Althou hit eltimpossibly arawayatfirst,it’shard tobelievetherearenowonly ourmonthsle tuntilthelast day o school (only three months or the seniors!). To say that time flies is truly an understatement. It eels like it wasjustyesterdaythatIfirststeppedontotheVilla reen as a seventh rader. Yet, here I am, celebratin my 100th dayuntilmy raduation.
Over the past six years, Villa has iven me more thanIcouldhaveima ined:it avemesomeo myclosest riendships and memories I will always cherish. Dressin Cloda h Bateson ’26 as a carrot or Spirit Week in honor o her in er hair, lau hin as we attempted uncoordinated jumpin jacks on Goo le Meet durin COVID-19, divin into animated discussions in Dr. Lemke’s class, and playin Jeopardy every Friday in AP World History o er only a limpse into the countless moments that have defined my un or ettable experience in this sisterhood.
Graduation once elt li ht-years away, so it’s surreal to think that I’ll soon be wearin a cap and own. As a senior preparin or colle e, I can’t help but eel a littledauntedbytheideao startin over.Thethou hto it all eels un amiliar and intimidatin , especially a ter eelin sodeeplyrootedintheVillacommunity orsolon .
But as I reflect, I’m reminded that be innin s and endin s are simply proo that we are livin li e to the ullest.Thatis,i weneverstepoutsideourcom ortzones, we may have countless be innin s but would never experiencethe ulfillmento thefinish.So,asweapproach the“end”o thisyear,Iencoura etheseniorstoreco nize the coura e it took to et here, to savor the little time we have le t, and to keep creatin memories to ether. I hope that the articles in this issue hi hli htin the many accomplishments at Villa and what makes it such a welcomin community serve as a reminder that this “end” is not a ull stop, but merely a pause: a countdown to new be innin s.
Whenever the New Year comes around people make resolutions, but who really accomplishes them? Many people say that they want to improve themselves, but a ter a week they quit. What is the reasonbehindthis?
Layla Vreelin ’28 believes people quit their resolutions because it takes people a lot o time to build up a habit. People think that New Year resolutions are quick and easy, but they take a lot o workande orttomakeachan eortodosomethin . She also said that she hasn’t made many resolutions becausesheknowsthatshewillnotaccomplishthem.
Althou h with the new semester, she has made some oals, which are to keep her rades up and to be prepared or tests. Soraya Tamas ’28 believes the reason behind quittin resolutions is because there is a cultural and social pressure to make resolutions, althou hthereisnotthesamepressuretocarrythem out lon term. She has no resolutions that she can recallandthatshehas onethrou hwith.
This is the viewpoint o a student, but what about our aculty? Dr. Lemke believes it is easy or people to slip back to their ways a ter makin resolutions. Althou h, she believes many people can ollowthrou h.Hersondecidedtobecomeve etarian and has ollowed throu h with his resolution or 5 years even thou h Dr. Lemke didn’t think he would make it or 2 months. Unlike her son, Dr. Lemke does notmakeNewYear'sresolutionsbecauseshedoesnot wanttosethersel up or ailure.
Mrs.Fi a currentlyhastworesolutionsthatshe is doin well with. She has been flossin every ni ht and she has been drinkin more water. In her classes she wishes or more class participation and she is ivin herstudentsmoreopportunitiestodoso.
Instead o waitin or New Years to make a chan e, maybe we can start today. I there is somethin that is truly important to chan e then people shouldn’t have to wait around or a special datetodoso.
Ten, nine, ei ht, seven, six, five, our, three, two, one! Happy New Year! As the clock turns to midni ht and the ball drops in New York City’s Times Square, the world welcomes the new year with new hopes, dreams, and resolutions.
Everyonecelebratestheendo oneyear andthebe innin o thenextindi erentways. Some et dressed up and attend un or elaborate parties, while others snu le up in their com y clothes and watch the New Year un old on television, rom the com ort o their couches.
