Muse

Written by Mike O. and posted by Mrs. St. Clair

On Friday, April 19, 2013 the British rock band Muse stopped by New Jersey as a part of their “arena” tour of North America and as a tribute to their newly released album, “The 2nd Law.” The tour consisted of concerts throughout the United States and Canada. It was an exciting tour for the band because it was somewhat distant from their home country of England. Even though they traveled overseas, it is certain that they could have felt right right at home when they played in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the “Meadowlands.” Their show was sold out, the arena had every seat filled, and the floor space was jam packed. The mood of the crowd was fantastic as they supported the band with all of their hearts, cheers, and “sing alongs” to every song. The audience was very diverse, as there was a range from relatively young children to middle aged adults. The concert was incredible, as all of the songs were played to perfection. Each of the guitar solos played by lead guitarist and lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy were flawless and the special effects were absolutely breathtaking. The lighting was perfect and the lasers reflecting across the smoky arena were a sight to behold. The pyramid of screens that dropped from the ceiling contributed to the success of the special effects because these screens provided possibilities for effects like playing film clips during songs, and showing close ups of the fans and band members. The set list could not have been better, considering it was a compilation of not only their most popular songs, but their best songs as well. Every song was truly appreciated by the fans. This show was one that will not be forgotten by anyone who attended and it is safe to say that everybody will be anxiously awaiting another chance to see these geniuses in concert again in the future!

Written by Noah M and posted by Mrs. St. Clair

On April 15th 2013, at 2:50 P.M. Eastern time in Boston, Massachusetts our nation was attacked. Without warning what appeared to be backpack bombs were placed along the final stretch of the Boston Marathon. The bombs exploded killing three people and injuring 176 more innocent civilians. Of the 176 injured, many suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized throughout Boston. Many individuals also lost limbs as a result of the bombings. Speaking for countless citizens around the country, we give our thanks to the doctors and nurses of those Boston hospitals who worked around the clock to save the lives of the severely injured victims. It still remains unclear about whether the attack was a terrorist attack or not, but a lot of evidence supports that it in fact was. Thousands of citizens around the nation have been very supportive and offering relief to those in mourning. This attack was devastating to Boston. Paying their respects, professional sports programs such as the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and the Boston Flyers, played the song ‘Sweet Caroline’ and held a moment of silence before starting their events. This nation is strongly held together with great pride and outstanding bravery. We will overcome this tragedy and bring those who were involved in the bombing to justice. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the bombing and may God bless this nation.

This past season, the Indian Hills Boys Basketball team was filled with intense emotion despite ending the season differently than the team had expected. With three returning starters, and six returning seniors, this coming season holds high expectations. All of the seniors who will be playing on the team next year have an amazing amount of talent and chemistry, which is quite rare. The team members will continue to work very hard as they always do in their off-season. With lifting three days a week and shooting hundreds of shots, the basketball team is determined to have a successful season next year. There is much work to be done, but the talent is remarkable. Next year is going to be successful and the Indian Hills Boys Basketball program is preparing to end the season successfully. Although finding a new coach may be a difficult task, the team will remain close and continue to push one another beyond their limits at an attempt to get better. As the off-season continues, the team looks to improve  – individually as well as collectively. Preparation for the upcoming season is going to be very exciting. Through determination and motivation, the team will work incredibly hard to become winners!

Written by Noah M.  and posted by Mrs. St. Clair

With tensions rising as North Korea expands its nuclear program, the United States has little time to react. As the previous leader, Kim Jon Il of North Korea, passed away the new leader Kim Jon Un has high expectations for his country. Just recently, threats have been made by North Korea to use their nuclear bombs on both South Korea and the United States. Similar threats have been made in the past and fortunately the threat was disbanded. But, this time North Korea broke off the treaty made with South Korea and its allies, basically declaring war on South Korea. This action has not been taken since the Vietnam War, so strikes against South Korea and its allies seem imminent, or so they say. North Korea is currently going through economic turmoil because of the big investments Kim Jon Un has made in his nuclear program. Because of this he nearly bankrupted his country. On top of his bankrupted country, there is many food shortages going on across the entire country. The innocent citizens of their country are starving already, and only 15% of the country has power and vehicles. If this food shortage continues the country will go through severe starvation and possibly thousands upon thousands of lives will be lost. As an attempt to prevent a revolution against him, Kim Jon Un is blaming the country’s economic depression and food shortages on the United States and South Korea. He is brainwashing the people of North Korea to believe in his words and persuade the people to believe their starvation is America’s fault. So the overall reason for these nuclear threats to America is nothing but a cover-up for Kim Jon Un’s actions that led North Korea into a downhill slide. As expected, Kim Jon Un’s threats should not be taken seriously. However, monitoring the country and keeping a close eye on his actions should continue for the safety of South Korea and the United States.

