The Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) is an organization dedicated to furthering men’s and women’s education in the areas of marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.

Recently, the Spotswood High School Chapter of DECA excelled in the State Leadership Conference at the Crowne Plaza. Of the 52 participants entered, 39 qualified as finalists. Twenty-five students are now eligible to compete at the DECA international competition in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Mrs. Malec, one of the co-advisors of DECA, 24 of them have opted to go.

Mrs. Malec attributes the student’s success to their desire to do well. “We push them but they have to work hard at it. Otherwise, they don’t succeed.” Mrs. Manfre, co-advisor, stated, “It is the guidance and dedication of the marketing teachers as well as the dedication of our chapter members.”

At Spotswood High School, being in marketing classes and in DECA is biconditional. In order to be in DECA, you have to be in marketing. And, if you are in marketing classes, you have to participate in DECA activities. Mrs. Malec said the organization is effective because, “it combines classroom instruction with the club aspect of competition and projects.”
Being graded on how well you do in competition is incredibly stressful for even the brightest and best of students. It is true that the competition has an affect on the grade you can receive in the class. But, instead of how well you do, it is based on doing all that is instructed of you. “It is not based on how well you do in competition,” Mrs. Malec explained.

The events in DECA range widely. There are events for community service projects, professional selling events, accounting events, and even events on sports and entertainment, and hospitality and tourism. In order to see which event will fit them best, marketing students take practice tests and see how comfortable they are with test questions. Another determining factor is “if they have a job in fast food or similar experience,” Mrs. Malec said. Their skills learned in the job might give them an edge. Role-playing and giving presentations on events is also helpful.

More than just competitive events, DECA’s projects run every year and help students develop the skills needed to excel in the business world. The projects run every year, and they cover entrepreneurship promos, financial literacy projects, creating marketing projects, etc. The blood drive is done by DECA every year and serves as a public relations project.
The official DECA web site states that its mission is to, “prepare emerging entrepreneurs and leaders” by being academically sound and professionally responsible and giving them the experience they need to succeed. Mrs. Manfre says that the most impactful part of DECA is the development of “workplace readiness skills” that are fundamentally necessary to succeed in business. She also put heavy emphasis on the learning of interpersonal and communication skills that DECA provides.

This year is quickly coming to an end. Seniors are committing to colleges, and preparing for the new journey starting the end of August. Many people are anxious about what is to come.

College is a very different scenario than High School. Students have the opportunity to go away, or stay close to home. They have a choice to study whatever career they are most interested in. The seniors at Spotswood High School have been preparing for what is going to happen after graduation from the end of their junior year, throughout their senior year.

Throughout the four years of school, students were required to take the core curriculum such as three years of math, four years of English, two years of a language, three years of a science, four years of health and gym, as well as elective classes. Students were prepared with annual tests, such as the HSPA in junior year, to make sure that everything was in check for graduation. Also, students were advised to sign up for the SATs. Many even signed up for the ACTs as well. These tests are required for most colleges as part of the application process.

During the spring, students begin committing to colleges. The deadline for the deposit of most colleges is May 1st. After that, there are many different deadlines and things that need to be done. The seniors this year have many different schools they are going to. Some are staying in New Jersey, going to Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and also many other states. Students are ranging from very large to small schools. Many students that are staying in New Jersey are going to Rutgers University, Rowan, Rider, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, Monmouth University, and even Princeton. The amount of money for tuition ranges from each in-state school to out-of-state school. Much scholarship money has also been given to many students.

The class of 2012 has many different feelings about graduating, but most are excited and anxious to see what is going to come in the next few years. This is a new start for people, and a way to “find yourself” as people say. The next few years will have many highs and many lows, but will hope to come out successful in the end.

Spring sports

Spotswood spring sports are back in swing, with spring sports such as baseball, softball, golf, and Men’s tennis. Who could forget the ancient sport of Track and Field. This year’s track team has over 90 members. There are 24 senior athletes this spring sports season. All the sports teams are looking to make it to states and into the GMC tournament. Track is hoping to defeat their rival Metuchen in the annual Metuchen relays. The baseball team is currently seated 5th in their conference with a 10-10 record with big wins against Dunellen and New Brunswick. The softball team, currently 6-10 is having a great season. They suffered some close loses to Sayreville and Metuchen and they are hoping to keep winning. Golf is having an amazing season, if they can beat Monroe for a second time this season; they take home the white division championship. Tennis is struggling this season with only one win under their belt.

