Green Horn - Volume 31, Edition 1

What’s Inside:

Green HornThe Award-Winning Student Publication of Springfield High School and the Tech Center

October 27, 2010 Volume 31, Edition 1

Saturday Detentions Implemented

By Sarah Vredenburgh

8:00 am Saturday morning. High school students rarely see this hour on such a day. Weekends are notorious among teenagers for sleeping in, relax-

ing, watching television, and hanging out with friends while the pressure of waking up early and the deadline for homework is not 12 hours away. “Saturday detentions are something that students are not going to want to do,” said Springfield High School Assistant Principal Zach McLaughlin, regarding the switch of after-school office detentions to Saturday mornings. The school's past detention policy was strictly limited to school days. If a teacher administered a detention, it was their discretion to have the student serve their detention before or after school. This guiding principle is still intact. However, office detentions were previously served for 45 minutes after school and were held in either the main office or a teacher’s classroom. Now, if a student receives an office detention, they will be required to serve their detention on a designated Saturday morning from 8:00-10:00 am. SHS teachers previously were required to supervise three detentions per school year. “I didn’t mind the after-school detentions, but the schedule was usually inconvenient,” said English

Breakfast Not Part of Punishment

These five famous cinematic rapscallions famously endured Saturday morning detention. Some Springfield students can now feel their pain. See Detention page 20

A crisis has broken out in the Springfield High School Cafeteria. A tater tot crisis. At the begin-ning of September, students arrived in the SHS

Cafeteria at approximately 11:00 am on their first day of school and many were angered and disappointed to find that the popular entrée, tater tots, wasn’t anywhere to be found. The lunch ladies were swarmed with questions regarding the missing tater tots. “I was so mad on the first day,” said senior Billy Wheeler. “That’s one of the main things people get at lunch and tater tots are my favorite part of the school lunch.” Why are these miniature cylinder shaped potato-filled objects causing such a rumble due to their absence? Why, they are one of the greasy fat foods that every American craves, of course. Tater tots are scrump-

Where Are the Tater Tots?By Liza Fontaine

Tater tots are only available on Friday. Some SHS students are angered about

this change in menu. See Tots page 20

Students view Death of a Salesman,

p.7

The King reclaims the throne,p. 13

Jack Cahun is new football

coach,p. 16

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Nick Chlebak Receives the

Green and Gold Scholarship

Green Horn Interview By Vicki Kopidakis

.

Nikka Bactad,Tabitha Celani, Justin Deroser, Alexis Esposito, Liza Fontaine, Lauren Fountain, Sarah Gray, Jessie Haskell, Chelsea

Howland, Holly Hooke, Alexandra Johnstone, Vicki Kopidakis, Alexis L0cke, Angelina Mei, Andrew Naccarato, Cooper Naess, Jill Rushton,

Jennifer Stein, Olivia Thayer, Sarah Vredenburgh, and Michael Whittemore

GREEN HORN STAFFLayout EditorC0-EditorCo-EditorPhoto Editor/Co-EditorSports Editor

S am Benton.........................K elsey Christensen...............M aria Stern..........................L aurel Porter.......................C ourtney Downing..............

----------------REPORTERS---------------

On Tuesday, August 31st, Springfield High School Principal Bob Thibault noted that senior Nick Chlebak had been awarded the Green and

Gold Scholarship, which grants him free tuition at the University of Vermont. Chlebak earned the full scholarship to the University of Vermont by distinguishing himself in ad-vanced classes and successfully handling full schedules during his high school career. Chlebak was born in Strasbourg, France, and lived there for five years with his family. He moved to Batesville, Arkansas, where his grandparents lived. Chlebak moved again to Canaan, Vermont, in 2004. His family left Canaan and settled in Springfield in 2007. At Springfield High School, through numer-ous classes, Chlebak has engaged his passion for music, a passion that developed from early familiarity with this discipline and a strong family background in the craft. “After all the time I spent around music,” said Chlebak, “I couldn’t help but to fall in love with it.” The Green Horn recently sat down with Chlebak as he discussed his work ethic, passions, and future plans. How do you feel about winning the Green and Gold Scholarship?I wasn’t keeping up with my grade point average so I was caught by surprise. I feel really honored to have received the award, but at the same time it's a bit weird, because I wasn't expecting it. I didn't make it a goal to win it. It just kind of happened. I don't really have too much interest in going to UVM, so that makes the situ-ation even more uncomfortable, because I feel that I've taken that accomplishment from someone else that might

have wanted it more than I did. Either way, I'm still proud of myself, and I intend on using the scholarship as an absolute back-up to my college plans.

What was your formula for success?I never took study halls and I took as many weighted classes as I could. I also made sure I maintained good grades and didn’t slack off. I wasn't afraid to ask for help either. I made it my goal in any subject to fully understand the material. If I didn't, I did whatever it took to make sure I knew despite how awkward or how much trouble it was to do so.

How do you stay involved in school?I try avoiding skipping school as much as I can. I try to help out as many people as I can, if I know them or not. Kindness really helps out other people, especially when you're older. I know that when I was a freshman I really looked up to seniors, so I want to return the favor. And in terms of just doing well in academics, caring is really important, you have to want to do well. Otherwise, it’s a lot harder to do your work.

Do you plan to accept the scholarship? Why or why not?It’s definitely not my top choice but it’s really nice to have as my back-up plan if all else fails. I have a lot of other choices that are well-known for their composition departments. UVM does have a good music program. It’s just that it isn't specific enough for the fields of study that I’m interested in. Also, for the college experi-

ence, being somewhere further away from home will give me more of an understanding for what it's going to be like after school. I think I’ll get more of what responsi-bilities I’m going to need instead of just having my parents two hours away. Independence is more of what I'm looking for. I'm not looking to shun Vermont, though it is a bit small and unpopu-lated. I also want to be somewhere in the city, like in the environment

where I was born.

Where do you hope to attend?My top choice is Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. In the music field, where you go to college can really decide whether you get a job or not. Oberlin Conservatory also has very good financial aid. My second choice is Ithaca in New York [state] and my last choice is McGill in Montreal. All of these schools are very well-known in the music world for their composition departments especially that of contemporary music and electronic music, which is music that is generated with the use of electronic tools, for example the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, in which he splices tapes of pre-recorded audio along with other computer generated noises to produce pieces like "Gesang der Junglinge."

What do you intend to study at college?I definitely want to study music composition. My big-gest goal with my college experience is to end up with a career in composition. Not for symphonies and stuff, because I know what that's like and it’s pretty strict and you have to love it to enjoy it. I'm far more interested in media composition, for example writing music for films. Today music needs to be written for any amounts of things; commercials, movies, TV, and in today’s age something that is becoming very demanding for scores is video games. Michael Giacchino, for you Lost fans, scored the TV show. However, for those who don't know, he also wrote the music to many other things besides TV. He scored Pixar's Up, along with the popular Medal of Honor video game series. This is a lot of the career I’m striving for.

How are you preparing for college?For music schools, not only do I have to do the common application to get into the school, but I also need to do an audition in the field I want to go into. For example, most kids want to do performance so they audition on their instrument but for composition it’s a little different. The Oberlin Conservatory requires that I submit three scores of music, two of which must be written by hand. Along with various summaries and explanations of my history of music experiences. Other than that, I'm planning on visiting schools later this fall, along with re-taking the SATs. Also I'm working on my AP classes.Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

See Chlebak page 23

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NewsBy Vicki Kopidakis

Electronic Devices Nixed

If you were to observe the halls of Springfield High School last year you would have seen kids typing away on their phones, calling home, and listening to

music on their mp3 players and iPods. That all changed this year. Just before students arrived in school this fall, families received letters announcing that school officials had adopted a no-electronic devices policy. “I was in total support of the new change from the very start,” said Tammy Fountain, this report-er’s mother. Despite the approval of some parents, many kids have asked why the cell phone policy changed this year. “There were many reasons for changing the policy this year but the biggest reason was that we want to promote more face-to-face communication between students and faculty,” said SHS Assistant Principal Zack McLaughlin, who is beginning his first year at the school. Besides promoting more face-to-face com-munication, other goals are found with this new policy. By eliminating electronics, educators hope students may pay more attention in class and get a better education. "I feel that kids are paying more attention in class now that they are unable to use electronics," said sophomore English teacher Jen Dodge." Because they

Clockwise from top left: Cody Vandenburgh disagrees with the new cell phone policy. English teacher Jen Dodge thinks kids are paying more attention in class

thanks to the policy. Principal Bob Thibault believes that the students are responding well to the new policy. Assistant principal Zach McLaughlin feels

kids will talk more face to face without electronics in the school.

By Lauren Fountain

Student Dignity Remains

McLaughlin Wants to Give Kids a Voice

Zach McLaughlin confers with sophomore Kirby Goodrich.

aren't so focused on who is sending them messages and how much longer until the end of class so that they can check it." Not everyone is in favor of the ban on electronic devices, though. "I don't really care for the policy,” said junior Taylor Fontaine. "I don't like it at all. In fact I hate it. I want to be able to use my cell phone at lunch,” added sophomore Cody Vandenburgh. "If anything, it will only make us students more sneaky about how we text people." Despite this criticism, much optimism is found with this no-electronic devices policy at SHS. "The kids are responding well. Mr. McLaughlin is doing a great job and the kids still feel like they have dignity,” stated SHS Principal Bob Thibault, as he reflected on the new policy. Both Thibault and McLaughlin agree that by getting rid of electronics in the school, kids will be talking more face-to-face rather than sending their friends text messages. In the end, educators feel that this will help reduce cyber-bullying. "Although a lot of it [cyber-bullying] hap-pens outside of school we can still stop it for the time that the students are in school," concluded English teacher Jen Dodge.

By Lauren Fountain

In addition to new teaching staff at Springfield High School this year, Zack McLaughlin joined the high school as a new assistant principal. McLaughlin was

hired last year by a selection committee, that included SHS Principal Bob Thibault. Prior to being hired, McLaughlin read about SHS and knew right away that it was not just any other school. And he wanted to help make a difference in the climate and discipline within the school. McLaughlin, who is originally from Maine, says that his biggest hope this year is to give students a voice by the time he leaves SHS. "I feel that Springfield was ready for a change this year," said McLaughlin, who also helped create the Cosmos Code, a new set of rules for behavior that was implemented at SHS this year. In addition to his desire to give students more of a voice, McLaughlin simply wants to be there to help kids. He also would like to encourage them to assist in the writing of school rules in the future. "It is time for kids to have more of a role in the school," McLaughlin said.

See McLaughlin page 23

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News

Ballou and Frank Teach and Celebrate Their

PregnanciesBy Kelsey Christensen

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 4.2 babies are born every second. It’s not so uncanny then, that two Springfield High School teachers are

expecting children. Yuliya Ballou, SHS German and Russian teacher, will give birth to a baby girl just after Thanks-giving. Ballou discovered the gender of her baby in a very unique fashion. “For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to know the gender,” Ballou said. Rather than merely being informed by the sonogram technician, Ballou had the technician place the gender in a folder that she took to her parents over the summer. She asked her parents to buy the baby a gender-specific outfit for her and her husband to open when they decided that they wanted to know the gen-der. The couple waited until their August wed-ding anniversary to open the package. They discovered three Belarusian-made outfits for a baby girl. As for naming her child, Ballou, who was born and raised in Russia, is considering names that work well in both American and Russian culture. Biology and Yearbook Production teacher See Expecting page 22

New problems came with the new school year at Elm Hill

School this fall. As a result of the closing of Park Street School, Elm Hill and Union Street each added over 100 students. This increased enroll-ment caused traffic congestion at the start and end of the school day, lead-ing to traffic jams that lasted up to 30 minutes. Parents, dropping off their

children, were frustrated by this traffic system. School administrators, includ-ing principal Susan Whittemore, traffic coordinator Lisa Hall, and Springfield

School Superintendent Dr. Frank Perotti worked hard to control and re-

solve this traffic problem. These school officials directed traffic in the morning

and afternoon and encouraged par-ents to have their students ride buses to reduce the number of cars and the

school’s carbon footprint.

