MR. JFK IS CROWNED

The

much antic-

ipated “Mr.

JFK” com-

petition

took place

on Febru-

ary 6, 2015.

The compe-

tition fea-

tured the

most eligi-

ble

“bachelors”

in school.

The con-

testants had

to be hand-

some, tall,

and had to have a picture-perfect smile. Okay,

well maybe that was exaggerated—although

the boys who competed were all handsome,

that was just a plus to the viewers. The compet-

itors were nominated by teachers and coaches.

The contestants had to be seniors to be consid-

ered. Other requirements were: involvement in

athletics and/or extracurricular activities, good

grades, and overall good student status. How

could you be chosen to represent JFK Memori-

al High School if you didn’t excel in the

“Three A’s,” as Mr. Cilento would say?

The boys began the event by walking

onto the stage, escorted by Alexa Novoczynski

and Emily Patten. The audience was given

background information on the contestants.

JFK PERFORMS ‘GODSPELL’

Spring 2015

PARCC TESTING BY TONEKE GRAHAM

On Page 4….

NHS INDUCTIONS

[NHS… the “perfect bal-

ance between academics,

voluntary work and good

character.” ]

BY MEHAK FARRUKH

On Page 3….

MR. JFK

[The overall winner of Mr.

JFK was Madhav Patel.

Madhav also won…

Most School Spirit…”]

BY LAURYN MUHAMMAD

AND RIYA SHARMA

This year, New Jersey,

along with 18 other states, has re-

placed the K-12 Standardized As-

sessments with the new PARCC

test. The PARCC test is a com-

puter-based assessment of lan-

guage arts/literacy and math.

PARCC was administered during

the weeks of March 23 to March

27 and April 13 to April 17. Dur-

ing the first tested week, blocks

one and three were tested while

blocks two and four were tested

the following session. Both weeks

consisted of language arts on the

first three days, followed by two

days of math. To accommodate

PARCC testing, the time schedule

of each block was adjusted, result-

ing in the extension of those time

slots.

During the weeks building

up to the testing of the PARCC,

many students and teachers felt a

sense of anxiety. Most of their

worries were due to the level of

difficulty of the test. Some felt

that the test would be difficult,

and that the expectations were set

a little too high. Others also felt

that the biggest challenge with

administering the PARCC, would

be adjusting to the use of comput-

ers for standardized testing. How-

ever, after taking and administer-

ing the test, the general population

of students and teachers were

more comfortable and relaxed

with the PARCC. Enough time

was given for students to complete

each section, while some even had

time left over, and everything

went smoothly with few to no

hitches.

Overall, this test was an

examination of a student’s critical-

thinking skills, and focused on

how the student solves the prob-

lems rather than focusing com-

pletely on just the answer itself.

Instead of the standard fill-in-the-

blank “bubble questions,” the

PARCC gives students the oppor-

tunity to solve problems on their

own and evidence their though

processes.

BY JENNIFER MORA AND SAMANTHA HEYER

This year’s school production was God-

spell. The cast turned this rock opera into a

show to remember and a glorious final memory

for vocal director Ms. Verrilli. The very talented

Mikey Perez, who performed the star role of

Jesus, dazzled on the stage with all of his closest

friends performing by his side. The entire cast

used their talents of song and dance to really

bring this play to life. If you weren’t able to

make a performance, you really missed out.

A highlight of the night was Madhav

Patel, portraying Regina George from Mean

Girls. Every member put their whole hearts into

their performance and it really showed. They all

wanted it to be the best and they truly succeed-

ed. Amanda Fiore lit up the room with her per-

formance of “Learn Your Lessons Well”. It was

truly spectacular.

Another great moment of the night was

Dolly Maharaja’s performance of “Bless the

Lord”. She did a phenomenal job and really

reached those high notes.

Godspell has been on Broadway multi-

ple times and JFK’s student cast truly did the

play justice. Godspell made the audience dance

in their seats and was most definitely a great last

memory for all the seniors involved.