The Indian Hills softball team is very much a family. From road trips to weekend benefits, we have learned to come together as a team. One that sticks together through the toughest of times and celebrates when the good times roll. Every single member brings something special to the table, which enables us to be as competitive as we are, year after year. Our three coaches, especially, are major factors in our success. Head Coach Leicht is an infamous math teacher and driving force of the team. Coach “Pelo” Lomenzo, a batting coach and inherent jokester, and Coach Alexander, to whom we owe a great debt for all the volunteer hours he gives us, ensure the existence of a fall season.

Recently, the team had the opportunity to go down to Floria and play a tournament with teams from around the nation. We used this experience to bond and come together as a unit, and create a mindset that we hope to carry throughout the regular season. Much of our success come from our efficiency as a team and our ability to work together both on and off the field. As a team, we work as hard as we can and constantly strive for excellence. This doesn’t mean we don’t have fun, however, and we strike a good balance between work and play. To quote Coach Leicht, “Nobody works harder, but nobody laughs harder.”

All of this results in an incredible combination of drive, tenacity, and ability, and provides the key to our success so far. We look forward to another great season this year.

Indian Hills Boys Baseball

“We are a family.” These were some of the words said after the Braves win over Ramapo 11-1. The Indian Hills Braves baseball program shot out to a healthy 4-1 record after their 10 run mercy on Wednesday vs. Po. Under the leadership of legendary Coach Hill, the young squad has very high hopes for this season. Now the Braves are 5-1 after a comeback win vs. Pascack Valley. Christos, “The Greek Eliminator” leads the charge with 3 wins on the mound for the Braves. He came out on Monday vs. PV with another spectacular performance. Undoubtedly, the Braves have an unbelievable amount of depth in their lineup and their bullpen. Expectations are very high for the extremely skilled team. “The camaraderie on the team is like nothing ever seen before… except of course the 2012 Braves JV championship team including Jonny A., Rob B., Rich P., Mike G., Mike K., Matt E., Ken H., Mike. B., Cody L., Brett W., Billy C., and AJ L.,” says Jonny A. On a side note, last year’s JV team won the tri-conference JV invitational tournament as the 15th seed, making tournament history. Anyway, as the most successful spring team so far, the Indian Hills Braves baseball team looks forward to having a very successful season. In the famous words of Mike “Sporty” K, “that’s wassup!”

Written by Jonny A. and Posted by Francine V.

Written by Mike O. Posted by Mrs. St. Clair

Details – Release Date: October 12, 2012 ; Rated: R; Length: 120 mins

Genres: Drama, Thriller; History With: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

★★★★★

            The film Argo was truly an awe-inspiring flick. The movie takes place in both the United States and Tehran, Iran at the time of the Iranian hostage crisis. During the years 1979 through 1981, the Iranians took members of the American embassy hostage, and tortured them to express their anti-American sentiment. Fortunately, not all of the members of the United States embassy in Iran were captured, and the five people who escaped were able to quickly take refuge, and were forced to await the hero that could bring them back to their home country.

What better hero than action-star Ben Affleck, could rescue these people, save their lives, and bring them out of the hostile Iranian territory? Ben Affleck played the role of Tony Mendez, a CIA operative who devised a plan so ingenious that it actually came off as crazy to many of the people, therefore making the plan’s approval difficult. The idea was to make a phony movie crew with fake identities to accompany it and to distribute the fake identities  to Tony Mendez, and the remainder of the hiding Americans in Iran. The mission was thought to be suicidal by countless people; however the effectiveness of Mendez’s planning made him feel confident and positive about the situation. Entering a territory as hostile as Iran and a country whose exits were secured carefully by guards constantly on the lookout for Americans was obviously an incredibly risky and life-threatening action thus exhibiting the bravery of the protagonist and the suspense of the movie.