Amanda Frank is scheduled to have a little girl on Christmas day. “I feel bad for the girl if she has to share a birthday with the important holiday,” Frank said. “But we’re just happy whenever she decides to show her little face.” Frank learned of her pregnancy in April, but did not tell anyone other than her husband and doctor until June. “I had friends who went through miscar-riages and had told their family [of their pregnancy] and had to deal with the repercussions,” Frank said. “It wasn’t anything that I wanted to go through.” Frank was also happy to survive the spring without any morning sickness mishaps. “I had fears of throwing up in class,” she said. “But thankfully that never materialized.” Now that the nauseas phase of the pregnancy is over, Frank is experiencing new challenges, such as muscle pain, sleep loss, and the physical changes to her body associated with the growth of the baby. Frank has encountered more emotional transitions. “A whole lot of emotions go with it [the pregnancy] – everything from excitement and all the

Russian-German teacher Yuliya Ballou, left, is scheduled to give birth around

Thanksgiving. Biology teacher Amanda Frank is scheduled to have her

child around Christmas.

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News

New school, new classes, and new peers. The freshman class encountered all of these and more on their first day of school on August 30th.

Over 140 students entered Springfield High School as the Class of 2014 this fall. “I’m excited to be entering a new school because that will be a big change for me,” said incom-ing freshman Sara Locke, who previously attended Weathersfield Middle School. “But I’m also a little frightened about finding my way around.” Transferring from middle school to SHS may cause some freshmen to feel like small fish in a big pond, instead of being the oldest class in the school like they were the previous year. Some may even have frightening dreams about intimidating upperclassmen or getting lost in the halls. “Freshmen year is the toughest one in high school because it is a transition year from middle school to high school,” said SHS Principal Bob Thibault. However, these fears are almost never real-ized. Most upperclassmen and teachers greet incoming freshmen with open arms and an understanding of what it feels like to be new in school. “I like SHS so much better than middle school,” said Locke. “It’s different than I thought it would be.” Locke is a student on the white team, a

Freshmen Class of 2014New School, New Peers

By Olivia Thayer

Freshman Academy learning group, and prefers the way her teachers are teaching compared to her previous school. “It [SHS] is pretty good, and the teachers aren’t really mean,” said freshman Dillan Visscher. “The classes are easier than Riverside classes and the upperclassmen aren’t intimidating.” “High school is all right,” said freshman Dylan Beach. “I like the different lunches, how I don’t have assigned seats, and there’s more options for food.“ “From what I’ve heard from parents, kids, and academy teachers, the freshmen are adjusting great,” added Thibault. A new Freshmen Academy was designed to help a selected group of teachers to focus on the 9th graders to help these first-year students make an easier transition to the high school. “The Freshman Academy is a team-based approach to 9th grade year,” explained Thibault. “We have five teachers (four core teachers in English, social studies, science, and math, and a special educator) with common students and a common planning period.” The freshmen teachers are divided into two

Freshman Dylan Beach likes the lack of assigned seats in his classes and the vari-ety of the lunch options. Freshman Sara Locke likes SHS better than her middle school. Math teacher John Dean is able to interact with students outside of his

classes thanks to the new Freshman Academy.

See Freshmen page 21

AP LabsMore to Love

By Vicki Kopidakis

A typical day in an Advanced Placement class last year went something like this: the bell rang, class work began, students became engaged,

and the bell rang. Class was over. This allotted time, about 42 minutes, left students feeling unfulfilled with the amount of work covered, unprepared for the New England Common Assessment Program and AP exams, and neglected as Advanced Placement students. “For it be considered AP,” said senior Emily Saypack, who takes AP Art and Advanced Biology, “you have to put in the extra man-hours.” Extra time has been granted to students and teachers this fall, however, with the new AP labs that dedicate an additional period once or twice a week to AP and Advanced classes. “We needed the time,” said senior Nikka Bactad, who takes AP Literature and Composition and Advanced Biology. “50 minutes just isn’t long enough for AP classes.” This change in schedule was instituted by Springfield High School Principal Bob Thibault after a review of past exams scores, a consideration of the

AP Language and Composition teacher Ed Wilkins has been using extra time in class to cover reading and writing

skills.

See AP Labs page 22

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News

Springfield High School students are expected to be responsible and active in the classroom this year. To ensure this positive change in the tone

of the school, principal Bob Thibault and assistant principal Zack McLaughlin created the Cosmos Code over the summer. “It was all about timing,” said Thibault, about the urgency surrounding the creation of the code. “We could have had input from the community, but we needed the code by the start of the school year.” The Cosmos Code represents a simple way of teaching kids what is appropriate for school interactions. “It is easier to remember six simple codes of conduct than it is to remember twenty rules of how not to act in school,” said McLaughlin. In clear, direct terms, the code states that students are expected to be respectful, active, responsible, appropriate, truthful, and on time. Thibault and McLaughlin presented the Cosmos Code to the school faculty in August, and the faculty then approved the 6-point code. Students were introduced to the code on the first day of school. SHS social studies teacher Bob Paul feels that the code is an honest and sincere attempt to unite the staff and students at SHS. Paul feels administrators are not using the Cos-mos Code to punish students, but to teach appropriate public interactions. The main goal of the Cosmos Code, accord-ing to educators, is to help increase student success and thus encourage a higher graduation rate. Before the adoption of the Cosmos Code, some SHS teachers and students believed there wasn’t a good set of principles to guide student behavior. Ac-cording to educational research, schools with a high success rate offer a set of rules like the Cosmos Code to help students decide if what they are doing is something

Cosmos Code

By Justin Derosier

Six-Point Plan Encourages Teacher and Student Success

Christine Clancy feels that the Cosmos Code allows more time for learning and

eliminates distractions.

The Cosmos Code

1) Respect and encourage the “right to teach” and “right to learn.”

2) Be actively engaged in learning: ask questions, collaborate, and seek

solutions.3) Be on time to fulfill daily

commitments.4) Be appropriate; demonstrate

behavior that is considerate of the community, the campus, and yourself.5) Be truthful; communicate honestly.6) Be responsible and accountable for

your choices.

that they can account for, including when they have done something that deserves praise or disciplinary action. Students, held accountable for their actions, learn a sense of responsibility. “I think that being appropriate is one of the biggest [items] on the list,” said Thibault. “If that one is followed then the others are not needed as much.” If a student is being appropriate then they are following not only the Cosmos Code but also class expectations as determined by the teacher. As Thibault and other faculty insist, students often interrupt classes by disregarding the Cosmos Code. SHS officials feel that if the high school is to climb the ladder of success then the school must unite to endorse the ideal that all students have a right to learn and all people, young and old, should be allowed to study in classes that are free of disruptions. With the Cosmos Code in place, it is the hope of teachers and administrators that more time can be spent on learning. "Now that the Cosmos Code is in place,” said senior Christine Clancy, "I feel like more class time is now spent on learning rather than discipline."

If you asked to go to the Springfield High School Nurses' Office last year, you could've expected to see Christine Simmonds and Tammy Fountain. This

autumn, Sierra Kent and Wendy Reeves provide health care for SHS students and faculty, while Simmonds moved on to Green Mountain Union High School and Fountain is now works at Elm Hill school as the health clerk. Previously, Kent worked at Springfield Hospital for over four years while Reeves was at Elm Hill School for five years. "I knew a lot of students here at the high school so I figured it'd be an easy transition," said Kent. Reeves had moved between Park Street Elementary and Elm Hill School as a nurse. She made the switch to the high school when the Springfield elementary schools were consolidated this year. Kent originally became a nurse because she enjoyed a college nutrition and fitness class she enrolled in. "I just thought it was so cool how the body worked,” she said. Kent worked in childbirth at first then went more into other areas having to do with children and treating their illnesses. Reeves didn't consider nursing as a career, until she was inspired by nurses during her pregnancy and childbirth. She became a nurse, then went on to work at Springfield Hospital before working in the Springfield public school system. Kent and Reeves care for many students each day. Since they must contend with a mid-morning rush of students who have forgotten to eat breakfast, both want students to get the message that breakfast is an important meal for young people. Both also urge students to use the health office for serious illnesses. “My job is to help with many more things," Kent said, "rather than just stomach aches.”

Kent, Reeves Will Handle

Health OfficeAlexandra Johnstone

Sierra Kent thinks she will have an easy transition as school nurse because she already knows many of the students.

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News

Lloyd Dies the Death of a Salesman100 Students and Staff Witness Tragedy

Nathan Darrow as Happy, Amy Van Nostrand as Linda, Markus Potter as Biff, and Christopher Lloyd as Willy make upthe disfunctional Loman family in the Weston Playhouse production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

By Angelina Mei

Tragedies, dreams, and death are all important parts of Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Sales-man. During the second week of school, Spring-

field High School English students went to the Weston Playhouse to see a performance of Salesman. About 100 students attended from all grades. Five teachers chaperoned. “The parts were really well portrayed by the actors,” said senior Amanda Farnsworth. “Chris [Chris-topher Lloyd, who played protagonist Willy Loman, in Salesman] was good but he didn’t take over the stage. Everyone had good and equal presence.” “I thought it was very good because all of the actors stuck to the script,” said sophomore Cameron Freitas. “There were no mess-ups at all and the emotion of the actors was so real.” Originally written by Arthur Miller and first performed in 1949, Salesman was performed 742 times before it closed on Broadway. “It was groundbreaking and heartrending six decades ago when it debuted, and it still stand the tests of time,” said Weston Playhouse Director Steve Stettler in an interview about the play that was included in a special teacher packet given out before the performance. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and has been one of the most performed plays in American history.

Christopher Lloyd, who famously played Dr. Emmet Brown in the Back to the Future series, returned to where he began his acting career to play Loman at the Weston Playhouse. “He chose us,” said Stettler “I asked him what play would get him back to Weston and he suggested Death of a Salesman.” Although Lloyd resides in California, his older brother, Sam, lives in Weston where he has also performed at the playhouse. Lloyd and his brother have performed together at Weston in Sherlock Holmes. “You could tell that he [Lloyd] was very dedicated.” said Freitas. “He did a very good job playing the part.” Death of a Salesman is about a traveling salesman named Willy Loman who is at the end of his career, struggling to pay his bills every month. He has two adult sons, Biff and Happy, and a wife, Linda. Ob-sessed with what he thinks is the American Dream, Willy hallucinates about his past and speaks to the people he’s imagining. Throughout the play, audience members see how Willy’s family and business life are falling apart, a deterioration that eventually leads to Willy committing suicide. Connected to this Weston production, the SHS Drama Club presented a Page to Stage performance of Death of a Salesman at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland, Vermont, in late September.

“Students work on performance part of the script being done as the fall student matinee at Weston,” said SHS English teacher and Drama coach Rebecca Skrypeck. “The actors of the show then have a talk-back session with the students about their acting decisions and the play itself.”

SHS students performed scenes from Death of a Salesman at the Paramount Theater in Rutland on September 27th as part of the Page to Stage program.

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Features

Interns of the Springfield Art and Historical Society, SHS sophomores Courtney Page, Larry Bolduc, Jenn Stein, and freshman Julia Stein pose in front of a time-

line of disasters that have plagued Springfield in the last 200 years.

Springfield SurvivesInterns Create Springfield

Disasters ExhibitBy Sarah Gray

Floods, fires, and blizzards. Oh my. This catalogue of natural and unnatural disasters doesn't refer to the Land of Oz. Instead, the town of Springfield,

Vermont, has suffered with these calamities, a history of catastrophes that was recently showcased in a public exhibit. In early August, the young interns at the Springfield Art and Historical Society, with help from intern coordinators, created an exhibit entitled Spring-field Survives, focusing on natural disasters that have occurred in Springfield, dating back to the early 19th century. The exhibit includes everything from fires and floods to heavy storms and blizzards. Head intern coordinator and Riverside Middle School social stud-ies teacher John Swanson believes that the exhibit will stimulate interest in Springfield history. “It’s [the exhibit] something that’s never been done before and people are interested in it,” Swanson said. “I am very pleased with how the exhibit turned out.”

