Dr.Rossi Visits Sparta Basketball

        Of all the things Superintendent Dr. Rossi could do on his Friday afternoon, he stopped in at the Sparta boys basketball practice as they were preparing for an exposure game against Hanover Park at Hopatcong High School. As practice was winding down, Dr. Rossi visited the practice and saw what the team is all about. Dr. Rossi’s nephew Sean Rossi is a Sparta Alum who was a standout basketball player. After a fantastic career as a student athlete at Sparta, Sean went on to play college basketball at Ithaca college where he still holds the school record for assists. He also led the NCAA Division III in assists while he was playing. After graduating, Sean coached at West Point and currently coaches at Misericordia University.

       As practice ended, Coach Brennan introduced Dr. Rossi to the team. Coach Brennan said he would like to welcome him to the Sparta School District. Dr. Rossi was then given some Sparta Basketball apparel, which he loved. Coach Brennan ended practice preparing the team for a big upcoming game. He said, “We got to play with five guys on the same page, five guys on the same mission. Count on each other, and count on yourselves, and we will be fine.” Dr. Rossi said he looks forward to watching the upcoming games.

First Spring Musical Rehearsals Underway

This week, the Spring Musical took its first steps by beginning rehearsals for the entire cast. The Spring Musical this year will be “The Addams Family,” a musical based on the acclaimed T.V. comedy. The plot revolves around the family dealing with Wednesday Addams falling in love with a boy from Ohio, and the antics that ensue that try to keep them together and tear them apart. The comedy of the show really comes out through the interactions between the characters, as well as the plethora of songs that fill the production.

Personally, I am thrilled to be part of this experience, having been a part of previous Spring Musicals, including “Oliver!” and “Shrek the Musical.” After seeing how well the cast works together on the first day, I am certain that this year’s musical will be as good as, or even better than last year’s. The musical is set to debut in March 2, 3 and 4, 2017 and I anticipate a full house on opening night.

Rouge One Review

Written By: Sean Hannon 

Rouge One is a prequel to the critically acclaimed Star Wars film franchise (to be more clear it is before the first three movies and after the last three movies directed by George Lucas). It stars Felicity Jones and Diego Luna as the main characters. This movie was acclaimed as an instant classic by Star Wars fans, whom many saw the production of the film as a cash-in on the Star Wars fanaticism occurring after its revival. Disney needed to reassure those fans, as the previous movie, The Force Awakens, faced a plethora of criticism from the fanbase.

Summary

Jyn Erso is the daughter of Galen Erso, an engineer working on the Death Star during its construction. His heart is with the rebellion and he wants to isolate himself from the empire with no success. Fearing that her daughter will be indoctrinated by the empire, he sends her to be raised by a brutal rebel, Saw Gerrera. She grows up rebellious because of this and somewhat angry at her father for leaving her. In unseen events, she ends up in prison and is saved by the rebellion. This begins her journey with other rebels to either kill or capture Jyn's father. Through a majority of the plot, the film focuses on six main characters which make the film lively and in some cases comical.

Positives

In short, most of the movie was great. The city settings seemed alive with commerce and the barren planets looks beautiful to the viewer. The characterization was amazing and truly made the viewer care for each character. The plot felt like a classic Star Wars plot, and not just a made up story to generate revenue as many had thought. The fight scenes kept the viewer on their toes and the space battles filled them with adrenaline. This is a state of the art action movie of our times.

Negatives

When on the topic about characterization, the main character Jyn is the most blatant strong female character role. Her personality quickly changes from trope 1 too trope 2 and it's such a huge change that it comes off as odd to the viewer. Also many people may be sick of the classic Star Wars as it has been overused for a long time, so reintroducing the Death Star may not have been the smartest idea from Disney. And by now the nostalgia of the past Star Wars movies has worn off and the references off the past movies just feel old to some viewers.

Overall

I would definitely recommend this movie, it has great characterization from the most part, and the plot is strong enough to hold up on its old without relying on nostalgia. Even if you are not a fan but are still enjoy action movies this is a must see as the action scenes are fantastic and exhilarating. This is not a movie you will regret seeing.

