Post on 07-Sep-2018
The Cat’s Eye View
Volume XLV, Issue V ~ April 2014
Henry P. Becton Region High School
On April 21, 2014 the science wing finally had its grand opening to the students and faculty of Bec-
ton with a ribbon cutting ceremony. After months of having lab sciences in tiny classrooms, the new
wing has proved itself worth the wait. Lab sciences now have the proper amount of space needed to
conduct a lab. With new lab tables, chairs, and a larger workspace, the classrooms can comfortably
seat twenty-four students. Both the students and teachers alike are ecstatic to be in the newest addi-
tion of the school.
Mrs. Mackanin stated, “The students and I are so excited to start working in a ‘real lab’ setting. It's
so nice to finally be in such a beautiful room.”
Also, for LOLs, Mrs. Mackanin reported, “I am secretly missing the trailer and the boardwalk...it
was like our own little world out there.”
Mr. Cantatore stated, "That feeling you get when you finish a race, break a record, or score the win-
ning goal. Yeah, that's how I felt when that ribbon was severed."
The Science Department Chair at Becton, Robert DiDomenico, stated "I am very grateful to the
Board of Education and the communities of Carlstadt and East Rutherford for commissioning this
renovation to our science classrooms. I am very happy to see the transformation of this building to a
state-of-the-art facility that will serve our students well for many years to come."
Grand Opening
Rebecca Sass
It wouldn’t be March Madness without the
beloved High School Proficiency Assessment, or,
as it is more commonly known, HSPA. Now that
testing is over for the juniors, they can finally relax
and enjoy the rest of their days at Becton without
taking another mandatory state exam. But just
when they thought they were free, New Jersey de-
cided to add another burden to their lives: the
PARCC. Not only will this affect the current jun-
iors, but also the present and incoming freshmen,
as well as the sophomores. For students, it seems
as though they are constantly being bombarded
with test after test.
Students are expected to prepare for these
standardized tests that will ultimately determine
where they stand for the future, or at least their col-
lege future. The HSPA and PARCC have become,
in a sense, biased for teenagers who have the ad-
vantage of worthy test-taking skills. Nevertheless,
there are a decent number of kids who are not as
strong at testing and do poorly as a result. Alt-
hough the unfortunate test takers might have the
ability to prove that they are smart off paper, their
score is the only thing that counts. On the PARCC
and HSPA, students are classified into different
levels of aptitude. Each state has its own standards
on what they believe to be below average and
above average. Grading students on how they do
on a standardized test is a very grey area because it
varies from state to state. Consequently, it is al-
most impossible for the United States to collective-
ly decide on what score will determine the erudite
kids of the nation.
In high school, the teachers and administra-
tion are always emphasizing how they are prepar-
ing students for the real world, but not everyone’s
real world is going to be the same. The stress and
devotion to tests for teens is nonsensical because,
in the real world, they are not taking written tests
on a daily basis. Schools dedicate an enormous
amount of time to preparing students for tests and
exams. Are the students even learning infor-
mation? Or are they merely memorizing the right
answers? Standardized tests do not prepare stu-
dents correctly for the challenges that they will
face once they leave high school. With the current
curriculum, teenagers are not taught how to bal-
ance a checkbook, mail a letter, how to manage
money or a banking account, or even acquire nec-
essary social skills that will benefit them in their
future jobs. Students are only acquiring the skills
necessary to pass a simple standardized test and
this information will not help them support them-
selves in the future. Students are stressed to the
max as it is and preparing for yet another exam
will only wear them thinner.
Even when they aren’t writing responses or
selecting multiple choice answers, students are
constantly preparing for the biggest test ever: life.
Life can be complicated. Each day, teenagers are
exposed to situations in their lives that will help
prepare them and give them experience for the fu-
ture. With the implication of state tests, the state
and nation are indirectly telling students that they
must do well on a test otherwise their future will be
an unfulfilled one. At the end of the day, mandato-
ry exams may arouse more oppression than assis-
tance in every teen’s life. We’re left to wonder:
Are these tests even worth taking?
How do you feel about testing?
