Green Horn

January 20, 2015

Volume 35, Edition 4

The Award-Winning Student Publication of Springfield High School

Puzzles, Tools, and Games

Students Train for Leadership

t is unusual to see teenagers without their cell

phones, let alone camping. However, this was the
case for the 14 Springfield High School Students
who participated in a leadership retreat at the Hulbert
Outdoor Center.

Thanks to a service learning grant funded by
the Vermont Principals Association, on November 13th
and 14th, the students participated in an overnight retreat
at the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont. During the retreat, students participated in team-building
activities, a ropes course, and leadership seminars.

The students who participated were nominated by SHS teachers for leadership skills that went
beyond the classroom. One of the two chaperones who
joined the students on the trip, SHS Librarian Jenn
Wasyliko, helped select students for the program. We
thought it would be a great idea, said Wayliko, to
gather certain students who demonstrated leadership
and seemed interested in making positive change at the
high school.

Participants didnt pack lightly for this
2-day leadership retreat. Students and chaperones were
expected to bring their own pillows and blankets, as
well as appropriate attire for hiking. Participants slept in
cabins according to gender. Cell phones were collected
at the beginning of the trip to reduce distractions.

During the trip, students were guided by

Whats Inside:
Frankenstein
performed p. 3

Parks & Rec

serves
community p. 6

McCallister
breaks record
p. 13

by Kauhner Hunter

their counselors and hiked through the woods to various

team-building activity sites. Chaperones observed as
students teamed to complete these activities successfully. According to the other SHS chaperone, social
studies teacher Stephen Lawrence, There were team
games, in which the students go to work with one
another to try to figure out certains puzzles, or [had to
figure out] how to get across certain things with only
certain tools.

These activities connected to leadership
seminars where students were challenged to understand
one another's weaknesses, and together, grow as leaders,
to organize a clear, cohesive goal to focus on when they
returned to high school. Leadership retreat participant
and SHS junior Ian Morvan felt the experience was beneficial. I was able to get to know all of the people who
went on the trip, Morvan said. That is very important
because we are in the process of creating a new group,
with its main focus connecting to SHS students and the
rest of the community.

This student leadership group will meet during advisory each week. The group planned to organize a
food and toy drive for the holidays and welcomed other
SHS students to join in the effort.

Before they returned to SHS, chaperones

See Leaders page 15

Ian Morvan climbs the rope course. SHS students and chaperones.

Green Horn Interview

By Kauhner Hunter

Kaitlyn Stokarski
Motivated, Excited About
Career Possibilities

pringfield High School senior Kaitlyn Stokarski

was honored as October Student of the Month.
An academically-focused student, Stokarski
has participated in many advanced classes including
AP Literature and Composition and AP Calculus. Additionally, Stokarski takes part in many other activities
outside of her time consuming education. At the end
of her junior year, Stokarski was nominated to be part
of the National Honor Society, a prestigious organization established to recognize outstanding high school
students, who demonstrate excellence in the areas of
scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Besides
her membership in honor society, Stokarski has been a
dedicated soccer player, competing on the girls soccer
team during her four years of high school. Green Horn
recently interviewed Stokarski about her feelings on
such achievements, as well as her plans and aspirations
for the future.
What does student of the month mean to you?
Student of the month, to me, means that I have been
recognized for my hard work and motivation throughout
school. It's nice to know that other people recognize me
for the work I put in every day. I think it's a great honor.
What keeps you motivated?
I stay motivated because I would like to go to a great
college. Even though my classes are harder this year,
that keeps me motivated to earn A's in my classes. Being ranked 4th in my class, I'm also motivated because
I would like to keep my class rank despite my rigorous
classes. Knowing that GPAs [Grade Point Average]
drop at the end of the semester keeps me motivated to
keep my rank.

GREEN HORN

Where would you like to go after high school?

I plan to go onto college after high school. Elon University in North Carolina or Quinnipiac University in
Connecticut are my top choices for the program I plan to
pursue. I plan to go on to graduate school after my first
four years so I can work in the medical field.
What would you like to do for a profession after high
school and college?
I would like to become a physician's assistant after college. I have done some shadowing in the Springfield ER
[emergency room] and I loved it. I love the excitement
and being able to help people. Seeing how much people
can improve in a matter of hours with medicine really
reassured my passion. Although I will have to go to
college for at least six years, it will be worth it to me.
How have teachers and students helped you in
school?
Teachers have always been willing to dedicate their time
before and after school to help me completely understand the material. I have gone into school several times
before seven and teachers are willing to put in extra time
if I'm there ready to learn. Not only have they put in
extra time but they have also given me extra worksheets
before tests so I can practice the material before a test.
The dedication that teachers have given to their students
really helped me in my success as a student.

What suggestions would you give someone who is

struggling in school?
Keep practicing. Go in any time you can for extra help.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort teachers
will help you through your class. If you are still not
understanding the material, Khan Academy [an
online math tool] is a
STAFF
great study tool for all
subjects.

T re Ayer .............................. Layout Editor

A. lan Clough......................... Editor-in-Chief
A llison Naccarato ................ Photo Editor
J. ordan Phelps ..................... Sports Editor
K auhner Hunter ..................
REPORTERS

Alan Clough, Allison Naccarato, Jordan Phelps, Tre Ayer, Kauhner Hunter,
Jon Courchesne, Matthew Power, Kyra Peoples, Ericka Schoff, Isabelle
Vogell, and Brenden Willey

pg

What strategies do you

use to relax in the midst
of academic stress?
I like to play soccer to
relax because it clears
my head. It is one of the
only places where I can
clear my head and relax.
When I cant play soccer,
I like to watch Disney
movies and drawing.
Although Disney movies may sound childish,
it helps me relax and

r e e

Kaitlyn Stokarski was October Student

of the Month. Elliot Thompson (Sept.)
and Emily Antonivich (Nov.) were also
honored this year.
bring me back to a place when I didnt have to worry as
much. Drawing is peaceful to me. I dont have to think
about it, I just do it. Theres no right or wrong way to
do things and you can make it what you want. All of
these things help me relax because theyre easy to me
and something that I love.
What qualities make SHS a great school?
The teachers are what really makes the school a great
place. Theyre all very friendly and willing to help. I
havent had a single teacher that hasnt been willing to
help a student when asked. I also think that the school
has done a great job challenging the students by offering the dual enrollment classes. Its a great way offer
a variety of classes and to help students further their
education before college.
With the second semester starting, what are your
plans for the last semester of your high school experience?
I plan on looking forward to an easier semester and
having an art class again. Although I plan to keep my
grades up through the second semester, I will be happy
when I dont have to stress so much about exams. I look
forward to having fun at prom and Apple Blossom, and
of course graduation.

n H

News

Frankenstein

Gothic Masterpiece
Performed At SHS
by Alan Clough

n the realm of gothic horror there has been a number

of literary classics, such as The Raven by Edgar
Allen Poe and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Washington Irving. While each of these stories are
groundbreaking and frightful, there is one story that tops
their horror. That story is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Choosing to celebrate Shelleys masterpiece from
December 5-7, the Springfield High School Theatre
Department performed Frankentein onstage.

Frankenstein was, according to SHS Theatre
Director Rebecca Skrypeck, The best attended fall
show in a long time. Nearly 200 people, throughout the
productions 3-day run, attended the performances.

I think everything ran smoothly onstage
and offstage, said junior Andy Freeman, who played
Henry, Victor Frankensteins friend, which is kind of
rare.

In the iconic narrative of Frankenstein,
scientist Victor Frankenstein attempts to create life in
the laboratory by re-animating a corpse with electricity.
He is horrified by his creation and attempts to destroy
the Monster (played by SHS senior Jim Mobus) leading

to a course of action that could mean the end of him and

everything he loves.

As with all theatre performances, the drama
on the stage was complemented by the work was completed behind the scenes. To prepare for the production,
the actors and technical crew studied Shelley's original
version of Frankenstein.