Onetradition that I used tolook orward toeachyearwas atherin withour riends,the Mon eys, or their New Year's Eve party.When my brother and I were little, we would arrive early at the party, and just be ore midni ht in Ireland,wewould atherto etherandallcount down to 0. We did the Irish New Year’s countdown.Wewouldactlikethenextyearhad already be un, but in reality, it was only 7:00 p.m. Sa e to say now wedo the realcountdown at 12:00. Students at Villa all have their own traditionstheyliketopracticeonNewYear's.
Kate Du an ’29 says a special tradition she has is 12 seconds be ore the end o the year, she eats 12 rapes under the table. Each rape si nifies ood luck or every month o thenewyeartocome,accordin toaearly20th centurySpanishtradition.
Similarly, CeciliaTimmons’27 says she used to always spend New Year’s Eve with her childhood best riend who is Cuban, so the traditions she practiced with their amily then have since inte rated into her own practices. Anna, her riend’s mother, used to make little ba s filled with 12 rapes each or everyone at the party, and when it hit midni ht, they would all finish the 12 rapes within the first minute o theNewYear!
Ceciliaalsohasa untraditionwithherown amily: when the clock hits midni ht, they o outside and ban pots and pans to rin in the new year. They yell “Happy New Year!” to the nei hborhood, and o tentimes are lau hin too hardtoactuallysaythewholethin .
Mae Honan ’27 says that she and her amily celebrate New Year's Eve “down the shore” in LBIwith her amily riends.Sheplayscards,and thenat12:00,her amilyand riendsallwalktothe beachsotheycanbethefirstpeopleonthebeach in the new year. Maria Kalavrouziotis ’28 has a Greek tradition o eatin a cake called Bασιλόπιτa (pronounced vasilopita) that has a coin in it. Whoever ets the coin has ood luck or the year. Itworks bycuttin thecake into how many people you have, alon with one piece or Jesus, one or thepoor,andone oryourhouse.
When SisterElaine was youn , her parents would o out to celebrate, and the next mornin theywouldplaywiththeparty avorstheybrou ht home, like the noise makers and the streamers. As they ot older, they stayed up to watch the ball drop in Times Square on TV. When she was in Italy, the Filippini tradition was to play Tombola, whichissomewhatlikeBin o.
No matter how you rin in the new year, whetheritbeataparty,with riendsand amily,or curled up on your couch, remember what ood thin s the past year had and what ood the new yearaheadwillbrin .
ThisValentines’Day, let’s remember whywe all loveVilla!
Brianna Polito ’29-“The irls are just nice and enuine people, ivin you riends across rades.”
Photo Credits to: Mary Ca asso ’28, Samantha Innella ’28, Lauren Doss ’28, and Kendall Kiraly ’28.
-“There’s a reallystron and un sisterhood that youcan always
Sofia Marcello ’28-“There are so many opportunitiesopen and available toyou in sports, riends, and your academic career.”
Emma Gubernat ’29-"Everyone really works to ether and supportseach
Lauren Doss’ 28 -““Goin toVilla has really helped me row in my aith, ivin so manyoptions or Adoration and Con ession. Bein a parto Chorus is also really special to me, and the teachers are so supportive and always happy to helpyou."
Abby Wri ht ’28-“I love Villa sports! It really is a amilywithin acommunity at school ullo peoplewho mean so much to me.”
Maria Kalavrouziotis ’28-“Theteachers!!!”
Currently,Mrs.Chei er’sclassesare workin on ceramics. Students can use three di erent methods to make their artwork: with coils, slabs, or the pinch pot method. Students have the opportunity andcreativitytomakeanythin theywant, ran in rom bowls to animals, and other use ul objects they can use in their daily li e.
On January 28, the juniors, some sophomores and a ew seniors alsovisited Princeton University’s Art museum to take pictures o ceramics they ound interestin . The irls had a reat time explorin the museum and the Princeton area.