All of the cast members were played to perfection and the storyline was brilliantly executed as well. Each character and event was based off of the true story of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, and the representation and mannerisms of each actor and actress brilliantly mirrored their characters’ actual attitudes through the historic situation. Visually, the characters were masterfully created, the end of the film compared the characters of the movie with the photographs of the actual embassy workers, and the resemblance between each of them was eerie. Ben Affleck played the role of Tony Mendez extremely well, as it took a highly talented actor to successfully portray an American hero like Mendez, and his effectiveness through this movie clearly showed that he is a high caliber actor who could easily mimic the personality and heroics of this CIA operative in the scenarios reenacted through the film Argo.

The entire film was riveting and kept the viewers on the edge of  their seats for the duration of the movie. Bearing in mind that the events were modeled after the historic events of the United States gave the viewer a better sense of what was going on and also made the movie more effective and exciting since most of the viewers could relate to the topic, and could gain deeper insight to the dangers and threats of the situation. This movie is highly recommended, and it certainly deserved all three Oscar Awards that it received, the academy award for “Best Picture” and possibly even more.

Sean R. takes home the crown

On Thursday, eleven aspiring and dedicated Indian Hills men took the stage in the Indian Hills auditorium hoping to be given the title “Mr. Indian Hills.” The competitors faced off in many different categories, including beach wear, evening wear, and talents. In the talent category, those in the audience witnessed some incredible acts that will be nearly impossible to forget. For instance, Sean R. mathematically proved that girls are evil. Additionally, Heetae A. serenaded the crowd with his rendition of “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban. Heetae brought even the toughest of the people in attendance to tears during his performance.

While all the contestants amazed, there was certainly one who stood out among all the rest. This young man pushed himself to the extreme while appearing as if he was perfectly calm. Kevin H., one of the most talented men to ever walk the halls of this prestigious school jumped over a hurdle, took a sip of chocolate milk jumped back, took another sip, and continued this pattern until all the chocolate milk was consumed. It is still unknown whether or not any human being will push himself to the extremes that Kevin did. Other notable contestants read poems, acted as janitors, and created human bicycles, but Kevin clearly stood out amongst the field.

In the end, Sean R. defeated the competition and emerged victorious just narrowly beating out Kyle P., who received runner-up recognition. The final award to be given out was “Mr. Congeniality,” awarded based on applause only. Colin K. edged out the other contestants and took home the title. However, anyone in attendance would agree that all the contestants were winners because they all poured their hearts and souls into their performances.

Written by Nicolette J. and posted by Dan K.

Over February break, my friend’s family and I flew to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. This was my first time going out of the country, so it was really exciting. When we landed, the weather was beautiful, and it stayed sunny with only a few clouds all week. We stayed at the Hard Rock Resort, which was all inclusive, so we got to eat and drink all we wanted. Aside from the food, the rooms were kept nice and clean, and there were 13 pools and miles and miles of beach; it was perfect. I would highly recommend going to Punta Cana if you ever want to go to the Caribbean.

Written by Noah M. and Posted by Francine V.

Birding at Indian Hills

Birding is an unusual hobby but at Indian Hills High School it has recently been named a club. In 2012 it was just a group meeting where the members discussed birds, but did not take it as seriously as in 2013 when it was officially named the birding club. When you think of birding the first thing that may come to your mind is an older gentleman who is looking out his binoculars just for the fun of it. At Indian Hills, though, the birders range from athletes, rock band members, to even computer geniuses. So here at Indian Hills the birding club is open to anyone interested in birds or someone who just wants to get involved. You never know until you try. At birding you always learn something interesting.