The original text gives us perspective when
we form opinions about how to act as our characters,
said Mobus.

The idea of staging Frankenstein as the Fall
Production was first suggested toward the end of last
school year. I wanted to do a horror play and delve
into a classic novel in detail," said Skrypeck, and after
multiple candidates, Frankenstein emerged victorious.
Frankenstein was chosen from a list of other horror
classics that included Dracula, by Bram Stoker, and
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stephenson.

It [the December performances of Frankenstein] was a good experience,concluded Freeman,
and hopefully Ill get some Oscars for it.

19 Pints of
Blood Given

Dr. Frankenstein (Jake Muther) and his creation, the Monster (James Mobus),
have a conversation in the Victorian drawing room in Frankenstein's castle.

Patrick Clancy encouraged

participation for the blood drive.

H o r

by Jordan Phelps

very two seconds, someone in the United States

needs blood, a fact mirrored in the statement that
a single car accident victim requires as much as
100 pints of blood. On Tuesday, November 18th, the
American Red Cross hosted a blood drive in the Springfield High School Gymnasium to assist people in need of
transfusions. 23 people donated a total of 19 pints. It is
estimated that one donation can save up to three lives.

The SHS National Honor Society helped
organize the event. As a part of NHS," said senior
Michael Kollman, "we advertised, encouraged people
to donate, and set things up on the day of the drive.

I donate blood as often as I can, because I
think its a great cause, said SHS truancy officer and
physical education teacher Todd Aiken. Many people
out there are involved in accidents and they need blood.
As a former soldier, I gave blood because I knew it was
going to needy, fallen soldiers.

I think the blood drive was pretty successful, Kollman added. There were plenty of different
jobs for us to do as volunteers. My job was to help
people that had just given blood and ask them if they
needed anything and were feeling alright.

In a high school setting, it tends to be more
challenging to find donors. Anyone under 18 is required
to have their parent or guardian sign a consent form.
Donors must weigh 110 pounds. According to Blood
Centers of the Pacific, if only one more percent of all
Americans would give blood, blood shortages would
disappear for the foreseeable future.

pg

Features

The Empty Bowl Dinner

A Community Opposes Poverty
by Kyra Peoples

overty is a problem in the United States and throughout the world. In 2013,
45.3 million Americans, or 14.5% of the population, lived in poverty. More
than 3 billion people are impoverished around the globe and 1.3 billion
people suffer in extreme poverty. The United Nations International Childrens
Emergency Fund (UNICEF) states that 22,000 children die each day from poverty.

Aware of such gruesome statistics, communities seek ways to reduce
hunger. In Springfield, the town and school came together at the 7th Annual Empty
Bowl Dinner, held at Springfield High School in November, to see student artwork,
purchase student-made bowls, and eat soups prepared by the River Valley Technical Center (RVTC) Culinary Arts program. The $2,700 raised from this event was
donated to the Springfield Family Center.

This dinner was all about raising money for the food shelf, awareness
about poverty, and offering a way for students and the community to give back,
said Empty Bowl Dinner coordinator and SHS art teacher Lisa Murray. I heard
nothing but positive reviews.

I plan this a year in advance, added Murray. I meet with the RVTC
chefs, the band director [Jim Chlebak], the Family Center, and the local potter
Susan Leader to plan a date and give assignments on what needs to be done.We
also need to gain publicity so many flyers have to be made and passed around."

This dinner not only raised money but also involved local citizens in the
struggle against poverty. This information provides the students and community
a way to make a difference and give back, Murray said.

The dinner is an event for people to look forward to and use to support
Springfield. According to Murray, she is most joyful seeing people of all generations sitting together to raise awareness and work towards a goal.

SHS art teacher Anne Katomski also helped with the planning and
setting up of the dinner. I have worked with Mrs. Murray and many others in
preparing for the Empty Bowl Dinner over the years, said Katomski in an email.
Many of Katomskis contributions are found in the pottery, decorations, and
centerpieces. One of the ways I help out is decorating the pottery with different
incised designs and applying various methods of glazing, Katomski said. My
class participates in the bowl [making] with Susan Leader, the potter.

In addition to the pottery, Katomski and her students made the povertythemed centerpieces for each table. This year we made small poverty flags put
into re-purposed vases, said Katomski.

I am always happy with the support we receive from the community,
said Katomski. The amount of pottery we sold in the evening was also a plus."

Katomski was very pleased with the money raised for the Family Center.
There is a great need in Springfield, said Katomski, and any amount of money
helps.

The dinner is also meant to display student artwork and pottery. The
poverty-themed artwork was a combination of decoupage and paint to showcase the
lack of food and poor living conditions in poverty-ridden countries. This artwork
was displayed on racks to be seen first by people entering the dining area in the
SHS Cafeteria. The pottery--hand-made, painted, and glazed by students--was
displayed on a table next to the artwork, as well as in the center of the cafeteria.

To set the mood of the dinner and the community gathering, a fiddler
played music in the background. Each table was decorated with a poverty-themed
centerpiece with a different fact concerning poverty stated on each centerpiece.

I am grateful for the entire group effort and participation of so many
people who put this all together, Katomski concluded about the 7th Annual Empty
Bowl Dinner.

Diners
enjoyed the
food and art
at the Empty
Bowl Dinner
where they
came together
to help fight
poverty.

Drawstring Cosmos Sports Bags

Drawstring sports bags will be sold for $10 each as a
fundraiser for the Class of 2016. They can be bought at
home basketball games.

pg

r e e

n H

Death With Dignity

Features

Brittany Maynard Takes Her Life

by Jordan Phelps

ive like youre dying. Thats what Brittany Maynard did. On New Years Day 2014, the 29-yearold Californian was diagnosed with brain cancer
and was told she had ten years to live. Two months later,
the diagnosis changed to Grade 4 glioblastoma and she
was told she had no more than six months left.

Shortly after, Maynard made the decision to
move to Oregon with her closest family members and
her husband Dan, who she married in 2012. Oregon
is one of five states in America where aid in dying is
legal. This law allows mentally competent, terminallyill adults to voluntarily receive prescription medication
that will hasten their death. The other four states that
legally offer aid in dying are Washington, Montana,
New Mexico, and Vermont.

On November 1st, Brittany chose to end
her life in her Oregon home with prescription drugs.
Springfield High School nurse Jenny Anderson has a
strong opinion about Maynard. I admire Brittany for
her bravery, Anderson said. She wanted control over
her destiny and went through many obstacles to obtain
that. Personally, due to my faith, its just not the path
that I would choose for myself.

I think it is important for people to be able
to choose how they want to die if they have a terminal
illness, SHS health teacher Krystina Fernandez said.
Family involvement is also critical. However, it is
ultimately up to the person with the illness.

Maynard had a masters degree in education
and was an adventurous traveler. She spent the final
months of her life traveling to Yellowstone National
Park, Alaska, and the Grand Canyon. In early October,
Maynard shared a video about her decision on the Compassion and Choices website, a non-profit organization
working to improve patient rights in the U.S. At that
point, she suffered from serious headaches, seizures,
and a drastic change in her appearance.

Suffering with an illness for months is not
the ideal option for many people, Fernandez added.
So its good that people have the ability to choose not
to do that and end their life sooner.

The idea of death with dignity has stirred
controversy. Many Americans believe that death should
only be natural. They feel it is unethical because doctors
are supposed to prolong their patients lives, not end
them.

Since 1997 when the death with dignity law
was passed in Oregon, 752 people have chosen that
option. Since Maynards death, the New Jersey State
Assembly voted 41-31 to pass the aid in dying act. Its
likely that there will be many more states making that
decision in the future.

I am proud to live in a state that has the
death with dignity law, Fernandez concluded. More
states should adopt a similar one. As a whole, we need to

be more focused on suicide

prevention of all ages and
less on end of life choices.
We should allow those that
have a terminal illness to
end their life early rather
than suffer, while focusing
on the prevention of suicides by people who do not
have a terminal illness.

