Students reflect on their religious upbringings
May 8, 2020
For freshman Anna Siciliano of Ocean Township, the religious upbringing from her early childhood still sticks with her. Siciliano attended Saint Jerome, a Catholic school, from preschool to eighth grade, and says that even though she doesn’t attend a religious school now, the knowledge that she rec...
In the spirit of education: CHS teaches about religion
May 8, 2020
Students sit patiently in rows facing the white board where World History teacher Tom Ross lectures them on the Quran, the sacred text of Islamic religious beliefs. The lesson is about religion, which can come across as a touchy subject, but no one questions it because it is history. “I think ...
Students observe religious differences between generations
May 8, 2020
Seventy percent of Americans believe in the importance of religious freedom, according to Fox News. But, 42 percent of the members of Generation Z (Gen Z) consider themselves religiously unaffiliated. Gen Z is redefining the importance of religion in their lives. “I do think that religion is prevalent in ...
CHS teachers prepare for statewide LGBTQ curriculum requirement
March 9, 2020
Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy mandated that all NJ public schools add LGBTQ-related topics into their lesson plans for middle and high school students. Twelve NJ schools began to pilot the new curriculum in January and the mandate is set to go statewide for the 2020-2021 school year, according to the A...
Some MCVSD schools emphasize inclusivity more than others
March 9, 2020
In some schools the LGBTQ+ youth are forced to stay hidden beneath the shadows in fear of any criticism that may come with revealing their sexuality. Some schools around the country have not always provided a safe environment for the LGBTQ+ youth to express their sexuality. These students still face...
Alliance provides a safe haven for the LGBTQ community at CHS
March 9, 2020
The Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is a student-led organization found in high schools that intends to provide a supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth as well as their cisgender, heterosexual allies. At CHS, GSA is a student-run club that provi...
Coming out comes with challenges
March 9, 2020
When freshman Lee Gaines of Shrewsbury came out to their family as pansexual and nonbinary, they were swiftly and promptly written out of their great grandmother’s will. “She was very, very Catholic. She went to a Catholic school, she almost was a nun,” Gaines explained. “It’s fine. I l...
Ivy League allures CHS students, but doesn’t admit them
March 9, 2020
Legend (and Naviance) has it that not one CHS student has ever gotten into Yale. Ever. That, however, did not stop senior Vaugh Battista of Tinton Falls from applying to the Ivy League school in Connecticut. The result? Battista was deferred, joining the large number of CHS students who have been deni...
College Board accounts for adversity with new Landscape program
March 9, 2020
Merit and minorities: two aspects college admissions teams struggle to balance when reviewing applications. Affirmative action and the new College Board program, Landscape, are among the solutions colleges are using in an attempt to fix this problem. Affirmative action is a policy implemented t...
Teens allow self-diagnosis to get to their head
Nicola DeGregorio and Isabella Ji
January 17, 2020
The number of students suffering from mental illness continues to increase, says the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Yet, opinions still differ on whether or not CHS students take the issue seriously. The number of mental illnesses in teens is on the rise due to school-related stre...
CHS Students Share Their Approaches to De-stressing and Maintaining Good Mental Health
January 17, 2020
Hundreds of students walk the halls of CHS everyday and, on the outside, it may look like they’re all fine; in reality, everyone is trying to cope with their own stresses. Minds are racing with countless thoughts about the tests they have to take and the homework that is piling up and many aren’t ...
CHS raises concerns about mental health resources
January 17, 2020
New Jersey is one of only nine states that require mental health education by law. In August of 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill that “required public school health education to include mental health,” according to NBC. This bill will take effect during the 2020-2021 school yea...