the The Paw Print MHHS student newspaper is available by clicking

October 2013
The Voice of Maple Hill High School Students
Fight like a girl! Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Get Your Pink On
by Alysa Kelly
Did you know that every October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month? People all over the nation
participate in spreading the message and help support
the women who are battling, fought, or passed away
from breast cancer. Our community has also been
participating in the event. At the school, all of the
teachers wore pink shirts and jeans on October 17,
our school’s pink day, to support the cause. Plus, all
of faculty donated five dollars for breast cancer research. Along with this, Mr. Hunter and Jordanne
Unser arranged for pink hair extensions and tattoos
to be given out. Some of the proceeds made from
this were donated to cancer research as well. In addition to pink day, on October 5, there was the yearly Komen Race for the Cure in Albany which collected money in order to be used
for research. Albany held its annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at
Washington Park on October 20, as well. Over 15,000 participants attended and
over $956,000 was donated so far! All donations can still be made through December 31, so if you were unable to attend or unaware of the event, you still have time
to help out! The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team and Key Club both attended the
event, in addition to many other members of our community. The Schodack Police
Department was also there supporting the wonderful cause. Although October is
coming to an end, breast cancer still affects thousands of people throughout the
world. Research will never stop and the fight will never end. Find a way to help support the cause because you never know
how much of a difference you can
make. News
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
F
YI
-Upcoming
Dates
-Checklist
for
Upperclassmen
...p. 2-3
.
isc
M
-How Well
Do You
Know Your
Teachers?
Match-up
...p. 29
ws
e
N
A
&E
-Students of
the Month
(Sept)
-iPads in the
classroom
-Fall Fashion
-Halloween
Trivia &
Witch ID
...p. 4-10
...p. 11-16
O
Spirit Week
In Retrospect
by Liz Zink
Spirit Week is possibly the
most awaited week within
the entire school year.
The first two days were
theme days. Monday was
Decades of Difference Day.
People came in dressed with
clothes from days past. Some
went for earlier, more unique
eras while many came in as
hippies or 80’s exercise models. The second day was
Twin Day. This day also doubled, in a way as Costume
Day. Many friends paired up
and chose to dress similarly.
Often friends chose to dress
as popular animals or movie
characters so when they
walked down the halls together there was another
element of recognition.
Continued on Page 2
on
i
n
pi
-Announcements during Advisory
-Music
-05% Approval Rating
...p. 17-23
S
r
po
ts
-Player Profiles
-Staying Fit
This Winter
-Meet Coach
Farrell
...p. 23-28
The Paw Print
Editorial Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Zink
Layout/ Managing Editors: Hannah
Meacham, Robert Bedenbaugh
Section Editors:
 Columns: Marcus Lounds
 News: Domenika Truesdell
 Opinion: Robert Bedenbaugh
 A&E: Mackenzie Otten& Elizabeth
Zink
 Sports: Heather Hay & Kristine
Probst
Contributors
Peter Aitken, Sarah Brecht, Audra Colliton, Chelsea Decker, Kerry Golden,
Alysa Kelly, David Mauer, Bella Nelson, Cameron Renslow
Faculty Advisor: Miss Flood
Continued from Front Page
The third day, color wars, was (as always) a source of inner class tension.
The halls were covered in colors from their respective classes and
competitive posters began to pop up,
lining the halls with written battle
cries, declaring whose class was the
best. Bitter freshmen displayed their
frustration towards those on the senior half of the hall as they came to
grips with the pecking order of high
school while juniors downstairs began
testing the waters and displaying what
dominance they soon hoped to have.
The competition began heating up and
lit the fire which carried into Spirit
Day.
Spirit Day was, as always, intense. Class shirts were broken out
and creative signs lined the halls. Some
students (especially seniors) came into
school an hour early to decorate the
gym as well as the halls. Those who
arrived with the busses entered a
school buzzing with excitement and
littered with blues and reds. As the
first bell rang, the first underclassmen
Page 2
Paw Print
Editorial Staff 2013-2014
The Paw Print
Editorial Staff
would like your
input to the school
newspaper this
year. If you see
news happening,
want to write a
feature or sports
story, or take
some photos,
please let any of us
know.
Keep current about school events!
Follow @MapleHill_HS on
Twitter!
poster hit the floor and the
games had begun. The Pep
Rally was the pinnacle of the
afternoon, set off by a wild
senior entrance, marked by a
rare freshman win in tug of
war and, as always, a senior
color wars victory.
As a senior writing
this, it’s hard to imagine this
was my last time to experience it all but I certainly hope
those who are still coming up
the ranks continue to enjoy
the absolute mayhem that is
Spirit Week.
NOTES FROM THE
GUIDANCE OFFICE
SCHOLARSHIPS:
All scholarships that have been
announced are available in the
Guidance Office. Please feel
free to stop in at any time to sit
down and review them.
If you need a working card...You may pick up the paperwork in the Guidance Office. Please note: You must have
had a physical exam within the past year. Mrs. Croft, the
school nurse, should have record of any exams that were performed.
FYI Columns
NOVEMBER2– SAT I & SAT II Testing
4– Winter Sports Meet the Coaches Night (6:30pm-Chemical Health, 7:00 all other Athletes)
5– NO SCHOOL (Conference Day for Teachers)
8– Marking Period 1 Ends (Make sure all of your work is completed)
11– NO SCHOOL (Veteran’s Day)
14 - College Financial Aid Information Night, MHHS, 6:30 pm.
16 - Hudson Valley Community College Open House, 9 am.
Learn about over 70 degree and certificate programs, and student life at HVCC. Call 518-6297309 to register and for more information.
20 - The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) will be administered at MHHS.
Interested students should visit the guidance office 8:00-11:00am
*The ASVAB is a multi-aptitude test battery that assesses verbal, math, science and technical
skills. A composite of scores is used to determine a Military Careers Score which can be used to
compare a student’s skills with those needed in various military
careers. A Military Entrance Score is also computed and is
needed for students deciding to enter the armed services.
