Sparta’s Final Robotics Competition before NJ States Championship

Written by: Olivia Giralt

Sunday, Feb. 9, all eight of Sparta’s robotics teams attended a competition at Millburn High School. It was a successful day for Sparta robotics as teams 5249B “Scooby”, 5249D “[REDACTED]”, and 5249S “Yorktown” earned skills scores qualifying them to compete at the NJ state championship.

Teams 5249Z “Ignite” and 5249B “Scooby” battled their way into the top 10 ranked teams at the competition. Team 5249Z “Ignite” earned the first-place rank by winning every qualifier match and Auton round. Team 5249B “Scooby” made its way to a 9th place rank by winning four out of five matches. 

For skills ranking, team 5249Z “Ignite” earned 2nd place with a score of 119, team 5249B “Scooby” made 9th place with a score of 41, team 5249D “[REDACTED]” ranked at 14th with a score of 34, and team 5249S “Yorktown” earned 16th place with a score of 32. 

Many Sparta teams made their way into to the “Round of 16”, including 5249B “Scooby”, 5249D “[REDACTED]”, 5249J “Frostbite”, 5249S “Yorktown”, 5249X “X-Caliber”, and 5249Z “Ignite”. 

Alliance captain Tanner Mell of team 5249B “Scooby” (left) with Alan Young of team 5249D “[REDACTED]” (right).

5249X “X-Caliber” succeeded in the Round of 16 and continued on into the quarterfinals. 5249Z “Ignite” succeeded in the Round of 16 as well as the Quarterfinals, allowing them to compete in the semifinals. 

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Sparta High Photographers Capture Precious Student Moments

Written by: Liv Canova

Ever had that one event that you knew you looked rad in, but the only photos you could get were grainy or watermarked? Well, you obviously haven’t checked out @spartahighphotography on Instagram. 

The account, run by juniors Tessa Gori and Kyle Neuwirth, showcases Sparta’s talent in mostly athletics, but also artistic and academic endeavors.

The two attend game after game, competition after competition, to try and capture the many talents of Spartans.

“We get to cover some of the lesser-known activities and the kids who we take pictures of always like to have them,” comments Gori. She and Neuwirth have both been interested in photography for a long time. For Neuwirth, it was playing with his dad’s camera settings. For Gori, it was love at first click-- right here at Sparta High. 

“I’m not going to do photography for a living, but it's definitely a good skill to have and something I’ll use in the future,” reflects Neuwirth. 

If you had a school or community-related event, there's a pretty good chance they captured it. Contact them at @spartahighphotography for more information!

Source: @spartahighphotography on Instagram. 

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On This Day In History: February 13

Written by: Sarah Riley

On February 13, 1962, well-renowned British band “The Beatles” launched their whirlwind musical career. Their manager Brian Epstein showed a double-sided record to music producer George Martin in hopes of getting the band a recording contract. This record included the songs “Hello Little Girl” and “'Til There Was You” on each side. Even though Martin refrained from it at first, he eventually accepted The Beatles’ demo, and they quickly became wildly famous.

Source: biography.com

Sparta Robotics Shines at South Brunswick High School

Written by: Olivia Giralt 

On Feb. 1, six of Sparta High School’s robotics teams attended a competition at South Brunswick High School. This year’s competition is called “Tower Take Over” which involves stacking cubes in score zones and placing cubes in towers. The value of points can increase depending on the color and amount of cubes placed in a tower as well as how many cubes have been scored. 

Teams are ranked by the number of matches won, followed by the number of autonomous wins, and finally by the number of points scored by their opponents. Two teams were ranked in the competition’s top 10, including team 5249X “X-Caliber” ranked at 8 and team 5249S “Yorktown” ranked at 9. Meanwhile, Team 5249D “[REDACTED]” was ranked at 13, team 5249B “Scooby” ranked at 15, team 5249P “Iron Patriot” ranked at 16, and team 5249Z “Ignite” ranked at 20. 

In the Skills ranking, three Sparta teams were ranked in the top ten at the competition. team 5249Z “Ignite” ranked 3rd with a total of 75 points, team 5249D “[REDACTED]” ranked 5th with a total of 32 points, and team 5249B “Scooby” ranked at 10th with a total of 25 points. 