B r a i n Tu m o r
Awareness Month is held in
May and is symbolized by
the color gray. It doesnt get
as much attention as Breast
Cancer Awareness month
in October. But Brittany
Maynards story has helped
Americans gain awareness
on the issue of dying by
choice. To learn more and
help the cause, visit www.
thebrittanyfund.com.

Brittany Maynard
on her wedding day
in September of
2012; Maynard and
her husband Dan
on one of many
travel
adventures; School
nurse Jenny
Anderson has
strong views about
ending one's life.

H o r

pg

Features

Parks and Recreation

Making a Difference in the Community
by Ericka Schoff

rowing up in a small town usually means living

in a place where everyone knows each other.
Being on a first-name basis with community
members can be a good thing. Springfield is a town
where one can find people who have spent their entire
lives in the community. Often, these people seek to
improve the town.

Andy Bladyka has lived in Springfield his
whole life and now gives back to the town. My title is
Director of Parks and Recreation, said Bladyka. To
me, my job is to provide the community with recreational opportunities.

Bladyka, couldnt be happier with his choice
to stay in Springfield. Each day he goes to work enthused
to be with members of the community, whether theyre
old friends or new faces. Its a dream job and to me
its a perfect fit, said Bladyka. I look at my job as a
way of supplementing the students and their education.
They are also learning a lot about life.

Parks and Rec tries to find activities to get
community members of all ages interacting with each
other. The Rec offers adult programs such as weekly
team gym games and morning walks for senior citizens.
For students, open gym is available at the Recreation
Center, on Main Street, Monday-Friday from 2:30-5:00

See Parks page 15

Andy Bladyka, right, directs Parks

and Recreation.

Preparing For Cold Weather

Layer, Accessorize

he temperature has dropped with the onset of

winter. For many, the goal is to stay warm
despite the bitter temperatures. Once winter
arrives, it can be a struggle or annoyance dressing
appropriately for the weather, while still looking chic.
However, with this season's fashion trends, there are
ways of getting through the cold without wearing a
suffocating jacket and oversized snow boots.

The smallest change in ones wardrobe, like
layering, can make a big difference. Many womens
sweaters are comfortable, yet thin with large stitching.
Choosing to wear a sweater, therefore, results in brisk air
flowing through the fabric. But adding a denim buttonup blouse or even a thick dress with tights underneath
can bring warmth to an outfit and make a statement.

Other ways of following the layering trend
include pairing a fitted long sleeve or thermal and pulling
over a chunky cable knit sweater. This combination adds
a relaxed, bohemian feel to an outfit. Mixing together
textures and fabric is a good look if done properly.

Throwing on a winter jacket also offsets
winter chill. Owning a standard down jacket can do
the trick. This season, however, companies offer other

pg

pm. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are for 5th-8th

grades and Tuesdays and Thursdays are for high school
students. On Friday mornings, a preschool playgroup is
available to the community. I love talking to the 85-year
olds that come into the Rec, said Bladyka. And I enjoy
meeting the 3-year olds coming into my program.

In a small town, young people may have
trouble finding new things to do. This year Parks and
Recreation has around 200 K-6 students playing basketball, which fulfills a goal of the program to offer
something fun and active for youngsters. Springfield
High School sophomore Alex Naccarato found Parks
and Rec positive when he moved to Springfield when
he was eight. Its made me a lot more optimistic about
Springfield sports, said Naccarato. The kids here show
so much potential. The Parks and Rec is a great foundation for building future student athletes.

SHS junior Jade Twombly, a varsity soccer
and softball player, also appreciates Parks and Rec.
Twombly grew up at the Rec and has seen members
of the community come together through the program.
Parks and Rec has affected me dramatically, she said.

by Isabelle Vogell

trendy styles of coats, outside the traditional jacket,

that can make a statement when worn over any outfit.
Certain styles that have been popular on the streets this
season include the Moto, Bomber, and Military jackets.

The classic Moto jacket, usually made of
leather, can include suede and fur detailing on the
pockets and collar which adds warmth. Originally worn
mainly by men, the Bomber adds a masculine or sporty
dimension to the winter fashion season. Military, also
known as utility jackets, offer thick, durable fabrics that
are better for cooler weather. They can be layered with
other tops or dresses to create a grunge, yet chic, style.

What seems like a no-brainer to some but is
often forgotten, especially by teenagers, involves adding
winter accessories to ones outfit. Wearing hats, scarves,
and mittens can help when one deals with brutal winter
weather. Target, H&M, and Topshop offer a wide variety
of winter essentials to satisfy individuals needs.

Picking out accessories can be fun with various styles available. From beanies to fuzzy earmuffs,
infinity to knit scarves, or gloves to mittens, a multitude

Layering is practical for winter.

r e e

See Fashion page 15

n H

Opinion

Obama's Immigration Plan

Five Million Reasons to Act
by Mathew Power

ovember 20th was an historic day for the

presidency of Barack Obama. On that day, he
issued the first Executive Order of his two-term
presidency. His order had not only legal meaning but
also personal meaning.

November 20th was also an historic day for
five million illegal, undocumented immigrants when
President Obama declared, in a nationally-televised
speech, that these five million illegals were safe in
America and no longer were in danger of being deported.
However, Obama emphasized that his order did not apply to criminals or anyone who had entered the United
States in an illegal manner after January 1, 2010.

An Executive Order can only be issued by
United States presidents. Such orders automatically go
into effect and do not have to be approved by Congress.
A president can issue numerous Executive Orders. Since
Congress could not agree on this long-standing immigration controversy, President Obama felt obligated to
issue an Executive Order to deal with the immigrants
currently residing in the United States.

The five million immigrants affected by
Obamas order are put at the very back of the line to
obtain citizenship. But they are allowed a social security
number and a work permit, and can freely move back
and forth to their home country. This also applies to
about 850,000 additional individuals under the age of
31 who have entered the United States illegally as of
January 1, 2010. It is part of the program Obama created in 2012 called the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA). DACA was originally put together in
June of 2007 but the extension has made almost 300,000
more individuals eligible for the DACA program.

Obama, through his Executive Order, has
taken a great step forward for the United States.

Illegal immigrants, contrary to the prejudices
and false notions of many Americans, are a huge benefit
to the United States economy. Illegal immigrants do
the jobs Americans dont want to do. They generate
revenue. They buy goods in America, which in turn
benefits the U.S. economy. Additionally, they do not
apply for a tax return at the end of the fiscal year because
the government could easily find out that they are in the
country illegally and deport them. Also, they dont have
a social security number or a form of government ID
or a passport. Because of this, hundreds of millions of
dollars in tax returns are unclaimed. This money flows
back into the American economic system.

It is a crime to work in the United States and
not pay income tax. It makes no difference whether or
not it is legal or illegal income. When one files income
taxes, there is some withheld tax money in each paycheck that workers have returned to them when they file
a tax form. A social security number, or an Individual
Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), is needed to
file taxes. One can apply for both an ITIN or a social
security number if they are in the country illegally. But
the government will figure out the immigrant is in the
country illegally and deport them. However, because
illegal immigrants want to avoid being deported, they

dont apply for a social security number or an ITIN and

they dont file their tax return. Their withheld money,
therefore, isnt sent to them.

Obamas immigration policy also involves
keeping high-skilled workers in the United States as well
as improving border security by increasing border patrol
agents. High-skilled workers can help the economy
by increasing the production of technology and other
technological occupations.

President Obama's Executive Order stirred
controversy with critics and supporters alike speaking
out after his news conference on the 20th. But the presi-

dent is moving to make the United States better, stronger,

more fair and humane. The United States is a land of
opportunity and success. Many individuals, following
Obama's Executive Order, will have better lives because
they cant afford to get into America legally and it is
very expensive to live in the United States. America is a
great country. It is up to the leaders of America to make
this the greatest country in the world. Obama has taken
strong steps in that direction with his historic speech
concerning the immigration crisis that has plagued the
nation for too long.