Scores of all students taking the ASVAB are released to the
military. Scores on the ASVAB can also be used for career
exploration. For more information and to sign up, see Mrs. Hebert
or Mrs. O’Leary in the guidance office
26– Emergency Closing Drill (15 min early dismissal)
27-29– NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving)
Hey Upperclassmen, Check this Out!
Checklist for Juniors:




Focus on your studies– 11th grade is your most important year for earning high grades in challenging courses. If you had a few marginal grades in 9th or 10th grade, improvement in 11th grade can
show a college you’ve learned how to be a good student. A drop in grades in 11th grade shows a
move in the wrong direction and will raise red flags for college admission counselors.
Keep going with a foreign language– Although you might find a foreign language difficult or frustrating, don’t give up. Mastery of a language will impress college admissions folks and open up more
options for you when you eventually get to college.
Get involved-Colleges are looking for future leaders, not passive bystanders. They want to see that
you’re a team captain, class officer or an event organizer.
Take the SAT/ ACT in the Spring. Keep track of registration deadlines and test dates.
Checklist for Seniors:





Work hard all year (avoid “senior-itis”). Second semester grades can affect scholarship eligibility.
Also stay involved in co-curricular activities and seek leadership roles if possible.
Meet with your guidance counselor to make sure you are on track to graduate and fulfill college
admission requirements.
Ask teachers/ other adults well enough in advance for a recommendation letter.
If you haven’t done so already, register for & take the SAT/ ACT– Check with the colleges you are
interested in to see what tests they require.
Prepare your college applications carefully. Follow the instructions & pay close attention to deadPage 3
News
Senior Domination?
by Heather Hay
Spirit Week is the week where seniors
scare the freshmen senseless, put posters up
crushing any slightly-witty slogans that the underclassmen come up with for their grade,
and win any competition set before them
throughout the
week. Well, at
least that’s always
the expectation,
but this year was a
little different,
wasn’t it?
After four
years of experience, I think I can
confidently say
that everyone goes
into spirit week
thinking that Seniors are going to
run the whole
thing, especially as
an underclassmen. Most of the time our expectations are right. For example, name one
time when the senior class didn’t win color
wars or at least one event during pep rally.
This year’s senior class kept that tradition going, but they didn’t necessarily keep up with
the domination rep.
Pep rally started off with the seniors
running in and terrorizing the underclassmen
with water guns, trying to throw off their
game for the upcoming events. As the first
event ended with two winners from the same
grade, not the senior class, the whole energy
changed. If the sophomores could beat the
seniors in something as simple as musical
chairs, anything was possible in the eyes of the
underclassmen. Sophomores may have added
the limbo onto the list of their wins, juniors
could brag that they won three out of the 9
events, and the freshman were able to win the
girls tug-of-war with a guy on the seniors’
Page 4
team, but nothing could stand up to the seniors’ clever ways of winning the relay race,
three-legged race, and the hula hoop relay.
So when you look back at it all, it really
is debatable on whether the seniors put the
underclassmen in
their place this year.
They may have tied
for wins with the juniors and let a few of
the events slip away
from them, but I remember hearing
someone say after the
pep rally was over,
“We may not have
won every event, but
at least we didn’t
cheat our way through
the whole thing and
we worked together as a grade.”
To win the most events during spirit
week or not win everything, but still have a
great time doing it with a group of people
you’ve created a bond with over the past 12
years? You tell me who is the winner here.
Spirit Week
Theme Days
Like these pictures? Check
out our bulletin board in the
lobby. Don’t forget to purchase a 2014 Wildcat Yearbook too ! $48.60 until 12/2
$54.00 12/3– 1/24 The last
day to buy is 1/24
Page 5
Congratulations to the September Students of the Month
In an effort to recognize outstanding achievements of our students, Maple Hill High School presents each
month a Student of the Month Award. Students may be nominated for this award by any staff member, a
representative of a community organization, a parent or another student. Students may be nominated
for a single outstanding achievement, for service to the school or community or for significant improvement in school. Each month one student in each grade, 9-12, is selected for this award by a faculty committee after a review of all nominations. For the month of September, 2013, the students selected to
receive this recognition are:
Freshman – Grace Goodall
Grace, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Goodall, is nominated for being a hard
working student and enthusiastic about learning. She is polite and always respectful! Grace is donating the money she made at the village garage sale
($115.17) to Breast Cancer research in memory of her Aunt. She is a member
of Key Club and outside of school she enjoys sports, reading, and doing community service. After high school Grace plans to go to college with plans to go into
the medical field to work with infants.
Sophomore – Carter Zimmermann
Carter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Keith Zimmermann, is nominated for being an incredibly hard worker that comes to class prepared and ready to learn. He is in
Key Club, Science Olympiad, and plays Lacrosse. Outside of school Carter is involved with Boy Scouts and likes to do volunteer work. He volunteers his time
to work with his father for a hockey organization. After high school Carter
wants to go to college to study Geology with plans to be a Geologist.
Junior – Teresa Monahan
Teresa, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Monahan, is nominated for being quite a
conscientious student. She always hands in her work on time and is prepared for
class. While she struggles with many tasks, she works as hard as she can to accomplish them. Here at Maple Hill Teresa is involved in Swing Choir and outside
of school she takes classes in theater on Saturdays at Sage College. After high
school Teresa plans on going to college to further her studies in theater.
Senior – Heather Hay
Heather, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay, is nominated for being a mature,
poised, responsible young woman with an optimistic outlook on life. She is the
Secretary for National Honor Society, leader on the varsity volleyball team and
the editor of the sports section for the school newspaper. Outside of school she
has been dancing competitively for 13 years. She currently dances five days a week
and also helps out younger dancers. After high school she wants to go to college
and pursue a career as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist.
The faculty and staff wish to congratulate these students on being selected September students of the
month for their respective grades.
Page 6
News
iPads: A New Learning Environment
by: DeAysia Cerrone
Have you recently seen student walking down the hallways with iPads in
their hands? Have you seen some of your teachers with them in their classrooms? Well this year, a select group of students were chosen to take part in
experimenting with the iPads for their English, Global, Earth Science, and Math
classes. This new learning technique can help students not only learn, but also
experience new technology and how to use it educationally.
