By Hayley Lane
By. Noelle Hanek
To all who were anticipating watching Sparta’s basketball games, your lucky day is here! On Monday, January 25th, Sparta High School’s director of athletics, Mr. Stoner, announced that live stream cameras have been purchased for both the main gym, and Cassels field. In addition, he noted that all games at these two venues can be viewed absolutely free, without any paid subscriptions required. This allows for Spartans to watch these games anywhere, in real time, with ease!
While it's unfortunate that spectators are not permitted inside the gym during basketball games, the addition of live streamed games has many positive aspects that can not be ignored. For instance, those who live away from Sparta and who were previously unable to commute to a game are now able to watch their friends and family members play in real time from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, the free streaming access will encourage even more Spartans to watch their peers play and cheer them on even more.
These live-streamed games open up more opportunity for people to view the games as they would in person. So whether you are a parent, player, or simply a fan, now is the perfect time to watch Sparta sports!
All home basketball games can be viewed here:
Go to your school page: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/sparta-high-school-sparta-nj
Click “FOLLOW” towards the top right of the page.
Click “Sign up for Free!”
Create your account by entering in your first name, last name, email address, and password.
Click “Continue”.
By: Emma McNamara
On Monday the 18th, students had a day off from school. Many kids were excited for a three-day weekend to relax and sleep in, but why wasn’t school in session?
Every year on the third Monday in January, citizens celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This federal holiday marks King’s birthday (the true date being January 15th).
The famous Baptist minister and social rights activist played a very important role in American history. King believed in advancing civil rights through nonviolence. According to Britannica.com, “his leadership was fundamental to [The Civil Rights] movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States” (Carson).
His “I Have a Dream” speech became popular nationwide, and successfully conveyed the message that promises in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution can not be truly fulfilled until those freedoms are granted to all Americans. Black Americans as well as White Americans.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy lives on, as his words continue to teach and inspire new generations in the US. We will continue to honor him on MLK day, reflecting on his service, relaying his message, and celebrating his life.
By: Hayley Lane
On Thursday, January 7th’s Pass it Along (PIA) meeting, Ms. Lucas and Mrs. Deluccia announced an upcoming service project involving the fifth-grade students of HMS. An SHS student is partnered with 3-4 fifth grade students as they send “letters” in a google slide each week, asking and answering questions as they learn about each other. This project is a great way for older students to connect with younger students of Sparta. To get involved with this project and other PIA projects, contact Ms. Lucas or Mrs. Deluccia to join!
By: Emma McNamara
Are you sick of the cold, and longing for a quick escape from the dreary winter? Do you love fruit, and wish you could get your hands on a delicious and healthy smoothie? Maybe you’ve really been missing the fun of getting together with friends and picking up Instagramable acai bowls.
Well there’s no need to any longer, because Playa Bowls is back in Sparta! Under new ownership, the store is ready to bring back beachy vibes to the community.
Located in the North Village Shopping Center, the beautifully decorated acai shop will be operating Monday through Sunday from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm.
Playa Bowls had their grand opening on December 27th, with a line of people already forming an hour prior opening time. The feedback from the town on Playa Bowls’s Instagram account is enough to prove just how much Sparta has missed this beloved shop.
If you’re getting hungry just thinking about the tropical tastes that Playa Bowls provides, you should head over and grab yourself the popular Nutella Bowl, your favorite smoothie order, or even a juice or oatmeal bowl! See you there.
By: Noelle Hanek
On January 19th, 2021, the doors of Sparta High School are expected to open back up to students, allowing them to attend school in person again. In the midst of this excitement, the Oracle conducted a survey asking the SHS student body how they plan to be attending school on the 19th and beyond. After 215 students responded, the results are as follows:
16.3% of students plan on attending school in person each day on an abbreviated schedule.
63.3% of students plan on attending both in person and remotely using the district’s A/B hybrid schedule.
20.5% of students plan on attending school using the district’s remote option.
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| from: mickeyblog.com |
A preface:
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new."
- from Ego's Monologue in Ratatouille (written by Brad Bird)
If you haven’t seen/heard of Ratatouille the TikTok Musical by now, boy are you missing out.
I was a witness to it’s conception, creation, and final product, as many Gen Z were, and I have to say that it was quite the experience.
The show premiered on TodayTix on January 1 at 7:00 pm and was only available for 72 hours, but an encore performance was hosted by TikTok on January 10 just for that night.
Leading up to its debut, I had no idea what to expect. I knew the cast and I knew the songs, but that’s about it, and I was blown away at the final product.
Let me start off with my critiques first just to get them out of the way.
- Makeup. I think all the actors playing rats should have had similar rat makeup. It was a bit jarring to see Wayne Brady’s rat face and then see Tituss Burgess without any of the makeup. I think it could’ve just pulled everything together a little bit better.
- Emile's Casting. As much as I love Adam Lambert and am in awe of his talent, I don’t think he was right for the role of Emile. Emile is a character who could just pull an eggo waffle out of his sweatshirt and start eating it and you wouldn’t be surprised, and I just don’t see Adam Lambert doing that.
Now to my praises, because this experience was mostly filled with good
- The casting (aside from what I mentioned in critiques). I think the casting really made this project come alive. I absolutely loved Kevin Chamberlin as Gusteau. I thought he was perfect casting and I’ve loved his voice since I heard his performance of Fester for the Addams Family musical. Additionally, he co-wrote the song that he performed! I also loved Andrew Barth Feldman. He is amazing already, but i thought he was perfectly cast as Linguine. If you closed your eyes and listened to him acting out those scenes, I guarantee that you would not be able to tell the difference between him and the original voice actor. Also Andre De Shields! Although he only got a few minutes of time on screen, he really brought the character of Ego to life. A few of my other standouts were Ashley Park as Colette and Tituss Burgess as Remy.
