Volume 2021 • Issue 1 Winter 2021 www.ccts.org

Welcome2021!

Art by Daniyah Stancil

Ms. Patricia FitzgeraldSuperintendent

Dr. John HouraniPrincipal

Ms. Charene ScheeperAssistant Principal

Mr. Matthew HallinanAssistant Principal

Ms. Alice ConleyDirector of Athletics and Student Activities

Ms. Kieshea FitzgeraldDirector of Student Counseling Services

Tornado Times StaffEvelyn Desouza-Lenis 2022

Ellen Caraballo 2022Vivi Nguyen 2022

Natalia Andeliz 2022Jaena Moore 2022Irvin Luna 2023

Daniyah Stancil 2023Alicia Garcia-Rivas 2023

Alexandra Jeronimo Rendon 2024Lisette Gonzalez 2024

Faculty Advisor • Mr. Carl WydraGraphic Communications Instructor

Congratulations to our Teacher, Educational Services Member Professional, and Support Staff Member of the Year for 2021!

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 of Scranton.  I volunteer at my church as a Stephen Minister.  I’d like to thank everyone for nominating me for this award.

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.” 

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. Allison Scates

Ms. Debra DiPierro

Ms. Charene Scheeper

What you need 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 butterInstructions

• 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

dry ingredients just until smooth• Pour into the prepared pan

and bake for 45 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe NotesWhen 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.

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Courtesy of Mr. Battaglia

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

D e a r F r e s h m e n...

Monday Tuesday Friday

Juniors 2nd Seniors 3rd

Sports Day

Ugly Sweater Day

Nationality Day

80’s Throwback Day

Class Colors Day

Designed by: Evelyn Lenis

Penn Tech’s Spirit Week

Wednesday Freshman 1st Sophomores 3rd

Thursday

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

Care Packages from CCTS

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

Information courtesy of Biography.com • Photos: Getty Images

Who Is Joe Biden?Joe Biden briefly worked as an attorney before turning to politics. He became the fifth-youngest U.S. senator in history as well as Delaware’s longest-serving senator. His 2008 presidential campaign never gained momentum, but Democratic nominee Barack Obama selected him as 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-tion, Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two years later Biden launched his campaign for U.S. president and was elected as the 46th president of the United States.

Long before reaching the highest political office in the nation, Biden — born on November 20, 1942 — grew up in the blue-collar city of Scran-ton in northeast Pennsylvania. His father, Joseph Biden Sr., worked cleaning furnaces and as a used car salesman. His mother was Catherine Eugenia “Jean” Finnegan.

Biden credits his parents with instilling in him toughness, hard work and perseverance. He has recalled his father frequently saying, “Champ, the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets up.”

Biden attended St. Paul’s Elementary School in Scranton. In 1955, when he was 13 years old, the family moved to Mayfield, Delaware—a rapid-ly growing middle-class community sustained primarily by the nearby DuPont chemical company.

As a child, Biden struggled with a stutter, and kids called him “Dash” and “Joe Impedimenta” to mock him. He eventually overcame his speech impediment by memorizing long passages of poetry and reciting them out loud in front of the mirror.

Biden attended the St. Helena School until he gained acceptance into the prestigious Archmere Academy. Although he had to work by washing the school windows and weeding the gardens to help his family afford tuition, Biden had long dreamed of attending the school, which he called “the object of my deepest desire, my Oz.” At Archmere, Biden was a solid student and, despite his small size, a standout receiver on the football team.

Biden attended the nearby University of Delaware, where he studied his-tory and political science and played football. He would later admit that he spent his first two years of college far more interested in football, girls

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.

After graduating from law school in 1968, Biden moved to Wilmington, Delaware, to begin practicing at a law firm. He also became an active member of the Democratic Party, and in 1970 he was elected to the New Castle County Council. While serving as councilman, in 1971, Biden started his own law firm.

In addition to his increasingly busy professional life, Biden had three children: Joseph “Beau” (born in 1969, died 2015), Robert “Hunter” (born in 1970) and Naomi “Amy” (born in 1971). “Everything was hap-pening faster than I expected,” Biden said about his life at the time.