All students learn in many different ways. Some students prefer to listen
and take in what their teacher is saying. Others like to do hands-on activities to
help them learn better and remember the material. With the iPads, there are of
lots of different ways to learn your material. Reading, writing, typing, and handson work are all rolled into one with the iPads. We are currently working with a
local textbook company, Classbook who supplied us with the iPads and iBooks.
This is where we get all of our online textbooks from so all you have to do is
open up the app and you have your textbooks! They also help us with our technical difficulties if we have any. There are a few representatives around the
school that are here for when we need help immediately. We are a pilot program for Classbook, who hopes to market this learning environment to other
public schools. Maple Hill is also using this as a pilot program to see how students’ grades and learning process is effected and if it is beneficial for all students.
But of course, with great technology, comes some very great technical
difficulties! As a class, we may lose some documents in the big world of Google
Drive, our Email domain app we use to file all of our documents and assignments
that we do right on the ipad. We are able to complete our assignments on the
ipads by an app called “Notability”, which allows us to draw/write on any document we transfer to the app. This is how all iPad students do their homework
and classwork assignments. Then when we have completed our assignment, we
simply put it in a specific folder that our teacher has created for that assignment,
and transfer it there. Then the teacher should get a notification that a new document has been added to that specific folder.
The teachers also love having the ipads because its an easier way to
grade their students’ work. When you put your document into their folder, they
grade it, then rename it as “Graded (Assignment)” back into that folder. Then
the next day, you can look to see what you got right and wrong and fix it on the
spot. With Google Drive, it makes things easier to find and Gmail makes communication a whole lot faster. If you are absent for a day, you can always just
email your teacher and asked them what you missed. They will send you your
homework through your email, then you transfer it to your “Notability” app and
start the material you missed that day, then save it in their specific folder. Miss
Flood said, “It’s so much easier to grade assignments in Google Drive because I
can type faster than I can write and students get feedback so much quicker than
in the past.” Along with teachers appreciating the new iPad, students do too, "I
like the iPads! I think they are fun and easy to learn on. It's easier to keep track
of my work and it saves paper.It also helps keep me organised and on task during
class,” commented Alex Stuto. Seeing as most students and teachers love the
innovation of having iPads at their fingertips, Mr. Agostinoni hopes to look into
supplying more iPads to the classroom environments in the future for a better
learning experience at Maple Hill.
Page 7
Miss America Contest Brings Out the Ugly Side
by Heather Hay
Everything about beauty pageants is
supposed to be, well, “beautiful,” but after
the results of the 2014 Miss America contest,
things couldn’t have been more ugly for Nina
Davuluri. On September 15th, the 24-yearold became the first American of Indian descent to be crowned Miss
America. Although this is an
incredibly exciting milestone, many Americans
could only say nasty and terrorizing things about this
beautiful woman and her
new title.
The reason everyone made the new Miss
America out to be a terrorist and associated her
with the Al Qaeda group was because of her descent. People assumed she was Muslim which also
led people to assume she was a terrorist. First of
all, just because a person is Muslim does not automatically mean they
are a terrorist. Second
of all, Nina Davuluri isn’t even Muslim; she’s
Hindu. Along with these
allegations came those
of her being an Arab.
Davuluri was born in Syracuse, New York, the
Most of Davuluri’s anstate which she repretagonists came at her from social media
sented in this year’s beauty pageant, and other
sources. Posting things like, “If you’re Miss
than the few years she spent with her parents in
America you should have to be AmeriIndia, she has lived her whole life in the United
can,” “This is America. Not India,” and even States. It just goes to show that making assump“How...does a foreigner win Miss America?
tions can only lead to bad things, especially like
She is a Arab! #idiots.” The terrible comshowing how ignorant and cruel you are. The Miss
ments didn’t end here and many were even America title is supposed to be bestowed with
more disgustingly racist. Not only did these
only high regards and because of racist and unininsults show the the disturbing truth of rac- telligent Americans, Nina Davuluri’s day of glory
ism throughout Americans, but it also paint- was nothing, but filled with hate.
ed a perfect picture of their ignorance as
people attempted to tie her to the terrorist
group, Al Qaeda. Some even referred to the Source: Manitou Messenger, St. Olaf College stucrowning as a celebration of the 9/11 terror- dent news site and The Promethean, Siena College’s student newspaper
ist attacks. These statements from people
around the country were not only heartbreakingly nasty, but also completely false.
Disney Helping Their Employees
by Robert Bedenbaugh
Under the controversial Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, companies would
be required to provide health care for employees who work over 1500
hours a year. Some companies, like UPS, SeaWorld, Walgreen’s and
Papa John’s have chosen to cut employee hours in order to get around
this. However, the “Happiest Place on Earth” has decided to live up to
their self-endowed nickname, and do the opposite. For 427 part-time
employees at Disney World, they will soon be seeing both more pay and
a security net in case of injury or illness, because Disney is upgrading
them to full time in order to make sure they qualify for Obamacare. “Disney wants to be proactive,” Ed
Chambers, president of the Trade Services Council, said in an interview. He continued, saying that
“Disney is way out in front on this.”
(continued on p. 10)
Page 8
News
Barilla Pasta President’s Homophobic Comments
by Robert Bedenbaugh
Food companies seem to be getting involved in the gay marriage and gay rights debates far more often than
seems reasonable. The latest in the list is Barilla Pasta. In an interview, the company president, Guido Barilla, went on record about
his opinion on gays. “I would never do an advert with a homosexual
family…if the gays don’t like it they can go and eat another brand. For us
the concept of the sacred family remains one of the fundamental values
of the company. Everyone has the right to do what they want without
disturbing those around them. I have no respect for adoption by gay families because this concerns a person who is not able to choose.”
Needless to say, this caused a backlash against the pasta company. Because of this, Barilla decided that an
apology was in order. However, Guido Barilla’s apology hasn’t been taken well, either, as it has been seen as less
of an apology and more as an attempt to save face.“With reference to statements made yesterday, I apologize if my
words have generated controversy or misunderstanding, or if they have hurt the sensibilities of some people. In the interview I simply wanted to highlight the central role of the woman in the family.