On Page 4….

EASTER EGG HUNT

[The event comprised of

various stations and activi-

ties to participate in…]

BY MANSI SHAH AND

SHIVANI DESAI

BY LAURYN MUHAMMAD AND RIYA SHARMA

The cast of Godspell enchanted the audience with their

songs and acting.

Flashing a winning smile, Madhav

Patel poses as the new Mr. JFK. Continued on page 3

Page 2

The world uses Google. We use it to look up random

facts, the answers to our homework, and of course, research.

However, now we are also using it in the classroom! Google

Classroom is a tool that is newly being utilized in every class-

room in school. It’s basically a platform that allows

teachers to post assignments and conduct student

activities. The students get to turn in their work

online, leave comments, and interact with each other

as well. It is, in fact, now a requirement to use

Google Classroom at least twice a week in each

class. This new technology sounds great but using a

new learning tool can also be difficult to adapt. After

interviewing and asking a few questions to some

teachers at school, we have gathered the following

responses.

We asked Mr. Ridgeway, French teacher at

JFK, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Google

Classroom. He gave the following response: “It helps me with

homework assignments and efficiency. Some assignments re-

quire simple short answers that I can give on Google Class-

room and then I don’t have to worry about photocopying them

and so forth. I give more open-ended assignments, however,

and I don’t like to sit at a computer and grade. Students don’t

like to type in a foreign language. They prefer to write on pa-

per. But for simple short-answer assignments, it’s beneficial.”

We asked Mr. Hugelmeyer, history teacher, the same

questions and here was his response: “The advantages of

Google Classroom is that all the information for a course from

handouts to PowerPoints, links to videos, can be streamlined

through one place where students can access it every day at any

time. It’s also an open forum for students, under the guidance

of the teacher, to put up information that they found, as well

with the learning that we are currently doing in the course. So,

it is social media for the classroom. A disadvantage would be if

there was a problem with the internet. That can always cause a

little bit of confusion. With Google Classroom, I always found

that there are elements that don’t necessarily work for every

single internet format.”

We asked one last teacher, Mrs. Espada,

math teacher, the same exact question. She responded

by saying, “For students, it’s technology that they

know and already use— although not necessarily

Google Classroom. You are of a generation that grew

up with computers, cell phones; you are easily inter-

faced with this type of equipment. So I think for you,

it’s just another way of using what you normally use

in some other manner. For a teacher—I think in my

case—I grew up in a very different situation where

we didn’t even use calculators. So, it forces me to go

beyond what I know and have done my whole life. I have al-

ways tried to reach beyond what’s easy for me to do and em-

brace new technology, though. I would say for a math teacher,

it is not as easy as it would be if I was teaching history. In math

there are math symbols to take into account. Another challenge

is giving students partial credit if I use multiple choice. It’s not

as well suited for math compared to some of the other sub-

jects.”

In addition, we also asked the teachers if they would

continue to use Google Classroom in the future. All three of

them agreed and said that they would continue to explore and

use the website. Ultimately, there are both advantages and dis-

advantages to the new change. We are all going to have to

eventually embrace new technology. It is in our best interest to

keep up with the future.

NEWSPAPER STAFF

CLUB ADVISOR:

Mrs. Vitali

LAYOUT & DESIGN:

Jake Jellison

Anjali Patel

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Kareena Adnani

Charu Arya

Priyanka Bansal

Pamela Canelas

Heena Champaneri

Shivani Desai

Sharmin Doreen

Mehak Farrukh

Jake Jellison

Toneke Graham

Samantha Heyer

Jake Jellison

Cheshta Kundra

Taffy Lashley

Clarissa Mercado

Jennifer Mora

Lauryn Muhammad

Anjali Patel

Darshini Patel

Hiral B. Patel

Niki Patel

Bijal Rana

Mansi Shah

Riya Sharma

David Smeal

Mathew Sylvester

Manvinder Talwar

Spring Sports Awards June 2, 2015

Parent Faculty Fo-

rum

June 3, 2015

Senior Prom

June 5, 2015

Graduation June 18, 2015

Project Graduation June 18, 2015

BY ANJALI PATEL AND CLARISSA MERCADO

DISCLAIMER

The Torch is produced four

times a year by the students of

John F. Kennedy Memorial

High School. Any views ex-

pressed in The Torch are those

of the individual writers, and

not necessarily those of the

Torch Editorial Board, John F.

