Witches Brew
Angeramo’s “Mission”
Bringing the SHS Mission Statement to Life
By Erin Burke
As Salem High School
settles into the school year,
Principal Mr. David Angeramo
said he thought our busy
September was a positive and
smooth start to the year. Students
seem to be taking things more
seriously and the attendance was
really impressive this first month
of school. As always there are
going to be the challenges that the
budget presents, however, we will
just need to be careful and creative.
Some changes that we will
see this year are teachers utilizing
the new technology much more.
After all the installations last year
we now see those smart boards
and projectors being put to great
use. Another change that we hope
to see is more collaboration among
administration, teachers, and
students. To do this, a solid student
government is hopefully going to
be brought onto the scene. This will
give even more voice to the students
and allow for feedback
to the administration.
Students should take this
In The Brew
So, What Exactly Is the Mission
Statement?....pg. 2
Maternity Subs Step In.....pg. 2
Class of ‘10 Looks Forward to Senior
Events...pg. 3
Editorial: Distracted Driving: Keeping
Us Safe? Or Is Big Brother Watching Us?...
pg 3
Horoscopes....pg. 3
Consistency: Helping Us Know What’s
Expected....pg. 4
Edition 1, 2009
opportunity to get involved and
use their powerful voices.
As for some goals that have
been set into our sights this year,
we have our mission statement.
Angeramo is aiming for a “mission
statement that will be real and help
to drive the school.” The statement
itself is more concrete this year
and a lot of work has been put
in to establishing the essential
objectives that students, faculty
and administrators have come
together on. Those key points
that the mission focuses on are
having a safe environment to build
positive relationships and training
students to have the ability to think
critically, problem solve, collaborate
and communicate effectively
when they leave the school.
Speaking of leaving the
school, our seniors graduating
this year will be the first class
to have had Angeramo as their
principal for all four years. The
message that he would like to send
the seniors is to “Work hard this
year. Potentially this could be the
best year of your life so enjoy it.”
Hard work does always pay off.
Angeramo discusses goals for this coming school year
Aqua Lab Excitement!
By Kellie Sacco really wants the students to be able
The SHS science department to enjoy science as much as he does.
has recently added a new course The Science Research Internship is
to the course of studies. Science Continued on back
Teachers Graeme Marcoux and
William Warren, along with
O’Connell Plumbing of Salem
and Paul L’heureux, Director of
Buildings and Grounds, are to
thank for putting it all together.
Salem High’s new aquaculture and
hydroponics labs were donated to
the school by Dr. Albright, who is in
charge of awarding the money for
the Read Trust Foundation.
Marcoux has developed a
way to involve the students in the
upkeep of these labs, as it can be a
lot for just two people. “I feel that
students will learn a whole lot more
when they take ownership of their The 14 interns pose in
education,” says Marcoux, who the new aquaculture lab.
Welcome Home, Soldier
By: Christina Flessas and Stenio teaching at SHS, he had to take
Moreira his first military leave to Iraq in
Very often, teachers have 2005, leaving his duties at SHS to
other duties and responsiblities serve his country. In Iraq, he got
beyond what they do in the
classroom. In a specific case, one
the experience of working with the
Governor of Baghdad. McLaughlin
Social Studeies teacher, Mr. Sean set up schools, as everyone in Civil
McLaughlin, gives himself not only Affairs had to learn to work in
for his students but also for his country. school systems and city councils.
In addition to McLaughlin’s He also got the opportunity to
responsibility as a history teacher, he rebuild bridges, sewage lines, water
is also a Major specializing in Civil systems and address the needs of
Affairs for the US Army. Joining the population. During this tough,
the Army in 1990, McLaughlin
had his college education paid
“frustrating” time, McLaughlin
left home a wife and a young
for by the military. While still Continued on back
New Teachers
Teachers New to SHS may be new to this
environment, but are not newbies to teaching
By Christina Flessas
A new school year calls
for new teachers. This adjustment
is not just hard on the students,
but also for these teachers who
are either adapting to a new
environment or a new profession.