The company, which has half of the Italian pasta market and a quarter of the American one, is not only
under fire in America, but in Italy. Italian politicians are now promoting the boycott of the pasta as well as everyday people in both nations. Perhaps food companies should just stay out of controversial issues.
Fall Rainbow: Why Leaves Change Color
by Chelsea Decker
Every autumn the beauty of fall colors are seen. Everyone has to
admit the scenery during fall is the best! The mixture of red, purple, orange, and yellow leaves are gorgeous during fall and I’m sure tons of people don’t know what is really happening when leaves change color. According to the State University of New York College of Environmental
Science and Forestry, different color leaves during fall is the result of
chemical processes that takes place in the tree as the seasons change
from summer to winter. During the spring and summer, leaves serve as
factories where most of the food necessary for the tree’s growth are
manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll. Chlorophyll gives the leaf its green color.
This unique chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in
transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugar and starches. In addition to the green pigment
there are yellow to orange pigments also known as carotenes and xanthophyll pigments. These pigments, for example,
give the orange color to a carrot. These colors are hidden by great amounts of green coloring most of the year. In the
fall, everything changes due to the changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature. During the fall, the
leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down and the green color disappears. The yellow to
orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor. Other chemical changes may occur which
form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments. Some mixtures give trees reddish and
purplish colored leaves such as dogwoods and sumacs. Other mixtures give the sugar maple its brilliant orange. Some
trees show only yellow colors during fall. Others, like many oaks, show mostly browns. All these colors result from
the mixing of varying amounts of chlorophyll residue and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season. Next time
you glance at the pretty fall foliage, you’ll know how the change took place!
Source: http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm
Page 9
News
Common Core Changing Classrooms
by Kristine Probst
Did you know that there has been a
change in the way students are taught due to
the new Common Core State Standards in
public schools? Well, it’s true. If you don’t know
what the common core is about, they are standards to keep schools following the same principles of standards-based education. Nationwide,
this is important since people need to know what
prompted it and its purpose in order to understand it is not just a random decision to make
things more difficult.
This is what your English class is going
to look like under the Common Core Standards:
more non-fiction texts, authentic texts, higher
level text complexity, paired passages, and a
focus on evidence from the text. There will be
more rubrics, academic vocabulary and more
argumentative writing with support from sources.
When asked what she thought about the Common Core, Mrs. Stock responded, “The focus on
close readings of texts is a great idea. However,
I am also a little concerned by how fast the state
has implemented. They are not giving students
enough time to develop their skills before taking a high stakes exam. Another thing that saddens me is
that the new standards do not seem to value poetry and novels as much as I do.”
In addition to changes in English classes, your Mathematics class is also going to be different. A
few of the shifts include a more intensive focus, linking back to other units, and creating a deeper understanding of material. When Ms. Golden was asked what she thought about the Common Core, she answered, “Common Core has significantly changed how Algebra is being taught in 9 grade. The material is
moving at a much faster pace and students are expected to use problem solving strategies on a regular
basis. The goal is to create critical thinkers who can use a variety of skills to work through a problem. I
would have liked to have seen the change implemented differently, but we are all working together to do
th
our best.”
If you see a
change in curriculum
and more challenges in
your Math and English
classes, don’t freak out
it’s just the new Common Core (and your
teachers are working
hard to get you through
it).
Disney (continued from p. 8)
According to ThinkProgress: “Disney’s decision tracks with a recent survey of
chief financial officers at large American firms finding that American companies
actually intend to increase their number of full-time employees by almost 2 percent over the next year, despite repeated claims by Obamacare critics that the
reform law will create a part-time economy, discourage hiring, or encourage employers to roll back workers’ hours to avoid Obamacare.”
Perhaps it’s unsurprising that Disney has seen gains in the stock market this
year, while so many other companies suffer.
Page 10
Arts & Entertainment
Rock & Metal
Showcase: Lordi
The Arockalypse is here! Finnish hard
rock band Lordi, formed in 1992, is one
part theatrics, one part secrecy, and all
metal. The original line-up, which never
played live, formed during a cruise to
see the classic rock band Kiss, which
the future frontman of Lordi, Mr. Lordi,
had organized. In fact, much of Lordi is
inspired by early Kiss, like refusing to
give out their real names or be spotted
outside of their costumes. Only, in the
spirit of heavy metal, Lordi has taken
the idea of costumes up to eleven, with
elaborate monster suits, props and
much latex.
Each member has their own unique
look and style, with Mr. Lordi’s being
the most elaborate, taking two hours to
put on. While their first record, Bend
Over And Pray The Lord, went unreleased for a decade, their second, Get
Heavy, was much more successful in
their home nation of Finland, following
a hit #1 single, “Would You Love A
Monsterman?” However, their biggest
success came in 2006, when they went
to the Eurovision Contest, the biggest
music contest in Europe. Each European nation sends an act, more often
than not a strange one, and they compete to be voted the best. Essentially,
musical European Olympics.
Lordi went to the Eurovision
Contest representing Finland, won, and
held
Fall Fashion Trends
by Liz Zink
It's hard to pin-point just one fashion trend to spotlight this month.
Current trends are in a limbo. It appears the markets are torn between 90s revival, Native American/geometric influences, typical fall
fashion and 70's Miami. This is a little sampling of what appears to be
popular.
1. Combat boots (the older they are, the better they'll look)
2. Big scarfs
3. Thick sweaters (you can find the best from your dad/grandpa/
local Salvation Army)
4. Leather (you obviously don't need to start looking like you're
straight out of a biker gang but leather trim/details adds a bit of edginess to an outfit)
5. Deep, rich colors (think cornucopias in the middle of tables on
Thanksgiving)
6. Beanies
7. Vintage florals (look for prints that look a little dated and wallpaper-y)
8. Printed pants (these can be hard to match but if you've just
bought a pair a solid colored shirt is a perfect starting point)
9. Vintage jewelry (keep in mind, it doesn't have to be older than
your parents, if it looks old no one can tell the difference).