Kennedy Memorial High

School, or the Woodbridge

Township Board of Education.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

Page 3 School News

This year marks the 50th anniver-

sary of John F. Kennedy Memorial High

School and to celebrate this momentous

occasion, the idea of a 50th anniversary

concert proposed by JFK students came to

life on March 27th. The idea was the

brainchild of seniors Matt Sylvester, Jen

Mora, and Jordan Wells, who are mem-

bers of the music group Classic Collective

Company (Jen manages the group). The

project was aided by Mrs. Dilonardo and Mr. Bergondo, but

ticket sales were mostly sold by students. It took a lot of hard

work and determination, but the concert turned out to be a suc-

cess.

The 50th anniversary concert was hosted by senior Tyler

Hudson, whose charisma and charm kept the crowd enthused.

The first performers were the singing and guitar duo of

Georgette Stillman and Kayla D'alerta, who sang three songs.

With Kayla’s vocals and Georgette’s acoustic and electric guitar

skills, the duo received warm applause after their third and final

song, “Lesser Things” by Barcelona, which was also sung as a

birthday gift to junior Katelyn Poisler.

The next performance was the band “To Vanish Tomor-

row,” featuring JFK students Aidan Fengya and Reynold Bea-

ton. They performed four songs and got the crowd hyped and a

few on their feet. With a combination of acoustic soft rock and

alternative/screamo metal, the band’s first huge gig went pretty

well.

The last performance was from the CCC themselves.

Shortly prior to that, Matt Sylvester and guest rapper Matt Hol-

bert performed a short rap with catchy beats. Afterwards, Jen

Mora came out and introduced David Rosner, the manager of

Quad Studios in Manhattan. He congratulated the CCC on their

work and gave them a recording deal—a session in their record-

ing studio for four hours! This probably was the motivation be-

hind the CCC’s explosive performance soon after and the audi-

ence saw their talent shine. One of the CCC members also made

a thoughtful prom proposal using a song to which the recipient

said yes! Overall, the concert celebrated JFK’s 50 years by

showcasing phenomenal musical talent from our very own stu-

dent body, and was a greatly coordinated student-organized

event. Here’s to another 50 years!

BY TAFFY LASHLEY

JFK’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

MR. JFK CONTINUED

JFK’s Reynold Beaton (left), Aidan Fengya (right), and their band ‘To

Vanish Tomorrow’ rocked the crowd with their performance.

BY LAURYN MUHAMMAD AND RIYA SHARMA

Following this was the “Who Knows JFK” facts section,

where the boys were booted off of the stage as soon as they got

a fact about JFK or the Staff incorrect. Next was the talent por-

tion in which the contestants’ performances ranged from rap to

Irish dancing, juggling, and instrumental love songs. Finally,

they had to answer an open-ended question, picked at random.

The boys had to answer the question aloud without preparation.

This was their last chance to awe the judges. After the contest-

ants answered their questions, all of the boys lined up across the

stage. Finally, the judges announced the winners for best hair,

best smile, best personality, best talent, etc.

The overall winner of Mr. JFK was Madhav Patel.