Ms. Sandra Roach, a new
asset to the Family and Consumer
Science department, was all smiles
when asked about Salem High
School. “It has been a positive
experience as the students and
teachers have made me feel so
Maternity Subs Step In
by Zaneta Stepien
With the increased number
of teachers going on maternity
leave at Salem High, the school
has obtained more permanent
substitutes to cover classes.
Currently, the two teachers
who have covered for multiple
maternity leaves are Ms. Staci Fleury
and Mr. Andrew Hofmann. Both of
them started out as student teachers
in the building, until the maternity
leave coverage was needed. Many
can say that it has been a strange
and rare opportunity for these
substitutes that so many teachers
need coverage in their classes.
When sitting down with
Fleury, she was excited and
said it has been a “challenge yet
opportunity” for her. Personally
she disagrees that it has been a
“strange” opportunity because
Salem High has such a young staff.
Within her last two years at
Salem High, Fleury has taught classes
that range from health education, to
English, and now to mathematics.
Before working as a substitute at
the school, Fleury was a student at
Salem State College studying as an
English Major. She states her only
Substitute teacher Fleury is ready to teach any subject if called to duty
welcomed,” she said.
With fourteen years of
teaching experience under her
belt, Roach is no stranger to this
environment. Formerly a teacher
in Lynn Public Schools, she has
come to enjoy the enthusiasm of
the Salem High students in her
Child Development, Working with
Children and Professional, Social
and Individual Living classes.
Another new teacher is
Ms. Carole Donnelly, who joined
our Special Education department.
Donnelly spoke of how friendly
challenge was teaching outside her
major. She believes that because of
this, it has forced her to become a
better and more effective teacher.
Last year, Hoffman covered
for two English teachers in the
Freshman house. He is currently
working as a paraprofessional in
the building, but hopes to do more
coverage as more teachers take
their leave. Another substitute, Don
Pinkerton is certified for science
education and is currently covering
a chemistry class for yet another
teacher who is out on maternity
leave.
Surely enough, this many
subs can be an adjustment for the
students. “It has been difficult
adjusting from one teacher to
another,” said Rachel Channen,
who had Fleury as a creative
writing substitute. However, this
has also “given the substitutes
a chance to get some teaching
experience, since the subs were
great student teachers before,” said
English Head Teacher Lou Wallach.
It has been a unique
opportunity for the entire school to
have such qualified substitutes, and
everyone is fortunate to have them.
 
Adapt
everyone is and how great her
experience has been. Previously
teaching at the Landmark
School in Beverly for about
fifteen years, she is surprised
that “such a large school could
create a sense of community.”
New teachers include
Katie Keeley, Molly Robinson
and Robert Strom in the Special
Education department, Hollie
Jacobs and June Marie Kershaw
as Adjustment Counselors,
Math teacher Elizabeth Roach feels “welcomed” at SHS
Sullivan, Sephainie Majeau in
Science, and Tracey Pantapas
joining the Salem Prep.
Wait...
What’s The Mission?
THE MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Salem High School is to offer all students the oppor-
tunity to demonstrate independence, self-motivation, and responsibil-
ity for self and others. Provided with a safe learning environment that
builds positive relationships between students and adults, students will
leave Salem High School with the academic skills, habits of mind, and
technological literacy that will enable them to think critically, problem
solve, collaborate and communicate effectively as citizens of the local
and global community.
THE VISION STATEMENT
Salem High School will become the standard to which other schools
strive in preparing and inspiring individuals to succeed in the 21st
century.