The annual physics trip to Six Flags Great Adventure theme park is back after its short hiatus last year. The physics students and Mr. Dempsey will be going to Great Adventure on May 11th to analyze the physics of the rides there.
Why the year-long gap? According to Mr. Dempsey, there were a lot of factors to consider when seeing if this physics trip was worth it.

Firstly, it comes down to attendance, with about 45 students out of 75 opting to attend this year and slightly less last year. Mr. Dempsey mentioned the “50% point” of attendance. Once it goes below that, “you have to consider if all the expense, effort, and time is worth it,” Mr. Dempsey said.

Secondly, the FBLA trip to Six Flags for the business day was earlier in the same week. So, the students involved in FBLA and physics would go twice to the theme park in a very short period of time. Mr. Dempsey said, “It did not endear me to my fellow staff members.”

The actual physics of the physics day trip was called into question when the rides that were good for demonstrations began disappearing. “They shift the rides over time,” Dempsey explained. “They got rid of some of my favorite rides. Rides that move in one direction, or one plane.” These were the best for demonstrations among first-year physics students. Among those that got chopped were the swing ride, Free Fall, and Taz’s Twister. “The twister was pure, perfect circular motion.”

The trip had a lot of problems and discrepancies over the physics of physics day. Luckily for this years’ students, most of the problems have been since resolved. The Park has updated the packet of problems to do for physics day to include its newer rides like Kingda Ka. Mr. Dempsey said that, aside from annotating problems slightly to make them clearer to students, it serves its purpose well.
Also – with the cuts in funding, FBLA is no longer a club offering here. Aside from the business implications of its discontinuation, it upset students that were looking forward to Great Adventure as well. “A lot of students really wanted to go,” Dempsey said.

The hardest part of physics day is “trying to get good work out of the students,” said Mr. Dempsey. “Some thoughtful students go on the rides and think of physics.” Others use it as an excuse to go to an amusement park, nothing more. “You can learn force, acceleration, circular potion, periodic motion, and frequency on a tabletop…but where do you, physically, get to experience it?” It is an opportunity Mr. Dempsey did not want to take away from the students that would benefit.

Physics teachers across the state have all struggled with whether a physics day at Six Flags is worth the trouble. Although Dempsey did admit that attendance is always a problem and that he wishes a NASA aerospace training center was closer, Great Adventure is still the best available option.

The Spotswood’s first graduating class was in 1978, however, the building itself hasn’t really graduated into the modern American high school. Monroe Township, who neighbors Spotswood Township, recently has moved into a new and extremely high tech school building. Yes,  Monroe is growing more rapidly than Spotswood, but Spotswood High could use a revamp.

Milltown middle school, Joyce Kilmer, last year took on some serious remodeling. They put in a new single story, 4,800 square foot media center, computer lab, kitchen, restroom, and storage room. The new structure is isolated from the existing building and is separated with a new firewall. Milltown really improved its look. In the 1978 yearbook they have an aerial shot of the high school and the shot of today doesn’t look much different.

Spotswood High School will be experiencing some small scale construction over the summer. The school is adding an outdoor reading area to the media center that will be filled with bricks that alumni can purchase to fund and decorate the area. Spotswood’s new sign came in and has been installed at the front of the school in place of the old school sign. The high tech sign has all the bells and whistles; it can shine any color, say anything, and has an unlimited amount of graphics that can be used. Also, the front wall of the HS will be rebuilt, and should greatly change the look of the building.

It’s taking Spotswood High some time, but slowly we’re moving into the 21st century.

