News
Spirited Seniors
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By: Ella Thibodeau
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| Photo credits: Linda Thibodeau |
Not only is spirit day full of fun activities, all of the students dress up in yellow and blue, the South Mountain colors. The returning seniors are just as excited to return to their yellow and blue outfits. Jada West ‘17, will be attending the festivities and is very excited to be visiting her alma mater. “We’re trying to organize a big group of people to come back for spirit day,” she said.
Part of the excitement for many students is that they remember seeing the seniors come back when they were still in elementary school. Phoebe Joseph, ‘17, said, “I remember seeing all the older kids come back to help out, and they seemed really old. Way older than we are now.” Instead of participating in the water-balloon toss, the returning seniors will help pass the balloons out in the most organized way possible, as well as guiding the kids through some of the other activities and games that happen on spirit day. Racing with an egg on a spoon, relay races on the track out back, potato sack racing, as well as the famous teacher “Dunk Tank,” are some of the most highly anticipated events.
“There is something special about returning to the school for spirit day, because even though other schools had field day, the fact that the staff invites seniors back every year is very unique,” said Liana Runcie, ‘17.
This year, School Spirit Day will fall on the same day that the senior class has planned senior skip day, but most students don’t seem to mind. “You can go to the beach any day,” said West. “You can only go back to spirit day once.”
Special Dance: Looking Back and Moving Forward
By Evan J.H Schwartzberg
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Photo by Jon Fisher
Columbia High School’s much-beloved Special Dance company performed its staggering 46th performance this past May, under the guidance of director Kandice N. Point-du-Jour, and captains Eve Greenberg, Kayla Fleming, and Ellie Cohen, all ‘17. As with each year, the show is largely choreographed by students in the Special Dance class, over the course of the school year and consists of various modern dance techniques. This particular year was very oriented towards the past. Sprinkled throughout the show were video clips of alumni discussing their Special Dance memories, and what they were doing today, adorned with the hashtag #iamspecialdance. Notable alumni include the co-director of the CHS musical, and up-and-coming singer SZA, who is signed to TDE alongside Kendrick Lamar. “I just think it’s so important for people to know history,” says Ms. Point-du-Jour, “Where alumni came from and where they end up. It shows dancers that this could be them.”
The show, however, refuses to be pigeonholed by the themes of nostalgia. Some of the most striking pieces are incredibly contemporary, dealing with predominant current issues like race and sexism. Especially striking is Four Score and Seven Years, a piece choreographed and performed by Kendi Whitaker, ‘17, alongside Tahjanae Johnson and Kayla Fleming, both ‘17. It was a genuinely breathtaking few minutes, perfectly combining beautiful dancing, phenomenal music, and heart-wrenching quotations about the state of race relations in America. It’s a mark of the mastery of performance that these heavier pieces mesh so fluidly with the more fun and energetic dances, forming a cohesive show, and an entertaining one despite being over two hours long.
What some may not know is that every year, there is a performance by one of the company’s alumni. “Alumni often stay in touch, and are always happy to give back,” says Point-du-Jour. In fact, most alumni reach out to her rather than the other way around. This year’s alumni was Ama Gora, performing a piece called Affirmation- Excerpts of Project Assata, set to the poetry of Assata Shakur, and read by Ausarayah Kokayi. Gora completely choreographed the piece. Gora has a BA in dance from Georgian Court University, and currently dances for two respected companies. She has also started a small collective called Maat Works Dance Collective. The alumni dance tradition reinforces Point-du-Jour’s reverence for history, as well as strengthening the nostalgic aspects of the whole show.
Speaking of legacy, the very first number features a unique guest star in the form of Ameer Brooks. Brooks is a DJ, and he mixes the music for the first piece live. His equipment is set up on stage beforehand, and he is working in the center of the stage for the duration. Brooks is the younger brother of Iman Brooks, a third-year member of the company, who was unfortunately injured before the show and could not perform.
Even as the Special Dance Company approaches half a century of performing, the group maintains the spirit, creativity, and awareness that makes them so popular, while showing a healthy respect for the past, and a readiness for what the future brings.
No Mail on Sundays, or Any Day
By Evan Schwartzberg
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One of the most nostalgic places in town was the Maplewood Post Office. The smell of paper, the neatly lined metal safety deposit boxes, the stamp displays: all familiar stimuli to anyone who once had to accompany their parents to pick up a package. Such memories are to remain in the past, however, as the building was demolished in 2016, having stood since 1958. This notice was left for mail-seekers:
Maplewood Post Office will suspend retail services at 160 Maplewood Avenue at close of the business day on Thursday, February 12th. Retail services will reopen on Saturday, February 14th at 9:00AM at the new Post Office Location at 195 Maplewood Avenue.
P.O. Boxes Customers will continue to pick up their mail at 160 Maplewood Avenue through close of business on Friday, February 13th. P.O. Box Lobby Services will reopen on Saturday, February 14th at 8:00AM at the new Post Office Location at 195 Maplewood Avenue.
No doubt, the building was a landmark in town, maligned though it may sometimes have been. It was a little slice of history right in the middle of town. “The grand opening of the building on Maplewood Avenue instilled a great feeling of pride in the community that would astonish residents now. From 1912 until 1947 Maplewood’s post office had been a lowly substation of that in South Orange and it had resided in a series of small rented spaces,” notes town historian Susan Newberry, adding, “It is somewhat ironic to realize that this once so admired, over 16,000 square foot building will soon be gone and that Maplewoodians will be back – at least for the present — to sending their mail at a retail facility.”
So what will go up in its place? On July 18th, 2016, after the sight had been excavated, the footings for a new building were installed. This building would offer housing, as well as five new retail spaces. One of the retail spaces is likely to go to a new Starbucks, a huge franchise at a stark contrast with Maplewood’s impressive array of small businesses, and a potential danger to the beloved next door cafe, Village Coffee. In addition, as part of the sale, the building will get a tax break from the township for five years.
To some residents, this new property infringes on Maplewood’s small-town charm, an issue particularly prescient right now as the town grows in infamy under the nickname “Brooklyn West,” a title that has proven to be a big draw for New Yorkers seeking to move. Elijah Navlen, ‘17, vigorously states that, “Not only is the architecture Maplewood’s terrible attempt to live up the the ‘Williamsburg West’ stereotype we've been branded with, the tax breaks given on the builders means that current Maplewood residents will have major tax increases, which is awful.In terms of what it means for the town, it shows that Maplewood Township cares 0% about preserving the working poor population and embraces the gentrification of a town that has already had many struggles with racism.”
Regardless of the sentiment, the work continues steadily on. The roof of the building has been installed since January, and the building already cuts a recognizable figure, towering over the Maplewood sky. It is a far cry from the little post office that sat in the same spot for so many years. What effect will it have on a simple town like Maplewood? That remains to be seen. As always, progress marches on, regardless of who actually wanted it.