Villa Walsh’s very own Sisters 1st has been earin up or an excitin season ahead o them! Now havin two World Championship experiences under their belt, they are more prepared than ever to tackle this season's challen e alon side several incomin reshmanmembers.
Startin on January 10, the team rapidly be an prototypin or how to best approach the ame, “Rebuilt,” this year. The main ame pieces this year are uel, pictured below, which are yellow oam balls that the robot must pick up and shoot into their hub. While the team has had similar challen es in the past, the main oal will be to pick upasmuch uelasquicklyaspossible.Additionally, the robot will need to be able to climb a structure withmultiplelevels,anopportunity ortheteamsto earnevenmorepoints ortheiralliances.
The team is swi tly countin down to their first tournament, Warren Hills, rom March 6-8, whichwillbetheirfirstchancetotesttheirrobotin
Shooter Prototype
Fuel Game Piece
Indexer Prototype
action a ainst other teams. They will be placed into alliances where the drive team members will have to workwithschools romallaroundNewJerseytoutilize theirrobotsinthebestwaypossible.
I spoke to Shalini Patel ’26 on the excitement o thisyear's ameto ettheinsidedetailsonhowthe team is handlin the stress. Her avorite part o this season has been the challen e o “desi nin a robot unlike anythin [the team] has built be ore.” Because o the simplicity o this season's challen e in comparison to previous years, the team is ocusin on bein able to di erentiate their robot rom those o other teams. This is also the first time that the team hasbuiltanindexer,acomplexmechanismtoor anize andtransport amepieceslike uel,allowin members to ainevenmorevaluabletechnicalskills.
Karina Sie el ’26 and I chatted about how on both sides o the team, business and tech, members havebeen ocusedonimprovin communication.When thin s owron ,they havebeen ocusedon turnin to a riend or help and seekin the uidance o incrediblenewmentors.
The media subteam captain Lia Gri fin ’27 added that turnin to new business mana er, Mae Honan ’27, or uidance on how to structure their oals has made a bi di erence in pro ress this season.With her at the head o all business subteams, communication has become much more seamless and captainsaremoreontopo theirroles.
Now bein invi orated by their passionate reshman members and havin a skilled team leadin thechar e,Sisters1stisready oranincredibleseason takin onthe amechallen eRebuilt!Besuretocheer them on at their upcomin tournaments this season andstaytuned oreachwin!
Justo o route24,inChester,NJ,sits anunassumin structure.Itiscomposedo a red-roo ed barn and stone buildin s, with extensions and alterations added as the intended purpose o the structure chan ed with the decades. From the street, the only attribute indicatin its purpose is a si n at the bottom o the lon driveway, displayin the name “Glenlora” a ainst dark, maho any-tonedwood.
Inreality,Glenlorawasowned,resided in, and well loved up until the very recent past. The land on which it sits, first purchasedbyObadiahSewardo theSeward amily in 1737, has seen its air share o turnover. The Sewards sold it to Reverend Stephen Overton, who preached at the First Con ressionalChurcho Chester,andsowed the land that was then called Parsona e Farm.Almostonehundredyearslater,Henry Seward, Obadiah’s reat randson, repurchased his amilial land. It was passed down eneration by eneration, and radually, a barn was erected, and still remainsonthepropertytoday.
By the 1900’s, the land was owned by Alonzo and Anna Green, descendants o the Sewards. The seven hundred acre property washi hlycovetedbybusinessesinthearea, namelyAT&T.Thecoupledidnotwanttosell their property, but ultimately, the land was dividedandleased ortheextensiveresearch lab. Additionally, a telephone pole testin site was constructed as a part o an AT&T research endeavor, which can be seen rom the street. In 1947, the Bodens, a youn couple romCanada,purchasedthebarnand converteditintoahome.TheBodenshadbi , modernaspirations orthebarn,basda cker
installin copperpipesunderthefloorsthat would heat up the concrete o the livin room. The Bodens sold to John and Mar aret Becker in 1962, and moved to Madison, NJ. The Becker amily turned the property into a nursin home, addin an additional 23 bedrooms to house adults. At this point, the nursin home was named Stanfield, but in 1971, it was chan ed to Glenlora, by a woman named Catherine Dulio.