Let us know! catseyeview@bectonhs.org
How Much Testing is Too Much? Jamie Scangarella
Student of the Month
Jamie Scangarella
Rebecca Czarnogursky
Mateusz Ostasz
March’s student of the month is Rebecca Czarnogursky. Her current class
ranking is 3rd and she has earned a GPA of 101. At Becton, Rebecca is a part
of many clubs such as Key Club, Environmental Club, Girls Helping Girls,
Youth Alive, National Honors Society, Italian Honors Society, Images, and
Theatre Arts Club. Rebecca has participated in both volleyball and track and
field. Ms. Czarnogursky is very active here at Becton and is taking AP English
and AP Biology as well as drama this year. Drama is Rebecca’s favorite class
because she is given the opportunity to truly demonstrate her passion: acting.
Theatre will be her major in college whether she goes to Farleigh Dickenson
or joins the Stars Program at Bergen Community College then transfers to an-
other school. Some of her hobbies include spending time with her family,
singing the Frozen soundtrack with friends, watching old Hollywood movies,
and listening to Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublè.
Rebecca describes her mom as an inspirational role model for her. She would like to encourage others with her
own words of advice, “Don’t ever let people stop you from chasing your dreams.”
April’s student of the month is Mateusz Ostasz. His current class ranking is
7th, and he has earned a GPA of 96. Here in Becton, Mateusz is active in
several clubs such as the National Honors Society, Spanish Honor Society
and Math League. Additionally, he has taken part in soccer and tennis, where
he dedicated three years and four years respectively. While others fall victim
to senioritis, he decided to challenge himself by taking a very hard workload,
consisting of six AP classes, which include: AP Calculus AB, English 12 AP,
AP Government and Politics, Chemistry AP, Physics AP, and AP Calculus BC. His favorite classes are AP
Calculus and AP Physics because he’s always had a profound interest in math and science. He is considering
going to Penn State: University Park for aerospace engineering. Mateusz volunteered at Most Sacred Heart
Church on many occasions, such as distributing food for the church’s picnic. On his free time, he enjoys
playing on the electric guitar, listening to music, writing songs and watching war and action movies. Mateusz
is very hardworking, and he’s determined to succeed in the future. He is one who wants to follow the major
role in his life, his father because he started with little as a youth and ended up a successful businessman years
later as an adult.
Aneta Ostasz
A rendition of Good Night Moon
Goodbye trailers…
Goodbye Mr. Barbo,
so kind in opening the doors for us
Goodbye Mrs. Mackanin, no more getting
locked out after another late night scoring
tests
Goodbye too cold...goodbye too hot
Goodbye walking in a blizzard...good bye walk-
ing in a downpour
Goodbye dirt pile, tucked in the corner
Goodbye boardwalk, not in any way like the
Shore
Goodbye Trailers…
Robotics at Becton
As Becton opened its new science wing this year, it also created a new club called Robotics, a small group of stu-
dents from all grades supervised by Mr. Cantatore. The five days spent with the $16,000 NAO robots had consisted of learn-
ing basic code for the robots. Each robot was fully equipped with cameras, speakers, and microphones that allowed the robots
to speak as a person would, play music, and even recognize peo-
ple. Learning how to code for the robot enabled the students to
complete a variety of interactions and movements. The students
at Becton were allowed to explore these markets and test out
whichever program they desired. The students were not only
able to test the abilities of the robots through the premade pro-
grams, but were also allowed to create and do a test trial of their
own programs. During the week the students shared with the
robot, they were able to fully understand and create a program
used by the robot. But what’s work without play? At the end of
the week each group of students was expected to present some-
thing for a talent show. Some talent show acts went as far as
reenacting a scene from Star Wars with the robots. The future
hopes regarding the robots is to use them to teach and better
connect to children with autism. This would include teaching the
children everyday applications such as shapes, objects, places, and how to have a conversation. Aside from teaching others,
the robot might have a future in the arts! Specific programs ordered the robot to do things like dance, practice yoga, sing, and
more. The NAO robot community expands throughout the world and even has several phone apps to allow easier use of the
robots. The promise of both teaching students and students having fun Becton is looking forward to the possibility of creating
a new permanent robotics club at Becton in the coming school year.
Kerolos Aziz
Sports
Mr. Bononno, a history teacher and the sports director here at Bec-
ton Regional High School, has just made Becton sports history. Mr.
Bononno was recently added to The New Jersey State Interscholastic Ath-
letic Association’s Hall of Fame. The NJSIAA is made up of 433 accredit-
ed public, private, and non-public high schools throughout New Jersey,
which means Mr. Bononno earned this achievement by being nominated
from among the NJSIAA’s 330,000 member coaches to be inducted into
the Hall of Fame. He was awarded this honor on March 30th, 2014.