There are many historical facts behind the small town of Milltown. The different companies that were in the Mill were what Milltown was mainly about. It went through many different stages between the late 1700s through the 1930s, and some years beyond.
The earliest documentation of the mill was in 1769, when Fulcard Van Nordstrand advertised for sale a gristmill, also known as a corn or flour mill, with two pairs of grist stones, a fulling mill, which is the beating and cleaning of cloth in water, and a press house. This was three miles from New Brunswick, and was standing on a constant stream with two dwelling houses on 112 acres of land. Almost ten years later, the mill was purchased by Ferdinand Schuurman in 1777. British troops raided the mill, and captured two local militiamen. The men who were captured were Ferdinand’s nephew, James, and his cousin John Thompson. After being imprisoned, they managed to escape and made their way to Morristown.
A year later, Schuurman died and the mill was operated by his wife, Eleanor, and son, Abraham. Abraham sold the mill in 1789 to Tunis Quick of Hunterdon County, and from then on the mill was sold to many different people. After Abraham sold the mill to Quick in 1789, he sold the mill to Nicholas Van Brundt in 1793. Brundt built a new fulling mill. In 1808, Brundt sold the mill to John Bennet, who a year later sold it to Christian Van Nortwick. Van Nortwick leased the mill to Timothy Enixon in 1810. A year later, Jacob Bergen of Somerset acquired the propert from Van Nortwick. The settlement became known as the Bergen’s Mill.
In 1812, Bergen constructed a new fulling mill and press house on the land, and advertised his service in the local newspaper. In the ad, Bergen referred to the settlement as Milltown. This was the earliest written documentation of the settlement being known as Milltown. 24 years later, Bergen died and his family resumed the operation of the mill.
The mill ceased operation in 1843 because of a fire. Christopher Meyer acquired the company, and the Meyer Rubber Company was formed. Two years later, another fire destroyed the company and Meyer’s home. John R. Ford financed a new factory under the name Ford & Co. Yet again, in 1851 another fire destroyed the company. The factory was rebuilt in 1852 and becomes known as The Ford Rubber Co. Six years later, the company again becomes the Meyer Rubber Co. with Christopher Meyer as President.
Only a few years later, the Meyer Rubber Company ceased operation. Throughout 1897-1906, the India Rubber Company operated the site for a short time, and was later succeeded to be the International Rubber Co. A year later in 1907, the International Rubber Company was taken over by the Michelin Tire Company. They built many buildings that are still there today.
Through the years of 1917-1919, Michelin built over 200 bungalows in town to increase the housing and better the living conditions for their employees. During the company’s busiest years, Michelin employed more than 2000 men and women in the town. Once the depression arrived, Michelin Tire Co. ceased operation in Milltown and moved back to France. Many companies have been in the factory, such as Chicopee of J&J, Heidingsfeld Printing Co., Algro Knitting Mills and Alphaduct Wire. The Mill is not working today, and has been abandoned since the late 1930s due to the depression.
This information can be found on the website http://www.milltownnj.org/history.htm

The English language is described by many to be a “borrowed” language. By “borrowed” they mean it is just a melding of different languages. It has one of the most diverse and complicated vocabularies of any language. Today’s modern English is nothing less than a meshing of cut-phrases, traditional words, and fictional terms. Even though many have called the new-era of English a botchery of the language, the history of the English language must first be explored.

The English language has gone through many changes before it morphed into today’s modern, recognizable art of communication. The roots of English lie in a combination of Germanic, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon dialects that were combined somewhere in what is now Western Germany. This unique conglomerate of different languages became known as “Proto-English.” Proto-English was first used around 100 A.D. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_english_language).

The language made its first radical change shortly after its conception. In the mid-5th century the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain and brought with them their Proto-English. By the end of their occupation in Britain and the surrounding islands, the indigenous Celtic language had undergone changes and mixed with the Proto-English. This new variation was called Old English. Old English’s vocabulary was further expanded when Christianity became popular in the region, which added many more Latin based words (“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_english_language”).

By the Middle Ages, with the lack of a proper education system in Europe at the time, the English language once again found itself changing. By this time the Norman Conquest of Western Europe was in full swing. The Norman’s were quite fond of the English language, though they could enhance its usefulness with some words of their own. This concluded in an early French dialect and vocabulary being intertwined with the Old English of the time. Consequently the new dialect is now referred to as Middle English (“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_english_language”).

Shortly after the end of the Middle Age the English language began to form into something much more recognizable to modern ears. With the emergence of the United Kingdom and the British Empire around the 1500s, the English language spread rapidly around the world. William Shakespeare’s plays and the publishing of the first King James Bible marked the beginning of standardized English. Soon after foreign colonies adopted British customs and their language, thus accounting for the thousands of different dialects and more than a billion English speakers around the world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_english_language).

Today’s English is just as broken as it ever was. In fact English is the third most spoken language behind Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, but it is the most popular second language with more secondary speakers in China than primary speakers in the United States. The new “World Language”, as many have called it, can’t be defined to one group or dialect because almost every region has a different vocabulary and many have changed the use of grammar (“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_english_language”).

The surfacing of the Internet as an effective means of communication has also brought about a major, possibly the biggest, change to the English language. The emails, IM’s, and texts have completely changed how we write and speak with one another. The slang and lingos such as “LOL” have formed a new era of English where technology demanding faster communication will play a large role (“Economist-The Triumph of English”).

