Treiber (‟13) and Mark Thompson (‟14) .

Photo by the Trebiers.

Rachel Nace ('13) and Andrew Gerber ('12)

Photo by Katelyn Weldon.

In this Issue:

Page 2 THE SMOKE SIGNAL

2012 Senior Class

News

The class of 2012 is

organizing their final

fundraisers that in-

clude the spring flower

sale and the senior/

alumni brick buying.

See Ms. Hammond or

Mr. Tamburello for

details.

2013 Junior Class

News

The class of 2013 is

running a Dodgeball

tournament on Febru-

ary 24th. Teams must

have at least six mem-

bers. The price is $5

per participant.

(continued) show your

loved ones you care.

Take Rachel Nace‟s

(‟13) plans for Valen-

tine‟s Day for example:

“This year my boy

friend and I are baking a

cake and going to a

drive-in movie,” she

explained.

Rachel and her Val-

entine are not the only

ones celebrating with

some baked goods. Ma-

risa Montgomery (‟13)

bakes her Valentine his

favorite cupcakes.

“We don‟t really do

gifts,” she said, “but we

always look forward to

V a l e n -

tine‟s Day

b e c a u s e

we both

have very

b u s y

schedules

and it‟s

one day

that focuses on just us.”

It seems that the easi-

est way to a man‟s heart

is through his stomach.

Alyssa Treiber (‟13)

also baked her Valentine

cupcakes last year.

“Since last year was

a week-

n i g h t ,

we just

got to-

gether to

watch a

movie,”

A l y s s a

stated.

Valentine‟s Day, for

teens and adults alike,

does not have to be an

extravagant evening. It‟s

the small stuff, like your

love‟s favorite cup-

cakes, that matters.

With that being said,

there‟s nothing wrong

with not celebrating it

either.

Like Stockhecker

said, “There shouldn‟t

be one day out of the

year where I am treating

her to dinner, flowers,

and candy. I should be

treating her like she is

the most special thing

that has walked into my

life every single day of

the year.”

By Meghan Darreff

Staff Writer

Lenape held its

annual Junior Dinner

Dance Friday, February

3rd, at Lucien's Manor

in Berlin.

In the past, the Jun-

ior Dinner Dance had

been held on the Spirit

of Philadelphia, but the

unique Junior class

chose this new setting

by vote. Although when

the location was first

released there was some

discord, those who at-

tended would agree that

the dance was a success.

Upon their arrival,

formally dressed girls

and guys strutted

through the grand en-

trance of the building

into the beautifully

decorated ballroom,

complete with an indoor

waterfall. The atmos-

phere was filled with

energy as the DJ's music

sounded throughout the

room.

Juniors and their

dates snacked on hors

d'oeuvres before a buffet

dinner of chicken mar-

sala, tortellini, roast

beef, pasta salad,

roasted potatoes, and

salad was served.

After waiters cleared

the tables, all of the

lights were lowered. As

the lights went down,

people rose up

to go dancing.

Some never

again sat down

for the remain-

der of the eve-

ning.

The

DJ played cur-

rent upbeat

tunes and used some

cool lighting effects

which made dancing all

the more enjoyable.

Despite the occasional

foot being stepped on,

all seemed to have a

good time dancing. Few

left the dance floor only

to grab a quick drink,

but most cleared off

when a cake for the

class of 2013 was

brought out.

Shannon Campbell

(13‟) said, “I thought it

was fun and the food

was awesome!” Juniors and

their dates left Lucien's

Manor behind, but took

with them great memo-

ries of a night to remem-

ber.

The Junior Dinner

Dance would not have

been possible without

the class advisors, Mr.

Jacobs and Mrs. Fox,

along with the class

officers. On behalf of

the Class of 2013, thank

you all for giving us a

great dinner dance.

Junior Dinner Dance a Big Hit

The Junior Class Officers with their class advisors pose on the steps of

the Luciens Ballroom. Photo by Chrisa Ramoundos.

Mike Estrin (‟13) and Meghan Darreff (‟13)

Photo by Meghan Darreff.

Lenape Couples Prepare for Valentine’s Day

Page 3 VOLUME 49 ISSUE 4

By Chelsea Boat-

wright and Kiersten

Campbell

Staff Writers

This year‟s school

musical is The Wizard

of Oz, and the cast, di-

rectors, and crew have

been working diligently

to create their own ren-

dition of the classic

production.

The process began

with casting, and many

students came out to

audition for the famous

lead roles of Dorothy,

the Tin Man, the Lion,

the Scarecrow, and the

Wicked Witch. Ms.

