2021-2022 School Year Highlights

Article Written by Delilah Mihalko

The school year of 2021 to 2022 has felt like quite a long one; yet, it was quite exciting with lots of ups and downs. In 2021, we started off the school year with masks and restrictions. Sports were held from fall to spring,  students put on both the fall drama and the spring musical, we were able to experience clubs and new ideas, the marching band went on their Disney Trip, finals are returning, and so much more! So to get the highlights of this school year, students were interviewed to share their favorite moments.

Many of the band members and color guard’s highlight of this school year was the Disney trip that is taken every four years. One freshman remarked, “I got to hang out with my friends. I’ve never been to Disney, so it was really fun!” This was definitely a theme among the band members as Mary Mihalko remarked, “The fact that you’re somewhere outside of school and you see people you know. It’s like ‘wow you can catch up with them.’ And getting to be there in Magic Kingdom was just great.” Another senior named Bella Kull commented, “You’re in a place outside of school with your friends so you can do whatever you want within reason. And the funniest part is when you’re walking through Disney and just see Sab and Sciaino on a bench and then when you walk by an hour later they’re still there.” When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, Katie Steinberg responded, “Literally the whole experience. It didn’t feel real even on the bus, at the airport, on the plane. Every second I would think ‘Oh my gosh I’m in Disney, this can’t be real.’ I remember it so vividly, we were marching in Frontier Land, and there was a girl in a rainbow striped shirt and blonde hair, and she was waving and said ‘Hi’ and when I mouthed ‘Hi’ back she got even more excited. I will never forget that. I saw Mickey and a bunch of the other characters with their heads off after the parade when we were backstage, and you’re not gonna get that anywhere else. The whole experience with friends made it so much better, it was so much more memorable and enjoyable. Although now I can never listen to  Shivers by Ed Sheeran again.” Many students indicated their favorite memory from their 2021-2022 school year was the Disney Trip, so we’d all like to say thank you to Sab and Sciaino for helping to set it up and for allowing us to go!

Another hit memory from this school year was working on the musical and drama. A freshman noted, “Being a part of theater. It was fun and there were lots of friendly people. It was cool being on stage where my brothers stood. It was fun to hang out with the upperclassmen and everyone.” Another freshman named Layla Macatangay who will be taking over as props master next year said, “It was the first real thing I committed to since Covid. I was introduced to a very welcoming atmosphere with very good people. The stage managers as well as the props master trained me and made me feel good about myself. It gave me a sense of competence. The first time they really acknowledged me was after I ran around doing errands and they showed appreciation for that. Learning the ropes of Stage Crew was amazing.” One of my favorite memories is also from theater. During the musical’s tech week the stage crew had a rather large amount of time before the cast came back. However, with the musical taking place in February, it was very snowy and cold out. While we were waiting for the cast to return there was a snow squall, so my friends and I ran outside of the theater door and started dancing in the snow while singing tunes from 9 to 5. We were all so cold but so hyper with joy and excitement for the show that it didn’t matter. The snow and my friends made it seem like Whippany Park was the most beautifully fun place around. The theater community had a very successful year even with the Covid restrictions. We’ll all miss our director Miss Fanelli, but we wish her the best as she’s had such an enormous influence and has lifted all of us to reach for our highest potential.

With many things happening this year another thing that has worked its way into our lives is Covid. However on March 7th the mask mandate was lifted on schools which seemed to have a huge impact on the student body. Abby Feeley recalled, “When the masks came off it was just very refreshing because it felt like the environment and the atmosphere shifted. Everyone was very giddy that day because of no more masks. It was great to see everyone’s smile.” Many of the people of Whippany Park would agree that getting to see everyone’s face and smile was amazing. Wyatt Lieto recalls, “After the mask mandate was lifted and I walked into the cafeteria, I saw the tables back to normal and I saw groups of students smiling and having fun again. This very happy environment put a smile on my face and showed that Whippany Park was working towards returning to the happy, friendly place it used to be.”

Another great account from this school year is from a freshman named Cecile Chu when she said, “The car wash for the class of 2025. It was really fun to all work together, and it was just a great opportunity to make more friends! Also someone brought munchkins and hot chocolate so that was amazing.”

Thank you to everyone who helped make this school year one for the books! Hopefully everyone had an amazing year and fun stories of their own. It will be sad to say goodbye to the class of 2022 because of the spectacular effect they have had on our school, but next year will have its own wonderful memories. Have a great summer everyone, and remember, “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”