It was a successful competition for Sparta robotics with five teams making it into the quarter-finals, team 5249D “[REDACTED]” playing in the finals, and team 5249P winning the Design Award for an outstanding engineering journal. 

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Sparta MUN's Annual Trip To Harvard

Written by: Chloe Maher 

Run by history teacher, David De Crescenzi, (aka “Double D”), Sparta’s Model United Nations ventured off to Boston from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, on the Harvard Model United Nations field trip. Students have been preparing since December for the trip, authoring blog posts for their respective countries and drafting up resolutions based on their countries or assigned characters, whether it be for general assembly or special committee. This year for the general assembly, Sparta High School was assigned Somalia and the Central African Republic. However, those in the special committee received countries like Indonesia.

Model United Nations fuels leadership by preparing students for careers in international relations, diplomacy, and political science. It also allows students to befriend a diverse group of people. Along with many schools from Boston and the tri-state area, students from all over the world attend, from Brazil, China, Peru, and more. It offers a unique experience and opportunity to meet those you would not typically encounter in New Jersey. 

4,000 students from all over the world traveled to Boston to take part in the event, a large increase from the 3,000 the previous year. The itinerary offered the chance to see the prestigious university itself, mandatory committee, along with limited downtime for students. Many during their downtime, met up with their fellow delegates to draft resolutions.

Reflecting on her third year as a part of MUN, Marguerite Bysshe says, “It’s been a wonderful experience and is always an enjoyable trip. Anyone interested should definitely look into joining next year!”

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Kansas City Chiefs Defeat San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV

Written by: Noelle Hanek 

Super Bowl LIV was filled with excitement, suspense, and anticipation as the San Francisco 49ers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. Read on for a look at some of the night’s epic highlights. 

It was a night of unpredictability-- scores were tied for the first two quarters of the game and remained head-to-head for the rest of it,  keeping onlookers at the edge of their seats. The 49ers received the first three points in the game after a 38-yard kick by Robbie Gould. The first touchdown was scored by Patrick Mahomes after running the ball straight into the endzone, giving them leverage in the game. They then scored a field goal, allowing them to further take the lead. Kyle Juszcyk from the 49ers then caught a short pass and ran it into the endzone, tying the game up. At the end of the second quarter, the score was 10-10. 

Touchdown scored by Kyle Juszcyk

Source: DraftKings Nation

The first points scored in the second half were achieved by the 49ers after a field goal, giving them a three point advantage. They furthered their lead with a touchdown by Raheem Mostert. The final score at the end of the third quarter was 20-10, with the 49ers still in the lead. The Chiefs finally got themselves back into the game after Travis Kelce scored a touchdown. The next touchdown was made by the Chiefs again, after Williams caught the ball in the endzone right before stepping out of bounds. After evaluation of the play, the call remained a touchdown, advancing their lead to 24-10. After this, the 49ers’ fourth down play had no chance, and the Chiefs regained possession of the ball with just 1:25 minutes remaining. The final play that ended it all was when Williams scored a touchdown for the Chiefs after defeating the 49ers’ defense and running his way to victory. It was then officially over for San Francisco, and as the clock was running it’s final seconds out, the Chiefs all celebrated their Super Bowl victory. The final score was 31-10, with the Chiefs as the champions. 

Final Touchdown by Williams

Source: DraftKings Nation

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed live at the Pepsi Halftime Show. Their energetic and lively performance had the crowd cheering, dancing, and going wild. All of the rivalry and suspense was diminished in these upbeat 15 minutes as everyone enjoyed the music and the wonderful performance of Lopez and Shakira. In addition, Demi Lovato flawlessly sang the national anthem before the first kickoff of the game, and left the world in awe of her musical talent and beautiful voice. 

Source: Sporting News 

Source: Elle Magazine 

The Kansas City Chiefs, this year's superbowl champions, have claimed their first superbowl win since the year 1969, 50 years ago! This year’s MVP was Patrick Mahomes, after leading the Chiefs epic comeback against the 49ers. The Chiefs have worked hard and have come a long way, and have successfully earned the title of the NFL champions of 2020! 

The Chiefs celebrate their victory after the game

Source: KY3

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