Catherine was a licensed nurse, servedontheChesterboardo Health,and was elected president o the National Association or Practical Nurse Education and Service. Catherine worked alon side a woman named Ann, who, with the support o her husband, hoped to expand Glenlora to a 60 bed housin acility or adults with mental illness. The people o Chester were hesitant,wonderin whotrulyconstituteda mentally ill adult. Theydid not want such a lar e acilityintheirtown,letaloneonethat would house potentially troubled individuals. Ann and Ray took their expansion proposal to the Board o Adjustment on December 18th, 1989. Their plans were denied in 1991; however, the couple appealed in New Jersey Superior Court.Glenlorawasneverexpanded,asthe cost was ar too hi h anyway, and eventually shut down. It was then sold to ChesterTownship orthreemilliondollars.
Since its closure, Glenlora has been the potentialsite oramyriado new acilities,such asahome orindividualswithcerebralpalsyand as low income housin . No renovations have taken e ect. The central stone barn, now over 142 years old, is a historical site, and must remain intact with whatever developmental endeavorthetownshipdecidestoimplement or thesite.Glenloraisatestamenttoeveryonethat has ever owned, resided upon, and tilled the land on which it sits. We can only hope that whatever comes o Glenlora in the uture is fit orsuchahistoriclocation.
with determination and composure. Nevertheless, this skill didn’t come out o nowhere.
While many Villa irls spent their winter break unwindin , watchin movies and savorin their final tastes o the Starbucks Christmas menu, the Villa Walsh Basketball team was at it every day in the ym scrimma in boys. That’s ri ht. The VillaWalsh irls’basketballteamspenttheir winterbreakplayin a ainstboys.Whennot busy with tournament ames all over New Jersey, the roup o irls spend their days playin competitive matches a ainst sons, brothers, and coaches’ riends in preparation o the tou h matchups they would aceinthenewyear.
Villa Walsh’s very own basketball team has been makin waves this season, holdin their own in the new lea ue they advanced into romlastyears’success.Witha13-personroster and 11-9 record so ar, the roup has been makin aname orthemselvesinalea ue ullo tou heropponents and morea ressiveteams. Bein in the Liberty con erence, which is ull o well-known irls’basketballschoolsthrou hout MorrisCounty,isnotaneasytask;yet,the irls continuously prove their Villa stren th by handlin thenew oundadversityasd a
The hard work seemed to pay o becausewiththenewyear’sarrival,the irls were able to take on some o the state’s tou hest opponents with race. Tacklin some down-to-the-wire ames and acquirin a ew losses, the team, as Caroline Tully ’27 put it, did what it does best: “we work to ether.”With our seniors on the team, the lineup includes an experienced roupwhounderstandshowto handlethepressurethatcomesalon witha hi herlea ue.Ledbyheadcoach Lori Ve a assisted by Ricardo Smalls, the team has been puttin in the work throu h both multiple summer lea ues and Sunday all amesinordertobrin themtothe“stron andready”(Emma Gubernat ’29) levelthey areattoday.
That mindset wouldn’t be possible, however, without the team's obvious chemistry ained rom bonded inside jokes, team dinners, and play ul film sessions that maketheteam“moreo a amily”(Katherine Canon ’28). Because, beyond the stats and named wins, any outsider can see the clear love and riendship shared amon this team andreco nizeitaswhatmakesthe roupso special.Attendin pre- ameMassesonsome Sundays, wakin up or early team ba el break asts, and plannin both birthday and baby shower surprises or their coaches is what puts this team above the rest. Their coaches are o ten ound eneratin new mottos rom their coined “Board Talks,”that propel the irls into success with new bondin - estures, includin the team’s tradition to slap the wol poster on the wall o the locker room to brin out their competitive and driven spirit be ore runnin into ames.