Where we all see this as an amazing achievement for him,
he remained quite humble. Bononno stated, “I’m very proud of our school
and all of the student athletes that have worked tirelessly throughout my
24 years being involved in the program. Also, without my assistant coach-
es, this achievement would not have been possible.” Although, the student
athletes have done a remarkable job, this award rightfully belongs to Mr. Bononno for everything he has done
for the athletic department.
With that, we should all be grateful to have such an amazing person as our sports director. Congratula-
tions to Mr. Bononno and to all of the amazing athletes involved in Becton Regional sports.
Bononno Named to NJ Coaches’ Hall of Fame Rebecca Cruz
Mr. Bononno and family after accepting
award. Photo courtesy Mr. Bononno
For Becton Regional Track and Field, the 2014
season was filled with hard work and perseverance.
Constant speed workouts, long distance runs, and
weight training have all helped to secure Becton’s spot
as a significant league contender under the leadership
of Coach Mendelsohn, Coach Scalera, Coach Lynch,
and Coach Mulligan.
The team has acquired several talented new
faces including Freshmen Collins Kipchumba, Emily
Ruiz, Erika Williams, and Laura Cobo, who leads the
girls in sprinting times.
Becton’s throwing team has been successful
and continuously proves to be the team’s main source
of points. Senior Captain Mark Brizzolara leads the
boys in discus and shot put records while Senior Nick
Cimera and Junior Dylan Lewin follow close behind.
Senior Maggie Falco, Junior Frankie Plescia, and
Freshman Taylor Di Meola join with Erika Williams
to form a reliable female throwing group.
With a solid 500 record, the team possesses
several solid athletes in each event and continues to
progress each day. Sophomore Michael Cabrera leads
the distance team – Sophomores Brent Addeo and
Paul Tello, and Senior Andrew Quintana – with his
impeccable endurance and quick pace while Junior
Matt Cano, Senior Captain Andrew Quintana, and
Freshman Jonathon Regnifo put points on the board
with their newly discovered aptitude for hurdles.
Sophomore Nadia Gani and Freshman Kirsten Kenne-
dy also thrive in hurdles and hold the best times on the
girls’ team. Junior Alex Gatopoulos, Sophomore Alex
Montalvo, and Freshman Collins Kipchumba lead the
boys’ sprinting team. Successful long and triple jump-
ers on the team include Brian Byun, Dean Hernandez,
Danny Vera, Kaity Cruz, Sabrina Decio, Devyn Di
Meola, and Rebecca Czarnogursky.
Although the season has ended for many track
athletes, several will continue on to the NJIC League
Meet and possibly even the States. Coaches and ath-
letes both remain optimistic about the season as it
comes to an end.
Becton Track Devyn Di Meola
Becton’s baseball program has un-
dergone a complete transformation for the 2014
season. The team’s current record of 4-5 gener-
ates optimism and morale as the players prepare
for upcoming opponents. Compared to last year’s
2-21 final record, Becton baseball is clearly mov-
ing uphill and improving drastically.
A portion of the team’s newfound success
may be contributed to the brand new coaching
staff. The team recently gained Coaches Flan-
dery, Kronk, Picinich, and Decio in addition to
Coach Barbo who also coached last year. These
additions along with the senior leadership of Eric
Garcia, Alex Jennerich, Jon Arendas, Stephen
Barone, Joe Viso and George Felidi have visibly
strengthened the team and turned it into a more
competitive program.
The team has conquered Wallington, Sad-
dle Brook and North Arlington so far and contin-
ues to look strong as the season progresses. The
major turnaround of the Becton baseball program
was definitely created much confidence and deter-
mination as the season carries on.
This year’s Becton tennis team is certainly
missing last year’s seniors. Despite losing many
valuable players, the team continuously shows
improvement. This year’s only Senior is the team
captain Mateusz Ostasz who plays first sin-
gles. At second singles we have Tenzin Loden
and at third singles we have Alex Puchal-
ski. Both head coach Mr. Maucione and assistant
coach Alex Whiteside are extremely confident in
this group.
Mr. Maucione says, “The team is learning
how to compete and is making strides. Although
our record does not show it at this time, this effort
will payoff in the long run for the program.” At
first doubles the team has the duo of Enzo Macri
and Nick Gonzalez who currently hold the best
record on the team. The second doubles team in-
cludes David Stoltz and Ryan Hickey/
Muhammad Hammouda. Mr. Maucione says the
team is growing in
the right direction
and both the players
and coaches are ex-
cited to see what the
team can do in the
second half of the year.