10. Plaids (flannels, shoes, pants. almost anything. just don't do
more than one plaid piece in an outfit for the love of god)
So, whatever you're style- step out of the box and try to incorporate
one or more of these trends into your wardrobe. Or perhaps you're
a trendsetter and you already do.
(Continued on p. 12)
Page 11
Page 12
ANSWERS:
1. Orange is associated with the Fall harvest. Black is associated with darkness and death
2. Samhain (pronounced sah-win) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning
of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is celebrated from sunset on October 31 to sunset on November
1, which is nearly halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It was observed in Ireland and
Scotland. In the 9th century, the Roman Catholic Church shifted the date of All Saints Day to November 1,
while November 2 later became All Souls' Day. Over time, Samhain and All Saints/All Souls merged and
helped to create the modern Halloween.
3. Ireland. To keep away spirits and ghosts 4. $2 billion 5. All Saints Day 6. Warlocks 7. Poltergeists
7.) Ghosts that do pranks are known as what?
6.) What are male witches called?
5.) Halloween is celebrated on the eve of what Christian holiday?
States?
4.) How much money is spent on Halloween candy annually in the United
candles?
lanterns come from, and why are they lit with
3.) Where did the tradition of carving Jack o’
evolved into our modern Halloween?
2.) What ancient festival is considered to have
1.) Why are Halloween colors Orange and Black?
Compiled by Kristine Probst
Spooktacular Halloween Trivia
Halloween Section: Arts & Entertainment
Halloween Witch Identification 101:
How to identify a witch
by Mackenzie Otten
First things first when trying to find witches, be careful!
They possess a power so evil it is beyond our control.
Note: look for older women, typically loners with animals
(black cats are common) who follow them. Mumbling and
skipping church are usual signs of a suspect.
Method one: Get the whole town to come together and
ambush the suspect. Then tie her up and make her recite
The Lord's prayer; if she fails, she’s a witch.
Method two: Take the tied up sorceror, and attach sinkers to their body, throw them in a river or fairly large body
of water. If they sink they’re innocent, if they float, witch!
Method three: Find the suspect in broad daylight, if they
have no shadow then they’re definitely a witch! If they do
have a shadow try one of the other methods
to ensure they're not fooling you with a spell.
Method four: If its possible try getting close
enough to cut their hair. If you are unable to
cut through you have found yourself a witch.
However if you are able to cut the hair you
probably have a very unhappy person on
your hands so its best to try a second method here as well.
Method five: Search their body. Anyone
found with unusual scarring, birthmarks, or tattoos is
100% witch!
Method six: Torture; If you have a suspect whom you
cannot prove guilty torture them till they confess. Clearly a
witch if they confess they’re guilty!
WARNING: TRY ALL OF THESE METHODS, IF ALL
FAIL CONTACT THE CLOSEST WITCH FINDER.
PLEASE REMEMBER, IF YOU CAPTURE A WITCH
BURN HER AND ALL OF HER BELONGINGS. ANYONE
WITH CONTACT IS PROBABLY ALSO A WITCH AND
SHOULD BE BURNED TOO. HAPPY WITCH HUNTING!
(Disclaimer for Witch Identification: Do not try any of this at
home, for this is a fictional how-to piece, thank you)
Supernatural Season 9 Opener:
A Review
by Robert Bedenbaugh
Throughout the years, brothers Sam and
Dean Winchester have battled demons, vampires,
wendigos, angels, and thanks to the rule of "you discover it, you name it", Jefferson Starships (they're
annoying and hard to kill) on the CW's hit show
Supernatural, which is now in its ninth season. For
most franchises, that means a show has been kept
alive as a cash cow, being milked until it can’t be
milked anymore. However, the monster, angel and
demon hunting angst-fest is still as awesome as ever,
continuing off of the show’s standard season-ending
cliffhanger.
Without giving too much
away, the Supernatural season opener, “I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here”,
builds a new character, played for
now by Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse veteran Tahmoh Penikett
(Karl “Helo” Agathon and FBI Agent
Paul Ballard, respectively), as an ally
to the main cast, saving Sam and
Dean. Meanwhile, Castiel, the angel
that has been an aid, and sometimes
a hindrance, to the Winchesters, has found himself
in a rather sticky situation, caused once again by him
foolishly trusting the wrong people.
The episode is a strong continuation of the
series, with future angst, a trademark of the series,
already building up. Without a real mission, the
Winchesters are flying blind, in a changed world.
The writing is fantastic, with the standard wit and
sarcasm showing up, along with Castiel’s unending
gullibility. Although mentioned, Mark Sheppard’s
character Crowley and his unending smugness is
absent, this being the only thing that disappointed
me about this episode. Hopefully the most smug
demon this side of Yellow Eyes will be back soon,
although the reappearance of several characters definitely will tide fans over in the meantime.
Page 13
Rock & Metal
Showcase: Lordi (continued from p. 11)
the record for most points with the song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”, until 2009, three years later. They were
the first Finnish act to win Eurovision. They would go on to play on the main stage at Ozzfest 2007, film a
horror movie with them as the villains and perform on The Late Show with Conan O’Brien in 2008. In
2010, they hired a new drummer, Otis, but he would unfortunately pass on several months later.
Musically, they are extremely 80s-influenced, shifting between hard rock and heavy metal from album to
album. Many of their songs are horror influenced, with titles like “Candy for the Cannibal”, “Man Skin
Boot”, “The Chainsaw Buffet” and “Biomechanic Man”, the last of which is also subject of an awesome
“misheard lyrics” viral video on Youtube. One could definitely call them shock rock, with fire, blood and set
pieces being a regular part of their show. Their music videos have an extremely high likelihood of featuring zombies, or their close cousins, Deadites, which are from the cult classic 80s horror/comedy franchise
The Evil Dead, it’s sequel and the third film, which was called Army of Darkness. The video for the song
“Blood Red Sandman” is inspired by the first two films in said franchise, but ironically, lacks both zombies
and Deadites, with the band instead terrorizing the foolish teens who decided that an abandoned cabin in
the woods was the best place to go. With seven albums, the latest, To Beast or Not To Beast, released a
few months ago, Lordi shows no sign of slowing down. Check them out, but only if you’re not afraid of a
little gore and horror/comedy.
