Thursday, November 30, 2023

FALL DRAMA RECAP


FALL DRAMA RECAP
by Tyrese Joanne Nagamos

At Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersey, the stage came alive with 

the performance of Ken Ludwig's Midsummer/Jersey by the talented students

 of SHS Drama Club. The play, a clever adaptation of Shakespeare's

 A Midsummer Night's Dream, offered the audience a comedic journey set 

against the backdrop of the Jersey Shore, parodying the popular show on MTV.


Under the direction of Alison Sussman, the students demonstrated

 exceptional creativity and commitment, both on and off the stage. 

The students worked hard to perform this play, each dedicating hours 

to perfecting all aspects of the production as the entirety of the show

 was student designed.


With the help of Stage Manager Isabella Fernandez and Assistant 

Stage Manager Nadia Meckey, the play went smoothly due to their

 amazing ability to organize the production. 


Set designer Catherine Marussich brought Midsummer/Jersey to the stage.

The costumes sparkled due to costume designer Emily Pappa’s 

guidance and vision, and the production came to life with

 prop master Chloe Brawer. The atmosphere 

was created by Frankie Llyod’s soundscape, with original music

composed by Kaitlyn Kayser. Lights were designed by Nicholas Sebes, 

allowing for our students to shine. 


The cast delivered stellar performances, blending the charm of

 Shakespearean characters with distinct and hilarious Jersey Shore residents. 

The chemistry between characters added depth to the comedic situations,

 providing a thoroughly enjoyable experience.


Midsummer/Jersey not only entertained but also provided students with a 

unique opportunity to engage with classical literature infused with a local twist.

 The production showcased the versatility of the students, demonstrating their 

ability to tackle complex material with enthusiasm and skill.


The shows were performed from November 16th through 18th

 in 2023. Access the virtual Playbill here for the full credits, photos, 

and videos from the show:

 https://www.playbillder.com/show/vip/Sparta_

High_School/2023/Midsummer_Jersey_161322


Interested in learning more about SHS Drama Club

 and their upcoming events? Follow them on social media:


Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Tis' the Season for Music

 


Tis’ the Season for Music

-The Oracle Staff


Dr. Gianuzzi, Mrs. Lopez, Mr. Lopez, and Mrs. Nishimura are the music teachers here at Sparta High School. They are extremely talented and dedicated to the art and practice of music performance. They share their passion for music each and every day with about 300 hundred Sparta High School students. To celebrate their classes’ work, the community is able to enjoy the Winter Concert Series.


When asked about the program, Mr. Lopez excitedly responded, “Members of the Sparta HS Choirs, Bands, and Orchestras are excited about the upcoming Winter Concert Season. Students have been working hard since September on challenging, fun, and diverse repertoire. We hope that students, faculty, and community members will join us for these concerts. All concerts begin at 7:00 pm, and admission is free.”


December 6th - Bands

December 13th - Orchestras

December 21st - Choirs


START AT THE BEGINNINGS!


BEGINNINGS

by- Mrs. Christy Graham

Are you looking to show off your talent? Sparta High School has a literary art magazine called Beginnings where we publish your work.You can express your creativity by submitting your poetry, drawings, paintings, robotic creations, music pieces, photography and graphic design. On top of this, Sparta Beginnings has won gold awards from Columbia University's Scholastic Press Association every year since 2018. 

You are able to submit your piece by finding our flyers around the school and scanning the QR code or you could talk to your art/English teacher on how to submit. If you want to join the club, feel free to stop by room 231 during lunch on Day 3s. 

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

SPARTA LUNCH LEAGUE


SPARTA LUNCH LEAGUE

-Article and photos by Nate Burke


Lunchtime is when Sparta students can eat, get extra help in a class, go to the library to study. But now, some Sparta High School students have joined the Sparta Lunch League. 


The Lunch League is a student- run basketball league with 9 teams.


Games begin at 10:45 am each day. Scores and stats are recorded and are available for the community to see.



Spartans can be spectators at the games in the Annex Gym or view updates on Instagram @Spartalunchleague.





Wednesday, November 22, 2023

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

- ORACLE STAFF





“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller

Giving back to the community is just one part of what the Sparta High School Student Council does. It has become tradition that right before Thanksgiving each year, Student Council Volunteers wake up a little earlier, bundle up, and dig out their work gloves. Three hundred fifty holiday trees are delivered to the Sparta VFW to prepare for the Holiday Tree Sale- that funds the Ralph Rojas Scholarship Fund. And representatives from the council show up ready to work alongside members of the VFW and other community members to unload the trees to prepare for the sale. This year Mr. Carter from SHS and Mr. Crouse from SMS also volunteered their time and strength to help unload the truck.  Thank you to Anna Yerofeyev, Charlie Canzoniero, Gian Parker, Nate Rogoff, Cassidy Pry, Tate Wood, Quint Flannery, and Brady Flannery for the dedication to their school and community.



Saturday, November 11, 2023

Veterans of Sparta

 Veterans of Sparta Township - in their own words

Julia Miller

Veterans Day is on Nov. 11, 2023. It is a day established to commemorate and thank those who have served our country. 


Veterans have had an experience that most people do not get in their lifetime. We salute our veterans for their bravery and service to our country. It is crucial to reshare their experiences and lessons learned from serving our country to keep their stories alive and to remember that they have defended our values, our freedom, our security and our way of life.  