Madhav also won the category of

“Most School Spirit,” and he says that leading “Running in the

Halls” might have had something to do with it. Marching Band

is his most momentous extracurricular, but he also does Chorus

and is in several clubs. For the talent portion, Madhav really

stole the show when he performed a cover of “Anaconda” by

Nicki Minaj. He even got up onto the piano. In our exclusive

interview, he said that he was so nervous about it, and that he

didn't tell anyone that he was doing it. When he got up onto the

piano, he also thought that he'd give his chorus teacher, Mrs.

Verrilli, “a heart attack if [he] somehow broke it.” Also in an-

ticipation of the event, Madhav says that he and another con-

testant, Andrew Wallin, learned almost everything about JFK

for the talent portion. Madhav truly does deserve the title of

“Most School Spirit,” because when asked about his favorite

part of the school, he said that it was the teachers because they

go the extra mile for the students. Congratulations Madhav!

The candidates for 2015 Mr. JFK (from left to right): Joe Egri, Peter

Conde, Andrew Wallin, Madhav Patel, Anthony Capurso, Ari King, Mikey

Perez, Keiran Williams, Bobby Williams, and Max Tahzib.

Classic Collective Company (CCC) was the final performance at JFK’s

50th annual anniversary concert. Musicians Mathew Sylvester, Kyle Ross,

Jordan Wells, Demetrius Williams, and Christian Tabares moved the audi-

ence with their talent.

Page 5 School News Page 5 Page 5

NHS INDUCTIONS

4

The National Honors Society gathered on

Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. for their an-

nual induction ceremony. The night started off with

the superintendent and vice principal giving speeches

about what the Honors Society stands for and why it

is so important. They also congratulated the juniors

on their acceptance into NHS.

As the senior members of the Society named

the junior inductees, they were each introduced with

a statement on who they wanted to thank. The NHS

pledge was recited afterwards by the new inductees.

Afterward, the senior members were formally intro-

duced with the college that each member planned on

attending.

This year’s inductees were: Nabihah

Amatullah, Thevuni Athalage, Maanasa Baalaji, Ga-

briela Balle-Quinones, Zia Bedi, Juanita Borges,

Ashley Conroy, Anu Daniel, Pooja Desai, Wyatt

Emme, Lauren Fernandez, Connor Freeman, Fran-

cesca Garison, Sara Hmedan, Mahima Jacob, Tham-

bu Jisnnu, Kartik Kalia, Cassidy Kaznowski, Elisa

Liang, Marya Mahmood, Harshil Patel, Pooja Patel,

Rujuta Patel, Chamodhi Ranatunga, Mariah Simp-

son, Ian Smith, Aditya Sridhar, David Tian, Claudia

Valverde, and Spurti Vemuri.

These juniors have entered a most prestigious

society. According to one of the senior members,

Rucha Borkhetaria, “[NHS is] essential for society

because it promotes young men and women to come

forward and put their mark on society by doing all

that they can, while maintaining good grades and an

impeccable character, to help those in need.” She

claimed that NHS stood for the “perfect balance be-

tween academics, voluntary work and good charac-

ter.” It is much more than just an extracurricular. It

represents those who act as young role models, and

those recently accepted should be congratulated

dearly. Each inductee works very hard in terms of

academics, extracurricular activities, and volunteer

work. As the school year nears its last quarter, the

National Honors society happily welcomes these

honorable young leaders.

BY MEHAK FARRUKH

The John F. Kennedy Memorial High School

Choir hosted the 14th annual Easter Egg Hunt on

Saturday, March 28, 2015. The event was a great

success, with nearly 500 people present, which in-

cluded adults, teenagers, and children. The JFK

Choir organized a fun and exciting event for all who

attended. The day was filled with lots of food, activ-

ities, and smiles. The event comprised of various

stations and activities to participate in, including

bounce houses

and an opportuni-

ty to take a pic-

ture with the East-

er Bunny. Those

who participated

in the egg hunt,

especially the

children, were in-

credibly excited

and eager to find

all the hidden Easter eggs. The Easter Egg hunt,

hosted by the JFK Choir, is always a great oppor-

tunity for people to gather, celebrate, and enjoy

Easter together in an exciting and extraordinary

way. It was evident that all who attended the event

left with a smile on their faces.