Indian Hills High School is known for its fan support. The games generate massive crowds and students purchase tickets hours in advance just in case the game is sold out. Indian Hills is known for large, loud, and insane crowds.  We always have more fans at our games than all the other schools and everyone enjoys coming out and supporting the school. School spirit this year at Indian Hills has been the  greatest of the past three years. Our sports teams this year have not been the best but everyone at Hills shows their love and passion for the school despite that. For example, our football team this past fall had one win and nine loses, but each home game generated lots of fans in anticipation of the team winning a game. Even the away games generated the fan support that some schools don’t even get for their home games. Even if a student at Indian Hills does not know a lot about sports, he or she can still go to the games to cheer on the school. Everyone has a great time at the games even if the team comes up short on the scoreboard. For those few brave and extreme superfans body paint is used very often even in temperatures that drop down to the 40′s. Indian Hills fans love supporting our sports teams more than anything.

Indian Hills Example Chant:

Superfan- “Give me a B”

Fans- “B”

Superfan- “Give me an R”

Fans- “R”

Superfan- “Give me an A”

Fans- “A”

Superfan- “Give me a V”

Fans- “V”

Superfan- “Give me an E”

Fans- “E”

Superfan- “Give me an S”

Fans- “S”

Superfan- “What’s that spell”

Fans- “BRAVES”

Superfan- “What’s that spell”

Fans- “BRAVES”

Superfan-”LET’S GO BRAVES”

At the state competition teams had to take a difficult test along with performing one or two role plays. These role plays simulated business situations that required us as DECAteers to use our business, marketing, and financial knowledge to show the judges what we knew about our topic. If you or your team were in the top six of all the teams, you were a finalist. But, you hadn’t made it yet. As a finalist, you had to do another role play and the three best individuals or teams placed 3^rd, 2^nd, and 1^st, and received a trip to Anaheim. There were also mini awards given to people who did exceptionally well on their test or role plays. Jonny A and Mike O were awarded to the NJ DECA first team all state. Even though about 25 people are going to Anaheim from Hills, there is still one spot left for the taking to participate in a leadership conference. Rich P is an aspiring candidate for this role and he has been working his heart out to get that plane ticket to the Golden State. Now, the decision is up to Francine V to see who will accompany the Indian Hills DECA elite to the international DECA competition.

Other Indian Hills National Qualifiers Include:

- Anjani S and Katherine W in Business Law and Ethics

- Kenny B in Principals of Finance

- Bryan O and Doug G in Entrepreneurship Innovation

- Francine V and Molly R in Community Service

- Ashley C in Human Resources

- Aidan L and Jon H in Business Finance

If your Thursday schedule has an open slot at 8 PM, you’re in luck! The Big Bang Theory on CBS is one of the most popular sitcoms on television. Currently in its sixth season, the Big Bang Theory is set in Pasadena, California. Its initial main characters were Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, Howard, and Penny, but Bernadette and Amy have become prominent characters in the show’s hilarious cast. Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard are four close, geeky friends who work at the California Institute of Technology. Penny, a pretty community college grad who has unsuccessfully pursued an acting career, lives next door to Sheldon and Leonard. Penny is dating Leonard, and Amy and Bernadette are dating Sheldon and Howard respectively.

If you want to satisfy your search for the greatest show on Earth, there are a lot of notes you should consider about personalities and major plot points. Sheldon is the smartest genius of the bunch. Sheldon graduated college at the same time that most people would begin high school. He has OCD and a serious misunderstanding of social behavior. Sheldon is very condescending, but his familiarity with social conventions and feelings has gradually progressed throughout the six seasons. Sheldon currently is dating Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist, who is almost equally as awkward as Sheldon.

Leonard is Sheldon’s roommate, but he is much more normal. Leonard is an experimental physicist who has practically been in love with Penny since she moved in next to him. Leonard, Howard, Raj and the girls understand humor much better than Sheldon does. Howard is an aerospace engineer and Raj is an astrophysicist. Howard was a sex-crazed, single man until he married Bernadette, which put an end to this personality. Raj is quite lonely, which is partly due to the fact that he cannot speak in front of women without being intoxicated.

The Big Bang Theory’s audience is an amalgamation of people who can be geeks or anyone who has any sort of sense of humor. It’s the latest hit, and if you haven’t seen it, tune in Thursdays at 8.

Written by Mike O

The Indian Hills Braves basketball team has been making an attempt to close out its season with success, and prevent its effort and hard work put in throughout the season from being in vain. The daily practices and work that the players have put in since the end of last season have given the Braves basketball team full ability to win in the challenging stretch coming in the near future. The Braves have struggled to harness all of the experience they have gained by the close games that they have participated in, and their record does not truly reflect the fierce competition that each opposing team was forced to endure.

