In the inaugural editorial for the 2011-2012 Minuteman, the editorial staff settled on two themes: the importance of individuals, and the imperative nature of empathy. With close to 25% of the faces in the community new this year, The Minuteman would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves, and our staff.

On behalf of The Minuteman, welcome (back) & enjoy the edition!

Elizabeth Coscia & Christopher Davis

 Editors-in-Chief

Sharing the helm of the News section with a talented sophomore, senior Mr. Alexander D. Serratelli’s passion for current events is unparalleled within the NA community. A veritable font of information, Mr. Serratelli is always on the cutting edge. Never one to shy away from an argument (or sword fight, he fences) you invariably have been party to the litany of heated, animated exchanges he has during any given day by simply walking the halls. It should come as no surprise that when not working on The Minuteman, Mr. Serratelli is both active in ThinkTank and NA’s Model Congress delegation. Working closely with Mr. Serretelli is Mr. Jacob Wiseneck. Known to many of his friends as “Weezy,” this feisty sophomore is in the thick of everything NA related. His involvement in NA pervades his writing and editing. Mr. Wiseneck is a true authority on the news that shakes this rolling 68-acre campus. You can be sure to encounter this voluble underclassman running not only at Cross Country practice, but also to every occurrence of interest at NA; Mr. Wiseneck’s exterior appearance is marked by a pensive facial expression and notebook in hand.

Often times locked in disagreement, seniors Mr. Josh Faber and Mr. Varan Satchi serve to eloquently provoke thought within the community editing The Minuteman’s  Commentary section. A fixture within NA since 6^th grade, Mr. Faber is known for his apparent crankiness, diligence, and deliberate thought. His views are wide-ranging and always well articulated. The hallmark candid nature of his writing is sure to engage you and provoke your personal assertions. Although Mr. Satchi fences saber himself, he serves as the perfect foil to Mr. Faber. Hailing from Singapore (among other places) and arriving last year, Mr. Satchi has quickly made a name for himself at NA, albeit a shortened version of his original. A veteran of treasure hunting in Northern Rajasthan, Mr. Satchi is a conscientious observer of the human condition. Mr. Satchi is equally as assertive in his convictions as Mr. Faber; you will find it hard to hold your beliefs unshaken through his topical analysis.

A dynamic duo from the Junior Class, veteran editors Ms. Alena Farber and Mr. Cody Reid-Dodick have remade The Minuteman’s Feature section for the digital age. Striving to make the form of their content reflect its nature, the two have experimented to great success in their section. Known for her digital prowess Ms. Farber is unquestionably a master of the new establishment. Her shrewd attention to detail ensures the feature section an accurate representation of both fact and opinion. Mr. Reid-Dodick, writing to great success in last year’s Sports section, works with Ms. Farber to see Feature as a new frontier. A thespian and golfer, Mr. Reid-Dodick knows both ecstasy and tragedy quite well. His reflective capability strikes readers with its profundity, only to be later complimented by the shock of humor that he recently began to dispel throughout Feature.

Putting together perhaps the most action packed Sports section in The Minuteman’s 71 year history, rookies Mr. Matthew “Chewy” Baumel and Mr. Ethan Andrejewski ensure that their section teams with the toil that athletes from NA and around the globe leave on the fields everyday. Passionate about NA athletics, Mr. Baumel’s drive in the Sports section has served to showcase often overlooked components of the program. “Chewy” as his friends call him, works alongside Mr. Andrejewski to innovate in the NA sports section.  At 6ft, Mr. Andrewski looks at the world a little bit differently than the average NA kid. His unique perspective may be the explanation for the innovation he helps  to bring to Sports.

Opposites do indeed attract, and perhaps the unbridled success of the Arts & Entertainment section is owed to dissimilarities. Ms. Rachel DeChiara is an actress. Mr. Robin Giles a visual artist. She is a junior, he a senior. She can sing. He can play the guitar. Mr. Giles is more reservedly thoughtful, Ms. DeChiara a force to be reckoned with. Any form of interest in the arts can be satiated by the dragon of content covered by these two contenders. Just as Hegelian dialectics result in a synthesis of truth, this year’s Arts & Entertainment synthesizes the beat of NA like never before.

As anyone who has ever opened their mouth before knows, being funny is hard. And that’s why talking with Humor editors Mr. Robert Walter Iverson IV and Mr. Gregory Ruda can be a rather infuriating experience. In his fourth and final year at the Academy, Mr. Iverson contends with the burden of his carefully built up reputation everyday. Singer, songwriter, actor, fencer, writer, scholar, and lad, this hairy-headed gent from Basking Ridge does it all. Mr. Ruda is much like Mr. Iverson; in fact it may be why they work so well together. By his dubious association with the now defunct band “Panic Switch,” Mr. Ruda has enough material to last him a lifetime. The effortless manner in which this team tastefully lambasts the world is second to none.