Springfield Survives received lots of public-ity. It was featured on the front page of the Springfield Reporter and was featured in Upper Valley Life maga-zine. The exhibit is on display at the Miller Art Center in the living room and will be on display until early October. “It’s [the exhibit] great,” SHS sophomore Jenn Stein said. “People should come see it.” The intern coordinators at the Springfield Art and Historical Society believe that this disasters project has not only taught Springfield citizens about the town’s history, but also educated the interns. “They [the interns] get a really good sense of Springfield’s past and about major and minor disasters,” intern coordinator Emily Stringham said. “They are also developing research skills and [learning] how to conduct oral histories.” SHS sophomore intern Courtney Page learned a lot about the history of Springfield while

See Disasters page 20

Springfield High School senior Justin Derosier and sophomore Shelby Reardon participated in the People to People Ambassador Program this past

summer. They visited Europe for 19 days, from July 8-July 21 and went to Italy, France, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Each time they visited a different country they stayed with a host family. Derosier enjoyed Ger-many, where he stayed with a host family for three days. “My favorite country was Italy,” he said, “especially Rome because of the history.” Derosier would repeat the experience. “I would definitely do it [People to People Ambassador Program] again,” he said, "because 19 days is not enough time to be in five different countries.” Shelby Reardon was also favorable about the ambassador program. “The highlight of my trip was definitely my home stay,” she said. “I stayed in a small town in Germany [Hauzenburg]. I stayed with a family that I still talk to through Facebook.” Reardon added, “I went to school with them and we went swimming with our classmates after school.” But she didn’t appreciate France. “France,

Derosier, Reardon

Visit EuropeBy Cooper Naess

Justin Derosier reached for greater learning as part of the People to People

Ambassador program.

See Europe page 20

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FeaturesSHS Reduces Its Carbon Footprint

Energy-Efficient Lights InstalledBy Sarah Gray

When most people consider reducing their carbon footprint, the amount of impact hu-man activities can have on the environment,

they usually contemplate lifestyle changes that include recycling and composting. This autumn, Springfield School District officials made environmentally-friendly improvements in one unexpected setting: the parking lots surrounding Springfield High School. The Springfield School District applied for two $50,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (one for Riverside Middle School and the other for Springfield High School) offered by the state of Vermont through the Department of Public Service in December of 2009. The grant that was issued for SHS was approved and then successfully passed a second round of evaluation when the district submitted another application for final approval in February of 2010. Administrative Assistant Belinda Thayer, who helped the district apply for the grants, stated through an e-mail that “these were competitive grants for different energy efficiency and conservation projects for local governmental agencies. Specific categories and criteria were designated by the State of Vermont. One of the approved projects was traffic signals and street lighting.” The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 funded the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. Because of the grant, Springfield High School custodians replaced the light bulbs in the parking lot lights located in the parking lots surrounding SHS at the beginning of the school year. All the original light bulbs were replaced with light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs, which are highly regarded as being

extremely energy efficient. “The eighty original lights were metal halide and high pressure sodium. The grant allowed us to re-place all but 13 [light bulbs] with energy-efficient LED light fixtures,” Thayer said. “This will not only reduce the carbon footprint at SHS, but also save the district approximately $5,000 annually.” This tale of increased energy-efficient park-ing lot lights at SHS is not finished. The SHS lower student parking lot does not yet have energy-efficient LED lights. During October, custodians will replace more outside building lights at SHS. Custodians Bruce Merriam and Tim Bixby believe that the new lighting will benefit the high school in various ways. “The LED lights are really good on the electrical cost,” Merriam said. “Over time it will be recognized in our electrical bill. That’s for sure,” Bixby added. Bixby also explained how the new LED lights cast light differently, which represents less bother-some light projected onto the surrounding communities around Springfield High School. “I believe the lights broadcast down and out more,” Bixby said. “Now it won’t be so bright for the neighbors around SHS.” School officials intend to continue moving SHS and other schools in Springfield toward greater en-ergy efficiency. Light bulbs found inside the Springfield High School and Riverside Middle School gymnasiums and auditoriums will be re-lamped to become more energy efficient this coming winter.

Using a $50,000 grant, school officials have installed energy

efficient lights in all parking lots except the student lot.See Lights page 20

Writing Center AddedTechnology Reorganized

By Justin Derosier

The Springfield High School Information Technol-ogy (IT) Department has been moved to the end of the math corridor. Suggested by SHS Princi-

pal Bob Thibault, technicians Kirsten Aiello and Matt Hanson were moved into SHS math teacher Gigi Guy’s old room, which is now the technology department’s new headquarters. “It all started with the need for a staff lounge,” said Thibault in explaining this change. Aiello’s old space will now be occupied by the staff lounge, in the future a place where SHS fac-

ulty can relax and work in a quiet environment. With the technology department moved into a bigger space, Hanson and Aiello will be able to communicate easier with each other. The IT department was specifically placed in Guy’s old room to avoid blocking fire exits or violating the fire code. With the move of the IT department, a few offices have been freed up so other new staff members can occupy them. The new literacy coach David Cohn

See Writing Center page 21

Social studies teacher Jeff Lavin believes that it is too early to tell how

well the Writing Center will work.

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FeaturesAustin, Purcell Battle for Nature

Without Cell Phones, Pulling Invasive Species

Ever wonder who made the hiking trails? Springfield High School seniors Elizabeth Austin and Tyler Purcell can answer that ques-

tion. Austin and Purcell have dedicated multiple summers to public service and conservation of natural resources through the Student Conservation Associa-tion (SCA) and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) respectively. “I got involved because my mom works for them [the SCA] as a grant writer,” Austin said. These programs allow teens to work produc-tively in service to nature. For 4-5 weeks each summer they had to do without civilized features of life like cell phones, iPods, and showers. “I didn’t get to shower for 30 days,” said Austin, who spent her summer on Isle Royal, an island in Michigan’s Lake Superior. “With camp life we have no cell phones, no iPods,” explained Purcell. “We cook all of our own food.” “[With the SCA] You can choose from frontcountry or backcountry,” said Austin. She chose backcountry after being located in the frontcountry of Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the summer of 2008. During her first summer, Austin, and other teens, built an historical site. Their work included clearing the land of “15 foot bamboo stalks.” This summer Austin cleared and rebuilt hik-ing trails in addition to creating drainage channels so water could run off without making the trails slippery. “In Michigan we were working on a six-mile trail,” she said. This included “rerouting so it was not as steep.” Purcell spent his time with the VYCC im-proving trails in Vermont. “I’ve done a lot of trail work,” he said. “I’ve pulled invasive species.” Like Austin, Purcell is a veteran of the con-servation effort. “I started two summers ago,” he said. “Apparently they like me.” The efforts of the VYCC can be observed in Swanton, Middlebury, Williston, Mt. Mansfield Union High School and, more locally, Mt. Ascutney and Okemo Mountain. “The one good trail up Okemo, the Heald-ville Trail, was built by VYCC,” said Purcell. “I worked on it.” According to Purcell, the VYCC’s projects include “clearing trails, making stepping stones, making drainage structures and moving lots of rocks.” Jobs with the VYCC are open to 16- to 24- year olds who want to complete conservation projects and gain leadership qualities. The SCA enrolls teens and college-aged young people in a nationwide conserva-tion effort. More information about the programs can be found online at www.vycc.org and www.thesca.org.

By Maria Stern

Elizabeth Austin stands third from the right and looks across Lake Superior from Isle Royale. Austin helped to clear hiking trails.

If you’ve walked through the hallways and noticed that junior Carrie Mobus hasn’t been around it’s because Camila Asuncion Reyes Menacho from

Lima, Peru, has exchanged places with Mobus for the duration of this school year. Mobus and Menacho were both accepted into the Rotary Youth Exchange Students program, which gave them a chance to leave their country for a full school year immersed in a new culture. Menacho

Camila Asuncion Reyes Menacho.

An ExchangeMenacho for

Mobus This YearBy Nikka Bactad

See Menacho page 22Visit past editions of the Green Horn

at www.ssdvt.org.

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NewsClassics, Colors, and Changes

New Librarian Wasyliko Has Vision for FutureBy Andrew Bladyka

Inspired with grand visions of books and language, Jennifer Wasyliko has taken the position of librarian at Springfield High School. She replaces Katy Blair,

who held the position for almost six years.

general and the library in particular. Wasyliko intends to move the library deeper into the age of technology by offering both a virtual and a physical library with options like E-books and audiobooks in MPEG-Layer 3 (mp3) format. These ideas come with their challenges, how-ever. “We are limited by the budget, really,” Wasyliko said, as she reflected on her vision for the library. Changes to library services will most likely be accompanied by changes planned for the physical appearance of the SHS Library. In fact, connected to physical changes, Wasyliko describes herself as a color person. For her, the more colors the better. “I’m thinking of some minor facelifts, noth-ing major,” she said. “I am also thinking about working with the SHS Arts Academy to possibly do some murals with a theme of literature. I would like a beautiful space to work with. I’m also thinking about posters and other interesting art works. I would also like to put some pil-lows in the lounge area.” Open to suggestions about decorating the library, Wasyliko says adding color would add to the ambiance of the space. Wasyliko originally became interested in becoming a librarian when her daughter’s librarian asked

New Librarian Jennifer Wasyliko talks with Library Clerk Juliet Loutrel. Wasyliko wants to add technology, murals,

and color to the library.

This year, many students were originally assigned to study halls in the Springfield High School Auditorium. Most of these study halls have been

moved to the cafeteria, though these study halls--some numbering 40 students proctored by one teacher--are large. While in the auditorium, students originally sat in the back wooden seats and worked on their laps because the small foldout desks were not big enough. At the opening of school, students com-plained that they couldn’t get any work done in the auditorium. Many asked why study halls weren’t in classrooms this year. “It’s so boring without work to do,” said sophomore Cody Stevens, about auditorium study halls. “But when I have work it’s hard to focus. It’s too loud and echoes.” Study halls were originally assigned to the audi-torium because new teaching duties were added at SHS, like a Writing Center and the Freshman Academy, which required more teachers. Therefore, school officials combined study halls in the auditorium so less teachers

Study Halls Less Studious in the Auditorium

would be assigned to study halls. Since many students are assigned to study halls, the biggest room in the school--the auditorium--was used for these duties. School officials, therefore, believed that auditorium study halls would allow teachers to manage students easily by seeing all students. “This has proven untrue,” SHS Principal Bob Thibault admitted. “That is why most [auditorium study halls] have already moved to the cafeteria.” The smaller study halls have been moved to classrooms except during 5th period and 8th period, which still remain in the auditorium. French and Spanish teacher Dianne Root is the study hall teacher for period five. “It is not going well [in the auditorium] because many of the students don’t have work to do,” said Root. “It is noisy, and as much as I try to maintain quiet, it is hard to study in that environment.”

By Jennifer Stein

“Vermont was where I wanted to be," Wasyliko said. “It was a fresh start to get out of the rat race of New York, which was stressful and expensive.” Wasyliko has many new and exciting ideas to enrich the SHS Library. For example, she intends to contribute to the library's catalogue of literature. She also would like to add more computers to the 15 com-puters that are currently available to teachers and students in the library. W a s y l i k o plans to switch the lo-cation of the reference section and the fiction

section for “ease of browsing." Finally, she would like to establish a book club and a teen advisory board. This proposed teen advisory board would meet periodically and offer feedback about Springfield High School in See Wasyliko page 23

French and Spanish teacher Dianne Root says her fifth period auditorium study hall because of noise and lack of

homework among students.See Study Halls page 22

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ColumnsColloquial Critique

Have a Good OneBy Kelsey Christensen

Working in retail, I have all too many oppor-tunities to mutter polite aphorisms. From, “How are you today?” to “Did you find ev-

erything you were looking for?” I’m chalk full of sugary sweet insincerities. Like most of my speech, I try not to fall into the habit of saying anything ungrammatical or nonsensical, however. Unfortunately, after countless

interactions with less verbal Vermonters, I’ve adopted one ridiculous parting phrase: Have a good one. I’m sincerely uncertain about what this even means. What exactly, is one recommending should be good when they offer this suggestion? It seems as if I’m telling them to have a good existence. It’s so all encompassing. Have a good one. Have a good one life. If this were the case, it seems like the perfect sign-off in a particularly conclusive situa-tion, like before a loved one leaves for a year-long trek to Europe, or as you part with a high school classmate at graduation you fully intend never to see again. But I can’t fathom such an informal conclusion in these situ-ations. What is most troubling about this expression is that it sounds so stingy. So long as we have no idea what we’re wishing people when we say “Have a good one,” why not wish people more than one? I encourage everyone to begin saying, “Have a good five!” or, “Have a good ten thousand three hundred and seventeen!” This would certainly be a kinder, more generous sign-off than the meager one good thing we wish upon people. Perhaps I’m meant to write it off as an expression congruous to “until next time.” “Have a

good time until I see you again,” and the one is meant to express whatever amount of time this may be in a single, vague unit. Maybe it’s most reasonable of all to assume the one means day, as in “Have a good day,” but it’s not as if day is significantly less cumbersome verbally than one. They’re both monosyllabic, three-letter words. Apparently, I’m not the only one confused by this expression. The entry of the phrase “Have a good one” in Google gleans several results from language related forums, in which verbally-minded individuals wonder about its meaning. If it is, indeed, a Vermontism of some sort, perhaps I confuse visitors from Massa-chusetts and Connecticut when I wish them a good one at my retail job. They probably return to their second home in Ludlow, and say to their family at dinner, “A cashier said the most peculiar thing to me today. She told me to have a good one! Do you have any idea to what she’s referring?” In that regard, I’m probably poorly represent-ing Vermonters by spreading this linguistic monstrosity. I seem to be a silly country mouse with only a vague grasp of the English language.