EASTER EGG HUNT

BY MANSI SHAH AND SHIVANI DESAI

The new JFK Honor Society honored to be called for their induction.

Page 5 School News Page 5 Page 5 5

JFK’S 2ND ANNUAL FASHION SHOW

BY LAURYN MUHAMMAD AND HIRAL PATEL

At 6:30 p.m.

on April 17, 2015

the doors opened

and JFK High

School, Ms. Santa-

na, and the Fashion

Club presented

their second annual

fashion show, host-

ed by Lincoln

Thom and Joe Fran-

cis.

A perfor-

mance by the JFK

“Elite” step team

began the show.

The fashion show

consisted of stu-

dents of all grade

levels who modeled

clothes that they

designed, or the clothes that someone designed for them. We

were lucky to have special guests Mr. Migacz, Mr. McFad-

den, Mr. Seavy, Mr. Di Palma, Mr. Burns, and Mr. Viteri,

who especially got into character. Everyone’s favorite fash-

ion model and the night’s “Best Outfit” winner was Mr. Ci-

lento, who also showed us his silly side, dancing his way

across the stage.

The show went in the order of the seasons. First, fall

fashion pieces worked the runway. The second season was

winter fashion, in which we saw some beautiful hooded tops

made by the student designers. The third season was spring

fashion, in which there were many bright colored dresses and

skirts. The last season was summer fashion, which we saw

many shorts and summer dresses. The final category was re-

ferred to as “Recycle Redesign”. In this category, the design-

ers focused more on pieces that you would not necessarily

see someone wearing while walking down the street. There

were outfits such as a

potato chip bag dress,

candy wrapper dress,

balloon dress, playing

cards, tie dress, and a

dress made with water

bottles!

In addition to the

models’ attitudes and

struts down the runway,

the audience also had

some fun. The DJ, a

2014 JFK graduate,

Param Bhavsar, played

a great playlist. The

hosts and even some of

the models couldn’t re-

sist dancing!

Oh we can’t forget, in the year of the selfie, some

models snapped a picture of themselves and the crowd to

capture the moment. At the end of the show, the models and

designers joined Ms. Santana on stage. After she walked the

runway herself, some of her senior students shared how

thankful they were for her. Ms. Santana was a little emotion-

al after hearing all the sweet words from her students. The

show was a definite success. It was great to see so many stu-

dents of JFKMHS working their way down the runway and

shining their personalities.

Science teacher Mr. Viteri enjoyed the spotlight as a fashion model.

Blowing kisses to the crowd, Sophia Lopes

(left) and Mahin Khan (right), show off their

original designs in the second annual fash-

ion show.

Alexa Novozynski strikes a pose at this

year’s fashion show.

Mr. Cilento stole the show with his transformation from principal to

fashion model at the 2015 fashion show.

Page 5 Entertainment Page 5 Page 5 6

Though Easter is traditionally a Christian holi-

day, it is enjoyed today by people of all religions.

Much like Christmas, the religious aspect of the cele-

bration is almost completely forgotten, instead trans-

forming into a day of games, candy, and family time.

Most of these games involve plastic or hard boiled

eggs to symbolize “new life,” originally meant to hon-

or the resurrection of Jesus. Common games involve

egg hunts and egg painting; many of the day’s activi-

ties are directed towards children.

For example, there is an Easter bunny that chil-

dren can take pictures with in almost every mall.

Much like Santa Claus is for Christmas, the Easter

bunny is the most important symbol of Easter and the

start of springtime. As far as catering to adults, the

holiday involves sending Easter greeting cards, choco-

late bunnies, and jellybeans to family and friends. Re-

gardless of how people decide to spend their Easter, it

definitely consists of a grand celebration of family and

life.