Linda Hammond, the

director of the musical,

remarked that casting

was the most difficult

part of the whole pro-

duction. Everything is

based off of the first

step of casting.

Things don‟t get any

easier on or off the set

for the people who play

roles in the play. The

rehearsal period is still

a grueling time for eve-

ryone, and the assistant

director, Ms. Hecht

commented, “The re-

hearsal period is tough

because we are just

trying to get everyone

and everything to-

gether.”

Everyone is ex-

pected to attend each

practice, so they learn

their lines, songs,

dances, and movements

perfectly be-

fore show

time.

M s .

H a m m o n d

b r i e f l y

summed up a

regular re-

hearsal by

s a y i n g ,

“ T h e r e ‟ s

screaming and

yelling, and

we have to

make sure

everyone has

their lines re-

membered, that they

don‟t miss their cue,

that the music is in the

right place, et cetera.”

The student per-

formers commit a large

amount of time and a

tremendous amount of

effort in order for the

play to be as successful

as it is.

Zavier Mojica (‟13),

a Junior cast member,

stated, “My favorite

part of starring in the

Wizard of Oz is that we

have a great cast of

talented people that fit

the roles perfectly, and

that I am surrounded by

my good friends and

great people who love

to do what I love to

do.”

The talented cast

excels in singing, acting

and dancing. Rachel

Nace („13), another

Junior performer, said,

“I'd love to direct plays

in the future. It would

be wonderful to have

my job include theatre,

but if that doesn't work

out, I'd like to be a

writer.”

Rachel and Zavier

described the musical

preparation briefly with

“crazy” and “hectic,”

but neither meant it in a

negative way.

After all of the stress

of the pre-production

work load is out of the

way, everyone can fi-

nally enjoy performing

and viewing the final

product.

Ms. Hammond re-

marked, “The most

rewarding part of the

experience of putting

on a production like

this is seeing all of the

time, work, and effort

come together into a

wonderful finished

product you never

thought was possible.”

The premier date is

coming up quickly on

March 9th at 7:00 PM

in the auditorium. Other

show dates are March

10th, 15th, 16th, and

17th at 7:00 PM in the

auditorium. There will

also be a matinee show

at 1:00 on March 10th.

So choose a day to

come see and hear what

Lenape‟s theater has in

store this year.

2014 Sophomore Class

News

The class of 2014 will

be hosting a Phillies

Night Out on Tuesday,

June 5th.

2015

Freshman Class

News

The Class of 2015 is

planning on collecting

senior trip payments in

March. The planning of

a Sahara Sam‟s class trip

is still in progress.

Lenape’s Spring Musical Is In The Making

Page 4 THE SMOKE SIGNAL

By: Chelsea Boatwright

Staff Writer

The month of February

serves as a time to remember

the tremendous achievements

and triumphs African Ameri-

cans achieved and overcame.

Carter G. Woodson is

known as the "Father of Black

History Month". Responding

to the fact that famous black

Americans were being over-

looked, Woodson, in 1926,

pioneered "Negro History

Week".

The week of celebration

began on the second week of

February because it marked

the birthdays of Abraham Lin-

coln and Frederick Douglas. In

the early years of "Negro His-

tory Week", many recognized

it as a week to celebrate, and it

soon developed into Black

History month.

Many students of Lenape

are familiar

with the abo-

litionist and

writer, Fre-

derick Doug-

lass. Many of

Douglas's

writings are

incorporated

into the

sophomore

English cur-

riculum.

Frederick

Douglas will

always be

remembered

for not only

teaching him-

self to read,

but fighting for the rights of

Black Americans and women.

One of the most famous

African American civil rights

leaders is

Martin

Luther

King Jr.

Jala

McFadden

(„13)

stated,

"The most

influential

African

American

had to be

Dr. Martin

Luther

King. He

was in-

volved in

numerous

organiza-

tions and continued to fight for

the rights of African Ameri-

cans until his death. Because

of him, African Americans

gained courage and kept their

faith, striving for change.

Black History Month is a time

where we should reminiscence

and be appreciative towards all

of the people who worked so

hard to advance the lives of

African American individu-

als."

So make sure to take some

time this month to admire and

remember those who fought

for their freedoms and im-

proved society. Although

black history is formally rec-

ognized in February, always

remember the individuals cele-

brated this month, and if you

are ever faced with the chance

to change the world, take the

chance and maybe you will be

greatly remembered too.