See Colloquial page 21

It's A Fact...I'm So Old

By Alexis Esposito

A big difference exists between high school old and real life old. In high school, I’m a senior citizen. I feel like I’ve been around forever.

The freshmen were probably still doing kindergarten half-days when 9/11 happened. But I could tell you everything about that morning. Let’s go back and remember a few things: S-Club 7, the “Hit Me Baby One More Time’” music video, or TV shows Gullah Gullah Island, AHHH! Real Monsters, Are You Afraid Of the Dark? and Hey Arnold. If you’re a freshman I don’t expect you to have any recollection of these things. Yes, you may know about them. But think of a time when you actually sat down and remember seeing these things. I remember when Michael Jordan was the hottest thing around, and when Ferbies and Bop-Its started to come out. Beanie Babies were a must-have collector’s item in my memory of growing up. Looking back at all the things I remember, I feel so old. The Internet was invented when I was a

baby. DVD players didn’t exist, and, consequently, I still have a pretty hefty library of VHS tapes. Now that I’m high school old, I’m doing so many real-life things that I feel like I should just live on my own. I’ve applied to college. I’ve had two jobs. I have my own checking account. I have a credit card. I can write checks. That’s something old people do. Not me. I have a car. This isn’t what high school people do. Or maybe it is? I mean, this is the first time I’ve ever been 17. In a month, I’ll be 18 and I’ll be able to vote. I can get a hotel room; I can buy tobacco. I remember every year on my birthday I would announce to Jayne, my mother, “only five more years until I get my license!” Now I have less than a year until I go to college. Time flies, even if you’re not having fun. Because of this extraordinary passage of time, all of us -- young and old -- must pay attention to

everything, every day, every moment. Before you know it you’re going to be high school old. And, of course, real life old will follow soon enough. When we stop to observe our surroundings with a certain mindful-ness, time seems to slow down and we can savor every experience. Considering the tick-tock of time, I’ve had a few friends who were in a serious relationship for at least one year of high school and this is my take on it: enjoy the time you have together now. Don’t think about when one of you goes to college, or if you’re going to get married. Chances are you won’t. If you’re too worried about the future, you

See Fact page 23

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Music

Dreaming by the Panorama

Pour Your Heart In

Patrick Dematteo.

By Tabitha Celani

In front of you lies a canvas. It’s blank. It’s waiting. This dangerously empty canvas is begging for your emotions. What will you let it see? Are you happy?

Depressed? Which colors will you choose to reflect how your mind is working? See Panorama page 21

Column

From Elvis in Memphis(Elvis Presley; 1969)

By Samuel L. Benton

When someone says the name Elvis, who do you think of? Elvis Costello? Elvis Perkins? J. Elvis Weinstein of Mystery Science The-

ater 3000 fame? Unless you have lived a very sheltered life, as in sheltered from everything including air, you’re going to think of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. No artist--except possibly the Beatles--is as widely known as Elvis Presley. No one can deny Elvis’ greatness in the 50s and early 60s. He was the frontman of rock ‘n’ roll, an artist well-received by the generation, able to reach out to both white and black audiences through his blend of predominantly white country and black rhythm and blues. Following this period, in the mid-sixies, the King fell from his throne. During Elvis’ film era his music was all campy tunes from the soundtracks to his movies, which themselves were less than spetacular--much less than spectacular, really. While still popular (the soundtrack to the film Blue Hawaii was Elvis’ best-selling album during his lifetime) Elvis was no longer critically aclaimed, and was no longer hip with the times. Elvis himself acknowledged that the Beatles and similar bands were the 60s musical leaders. As more and more Elvis Presley films were released, they became less and less popular, and with

them, Elvis became less popular himself. In an effort to squeeze as much remaining profit as he could out of Elvis, Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker signed a deal with NBC to fund a Christmastime television special (as well as his 1969 film Change of Habit) which was intended to be nothing more than Elvis singing Christ-mas carols, such as his hit song “Blue Christmas.” “Blue Christmas” and “Santa Claus is Co-min’ to Town” were the only Christmas songs to wind up in the special. Producer Steve Binder did not approve of the idea of Elvis simply singing carols, so he suggested that the program be used as a way to revive Elvis’ popularity and reputaion. Elvis was pleased with the idea, so the television special, originally called Elvis though now refered to as the ’68 Comeback Special, evolved into a much grander affair, with studio-filmed segments, dance numbers, and large sets. The special was successful in bringing Elvis’ popularity back, and soon after Elvis returned to record-ing, only this time not for film. For the first time since 1962's Pot Luck (he did a gospel album in 1967 as well) Elvis was going to record a studio album. To record the album he returned to Memphis, famous for its blues and gospel (the foundation for soul) music background, where he had not recorded since his

days recording for Sun Studios, 14 years earlier. When Elvis returned to Memphis this time he was recording at the American Sound Studio. From these recording sessions he spawned many of his most popular and acclaimed singles, such as “Suspicious Minds” and “Kentucky Rain,” and on June 17, 1969, he released From Elvis in Memphis, which would become one of his most-praised studio albums, usually ranked just below his first studio album released in 1956 and the numerous collections of his recordings at Sun Studio (Rolling Stone placed it number 190 on their list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time." The Sun Sessions was number 11). From Elvis in Memphis features a return to Elvis’ roots: country and soul, appropriately also the

See Elvis page 23

Art isn’t something you should let happen without cause. True art is created because the artist behind the brush, pencil, or lens experienced something. Maybe they felt reckless as they photographed the rowdy group of teens behind the convenience store, or perhaps they enjoyed a sense of tranquility and this led to those long, soft brush strokes of a warm sunset. Art aims at making the audience feel some kind of emotion. But how can this be accomplished if the artist is uninspired? As a growing artist, I will use this column to look deeper into the artistic subculture of Springfield and the surrounding areas. Music is an art form that many young Ver-monters perform. Thus getting their take on the subject

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Television

GleeChoreographed Teen Angst

By Erika Anderson & Sam Hensel-Hunter

The Beginning of the EndBy Kelsey Christensen

Michael Scott (Steve Carrel) spanks his nephew during the comic climax of The Office season premiere.

Though the song and dance number, which features every Dunder Mifflin Scranton employee per-forming "Nobody But Me," to open the seventh

season of NBC’s The Office rivaled the performances of Glee premiere, one’s expectations for the beloved show fell at the sight of the completely made-over credit se-

quence. This taboo reno-vation (Since its infancy back in 2005, the show has not touched its credit sequence except to add a spot for Ed Helms who plays lovable sycophant Andy Bernard in its third season.) marked the be-ginning of an end--and a dark one at that--for the previously unmatched primetime comedy. The show, which chronicles in moc-kumentary style the mun-dane workdays of listless drones for fictional paper company Dunder Mif-flin, launched into the twists of the latest fiscal year after the optimistic teaser-opening. Intensely ambitious Dwight Shrute (Rainn Wilson) now

owns the Scranton Business Park, which sets prankster Jim Halpert’s (Jon Krasinki) wheels turning. Outra-geously ditzy secretary, Erin (Ellie Kemper) has ditched Andy for the square representative to the corporate branch, Gabe Lewis (Zach Woods). And, Michael Scott (Steve Carrel), as inept and naïve as ever, has hired his

slacker nephew Luke, as an assistant, completely naive to the implications of nepotism. The Office takes such pains to establish these advances, however, that there is little time to actually convey its trademark: painful, awkward hilarity. We’re reintroduced to all the characters, the show reaches a few comic highlights, and when it feels hardly 10 minutes into the episode, the credits roll, and we ponder “When does it get good?” Plus, many of the secondary charac-ters are overlooked – we feel cheated out of screen time for Angela, Meredith, Kevin, and the like. In reflection upon the seasons to come, there’s little for an Office fan to look forward to. Steve Carell is leaving the show and, while one can claim that Krasinski’s wry smiles and Wilson’s social ineptitude are saving comic graces, Carell is the driving force of the show, even if he’s driving his branch straight off a cliff. He delivers the most laughable moments in the premiere. For example, in a classic blunder, he accuses the office of performing a witch hunt, and says “It’s like the Blair Witch Hunt Project,” and in a brilliant fit of discomfort, which harkens viewers to the classic days of unwatchable Office tension, he spanks his intern nephew as punishment for insubordination. An end date for the show that transcends Carell’s absence by more than a season--especially given the already impressive 7-season run--is unlikely. Synonymous with true love, Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer), who once double-handedly provided

See Office page 21

The Office Seventh Season Airs

See Glee page 22

Glee is a dangerously addictive cocktail of dark humor, peppy songs, and surprisingly heavy teenage situations. Any given episode of Glee

will involve mash-ups of pop songs both new and old, as well as some highlights of musical theatre. Set at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, Glee tells the story of nine glee club members—a glee club being a vocal performace organization—through teenage angst, triumphs, and losses. In that group of nine, nearly every demographic is accounted for, allowing the show to have almost universal appeal. Every episode of Glee has a theme, ranging from a Madonna episode to an episode on Lady Gaga. Glee’s power to transcend musical, racial, and sexual boundaries sets it apart from the traditional musical cli-chés. Glee may be riding the High School Musical wave,

but the two aren’t in the same class. Glee elevates itself past the typical musical stereotypes; its characters have depth. The characters are well-developed, identifiable, and sincere. Each character has an impressive knack for bonding to the viewer: after just one episode, you know each character intimately. Glee club prima donna Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, has a competitive drive that sometimes gets in the way of her better judgment, whether it is social, academic, or romantic. She is so obsessed with self that she triple-casts three male friends as her onstage boyfriends in order to increase her popularity. Berry is the daughter of two gay men, and her search for a mother brings her face to face with a love interest. The other lead is Finn Hudson, who is

nroeG Hner pg 1�

Arts

A thoughtful motto, “art changes everything,” was introduced to a small group of Springfield High School art students by a representative from

the Montserrat College of Art (MCA), Lillian Harden. Harden, an administrations counselor for MCA, spoke in Lisa Murray’s art room in mid-September. Harden explained the dynamics of Montser-rat, such as class size, student/teacher ratio, and student residency. The school is small, in fact, with its current occupancy at only 370 undergraduate students. Harden’s PowerPoint presentation was visu-ally impressive. It included student artwork, snapshots from the downtown area, and a collage of interesting facts and statistics. Harden spoke to the students about how they should prepare their portfolios when apply-ing to the college, and described what resources were available to help them with the application process. Montserrat representatives have presented at SHS nu-merous times, and had inspired some Springfield grads to attend the outstanding art school. Junior Katelyn Daly said that she found Harden’s presentation enlightening. “She had a lot of information,” said Daly. “She was incredibly help-ful when explaining what to do and how the college works.” Daly said that although she is not interested in art schools, Harden’s words were illuminating to her.