By Erin Burke
and
Carena Wong
stated the definition in much broader
Every ten years or so, a terms, saying that “it’s a set of core
public high school goes through beliefs that drive an organization.”
the process of reaccreditation. We According to Principal Mr.
are observed and evaluated upon a David Angeramo, the definition
list of requirements we are given of the mission statement is the
by the New England Association of goals and objective achievements
Schools and Colleges. The process that SHS is focused on and
begins with us evalualting ourselves, that all students will hopefully
using the NEASC criteria and reach by the time they leave the
our mission statement as a guide. school. Our mission statement
We also evaluate if the students, lists these goals as the following:
faculty and parents are aware of • to provide a safe learning
the main idea behind the mission environment
and how close to that goal we are. • to pomote independance and
This past year a committee self motivation
has been meeting to go over our • to have positive relationships
mission statement and revamp with mentors
it. This committee consisted of a • to develop “academic
wide range of members including skills, habits of mind and
students, parents, staff, and others. technological literacy”
Two members of the Mission • be able to “think critically,
Statement Committee were problem solve, collaborate and
Health teacher Lisa Mansfield communicate effectively”
and History teacher Beth Factor. Very simply, the vision is
There can be some confusion what we and others believe about
over the term mission statement. this school and ourselves.
Mansfield defined a mission Hopefully, striving for
statement as “a guideline for the this same goal will enable Salem
school to acknowledge what the goal High School to function as one
is for our students.” However, Factor organization.
 The Village Idiot Says...
It’s No Biggie!
By Ashley Cluck
What’s with the cop
that was stationed on our hill
during the first month of school?
Our school is always
honoring us with their care. They
are always trying to push us to be
on time by giving us detentions if
we are late. Then, they patrolled
the front and backside of the school,
stopping us like great almighty watch
guards. A cop was stationed on the
hill to help stop those criminals that
cut people in line waiting to get into
school, making the students late and
parents having to take a day off of
work to go to court. We love our
school for thinking of our safety.
We appreciated getting tickets all
the time for making a left hand turn
into a zone that is only available
during certain times just to drop a
student off for school. Meanwhile,
Hey Seniors!
What’s in store this year?
By Michelle Stanley & Darcy
Theriault
Senior year is looking good!
More dances with more involvement
from the other classes is only one of
the many things to look forward to.
“We will be working with
other officers to plan more functions
to get people involved,” says senior
Treasurer Michael Collins. He
also said that the plan is to “have a
productive year with all the classes
and to successfully unite the school.”
The senior class can look
forward to the prom on May 14 at the
Crown Plaza (formerly the Sheraton
Ferncroft) and the annual Senior
Show. Collins is “spearheading” the
brainstorming for the show to get
a head start on ideas for the skits.
Class officers also want to
bring back Dancing with the Staff
and the Mr. SHS Competition,
and hope to reinvent the Black
and White Dance as a Highlighter
The Brew Crew
Erin Burke & Christina Flessas
Co-Editors and Layout Design
Carena Wong - Photographer
Staff - Abigail Bedard, Deanna Bailey, Maciel Brea, Rachel Chan-
nen, Ashley Cluck, Alexa Goutzos, Nicole Matthews, Stenio Moreira,
Juan Pena, Nayroby Polanco, Kellie Sacco, Michelle Sacco, Michelle
Stanley, Zaneta Stepien, Cosima Takis-Welch, Darcy Theriault, Carena
Wong
Special thanks to Madame Fitzgerald for her all her assistance.
HOROSCOPES
By: Abby Bedard Leo July 23- August 22: Be extra
careful about where you put your
Aquarius January 20-February Northface backpack. You may find
18: Go for a nice, refreshing drink out that it has identical friends.
after being stopped, the student who at the bubbler, and take a piece of
was trying to be on time is now late. gum free of charge while you’re Virgo August 23- September 22:
Our school is concerned about us there. The seniors’ red lockers are in a
students being on time but then great spot for your locker - if you
gave us detentions for being just a Pisces February 19- March 20: have piano lab all eight blocks.
minute late because we got stopped Next time you’re thinking about
by the diligent cop that wandered buying those new pair of shoes Libra: September 23- October
around our school in his cruiser. don’t. Your online homework bill 22: Be careful of going into the
So, because they were pulled is due. bathroom. It’s like survival of the
by the cop, students were issued a fittest; attack of the last toilet paper
ticket, received a trip to court, and a Aries March 21- April 19: roll.