Let’s All Honor Black History Month

The True Meaning Behind President’s Day

Frederick Douglas. Photo by illinoisstateso-

ciety.org.

By Christine Sunny

Staff Writer

It‟s that time of the year

when students look forward to a

day off, President‟s Day. This

day is not only about an hour or

more of sleep, but about the

presidents who have dedicated

their time which has shaped the

United States today.

President‟s Day was origi-

nally

dedi-

cated

to

George

Wash-

ington.

Today,

many

people

be-

lieve

that the holiday is in honor of

all presidents.

In 1968, Congress debated

changing the name in honor of

Washington‟s Birthday to

President‟s day. They soon

passed the Uniform Monday

Holiday Bill, which moved a

number of federal holidays to

Mondays and also concluded

that the February holiday

should be called President‟s

Day.

The holiday also stands as a

reminder of the 2012 GOP elec-

tions. With Ron Paul, Newt

Gingrich, Mitt Romney and

Rick Santorum still standing,

the elections continue to create

a heightened sense of national-

ism amongst the country.

The GOP debates have

tested

the

candi-

dates

on

their

view-

points

which

either

could

make

or break their chances of win-

ning. GOP debates consist of

topics such as health care, im-

migration, space travel, candi-

dates‟ history, and much more.

President‟s Day is not only a

day to sleep in and to shop for

the best deals at retail stores,

but it is also a day to reflect on

the presidents of the past, pre-

sent, and future. Ron Paul GOP candidate.

Photo courtesy of nndb.com

Mitt Romney GOP candidate.

Photo courtesy of triplepundit.com

Page 5 THE SMOKE SIGNAL

By: Christine Kim

Editor

Since many budget

cuts have been made

due to minimal state

funding, Lenape High

School came up with a

plan to integrate food

and family time.

Lenape Night Out

was a way to fundraise

for the Lenape Aca-

demic Partnership

Foundation, whose

mission is to encourage

students to pursue aca-

demic achievement.

Through the help of the

head organizer, Mr.

David New, the Lenape

family was able to raise

a lot of money.

Lenape Night Out

was an event that raised

money through collect-

ing receipts at twelve

restaurant locations.

The twelve restaurants

that participated were

located in Mount Lau-

rel: Panera Bread,

McDonalds, Friendly‟s,

That Italian Place,

Cucina Carini,

P ro sp ec to r s ,

On the Border,

Chili‟s, Fri-

day‟s, Panche-

r o s , R u b y

Tuesday‟s, and

Stefano‟s. The

r e s t a u r a n t s

donated a per-

centage of the

purchases of

the receipts

collected dur-

ing January 31,

2012.

National Honor

Soc ie ty me mber s

helped collect receipts

in the restaurants, and

for many, it was a

heartwarming event to

see the Lenape family

raise money for an edu-

cational cause.

One of the

v o l u n t e e r s ,

Kevin Bohin-

ski (‟13), who

helped collect

receipts at

Panera Bread

said, “I think

there was a

good turn out

and plenty of

f r i e nd l i n e ss

g o i n g

around!”

Also, the

owner and

head chef of

S t e f a n o ‟ s ,

Paola Balsamo

said, “I always love

helping out the school

in any way I can and

would definitely be

interested in helping

again next year.”

The twelve restau-

rants that participated

in this fundraising

event welcomed and

supported Lenape High

School tremendously

during Lenape Night

Out.

A l t h o u g h t h e

amount that was raised

has not been totaled

yet, Mr. New spoke

enthusiastically about

the outcome. “It was a

very successful night.

Twelve local restau-

rants participated—we

are not sure of the total

yet. Thank you to all of

the Lenape family for

contributing to a great

cause.”

Through the hard

work of the Lenape

community and the

friendly responses of

the students and local

community members,

Lenape Night Out was

definitely a successful

way to fundraise for an

educational cause.

Lenape Dines Out for Money

By Adriana Santomero

Staff Writer

The Lenape Couples

Game has been considered

an annual Valentine's Day

high school event for

years, and judging by the

packed auditorium on Feb-

ruary 8th, the tradition is

quite successful.

In the game, couples

from Lenape are brought

onto stage to be intro-

duced, and then either all

the girlfriends or all the

boyfriends present leave

the

stage

to be

placed

in a

sound

proof

room.

Mean-

while,

on

stage,

the

re-

maining partners answer

questions about their spe-

cific significant other.

Once all the questions

are asked, missing contest-

ants return from the sound

proof booth to the stage

and are read the same

questions that were given

to their partner in their

absence. The couple that

gave the most identical

answers won the game and

was promised to be sent on

a “dream date.”

