The Oracle's Guide to a Great Winter Break (and a break from computers)

By: Liv Canova, Emma McNamara, and Noelle Hanek

We're nearing the end of a crazy year, and what better way to close out 2020 than with a fun and relaxing winter break? After spending hours on computers, you might have a hard time finding festive things to do, but The Oracle has you covered! Here are some ideas that will get you in the holiday spirit, and ready for 2021! 

Make Holiday Treats

Make them with your family, friends, or even by yourself. Christmas treats are twice as fun because once you make them, you can eat them!

 Some of our favorites recipes are:

Gingerbread Cookies: https://www.food.com/recipe/the-most-wonderful-gingerbread-cookies-80156

Sugar Cookies: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe-1914697

Christmas Cracker Candy: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/christmas_cracker_candy/

Yule Log: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17345/buche-de-noel/

from: dinneratthezoo.com

Or make hot chocolate bombs! Join the Christmas masses and make your very own chocolate surprises that explode in your mug when hot milk or water is added!

Watch Christmas Movies

Christmas movies are the best, so here are a few fan favorites:

- The Santa Clause

- The Grinch (Jim Carrey version)

- Jingle Jangle (new on Netflix!)

- Elf

- Home Alone

- A Christmas Story

- It's a Wonderful Life

from: insider.com

Listen to Holiday Music

Nothing gets you in the mood for Christmas quite like music! Did you know that the best selling Christmas song of all time is White Christmas by Bing Crosby?

A spotify playlist for the best Christmas songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5OP7itTh52BMfZS1DJrdlv

Work on New Year's Resolutions

Even though no one ever seems to keep with them, New Year's resolutions are a great opportunity for self improvement!

A great and easy new years resolution:

- Decorate a mason jar and write 2021 memories on the top

- Write down at least 1 good memory a week for all of 2021

- Open on New Year's Eve 2021 and relive all your best memories from that year

Go Outside

There's snow on the ground! Go make a snowman, have a snowball fight, go sledding. Or go ice skating! (not on Lake Mohawk though because it's not frozen). There's a myriad of fun to be had in the great out-of-doors.

from: abc11.com

Relax, Have Fun, and Enjoy a Much Needed Break

This year has been pretty crazy, so use your time to finally relax!

Happy Holidays Spartans!

Sparta Township Public Schools Celebrate Diversity!

 By Kavya Kamath & Ms Angela DeLuccia 12/22/20

Sparta Township Public Schools offers its community many opportunities. Staying true to form, a passionate committee, led by Mr. Scott Kercher, Supervisor of Social Studies and World Language, came to be. This group consists of students, faculty, and community members. Inspired by Kean University’s Diversity Council, the STPS group is working toward bringing inclusivity, acceptance, and accessibility to all facets of the learning community. 

The mission of the Council is:

To coordinate the District’s current curricular and co-curricular initiatives that promote diversity, acceptance and tolerance within our community. These initiatives include: professional development, instructional assemblies and student leadership opportunities.  The Council will also access and disseminate bias prevention resources through its continued affiliation with Kean University's Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship (STPS).

The Council promotes acceptance of all races, genders, sexualities, religions, and disabilities. There are related subcommittees for each of these areas. Groups are currently curating a library of resources for all community members, creating action plans to promote a positive culture, and addressing the curricular and social and emotional needs of students. 

In conjunction with other organizations in the district, including C3 and We are the Dreamers, the Diversity Council aims to complete an inclusive project and event that demonstrates the unity of the Sparta Township Public Schools community. 

The STPS Diversity Council meets monthly- next meeting is January 13 at 4 pm; new members are always welcome. Please email Mr. Kercher with any questions. scott.kercher@sparta.org or visit the Sparta Diversity Council Website for more information. 

