June 2020

By Lalain Javaid and Molly Zhao

Hey, Allied! Even though we’re in quarantine, it’s good to keep up with the happenings around the school. And trust me, a lot is happening:

• Academic Team: Academic Team has been holding bi-weekly trivia games. They are open to the whole school, so look out for Mrs. Maher’s emails!

• Science Club: Science Club has been proactive as well. Bi-monthly meetings have become virtual, and recently junior, Eva Abraham has created a presentation with funny (and corny) dad jokes to brighten up the day of our local Centrastate Healthcare heroes!

• HOSA: HOSA, HOSA, HOSA! Almost all of our HOSA competitors have chosen to proceed with the virtual HOSA competition. We are so proud of all of you, and congratulations to everyone who placed!

• National Honor Society: NHS has just recently elected their officers for the 2020-2021 school year, with Haia Mohsen as president, Jessica Visone as vice-president, Reilly Williams as secretary, and Molly Silva as treasurer.

• Art Club: Be sure to follow the @alliedart111 on Instagram for updates on our classmates' amazing artwork. The account regularly posts artwork that students are making during quarantine.

• Key Club: Key Club members have been working hard to welcome our incoming freshman for orientation. They are also making cards for seven-year-old Amelie Courtney, who has recently been taken into chemotherapy.

• AAHS Mask Fundraiser: Josh Holtzberg is also doing an Allied mask fundraiser to support Fulfill, a local food bank, feeding those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. More than $3,400 has been raised and 4,500 meals provided. It’s amazing how much we can help our community when we work together.

• Pulse: In light of the spring concert being cancelled, Pulse is posting 1-minute videos of club members singing and playing instruments on the @aahspulsetagram Instagram account. Be sure to follow!

• Model UN: The Allied Model UN club adjusted immediately to accommodate the current unique situation. They have been holding weekly meetings, and have switched to conduct virtual “MUN conferences”. In fact, their last conference just discussed a new plan to tackle climate change, and they are about to discuss the opioid crisis in America. We can’t wait to see what else they have in store!

• Yearbook: Jostens, our yearbook company, has just launched a new platform called Yearbook Digital Signing Pages. This gives everyone a chance to create virtual pages and invite their friends to leave messages. Students can then print out these messages to replicate the tradition of signing yearbooks. This is free for everyone, whether you purchased a yearbook or not. Here is the link to get started: yearbooksigning.jostens.com

Even though the world is a scary place right now, it’s nice to remember that good things are still happening and life carries on! Until next time, Allied- stay safe and have a great summer break!

By Haia Mohsen

By Alexa Muller

She’s a girl who surely cannot be put in a box. Jess Wong’s passions range from volunteerism to the health sciences to the performing arts. She squashes the idea that these activities may clash, as she manages them with grace and wholeheartedness. Even though it was challenging at times to keep up with all of her activities throughout her high school career, Jess found unique ways to combine her passions and make room for them in her life. Jess even became a prominent figure in the pageant world, but at first she was quite reluctant to get involved.

Not knowing much about modern pageantry, Jess had the misconceived notion that pageants were superficial and based solely on looks. However, after doing more research on the Miss America Organization, she learned that the pageants had evolved to be based on scholarship, talent, and volunteerism. Jess saw pageants as an opportunity to hone in on her artistic talents, as well as her strongher interest in the anti-bullying cause. Her passion for anti-bullying dates back to her early elementary school days, when she witnessed her best friend go through severe emotional trauma due to bullying. During Jess’s involvement with the Miss America Organization, she created her “Act Against Bullying” initiative, in which she organized and acted out educational scenes for children raising awareness for bullying. Jess’s sincerity and dedication certainly struck the right chord with the judges. Under the Miss America Organization, Jess won Miss Monmouth County’s Outstanding Teen 2018, 1st Runner Up for Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen 2018, and Bergen County’s Outstanding Teen 2019.

By attending Allied, Jess chose to dedicate her high school studies to her other major interest: the health sciences. However, Jess never lost sight of her passion for the performing arts even through the laborious nights of studying for comprehensive anatomy exams or drilling through chemistry problem after chemistry problem. She was highly involved with Allied’s performing arts club, Pulse. Furthermore, Jess incorporated art into part of her senior mentorship project. She reached out to singers and musicians she knew and asked them to play or sing songs for a video-montage that would be played for nursing home residents.

As a class of 2020 senior during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Jess describes her emotions as both disappointed and “oddly calm” towards senior year festivities being in question. She is quite upset that she might not be able to have a traditional prom or graduation experience, nor say goodbye to Allied or the people for the last time at school. However, Jess describes how she is not overly worried about the outcome of her senior year, especially when there are more pressing issues currently happening in the world. She believes it will all work out and is grateful for the amazing experiences Allied has already given her, such as the junior prom. When asked about her favorite Allied memory, Jess was emphatic about her love for the people of Allied as a whole. She exclaimed how she is going to miss the tight-knit and supportive community of Allied more than anything when she graduates.