- The songs!!! They were already crowdsourced before the musical, so that gave them an advantage, but they are all incredibly written. My personal favorite is “Trash is Our Treasure” (written by Gabbi Bolt) and I think Wayne Brady did a great job performing it.
- Tituss Burgess’s backgrounds. I liked that he had a green screen behind him so that the scenery could change. The backgrounds they chose were subtle, but did a good enough job that my mom (who has never seen the original ratatouille) was able to follow the story (with help from Tituss Burgess's narration).
- Broadway show references. As someone who loves Broadway, the references to some famous shows were not lost on me. The shows referenced included: The Producers, Spamalot, A Chorus line, Rent, and Cats.
-The ensemble dances. With cast members like JJ Neiman and Joy Woods (both Broadway and off-Broadway performers), you know these dances had to be good. I liked how they had mainly a Broadway feel, but sometimes brought in some TikTok moves to show this project’s roots.
All in all, Ratatouille the TikTok Musical helped raise 1.5 million dollars for the Actors Fund and sold over 200,000 tickets in over 138 countries. If you missed the show, you can still find it on Youtube.
*this article has been edited for clarification*
Right before winter break, the SHS choir, orchestra and band classes released their winter program in the format of slideshow, showcasing each performance from each class in video links. As someone who is in orchestra and choir, I can say that the process of putting these videos together isn’t easy, and it’s very interesting!
First, students record by listening to their part in earbuds and playing/singing along with what they hear.
Then the teachers take a video from each student and put them into ProLogic (a recording program), where they sync up each recording so the entire class is singing/playing together! In this program, they can fine tune anything they want.
After syncing the audio, they may have to sync video and this is done with the help of Mr.Viegas. Students send an additional video of themselves singing/playing the piece with their face showing to be featured in the video!
Both students and staff have put weeks of hard work into these projects, and it really shows.
A big thanks is due to the incredible Mr.Viegas and to SHS's amazing music teachers; Dr. Gianuzzi, Mr. Lopez, Mrs. Lopez and Ms. Bach; for all their dedication to their students and to their craft. These teachers have put so many hours into making the virtual concert happen and it would in no way be possible without them.
To hear the winter concert, click on this link!
Written by Kavya Kamath, Edited for Accuracy by Grace McDonough
*Attack on Titan Spoiler Warning*
Anime fans rejoice… Sunday, December 6th, the very first episode of season four of Attack on Titan was released! Titled “The Other Side of the Ocean,” fans have been waiting since summer 2019, when the last episode of season three was released, for the final installment of this animated adaptation of one of the best selling manga of all time. The series follows the hot-blooded, impulsive young man Eren Jaeger from the age of nine years old, when his family adopts the stoic Mikasa Ackermann, all the way up until season four, when he’s 19.
Humanity is devastated. For a hundred years, people have been living peacefully inside 50 foot tall walls to protect themselves from the humanoid, man-eating giants that roam the Earth: the Titans. Eren vows to free humanity from the walls that pen them like cattle. His only hope of uncovering the secrets of the titans is a key that unlocks the door to his father’s cellar. Eren, along with Mikasa and Armin Arlert, the third member of their trio and the brains behind many of their operations, find themselves enlisting in the Scout Regiment, the soldiers who go on reconnaissance missions outside the walls. In season one, the scouts survive a siege on Trost District, where Eren learns that he can inexplicably assume the power of a titan, and the fallout that precedes that discovery. Season two brings an epic battle resulting in the revelation of traitors and betrayers and the implosion of many long-standing friendships between the young soldiers. Finally, in season three, another devastating battle ensues, and one question looms: what answers lie in Dr. Jaeger’s basement? This all sets the stage for an epic conclusion in Attack on Titan: the Final Season, where fans anticipate that the Scouts will reach the continent of Marley, encounter new foes, engage in warfare like never before, and do it all with the entire fate of humanity resting on their shoulders.
So, for anyone looking to follow Eren, Mikasa, and Armin on their drama and adventure-filled journey to Marley and final attempt to guarantee humanity’s survival, Attack on Titan can be found on Netflix, Tubi, Huli, Crunchyroll, Funimation, and so on. As a person who didn’t watch anime before Attack on Titan, I can wholeheartedly say that this is one series you don’t want to miss out on watching. And to any diehard Attack on Titan fans out there, happy watching!
By. Noelle Hanek
With Governor Murphy’s recent announcement that all indoor sports are permitted to resume on Saturday, January 2nd, Sparta sports are off to a strong and hopeful start in the new year, with many winter sports now beginning their long awaited seasons. Due to the current coronavirus situation, the start date of many sports has been continuously postponed; however many exciting seasons are now underway! For instance, Sparta’s ice hockey team has recently merged with Kinnelon High school and Jefferson High school, and together, the team is prepared to start off their 2021 season strong. The first meeting for the winter track meeting is currently holding its first virtual practice on this Monday, January 11th. In addition, the Sparta bowling season is scheduled to start on January 11th. If you are still interested in joining the bowling team, contact Coach Carter at Gerald.Carter@sparta.org . With this exciting announcement, boys and girls basketball are also expected to resume next week as well. For additional information on upcoming winter sports, stay tuned to the Oracle for more updates!
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| from: pngkey.com |
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| from: webstockreview.net |
By Noelle Hanek and Kavya Kamath All throughout high school, we do the best we can in our classes while taking the hardest ones we can. A...