Student Perspective:

Wednesday, December 9th, I, Kavya Kamath, attended the Sparta High School Diversity Council’s December meeting. Having never attended one prior, I was excited, nervous, and intrigued by what exactly the meeting would cover and how exactly I would be able to participate as just a student. The meeting opened with a few introductions, an overview of plans by Mr. Kercher, and a review of what exactly SHS’ Diversity Council is, presumably for students like myself and parents who were attending their first meeting. Once settled, teachers, supervisors, students, and parents alike were all divided into breakout rooms to discuss this month’s meeting’s overarching theme: tolerance versus acceptance. I was personally in a group with a supervisor, a teacher, and a parent, which allowed us all to draw from our different experiences and come to collective agreement about, in the words of Ms. Hassenplug, “burn the word tolerance.” Throughout history, tolerance has been used as an excuse to quietly hate and dislike, but with current means of communicating, connecting with, and understanding people, acceptance is easier than ever, and acceptance, not tolerance, should be our goal. And this is the goal of the Sparta High School DIversity Council: to endorse respect and understanding for everyone in our community, to convey that just because some is not like "you" does not make them less than, to both encourage and celebrate difference, and, finally, to not only promote diversity, but support programs that foster diversity in Sparta.

For those interested in joining, it is important to note that this diversity refers to five main areas of interest—race and racial relations, LGBTQ+, gender equity, disability, religious diversity. Lastly, the council is always accepting new members. Students and teachers can join by signing up through our website, which contains a wealth of materials and resources to support the council’s mission. 

from: RetailTouchpoints.com

SHS Food Drive for the Sparta Ecumenical Food Pantry

 By Hayley Lane

With a dangerously low stock of food, the Sparta Ecumenical Food Pantry is in need of food donations. SHS Pass it Along is organizing a Food Drive, with drop off locations at SHS, SMS, HMS, MAS, and AES. The drive is going on from now until December 21st! From big to small, all donations are appreciated to help those in need during this season of giving! 

Applying to College in a Pandemic

 By: Liv Canova

from: insidehighered.com

Applying to college is hard. Writing so many essays, trying to recall every single thing of value you've done during your 3 years of high school, and making yourself vulnerable to rejection definitely take a toll on a 17 year old. But Covid-19 has thrown a new wrench into the mix of college confusion that the class of '21 is currently sifting through.

Everyone is at a different place with their applications, some students have been finished since October, some are putting finishing touches on their resumes, and some are just submitting to their first college. 

"The process has been a lot" says senior Kaela Burke, "I've had to rewrite my essay a few times and my supplemental essays have been a nightmare". Burke has applied to 12 colleges within the past few months (with only 1 more to go), including two Ivy Leagues, and she's just "glad to have it almost done with". 

Kyle Neuwirth and Tessa Gori also agree that the admissions process has been a little crazy. "It's been really tedious and at times frustrating. I wish I had prepared better over the summer" disclosed Neuwirth, "The hardest part is definitely the questions that each college requires individually" added Gori. Both students have finished their applications and are patiently awaiting decisions. 

But Scott Riley has had a different experience. "The whole process has been fairly simple for me... all of the schools I'm applying to have pretty similar requirements". Riley, who is applying mainly to in-state schools says that his work on the application has been pretty easy due to the culmination of his efforts over the past 3 years.

No matter how easy or hard these students have had it with applications, Covid-19 has definitely made an impact on the process. It was the SATs (or lack thereof) that were the issue for Riley, Gori, and Neuwirth. Both Neuwirth and Gori have had multiple SAT testing sessions cancelled, and Riley found it difficult to focus while wearing his mask for 5 hours. Burke, however, was more concerned about the cancellation of a lot of her extracurricular activities. Both of these concerns could cause major issues for applicants, but the bright side, according to Burke, is that "the common app gives you a space to explain all that".

As for what the future of college applications will look like, we have no idea, but maybe this year will set in place some new precedents to make the application process easier for overloaded students. The seniors this year have put in a lot of hard work, on much more than just applications, and while it may seem like nothing right now, in the wise words of Scott Riley, "it'll all be worth it in the end".

Key Club Members Wrap Gifts for Wish Upon a Child

 By. Noelle Hanek

On Saturday, December 5th, Sparta High School’s Key Club participated in the Wish Upon a Child gift wrapping event. Numerous gifts were purchased by the organization for foster children. The children composed lists of gifts they hoped for, and Key Club members happily helped this become a reality. Members picked up the gifts, wrapped them with friends or family, and dropped them back off the following day, all ready to be delivered to the children. 