Music Yesterday...
by Audra Colliton
Halloween is a costumed holiday where we
all hide our identity even though we
all know who we are. So, fittingly, I
chose David Bowie for this issue.
During the early seventies, David
Bowie was Ziggy Stardust, a
misunderstood alien in a rock n’ roll
band. Many critics find that this era
of Bowie was the best era. He
composed several classic Bowie
albums during this time like
Diamond Dogs, Ziggy Stardust and
the Spiders from Mars, Hunky Dory
as well as Aladdin Sane. Bowie
wore makeup and had a great
guitarist named Mick Ronson who
helped create the Ziggy Stardust
distinct sound. Hunky Dory was
probably my favorite during this era with songs such
as “Changes,” “Oh, You Pretty Things,” “Life on
Mars?,” and two songs, one for Andy Warhol and
another for the American folk artist Bob Dylan.
“Oh, You Pretty Things” is a softer slow song
in the beginning, but it becomes louder with the chorus. My favorite lyric from this song is, “all the nightmares came today and it looks as though they’re
here to stay” which is a really chilling but exhilarating
line.
Page 14
“Life on Mars?” is an excellent song that
states that “Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow”
and makes pokes at the Soviet
Union with “Lenin’s on sale again”.
The music video is spectacular,
with Bowie in a bright blue suit and
in bright blue eyeshadow with red
feathery hair. There is only a white
background, no special effects,
just Bowie, close ups, zooms, only
Bowie singing. Its a masterpiece.
Bowie has other hobbies
such as acting and painting. He
has done cameo work as well and
he released an album earlier this
year named The Next Day with
movie like music videos. He
starred in the Jim Henson movie
Labyrinth, The Man Who Fell to
Earth, with other additional titles. His art is amazing, his music is just what I adore and he’s a real
chameleon in the world. He has retreated a bit
from the press, but with books such as David Bowie Is with festivals and museum exhibits that I long
to see, David Bowie, simply, is legendary and
amazing.
Arts & Entertainment
...and Today: Halloween Edition
by Sarah Brecht
Marilyn Manson, also known as the Antichrist Superstar, is one of the most infamous shock
rockers to come out of the last several decades. Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better
known by his stage name, Marilyn Manson, is an American musician, actor, painter, multimedia artist and former music journalist known for his outgoing and often controversial stage personality as
the lead singer of the band Marilyn Manson. He is the founder and only member that has been
there since its creation. His name was formed by juxtaposing the names of two influential icons from
decades past, both representing good and bad, but put on the same levels of infamy, namely actress Marilyn Monroe and multiple murder conspiracy convict Charles Manson.
He is perhaps best known for his musical works, the best example being 1998's Mechanical
Animals. His character, named, Omēga, a space alien forced to become a rock star, was based off
of one of his most influential idols, David Bowie, namely, Bowie’s rock star spaceman Ziggy Stardust.
Manson was born in Canton, Ohio, and is the only son of Barbara (nee Wyre) and Hugh
Warner. His abusive grandparents and their actions caused him to be exposed to high-grade innocence-losing material, which would eventually inspire the creation of Marilyn Manson and The
Spooky Kids, the band’s original name. As a child, he attended his mother's Episcopal church,
though his father was a Catholic. Warner attended Heritage Christian School from first grade to
tenth grade, whose harsh methods and anti-rock crusades caused him to further lose the notion that
God was needed in his life and gain a love of rock ‘n’ roll. He was also bullied for being the creepy
awkward kid and never quite fit in.
The most common misconception is that he is Satanic, or hates God, which in fact he does
not, despite being a close friend of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan. He says he
takes inspiration from the good parts of all religions and criticizes how people use the "god bandaid" to blame others for their problems and make themselves feel all better.
"We live in a society of victimization, where people are much more comfortable being victimized
than actually standing up for themselves." -Marilyn Manson
Page 15
Arts & Entertainment
Creative Writing Corner
Case #1051969
by Robert Bedenbaugh
The yellow crime scene tape blocked off the alleyway from the eyes of the
prying public and press. Officers stationed at each end enforced it, people
doing their best to use the zoom on their cameras, some climbing the buildings to instead get shots from windows and rooftops. The crime was horrific, but the scene was not. Not a drop of blood was spilt in the trash-filled
alleyway. No rats, roaches or maggots congregated on the corpse. Not
even flies came near it, despite swarming the chipped green dumpsters and
black bags of secrets that filled them.
For this section of
The Pawprint, student
work will be
showcased. Please
submit your short
stories, poetry and
artwork to Miss Flood
or a member of our
Editorial Staff.
The corpse was different from their usual fare. The skin was missing, but
not a single artery or vein was broken. Not one muscle was damaged on
the rather fit man, and there was no obvious cause of death. The suspicion was that the shock from the fullbody pain the man would have experienced killed him. Later tests would confirm no poison, no diseases,
and all blood inside the body. No bones were broken. The morgue agreed, it was likely shock.
There were no defensive wounds, no sign of a struggle, and no logical explanation for how he got there. The
six-foot-one man, approximately twenty to twenty five years old, was at peak fitness. A man like him could
fight off ten lesser men, so it couldn’t have been an attack, and even if it was, the masterful removal of the
skin would have been impossible. No knife could do that.
As the detectives climbed into their cars, they got a call on their radio. Another skinless body was found.
Fall Haikus
The Trees Are Changing
It’s getting colder outside
Fall is here hooray.
Fall’s timeless beauty
Crystal frosted crimson
leaves
Shimmer at sunrise
-Marcus Lounds
The leaves sway and dance
rejoicing with the wind---free
from the monkey bars.
Lanterns line the path.
Ghouls and witches walk the street,
Bags filling with sweets.
-Dhani Muniz, Age 15, Albany
Times Union
-Rainy McEwan, Age 15, Niverville
Times Union
Page 16
-Judy Boucher,
Rensselaer
Times Union
Have something to say? Put it in print!