As of now, the Braves basketball team stands at a record of 5-12, with five wins and twelve losses. Many of these losses were winnable games and the Braves have competed in just about every game that they have played in. People may not understand the heart, soul, talent, and capability of the Indian Hills basketball team simply by looking on the surface. No loss was able to bring down the spirit of the Indian Hills basketball team, and the unity of the tight-knit team is truly inspiring.

With a tough stretch coming up, including games against rival schools Ramapo, St. Joe’s, and Teaneck, the Indian Hills Braves look to use their unity to an advantage and put forth some great effort to chalk up some more wins in the home-stretch of the season. If the Braves play up to their full potential, all of these games should be very winnable and the Braves of Indian Hills could close out their season with a much stronger and appealing record than they achieved in the first half of the season.

Silver Linings Playboo

Written by Cassie S. and Posted by Francine V.

Producer: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordan

Director: David O. Russell

Release Date: September 8, 2012

Silver Lining’s Playbook, directed by David O. Russell, stars the young actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Cooper plays a bipolar man from Philadelphia who comes home after spending eight months in a mental hospital. He was sent there after a violent incident with his wife and her lover. After returning home, Pat realizes that his father, played by Robert De Niro, has some obsessive compulsive issues. Throughout the movie, Pat is persistent in getting back together with his wife, even though she had a restraining order against him. He becomes friends with a depressed young widow through a mutual friend. This widow, played by Lawrence, has issues of her own caused by the grief of her husband’s death. She promised Pat that she would give his wife a letter from him if he agreed to dance with her in a local competition. Throughout the movie, they both face challenges with the law, their families, and each other.

After watching this film, the strengths and weaknesses of it are easily recognizable. One strength is the overall theme of the movie, which is a cross between a quirky romantic comedy and a coming of age film. The movie is filled with fun, from talk of football and boot- making to a dance contest. The film also draws viewers in with the realistic story of real people facing real problems. However, if the viewer is anticipating an event- filled movie with lots of action, they will be wildly disappointed. This movie has a very simple, slow plot, and some could say that it’s boring and predictable. Lawrence’s acting skills were also mediocre compared to Cooper’s. Overall, the enjoyment of this movie depends on the viewer’s taste.

Personally, I loved this movie. I thought it definitely hit home and tugged at my heartstrings. I felt that I could relate to it, but at the same time it was a very cute romantic comedy. I would definitely recommend this movie to all audiences because I feel that it reaches out to all different age groups. David O. Russell has made yet another masterpiece!

With the incoming winter temperature comes a drastic change in the clothing worn at Indian Hills. Styles that can be seen throughout the     hallways vary from trendy pea coats to athletic attire. While jeans are the most common pants worn, khaki pants and sweats do make their way into the mix as well. For those brave students who don’t feel the cold, shorts are a daily occurrence. The open toed shoes and sandals have definitely been thrown under the bed this winter, with temperatures reaching down to 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Sneakers, boots and shoes are the most common forms of footwear at Indian Hills, with Muggs (Male Uggs), occasionally being seen. Despite the cold temperatures, tee shirts are still the most commonly worn article of clothing, while long sleeve shirts, cardigans and sweaters are worn by the more classy students who feel that appearance is more important than comfort. This winter season, varsity jackets can be seen around the halls more than any other jacket. Baseball caps are still worn, but beanies and winter hats are being seen more frequently throughout the cold season. As the temperatures get lower, additional layers are worn to keep warm; at this point in the season, style is sacrificed for warmth and comfort. Men’s fashion at Indian Hills can be best summed up as a mixture between clean-cut looks and athletic-wear, where in most cases, comfort prevails over appearance.

Written by Rich P and Kenneth W

On January 3, Indian Hills DECA participated in the regional DECA competition at Ramapo College in Mahwah. DECA is a business and marketing club at Indian Hills that has the largest membership of any club at Indian Hills.