Becton Baseball Devyn Di Meola
Becton Tennis David Stoltz
Photo courtesy of: Bernadette Marciniak, Staff of
the South Bergenite
And the 2014 Battle of the Grades winner is *drum
roll* . . . The Sophomore Class of 2016! It was quite an
eventful evening for all the spectators and contestants who
attended. The first event was the obstacle course. After all
the players crawled under desks, walked on stools, played
beanie bag toss, shot layups, and distributed hula-hoops,
the junior girls prevailed as well as sophomore boys. Next
was the 3-Point Shot Competition. Sophomores Danny
Zimmermann and Sebastian Grabias earned 40 points for
their class while Nerysa Oliveras and Meagan Majowicz
earned 40 for the seniors.
After intense rounds of Musical Chairs resulting in
three broken chairs, Allison Carella snagged the last seat
earning the sophomores another 40 points. In the next
event, each grade had two couples hobble their way
through the 3-Legged Race. For the females, sophomores
Sam Frola and Amy Ravettine came in first and juniors
Nick Barbo and Roy Forys came in first for the males.
Pudding pie was then served for the next batch of contest-
ants to see who could eat their way through it first. Fresh-
men Fernanda Cavallo and Taylor Christiano finished their
pies before the other females and juniors James Romanello
and Geraldy Flores chowed their way to victory.
Seniors Julie Squeo and Brian Hansen had a spec-
tacular win for their class after successfully launching a
hard-boiled egg across the gym. All the next contestants
swiveled their way through the Hula-hoop Contest. Even
after being at a disadvantage with one less player on the
senior team, Jon Arendas proved that he could not let his
team down and lead them to another victory. Senior Grace
Kim also upstaged all the other females. Together the two
earned 80 points for the seniors. For the group events, the
sophomore girls showed some super strength after domi-
nating the seniors and then taking down the freshmen to
win the first place title. As for the boys, the seniors beat
the sophomores, placing them in the consolation round.
They then took down the juniors after a hard victory since
the juniors did not go down without a fight.
The next event, Pass the Hula-hoop, was all about
strategy and the sophomores took that into deep considera-
tion, since it led them to earn another 40 points. The last
event of the night was called All Aboard. The concept was
that each team had to fit as many players as they could in a
designated space in one minute. After much body contor-
tion and techniques, the sophomores and juniors tied for
first with 16 people. After the total scores were added, the
freshmen received an additional 20 points for having the
most supporters show up; nonetheless, they still fell flat.
What a great job to all those that participated and only
time will tell if the Class of 2016 can keep up their win-
ning streak next year!
Results
4th - Freshmen 320
3rd - Juniors 430
2nd - Seniors 440
1st - Sophomores 460
Battle of the Grades In Becton’s ongoing fight to determine which grade is superior, points were accumu-
lated in the annual “Battle of the Grades” competition. Here are the results and some of
the battle’s highlights.
By Jamie Scangarella
This season’s softball looks so far, so good.
With a record of 2-1, the freshman team is off to a
great start. In one game, the team fifteen-run-ruled the
opponent with a final score of 25-0. The freshman
coach, Ms. O’ Driscoll, has stated, “My team is very
determined. We don’t give up. We’ve proved it since
the first game.” In its first game, the team made a
comeback to win with a final score of 5-4. On the oth-
er hand, an inspiring speech by Coach Kuhns led Bec-
ton’s JV Softball to defeat the tough Saddle Brook
team on April 24. The undefeated JV team has ten-run
-ruled many teams and even fifteen-run-ruled a team
in a perfect game by Sophomore pitcher, Dana Dom-
browski. Junior Ana Freay has stated, “The girls of JV
really put their minds into the game. They’re really
focused. Their engagement in the game led them to
victory.” In addition, Becton’s Varsity team is nearly
unstoppable. With a record of 8-3, they ten-run-ruled
Wallington’s Varsity team. On April 24, Senior Juli-
ana Squeo hit a 3-run homerun to lead the team to vic-
tory. Junior Tanya Sanchez has said of the team,
“We’re learning how to play with each other. Our
pitcher [freshman] Kaitlyn O’ Shea throws heat and
our defense is number one. One team. One family.
Wildcats.” Hopefully the teams continue to thrive as
the season closes to an end.
