Welcome 2021! - Art by Daniyah Stancil - Camden County Pennsauken
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Volume 2021 • Issue 1 Winter 2021 www.ccts.org
Welcome
2021!
Art by Daniyah Stancil
Ms. Patricia Fitzgerald
Superintendent
Dr. John Hourani
Principal
Ms. Charene Scheeper
Assistant Principal
Mr. Matthew Hallinan
Assistant Principal
Ms. Alice Conley
Director of Athletics and Student Activities
Ms. Kieshea Fitzgerald
Director of Student Counseling Services
Tornado Times Staff
Evelyn Desouza-Lenis 2022
Ellen Caraballo 2022
Vivi Nguyen 2022
Natalia Andeliz 2022
Jaena Moore 2022
Irvin Luna 2023
Daniyah Stancil 2023
Alicia Garcia-Rivas 2023
Alexandra Jeronimo Rendon 2024
Lisette Gonzalez 2024
Faculty Advisor • Mr. Carl Wydra
Graphic Communications Instructor
Congratulations to our Teacher, Educational Services Member
Professional, and Support Staff Member of the Year for 2021!
Teacher Of The Year
Mrs. Scates is the Digital Media Communications teacher at Penn Tech. She graduated
from Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Production and
has been working in education and the media industry ever since. Some of her favorite
things about teaching include producing news broadcasts with her students and watching
them express their creativity through all forms of digital media. Mrs. Scates would like to
thank all teachers at Penn Tech for nominating her as the Teacher of the Year. She says,
“It has been a privilege to see the Digital Media program grow over the past few years and
I’m thankful to have such incredible colleagues that have supported me and my students
every step of the way! Our staff never ceases to amaze me with the passion for education
and the commitment to our students that they show each and every day.”
Ms. Allison Scates
Educational Services Member Professional of the Year
This is my 26th year at Penn Tech. Through that time I’ve been a business teacher, co-op
coordinator, and now an assistant principal. As a teacher, I was chosen as Penn Tech’s
Teacher of the Year for the 2009-2010 school year and had the honor of being chosen as
the 2010-2011 Camden County Teacher of the Year. I received this award, Educational
Services Professional of the Year, for my work as a HIB (Harassment, Intimidation, and
Bullying Specialist). In addition to being a HIB Specialist, I chair four committees—the
School Safety and Climate Committee, the Wellness Committee, the Character Educa-
tion Committee, and the Annual School Plan Committee.
I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, my co-op certifica-
tion from Rider College, and my Masters in Educational Leadership from the University
Ms. Charene Scheeper of Scranton. I volunteer at my church as a Stephen Minister.
I’d like to thank everyone for nominating me for this award.
Support Staff Member of the Year
When I started working at Penn Tech a little over 4 years ago, I could have never imag-
ined that I would be working as the Principal’s secretary. But more importantly, I could
not have imagined that I would be working with a faculty that is kind, helpful, and caring.
I can honestly say I enjoy coming to our school and like to help out when I can. There
are many staff members on both campuses that help me help others. I appreciate that.
Every day is different at our campus, and I like that. Some days may seem crazy, but at the
end of the day, we manage to keep it all together for our school, just like a family would.
That is what families do. We support each other.
Many thanks to my Penn Tech family from the bottom of my heart for this nomination.
Ms. Debra DiPierro
What you need
Gingerbread
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt or pinch
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 egg
1 cup molasses
¼ cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Grease a 9x9 cake pan.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, salt
and ginger in a small bowl.
• Combine egg, molasses, sugar,
buttermilk, and melted butter
in a separate bowl.
• Using a hand mixer, mix wet and
recipe
dry ingredients just until smooth
• Pour into the prepared pan
and bake for 45 min or until a
toothpick comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
When measuring flour for this
recipe, measure first then sift your
flour.
To make buttermilk use this ratio;
1 cup milk to 1 Tablespoon lemon
juice, allow to stand for 5 min. Courtesy of Mr. Battaglia
Dear F r e s h m e n...