Apple Is At It Again - Rumors Of The New iPhone

Written by: Brandon Drapeau 

Every year, many Americans anticipate the release of a new iPhone. It’s cool, it’s new, and it's definitely a conversation starter.

“Oh hey, did you hear about the new iPhone?”

“Of course! I already preordered one!”

“Oh yeah? Which color?”

That’s one of the many possibilities.

But on a more serious note, we have had very bland features come with the so called new and improved iPhones. What new features will the iPhone 7s (or maybe 8) bring us?

Names

This highlights us to our first, eh, “change.”

The new iPhone may come with 3 different options, all having different names.

The iPhone 7s will be the absolute base model. One step higher - practically a refurbished iPhone 7+ is the iPhone 7s+. Super creative. We know.

But the biggest prize goes to what we’ve all been waiting for- the iPhone 8. Since this phone has been confirmed to get a new design, we will just break down the nail-biting release that is the iPhone 8.

Program Upgrades

Since the iPhone launch is still nine months away we don’t have too many details on the specifics, but we can imply them. Since Apple has been going in chronological order with their processor chips, we can practically guarantee the phone will be run by an A11 Processor. This will be faster and cleaner than the previous A10 chip - it’s just common sense. Also, according to MacRumors.com, the iPhone 8 will have wireless charging technology. Apple may install a chip, that with help from companies such as TechNovator, would be able to charge your phone through a wireless signal. Taking charging to a whole new level, am I right?

Design Upgrades

The iPhone 8 is almost guaranteed to have a OLED display, which is upgrade from the previous LED. OLED does not require a backlight, therefore the iPhone 8 will be able to produce darker blacks and richer, contrasted colors than the previous iPhone models. While Samsung phones have had OLED displays for years, it is an upgrade for people who never have had Samsung and use Apple. 

The iPhone 8 may be bezel less, meaning the glass will go across the entire screen edge-to-edge. This is new to iPhone users, but once again, Samsung has had this with many of their phones. This also ties in the possibility of the iPhone 8 having a curved display. Like a broken record, Samsung already uses this technology in their famous “Edge” line, but it will be very cool to see on an iPhone.

Also, the iPhone 8 will most likely be 5.8 inches, .3 inches bigger than the 5.5 inch model, and an inch bigger than the 4.7 inch model.

Lastly, but definitely not least, the iPhone 8 may not have a home button. With recent technology having light shed on it, it is very possible to have your fingerprint scanned through a glass display taking away the need for a home button. Recently, the popularly known brand Synaptics recently introduced this technology, and it will be put into phones early this year.  

If these theoretical features and upgrades haven't gotten you excited for the new iPhone coming out in September of 2017, there is still ten months to go and who knows what else can be added to the must anticipated iPhone ever? Sit back and watch technology take a whole new surreal step.

Here Are The Highest-Rated Films From Popular Movie Franchises

Article by: Kanita Tariq 

Ever read a good book series but didn’t want to waste your time on watching the movies, especially if you felt that they wouldn’t stay true to the books? Or maybe you couldn’t decide which one to recommend to a friend? To help, here are some of the most popular film series, and their highest-rated movie for you to choose from. Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: The final installment of the Harry Potter films, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the hunt for the last Horcruxes in their efforts to defeat Voldemort.

Runner-Up: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Iron Man

Iron Man: Billionaire Tony Stark creates a weaponized suit of armor to fight evil after being held captive in an Afghan cave.

Runner-Up: Iron Man 3

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the government after their victory of the Hunger Games sparks rebellion.
Runner-Up: The Hunger Games

Captain America

Captain America: Civil War: Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift in former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

Runner-Up: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Twilight Saga

It’s a Tie! Eclipse: As a string of murders grip Seattle, Bella Swan must choose between her love for vampire Edward and her friendship with werewolf Jacob.