To frame his changes

to immigration policy,
President Barack
Obama spoke to United
States citizens on
national television.
College students agreed
with Obama's
proposals relating to the
immigration crisis.

H o r

pg

Opinion

Perseverence
Stop Playing in Society's Sandbox
by Jonathan Courchesne

vercoming adversity demands a work ethic that

seems lacking among Springfield High School
students. But pushing through hard challenges
is a skill that can be taught and learned. However, such
habits of perseverance need to be taken seriously in
order for them to work to their full effect.

Taking into consideration the social and
academic pressures todays high school students face,
perseverance usually is not expected to dominate over
other priorities. In this respect, teenagers tend to pay
more attention to their social status rather than their
academic standing. With the exception of a small pool
of students, teens in this generation, specifically SHS
students, pay little attention to overcoming problems.
This lack of perseverance must be dealt with.

SHS Truancy Officer Todd Aiken feels
strongly about the importance of perseverance. Its
going to take a long time, said Aiken. It [lack of perseverance] is a part of this generation and it is going to
be hard to fix.

Aiken believes that this generation has an

SHS Academic Expectation

A graduate of SHS reasons
abstractly and quantitatively,
thinks critically, and
perseveres to solve
problems.
Cosmos Code #2
Students will be actively
engaged in the learning, ask
questions, collaborate with
others, and seek solutions.
everybody wins mentality, a system in which no one
loses and no one wins. In the everybody wins system,
everyone receives a participation medal. But in the real
world, accomplishments are worked for and earned.

Aiken feels students in high school should be
able to face the fact that life isnt fair. They must realize that things will not be handed to them in the world
outside of high school. This is the point in a students
life where they should learn what the real world has in
store for them, said Aiken. And if they arent being
forced to learn this they are going to be at a huge loss
when they graduate.

This problem with a lack of perseverance
may involve parents and guardians of todays youth.

pg

The past parental generation (born between 1970 and

1990) was raised differently, and arguably better, than
the current generation of youth. Parents were taught at
a young age that desirable things in life were earned
through dedication and perseverance. Parents for this
parental generation born between 1970-1990 were more
strict and demanded more respect and compliance from
their children. This is most obvious, perhaps, when
children and teens hear their parents say things like if
I did that as a kid, my parents would have killed me.
Such comments prove that parents of this current generation have not taken as disciplined an approach toward
raising their children. Who is to say that cutting a kid
some slack is necessarily bad? It has its benefits. But
lack of perseverance is a negative outcome to giving a
growing child or teen too much flexibility.

The possible solution is not for parents
to suddenly become more strict with a child or teen.
Instead, they must educate children at a young age that
the world is full of winners and losers, and that life is
not going to be all rainbows and sunshine. Those who
work and push through challenges will be successful and
those who relax and sit back, dig themselves a hole that
will become more detrimental later in life. Teaching this
real-life lesson wont prevent a student from encountering problems they need to overcome. But it will help
one become more prepared for the roller coaster of life.

SHS Sophomore Ericka Schoff recognizes
this issue at SHS. Schoff feels that, as an individual,
she perseveres in life. It takes a lot to persevere, said
Schoff. It requires a lot of motivation especially if it
can bring a change in your life.

She adds that it is harder to create a positive
change in ones life than it is to make negative choices.
It is more difficult to strive in academics than it is to
give up and not care about how well one does in school.
The same goes for everything else in life.

This nonchalant attitude toward achievement
may result because high school students do not know
how important their time and effort in school can be for
setting up a successful future.

I feel a lot of students here give up instead
of pushing themselves, said Schoff. And it will come
back to bite them in the butt if they dont change their
attitude.

It is easier to start at the top and stay there
than it is to start from the bottom, a point of departure
that requires one to scratch and claw their way up to
success. We are in a generation of unmotivated, lazy
people, said Schoff. And, unfortunately, I dont think
there is any way we can change that.

Coping with harsh situations and working
through challenges is something young adults and children need to learn because it will definitely benefit their
future. In the long run, perseverance can change your
life, concluded Schoff. And what doesnt challenge
you, doesnt change you.

r e e

Todd Aiken believes in the importance

of perseverance. Ericka Schoff feels
school takes a lot to persevere.

n H

Opinion

Winter Driving
A Three-Part Recipe to Prevent Disaster
by Isabelle Vogell

iving in the Northern part of the United States

during the winter can be frightening, as well
as dangerous, when one is operating a vehicle.
According to the U.S Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration, approximately 23% of
crashes at this time of the year are due to weather-related
incidents. 17% of these mishaps are due to snow or sleet.
While trying to make it to ones destination, there are
countless and unmanageable risk factors a driver must
be conscious of in order to arrive safely. Exercising
caution, while following winter driving guidelines, can
reduce ones chance of getting into an accident. The
three areas explained below suggest the spectrum of
safety for winter driving for young and old alike.
Slow Down:

Plan ahead. If you need to be somewhere at a
specific time, leave earlier instead of rushing last minute.
Apply the speed of the vehicle to the current weather
conditions. Speeding in harsh weather conditions is the
most dire factor of driving during this time of the year.
vv
A vehicle can easily hit black ice on the road and spin
out of control. Such an occurrence at a faster rate can
create much worse accidents. Not only can driving too
fast put one's life in danger. Such speed can potentially
harm other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
Take Control:

Make logical choices when it comes to operating ones vehicle during the wintertime. Pressing on
the brake or gas earlier, and more gently, can reduce the
chances of skidding. Braking early also provides more
reaction time if an incident occurs ahead. Another tip
for safe driving is to stay a greater distance away from
the vehicle you are following. This is beneficial when
one is behind a large truck or snow plow because of the
bigger blind spots.
Avoid Distractions:

Since the Vermont Hands-Free Law went
into effect in early October, there should be no issue with
putting away cell phones and other electronic devices
when one is driving. Nonetheless, there are still drivers
who dont obey the ban on cell phone use in cars and
trucks. Visual distractions while driving, added to the
weather conditions, will not make safe traveling. Drivers should give their attention to the road, especially in
winter, in case emergencies arise.

Aside from these driving habits, which will
help one avoid accidents during winter, other factors
reduce driving risks in the wintertime. Putting on snow
tires, especially ones that are studded, is helpful because
studded tires grip ice better than normal tires. However,
having snow tires and/or all-wheel drive doesnt guarantee safety during this treacherous season of driving.
That is why all of the above advice should be followed
when one drives during the season of ice, snow, sleet,
and freezing temperatures.

During winter, drivers must slow down, take control, and avoid distractions.

Public Display of Affection

Crossing the Line?
by Ericka Schoff

onsil hockey, groping, and locker blockers are

common terms used to describe public displays
of affection in schools, more specifically, Springfield High School. While traveling from class to class,
students are faced with public displays of affection
(PDA). Some students insist on licking their partners
face in the hallways. Maybe the couples would be
frowned upon if they were to do this at home? In all honesty, if a student wouldnt perform their act of affection
with a parent they shouldnt be doing it in school. PDA
may not be disturbing to some, but it can be distracting and can make faculty and students uncomfortable.

Most schools across the country have some
form of a PDA rule. These rules exist because PDAs
can take away from a student and their learning, or can
lead to a student being harmed sexually. PDAs may exist
because young couples may not have access to alone
time at home to express their affection for each other.
Whatever the reason for PDAs, parents shouldnt have
to worry about their children having sexual relations at
school.