Montserrat Art Rep Speaks to StudentsBy Tabitha Celani

PizzaPersonal Essay

Treasure Trove of Scrumptious EatingBy Laurel Porter

Pizza is a gift from the ancient Greeks.

A crisp layer of crunchy crust. Steaming tomato sauce. Melted cheese that’s just the right con-sistency and flavor.

This is pizza, the delicious food for any time of the day or night that has enticed millions. The ancient Greeks first discovered this treasure trove of scrump-tious eating—they coated their bread with oil, cheese and herbs. Since then, pizza has become an essential ingredient in menus across the globe. The first (and arguably most important) part of pizza is the crust. Depending on the style of pizza, the crust can be either thick or thin, hand-tossed or pan-baked. A pizza’s crust should be evenly cooked (some color variation is acceptable in brick-oven pizza) with no black. Under no circumstances should a crust taste burned. The interior of the crust should be moist—when fresh, a good crust will steam when broken apart. It

should have a strong, bready flavour. A crust can make or break a pizza. The sauce is the next part of the pizza. People vary in their preference of sauce. Some like sweet, thin sauce, while others prefer a more herb-scented, earthy sauce that contains chunks of tomato. People also vary in the amount of sauce they want on their pizza. For those who dislike tomato sauce, a white pie (thin-crust pizza with mozzarella and ricotta cheese as toppings) may be the best option. For sauce lovers, it’s best to hunt around for a pizzeria that suits them. The amount of sauce and type of sauce differ greatly, even among pizzas with similar crusts. Cheese (and toppings) are the final part of the pizza composite. Toppings come in near-infinite

See Pizza page 23

“One thing I don’t like about art school is there are no sports,” Daly added. “Also, Montserrat is too small. 300 students is pretty tiny.” Art teacher Lisa Murray was enthusi-astic about Harden’s talk about Montserrat. “I was very pleased with the whole Montserrat presentation," she said. "[Harden] was friendly, informative, had great visuals, and really seemed to be giving an honest view of the col-lege.” Murray added that she believes Montserrat to be “a great small art college with some inter-esting majors.” Murray said that Montserrat is “a great match for the right type of student.” “With all the college presentations I'm just hoping to expose students to possibilities,” Murray said.

“Perhaps something will spark an interest and raise some career awareness. I also love looking at examples of

Portfolios. PowerPoint. Possibilities.

Lisa Murray stands next to a Montserrat College of Art poster. She insists that an art degree is practical since many

items in society are designed by artists.

See Montserrat page 20

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Sports

New coach. New staff. New plays. New offense. New season. New positions to fill. New every-thing. Can the Cosmos do it?

The Springfield football team has effected many changes during in the 2010 season. A new coach-ing staff, along with the loss of 11 seniors, could foil the Cosmos’ attempt to get back to the state championship game, an event they have played in for the past two years. “At first I thought since we lost everybody, and the way we played in preseason scrimmages wasn’t so great, there was no way we could make it.” said junior tailback Jake Patoine, “Then we came out strong against Poultney [first game opponent, a 26-14 win for the Cosmos] and now I think we could definitely go far.” Despite Patoine’s optimism, negative opin-ions float through the air in the stands regarding the season for the football team. The contributions of the 2009 seniors were significant. To kick off the season, the Cosmos played under the lights on September 3rd against Poultney. The outcome was surprising for some while others considered it the usual: taking into account the Cosmos success in their past two seasons and opening games. “It took all eleven players to make success, and in order for one of us to be successful everyone needs to be in the game,” said junior Kirk Perham, “We went in having high hopes and came out with a good start to our season.” Quarterback, also known as the playmaker of a football team, is a hard spot to fill since the 2008 season when Grant White filled the position from freshman to senior year. In 2009, the search for a quarterback was successful when Brandon Boyle was chosen to fill the spot. Junior Kirk Perham was tried out as quarterback through the 2010 preseason and fill the spot for the regular season. “At first it was difficult because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But I’m happy to take the challenge,” said Perham. “It’s a very exciting position where you need to have smarts and know what everyone is doing.” Jack Cohun was selected to be head coach of the football team for the 2010 season. Cohun was part of the 2009 staff that led the Cosmos to the state championship game, a loss to Windsor. Therefore, the players have a taste of Cohun’s coaching style. Cohun has coached football since 1978 and has coaching ex-perience with two other rivals of the Cosmos, Bellows Falls and Windsor. But, Cohun, currently a Bellows Falls High School Health teacher and Driver Ed teacher and previous football coach at that school, has not allowed the past to diminish his passion for Cosmos football. In fact, Cohun, a former Windsor Yellow Jackets football coach as well, may have found his home with the Cos-mos as head coach. One week prior to all fall sports pre-seasons the football team was out on Brown Field suited up and ready to go. Another change for the Cosmos? Yes.

The Times They are a-Changin'Football Welcomes New Coach, Power-I

By Liza Fontaine

Previous coach, Mike Hatt, had the Cosmos in full pads for only the last two days of pre-season, opposed to Cohun who had the Cosmos in full pads all two weeks of pre-season. The dreaded sprints, push-ups, and hitting drills for the Cosmos were brought down a level since the players were learning Cohun’s new coaching style and plays. Power-I is the new name of the game for the Cosmos. Cohun changed the offense to accomodate shorter, inside runs. Hatt, who previously ran the of-fense, favored wide, long runs to set-up defenses for the long touchdown passes. “We lost so many athletic seniors that could make those long runs to the outside,” said Patoine, “so

the offense needed to be changed to fit our team.” Because of these changes, Oxbow, Windsor, and Bellows Falls, big opponents for Springfield in Division III in the 2010 season, may have an advantage over the Cosmos. Any team can bring in new plays for their season but the Cosmos, with a new offense along with many new plays, have a lot to adjust to. “There’s only so many trick plays you can have in your back pocket,” said Cohun, “then you have to actually start to play football by blocking and tack-ling.” Despite the changes, the Cosmos are pushing

Warriors from the Springfield Cosmos and Woodstock Wasps line up for battle. Sophomore defender James Stillings pushes past an MSJ defender. Darius

Hosten and James Rabeiro walk away after a play against MSJ.

See Football page 20

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Sports

Although Christian Craig is used to keeping pools clean and the weight room sanitized at the Edgar May Recreation Center, he is now

adding head coach of the Springfield varsity soccer girls to his list of activities. Craig has previous experience coaching in South Burlington for the middle school soccer team, and in Colchester with the varsity girls soccer team. Now Craig is bringing his coaching style to the Springfield girls. “When I coached at Colchester, I learned from a great coach. You focus on the fundamentals, work on conditioning, and do things the right way and it pays off,” said Craig. “In the four short years at Colchester, we appeared in a State final game, and two State semi-final games.” The new coaching seems to be working. By mid-October, the girls had an 8-4 record. They defeated rival Woodstock 2-1 and beat Division One Brattleboro 2-0. “We are off to a good start so far. The girls have worked very hard and done everything I have asked them to do. But, we still have a lot of work to do,” said Craig. “We have to show up to practice every day ready to get better and show up to every game with the right mentality and focus. If we do this, we will have a very successful season.” The girls on the team enjoy Craig’s coach-ing style. “I really like him because he has experience with girls soccer and he knows the game really well,” said junior stopper Liza Fontaine. “I think his coaching style is really good. He definitely knows what we need to work on and whatever we’re weak in he stresses working on that more.” Senior co-captain Sarah Vredenburgh agrees with Fontaine about Craig’s coaching arrangement. “He's direct with what he wants us to accomplish and more philosophical than what we're used to. But it gives us stuff to think about,” said Vredenburgh. “For example, he'll have us line up and each take a shot from outside the 18 and we'll have to hit the net without hitting the ground. Then he'll turn it into being about confidence. I think he motivates us to do our best.” In addition to a new varsity girls coach, Sheri Osborne and SHS alumna Brandy Cheney now coach junior varsity. Although the girls team has almost finished their best season in recent memory, they still have a long way to go. “The goal is to compete for a state champion-ship every year,” said Craig. “Our team will work hard, play fast, and be a lot of fun.”

Craig New Coach for

Girls Soccer

By Angelina Mei

Pictured above on left, pink-shirted Emma Estey waits for a chance to steal the ball while pink-uniformed Liza Fountaine and Abi Cox keep their eyes on the ball. In early October, the Springfield girls soccer team, along with

the Mill River Minutemen, were Kicking For A Cure. The green and white jerseys the Cosmos usually wore were tucked away and the Cosmos wore pink shirts to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Although the Cosmos lost 3-2 to the

Minutemen, they raised $700.00 in donations that will be donated to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital. There was no entrance fee to the game but donations were encouraged. Cookies were given to the fans

who made donations. Sara Locke and Amanda Farnsworth scored for the Cosmos in a 3-2 loss.

Junior Holly Hooke fends off a Hartford Hurricane and drives down the field during a 3-0 home game loss on September 13th.

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Sports

He’s back. But not as a student, as a teacher. Springfield High School alumni Joe Brown has taken a Physical Education teaching position

at the high school this fall replacing Mike Hatt, who now teaches at Brattleboro Union High School, Larry Wentzel, who now instructs drivers'education full-time, and Joan Cioffi, who has taken the physical education position at Riverside Middle School. Currently focusing on getting his Masters Degree in Administration at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, Brown hopes to increase physical activity among teenagers. “I hope to introduce physical activity that students can do outside of school with their families,” said Brown. With the current worry about childhood

Joe Brown Will Teach Physical

EducationBy Angelina Mei

New physical education teacher Joe Brown helps 9th grader Michael Maly

in the SHS fitness room.

Boys Soccer

By Cooper Naess

Looking to Repeat as Champs

The Springfield High School boys soccer team began the 2010 season on a high after winning the Division Two State Championship last No-

vember. The team, in fact, hopes to add another cup to the trophy cabinet, even though the club has changed a lot since its title-winning season in 2009. The Springfield boys soccer team lost seven seniors to graduation: John Kendall, Ryan Brady, James Karkowski, Angelo Jardina, Derek Graham, Derek Osborne, and Eric Bolavong. Three new players have joined the squad, including freshman Peter Kendall, juniors Jeff Fuller, and Eric White, adding talent to the team. This reporter, Cooper Naess, a transfer student from Green Mountain Union High School, has also joined the squad. Seniors Joe Ankuda and Ethan McAllister, with valuable experience on the varsity team, are co-captains for the squad this season. Ankuda is optimistic about the season. “I think we will do pretty well,” he said. “We all know what we are doing so we should be good. Our goalie was good last year so hopefully he has another good year. All around we have a good team with a lot of potential.” Ankuda, who has played varsity since his junior year, will be an important defender. Other key players fill important positions this year like junior Jake Sargent, a defensive midfielder, who played both varsity and junior varsity last year. Junior Colin Brady, who is in his second year on varsity, will be a striker.

Aside from these key players who fill im-portant spots on the team, Paul Kendall and assistant coach Dave Churchill will return for their eighth year as varsity coaches, while Cory Cenate is in his second year as the junior varsity coach. The coaches have worked hard with the players to improve their skills on the field. They also encourage the players to improve their ethical behavior. The varsity team began its season strong with a 3-0 win over Otter Valley in the opening round of the John Werner Tournament. After that win, they defeated Twin Valley 2-0 to win the tournament for the third year in a row. However, on September 14th, the varsity team played Division I Brattleboro and lost 4-0. A week later Springfield returned to their successful play by beating Woodstock 1-0 in overtime. Two days later the Cosmos beat Fair Haven 5-1, to highlight a strong 4-1 won/lost record. Out of the 35 players that came to the tryouts, 16 players were chosen to play on varsity this year. Jordan Pfenning, John Michael Errair, Tom Kendall, Ben Sidler, Mikey Whittemore, Cody Filkins, Michael Pianka, Devan McCarty, and Jeff Fuller complete the varsity squad. The boys defeated Fair Haven 5-2 in mid-October, but lost their following game, 1-0, to Division I Rutland in overtime. With two games left in their season, the boys team left themselves the possibility of repeating as state champions with a 7-2-2 regular season record.