Everyone remembers their first days of freshman year, the nerves, the excitement, maybe
walking into the wrong classroom, how they met new people, and how they started to learn to
navigate high school life. Although many things have changed, we still welcome a new group
of students, the class of 2024, who are ready to find their way through the wonderful yet chal-
lenging journey of high school. As a result, our seniors, the class of 2021, have shared tips they
have learned along the way and believe are necessary to do well in the next four years. Enjoy
these seniorly tips and remember to have fun in the next four years!
“Get involved , join clubs and play sports. Makes the high school experience much more mem-
orable.”
–Elizabeth Clas
“Don’t forget to relax every once in a while too. Grinding for your goals is good, but too much of
anything is bad for you.”
–Cameron Fuller
“Don’t sign up for clubs you know you’re not going to participate in. Don’t focus on drama be-
cause it’s irrelevant. School work determines your grades in which your jobs and colleges look
at, which is very important so focus on that”
–Robert Nuñez
“Get to know your teachers and counselors. Gain their respect and build a friendly relationship
with them. Being on good terms with the staff is probably the best thing you can do. Having
their respect will really help you. Remember you need them to help you get through these next
few years, they don’t need you. Don’t get on their bad side.”
–Yaniz Ruiz
“Do your work, stop procrastinating.”
–Joceline Godinez
“Never forget MOM and DAD is spelled MOM and DAD backwards, they never switch up.”
–Jonathan Green-Townsend
“Always do your work.”
–Maria Robles-Vazquez
Care Packages from CCTS
The Environmental Studies students at Penn Tech collected toiletry items and
made 70 care packages. These packages included things such as shampoo,
conditioner, lotion, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shaving
cream, floss, and more. The items were donated to The Unforgotten Haven
in Blackwood, NJ. The organization then distributes the care packages to the
needy in our community every weekend.
-Ms.Kimberly Bartholomew
Penn Tech’s Spirit Week
Sports Ugly Nationality 80’s Class
Day Sweater Day Throwback Colors
Day
Day Day
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Freshman 1st Sophomores 3rd
Juniors 2nd Seniors 3rd
Designed by: Evelyn Lenis
Many NFL players displayed their support for causes that were important to
them by wearing custom cleats during the NFL season. This huge act of support was
called the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign. This campaign allowed the players to
show how committed they were to the causes that were significant to them. They rep-
resented hundreds of charitable organizations, from sex trafficking prevention to sup-
port for single parents. Their cleats were then auctioned off at the NFL Auction and
ALL of the money that was raised was donated to the player’s charities.
The passionate players inspired some of our very own students to participate. To
show their support, our students from all four levels in the Graphic Communications
career program designed their own sneakers. They created great designs for founda-
tions such as the Life Help Charity Foundation, International Animal Rescue, and
many more.
By Vivi Nguyen
Introducing Our Newest President of the United States
Joe Biden
(1942 –)
Joe Biden is the president of the United States. He
also served as Barack Obama’s vice president from
2008-2016.
and parties than academics. But he also developed a sharp interest in
politics during these years, spurred in part by the inspiring inauguration
of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
On a spring break trip to the Bahamas during his junior year, Biden met
a Syracuse University student named Neilia Hunter. Encouraged by his
new love, he applied himself more fully to his studies and was accepted
into the Syracuse University Law School upon his graduation from Del-
aware in 1965. Biden and Hunter married the next year, in 1966.
Who Is Joe Biden?
After graduating from law school in 1968, Biden moved to Wilmington,
Joe Biden briefly worked as an attorney before turning to politics. He
Delaware, to begin practicing at a law firm. He also became an active
became the fifth-youngest U.S. senator in history as well as Delaware’s
member of the Democratic Party, and in 1970 he was elected to the New
longest-serving senator. His 2008 presidential campaign never gained
Castle County Council. While serving as councilman, in 1971, Biden
momentum, but Democratic nominee Barack Obama selected him as
started his own law firm.
his running mate, and Biden went on to serve two terms as the 47th vice
president of the United States. In 2017, at the close of his administra- In addition to his increasingly busy professional life, Biden had three
tion, Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. children: Joseph “Beau” (born in 1969, died 2015), Robert “Hunter”
Two years later Biden launched his campaign for U.S. president and was (born in 1970) and Naomi “Amy” (born in 1971). “Everything was hap-
elected as the 46th president of the United States. pening faster than I expected,” Biden said about his life at the time.