In 1972, the Delaware Democratic Party encouraged a 29-year-old Biden to run against the popular Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs for the United States Senate. Although few thought he stood any chance, Biden ran a tireless campaign organized mostly by family members. His sister, Valerie Biden Owens, served as his campaign manager, and both of his parents campaigned daily. That November, in a tight race with a large turnout, Biden won an upset victory to become the fifth-youngest U.S. senator elected in the nation’s history.

On November 2, 2008, Barack Obama and Joe Biden convincingly de-feated the Republican ticket of Arizona Senator John McCain and Alas-ka Governor Sarah Palin. On January 20, 2009, Obama was sworn in as the 44th U.S. president and Biden became the 47th vice president.

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 suffered another personal loss when his son Beau died at the age of 46, after battling brain cancer. “Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known,” Biden wrote in a statement about his son.

On April 25, 2019, Biden delivered the expected news that he was run-ning for president in 2020.

On November 7, 2020, four days after election day, Biden was declared as the 46th president-elect after winning Pennsylvania. Along with earn-ing a record 74 million-plus votes, the soon-to-be 78-year-old was set to become the oldest president in the nation’s history.

“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great coun-try,” Biden tweeted. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”

Joe Biden(1942 –)Joe Biden is the president of the United States. He also served as Barack Obama’s vice president from 2008-2016.

Introducing Our Newest President of the United States

Who Is Kamala Harris?After attending Howard University and the University of Califor-nia’s Hastings College of the Law, Kamala Harris embarked on a rise through the California legal system, emerging as state attorney general in 2010. Following the November 2016 elections, Harris became just the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to win a seat in the U.S. Senate. She declared her candidacy for the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Martin Lu-ther King Jr. Day 2019 but dropped out of the race before the end of the year. In August 2020, Joe Biden announced Harris as vice presidential running mate and after a close race, Biden and Harris were elected in November 2020.

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Reared in a predominantly African American neigh-borhood of Berkeley, she was brought to civil rights demonstra-tions as a toddler and sang in a Baptist choir.

Harris’ mother, Shyamala, emigrated from India to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she met Harris’ Jamai-can-born father, Donald. Shyamala carved out a career as a re-nowned breast-cancer researcher, while Donald became a Stanford University economics professor. Her mother also ensured that Harris and her younger sister, Maya, maintained ties to their Indi-an heritage by raising them with Hindu beliefs and taking them to her home country every couple of years.

Harris’ parents divorced when she was seven years old, and at age 12 she moved with her mother and sister to Montreal, Que-bec, Canada. She learned to speak some French during her time in Quebec and demonstrated her burgeoning political instincts by organizing a protest against a building owner who wouldn’t allow neighborhood kids to play on the lawn.

Harris attended Westmount High School in Quebec, where she founded a dance troupe with a friend. Returning to the States to enter Howard University in Washington, D.C., she was elected to the liberal arts student council and joined the debate team, en route

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.

In 2003, Harris defeated incumbent Terence Hallinan, her former boss, to become San Francisco district attorney. Her accomplish-ments in this role include the launch of the “Back on Track” initia-tive that cut recidivism by offering job training and other educa-tional programs for low-level offenders.

Harris continued her political ascent by narrowly beating Los An-geles County District Attorney Steve Cooley for California attor-ney general in November 2010, making her both the first African American and the first woman to hold the position.

In November 2016, Harris handily defeated Congresswoman Lo-retta Sanchez for a U.S. Senate seat from California, thereby be-coming just the second African American woman and the first South Asian American to enter the Senate.

On January 21, 2019, during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day inter-view on Good Morning America, Harris announced she was run-ning for president in 2020.

On August 11, 2020, presidential hopeful Biden announced that he chose his former rival Harris as his running mate. “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked Kamala Harris — a fear-less fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate,” Biden said. “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with [my son] Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”

Harris is the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to be nominated for a national office by a major party. She is also the fourth woman in history to compete on a major party’s presi-dential ticket.