See Brown page 21

Left, junior Colin Brady shoots for the Hartford Hurricanes' goal during a

home game on October 14th, a contest that ended in a 1-1 tie. Below, the boys show solidarity as they jog across the

field during a home game against Otter Valley on October 9th. They have com-

piled an impressive 7-2-2 record and they are undefeated in Division II.

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Health

The lifestyle of the American teenager is notori-ous for including processed meals loaded with unnecessary salts and corn syrup additives. We

have found better options. This is not to say that we are perfect. We do splurge occasionally. Our motto is “everything is okay in moderation.” Creep by our lunch table and you will probably find Maria snacking on an Oreo or Alexis nibbling on a mini chocolate bar. You will probably miss our whole wheat bread, apple wedges, and carrot sticks. If you don’t know us by our eating habits, you can identify us by our BPA free aluminum Sigg water bottles. We believe that Vermont is the best state for our healthy lifestyle. Vermont encourages the all-natural and organic foods movement. Most towns offer weekly farmers’ markets where artisans, crafters, and farmers assemble, and buyers have the option to meet the people who produce their food. We also think it is important to shop at our local co-op. The co-op serves as a middle-man between local, organic, and natural producers and consumers.

Granola GirlsYour Way to Better Living

By Alexis Locke & Maria Stern

We believe that knowing where your food comes from and knowing the ingredients in it is impor-tant especially in light of recent food recalls. Beef, eggs, vegetables, and even Similac have been recalled over the past few months or years. For example, we worry about hamburgers from America’s beloved McDonald’s or Burger King. These are a direct product of corn-fed beef that are malnourished and essentially have no nutritional value. According to Time magazine beef raised in industrial conditions are dosed with antibiotics and growth-boost-ing hormones, thus leaving chemical residues in the beef and milk. By contrast, grass-fed beef allows cattle to lead a healthier life and offers more nutritional value than corn-fed cattle. The balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in beef from grass-fed beef benefits the consumer by preventing heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and memory loss. Being conscientious eaters is only half the battle. We believe in living an active lifestyle. We enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking and

other outdoor adventures. We want to share our opinions and advice on healthy eating and outdoor adventures with Springfield High School faculty and students. We love food. We love the outdoors. We love Vermont. Numerous opportunities exist to sample foods and get outdoors. Be sure to take advantage of them. Happy snacking!

Peter Kendall and Sara Locke participated in summer sports camp

and have added much to varsity teams.

Eyes on the Prize

Young Talent Takes

the FieldBy Jessie Haskell

Varsity Sports represents a group of elite athletes on a team for one sole purpose: to win. Freshmen: a group of new students who are

See Young page 20

Athletes Seek Edge in Summer Sports Camps

By Jill Rushton

Over the summer, some Springfield High School athletes spent part of their vacation to preparing for the school sports season by participating in

drills at sports camps. Freshmen soccer players Sara Locke and Peter Kendall got a jump on their competition with such extra training. Kendall participated in the regional soccer camp with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in New Jersey in late July. “I got to play with really good players and train with some of the best coaches in the region,” Ken-dall said. “I got conditioning in, and [the camp] made me a stronger player.” Kendall participated in the ODP soccer program throughout the winter and spring. Only a select group of players from across the region were chosen for the program after try-outs in late December. Locke trained at the University of Vermont in Burlington as part of the UVM Nike Soccer camp. The UVM head coach Kwayme Lloyd hosted the camp where players lived, breathed, and played soccer for a week. “The UVM head coach was the one working

with us, so I thought it would be neat to work with him,” said Locke. “I knew this camp would challenge me and push me to the limits I wanted to achieve.” The players started their day by participating in agility training, demonstrations, and skill stations for three hours. After lunch the players would learn from tactical team sessions and scrimmages. “It helped me get in shape for [double ses-sion practices],“ Locke said. “We did a lot of agility and running at the camp. I learned skills I didn’t have before, so I got used to them in pre-season and knew more about the game.” But the UVM camp wasn’t all about soccer. After working hard all day, the players experienced college life in the city by going to historic places in Burlington including the famous merchant’s row of Church Street, and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory. The girls also participated in a college night where they learned how to aqcuire scouts for soccer if they wanted to play in college.

See Camps page 23

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researching for this exhibit. She is pleased that her knowledge of Springfield has expanded. “I never knew how many storms and fires Springfield had before now,” Page said. “The most I knew before was that there was a flood. I learned a lot about Springfield during this project.” The interns were also able to listen in on a lecture given by William Elliot Minsinger, MD, in early September. Minsinger has a strong passion for meteorology, and has an extensive amount of knowledge about the great Flood of 1927 and the Hurricane of 1938. Those were the two events Minsinger focused on during his lecture. The Flood of 1927 and the Hurricane of 1938 were included in the disasters exhibit, and Minsinger helped broaden the knowledge that the interns had on such events. The exhibit not only teaches viewers about the disastrous events themselves, but also shares indi-vidual stories of people caught in these disasters. The exhibit gives viewers an inside look on how different disasters affected different people at different times. “The disasters of Springfield’s history altered so many peoples’ lives drastically,” intern coordinator Teresa Janiszyn said. “However, their stories are for-gotten throughout the generations past. So I think it’s important to display Springfield disasters and let those stories be told.”

Disasters from page 8

and drama teacher Rebecca Skrypeck. “It’s a trade off because now we have to come into school early for three weeks out of the year for morning duty.” “I think it’s a great idea,” concluded learning center teacher Elizabeth Goddard. “I think the punish-ment is severe enough to discourage bad behavior.”

Detention from page 1

believe it or not, was my least favorite,” she said. “It was dirty and plain. I did enjoy it, but it just was not my favorite.” Despite the drawbacks of France, Reardon would participate in the ambassador program again. Both Derosier and Reardon were informed about this program when they received letters in the mail asking them to go through an interview process if they wanted to participate. From there they attended four different meetings about where they would be going in Europe and what they would visit.

Europe from page 8

“We’re also doing an energy efficient light-ing retrofit this winter inside both the high school and Riverside Middle School,” Director of Physical Plant John Fitzpatrick stated through an e-mail. “This will entail re-lamping the auditoriums and gymnasiums in both locations. It’s not ARRA money, but we will receive Efficiency Vermont money to help pay for the project. It will also provide significant payback in energy sav-ings.”

Lights from page 9

through the first part of the season with a 1-2 record. With a 9-game season, playoffs are scheduled to begin within the week of November 8th. “We will be a fun team to watch. We are still learning, but our team is very talented and is ready to play,” concluded senior Max Blake, “We just ask that the fans come and show their support.”

Football from page 16

sometimes immature, and naïve to the world of the high school. Seems like an unlikely combination? Not always. There are a total of seven freshmen on the Springfield High School fall varsity teams. Five on the field hockey, and one on each soccer team. Kaylee Haskell, Hannah Sorrell, Chelsey Harmer, Jenn Koll-man, and Makayla Smith play for Bindy Hathorn and the Varsity field hockey squad. Sara Locke and Peter Kendall play on each of the varsity soccer teams. Being on varsity can be a bit nerveracking, but these freshmen have proven themselves worthy. Almost all of them have either started a game or scored and all of them have participated in a game. All of the freshmen agree that being on varsity is tough but fun. “It’s a good experience,” said Haskell. “Everyone is really nice and welcoming. Smith, also a field hockey player, has scored and assisted multiple goals this season on varsity. Koll-man, varsity sweeper, has stopped break-aways, letting the rest of the team recover back on defense. This has allowed the Lady Cosmos to save many goals. Harmer and Sorrell play offense. They have learned the self-pass rule quickly and work hard on getting the ball up the field. Locke, who plays striker for the girls team, likes being pushed harder to maintain a varsity position. The hardest part she says is, “the people are a lot bigger, but I’m getting used to it.” And the easiest part? “Noth-ing. We all have to work hard to achieve anything and everything.” Peter Kendall, boys soccer midfielder, enjoys being on varsity because if he doesn’t play well people are understanding because he’s a freshman. If he does well everyone thinks he’s a soccer superstar. He enjoys “the quickness and the speed of the game. And the cap-tains, they’re the best.” The hardest part for Kendall is feeling somewhat isolated. “I’m the only freshman on the team,” he concluded. “And there are no sophomores either.”

Young from page 19tious fried potatoes that are highly unhealthy, but like many other unhealthy foods, the taste means much more than the amount of fat. The missing tater tots only make an appear-ance on the SHS menu once a week, instead of being an option Monday through Friday. Grown locally, fresh fruits and vegetables, such as cucumbers, carrots, and cantaloupe, have replaced the tater tots. Some SHS students feel that the new change is ridiculous and as high school students, they feel they should be able to make a healthy decision for themselves. “They tell us we are young adults and we need to make decisions for ourselves,” said senior Cody Filkins. “We should be able to choose if we want to eat healthy or not.” Despite the negative opinion among stu-dents concerning the missing tater tots in the SHS Cafeteria, Carolyn Scully, Food Service Director for the Springfield schools, feels that students should get more opportunities of entrées to choose from instead of one unhealthy entrée that all students tend to snatch up as they move quickly through the lunch line. Many students mistakenly blame the changes in the menu on high school officials. However, lunch staff members, like Scully, work for Fresh Picks Café Services. America, an unhealthy society with an obe-sity rate of 33% among teens according to cbsnews.com, has encouraged many public schools to change cafeteria menus to encourage a healthier lifestyle for teens. In this age of obesity, the food staff that serves Springfield has decided to join the fight waged by many schools to lower teen obesity rates in the USA. Thus, tater tots are out most of the week. “There is a big push across the country to provide better, nutritious produce in schools,” said Scully. “Michelle Obama has a large garden at the White House which also promotes fresh fruits and vegetables to be offered to schools across America." For some students, the substitution for the tater tots is better and students couldn’t be more pleased with the new variety of fresh, healthy produce. “I would rather eat fruits and sweet desserts than greasy potatoes,” said senior Max Blake, who endorses the new menu. “It’s a variety with something new every day rather than one main choice.” Although the cafeteria staff is trying to help students live a more healthy lifestyle by reducing the consumption of tater tots, some feel that the fat-filled greasy potatoes could be burned off in exercise. Ad-ditionally, students feel that important decisions must be tested among high school teenagers to prepare them for later, more serious, situations. Thus, to eat tater tots should be left up to individuals. “If the students decide to eat the tater tots,” said Filkins. “They have the option of exercising or participating in sports to prevent obesity.” Scully insists that students will be encour-aged to offer opinions at future meetings regarding student lunches and the healthy food provided. Will there ever be hope for the angered students who grumble about the absence of tater tots four days a week? It’s a possibility. “If students are really upset [about the absent tater tots] there may be a possibility of providing the tater tots twice a week,” concluded food service director Carolyn Scully. “But they will most likely never return to being offered a full week.”

Tots from page 1

portfolios and other art work on the college level. I’m always hoping the images will inspire my art students to be creative and explore new media and ideas.” Murray explains that the visits from Mont-serrat echo many of the projects her students work on and may help them to realize the importance of working from direct observation of real life to express a unique point of view. Murray attended Alfred School of Ceram-ics in New York. She majored in art education with a concentration in printmaking. With her background in art education, Mrs. Murray insists that an art degree would be practical. “A [Bachelor of Fine Arts] will help students get jobs, even in this poor economy,” Murray said. “Everything around us is designed by an artist, from your clothes, furniture, media, etc.” “I've kept in touch with many students who have gone on to have successful careers in the arts,” Murray added. “Even my doctor and my dentist have both left lucrative careers to pursue their passion for art instead. "There is simply not one job, or one career path,” Murray concluded, as she reflected on Harden’s presentation about Montserrat. “The possibilities in the arts are endless and very rewarding.”

Montserrat from page 15

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Like many nuances of language, I can’t imagine the confusion upon visiting foreigners at the expression. Imagine learning in your foreign language class that a common expression involves replacing the word day with a number. There is no good explanation for this tendency. My current goal is to break away from vocal-izing this particular English idiosyncrasy. With any luck, I’ll soon return to the logical sign off “Have a nice day!” But, if I’m any speaker of the English language, it will more likely be replaced with a new, ridiculous phrase. Until, then, however: Have a good one.

