SHS PRESENTS THE WIZARD OF OZ

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Sparta High School Presents 'The Wizard of Oz'

(Photos by Ms Paige Lucas)

By Julia Miller

This upcoming weekend, the Sparta high school auditorium will be filled with magic and adventure as the students of Sparta high school present 'The Wizard of Oz.' 

The Wizard of Oz will run from Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 3. On Friday and Saturday the play will start at 7pm, while on Sunday it will be at 2pm. There will also be a meet and greet with cast members presented on Sunday from 12-1 pm. Regular tickets will cost $15, tickets for children under 5 will be $7, and tickets for seniors/students will be $10.

The students have been working tirelessly for weeks to prepare for this exciting musical.

Michelle Kujalowicz, the student director and stage manager said: “I feel very confident about the musical in general, I think it’s going to be very fun and interesting with a lot of fun little surprises that are waiting.”

Megan Armstrong, playing Dorothy, said, “I think it’s a really great cast, and everybody is very supportive and encouraging. It’s going to be a really great show with a lot of magic and a lot of excitement.” 

This year also marks the 85th anniversary of the original Wizard of Oz. Kujalowicz said this anniversary makes performing the play “even more special.”

Sparta High School previously presented The Wizard of Oz in 2009. Angela Deluccia, the director of this year's Wizard of Oz, also worked on the previous Wizard of Oz 15 years ago. Assistant director and choreographer Mrs. Lucas was also in the previous Wizard of Oz play, and her helping to direct this new play helps make this extra exceptional. 

The cast and crew look forward to sharing their production with the community. Tickets can be purchased online.

*Also published 

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/sparta/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-sparta-high-school-presents-the-wizard-of-oz

ACADEMIC BOWL UPDATE

 

Academic Bowl Update

By Kate Sutphen and Tyler Harms

Last Saturday, February 3rd, the Sparta High School academic team led by McKaela Reekie took home second place. This tournament featured over 15 teams from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where teams competed against each other in academically themed trivia questions. The theme for this year was “television shows.” Only eight teams make it into the playoffs, which is a single-elimination model. This is Sparta’s first time making it to the playoffs, where they were seeded fifth out of eighteen after the preliminaries. 

The competition begins with three rounds against three different teams. Each round includes thirty questions with a “lightning round” in the middle. The rounds are modeled after Jeopardy - each question can be worth 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100, with five categories in each round that teams can select. They have thirty seconds to answer the question and if they do not answer correctly or run out of time the question goes to the other team. The other team then has ten seconds to “steal,” and if they either answer incorrectly or run out of time neither team is rewarded the points. During the lightning round, a series of ten questions are asked in 60 seconds. The team can pick from three topics of their choice. Each question that the team answers correctly gets ten points. The other team is then asked the questions they did not get to or did not get correct. For each question that is asked they get six seconds to answer. Then the last fifteen jeopardy-style questions are asked. At the end of the round, all the points are tallied. The total points from each of the rounds are combined to determine the eight teams moving on to the next round. 

During the playoffs, Sparta advanced twice with wins against Chatham and JFK High School. Both rounds, of which, were upsets. The first round was a rematch against Chatham, whom Sparta lost very narrowly to in the preliminary rounds. In the semi-finals, Sparta outlasted the number 3 seeded JFK team to secure a spot in the finals. The final match against Voorhees was well-fought, but Voorhees managed to win. Nonetheless, Sparta’s run was historic, marking their farthest advancement in such a tournament. 

SHS Sports News

 

Photo credits: Nathanial Burke

By: Julia Miller

February 5, 2024

SPARTA, NJ- Two local Sparta varsity basketball teams clashed on Thursday, February 1: Sparta High School visited Pope John. Going into the game, the Sparta boys basketball team's record was 8-9, while the Pope John boys team’s record was 0-16. The final score was 53-31, a win for Sparta. To add to the excitement, this game was also the Pope John team's senior night. 

When asked about the strengths of the team, Coach Brennan from Sparta said, “I think right now it's comradery. It's how the guys love playing together.”

Spartan captain Brandon Joefield, said, “I felt great about the game. The energy was at an all-time high. The highlight of the game was the student section being loud and intensifying the game.” 

The energy of the game was not only noted by Brennan, but also by Coach Vanhorn from Pope John. Both coaches remarked how the game between the two schools is one of the most fun and exciting games of each season.

Vanhorn also noted the significance of senior night, and said, “Honoring the seniors is more important to me honestly than if we win or lose.” Lions Captain Alex Grubbs said the game was a “good overall team effort,” and that he believes Pope John Basketball has a “bright future ahead.”

Brennan said a highlight of the game was “having all five of our seniors on the floor at the end of the game, to finish this game together.” 

This was an intense game, especially since Sparta and Pope John are cross town rivals. Regardless of the outcome, it was a great night for both teams to be able to celebrate their seniors.

Game Stats:

Leshem Little and Hayden Kopco each put up 13 points.  Shane Hoover added eight, Chrystian Grubbs had six.  Pat Connors and Brandon Joefield each scored five.  Nick Szabo dropped in a free throw. 

Sparta boys host Delbarton on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m.

Published:

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/sparta/sections/sports/articles/sparta-high-school-boys-basketball-beats-pope-john-1efcd16f-d01f-4544-b654-df2c385a7205

STUDENT COUNCIL ATTENDS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

SHS STUDENT COUNCIL ATTENDS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

February 2, 2024

By- The Student Council Executive Board

"Leadership is an action, not a position." —Donald McGannon

On Thursday, February 1st, the Sparta High School Student Council attended a multi-school leadership conference held at Madison High School. Student leaders from around Morris and Sussex Counties had the opportunity to meet, mingle, and discuss accomplishments and goals of their districts. They also focused on the significance of the qualities of a “leader”. 

In addition to the breakout sessions, the keynote speaker addressed the myriad qualities of leadership. Some of the most notable included selflessness and perseverance.

Student Council Vice President, Jake Koerner took away a lot of information from the conference. “To be a giver and do it for the right reasons, listen and keep an open mind when trying to lead people because they can change your mind just as much as you can change theirs.” Jake noted that communication is the key to the success of any organization. “I learned how we all are a little different but once someone is comfortable talking they open up and you really see who they are and that’s what a leader does for those people.” 

Parer Hein, Student Council Treasurer,  found the conference to be a “very helpful and a great experience”. He really benefited from the fundraising discussions and was happy to swap notes with other student leaders.

 

Sarah Weisbeck, Student Council President, was also in attendance. Sarah was very excited to be able to meet student leaders from other schools and compare notes. She was able to garner some ideas that she would like to share with the Representative Council at the next meeting.  Sarah also noted that it is a common goal for student leaders to bolster school spirit and student involvement in activities to add to the overall positive climate of the school. 

Ms DeLuccia , Ms Scott, Mrs. Tafuri, and Mrs Jozefczyk also attended the conference - they were able to chat with other advisors and brainstorm ideas for upcoming events.