On November 7, 2020, four days after election day, Biden was de-clared as the 46th president-elect after winning Pennsylvania, mak-ing Harris the first female vice president and first Black person and Asian American to hold the position.

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.

Introducing Our Newest Vice-President of the United States

Information courtesy of Biography.com • Photos: Getty Images

The Art Gallery

at CCTS

Artwork by Jonathan Ventura PintorClass of 2021

International Day of Disabled PersonsThe 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 Luna

Penn TechStudent Athletes

Brian

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Emily Zamorano P

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Jaena Moore

Ronan Barber

Luis

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“You can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it.”-Emily Z.

“If you keep working hard it becomes a lifestyle.”-Brian Lopez

“I will fight to the end to show everyone that I’m a real man with no fear.” - Luis Rodriguez

“Go hard or go home!”-Jaena Moore

Designed by Evelyn Desouza-Lenis

Infographics 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.

Ms. Allison Scates

Ms. Debra DiPierro

“Mr. Livesey was a great man who was always joyful and just went with the flow. Also, he always had your back! During this time of healing I think he would love for us to take time to appreciate those around us even if we don’t know them. Also, I believe he would want us to just go with the flow with our own personal grieving process. It takes time and is different for everyone. His light is still here and let’s continue to make it shine by following Mr. Livesey’s example!”— Ms. Emily Carlaw

“I had the honor of co-teaching two new subjects with Mr Livesey. We turned out to be a great team. He had a way of keeping me calm and composed whenever I was nervous to start something new. There was never a school day that passed that he didn’t make a teacher or a stu-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 conversations we would have. My favorite memory of him was when we first started teaching dance together he pretended he didn’t want to perform the basic steps in front of the classes but then he couldn’t wait to do the knee bounce and jazz square on stage! He was kind, motivational, and accepting of everyone. I will forever hear his voice saying ‘Yo yo’ when walking down the hallways. Our Physical Educa-tion team  and Penn Tech family will never be the same.”— Ms. Alexa Gibson

“You had a smile that could make anyone’s day!  You will be greatly missed.”— Ms. Brianna Delgado

“Mr. Livesey was a wonderful person.  He always greeted me with a smile and I enjoyed our conversations in the hall way. He will be great-ly missed.”— Ms. Monique Randolph

“Dave was a family man.  During our last conversation, he shared his excitement for trick or treating with his daughter.  He was going to be Hopper from Stranger Things.  His smile will always be with me.”— Ms. Jeanette Simons

“Dave and I met for the first time when we attended New Teacher Ori-entation classes together. We hit it off right away and would sit to-gether at nearly every class and just get to know each other. While we found that we had a lot in common (baseball being first and foremost), I think the fact that he was so easy to talk to - not to mention funny - was what sealed it. He was always someone who could make me smile and our hallway meetings were always a good time. I will miss him, as I know we all will, and I will never forget him.”— Mr. Carl Wydra

Mr. David Livesey, our beloved teacher, coach, and friend passed away on November 3, 2020.

“The Mandalorian is such a treat for both Star Wars fans and those that are not familiar with the franchise. The combination of acting, storytelling, and the correlation to the star wars universe makes for a fun watch. The character development of the Mandelorian and ‘baby yoda’ was especially enjoyable and made for an awesome adventure. I would recommend this show to everyone and give it 5 out of 5 stars.” - Mr. Robert Playo ★★★★★

“It started off pretty slow during the first 3 episodes, but it redeems itself tenfold. Progressively introducing all the unique aspects

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 and the side quests. You will become a Star Wars fan if you are not already after watching this series.” - Ms. Alice Conley ★★★★★

“Great special effects and action scenes but the story tends to drag out in the beginning of Season 2. Picks up around episode 5. The cute 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 non-Star Wars fans will feel about it.” - Mr. Jim Madden ★★★★

SHOW REVIEW

Compiled by Jaena Moore • Art by Matt Busch