Long before reaching the highest political office in the nation, Biden — In 1972, the Delaware Democratic Party encouraged a 29-year-old
born on November 20, 1942 — grew up in the blue-collar city of Scran- Biden to run against the popular Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs
ton in northeast Pennsylvania. His father, Joseph Biden Sr., worked for the United States Senate. Although few thought he stood any chance,
cleaning furnaces and as a used car salesman. His mother was Catherine Biden ran a tireless campaign organized mostly by family members. His
Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan. sister, Valerie Biden Owens, served as his campaign manager, and both
of his parents campaigned daily. That November, in a tight race with a
Biden credits his parents with instilling in him toughness, hard work
large turnout, Biden won an upset victory to become the fifth-youngest
and perseverance. He has recalled his father frequently saying, “Champ,
U.S. senator elected in the nation’s history.
the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how
quickly he gets up.” On November 2, 2008, Barack Obama and Joe Biden convincingly de-
feated the Republican ticket of Arizona Senator John McCain and Alas-
Biden attended St. Paul’s Elementary School in Scranton. In 1955, when
ka Governor Sarah Palin. On January 20, 2009, Obama was sworn in as
he was 13 years old, the family moved to Mayfield, Delaware—a rapid-
the 44th U.S. president and Biden became the 47th vice president.
ly growing middle-class community sustained primarily by the nearby
DuPont chemical company. Biden has been married to his second wife, Jill Biden, since 1977. The
couple’s daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981. On May 30, 2015, Biden
As a child, Biden struggled with a stutter, and kids called him “Dash”
suffered another personal loss when his son Beau died at the age of 46,
and “Joe Impedimenta” to mock him. He eventually overcame his
after battling brain cancer. “Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man
speech impediment by memorizing long passages of poetry and reciting
any of us have ever known,” Biden wrote in a statement about his son.
them out loud in front of the mirror.
On April 25, 2019, Biden delivered the expected news that he was run-
Biden attended the St. Helena School until he gained acceptance into the
ning for president in 2020.
prestigious Archmere Academy. Although he had to work by washing
the school windows and weeding the gardens to help his family afford On November 7, 2020, four days after election day, Biden was declared
tuition, Biden had long dreamed of attending the school, which he called as the 46th president-elect after winning Pennsylvania. Along with earn-
“the object of my deepest desire, my Oz.” At Archmere, Biden was a solid ing a record 74 million-plus votes, the soon-to-be 78-year-old was set to
student and, despite his small size, a standout receiver on the football become the oldest president in the nation’s history.
team.
“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great coun-
Biden attended the nearby University of Delaware, where he studied his- try,” Biden tweeted. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise
tory and political science and played football. He would later admit that you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for
he spent his first two years of college far more interested in football, girls me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”
Information courtesy of Biography.com • Photos: Getty Images
Introducing Our Newest Vice-President of the United States
Kamala Harris
(1964–)
Kamala Harris is the vice president of the United
States, making her the first female vice president
and first Black person and Asian American to hold
the position.
to a B.A. in political science and economics. Harris then enrolled at
the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, earning
her J.D. in 1989.
After earning admittance to the State Bar of California in 1990,
Harris began her career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda
County. She became managing attorney of the Career Criminal
Unit in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 1998, and in
2000 she was appointed chief of its Community and Neighborhood
Division, during which time she established the state’s first Bureau
of Children’s Justice.
Who Is Kamala Harris? In 2003, Harris defeated incumbent Terence Hallinan, her former
After attending Howard University and the University of Califor- boss, to become San Francisco district attorney. Her accomplish-
nia’s Hastings College of the Law, Kamala Harris embarked on a ments in this role include the launch of the “Back on Track” initia-
rise through the California legal system, emerging as state attorney tive that cut recidivism by offering job training and other educa-
general in 2010. Following the November 2016 elections, Harris tional programs for low-level offenders.
became just the second African American woman and the first Harris continued her political ascent by narrowly beating Los An-
South Asian American to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. She declared geles County District Attorney Steve Cooley for California attor-
her candidacy for the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Martin Lu- ney general in November 2010, making her both the first African
ther King Jr. Day 2019 but dropped out of the race before the end American and the first woman to hold the position.
of the year. In August 2020, Joe Biden announced Harris as vice
presidential running mate and after a close race, Biden and Harris In November 2016, Harris handily defeated Congresswoman Lo-
were elected in November 2020. retta Sanchez for a U.S. Senate seat from California, thereby be-
coming just the second African American woman and the first
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, South Asian American to enter the Senate.