Looking to this year’s Veterans Day, five Sparta veterans have shared their stories. Sparta High School staff members Eric Hood, William Brennan, Gerald Carter, Shannon Benson and Sparta VFW Commander Pete Litchfield discuss their thoughts and experiences about their time serving this country. 


Shannon Benson- Head of Guidance at Sparta High School

Benson served in the United States Army from 1999 to 2005. He said the greatest lesson he learned from his time in the Army was “perseverance.”

He said, "The ability to push yourself, you can push yourself a lot further than you think, I think mentally and physically, and part of training in the military is designed to do that, to give you the ability to push through and persevere through things that you normally would not persevere through." 

Benson said he was able to learn about people by getting outside of the neighborhood of his youth.  

"I think that just me being from one small town in South Carolina, the military provided me an opportunity to be exposed to a lot of different people from a lot of different walks of life, people and experiences that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to if I wasn't in the military."

Gerald Carter - A History Teacher at Sparta High School

Carter served in the United States army from 1975 to 1981: three years active, three years inactive. 

He said that the greatest lesson he learned was to give back, and he also learned discipline. He said, "They don't give you any excuses, you've got to get it done."


Eric Hood- a Russian teacher at Sparta High School

Hood served from 1978 to 1981 in the United States Marine Corps.          

He learned appreciation for America.  He said it is the “greatest country in the world and I was proud to be a member of an elite organization."


He shared a story from when he was on the island of Okinawa. He had served there in the third division and carried hefty equipment. 


“I was going up a hill, and I was carrying something called a mortar tube, which weighed about 28-30 pounds and was long and very hard to carry. A dude saw me and said, 'Hood give me that, give me that' right, and I said, 'No, no, I can do it, I can do it,' and I fainted. 

“He was treating me like a child, saying one leg in front of the other. I realized that the weight was off of my back, and he was carrying it. The feeling of somebody that would help you like that right, and this is my best memory of the Marines.

“The reason it's so good is this was a person that you know if you had to, you would die for him, and he would die for you. It just shows the camaraderie of the Marine Corps. I will remember this guy until the day I die, and just this feeling of how in that situation you knew who you could rely on." 


William Brennan- A History Teacher at Sparta High School

Brennan served in the US Army from 1980 to 1984. He was a Russian linguist and attained the rank of sergeant before he left the military.. He joined the Army after high school because he had wanted to “earn money for college, travel and have some adventure.” 


He said, “My father had served in the Navy during World War II and I had always been interested in the military growing up. After basic training, I attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where I studied Russian for a year before ultimately being stationed in Germany. Going to DLI was one of the highlights of my time in the military and I am still friends with many of the people I attended DLI with."


Brennan said that the Army gave him the structure that allowed him to become more disciplined. “The discipline and maturity I developed in the military were some of the key reasons why I was able to do well later in college after I got out of the Army. I definitely would not have done as well if I had gone to college straight out of high school."


Brennan had a memorable experience when the Soviet Union shot down a Korean airliner and the US government went on red alert, not knowing if this was the beginning of an all-out war between the US and the USSR. 

“The incident happened on a weekend evening, when I was off work and attending a performance of the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ in a German movie theater downtown. It was maybe about 9 p.m. and I was there with at least a dozen people from our unit, including our commanding officer. Several of the soldiers had dressed up in crazy outfits for the show. “Someone came into the theater in the middle of the show and announced that the whole base was going on red alert and we had to leave the movie theater and get right back to base. We changed into our uniforms, got weapons, and prepared to deploy to the field to get ready for what we thought was a possible Soviet invasion of Western Europe. We were finally ordered to stand down around 1 a.m., but that was a very exciting, scary, and unusual evening."


Peter Litchfield- Commander Sparta VFW

Litchfield was in the United States Marine Corp. from Aug. 1966 until Sept. 1970. He got out of the Marines at the rank of Sgt. E-5. He was also in Vietnam from September 1967 until Election Day 1968 at the age of 19. 

Litchfield was in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, when 2,600 Americans were killed. 


Fighting in the military helped pay for Litchfields education, while also teaching him skills in “survival, logistics, and organizational skills.” The military skills he attained were also useful to his following career. 

He said, “I built copper mines in Chile, set up base camp and logistics, receiving all equipment and materials needed. Food, water for both people and high quality used in the production of copper. Waste treatment plants and temporary housing.”


Litchfield gives his advice for young people when he says: “I was at Khe Sanh during Tet, we were 6000 Marines on the combat base and we were surrounded by 20,000 North Vietnam regular Army troops. The battle lasted for 77 days. Constant bombardments from artillery thank God we had Air Force, Marine and Army air support. When I came home from Vietnam, I was stationed on ship as an Admirals Aid. Traveled all over the Mediterranean, South America at the ripe old age of 20-21. I've seen more of the world by 21 than most people ever dream of. My advice to all young people: Join, serve your country for four years.”


All of these men were put in scary and unusual positions to defend our country. They expressed a true connection with the others with whom they served our country. They all stepped out of their comfort zones for the good of the American people. On Nov. 11, remember to thank those veterans for their service to defend the values of our country, especially freedom.  





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