nice pink slip walking into school to Barbizon scholarship called. They
ensure an hour detention after 2:02. want to congratulate you on your Scorpio October 23- November
Why was it such a big new modeling job! 21: Be wary of walking down the
deal? We were all just trying to be halls without a pass. Salem High’s
to school on time, so why make Taurus April 20- May 20: Avoid new attack force will be asking for
more complications? I wonder getting chased down the hall for it every two seconds.
what the rate of tardies were? not throwing your coffee out. Just
Have they gone up and through be sure not to knock down your A Sagittarius: November 22-
the roof? I bet!! It’s complicated, block teacher’s own coffee. December 21:Have an insane
but really!! Couldn’t they just have craving for undercooked food?
given us some slack? At least we Gemini May 21- June 21: Hate Make your way to the a la carte
were coming to school. Just relax. having to walk all over the place? for some nice half-baked cookies.
Join the band; they get a bus to
Yum!
drive down the street.
Capricorn December 22- January
Cancer June 22- July 22: Say hi to 19: Are you constantly out of
the police officer outside on your breath from running to your classes
way into school, then say hi to Ms. from your assigned locker in the
Garrett at your hour long detention. boonies? Look on the bright side-
wind blown hair is in.
Is Distracted Driving A
Dance. Students would be asked
to wear white t-shirts and jeans
and to write on the shirts with
Dangerous Obsession?
highlighters, which could glow
in the dark during the dance.
Uncertainty about the future
of Six Flags is causing the Class driving,” such as texting, eating,
By: Maciel Brea
of ‘10 to think of alternatives drinking, talking on the cell phone,
to that Senior Week activity. A
An attempt to keep us reading the newspaper, and fussing
Red Sox game or a trip to Water
safe? Or another way for the with a toddler in the backseat,
Country are two possiblities
government to control our lives? can take a driver’s attention off
the officers are considering.
“Distracted Driving” is a term the road and cause an accident.
Class tee-shirts will get a new
that has been featured in a number Life as we all know it is
look as well. In an attempt to show full of distractions, inside and
of newspapers and in online
school unity, the Junior , Senior, and
articles about concerned parents outside the car. After spending
Freshman class shirts will all feature
worrying that their sixteen-year- nearly a thousand dollars paying
the same matching fronts with
old teenagers are too distracted by for driving school, driving lessons,
class-specific designs on the back.
texting to pay attention to the road.  the road test, license, and spending
The seniors also want to keep
The U.S Department of endless hours being screamed at
up the same spirit they had last year
Transportation is taking a stand on by paranoid parents, have we teen
in order to win two years straight, and
the issue. A variety of activities drivers not endured enough?
class president Zac Broughton feels
linked to so-called “distracted continued on back page
optimistic about a repeat victory.
“I believe that this is a chance for
Seniors to show that they can win,
not that they should win,” he said.
Although distracted driving is a danger, how much should big brother
monitor drivers behind the wheel?
 Consistency
The importance of knowing what is expected of you.
Distracted Driving
continued from page 3
When adults think about teenage years there has been an increase
By Erin Burke by conflicting consequences or drivers, there are many words they link in government control over a
consequences changing too quickly with this image, such as “dangerous”, number of issues, the latest being
As teens grow and to keep up with. There is no way “distracted”, “awful”, and, my healthcare. Whatever happened
develop we all experience for students to be able to right their personal favorite, “immature”. As to that idealistic libertarian
change and we learn as we get wrongs, or care to, if they don’t know much as parents love to blame and society that our founding fathers
older how to deal with changes what is going on. scorn children for their inappropriate envisioned? The government is
that we cannot help but accept Now that there is an established behavior and poorly thought-out beginning to play too much of an
in our lives. These can be attendance policy we are starting to decisions, they themselves are not active role in our lives, attempting
welcomed or un-welcomed see the numbers rise. Now that there is perfect. Fellow young drivers, listen to monitor everything we do,
changes but we learn to deal with a no tolerance policy for electronics, to my plea. Have you ever caught as if we do not have brains and
them, in our own ways, none the students are lessening this distraction. yourself getting yelled at for the same cannot process thoughts. Living
less. As changes occur in every With all the communication, the behavior your parents exhibit when in a house could be equally as