California. Reared in a predominantly African American neigh-
borhood of Berkeley, she was brought to civil rights demonstra- On January 21, 2019, during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day inter-
tions as a toddler and sang in a Baptist choir. view on Good Morning America, Harris announced she was run-
ning for president in 2020.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala, emigrated from India to attend the
University of California, Berkeley, where she met Harris’ Jamai- On August 11, 2020, presidential hopeful Biden announced that
can-born father, Donald. Shyamala carved out a career as a re- he chose his former rival Harris as his running mate. “I have the
nowned breast-cancer researcher, while Donald became a Stanford great honor to announce that I’ve picked Kamala Harris — a fear-
University economics professor. Her mother also ensured that less fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public
Harris and her younger sister, Maya, maintained ties to their Indi- servants — as my running mate,” Biden said. “Back when Kamala
an heritage by raising them with Hindu beliefs and taking them to was Attorney General, she worked closely with [my son] Beau. I
her home country every couple of years. watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people,
and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and
Harris’ parents divorced when she was seven years old, and at I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
age 12 she moved with her mother and sister to Montreal, Que-
bec, Canada. She learned to speak some French during her time Harris is the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent
in Quebec and demonstrated her burgeoning political instincts by to be nominated for a national office by a major party. She is also
organizing a protest against a building owner who wouldn’t allow the fourth woman in history to compete on a major party’s presi-
neighborhood kids to play on the lawn. dential ticket.
Harris attended Westmount High School in Quebec, where she On November 7, 2020, four days after election day, Biden was de-
founded a dance troupe with a friend. Returning to the States to clared as the 46th president-elect after winning Pennsylvania, mak-
enter Howard University in Washington, D.C., she was elected to ing Harris the first female vice president and first Black person and
the liberal arts student council and joined the debate team, en route Asian American to hold the position.
Information courtesy of Biography.com • Photos: Getty ImagesThe Art
Gallery
at CCTS
Artwork by Jonathan Ventura Pintor
Class of 2021International Day of Disabled Persons
The International Day of Disabled Persons is on December 3rd and is internationality appreciated and
promoted by the United Nations since 1992. It has also been observed successfully around the
planet. The day is celebrated to help promote the rights of people with disabilities and increase
awareness in every aspect of society and life including economically, politically, culturally, and
socially. It is “a day for all” and it has a recurring theme that reflects on growing a better
understanding that disability is part of the human condition. A disability is any condition of the body or
mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities
(activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions), according to
CDC. Antonio Guterres the UN Secretary-General stated “When we secure the rights of people with
disabilities, we move closer to achieving the central promise of the 2030 Agenda – to leave no one
behind.” On June 2019 he launched the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy in order to make
the United Nations an inclusive organization for all.
This year (2020) the theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is “Building Back
Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”. The theme for
International day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD) is “Not all disabilities are visible.” These themes
focus on how to help people who were severely affected by COVID-19 and on spreading awareness
and understanding disabilities that are not immediately apparent. Some of these disabilities are
mental illness, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes and chronic pain or fatigue. At some point in
life, a great amount of people will be either temporarily or permanently impaired. In fact, the World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one billion people, which is about 15% of the
world’s population, will experience some sort of disability and that it will continue to increase. Of the
one billion people that are living with disability, 450 million are living with a mental or neurological
condition and two thirds of these people will not seek professional medical help largely due to stigma,
descrimintaion, and neglect. This further proves that while disability correlates with disadvantage, not
all people with disabilities are equally disadvantaged. It has a lot to to with people’s circumstances, for
example: health care, education, and employment.
By Alexandra Jeronimo Rendon • Layout by Irvin LunaPenn Tech
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- Luis Rodriguez
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-Emily Z.
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“Go hard or go home!”