Share your opinion pieces with The Pawprint.
Announcements
During Advisory
Opinion
World War II In Living Color
By Robert Bedenbaugh
We do not typically think of World War II in color. Our images and films from the era have always been in black and
white, after all. When we see images of the era, we see
As you may or may not know, the andarkness and light, a desaturated grayscale image that looks
nouncements have changed drastically from the
previous school year. In the past, the morning an- exactly like how one would imagine the land to be. It looks
nouncements were delivered via the intercom sys- desolate and barren, because there is no color. Dirt turns to
ash. Blue days turn gray. Bright forests turn to a land lacking
tem throughout the school for everyone to hear
greenery. So, thanks to Hitler’s personal photographer, Huexcept for Fridays when the morning show,
known as Over the Hill, would be broadcast from go Jaeger, we have around two thousand color images of
the little room in the library. Now the announce- Nazi Germany, we can see what their world really looked
ments are delivered from the television everyday
like. And, it looked like reality.
except Mondays at 9:10. This new morning show,
The sun shines, the trees are bright, and the skies are blue.
with the same name as the old, is shown in the
The days look perfect and amazing. However, hateful red
Library and Cafeteria during advisory. This can
banners, a striking, bloody red, hang everywhere. Men in all
present some problems.
black, holding back eager children in uniform, some focused
The announcements have been the way of on their job and others on mugging for the camera. Roads
conveying information to the general populace. So lined with seas of people. A woman, excited, giving the Nazi
salute over the head of a young man in a suit. Hitler, with an
if that general populace isn’t listening to said anobvious combover that was fooling nobody, swearing in an
nouncements, then only a few will actually know
SS officer in need of a shave. Thousands of women in matchwhat’s going on. This is the main issue with the
new morning show. During advisory, everyone
ing outfits doing a choreographed dance number together.
who has a social life will be hanging out with their
These color images bring about a new sense of Nazi Germafriends in the Library, Cafeteria, hallways, or any
other teacher that allows students in their classny. No longer does it seem like a desolate wasteland, with
rooms. Advisory is the time of day all students get gray being the dominate color, but it becomes real in your
to mingle with one another. Having the morning
mind. The colors and the proper shadows, the reality of it
show at that time is not the best course of action. all, show the truth. Beauty and goodness are not one in the
Because only a fraction of the schools population
same. The most evil nation in history looked just as scenic
is actually tuning in, the time it will take to get in- and beautiful as the economic powerhouse and force for
formation out will take a longer time than it needs good known as the modern nation of Germany. It’s a fact
to, leading to many events possibly going unnothat all would consider obvious, but the weight of it doesn’t
ticed. If it wasn’t for the Monday announcements, truly hit you until you see the images.
the student body as a whole would not receive
the necessary information for various upcoming
Some galleries: http://life.time.com/world-war-ii/nazievents. This is a very serious issue.
propaganda-and-the-myth-of-aryan-invincibility
By David Maurer
What needs to occur is the return of the
old morning announcements. Yes they disrupt second block but at least students will be listening to
them. It’s better to interrupt class time than to
have very little of the student body watching.
Sometimes the old way is the best way, and this is
no exception.
http://life.time.com/history/adolf-hitler-at-50-color-photosfrom-a-despots-birthday-april-1939/
http://life.time.com/history/hitler-and-mussolini-in-1938-color
-photos-of-europes-warmongers
Page 17
Take your odor elsewhere…
By Mackenzie Otten
Smell that? No, its not teen
spirit, and no we’re not in the perfume
section of a Macy’s. Once that bell rings
and gym class is dismissed, the locker
room transforms into an odor-filled
abyss. The majority of people don’t
smell too good after they’ve been exercising, and that's totally understandable.
After all, who would smell good after
secreting a salt solution from their
pores? No one! However, that does
not mean you should douse yourself
with scents to try to cover up the
odor. Spraying many different smells in
a concealed room can cause some people, like myself,
severe discomfort. Some of these uncomfortable symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, headaches, inability to concentrate, dizziness, breathing difficulties, wheezing, and hives/rashes. Fragrance allergies
and sensitivities are on the rise and most seem to have
mild to severe health consequences
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), fragrance sensitivities affect more than 2 million people,
with the scent increase and the 5,000
different combinations of scented
products, more and more people are
being affected negatively. Most people
who have this sensitivity avoid scents
at all cost, but how is that possible
with several different girls spraying
several different scents into the air?
It’s not. When you’re in a public place
you should be cautious to not upset
others around you and avoid spraying
your perfumes in areas of containment. It is important to just assume that someone
around you has an allergy and to make sure you're
keeping the spraying on the down low. Next time
you’re feeling smelly, make sure to deal with that in a
way that will not upset others around you.
Alex Rodriguez Affected Yankees Going
All the Way by Kristine Probst
You probably heard on the newspaper or even saw it somewhere
about A-Rod taking steroids with 12 other players from different
teams. People were saying this whole controversy affected A-Rod
on the field. He was suspended for the rest of the 2013 season,
but the kicker is he still got to play baseball with the New York
Yankees during his suspension and people believe this decision
made the Yankees not to end up in the playoffs and possibly the
World Series this year. Alex is still fighting for his third base position next season. Do you think there’s a next season next year? I
hope there isn’t. My hope is that he’s traded for a better and efficient player.
When Alex Rodriguez started out being traded from the Twins he
was one of the best (right next to Derek Jeter, of course). Now
his whole MLB career has disappeared right underneath him. If you
were to ask a lot of New York Yankees fans they would say they
hate Alex and that he should be traded or out of the MLB because
of his poor decisions. I feel the exact same way, and nobody liked
him after he was flirting with girls in the stand when he should’ve
been playing 3rd base. Maybe if he got his head in the game, he’d
still have a baseball career ahead of him.
Page 18
Have something to say? Put it in print!
Share your opinion pieces with The Pawprint.