aspect of our lives, school is waves are starting to settle. With a they are behind the wheel? Have dangerous as driving in a car. I
one place that too much change solid foundation and consistency your parents ever screamed any of mean, sure, we cannot sit on our
can have negative results. among faculty and administration, the following: a.) you are a horrible dad’s favorite couch and travel
As a school we have students can work together to amend driver b.) you should never get your 50 miles per hour in the hectic
experienced much change over certain things or add to the structure. license c.) what are you doing and streets of Salem. Think about
these past four years, and now Having consistency is key to being d.) STOP! instead of explaining what it in theory: the government is
that the construction is finished, able to perfect something so beneficial you did wrong? Adults who assume trying to protect us and be that
right on schedule, we can finally to students’ lives. If students can teenage drivers are all bound to get “big old brother” that everyone
take advantage of our new utilize their school and learn how to into an accident fail to realize that dreams of having. The one who
beauty of a school. We have make change happen for the better teenagers learn by example and most picks you up whenever you fall
smart boards, projectors, good instead of fighting the system there adult drivers are far from perfect. down and scrape your knee, the
attendance, and new colors can be much more learning going on. Personally, I’ve witnessed my parents same one who intimidates your
but finally, we are starting, One example of a new positive do a number of less than responsible bullies and buys us ice cream
as students, to understand change; we can use the library activities while behind the wheel. at the end of the day. Here’s the
what the administration and at lunch without a pass. This is a It is safe to say that at some point government again trying to give
faculty is after. We are working great opportunity for students to all drivers get distracted, not just us a big, warm, hug and to say,
out the last few squeaks get some quiet work time in during teenagers, and we can not simply “Hello America! Even though
in our well oiled machine. the day, organize group projects put all the blame on one group. I will never be sitting in the
In an educational place or just catch up on e-mails. Small Over the past couple of passenger seat, I’m still going to
like a school it is important changes like this are much easier monitor your every single move.”
for students to know what to attain when the foundation that
is expected of them to fully is being added to is solid and well
appreciate and take advantage known. After four years of very hard
of the opportunities given to work on this foundation, we are
them. There is so much to learn seeing the consistency paying off.
here that it can be overshadowed

Aquaculture Lab
Continued from front
a place for them to do so. “We
don’t really have one particular
thing we have to learn here. We
have more freedom to explore
about. Creating this program has given
students the opportunity to love science
as much as he does. The Aqualab is
an on-going project that will open
many new doors to students at SHS.

things we are actually interested
in,” says Connor Dooley, a
senior who is participating in
the science research internship.
The students in this class
are learning a lot of skills, from
researching topics to conducting
experiments in the new labs.
Also, they are learning how
to effectively communicate
science topics, which will
be lessons for other science
classes in the high school and
throughout the middle school
and elementary schools in Salem.
Marcoux is very
passionate about science.  “The
students are given the
opportunity to ask questions and
seek out the answers through
research and experimentation.  I
personally love the exploration
and discovery aspects of science
and I have always hoped that I
could pass this on to students at
a young age,” he said. admits that it feels “unique to tell
When it comes down
to it, Marcoux really just
loves science and has found
something he is passionate
McLaughlin
Continued from front
son anticipating his safe return. Connor Dooley gives a thumbs up to the Aqualab
He returned home and to
SHS for about 2 years just before
McLaughlin was once again called for
his second military leave, this time to
North Carolina in 2007.  McLaughlin
felt that in North Carolina soliders
were being trained better than they
were in Iraq because there was a
better connection among the soliders.
He had to stay there for 20 months
and returned to teaching history this
September once his assignment was up.
A teacher at Salem High for 8
years, McLaughlin had his moments
of finding it difficult to adjust again
to teaching after his military leaves.
His own experiences influence his
classroom, as students are able to obtain
first hand perceptions of what life was
like for people in wars. McLaughlin
students what it’s like on the grounds
of a hostile environment during war.”
Welcome back to SHS,
McLaughlin. A military hero! McLaughlin is back at SHS after two military assignments