Startin sophomore Serena Sabatella ’28 explained how connected and upli tin this team is, as it ives her the com ortable yet driven environment ull o the irls she has learned to call her riends. She also invitesallVilla irlstoattendasmany ames as possible, reco nizin that the bi crowds at the“excitin Mendham senior ni ht ame brou ht bubblin ener y to the Athletic Center.”Nottomention,Villa’sJVbasketball team also deserves to rack up a crowd with its reported first seed in Morris County’s JV County Tournament. With the team's stron streak in the Prep-B tournament and continuation o lea ue ames, it’s time or the Villa community to throw on our reen andwhiteandcheeronthisspecial roupo VillaVikin s!
The tension in Toms River Bubble was sothickyoucouldcutitwithastartin block. On January 14th, our very own winter track team dominated the Non-Public Prep B State Relay Championship. Despite a 2nd place finish in the 4x400 final, the Vikin s still provedtheywerethequeenso thetrack.The team secured enou h points to be crowned theNon-PublicPrepBStateRelayChampions orthe ourthtimein ouryears.
Behind Villa’s Winter track successes are hardworkin athletes and stron leaders who push themselves everyday to maintain the pro ram’s champion status. One such athleteis Emma Nau hton ’26,whohasbeen on the Winter Track since her sophomore year.Ihadthepleasureo interviewin herto discuss the team’s championship run, rowth as an athlete, and the riendships or ed alon theway.
Emmacompetesinshotputandsprints the 55-meter and 200-meter races. This season,shealsoranthe300and4x400relay or the first time. Emma explained that she has rownsi nificantlyasanathleteoverthe years, never believin she would be able to run the middle distances. She also reflected on her early days as a thrower, lau hin as sherecalledstru lin withthrowin theshot put as a smaller reshman. Now, she takes reat pride in how ar she has come as both anathleteandleader ortheteam.
Yet, the nerves were still hi h at the Non- PublicBStateRelayChampionship.“We were the smallest team there, and everyone elsewasreally ood,”shesaid.“Iwasnervous weweren’t oin towin.”Villaledd
led thescoreboard mosto theni ht,but they neededtocinchatleasta ourth-placefinishin the final event to secure the win. That final race was the 4x400 relay, which Emma competed in, and the team finished in second place. When the results were finalized, reality set in. “I just started bawlin ,” Nau hton ’26 said.
Winter Track meets also come with some unique challen es. A ter competin in indoor acilities like Toms River Bubble and Ocean Breeze, the team has a name or their persistentcou h—the“DrewCou h.” Emma explained that with so many athletes runnin insideanairti ht acility,theairquality can bepretty aw ul.“Soi you hear anyo the teamcou hin —we'renotsick.Wejusthada meet,”shejoked.
For Nau hton ’26, it’s the shared challen es o the winter season that brin s the team to ether. With only 18 athletes on the team, Emma eels closer with her teammates than ever be ore. As a captain, she believes early mornin practices, bravin the cold, and arrivin homelate rommeetshavehelpedthe team orm lastin riendships. She says, “I’ve otten to know every sin le one o my teammates on a deeper level.” While the demandin conditions o winter track can be challen in ,Nau hton’26emphasizedthatthe winter season sets athletes up or success in the sprin . With ewer events, most practices are spent conditionin , li tin , and workin on endurance.Sheexplainedthat“everythin you do in the winter translates over into whatever sprin sport you compete in.” As a result, Emma encoura es reshmen to embrace the cold because it would make sprin sports eel likeabreeze.
When asked about what she will miss the most a ter raduatin , Emma didn't hesitate: “the team.” She also treasures the opportunity to compete and test her limits, watchin her and her teammates rewardin improvementthrou houttheseason.
Beyond the medals and championship title, Emma’s journey on theVilla’s winter track team has been defined by riendships, rowth, andperseverance.Thebonds ormedthiswinter willcarryonlon a terthefinallaponthetrack.