This is one example of Spartans contributing positively to their community. The effort and teamwork each member contributed to this project made it a success and also spread great holiday cheer! Key Club continually finds ways to contribute to the community, and anyone can become a part of it. If you are interested in getting involved, or want to learn more about Key Club’s current projects, the classroom code is y2nivvb and their instagram, @spartakeyclub. Hope to see you there!

SHS Shoe Drive!

 By Hayley Lane

Sparta High School wants your shoes! Help raise funds for the Class of 2022 by donating new, lightly used, and used shoes. Shoes are being accepted at the Sparta Public Library in drop-off bins. All sizes and styles are accepted! Contact Mrs. Scott to schedule a pick up if needed! 

Quarantine Diaries

By: Liv Canova

Last Saturday I went to my dad’s house and on Monday, I found out that someone in his office had Covid-19. I got the call on my way to work, so for the second time in 2 weeks I had to call out, drive home, and enter quarantine in my room.

The rest of my family at my moms house doesn’t spend time with my dad, so I was the only person in my house confined to my room and forced to wear a mask anywhere else in the house. 

Day 1-- Monday 11/16:

Just 3 days ago I received news that my Covid-19 test was negative, meaning I could be freed from my 4 day quarantine after being exposed to someone at school. But now here I am, stuck back in my room and I am not very happy. I had to call out of work, which I feel really bad about because that means I’m leaving my coworkers (who are generally new) to their own devices. There is a chance that my dad will test negative, which means that I could be out of here by tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

Day 2 -- Tuesday 11/17:

Afternoon: I’m not allowed into the kitchen, so my mom has to leave a tray of food outside of my door to tide me over until dinner, which is around 7 pm each night. Today was pretty normal school-wise because I only got a day and a half of in-person school before being moved to fully virtual learning. At least I have a little bit more time to do homework and apply to colleges.

I’m missing my last marching band rehearsal ever today, so that's a bit sad.

Night: My fears have been confirmed -- my dad has tested positive. That means that both my younger brother (now at his mom’s house) and I have been in direct contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 without masks on. Really no bueno for me. And, I can’t even get tested right away because it takes around 5 days after exposure for the virus to present itself in your body. I watch 2 movies back to back to distract myself from worrying about getting tested.

Day 3 -- Wednesday 11/18: 

Afternoon- Today has not been great. I missed my first 3 classes of the day, only going to music theory. I am extremely bored, I’ve refreshed my Instagram and TikTok feeds probably at least 10 times each.

Night: The only thing to get me out of my slump today are after school choirs. Each time we meet virtually for Shacappella (the school's a cappella group), we have a theme. Today was hat day, and seeing everyones funny hats lifted my mood.

Day 4 -- Thursday 11/19:

Afternoon- In order to try and schedule a Covid-19 test, I had to call a testing center as soon as they opened, as many times as it would take for them to answer my call. It took 27 calls to get a next day appointment. I was really hoping that I would be able to get a rapid test, but I don’t think that it’s going to happen.

Night- The upside to having all this free time is that I have been able to finish all of my college applications. By November 19! Come on that’s pretty good.

Day 5 -- Friday 11/20:

Morning- Fridays have the whole 30 mins per class schedule, which means that I am going to miss even more classes for my 10 am coronavirus test. I don’t have any symptoms, so the center lets me sit in the waiting room and I listen to them tell at least 20 people on the phone that they will have to call back in the morning for a Covid test because they have such a booked schedule for the next 2 days.

I was not a fan of the test the first time I got it, and I was not a fan of it the second time, but at least the man doing it was nice and asked me about college.

Night- to my dismay, the test was not a rapid one, and the results will take even longer than last time to get back to me-- 3 days. I have to miss my last marching band performance and watch it on the livestream instead. I make my friend pull me up on facetime for the 4th quarter so I can at least say hi to all of the friends I haven’t seen for 2 weeks. 

I have decided to watch the entirety of the Waco documentary in one night, consuming almost 6 hours of ~cult~ and screwing up my sleep schedule so bad that I get only 2 hours of sleep.

from: IMDb

Day 6 -- Saturday 11/21:

I have done absolutely nothing today

Day 7 -- Sunday 11/22:

Again, nothing. As it turns out, I was supposed to enter my information into the testing result portal as soon as I got tested. I did not, and now it will take them 48 hours to process my request, meaning that I will possibly have to wait another day and a half for my results to come back

Day 8 -- Monday 11/23:

Morning: I was reaaallllyy hoping that my results come back today before the end of school so I don’t have to call out to work again. But alas, 1:10 comes and goes and I am forced to call out for the 3rd Monday in a row.