Know one knows what the future holds for the English language but we can most likely suspect a much more globally connected system of its use. Face to face interactions may become rarer and the art of communication coinciding with technologically advanced systems will become much more of the norm. The English language will obviously go through changes as it adapts to these new conditions, but what those changes may be, remain unknown (“Economist-The Triumph of English”).

Devoe Lake is a small reservoir connected to South River in the northeast and Manalapan Brooke in the southwest. It has a surface area of 19 acres. The lake is infamous for putrid water and garbage, along with bad smells and wasted space.
The lake has been a major player in the history of Spotswood. It drew more people to the town and gave it some lake-front property to stimulate growth. A mere $500 price tag seems like a small sum for today’s standards, considering how big the lake is (although some would argue that it wasn’t worth the purchase). That doesn’t even take into account the amount spent renovating it in recent years.

In the early 1800s, Augusts A. Devoe and his father Isaac were running snuff mills, which were closed in the mid 1920’s. The power source for their operations was – you guessed it – Devoe Lake.

Generating electricity was not all the lake did for this town. A health camp was opened on the then-called Spotswood Lake in 1913 and it served as a vacation spot for the area. Spotswood bought Devoe Lake from the U.S. Tobacco Company 17 years later. The summer homes were renovated to live in year-round after housing and population began to grow after WWII.

Almost $60,000 was used to reconstruct the fence in 2000 so that the geese native to the area would stop crossing the street and obstructing traffic. Then, in 2003, talk started about dredging the lake to reduce its water level. The Department of Environmental Protection took about $15,000 to test the soil, and it was found to have no pollutants – which means the dirt that is dredged out can be sold as fertilizer.

Yet another improvement to the dock and surrounding area was initiated by the borough in 2009, and in February 2011 the board started taking bids on improving the dock to make it sturdier and handicap-accessible. The decision was made before the hurricane swept through, uprooting trees and washing away the steps to the very dock they were trying to fix. The message boards online are still buzzing with people calling for dramatic action to prevent the lake from causing further damage. Many people are out thousands of dollars, and some even experienced the loss of their homes when Irene hit.

The board also concluded that dredging the lake to prevent further flooding is a near million-dollar project, and that without outside help, there’s no way it can be done right now. The few citizens adamantly demanding the draining of Devoe Lake because of flooding are obviously seriously overestimating the town’s resources.

The lake is commonly classified as a “physical, cultural, and historic feature” by the Home Town Locator and other online informational sites about the town. With the above information or any amount of research, it is easy to see how the lake is historic and played a big part in the shaping of this town. Without it, factories could not have flourished and people wouldn’t have had a reason to travel here. It has become an integral part of Spotswood’s culture.
A lot of people don’t see the lake’s real value. But, to many, it is a place to go fishing, relax, or take pictures of scenery. The Spotswood Borough Recreation Department still holds an annual fishing derby there the second Saturday in June, and many in the community get involved.

Students with an affinity for the environment are thankful for how close a part of nature is to home. One student explained, “I go there to think. It’s peaceful there.” The same peace simply can’t be found by looking at roads or cars or houses.

Sometimes, if you are out along the path next to the lake close to the park located not a hundred yards away, you’ll meet Mike (whose name was changed for the sake of anonymity). Mike is a slow-talking, easy-going individual who can be found walking along the side of the lake with his camera some days. He commented, “People say it’s weird that I walk around here. ‘Why would you want to walk around a dirty lake?’ they say. But they don’t look around and see the beauty in things like I do. Nature’s all around here.”

To all the fisherman, photographers, or nature-lovers, Devoe Lake is still an important part of the community. The Borough of Spotswood is constantly proposing and acting on new projects to clean up and fix parts of the lake, and it has become one of the largest and most well-known landmarks in such a small community. It’s worth far more than $500.

On April 15th 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. It was sailing from Southampton to New York City. There were over 2, 200 people on the voyage, ranging from crew members to passengers. The sinking of the ship caused the death of 1, 517 people, and was one of the most deadly peacetime maritime disasters in history.
Traveling on the ship, were some of the wealthiest people in the world. John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim, Isidor Strauss, and many others traveling from European countries were sailing to America to start a new life. The ship was luxurious in many ways, and was thought to be unsinkable.

This tragedy was made into a very successful movie in 1997 by James Cameron. Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Billy Zane starred in the film. It was a fictionalized story, but displayed the historical facts from Titanic. Over ten years later, it is now coming to theaters again on April 4th, 2012 for the one hundred year anniversary on April 15th. This movie will be in 3D and will only be in theaters for a short time.