In the Clairemont (CA) High School newspaper, Silver Schleigh wrote an article about PDA
restrictions in schools. Many junior and senior high
schools in the United States prohibit all public displays
of affection in an effort that many school administrators
believe allows students to focus on learning, wrote

H o r

Schleigh. Another reason is the potential for liability

as PDAs can result in suspension or expulsion, not to
mention parental complaints or even lawsuits.
Springfield High School Principal Bob Thibault believes
that there doesnt need to be PDA tolerance at all. SHS
PDA rule is supposed to make the school environment
safe for everyone, he said. However, when a student
is trying to make their way to their destination, theres
a possibility theyll have to squeeze by a couple having
a moment before class.

The PDA rule at SHS needs to be more
thoroughly enforced for the students who are at school
to learn. SHS math teacher Michael Ruppel believes that
the rule against PDAs needs to be brought to students
attention. I think the idea behind the rule is to increase
the focus on school and academics, and to make school
a nicer place to be for all students, said Ruppel. I think
a ban on excessive PDA is a good thing. I would just
like to see that, and any rule, enforced as consistently
as possible.

Not only do teachers realize that the school
would be a nicer environment without PDAs. Students
feel the same way also. When students at SHS were
given a survey about PDA, 77% answered sometimes

See PDA page 15

pg

Column

Choice Spirit
GoGo Penguin Keeps It Classy
by Kauhner Hunter

GoGo Penguin Performing at BBC Radio 1.

lthough routinely described as young, the members of GoGo Penguin are all in their late 20's
or early 30's. These musicians bring a myriad of
influences to the table from jazz to classical to dubstep.
As self-confessed members of the iPod generation,
they see nothing peculiar about mixing these elements.
As a result, their music has the ability to appeal to both
club-going youth and jazz fans.

Based in Manchester, England, the jazz trio
GoGo Penguin, which includes pianist Chris Illingworth, drummer Rob Turner, and bassist Nick Blacka,
have enjoyed critical acclaim since they released their
debut album Fanfares in 2012 and their follow-up album
v2.0 in 2014. In September 2014, v2.0 was one of the 12
albums named as a Barclaycard Mercury Prize Album
of the Year.

It was and still is a great privilege and
very humbling, said GoGo Penguin pianist Chris Illingworth in an email. We were really happy that v2.0
was recognised because we're proud of the album and
the response that we've had since being shortlisted has
been really positive.

Released in March 2014, v2.0 builds upon
the promise and success of Fanfares, but also establishes
a more personalized group sound. This time around, all
the compositions are credited as collaborations.

This collaborative ethic, due to an increased
recording budget, has allowed for greater use of subtle
elements of electronica with the trio acknowledging
the roles played by long-time recording engineers Joe
Reiser and Brendan Williams in the success of the
finished product. We started to gig around Manchester
in 2010, said Illingworth, and released our debut
album Fanfares in 2012, but GoGo Penguin feels like
a completely different group now. In some ways v2.0
is almost like a debut album.

The trio was first introduced to music in
grade school when they learned to play their instruments.
We all have different stories as to why we started,

pg

10

said Illingworth. But we share common ground in that

none of us are from particularly musical families so for
whatever reason music just grabbed us.

After school, the trio never made a conscious
decision to pursue a career in music. Their love for music
made their decision for them. When we first started
playing our respective instruments it's almost like the
decision was made for us, said Illingworth. We're all
so obsessed with music that it's difficult to imagine us
doing anything else.

Their career as a group began in 2010 when
Illingworth, Turner, and former bassist Grant Russell began writing Fanfares. Taking inspiration from acts like
Aphex Twin, Arvo Prt, Massive Attack, and Radiohead,
among others, GoGo Penguin, like their influences, take
great care in the writing process, a process clearly seen
on Fanfares and v2.0.

Sounds clich but a lot of hard work [goes
into our writing process], said Illingworth, and trying
different things out until we feel satisfied it's the best
it can be. It's all about to start again for the next album

and requires a different head to the touring side of being

in a band.

As live performers, GoGo Penguin shapes
their music to fit their circumstances. Their performance
at the Parabola Arts Centre as part of the 2013 Cheltenham Jazz Festival found them deploying an acoustic
grand piano to sublime effect. This created a substantial
difference in terms of ambience and content. Six months
later, in the basement of Hoxtons Xoyo Club, a standing gig with a much younger audience featured GoGo
Penguin cranking up sounds with a distorted electric
piano.

Completing a tour that started in March
following the release of v2.0, the members of GoGo
Penguin are eager to return to the studio to record their
next full-length album. We've got Paris and Istanbul
in the coming weeks, said Illingworth, and a couple
of things in London before we lock ourselves away to
start writing. Next year we've got a hometown gig at
the RNCM in Manchester on February 7th and then a
UK tour in March 2015.

Whatever the group's plans, their obsession
for music never stops. GoGo Penguin plans to remain
as dedicated as ever, which represents advice they give
to artists trying to make an impression. Be dedicated
to what you do, said Illingworth, and try to be the
best possible version of yourself you can be. Find likeminded individuals to team up with wherever possible.
Get out and gig no matter how small. Everyone's got to
pay their dues.

Music has the ability to relate and help anyone in any situation. Even if you are not an artist, GoGo
Penguin believes music is one of the most powerful
machines in society.

For us it's obviously very important as it's
what we do, concluded Illingworth. But looking at
the bigger picture it should be important to everyone
in wider society. Music has the ability to express the
inexpressible.

Impressionistic art shows the spontaneity and innovation found in jazz.

r e e

n H

Music Review

v2.0
A New Voice, The 1%
by Kauhner Hunter

or all of its faults, and there are many, one of the

main selling points of the annual Mercury Prize
is its ability to shed light on artists that are relatively unknown. The Mercury Prize blesses unknown
artists with public acclaim. While some big names and
established acts still appear among this years nominees,
including Damon Albarn, Bombay Bicycle Club, and
Royal Blood, there are also a couple of surprises among
these selections.

Among them is Manchester jazz trio GoGo
Penguin, comprised of pianist Chris Illingworth,
drummer Rob Turner and the new bassist Nick Blacka,
whose newest album v2.0 was one of only 12 albums
whitelisted (a list of people viewed with approval) for
the event. However, this honor will not come as a shock
to most, due to GoGo Penguin's short, but astonishing,
discography consisting of only two albums.

Their debut album Fanfares won rave reviews from media critics ranging from The Guardian
to BBC Music. Additionally, Fanfares has garnered
support from Mike Chadwick and Gilles Peterson, wellknown British music critics, and was also nominated for
Best Jazz Album at the World Wide Awards.

GoGo Penguins unique ability to synthesize
and develop each other's melodic and harmonic ideas,
while drawing on music from classical to electronica,
makes GoGo Penguins music enthralling. Their debut
album is a powerful opening salvo from a compelling
new voice in the UK music community.

v2.0 pushes the jazz trio format further into
the future. When Blacka joined in late 2012 he brought
better cohesion to the bands sound. If Fanfares offered
a prototype for the band, then v2.0 represents the wildly
successful reboot. Brilliantly recorded by their longterm sound engineer Joe Reiser and studio engineer
Brendan Williams, the band takes full advantage of an
increased recording budget, creating a gloriously vibrant
technicolor snapshot of a band finding their own voice.
Like its predecessor, v2.0 sees the band members work
off each other, with the interplay allowing them to push
their sound further, and bring new elements to the music.
In contrast to Fanfares, v2.0 allows the band to move
farther away from its inspirations into a space that can
be called their own.

This is something demonstrated by the
opener Murmuration," which combines a low key piano
melody with a stuttering beat and a subtle bassline.

Following the gentle introduction, Garden
Dog Barbecue captures the trio at full pelt, with its
high tempo, chaotic piano melody. The song shows
that GoGo Penguin are able to do so much with so few
instruments. Also, it is apparent why GoGo Penguin is
becoming increasingly popular among club DJs. With
infectious groovy rhythms and restless beats, songs
like Garden Dog Barbeque are more than enough to
produce an ideal dance-floor filler.

The album cover for v2.0 typifies GoGo Penguin's originality.