-Jaena Moore
Designed by Evelyn Desouza-LenisInfographics by Jaena Moore
Provided by Ms. Amy Carruth • Compiled by Alicia Garcia-Rivas
Reach out to a friend about their mental health. Find more ways to help at SeizeTheAwkward.org
We will miss you Mr. Livesey.
Mr. David Livesey, our beloved teacher, coach,
and friend passed away on November 3, 2020.
“Mr. Livesey was a great man who was always joyful and just went with “You had a smile that could make anyone’s day! You will be greatly
the flow. Also, he always had your back! During this time of healing I missed.”
think he would love for us to take time to appreciate those around us — Ms. Brianna Delgado
even if we don’t know them. Also, I believe he would want us to just
Ms.
go with the flowAllison Scates
with our own personal grieving process. It takes time “Mr. Livesey was a wonderful person. He always greeted me with a
and is different for everyone. His light is still here and let’s continue to smile and I enjoyed our conversations in the hall way. He will be great-
make it shine by following Mr. Livesey’s example!” ly missed.”
— Ms. Emily Carlaw — Ms. Monique Randolph
“I had the honor of co-teaching two new subjects with Mr Livesey. We “Dave was a family man. During our last conversation, he shared his
turned out to be a great team. He had a way of keeping me calm and excitement for trick or treating with his daughter. He was going to be
composed whenever I was nervous to start something new. There was Hopper from Stranger Things. His smile will always be with me.”
never a school day that passed that he didn’t make a teacher or a stu- — Ms. Jeanette Simons
dent smile. My favorite thing about Mr. Livesey was how easy it was to
talk to him. 10,000 steps on the track would fly by because of the great “Dave and I met for the first time when we attended New Teacher Ori-
conversations we would have. My favorite memory of him was when entation classes together. We hit it off right away and would sit to-
we first started teaching dance together he pretended he didn’t want gether at nearly every class and just get to know each other. While we
to perform the basic steps in front of the classes but then he couldn’t found that we had a lot in common (baseball being first and foremost),
wait to do the knee bounce and jazz square on stage! He was kind, I think the fact that he was so easy to talk to - not to mention funny -
motivational, and accepting of everyone. I will forever hear his voice was what sealed it. He was always someone who could make me smile
saying ‘Yo yo’ when walking down the hallways. Our Physical Educa- and our hallway meetings were always a good time. I will miss him, as
Ms.
tion team andDebra
Penn TechDiPierro
family will never be the same.” I know we all will, and I will never forget him.”
— Ms. Alexa Gibson — Mr. Carl WydraSHOW REVIEW
from the classic video games, legends comics
and other shows, it adds so much content and
magnificent entertainment into this remarkable
series and I genuinely love it.”
- Donovan Staton ★★★★
The Mandalorian is a beautiful show. The
amount of effort that was put into the show pays
off. I’m sad there aren’t new episodes coming
out but the show was fantastic.
- Evelyn Lenis ★★★★★
Five stars or more!
“Watch The Mandalorian: that is the way. This
series is very well written. Fans of anime, science
fiction lovers, and just curious viewers will love
it. Stunning cinematography and the artwork in
the credits makes it worth watching the series
alone. I enjoyed the progression of the story
“The Mandalorian is such a treat for both and the side quests. You will become a Star
Star Wars fans and those that are not familiar Wars fan if you are not already after watching
with the franchise. The combination of acting, this series.”
storytelling, and the correlation to the star wars - Ms. Alice Conley ★★★★★
universe makes for a fun watch. The character
development of the Mandelorian and ‘baby
yoda’ was especially enjoyable and made for an “Great special effects and action scenes but
awesome adventure. I would recommend this the story tends to drag out in the beginning of
show to everyone and give it 5 out of 5 stars.” Season 2. Picks up around episode 5. The cute
- Mr. Robert Playo ★★★★★ factor is continued on from R2D2 to baby Yoda
who has become sort of a pop icon. Being a
Star Wars fan, I enjoy the series. Not sure how
“It started off pretty slow during the first non-Star Wars fans will feel about it.”
3 episodes, but it redeems itself tenfold. - Mr. Jim Madden ★★★★
Progressively introducing all the unique aspects
Compiled by Jaena Moore • Art by Matt BuschYou can also read