Colloquial from page 12

teams, the Green team: Rebecca Skrypeck, Angelo Jardina, Gigi Guy, Courtney Brooks, and Liz Goddard, and the White team: Susan Hunt, Peggy Geyer, John Dean, Dave Slivka, and Mimi Gray. “Last year I only got to see my students in math class, so I didn’t know the students that well,” said Dean. “This year I get a better view of the students and get to see how they’re doing in their other classes.” Each student is also assigned to a team, so all White team teachers have the same students, and all Green team teachers have the other half. “So far I like the classes,” said Beach, who is on the Green team. “There are a lot more opportuni-ties.” “We hope it will help us stay on top of kids that might be having problems or be in danger of fail-ing,” said Hunt. “It also helps open the lines of com-munication.” All members of the Freshmen Academy team meet daily to discuss students and lesson plans. Since all the teachers on the team have the same students, they are able to integrate their curriculum more than in the past. “It [the Freshmen Academy] gives us more communication,” said Dean. “Now I can see what classes a student is doing well in and change my teach-ing style to help them.” Another new aspect of freshman life at SHS involves the availability of Freshman Seminar. This is a class offered to any 9th graders and assists the students in study skills, homework, and other problems they have in any of their classes. “Failure rates in 9th grade are higher than any other year and once students start failing classes, the drop-out potential increases,” concluded Thibault. “So in reality, the Freshman Academy is another attempt to help raise our graduation rate to 100%.”

Freshmen from page 5

Because of the 8-period day at SHS, finals and midterms seem to be a necessity for many teach-ers. “45 minutes in class is just too short for students to immerse themselves [in learning],” said math teacher Sean Sullivan. Since the teachers are left with limited contact time, there is more focus on quantity of material covered rather than quality. Sullivan likes the idea of having the opportunity to wrap things up for both the students and the teacher. As for the exams, Sullivan feels that the students will get out of it what they put into it. Presently the midterm exam will be three days in the winter: January 19-21 with periods 1-3 testing on the first day, periods 4-6 testing on day two of midterms, and periods seven and eight tested on day three. Midterms would be organized for early release days with 90-minute periods. Overall the midterm and final would account for 20% of the year’s grade, 10% for each exam. Social studies teacher and team leader Angelo Jardina feels it is good to have finals back because the students need the experience. “As for the seniors, there is concern that they’re hit with another change," said Jardina. But with prep, and review, some stress should be alleviated.” He also feels that knowing the final will be a common exam helps the teachers to concentrate and look at the instruction to focus on what’s important. “I think finals and midterms are going to be beneficial in the long run, but stressful in the meantime,” concluded senior Sarah Vredenburgh

Finals from page 4

will occupy part of Matt Hanson’s old office adjacent to the iMac Lab while the rest will be used as a room for students to work on papers in the Writing Center. The Writing Center will occupy the space previously occupied by the iMac lab. The Writing Center is open for students to use when they need help on a specific writing assignment. The Writing Center will be open every period except fourth. “Kids can come in [the Writing Center] when the library is full,” said SHS history teacher Jeff Lavin, who will help staff the Center. “And there is a teacher in the lab.” With the iMac closed and the Writing Center as its replacement, some students are worried that they will not be able to work on subjects other than English in school. Students are also worried that they may be missing out now that they can’t visit the iMac when they need to. “I think a lot of students are missing out on valuable resources,” said sophomore Larry Bolduc. However, students may use the Writing Center for extra study when the library computers are all in use. Teachers also must reserve the Writing Center for their students and must take their whole class with them. Students are not allowed to go to the Writ-ing Center when a teacher is not in there to supervise and assist students. “We’ll see how it’s going to work,” concluded Lavin. “ It's still too early to tell.”

Writing Center from page 9

obesity in America, Brown is trying to get his kids as physically active as possible while in gym class. “Stud-ies have shown that physical activity helps in academics, as well as with self esteem,” he said. “I want to teach my kids tools that will help.” Brown graduated in 2000 and still lives in Springfield where he also completed his student teach-ing, “I have ties here,” said Brown. With his mother, Laurie running the local hair salon, Boccaccio’s, his wife Morgan working at the River Valley Technical Center next to the high school and his sister, Christina, teaching at Park Street Elementary School, Brown feels at home. During high school, Brown started on the varsity football team as a tailback and free safety. He also played small forward and power forward in bas-ketball and ran track and played baseball. Although Brown has just returned to his old stomping grounds, some of his previousteachers are still here. “I still have the utmost respect for them,” said Brown, “I still call them by their surnames. It’s funny.” “I like that he’s athletic and wants to get in the games himself and that he has a funny, positive at-titude towards the class,” concluded sophomore Kirby Goodrich. “He makes class fun.”

Brown from page 18can easily jumpstart my journalistic adventures. With this in mind, I spoke with Windsor High School 2009 graduate Patrick Dematteo, a former member of the alternative/acoustic band Runaway Lion. I began by asking him one simple question: What does music mean to you? “I think that music to me is something spe-cial. It's a way to show yourself in a light that people may not always see you in,” said Dematteo, who has performed numerous times at 802 Music on Main Street in Springfield. “I believe that music is self-expression and is something that no one can take away from you. It’s a beautiful thing really and it’s something to be cherished and honored. Everybody has a song that helps them with the hard times, you know? Even if you can’t play an instrument it’s in your heart. “When I was seventeen I started singing and writing lyrics and I was in a few bands just doing that, but I mean as I got older I just really wanted to learn guitar, so I taught myself how to play,” added Demat-teo, as he reflected on his musical origins. “Over the past couple years I’ve just been getting better. I mean, it takes time, but to me it’s worth it.” As far as his music career is going, Dematteo says, “Actually right now it’s kind of slow. I mean, I’m still writing but my band broke up so it’s taking a bit longer.” The arts are therapeutic in the sense that one can create something entirely their own, and release their innermost secrets in any form they wish. Essentially, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, you’re con-stantly surrounded with this inevitable media, whether it is a brightly-colored billboard, or that one song the radio plays over and over. Contemplate this for a mo-ment. Maybe now you’ll start to recognize the world around you for what it truly is – an immense and radiant composition of dreamlike proportions.

Panorama from page 13

Office from page 14a reason to watch the show alone, have reached a point where their on-screen romance can only plummet. While past season openings have provided us with the couple’s first kiss (“The Dundies,” Season 2), revealed to us the couple’s official status (“Fun Run,” Season 4), treated us to the couple’s engage-ment (“Weight Loss,” Season 5), and confirmed to us the couple’s pregnancy (“Gossip,” Season 6), there are few milestones for the couple to take now except maybe marital problems or divorce. Their only interactions in the premiere in-volved getting in a playful fight and making up – ground treaded before in the show. Their marital happiness has become repetitive and boring when compared to the suspenseful, blush-ridden, agonizing shyness between the two before they began dating in the fourth season. The Office’s golden age may be past. The show now competes with the rapidly-growing comic genius of 30 Rock, another corporate comedy which airs on NBC just before the Office on Thursdays. The men and women of Dunder Mifflin may be collapsing under the pressure. It was clear even in the previous season that the writers were running out of ideas for inter-of-fice practical jokes. All one can do now is hope that the writers recover some of their glory from seasons past and reintroduce the impressive comedy that previously caused so many viewers to gather round real-life water coolers and say, “The funniest thing happened on The Office last night…”

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positives, to all the anxiety and fear of the unknown,” said Frank. “And then there’s the added anxiety of teaching.” Frank, however, doesn't feel that the preg-nancy drastically affects her life. Her dietary choices have changed to exclude high-mercury fish, sprouts, and uncooked eggs, because of reduced immune system dur-ing pregnancy. Frank doesn't worry about germs in her classroom, though. “There’s only so much you can do,” she said. “If someone is sick, I keep my distance.” Frank also senses a loss of mental acuity. “You forget things and you can’t come up with words,” Frank said. “Even simple ones, like pencil.” Ballou identifies with these challenges. She feels it’s difficult to concentrate and remember things. The biggest challenge for Ballou, however, was keeping the pregnancy a secret from her students last year. “I wanted it to be a surprise, so I was wearing a lot of bigger shirts,” she said. Ballou used her You Can’t Take it With You tee-shirt, from the SHS Drama Club’s 2010 production, to disguise weight gain. Luckily, Ballou’s challenges come with perks. “It’s fun when she [the baby] decides to kick in class,” she said. “I’m nervous about being a parent,” she added. “But I’m excited to meet her.” Skills from her work as a teacher, she feels, such as being sensitive to the worries of others, flexibility, and experience with

Expecting from page 4

eight-period schedule, and a discussion among teachers and administrators. “With an eight-period day, classes are too short,” said AP Language and Composition teacher Ed Wilkins, who has been using the extra time to cover reading and writing skills. “Looking back on test scores, we found that the exam scores aren’t as good with the less time. [These Labs] were one way of providing more time.” The lab periods were not only added to AP classes, but also to Advanced Biology. “Science is a discipline that is both a process and a body of knowledge,” said Advanced Biology teacher Amanda Frank. “Students need to learn how to use the scientific method and the process of science and that’s hard to do in 45 minutes.” This time also allows students to participate in engaging labs. “Since there’s more time,” said senior Ben Sidler, a member of three AP/Advanced classes, “we can do labs that are actually fun.” As the AP exams were a large consideration for additional time for Advanced Placement classes, the NECAPS were a major factor in adding lab time to Advanced Biology. Vermont requires that students learn the eight scientific inquiry grade expectations, or GEs, in science. These GEs are a major component in NECAPS as well. With numerous students and little time, science teachers have found it difficult to teach these GEs. “That many students with so little time—45 minutes and no lab period,” said Frank, “makes do-ing hands-on lab work very difficult and significantly decreases the chances that our students will master the inquiry GEs and succeed on the NECAP.” Students agree. “If you don’t have the extra time, you don’t get through the curriculum in time for the exam,” said senior Sarah Vredenburgh who takes three AP/Advanced classes. “Or, if you do, you don’t understand it enough to do well on the exam.” Students and teachers have welcomed these labs. The additional time helps both to complete and understand work. “I don’t feel as stressed out about time,” said senior Desmond Dana who also takes three AP/Advanced classes. “We don’t have to start something then stop almost immediately because of time.” Yet it’s still too early to tell whether these labs will be a permanent staple in the six AP/Advanced classes offered at Springfield High School. “We’ll find out as the year goes on just how useful these labs really are,” said Wilkins.

AP Labs from page 5 Roughly 40 students are found in 5th period study hall. Many factors seem to make this a poor study hall for students: seats are hard, there isn’t enough workspace, and it is right before lunch and the students are hungry. Thibault suggested also instituting a Writing Center at SHS to improve writing throughout the high school. The Writing Center, which is housed in the old iMac lab, opened during the fourth week of school. The Center is staffed each period of the day, except 5th period, by four English teachers (Joanna Coleman, Kevin Coen, Ed Wilkins, Jen Dodge) and one social studies teacher (Jeff Lavin). However, English teacher Jen Dodge, who is assigned to the Writing Center during 3rd period, is concerned that students aren’t individually allowed to use the iMac Lab. She hopes, however, that the Writing Center may allow some students some more computer time.

Study Halls from page 11

Glee from page 14arrived in America in August, just around the same time Mobus was traveling to Peru. Menacho heard about the exchange program through her aunt and immediately began the application process. “I had to complete many documents for the program and I had to get all my teachers to sign off for me,” Menacho said. “One of my teachers kept refus-ing to sign off for me, which made things even more stressful. After all the paperwork I still had to get my visa and plane tickets.” Since Menacho has arrived in America, she’s missed Peruvian food the most. She has yet to cook a Peruvian meal for her host family but plans to do it soon since all the ingredients that she needs are easily acces-sible. “I prefer the dishes that have potatoes because Peru has more than 5000 types of potatoes. We have a lot of dishes with potatoes,” Menacho said. Back in Peru, Menacho has already finished her schooling, but while she’s in Vermont she’s enrolled in the junior class at SHS. In Peru, students must complete six years of elementary school and then five years of high school. When Menacho returns to Peru she plans on applying to her local university. She has a few ideas of what she would like to major in during college, such as engineering or education. Springfield High School is much larger than Menacho’s school in Peru. She believes SHS students have a lot more freedom. “The students in Peru aren’t given the option to choose their classes and have a much stricter dress code,” Menacho said. “We have to wear a uniform and the girls are required to keep their hair back and the boys need to have their hair cut short and neat.” While in America, Menacho will meet regularly with other exchange students. She also will be going on a trip with the exchange program to Boston. Menacho will return to Peru in June, after the school year at Springfield High School has concluded.