Unlike conventional jazz music, soloing
plays a small role in GoGo Penguins music. Their
collaborative style creates a supremely interactive
performance seen on almost every song on this album.
With their team philosophy, band members resist the
temptation to stand out as individuals.

Although the result finds the piano and drums
daring each other to go further and faster with galloping
tempo and rising action, while the bass runs alongside
them, not once do either of the band members overstep
their boundaries. GoGo Penguin has the wisdom to let
someone play the anchor and the lighthouse.

This gives the band's music a firm foundation, generally grounded by Blackas bass, who is happy
to ease the pieces through their climax, while Illingworth
and Turner take the lead with the music. However, these
roles change on the song House as the tune begins with
an unorthodox bass solo, one of the only solos found on

H o r

the album.

GoGo Penguin's creative wisdom creates an
uncompromising attitude that lets the trio express their
beliefs in the album. This can be seen on One Percent,
a song that allows GoGo Penguin to comment on the
fact that 1% of the population owns 99% of the wealth.
One Percent, aside from featuring Turners relentless
rhythmic flow, concludes with a stunning set piece as
the group impersonates the sound of a skipping CD,
signifying economic and political instability.

Ultimately, while GoGo Penguin may not
be everybodys taste, v2.0 impressively and confidently
combines classic jazz elements with other genres. In
the process, their music highlights the positive qualities
of each form of music, rather than burying them. GoGo
Penguin may not have won the Mercury Prize. But they
deserve more than the recognition that comes with the
nomination.

pg

11

Movie Review
Rage Against the Dying Light

by Alan Clough

n the realm of science fiction cinema, many classics (2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, etc.) have
captured the imagination of audiences around the
world. These movies are considered classics because
they werent just movies with overblown special effects
and one-dimensional characters.

Great science fiction narratives not only
create a strange world for viewers and readers but also
fashion a story that transcends the common vision
and uplifts human morality. These qualities are found
in Christopher Nolans recent epic film Interstellar.

In Interstellar, civilization is on the brink of
destruction. The worlds food supply is being destroyed
by a blight that has contaminated the planet. Because
of this blight, most humans have left their jobs and
become farmers. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is
one of these new-generation farmers. Before the blight,
Cooper was a pilot for NASA. Now he farms and cares
for his two children.

This all changes when Cooper and his
daughter, Murphy, are led by a mysterious force to
the remnants of NASA. NASA was shut down long
ago. However, NASA scientists have been working
on a plan, Project Lazarus, to save humanity from the
blight. Cooper is recruited by NASA to pilot, along with
other astronauts--most notably Amelia Brand (Anne
Hathaway)--a spacecraft (the Endurance) through a
wormhole to investigate a new galaxy which may offer
a new world for humanity.

While Interstellar may seem to contain what
many would see as cliched elements of the traditional
science fiction story, especially humanitys attempt to
save itself from the horrors that it has created, Interstellar sets itself apart from other apocalyptic science fiction
stories.

Interstellar is different from other science
fiction narratives in connection to the theme of blight.
In other tales the blight would be a man-made disaster
created by humanitys hubris. In Interstellar, the blight
is a natural phenomenon, like a hurricane or tornado, but
on a much larger scale. With a natural disaster threaten-

pg

12

ing the human race, rather than a man-made apocalypse,

Interstellar shines a light on the relationship between
Earth and Man and poses a metaphysical question: Is
humanity meant to live on Earth or is the human race
meant to leave Earth and live elsewhere?

Interstellar also sets itself apart from the
science fiction norm through the performances of its
main cast, especially McConaughey and Hathaway.
McConaughey shines as a world-weary Cooper. As
Cooper, McConaughey acts as the foundation that
keeps Interstellar from buckling under its own thematic
aspirations. Through McConaughey, Cooper comes to
life. Cynicism and dry-wit radiate from McConaughey.
What is stunning about McConaugheys performance is
the emotional depth he brings to Cooper. With a lesser
actor, Coopers world-weary affability could fall flat
and feel two-dimensional. But McConaugheys performance gives Cooper life, especially as Cooper is thrown
through multiple emotional hurdles, like his separation
from his family during his journey to save humanity.

Hathaway also puts in an admirable performance as scientist and astronaut Amelia Brand. Brand
is a polar opposite to Cooper. While Cooper is skeptical about Project Lazaruss chance of success, Brand
is optimistic and determined to save humanity at any
cost. While Cooper is methodical as he makes decisions,
Brand is emotional and willing to use feeling over rational thought when it comes to solving problems. The
interplay between Cooper and Brand forms a fascinating
center to Interstellar. The Cooper-Brand differences
offer even more existential questions about fate, love,
and free-will.

While a new take on the science fiction
apocalypse and stellar performances from its cast may
be a good start, Interstellar proves its merits through
visual spectacle. One of these many great cinematic
images is the wormhole itself. Unlike some depictions of
a wormhole as a two-dimensional hole in space-time, under Christopher Nolan's direction (with help from noted
physicist Kip Thorne) the wormhole is depicted in its
scientifically accurate form as a sphere that bends space
and time. Another visual feast in Interstellar includes

r e e

Mathew McConaughey explores the

barren wastes and broken dreams of a
frozen planet in Interstellar.
the planets that Cooper and his team visit. From a sea
planet with skyscraper-sized waves to a world undergoing its own ice age, each planet shown in Interstellar is a
visual marvel that, while being sometimes dangerous to
Cooper and his crew, also sparks the imagination of the
viewer about what could be out in the universe waiting
to be explored.

It is this sense of exploration and sense of
wonder about the universe that marks Interstellar as a
great science fiction story. But the film is also an exciting movie, a piece of art that grows in power as one
considers its themes and ideas.

n H

Sports

Small But Strong

Girls Basketball Comes Out Winning
by Jordan Phelps

wo weeks into December, the Springfield High

School girls basketball team was #1 in the Division II rankings. In their first game of the season,
the Cosmos beat the Leland and Gray Rebels 60-33. In
their second game, the team traveled to Mill River and
earned an exciting 40-38 win.

I thought we played strong team defense,
got some great shots, and attacked the rim, Coach Joe
Brown (SHS Athletic Director) said after the win against
Leland and Gray.

The team is small in height and in numbers,
with only nine girls: three seniors, four juniors, and
two sophomores. The captains include seniors Nicole

Patterson, Chelsea McAllister, and Jordan Phelps.

After her first game of the season at home,
McAllister was ecstatic. To be here and have this crowd
really made us feel at home, said McAllister. Sharing
it with [fellow seniors] Jordan and Nicole was great.

McAllister had 33 points in that game, passing Danielle Hunt who held the SHS girls record, set
in the 1990s, with 1,196 points in Hunts high school
career.

I am very pleased with how the seniors are
leading the team and how everyone is contributing and
competing, Brown concluded. I think were going to
have a great season.

Bowlers in Second Year

Positive Partnerships,
Positive Attitudes

Winter Track
Offered

by Brenden Willey

pringfield High School offers winter track as a

sport, coached by Josh Dikeman (Park Street)
and Jim Fog (SHS substitute teacher). In an
email, Dikeman stated, We had an initial meeting last
Wednesday [December 3rd] to get an idea of how many
students were interested in the indoor track club. We
had 8 students come to the meeting.

Dikeman added, Coach Fog is planning to
bring athletes to Dartmouth to practice with the Hanover
Athletic Club and I will have some practices at the high
school. The schedule will change from week to week
depending on what works best for the athletes involved.

Coach Fog offered more information on the
team. They are going to be throwing shot put up in
Dartmouth Field House with the Dartmouth athletes,
he said. Practices are after school and evenings and
midday over Christmas vacation.

Coach Jim Fog.