Jess will be attending New York University in the fall, where she plans to make acting a high priority. Out of all of Jess’s performing arts endeavors, from the triple threats of theater to playing piano, acting is her main calling. She has career goals of becoming an actress with occupational therapy as a backup plan. She will be double majoring in drama and a health science. In addition to making drama one of her majors, she plans to “audition for every show on campus” and even explore student film and directing through clubs and events. Jess’s goal after college is to begin an acting career in New York City. Keep an eye out Allied, with Jess Wong’s ambition, talent, and determination, we may very well see her on the big screen soon enough!

By Molly Zhao

Ingredients:

Wrapper:

• 60-80 Prepackaged wonton wrappers; found at any local Asian grocery store (ain’t nobody got time to make their own)

Filling:

• ½ pound pork (or meat of choice)

• 1 large egg

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 pinches of salt

• Sesame seed oil

• 2 tablespoon ginger, mashed

Homemade Chili Oil :

• 1 cup crushed red pepper flakes

• A pinch of salt

• 2 cups oil (any oil will do; I prefer olive oil; this will make a big batch)

Homemade chili oil :

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 1.5 tablespoons Chinese Black Vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn oil (if you want an extra kick)

• 2 teaspoons garlic, grated

• 1 green onions, sliced

• 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil

• A pinch of sugar

For extra garnish (optional):

• Sesame seeds

• Chopped cilantro (however many suits your taste)

• Any green, leafy vegetables of your choice

Directions:

Prepare your homemade chili oil

• Place the red pepper flakes into a ceramic container

• Add salt, and mix the dry ingredients well

• Heat up 2 cups of oil in a wok/pot

• When the oil starts to bubble after you place a chopstick in the pot, it is hot enough.

• Pour the hot oil on top of the red pepper flakes, and mix well

Prepare Wonton Fillings

• In a large bowl, combine the pork, egg, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, ginger and stir well (20 times clockwise ONLY; do NOT, by any means, stir counterclockwise)

Make the wontons

• Wrap wontons one at a time, and prepare a separate small bowl of water

• For each wonton, place about half a teaspoon of filling onto the lower half of the wrapper.

• Fold the bottom side over the filling, then roll the filling across to the other side of the wrapper.

• Dip your finger in water and brush on one end of the wonton wrapper.

• Squeeze both sides of the wrapper to lock in the filling

• Place wontons an inch apart on a large plate or chopping board, and repeat until done

Prepare the miscellaneous ingredients

• Clean and chop scallion and cilantro

• Make your sauce by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, black vinegar, sugar, peppercorn oil, garlic, and green onions into a medium-sized bowl ( a little MSG doesn't hurt either)

• Most importantly, pour in the homemade chili oil you just made

• Wash your vegetable of choice (bok choy or water greens work best, in my nonbiased opinion)

Cooking Process:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil

• Put in 20 or so wontons at a time, stirring lightly so that they do not stick together

• My mom’s trick: there is no specific cooking time; when the wontons float to the top, they are fully cooked

• Strain and placed cooked wontons into the bowl of sauce you just made (you can add wonton soup if you are feeling it)

• Throw in the green vegetables into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and add on top of your wontons

• Garnish with green onion and extra cilantro, and enjoy!

By Elissa Addams

Submission for English III

The cafeteria was frigid, and Levi was dead. It was pneumonia. Some people assumed he was only absent to skip the PSAT. Most did not notice at all until the principal read his obituary during the morning announcements. A grainy memorial photo was hung on the wall.

Teachers handed out the testing booklets. The PSAT Evidence-Based Reading section took 60 minutes and was followed by a five-minute break.

“It’s not healthy at all,” one boy complained. “They’ve all stopped buying toothpaste from The Toothpaste Company. A few of them can afford to, but most people around here just don’t brush their teeth anymore.” His family owned an orthodontic practice.

“Why?” another asked.

“The company didn’t release a limited-edition mystery flavor last year. Everyone is disappointed that it’s just mint.”

The proctor shouted and the students opened their test booklets again. The PSAT Writing and Language section took 35 minutes to complete and was followed immediately by the No-Calculator Math section.

A girl in purple approached her friend during the next five-minute break. “Did you taste last year’s toothpaste flavor?” she asked.

“Yes,” the friend replied.

“It’s disgusting, right? My father published an article about risks of using it too—he writes for a newspaper, you know—in order to promote the current boycott, and it gained significant traction. He called it the Proper Paste Flavor movement.”

“Where do you buy toothpaste then?”

“My family imports La Pâté de Dent from France. It actually has flavor.”

The students returned to their seats. The PSAT Calculator Math section took 45 minutes. Time was called just before lunch, and the students filed out of the cafeteria in slow clusters.

“You couldn’t just make a new flavor?” shouted the purple girl.

“It already is a new flavor,” replied a boy in jeans.

“It’s mint! What fool would purchase mint toothpaste in this day and age?”

“Anyone who doesn’t want gingivitis or even a respiratory disease certainly would not mind a new mint-based toothpaste flavor,” said the boy.

“It is not a new flavor, it’s just mint!”

“It is certainly a new, confidential mystery flavor; you just haven’t figured out what it is yet.” The boy in jeans backed away and left.

“It is true that poor dental hygiene has been linked to pneumonia,” the boy’s friend told her on his way out. Levi’s image stared at her as she exited.