EASTER CUSTOMS

BY KAREENA ADNANI

Spring is finally here! All the snow has finally

melted away. With the snow, all the fur coats and dark

color trends are gone too. A new season means new

fashion trends to rock. It’s

that time to do some closet

cleaning and bring out the

spring clothes.

Spring calls for floral

prints. There are so many dif-

ferent ways to pair floral

prints. Bright colored prints

paired with a solid color is

super trendy. You can buy a

couple floral printed tops and

pair them with solid jeans or

shorts and a cardigan. Colors

play a huge part in fashion.

Bright fuchsia, mint green,

sky blue and lemon yellow

are trendy colors for spring

2015. Skater skirts and flowy

dresses are a must for spring.

A skater skirt is a great in-

vestment. Believe it or not,

you can wear it with so many

different types of tops. You

can pair a skater skirt with a

crop top, a loose top tucked

in, or even a lace top. They

are comfortable and super cute. Maxi dresses also

make a great addition to a spring closet. They are very

versatile. You can pair a maxi dress with a light cardi-

gan, with a light sweater on top, or even just by itself.

Accessories are a huge

part of any outfit. Jewelry,

handbags and shoes complete

any outfit. They turn a plain t-

shirt and jeans into a fabulous

outfit. Bold statement necklac-

es are always in season. Put

away all the dark, gunmetal

toned jewelry and bring out

the colorful statement neck-

laces. You can find a glamor-

ous floral print necklace at

Forever 21. Pair this with a

plain top and you are ready to

go out on that special date. As

fashion changes, so does

makeup. Springtime calls for

bright bold lip colors and a

nice bronzy glow. Pairing

your outfits with a vibrant

pink lipstick and applying a

glowy highlight to your

cheeks will transform your en-

tire look from dull to fabulous! Stay fabulous!

BY HIRAL PATEL AND BIJAL RANA

SPRING FASHION

Page 5 Entertainment Page 5 Page 5 7

SPRING INTO SPRING

BY PRIYANKA BANSAL

As spring rolls in, students of all grades are busy

with standardized testing, sports, and adjusting to the

new semester. Everyone needs a nice way to relax and

get away from the typical student's busy schedule with a

positive outlook. Here, we surveyed students and asked

what their favorite things about spring are!

1. Favorite Spring Activity- Egg Hunts

Most of us have experienced the joy of egg hunts.

The colorful baskets, plastic eggs, and best of all- the

delectable treats inside. A perfect way to take your mind

away from the stresses of school, egg hunting with your

younger sibling, your friends, or maybe your parents is

highly favorable.

2. Favorite Spring Fashion Trend- Floral & Flowy

Chiffon dresses, Tulle skirts, and Voile tops are all

back in with the season. Both comfortable and fashiona-

ble, sheer cloths paired with a flowery style are what

spring calls for. Spring is all about colors. By embracing

bright colors in your wardrobe, spring fashion can be

both easy and fun.

3. Favorite Spring Holiday- Easter

Although many may view this as a rather obvious

answer, Easter holds more value than the annual meet-

and-greets with the Easter Bunny. Easter has trans-

formed into a widespread celebration, prevalent in many

cultures. As a way to acknowledge and share culture,

Easter is one of the most adored holidays of the spring

season!

Adventure,

intrigue, and ro-

mance combine in a

new fantasy book

called The Orphan

Queen, by Jodi

Meadows. The book

was released on

March 10, 2015.

When Prin-

cess Wilhelmina was

a child, the Indigo

Kingdom invaded

her homeland. Ten

years later, Wil and

the other noble chil-

dren who escaped

are ready to fight

back and reclaim Wil's throne. To do so, Wil and her

best friend, Melanie, infiltrate the Indigo Kingdom pal-

ace with hopes of gathering information that will help

them succeed. But Wil has a secret—one that could

change everything. Although magic has been illegal for

a century, she knows her ability could help her save her

kingdom. But magic creates wraith, and the deadly

stuff is moving closer and destroying the land. And if

the vigilante Black Knife catches her using magic, she

may disappear like all the others.