Chelsea McAllister is the SHS girls

all-time scoring leader.v

by Brenden Willey

he Springfield High School Bowling Team is in

its 2nd year. The team consists of sophomores
Matt Power, Alex Richardson, Brenden Willey,
Dylan Thibodeau and juniors Josie Melito and Heather
Morse. The lone freshman on the team is Shawn Desmarais. The team is coached by Rob Foster. The team
practices every Monday from 3:00-5:00 pm at the
Springfield Bowl in the Springfield Plaza.

The SHS bowling team is a fun way to
interact with friends while taking the sport seriously,
Power said.

Last year, the team came in 5th out of the
12 Vermont high schools that offer bowling as a sport.
This year, the team is looking for more students to join.

Cosmos bowlers competed in their first tournament on Saturday, December 6th, in Barre, Vermont.
Prior to this tournament, the team participated in three
practices. The Barre Tournament included Hartford,
Windsor, Spaulding, South Burlington, and Randolph.

SHS sophomore Alex Richardson has
positive goals for the bowling team. My hope for the
bowling season is to come out on top for most of the
tournaments like we did last year," he said. "[I hope]
we do pretty well and come back with States.

Bowler Josie Melito agrees with Richardson.
My hope for the bowling season is to win and come
out on top, she said.

SHS Junior bowler Heather Morse also is

H o r

upbeat about the team. I hope that we do really well,

Morse said. I just hope we have fun and have a good
time.

SHS Athletic Director Joe Brown also is
pleased with the bowling team. Im optimistic about
the team, he said. I thought the team last year did
fairly well for being its first year. I know there are a lot
of returners coming back to the team and I think that
they are going have a lot of success.

Brown also feels the bowling team is important to the high school. Its given different kids
that usually dont play sports in the winter a chance
to participate and be a part of a team and represent the
school, he concluded. Also, its the team partnering
with a local business, the Springfield Bowl. I think thats
valuable to the community.

pg

13

Sports

The NFL Comes Clean

A Requirement, Not a Choice
by Ericka Schoff

painkillers that allows them

to play through injury, they
wont be successful over the
long-term.

Courchesne
thinks that NFL coaches
need to understand how
they are harming their players. They dont seem to
care about their athletes
health and thats greedy,
he said. They need to care
about more than just winning.

The recent national spotlight on drug use
in the NFL has led to the
question: Is it the players
choosing to take the drugs
or the coaches forcing the
drugs on the players? Former SHS graduate Crystal

ressure. Endless hours of hard work and dedication under pressure. This is the kind of tension that
can make or break an athlete. Each day an athlete
risks injury in a game to the point of no return. While
athletes compete in sports they are passionate about,
they may not be satisfied with their performance. This
attitude can push a player to take desperate measures
to improve their level of play.

With this pressure to excel, athletes facing
injuries in the National Football League (NFL) have
been rumored to use prescription painkillers inappropriately given to them by coaches. The pills allow these
professional athletes to stay in the game and minimize
lost playing time. Now, the Drug Enforcement Association (DEA) is becoming involved and spot-searching
NFL teams for drug abuse related to painkillers. Some
former NFL athletes have spoken out about their experience with drug abuse during their NFL careers. The
confessions of the athletes concerned the DEA, which
influenced them to get involved. The DEA has also
spoken about athletes abusing Human Growth Hormone
(HGH) and using marijuana. When HGH is used inappropriately, it encourages artificial enhancement of the
bodys natural capabilities.

Springfield High School sophomore Jonathan Courchesne believes that the way to keep athletes
in line is to keep them on a tight rein. The players need
to be drug-tested as much as possible, he said. Through
such tests, athletes will understand that playing clean is
a requirement, not a choice.

However, the real problem with drugs may
not be the athletes. Coaches often force their players to
play through pain and to recover from injuries unrealistically fast. Yet coaches should realize that winning games
isnt always the ultimate money maker. If a star player
suffers long-term, disabling injuries due to the use of

pg

14

Greene, an avid sports fan, believes that, whatever

the answer to this question, players need to be held
responsible for their actions. I dont think the coach
has anything to do with the athletes personal choices,
said Greene. The coach cant control each athlete every
second of the day.

SHS football player Kyle Weeks, thinks that
the athletes and coaches are sending a bad message to
their fans. The abuse, and its publicity, is teaching
young athletes that if pro athletes can do it, so can they,
he said. It seems like the coaches dont care about the
players and their abuse until their athlete gets caught.

Coaches and players are publicly being
criticized as the tales of their drug abuse become
widespread. The DEA has discovered that the players'
abuse of painkillers, in some scenarios, has only made
short-term injuries become long-term problems and left
players with life-long health issues.

According to the ESPN.com article "Painkiller Misuse Numbs NFL Pain," by John Barr, 52
percent of the retired players said they used prescription
pain medication during their playing days. Of those, 71
percent said they misused the drugs then, and 15 percent
of the misusers acknowledged misusing the medication
within the past 30 days. Those who misused prescription
painkillers while playing were three times more likely
to misuse the drugs today than those who used the pills
as prescribed while playing.

Greene believes that young athletes may be
able to take a lesson from the problems of drug-abuse
as associated with their NFL heroes. A lot of people do
drugs, whether theyre famous or not, she concluded.
If anything, the media coverage will show athletes the
repercussions of doing drugs. Hopefully people will be
able to see how drugs can ruin someones career and
future.

r e e

Wes Welker and Robert Mathis

were suspended for drug use.

n H

Continuations
Parks from page 6
"The program introduced me to sports as a kindergartener. Ive become close to Andy Bladyka and having a
person as positive as him in the community is inspiring.

SHS sophomore Caleb Hunter, a former
Parks and Rec basketball player, loves seeing young
athletes active and enjoying themselves. I think Parks
and Rec helps the little kids have fun, said Hunter.
The kids get to see their friends and learn how to play
a sport together. Little do they know, theyre building
character.

SHS sophomore Cassidy Otis has built life-

long friendships with the Parks and Rec staff. Otis loves
the Rec as if it were home. Parks and Rec gives students
a place to go after school or when theyre bored, she
said. It keeps the kids busy and out of trouble. She has
been participating in basketball and softball ever since
she began going to Parks and Rec as a kindergartener.

Naccarato spends his free time in the winter
doing community service at the Rec. He volunteers on
weekends in the winter to teach 1st and 2nd graders
how to play basketball. The kids at the Rec are great,
concluded Naccarato. Even when my 40 hours of community service are completed, I will continue to help
coach. That shows you how great the kids are.

vv

PDA from page 9

to the question: Do you think PDA is a problem at

SHS? 15% said all of the time and 8% said never.
If the students answered that PDA was a problem, they
were asked to write a response explaining why. One
anonymous respondent spoke about how if students
were called out on their actions, the rule could be
better enforced. Teachers need to be better about
calling students on excessive PDA (making out and
other things that make me throw up in my mouth).
However, teachers can't always patrol the hall, as they
have other duties, said the respondent. It's really up
to the students to be mature and control themselves in
a public place.

Not only does PDA make staff and students
uncomfortable, but also leads to future repercussions.
PDA can lead to inappropriate and illegal intimacy at
a young age. Statistics have proven that more than 1
million teens become pregnant each year. It could be
possible that PDAs tolerated in a school could make
students think it is acceptable to have sex at a young
age, even though such action is illegal. Students could
be going against their parents when they display public
affection or any affection. If teens would talk to their
parents about sex openly, there would be a better understanding of why PDA is inappropriate. Studies show
that teens who talk to their parents about sex arent as
likely to engage in these high-risk behaviors.

SHS social studies teacher Keegan Harris
feels that school and public environments are no places
to show affection. School is an environment dedicated
to learning, and PDA distracts from that, he said. For
me, the key word initial in PDA is the P-smooching
in the hall forces the rest of us into the private lives of
the romantic or amorous.