Becton Softball Miranda Febus
Ayah Suleiman and Devyn Di Meola
February was a momentous month for Becton Regional because it introduced the first student-run
club in recent memory. Girls Helping Girls, created by senior Nikki Dombrowski in March, is a service or-
ganization geared toward aiding girls in our own community as well as around the world. Run by Mrs. To-
karski, GHG revolves around young women who want to get involved with the community and make a dif-
ference. Not only does the club hold collections and encourage donations for countless young women with
unfavorable economic or social conditions, but it also serves as a support group for local girls who need
companionship or guidance. The club’s goal is simple: to make a difference locally by encouraging em-
powerment through the female peers at Becton.
They have just finished their first project which is collecting prom dresses to distribute to the less
fortunate. Members of the club encouraged fellow female friends, family members and coworkers to donate
their used bridesmaid, sweet sixteen, prom, and formal dresses to the cause. So far they have managed to
donate a substantial amount of prom dresses. Over 150 dresses were donated to Becca’s Closet, an organi-
zation that provides formal dresses for poverty-stricken young women who long to attend their proms, mili-
tary balls, formals, etc. About 60 other dresses were donated to good will. The 183 dresses that have been
successfully collected can now be worn by underprivileged girls who could not otherwise afford to attend
their proms and other occasions.
The next event will be a fundraiser for women who have been sex trafficked which is a critical issue
that deserves recognition. This brand new club is open to any girl who would like to join and make a small
difference by helping other young women. GHG encourages anyone who is interested to contact Nikki
Dombrowski or the adviser, Ms. Tokarski, if they would like to take part in the club. GHG is an easy and
excellent opportunity to help make a difference in the world, so get involved! Girls Helping Girls is the first
step for our community to make that change.
Girls Helping Girls
Help the Environmental Club!
Donate old laptops, toner and ink cartridges, cell phones, and other small electronics such
as digital cameras and GPS devices to be recycled.
The Second Annual Battle of the Grades Recycling Competition will be held in April. Start
saving up those recyclables for a chance to win an ice cream sundae!
The Annual Earth Week Cafeteria Display will include: organic food samples, eco-friendly
personal care product samples, and environmental trivia with plenty of prizes!
This is the logo of the organization
where the dresses were donated.
As teenagers, most of us are looking to stop relying on Mom and Dad and start depending on
ourselves. The usual "Mom, can I have twenty bucks" routine is growing pretty old. So how do we
learn to stand on our own two feet after all this time? We get part-time jobs.
The students of Becton Regional High School are lucky to live in two towns with a plethora of
local businesses that are willing to hire teenagers. Now, as minors, we can't complain too much about
making minimum wage. It pays for lunch and it pays for gas. But what would we all say if the mini-
mum wage of $7.25 per hour was hiked up to $10.10?
For months now, President Barack Obama has wanted to raise the minimum wage as it stands
on the Democratic platform. When asked about raising the minimum wage, Obama stated, “It's com-
mon sense, that's all I'm trying to say. It's just common sense.” The increase in the minimum wage
will greatly benefit many Americans. Obama believes that raising the minimum wage will help out
28 million people.
Of course that is not just 28 million students in high school. This will also affect many college
students and adults working on a minimum wage salary. For these adults, the increase in the mini-
mum wage will surely make it easier to pay for lunch, gas, and the bills.
Despite the many benefits, increasing the minimum wage can also have some negative im-
pacts, as presented by the Republicans. Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John
Boehner (R-OH) stated, “We know beyond dispute that raising the minimum wage will destroy jobs
for people who need them the most. When folks are still struggling to find work in this economy,
why would we make that any harder?”
So what's the verdict? Do we raise the minimum wage and support those trying to make ends
meet or do we keep the minimum wage as it is and prevent the possible loss of several jobs? Let us
know at catseyeview@bectonhs.org
Cat’s Eye View Staff
Editors Writers Photography Faculty Adviser
Rebecca Sass Jamie Scangarella Prarthana Rajai Bill Carr
Miranda Febus Devyn DiMeola Carlo Maucione
Renee Kochinski Rebecca Cruz
Sharon Skeahan Kerolos Aziz Questions or Comments? Email us!
Akemi Yara Ayah Suleiman catseyeview@bectonhs.org
Miranda Febus
David Stoltz
Editorial Syllabification: ed·i·to·ri·al. Pronunciation: ediˈtôrēəl
Of or relating to the part of a newspaper or magazine that contains news, information, or comment as opposed to advertising.