Before the trip to Ramapo College, all the students in DECA took an exam in their respective categories. DECA categories range from fashion, to sports, to finance, and to restaurant management. All categories require familiarity with general business strategies and skills necessary for working in specific fields. Members can either participate as individual contestants or teams of two. After taking the one hundred-question test, DECA went to Ramapo College where the club members from our region performed role plays for a judge. Some categories demanded one role play, but others required two role plays. For people who have not yet had the privilege of being part of DECA, a role play is a simulation of a scenario within a certain business that requires the attention and advice of some consultant, employee, executive, etc. which is played by the DECA members.

After this DECA competition, there is much more left to be done in the club. Those who did well enough to make it to states have another trip to look forward to in late February where they will have an opportunity to make it to the national DECA competition. Those who did not qualify for states are still in the club, and DECA is not nearly over for them. There are still numerous DECA-sponsored events for the entire chapter to look forward to and enjoy. The regional DECA competition was fun for all, but DECA still has much more in store for the remainder of the year.

Written by Mike O. and Posted by Francine V.

On Saturday, January 5, the Indian Hills Braves had the opportunity to make a stand on their home court and become the basketball superpower in the FLOW District. Facing off against the Ramapo Raiders, the regional rival of Indian Hills, a multitude of spectators watched a game that did not disappoint. The fan sections were filled with countless students from both Indian Hills and Ramapo, and the loud cheers of the fans at the beginning of the game truly set the atmosphere for the afternoon. There was great tension in the gym as this rivalry was extreme. The game started off very close, however, in the second quarter the Braves struggled to take care of the basketball and the combination of turnovers and ill-advised fouls by the home team allowed for the Ramapo Raiders to take a twelve point lead at half-time, which was the largest lead by either team throughout the game. The Braves fought back against the Raiders’ strong second quarter with a run of their own through the third and the majority of the fourth quarter decreasing the Ramapo lead to six. Sharp shooting by senior Robbie C., and a strong inside presence by junior Ryan W. contributed to the Braves comeback. In the last few minutes of the game, the two teams traded buckets and kept the game outcome in doubt. Ultimately free-throw shooting by the Raiders proved to have the biggest impact on the outcome of the game, and even with a last- second three point goal by Robbie C., the Braves fell short to Ramapo with a final score of 61-60. The game was extremely intense and hard fought by both teams and this inspired the fan base and the student body.  The Hills student body was largely dressed in white as a sign of unity, actively led the fans in cheers throughout, and tried to disrupt the concentration of the opponents. Although Indian Hills lost, this was not a decisive victory for the Green Raiders, because there is another match-up between these two teams later this year, allowing another chance for Indian Hills to make its case that the Braves are the superior basketball team in the Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff area.

Written by Taylor W. and posted by Mrs. St. Clair

Rough Start’s four band members are from Wyckoff, New Jersey. Although all currently 16 or 17 years old, Rough Start formed two years prior at their ages of 15 and continues to prosper and advance. Taylor W., 17, plays the drums. Joe C., 17, plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals. Dan K., 16, plays the rhythm guitar, keyboard, violin, and sings backup. Rob B., 16, plays the bass and sings lead vocals. Rough Start is a hard rock, though occasionally breaching metal, band with powerful guitars and catchy vocals to captivate and inspire their listeners.

Written by Dan K. and posted by Mrs. St. Clair

November 30th at the IZOD center saw, to put it simply, a night “Away From The World.” With the release of their new album in the fall, the Dave Matthews Band kicked off a 13 stop, 15 concert winter tour that night in East Rutherford, and in doing so left no doubt to the crowd that they are one of the finest musical groups to grace this world. The 20 song set included some old staples along with the new material off of the album, and, as usual, gave plenty of room for individual skill to shine through. Said junior Taylor W. of Carter Beauford, the drummer: “…some of the hi-hat stuff he did just absolutely blew my mind… His drum solo actually left me speechless.” Fans also enjoyed Dave’s solo performance of “The Space Between” before the encore, while bassist Stefan Lessard melted the crowd’s faces off, as promised (in a Tweet before the concert), with his bass work. The violin and horn section, consisting of Boyd Tinsley, Rashawn Ross, and Jeff Coffin respectively, took the crowd on a rollercoaster ride that left everyone present somewhat worse for wear. In other words, the Band rocked the audience’s socks clean off. It wasn’t your standard Dave Matthews Band concert, either, if one can put them to a standard other than sheer awesomeness. Among the surprises was the live debut of the song Drunken Soldier, an eight minute epic which, as the writer’s favorite song off of the new album, was a warmly received eight minutes of said epicness. In fact, this show marked the first time ever that Dave Matthews Band played an album in its entirety during a concert, making this a night of historic firsts for many people. Quote Jon H., a junior, about his first legitimate concert experience ever, “Dave Matthews Band blew my mind [tonight].” Top of their game, indeed. One concertgoer, whose name is withheld, is reported to have fainted several times over the course of the show. He later said of the night, “They’re amazing live… It was probably the greatest concert I’ve ever been to.” The evening of November 30th at the IZOD Center saw an insanely great show to kick off the Dave Matthews Band Winter Tour, giving those present a night to remember.