Some students and staff, though, believe
that PDA is acceptable depending on the situation.
Holding hands, a quick hug, or small kiss can be seen as
acceptable. Steve Gray wrote an article for the website
TIME about public affection in schools, and he spoke
about some schools enforcing an IPDA (inappropriate
public display of affection) rule. Other schools have
a broad ban on inappropriate displays of affection,
or IPDAs, he said. Proponents say it gives school
administrators more discretion in interpreting what
constitutes inappropriate behavior.

An IPDA can be qualified as hand holding, a
quick hug, etc. In the CHS newspaper, Silver Schleigh
wrote about PDA at her school. If they can show it
in a Disney movie, its easily appropriate for school in

limited doses, she said. SHS Principal Thibault tolerates

PDA to a certain extent, but is clear about boundaries
for such actions. It is offensive to many, when it is too
over the top, said Thibault. When SHS students were
surveyed, they were asked to finish the sentence: PDA
is okay 85% of the 14 students surveyed answered
that PDA was okay depending on the situation. These
students typically felt that if they were to see affection
in school, it doesnt disrupt them. The affection was said
to only disrupt the students involved.

The real question students need to be asked
is this one: Is PDA even needed at all when one is in a
learning environment? The answer is no. Students are at
school to learn. Students dont need to display affection,
theyre choosing to. If one were to look up the definition
of school, it is defined as an institution for educating children. The definition of education is to give
intellectual, moral, and social instruction to (someone,
especially a child), typically at a school or university.
Neither of these definitions say or describe anything
involving public displays of affection. Therefore,
PDA is not a necessity. It is a choice. Not surprisingly,
Springfield High School has a low tolerance for affection. The SHS Handbook rules for PDA are: Holding
hands is acceptable, long embraces are not acceptable,
short hugs of greeting are acceptable, kissing is not
acceptable, physical contact of a romantic nature is not
acceptable.

Some students at SHS dont follow these
rules. Anonymous students from SHS believe that the
public affection issues could be resolved if the administrators took a stand. Administrators should enforce
the PDA by punishing students for being overly demonstrative to their significant other, said one anonymous
respondent. They should be punished by doing community service or something.

To improve the Springfield High School
social environment, the public display of affection rule
needs to be enforced more. If teachers see students canoodling, they need to explain to the students that they
are violating a rule. If students feel uncomfortable, they
should have the right to call the canoodlers out and tell
them how their actions are affecting them.

But Ruppel believes that the high school
is a mature environment and students need to control
themselves. I think it [PDA] lowers the atmosphere
of respect and decorum in the school, he said. If we
envision school as the workplace for students, it clearly
would not be acceptable to have the level of PDA we
have.

H o r

Rebirth from page 16

of battle, makes the game compelling and challenging.

Like the gameplay, the story in The Binding
of Isaac: Rebirth is more than meets the eye. The story
in Rebirth is a symbolic tale that focuses on different
themes and lessons. In fact, Rebirth is an allegory of
depression. This theme is dramatized as Isaac escapes
his mother into the Basement and drops down a trapdoor
that leads him to levels below the Basement. The Basement and the levels that come after it (Caves, Depths,
Womb) represent Isaacs fall into depression. As Isaac
goes lower, he finds himself in darker, more nefarious
areas fighting more hideous and deformed enemies.
Since many of the enemies Isaac fights are mutilated
and represent hideous versions of himself, Isaacs state
of mind is revealed as enemies worsen. The Tears Isaac
uses to combat enemies are his tears. As Isaac descends
deeper into his hell, his despair is his strength.

The Trapdoor that acts as Isaacs gateway is
also a metaphor. A Trapdoor is used to escape dangerous situations. The Trapdoor offers hope for Isaac to
escape from his dark,horrible place. Ultimately, though,
the Trapdoor leads Isaac deeper into darkness. This
relationship between the Trapdoor and Isaac parallels
the relationship between a drug and a drug addict, one
filled with broken promises of safety and escape from
an addicts problems.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth also illustrates
the concept of power. In Rebirth, Isaac chooses items
that make him more powerful and better equipped to
fight. These items come at a price. They mutilate and
twist Isaacs form. For example, the item Tiny Planet
makes Isaacs tears more powerful by having them orbit him, ending with a small meteor lodged in Isaacs
skull. This teaches that power corrupts and transforms
individuals into living abominations.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a game that
strikes many levels of emotions. This symbolic story
provides a look at the darkness that awaits to feed on
humanity's sadness. The lesson from the game is clear:
one must be vigilant when looking into the abyss.

Fashion from page 6

of winter necessity options are offered depending on
ones personal preference to fashion and comfort.

To avoid the cold, one can pull on a thick
pair of socks or a subtle pair of legwarmers. Folding
down a pair of knit knee-high socks to peep out of a
pair of boots can make a positive difference in body
temperature and style.

The many trends offered this winter season
make survival in frigid weather bearable, yet fashionable. For extremes of weather, the little changes in ones
wardrobe can make a big difference.

Leaders from page 1

Wasyliko and Lawrence discussed the possibility of a
yearly retreat. They have already set up a tentative date
for their next leadership training.

"This is something that Mrs. Wasyliko and I
feel strongly about, concluded Lawrence. We would
love to make this a yearly activity that all SHS students
have the opportunity to be part of.

pg

15

By Allison Naccarato

SHS Speaks Out

vv

o the December recess is history and this past holiday celebration is one for the books. Before the pleasantly long winter break, however, the Green Horn asked
some SHS students how they planned to honor this exquisitely lengthy hiatus from lessons, assignments, and the remarkable stress and pleasure of learning.

Senior Maygan Daly

We sit in my living room, open all of
our dog's presents, then open ours.
Pets come first.

Junior Michael Messer

Junior Andy Freeman

I get together with my family and open

presents.

I go home and sleep all day.

Freshman Jen Minotti

Freshman Grace Morvan

I'm a Jehovah's Witness. We don't

celebrate anything. To us, they're just
other days.

I wake up early to go to a family

gathering. We open presents together.

Freshman Jenna Knight

I celebrate Christmas with my family.
In the evening we go to dinner at my
grandparents.

Column

The Building of Isaac: Rebirth

by Alan Clough

tory is the foundation of a video game. Through

the story, video game developers take players to
worlds unseen. Whether they exist in a fictional
land, or a wasteland, video games create visual spectacles for players to witness and participate in. However,
a large number of video games over-emphasize action,
such as explosions and bombastic battles, to carry the
game, rather than relying on story. Because of this emphasis on action over narrative, video games can be flat
and dull with stereotypical characters. However, a great
video game must have a compelling story for a player
to witness and play through. A strong story, balanced
with superb gameplay, makes The Binding of Isaac:
Rebirth exceptional.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth begins when
Isaac, a young boy, must escape his mother
who thinks God has ordered her to kill
Isaac. Fleeing to The Basement, Isaac finds himself in a
nightmarish world populated by hideous and deformed
monsters. He retreats deeper into this realm of night-

pg

16

mares to survive his murderous situation.

The gameplay found in The Binding of Isaac:
Rebirth is roguelike. In a video game when a player
dies they are usually respawned at a checkpoint. In a
roguelike, though, when a player dies their progress
within that particular runthrough is lost and they have
to start over from the beginning. In The Binding of

r e e

Isaac: Rebirth this means players starting over at the

beginning level, The Basement. The penalties of death
in a roguelike may seem unforgiving, but this penalty
is not self-defeating.The concept of starting from the
beginning only applies to a player's runthrough. Any
secrets unlocked are intact in a player's save file.In
Rebirth, starting new after dying is similar to starting
over a game of cards. Nothing is lost. Instead, by dying
and doing more runthroughs, players gain experience to
help them master the game.

Beside the roguelike element, Rebirth is
based on the mantra of easy to pick up, difficult to
master," as players guide Isaac through dungeons. In
these dungeons, players fight through different rooms
using projectiles (Tears) to combat enemies. Playing
Rebirth is easy. But mastering skills, like dodging enemy
shots and being able to make quick decisions in the heat

See Rebirth page 15

n H