3:30 pm: I just got the call that I was negative! 

The Oracle Christmas List!

 By Hayley Lane

As the holiday season approaches, I always have a hard time coming up with ideas to put on my Christmas list. As a solution for those who may be struggling with the same problem, I compiled a list of some of our member’s own ideas! Here is The Oracle’s Christmas List!

• Emma McNamara is asking for anything car related! Possibly some stickers or decals, seat or steering wheel covers, cool keychains, and other decor! This is a perfect idea for anyone who wants to personalize their vehicle! 
• Noelle Hanek is hoping to get some more room decor for her bedroom. Maybe some house plants, posters and shelves! 
• Kavya Kamath is asking for long fuzzy socks! Luckily, there are so many options. Some come in Christmas patterns, some have cute animals, and others have stripes and fun colors! 
• Liv Canova is asking for crocs! These also come in so many different colors and sizes, and even allow for small charms to be pinned into the holes of the shoes! 
• Both Charlotte Rogoff and Noelle Hanek are asking for lenses for their iPhones. Some examples of these lenses are fisheye, wide-angle, macro, or colors! These are great ways to spice up your photography. 
• Most of my own list was clothing. I spent Black Friday finding the best deals on clothing items from stores like PacSun and Forever 21!
• Finally, along with a nice fire pit for her backyard, Mrs. Deluccia is hoping for good health for herself and her loved ones! 

Girls Who Code: First Meeting a Success!

 By Kavya Kamath

On November 18th, the Girls Who Code club launched its first official meeting of the school year! Priding itself on being a low-stress, casual environment for all girls to code, this organization is open to beginners who’ve never looked at code before, to those in AP Computer Science. The club’s mission stresses the importance of coding in the real world and fixing the gender gap in tech fields. As it currently stands, only about a quarter of all computing jobs are held by women.

For those interested in joining, the club exists to promote learning about coding simply for the sake of learning, and is nothing like a classroom. In fact, at the introductory meeting (which was just about as lecture-filled as the club is going to get) club founders Sarah Bargefrede and Laurel Ferguson made a point to make time for breakout rooms, setting up accounts with Repl.it (the IDE to be used for all coding projects through the club), and having beginners like myself, who have never even looked at code before, run their first program!

Sarah and Laurel created the club because while in middle school, neither saw themselves pursuing a career in computer science. With television shows, movies, books, and other forms of media rarely portraying women in computer science roles, it’s hard for young girls to imagine themselves in computer science careers . In fact, Sarah herself said that her current inclination towards computer science all stems back to one fateful day in 8th grade, when she checked off a box on an exam indicting her ‘interest’ in computer science, which was really just lack of interest in the other options (biomedical science and architecture/engineering). 

Now, both girls are powerhouses in the computer science track of SHS’ STEM academy, and love to code. “I was lucky enough to get that opportunity,” Sarah said after the first Girls Who Code Meeting, and she wanted to extend that opportunity to other girls, in all grade levels, in a purposeful way. Female inclusion in STEM shouldn’t come from chance, but, rather, through intentional efforts on behalf of those who have influence over young girls to push them to pursue these rewarding and lucrative careers.

In future meetings, the club is currently looking forward to Hackathons, members creating their own programs, and much more! For anyone interested in coding, or even just curious about the world of coding, the classroom code is nysj2ll and club meetings are every Wednesday at 1:45.  The next meeting is this Wednesday, December 2nd. We can’t wait to see you there!

HMS Begins Virtual Instrument Lessons

 By: Hayley Lane

Over the past few weeks, Helen Morgan School students who have chosen to play an instrument have begun their virtual lessons. New strings students have weekly lessons with Mrs. Yang, and band students have lessons with Mrs. Curtis. During lessons, students practice basic posture skills, and learning simple songs like Hot Cross Buns. This year has certainly not been simple, but HMS is excited to continue the tradition of orchestra and band beginners no matter what! 

My brother (Wesley Lane) on a virtual lesson with Mrs. Yang!