Menacho from page 10

teenagers, will come in handy in parenthood. Frank hopes to take her maternity leave from Christmas break to February break. Advertisements for both positions have been placed on schoolspring.com. Frank is not concerned about the welfare of her yearbook class. “Students will take on most of the responsibility [for the yearbook], Frank said. “I’ll just help them along the way. By December or January, they’ll understand what to do day-to-day and do stuff on their own.” Ballou’s leave will span from Thanksgiving break until the beginning of March. No specific substi-tute has been chosen, though Ballou says she and SHS Principal Bob Thibault are working to find someone qualified to teach both Russian and German. “Part of me feels guilty for leaving you guys [her classes],” she said. “But the other part of me feels responsible for bringing up my baby.” Ballou feels mothers in America have it more difficult than in other nations. In Russia, mothers can take up to three years of leave and still receive a stipend of some sort while retaining their position. Frank and Ballou are pleased to share the experience with each other. “We exchange stories and advice,” Ballou said. “It’s neat Amanda’s due on one holiday and I’m due on another.” In general, Ballou feels the SHS staff and students have been very excited and supportive. Frank echoes these points. “[We can] com-pare stories and say ‘Is this happening to you?’” Frank said. “It makes it a richer, more fun experience.”

portrayed by Cory Monteith. Finn, an ex-quarterback with a big heart, has trouble letting go and is romanti-cally confused. Finn was once the boyfriend of Quinn Fabray, a girl who is tossed to the bottom of the social food chain after finding herself pregnant. Mercedes, a closeted diva, is best friends with Kurt Hummel, who has been fighting an inner battle about who he really is. The glee club gives him a support system to take that leap. New Directions, the very accurate title of the glee club, is also a haven for Artie Abrams. Artie no longer has the use of his legs. Luckily, Artie has fellow Glee member Jenna Ushkowitz. Jenna, who was faking a stutter to keep people away, discovers in the glee club

and in Artie, something good. In the process, she finds her voice. Teaching the glee club is Spanish teacher Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison. Morrison’s rep-ertoire includes playing Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray. In casting Glee, show creator Ryan Murphy observed actors on Broadway for three months, and Morrison’s casting is a direct result of his observations and reflections of the acting. Most of the cast members have previous Broadway experience. Glee’s popularity and success may be the result of how each character is custom-tailored to the person portraying them. This finel- crafted casting helps to give all of the characters a shine that welcomes us into the world of Glee.

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Since the autumn sports season commenced, Kendall and Locke gained full-time positions on their respective varsity soccer squads. Both agree that attend-ing the camps helped them earn these promotions, and they plan to return to the camps next year to improve their skills even more. Another Cosmos athlete field hockey co-captain, senior Maria Stern, attended clinics at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont, and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The Williams College clinic also was a showcase, where college scouts were able to view the players scrimmaging. “Anytime you have a stick in your hand, you’re getting prepared and improving your skills,” said Stern. In the past, Stern has gone to field hockey camps at Division I schools Syracuse University and Dartmouth University, but decided to try a Division III school to get a different feel. Stern hopes to land a field hockey scholarship and continue playing throughout college. “It’s just nice to see a little bit of everything,” she said. “[The colleges] are all different academically, and they all have different strategies of how to play the game.” Sophomores Jordan Crowley and Jacob Therrien also participated in a basketball camp at Castleton State College. The boys drilled and scrim-maged with other athletes to prepare for the season. After each session, the coach sat down with the players to discuss how they could improve their game, and what they needed to work on. “It got me really prepared for the [upcoming] season,” said Crowley. “[The camp] just got me out to play basketball. It gives you something to do to make you better during the off-season. It’s something to do other than sit at home watching television.”

Camps from page 19have totally wasted all your time in the present. Take to heart the lessons you learn. American Studies taught me so much, because I wasn’t thinking about getting the work done or failing. I didn’t feel pressured over not understanding a reading. I believed everything would come into place, lived in the moment, and the class worked out well. But it’s a challenge to stay in the moment. We’re so much about planning for the future, worrying about how we’re going to get to the next step. The truth is we grow up fast -- think of high school old-- and most of us don’t stop to think and appreciate the moment. I feel like I know so much, and I’m so wise. But next year when I go to college, I won’t feel so old anymore. I’ll be a baby again. The cycle will restart. But I’ll still be old to all of you, and all of you will be old to the new freshman next year. Yet, whether it’s high school old or real life old, just cherish everything. I mean it. Stay Fly.

Fact from page 12

I hope that I'm doing something I enjoy. I'll probably be doing something music-related but you never know. I know it’s a real shocker, but I do have a lot of other nonmusical interests. Traveling is just awesome, so if I could just join a band after college and play around for a few years, that'd be awesome. It'd also be cool to use my composition techniques to write more pop-oriented music.

Chlebak from page 2

The students seem to benefit from having McLaughlin as a part of the SHS teaching team this year. "He's doing great so far and the kids seem to really love him," said principal Bob Thibault. The teachers also appreciate McLaughlin's professionalism and open-mindedness. When ques-tioned about it, they agree that it will be nice to have

McLaughlin from page 3

her about entering the profession. She was previously a financial analyst. “She asked me if I had ever considered becoming a librarian,” Wasyliko said. “I firmly believe that was what sparked my interest.” She also volunteered and later worked as a reference librarian at the Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood, New Jersey, which further encouraged her interest in a library science career. Wasyliko now lives in Londonderry with her husband and 2 children.

Wasyliko from page 11

combinations, and can be customized to the tastes of any pizza-eater. Cheese, however, is common to all pizzas. The flavor of the cheese varies much in the same way that sauce does. New York style pizza (also known as a Brooklyner, Italian pizza, and hand-tossed thin crust) is usually a large, thin pie, skimpy on the sauce (which is less sauce) with gooey, herb-heavy cheese spread over the top. Other topping is usually generously provided, sometimes layered up to an inch thick over the cheese. The crust is dense and often very flat. New York style pizza keeps well; it’s good cold the next day. It can be folded in half and eaten like a sandwich. Although pizza style choice is a tremendously personal decision, this reporter believes a good New York style pizza to be the pinnacle of culinary achievement, the zenith of foodstuff. Greek pizza (also known as thick-crust or pan-style pizza) is usually smaller in diameter and thicker in height than a New York style pizza. The crust is crunchy and light. There is an abundance of sauce, usually sweet in taste, and the cheese is usually crunchy with brown spots, and very flavorful. Toppings on a Greek pizza are more sparse than those on other pizzas, perhaps because the crust is thicker and makes up a greater percentage of the overall pizza. Greek pizza cannot be folded, and is best eaten hot. Pizza style is a personal choice. But no mat-ter where you go or what you do, there will always be a pizza palace nearby to satisfy your appetite and your soul.

Pizza from page 15roots of rock ‘n’ roll. From the minute Elvis begins to sing at the beginning of track one, “Wearin’ That Loved On Look,” the promise of greatness, not heard in years, is found in his voice. A sharp contrast to his lazy style of singing found in his later film soundtracks, Elvis’ voice is full of life, and more mature, losing the youthful charm of his fifties recordings replaced with a more raw and aggressive way of singing. Many of the songs found on From Elvis in Memphis are well-known country tunes, such as “I’ll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms),” “It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin’,” and “Gentle on My Mind.” Though some are obviously country songs and are played as such (“It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin’”), most are injected with soulful singing, roaring horns, and rocking guitars, transforming the country songs into the rock that allowed Elvis to once again be called the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll without the title sounding like an obligation. Key tracks are the rather graceful “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road,” “Gentle on My Mind,” which is also gentle on the ears and the senses, and the powerhouse “Anyday Now.” All of these tracks can be found on side two of the original vinyl record, which ends with the famed “In the Ghetto.” “In the Ghetto”was the most popular single from the album (his other singles at the time were

Elvis from page 13recorded at the same sessions, but not featured on the album) which reached number three on the Billboard 200 and became his first top 10 single in the UK in three years. The song is about a boy who grows up in the ghetto of Chicago, where he learns to steal and fight, and is eventually shot dead. It may be guilty of stereotyping and sentimentality about ghetto life, but it does make a good pop song. The song returned to the spotlights in 2007, when a recorded version of the song was released, featuring a duet between Elvis and his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who at the time had two albums of her own (though they were nowhere near as popular as her Elvis' music). From Elvis to Memphis is a monster of an album, never growing dull from “Wearing That Loved on Look” to ‘In the Ghetto." This collection of music is easily worth a place among Elvis’ other great albums, while at the same time standing on its own. This album was not recorded by sn older, wiser Elvis. The young boy from Tupelo, Mississippi, who became the star of the decade didn’t record this. What one hears on From Elvis to Memphis is the man he grew up into. The ’68 Comeback Special may be what catapaulted Elvis Presley back into the light of popular-ity, but it was From Elvis to Memphis that brought Elvis back to fame and allowed him to regain the throne.

an administrator, like McLaughlin, who intends to stay at SHS for a few years. Students are still getting to know McLaugh-lin, however. "I haven't really had much interaction with him so far," junior Taylor Fontaine said, during the first few weeks of the school year. "I can't really say if I like him or not."

Parents listen intently in the biology class room during open house in mid-

September.

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SHS Speaks Out By Laurel Porter

The freshmen have arrived. The cycle of high school begins anew. Students commence their high school career with great hope and optimism. With this in mind, the Green Horn asked the newest round of high schoolers: What are you looking forward to during your high school years?

Kaylee Haskell"I’m looking forward to winning a championship in field

hockey and getting closer to my friends."

Erin Chlebak"I'm looking forward to seeing friends again, new

teachers, and having a new environment."

Peter Kendall"I’m looking forward to the teachers. All of my

brothers said they're good."

Chelsey Harmer"I’m looking forward to having an awesome first year

of high school."

Kiely Schuck"The musical and broadening my horizons."

Kate McGrotty"Getting high honors."

Footprints in the SandOh that’s Wonderful…

By Courtney Downing

Weezie, that’s what I call her. Not because of her mad rapping skills or the way she drops a beat. Just because for a small child,

Louise was not an easy name to pronounce. So Weezie it was. She is 95 years old and can still stand on one foot while tying her shoes. Until a recent fall, she lived on her own and did everything for herself. This year she turned 95 and, to celebrate, we brought in family

from all over the country. All five of her kids came to celebrate. Stories were shared, memories were made, and food was eaten. It was a typical Hanson reunion. Louise Hanson grew up in Montpelier, and was the sister of 10 children. Therefore, as she grew up, things were busy. Family is a big deal to her. She worked for the telephone company for the majority of her life. On October 3, 1939, she married my Great Grandfather Andrew Hanson. A year later my Uncle Bill was born, followed a year later by Jeanne, who died two days after her birth. A year later my Aunt Susie was born, followed three years later by my Grama Linda. Two years later, my Uncle Peter was born. Several years later Weezie gave birth to Diane, who also died within a couple days of her birth. And finally, ten years after my Uncle Peter was born, my Aunt Penny was born. Right before my Aunt Penny was born, my Grandpa Andy and Grama Weezie and all of the kids moved in with my great-great grandmother, who died

soon after. Once things had settled down, and life had gotten back to normal, Weezie stopped working for the phone company and just focused on the family. She prepared dinner, including dessert every night, because Grandpa Andy didn’t believe a meal was truly a meal without dessert. Between cooking and baking, she had her hands full with five kids. With the trouble they got in, it’s surprising they’re here now. Stories I have heard just make me wonder how on earth Grama Weezie did it all. I can remember back to when I was a small child going to her house in Northfield. Her driveway is lined with trees on both sides, pine needles covering the ground and birds all around. I always looked forward to putting coins on the train tracks with her, wondering what kind of imprint would be left on the coin. The thing I most enjoy about putting coins on the track (which I still do to this day) is knowing that no two coins are ever going to come out the same.