Setlist:

1.  Broken Things

2.  Belly Belly Nice

3.  Seek Up

4.  Don’t Drink the Water

5.  Mercy

6.  Out Of My Hands

7.  Gaucho

8.  Sweet

9.  Dancing Nancies

10.  Seven

11.  The Riff

12.  Belly Full *

13.  Grey Street

14.  If Only

15.  Rooftop

16.  Drunken Soldier

17.  All Along The Watchtower

——– ENCORE ——–

18.  The Space Between *

19.  Snow Outside

20.  Two Step

* Dave Solo

indicates a segue into next song

East Rutherford, November 30th

The hard work that the Indian Hills basketball team put in during the first three weeks of the pre- season paid off tremendously as the Braves were able to begin their season on a positive note, with a win over Paramus. The atmosphere was electric as the music played and the Braves basketball team ran out of the locker room onto the court at Indian Hills High School. The energy that each player had was so intense that it was thought to be unmatchable by any player on the opposing team. However, the Paramus Spartans came out of the gate with a powerful start and took a quick lead over Indian Hills. The Braves struggled with putting the ball in the basket for a large portion of the first quarter and turnovers rendered them incapable of making the game close and competitive through the first eight minutes. Eventually as the Braves began to direct their energy and develop patience on offense, the points came much more easily. The Braves were able to overcome the deficit and not only tie the game but take the lead with just a few minutes left in the first half. Unfortunately, Paramus was able to reclaim their lead before each team entered its respective locker room at half-time, as the score at halftime ended up being 25-22 in favor of the Spartans. The Braves and team captain Ryan W. in particular, left the locker room fully prepared to prove to Paramus that the Braves are a force to be reckoned with. The Braves scored a jaw-dropping 30 points in the third quarter alone, with Ryan W. contributing 13 of these points. Indian Hills finally opened up the game in the second half as the Braves were simply too much for the Spartans to handle. The point total scored by the Braves created too great of a deficit for Paramus to overcome and the Braves were able to end the game with a 23 point victory, with the final score being 71-48. This was a great way for the Braves to start their season and they hope to continue their hot-start and success into their next game against Northern Highlands on December 18.

Every year the Indian Hills High School’s Chamber Choir is invited to perform at the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Our teacher, Ms. Heerema selects two or three songs for us to perform. This year we sang “Carol of the Bells,” “Listen Children” and a select group of students (including myself) performed an additional song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Julia M. performed the soprano solo, and sang beautifully. Every song was sung acapella, which means it is sung with vocals only – no musical accompaniment.

After hard work at rehearsals, the day finally came for us to open for the Rockettes. Our choir took a bus into the city and entered the building early for a quick warm up. When our performance time came up the choir entered the backstage area and in single file walked out onto the humongous stage. After our performance, and the applause, we took our seats to enjoy the spectacular Christmas show. To show their great appreciation and thanks, Radio City presented each of our choir members with a free popcorn and beverage of choice. In addition, we received t-shirts that read, “I sang on the great stage at Radio City Music Hall.”

After three years of experience with the show, I can personally say that Radio City is one of the most looked-forward to trips we go on each year. The cheerful Christmas songs and happy feeling within the show transfer to the audience and prepare everyone for the upcoming holiday. Christmas spirit fills the air and I can gladly say I’m looking forward to another unforgettable experience next year!