Breaking Dawn Part 2: After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

Runner-Up: New Moon

Divergent

Divergent: Living in a world divided into factions, Tris Prior learns she’s Divergent and does not fit in these groups divided by virtues. Discovering a plot to exterminate Divergents, Tris and her instructor, Four must discover the secret of the rare group.

Runner-Up: Insurgent

3 SHOWS YOU FORGOT YOU LOVED

Written by: Sylvia Sochacki

It’s a commonly shared opinion that shows from the good ol’ days, that being the 90’s and early 2000’s, were of greater quality. Whether that be because of superior scripts, quirkier characters or overall more entertaining and original content, these shows have stuck with us from childhood for one reason or another.

Now point your finger and summon a time travel spell with Sabrina The Teenage Witch.You may remember Melissa Joan Hart as her starring role of Sabrina Spellman, a teenage witch living with her supernatural aunts. She must juggle mortal high school, dating, being called a freak by Libby the cheerleader, being randomly quizzed by a quizmaster to obtain her witch’s license, all while hiding her powers from her mortal friends, and enemies. One could say her powers symbolize the incredible struggle to juggle passing high school, maintaining healthy social relationships, having a job, participating in extracurriculars and the gloom of family and personal matters that every teenager combats daily. With it’s witty script, endearing characters and constant situational irony, it’s reassuring to see how similar an average mortal’s life, like your own, can be to that of a teenage life.

Brew a cup a coffee or two, (or five) grab your mom and enjoy the clever back and forth banter of Gilmore Girls. Netflix’s addition of Gilmore Girls to its selection kick started the incredible fan base it never saw when it first aired in 2000. The new access to the show was a walk down memory lane for the old fans and introduced the new fanbase to the mother daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Pregnant at 16, Lorelai Gilmore ran away from home, talked her way into a job at a hotel and raised her daughter, Rory Gilmore. Gilmore Girls starts off with 16 year old Rory being accepted to a prestigious high school, and the debt Lorelai repays to her own mother is weekly Friday night dinners till the debt is repaid. This comedic drama is overflowing with immaculate dialogue and beautiful characterization, you’ll fall in love with not only the town of Stars Hollow, but the charming inhabitants of it as well. (Note: a revival of Gilmore Girls was released on Netflix on November 26 2016, it’s a tearjerker)

Meet Boy Meets World - an average 90’s sitcom. A young male lad getting through middle school with the help of his friends and family, plus a 7th grade teacher that just won’t go away...or retire for that matter. From the outside, not much separates this show from the pool of shows just like it, however the everlasting bond and eternal relationships of the characters creates a T.V. family unlike any other. The audience grows up with each of the characters, messing up, righting wrongs, and maturing along the way. The troublesome trio of Cory ,Sean and Topanga is not a trinity that is easy to enter, but once you're in, you’re in for life.

Now that we’ve dusted off our VHS tapes and let the glowing warmth of their wit and wholesomeness shine through, it’s time to push them through the slot, rewind to the beginning, and reminisce on a time that 2017 has forgotten. Where witches go on school field trips to Salem, Massachusetts, where a strictly religiously raised Korean girl hides rock CDs under floor panels, and where a single teacher follows you from middle school all the way to college. Watch back these classic favorites and remind yourself of the love for them that  you never lost.

New Years Resolutions Survey

Written and Conducted by: Lauren Groff

This Week’s Poll Question: What is / was Your 2017 New Year’s Resolution?

As many of you probably have experienced yourselves, New Year’s resolutions are broken almost as fast as they were are decided. This year, we decided to ask you what your goals were - or are, if you're disciplined enough to follow through with your resolution - for 2017.

Featured Answers

“Watch less Netflix” - Autumn Nady

“Eat healthier”- Erin Finnegan

“Exercising more” - Noelle Vallario

“Survive my time as a freshman” - Maddie Sager

“Stop wasting my time binge watching Netflix” - Jessica Berghofer

“To work out more” - Ashton Martini

As shown clearly above and in other answers not featured to avoid repetitiveness, the most popular resolutions included “to exercise more” or “watch less Netflix” . Let's see how many of you keep up your resolutions! Till next week.