BY SARAH GLEASON
Features Editor
Few assignments have reputations that precede them. The teacher thinks the work is challenging, the student thinks its impossible and everyone knows the work has to get done. Here are the assignments we don’t soon forget.
U.S. History II – Sophomore year
Sophomore history teacher Bill Clark assigns each student a seven- to 10-page research paper on the topic of his or her choosing, which will have significant impact on the final marking period average.
“It’s long and there are high expectations,” Clark said about his paper. “There’s no hand-holding and I’m not going to teach you MLA format and how to write a simple sentence when it’s something you should have already learned,” he added.
“It’s more intense than other papers because of all the test grades it counts for,” said sophomore Brian Principe of Hazlet, who wrote his paper on the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Some students seek the aid of a tutor while writing Clark’s paper.
Sophomore Kevin Erskine of Eatontown worked with senior Megan Towey of Holmdel on his paper, after being recommended a tutor when his rough draft was returned.
Towey then created certain deadlines for Erskine to comply with so that she could proofread and make corrections where necessary.
“When I wrote it by myself it was spewed and unorganized, but Megan was a really good tutor and she kept me on task,” Erskine said. “The paper itself is hard to write because you have so much creative freedom.”
World History – Freshman year
In addition, because of its writing intensive nature, history teacher Sharyn O’Keefe’s tests cause students to stress.
“On the study guide she doesn’t give the actual facts, she gives the general topics,” said freshman Savanna Eosso of Matawan.
“I don’t know what to say besides they were awful,” said sophomore Jacob Pirogovsky, remembering the tests he took during his second semester of freshman year.
“It’s not the type of test they’re used to from middle school,” said O’Keefe. “They’re heavy on the writing and a lot of the times students are worried about finishing.”
Freshman Alex Cros of Ocean confirmed this.
“It’s all writing so unless you know the material very well, you’re going to have a hard time. You also have to write your essay well because she grades both content and structure,” she said.
O’Keefe said that the reputation of her tests makes them seem scarier than they are.
English III – Junior year
According to junior Will Kashdan of Long Branch, every Friday the English III class plays silent ball before the vocabulary quiz.
English teacher Robert Sherman says the definition of the word and then each member of the class is expected to know the stressed syllable in the word, what part or parts of speech the word is, two synonyms and two antonyms.
“It ensures that they’re properly prepared for the tests and quizzes. The scores have improved dramatically and it’s for their own good,” said Sherman.
“You kind of accept it after a while,” said junior Jackie Curran of Manalapan.
Junior Jen Hout of Middletown explains how the system works.
“You get minus ten points on the quiz if you get out,” she said. “If you’re lucky enough to stay in, you get plus three on your quiz.”
“It’s the incentive they need to do well,” said Sherman.
“A 90 doesn’t suck completely,” Curran added.
Junior Kristen Lapolla of Manalapan said that even compared to Sherman’s silent ball, physics was “easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Hout was quick to agree. “Anyway he explained it to me it was still hard,” she said.
Physics – Sophomore year
Sophomore Casey Cleffi of Manasquan said that physics ranked as her hardest class of her sophomore year.
“I feel like in class I always understood everything that we talked about, and sometimes I didn’t even need to pay attention, but then I would get the test and just stare at it. My mind would blank and forget everything,” she said.
“As much as I love Mr. Godkin and his enthusiasm, by the end of class I just felt like a cartoon character with a blank stare on my face and a speech bubble that just has an ellipses and a question mark,” said sophomore Sarah Soltes of Ocean.
“However that may also be a result of the massive amount of doodles in my notebook,” she added.
Cleffi added, “There were just so many concepts and formulas and different information that it just got all jumbled up and made the tests basically unbearable.”
“I think I actually almost cried after one of Godkin’s tests because it was so hard,” she said.