The audience was roar-

ing with laughter as cou-

ples became tongue-tied

by trying to think in their

partner's shoes, and

shocked as couples argued

the logistics of their rela-

tionships right on stage.

There were also nu-

merous "aww" moments

when couples proved how

much they knew about

their partner, making the

event a cute date night for

the many couples in the

audience.

“It was funny to watch

the couples try to think

like each other, and be-

cause it was a competition

it got

intense

at times.

I en-

joyed

coming

to the

game…

and it

helped

that

there

was

candy!”

said

Antonio Gray (‟14), who

had initially been skeptical

that the game might be

boring. His words prove

that the Couples Game

was an event for girls and

guys.

It is obvious to see why

the Couples Game is such

a time-honored tradition in

Lenape. Many thanks to

Mr. Tamburello and Mrs.

Hammond for putting the

event together!

Lenape Couples Face Off Against Each Other

Aaron Sorin (‟13) studies while at Lenape

Night Out. Photo by Christine Kim.

Kevin Bohinski (‟13) waits for people to

come to Panera Bread. Photo by Christine

Kim.

Smoke Signal Staff:

Writers: Chelsea Boatwright, Christine Sunny, Adriana Santomero, Tyler Brosious, Brett Garberman, Meghan Darreff

Photography: Chris Owens

Editors: Adriana Gallina, Anna Wechsler, Chrisa Ramoundos, Kiersten Campbell

Editor in Chief: Dylan Brosious

Editor Assistant: Christine Kim

Advisors: Mrs. Wichelman and Ms. Carpenter

By Tyler Brosious

Staff Writer

1. Best Valentine’s Day

gift ever received?

The best gift I have

ever received is the kind-

ness and love that I re-

ceive each and every day

from my family and

friends. Material things

are important to some, but

to me kindness, love, car-

ing, tranquility, peace,

and happiness are what

life is all about. If more

people experienced these

kind of qualities, we

would have peace.

2. What is one gift to get

the person you like that

will impress them?

Again, I know I repeat

myself, but being kind,

considerate, respectful,

and caring - I think that is

the best gift I could give,

and to receive it back is

the best..

3. What is your favorite

part about Valentine’s

Day?

If you have a signifi-

cant other, and you enjoy

being with that person, I

am sure gifts are given

such as flowers, jewelry,

stuffed animals and any-

thing else that goes along

with Valentine's Day. For

me kindness, compassion,

comfort, happiness and

love - they are my favorite

and best parts of Valen-

tine's Day.

Ask Mary Jane

Mary Jane sitting at her desk in Reception.

By Brett Garberman Staff Writer

Once again, the

Lenape Boys‟ Varsity

Basketball team is en-

joying a successful sea-

son. They are near the

top of the South Jersey

Group 4 rankings.

Their victories against

strong competitors such

as Paul VI, Cherokee,

and Camden Catholic

High Schools have

boosted their record.

S o me p r e -

season forecasts did not

predict this level of suc-

cess for a team that

graduated five senior

starters from the 2010-

11 Olympic Conference

American Division

champions.

The scoring has been

spread out over many

players. Junior Tabu

Gaither, along with Sen-

iors Avery Brown and

Evan Ward, have all

averaged more than 10

points a game this sea-

son. Tabu Gaither was

recently interviewed

about his

success.

T a b u

Gaither (‟13)

said that,

“Hard work

during prac-

tice and try-

ing our hard-

est at every

game makes

us a better

team.”

The Indi-

ans success

can be attrib-

uted to a

strong team

a p p r o a c h

including the

contributions

of senior guard Kyle

Robustello (‟12) and

defensive specialist

Sawyer Hand (‟13).

Leading the team

once again is head

coach Mr. Chuck Guit-

tar. In his four seasons

as the Indian‟s head

coach, he boasts an

overall record of 75-26.

He is known to strongly

emphasize defense as

the foundation of a win-

ning strategy. This

year‟s team in executing

Coach Guittar‟s plan as

they have held their

opponents to an average

of 46 points per game.

As the 2011-2012

regular season winds

down, the team can be

expected to be one of

the favorites in the up-

coming South Jersey

Group 4 tournament.

Lenape Basketball Has Been Dominating

Lenape‟s Sawyer Hand („13) and Cory Jett

(„12) block Shawnee‟s Dan Mumford. Photo

by Nancy Rokos CP.

Tabu Gaither („13) Photo by Jose F. Moreno CP.