O WLET Hoosac School Thursday April 20, 2012 Volume 96 www.hoosac.com/owlet Welcome Back! – By STEPHEN BURKE – The newest electives in this year’s third trimester are not the usual classes Hoosac provides. This trimester Hoosac is offering Fishing, Lantern Making, Ghost Stories, Gardening and Archae- ology -- all new and unique elec- tives. These classes all sound very fun and each of the teachers of these classes has something special to offer. For Ms. Kelly’s Ghost Stories class, she has prepared by col- lecting a life-time of ghost sto- ries. This class plans on watching ghost movies, telling ghost sto- ries, and having a couple of field trips to some spooky, and possibly haunted, places. Ms. Kelly loves her class and said that her stu- dents “are very enthusiastic” and eager to find some real ghosts. Mr. Burke’s Gardening class is about teaching students how to grow plants and flowers. By the end of the academic year, the class plans on planting many herbs and colorful flowers across the Hoosac campus, making it a truly natural wonderland. Lantern Making is a class taught by Ms. Roemischer. The class teaches students how to craft lan- terns from various materials, and New Electives for Spring Trimester – By RYAN ALLEN – Welcome Back! Hoosac is hitting the ground running with plenty of new construction, new sports, and the beginning of a new and final trimester. Because of the warm winter, meteorologists predict the tem- perature of the spring to come in a similar manner, but so far it’s been fairly chilly. This trimester has the fewest number of days and it feels even shorter with warmer weather, spring fever, and graduation around the corner. These are not reasons to take the trimester lightly however, so we should all finish on a high note. With Spring comes a few changes to the curricula and to athletics. As for the curricula, new electives have kicked in for the spring trimes- ter and a significant number of new classes have been introduced for the first time. As for athletics, girls are now required to play the spring sport, Lacrosse. We also have a change in coaching – Mr. Burke has passed the tennis coaching hat to Mr. and Mrs. Rabinowitz. Intramu- rals has also changed, adding basketball and volleyball to the previous selection of soccer. As the warm weather returns, and with the promise of a long (and for some, final) summer vacation, distractions are many. It is a time to finish commitments strongly and with focus, and to enjoy and appreci- ate the many friendships that we all have at Hoosac. at the end of the trimester, the class plans to show to the school what they have accomplished with displays, and possibly a light- ing ceremony. Our very own Headmaster, Dean Foster, is teaching the exciting class of Fishing, which is a class for beginners. The class curricu- lum includes the actual history of fishing, the fundamentals, and of course teaching students how to fish. Mr. Foster has planned a few exciting field trips for this trimester’s Fishing class, and he said that fishing is a great skill to have. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life,” said Mr. Foster, quoting an old proverb. As a finale to the class, Mr. Foster hopes to take the students on a deep-sea fishing trip to New Hampshire. Each new elective is graded on a pass or fail basis and were select- ed based upon the unique skills of Hoosac’s diverse faculty. All these new classes are designed to be relaxing, calm, and refreshing and the hope is that they will pro- vide the students with a mental break in the day while still learn- ing important life lessons. Though it is always tricky for international students to plan their vacations, most of them still try to spend their vacation time on meaningful things. While Spring Break can be used to put away heavy winter coats and get ready for the daylight savings time, at the same time it can also be a time for preparation. Most international students chose to take the long journey home over Spring Break. For many of these students for which it may be their first year abroad, Spring Break is a time to return home and spend time with parents and friends. The first year abroad can be difficult for international students – it may be the first time to live on their own, first time to get away from the places with which they are familiar. While some stu- dents returned home, others chose to stay in the United States with family members or friends, and yet others spent this time travelling. Japan, Europe, Hong Kong and Taiwan are always popular choic- es. “Short trips are fun. They can not only appease me physically and mentally, but also broaden my horizons and sublimate my spirit,” said Sophia (Jia jia) Zhang ’13. As for fifth formers like me, our Culture Matters - Spring Break – By ROCHER GUO – classmates and friends in China are in their last year of high school and are having a critical, life-turn- ing point coming up – the College Entrance Examination. This is the biggest test for Chinese youth; it’s known for its importance for the rest of the test-taker’s future. For everyone who wants to attend col- lege or university in China, this test is mandatory and the score alone decides to which college you are going. Some people may say that this is a Chinese version of the S.A.T., but there are differ- ences. For instance, you can take the S.A.T. as many times as you like, but the College Entrance Ex- amination is “once a lifetime” for every Chinese person. Plus, the S.A.T. score of a senior is only one factor colleges will consider, but in China the higher you get on the College Entrance Examination, the better college you are allowed to attend. I didn’t dare distract my friends much from their busy preparation schedule this spring break; meanwhile, I have my own S.A.T. for which to prepare. Like every junior in America, the S.A.T. in May is right around the corner. Many Chinese students studied in China with their teachers and tu- tors for their upcoming S.A.T. and other historically tough science subjects like chemistry, and biol- ogy. We are always willing to go back home during breaks, but the truth is that sometimes we are distrac- tions for our parents from their work. Despite the fact that we can be home alone or hang out with friends, because parents haven’t seen their kids for a while, they are always trying to squeeze their schedules so that they will be able to spend more time with their child, which in turn makes their days harder than ever. In consid- eration of this, some international students like Alice (Ya qin) Jin ’12, suggest that the administration of Hoosac arrange some academic and recreational programs during spring breaks. College visits and outdoor spring activities like hik- ing and camping are usually fun. Whether the last spring break is used for productivity or relaxation, it is time for us to pull ourselves together and embrace the last tri- mester of this school year. Like Mr. Foster said, “Spring break is a time for everyone to recharge their batteries so that we can have more energy to put into school work again.” Hoosac Student of the Week – By HAYLEE MANKTELOW – The Student of the Week for the week April 9th, 2012 was Adesewa Egunsola. Adesewa, who goes by the name Sewa, is a senior who has attended Hoosac since her 8th-grade year. She isn’t sure what college she will be attending but she wants to pursue studies in engineering. Sewa is a member of the Soccer, Basketball, and La- crosse teams and has been named Photo by Alice Jin Headmaster, Mr. Dean Foster, shows his class the finer points of fishing. Photo by Alice Jin Co-Captain for the Lacrosse team. Sewa is also a prefect due to her great leadership capabilities. She is always there to help a peer and is a model student. Sewa wanted to say; “Thank you Will, Kelly, and Scott for making sure I always eat lunch even when I forget.” The Faculty and Staff wish to congratulate Sewa on earning Hoosac Student of the Week. 6th Former (and 5th-year Hoosac Student) Sewa Egunsola