I’m extremely excited to see if there are any se-

quels or if this book is going to be part of a series—I

love it! Wilhelmina is awesome. She’s strong physical-

ly, thanks to years of training; you want her by your side

if you’re battling glowmen. Wil is also intelligent, in-

credibly caring, brave, and able to use magic to manipu-

late objects. Thankfully, Wil has flaws too, like the fact

that she’s not much of a leader, even though she’s the

orphaned queen of Aecor, which was taken over by the

neighboring Indigo Kingdom. For all her intelligence,

there also times when Wil goes on pure instinct, which

can be a good or bad thing. Unlike most young adult

heroines, she also completely fails to notice eyes, and

thus is unable to recognize a certain someone. I hope

this small review made you interested in this fascinating

and thrilling novel.

BOOK REVIEW: THE ORPHAN QUEEN

BY HEENA CHAMPANERI

Page 5 Entertainment Page 5 Page 5 8

FITNESS TRACKERS

BY JAKE JELLISON

We’ve been hearing for years that we need to

get at least thirty minutes of physical activity each

day. Add school and work into the equation and sud-

denly making the time to exercise seems impossible.

It's not that we don’t want to exercise, but for the past

few months snow has kept us inside and the cold

weather makes it even more difficult. Now that the

winter is behind us, what can we do to stay motivated

and live a more healthy lifestyle? Thanks to wearable

technology, we can wear motivation on our wrist.

Fitness trackers from Fitbit, Jawbone, Garmin,

and Withings Health do an excellent job at tracking

your everyday activity. All of them offer the counting

of your steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and

minutes of activity you’ve engaged in each day. It also

tracks your sleep, determining how much of it was

good sleep or if you just spent the night tossing and

turning. Some more expensive offerings from Fitbit

and Jawbone even offer the tracking of heart rate,

which can help you more accurately determine how

many calories are burned during activities such as cy-

cling or weight lifting.

They all present this information on your com-

puter or smartphone through wireless syncing, and

some models have a screen on the band where you can

view this information. You can set a daily goal, and

the band will vibrate to let you know when you’ve

reached it. Sitting around for too long? The band will

also vibrate to encourage you to get moving. Jawbone

offers advanced software that comes with their bands,

which takes the data collected from the band com-

bined with your calorie intake to “coach” you to living

a better life style. Other bands will tell you that you

need more sleep, while the Jawbone will tell you that

getting an extra hour of sleep will help improve your

focus throughout the day. It will also encourage you to

get a certain amount of activity throughout the

day to improve your overall sleep quality. While this

an excellent feature, it also comes with a higher price

tag.

The majority of the bands are silicon straps that

are extremely comfortable to wear, and after a few

days you will forget that you’re wearing it. The major-

ity of them require a two hour charge once a week, but

some last much longer with the use of a watch battery.

The basic bands are thin and don’t take up much room

on your wrist, and can easily be worn with a watch

and other accessories. Others with screens and heart

rate sensors are a bit thinker, and must be worn on

specific parts of your wrist to work accurately. With-

ings Health takes a different approach however, com-

bining a wrist watch with an activity tracker. It’s a

great looking watch, and boasts great battery life as it

is powered by a watch battery. Which band you

choose is up to personal preference and feature set,

but if you’re looking for something that doesn’t

scream fitness, that may be something for you.

These bands also make getting physical activity

fun. Using their respective applications, you can chal-

lenge your friends to beat your step total, or beat your

calorie total. They also enable you to set up group ac-

tivities, so you can set up a time and place to do

something with your friends. It’s like a video game,

except so much better for you. 43% of those who use

an activity tracker reported taking more steps than

those who don’t. Not only will it contribute to a

healthier heart, it may just help you drop a few pounds

just in time for beach season.