In the dead o winter, when the snow that was once pristine and beauti ul has become mud-sprayedanddirty,whenjustaminuteoutside leaves our fin ers a bluish-purple, and when we are all lookin or a sweet escape rom the constantstorm orecasts, La La Land istheper ect etaway.Takin placeinpresent-dayLosAn eles, the movie utilizes 40s- and 50s-style wardrobe andsetdesi nto iveitanostal ic eelin ,while the visuals reflect the halcyon weather o Cali orniawithsunshineandvividcolors.
Miabe insasastru lin actress,workin in a co ee shop to support hersel throu h auditions. Althou h she is incredibly talented, competition is fierce, and she finds hersel aspirin only to insi nificant, small roles that do not do her justice. A ter a lon ni ht o sin in , dancin ,andnetworkin withherroommates(also actresses), Mia finds hersel eelin all-around dejectedabouttheprospecto landin arole.Just whensheis eelin thelowesto lows,
walkin back to her apartment throu h downtown LA, she hears the siren call o jazz and ollows the musicallthewaytoSeb.
Sebastianisaspirin aswell:aspirin tobeone o the reats, like Louis Armstron , Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. Just as Mia is, however, he is stru lin toward his dream, and must work at an upscale restaurant playin mundane, commonplace son sonthepiano-notthejazzhedaydreamsabout -to undhis ru alli estyle.Histruedreamistostart hisownclubandplaythereeveryni htonthepiano, without someone else behind the setlist. In the present, this dream will not happen because, althou h Sebastian has a remarkable passion or music, his ear o losin everythin is holdin him back.
At this moment, when he meets Mia in the crowded restaurant, he couldn't be urther rom his dreams. In act, hewas just fired or abandonin the setlist a ain, and the mood this has put him in leads toaverycoldinteractionbetweenthetwo.However, manymonthslater,theywillmeeta ain,andastheir paths cross, they chan e the trajectory o each other’slives orever.
La La Land examines the intersection o love andcareerupcloseandshowshowdi ficultitcanbe tobalancebothatonce.Whilewe wish ora airytale endin , where the romantics end up to ether and slaythedra ontoo, La La Land portraysyoun -adult li eandcareerchallen eswithsurprisin artistryand realism.
Althou h Morristown has a lot o new co ee shops poppin up, The Meltique, which just opened a ew months a o, already eels like a must-try. The space is small but super cozy and trendy, with com ortable seatin and a really welcomin vibe. My riend Alexa Lombardi ’27 and I were a little overwhelmed by all the options on the menu, but the sta were super riendly and helped us fi ureout what to try.
We went all-in on the OMG Box, which comes with mini wa fles, mini pancakes, resh ruit, and two chocolate sauces. We picked milk chocolate and Dubai chocolate, and they did not disappoint. The chocolates were both super creamy and hi h-quality, and paired nicely with the ruit. $30 mi ht seem like a lot or this loaded box, but split it with riends and it’s more than worth it.
Besides the OMG Box, the shop is known or their sweet and savory French crêpes, bubble wa fles, and canned lattes. I ot the strawberry matcha, which was resh and delicious. Unlike most co ee shops that use syrups in their lattes, here they used a resh strawberry puree. Alexa,who's not aco eeor matchadrinker, is the per ect jud eo a ood cup o hot chocolate. And sure enou h Alexa described it as “supercozy and rich.
Especially a ter a lon day at school, The Meltique is the per ect spot or an a ter-school sweet treat with your irls or just a casual co ee run stop. Between the ood, drinks, and riendly sta , I can’t wait to o back and try more.
What are theeditors’New Year’s resolutions thisyear?
Bryanna’s new year’s resolution is to step outside her com ort zone more o ten!
Sabrina’s new year’s resolution is to read more instead o usin social media!
Katie’s new year’s resolution is to spend more time on her hobbies!
Ava’s new year’s resolution is to o on a walk with her do everyday!