Opinion
Working to Music
By Robert Bedenbaugh
things. Music the listener enjoys is known to be calming
and reduce stress, another thing that may aid students,
Music. It’s safe to say that pretty much everyone enjoys and allow them to be successful. In other situations,
some form of it, and dislikes some other form of it. One when a student needs to write an essay, it may help get
of the oldest creations of humanity (music) enjoys inno- the creative juices flowing. I’m writing this article to
vation, even now. Because of that, there is always an
Rammstein’s Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da. I can say for certain
argument over what is good, what is bad, and what
that I write better when I listen to music, because I let
should even be counted as music. However, with teens, my brain flow, and depending on what I’m writing, I
if there is one common trend, it is that they like their
might use my music to set the mood and manipulate
music, however they
myself into the right
like it. Some wear headmindset.
phones daily, and listen
whenever they can.
A major point of contenOthers can go without
tion, however, is the risk
for days, and only listen
of students cheating.
occasionally, and others
What if they record
unravel or unknot earnotes and information
buds whenever the opand are listening to it
portunity presents itself.
while working or taking
a test? What if the music
Knowing this, it’s no
is somehow related to
wonder that many stuthe subject? Do we not
dents like to listen to
need to stop cheating?
music while working.
Honestly, this is unlikely,
Maple Hill has a much
and if students are going
more liberal policy on
to cheat, they will find a
music than many other
way. They might even
schools, generally taking
write on themselves and
the mindset of “Do as
go to the bathroom to
you wish”, with some teachers not even caring if you
study from their leg. Does that mean we should ban
have an earbud in while they teach, so long as your
bathroom breaks or make them take tests in the nude?
grades are good. Others allow it when working only,
and some only when that work is not a test.
The simple fact is, it’s more likely that a student will be
listening to music, and it’s unlikely that their music will
In general, to me, it seems unwise to bar music from
relate to the test, because that is just not very common
tests. Make no mistake about it, people have much
in music. Spaceman rock stars, parties, depression, illicit
shorter attention spans than they used to. For some,
substances, people and life are far more common substray movements and noises are hard to just ignore,
jects than science, math, history and English. Obviously,
while music blocks that out, allowing them to focus on
state tests and the AP tests are different, because the
their work and, to some extent, on the music, instead of school doesn’t make the rules, but at a school level,
focusing on the little noises. This may increase their suc- banning music to prevent cheating is pointless. Just
cess on the test, which should be a goal of all teachers.
make sure to keep it down so others who don’t listen
to music can’t hear it.
Another thing to take into consideration is nerves. Many
students get nervous about tests and other important
Page 19
Why I Dwell in Yesterday’s Music
By Audra Colliton
Lyrics are one of the biggest reasons why I prefer old music. The lyrics today don’t make sense to me. Going to
the club? Shots? Relationships all about the girl being pretty? I can’t relate. Feeling dumb, however, I can totally
relate. Wanting to go away somewhere, I can relate. The lyrics of today’s pop music orbit around, like the planets
around the sun, from person to person, until it is saturated into our youth.
There are only three topics I hear in music today: First, relationships, specifically about the girl. Secondly,
going to the club or partying while you’re young enough to, and lastly, being able to do anything just because
you’re young. No, no and definitely not. There are no other topics, it seems, no horse of a different color. I’m not
trying to say that all lyrics should be completely mystifying so that people are always trying to figure them out,.I
am just saying that they should branch out to other topics. People tried to figure John Lennon’s lyrics so much,
always questioning them, that he wrote “I Am the Walrus,” which was purposely nonsensical so that those people
trying to figure out his lyrics would be totally confused.
Another reason is presentation of these pop stars. They are skinny, pretty, edited people, not your average American. We have put such a large price tag on just being pretty, and it’s angering. Was Jerry Garcia of The
Grateful Dead good looking at all? As you can see, definitely not. Did the Deadheads care? No. They loved the
music so much they literally followed the Grateful Dead cross-country during all of their tours in the States. My
main point is that I don’t care how pretty you are, how skinny you are or how “cute” you can be; it’s just important that you can sing and play instruments in a pleasing manner, making a unique and mind-blowingly amazing
song.
My last problem with modern music is that most people don’t play their instruments, or there is no instruments at all. Synthesizer alone just doesn’t do it for me. Synthesizer with killer guitar like The Who is fine.
Make the music with the instruments, not just machines. It reminds me of the movie Terminator, with the noise.
Use instruments with precision and wisdom, and I do like the smashing of instruments. Guitarists, take cues from
Hendrix, who used his teeth to play his guitar, or cues from Page, who used a violin’s bow on a guitar, or even
windmill it like Townshend. Drummers, take cues from Moon, he made
himself loud and present, and had a complete different style of drumming
altogether. Or take cues from Bonham, be crazy. It doesn’t matter, take
your time on your solos, which you should have! Bassists, take cues from
John Paul Jones, and take up other instruments like a mandolin to make it
different or take cues from Entwhistle to really make the bass present and
write your own songs! Actually, on that note, all members should write
songs. So, if those specific things were covered, I wouldn’t dwell in the past.
Page 20
Opinion
05% Approval Rating
By Robert Bedenbaugh
The government was shut down. No matter who you blame, that is still the truth. Most Americans also
agree that Congress is officially completely idiotic. In fact, according to MSNBC, on 10/09/13, they had a
5% approval rating. That’s rather terrifying, since they’re one of the most important parts of the government, and only about 15 million Americans feel they’re doing their job. At the beginning of September, it
was 20%. By now, it may be even lower. However, it seems odd that despite the utter joke that Congress
has become, many of the members have been there for decades. Of course, that’s because of the fact that
they don’t have term limits, and have good ole’ Gerrymandering, the redrawing of Congressional districts to
favor one party, on their side. Yes, many of the current members of Congress once lead moral crusades on
classic rock and metal bands, comic books, hippies and commies.
Of course, Congress isn’t just sitting by. They’re hard at work - hard at work on proving the old “opposite of
progress” joke true. House Republicans launched probes to find out why national parks were closing during
the shutdown. This in spite of the fact that it was well known that the government shutdown would close the
national parks. Ironically, those that would investigate for the official probe, apparently also unknown to the
probers, were also shut down and so no investigation could happen. So yes, Congress was amazed that
the government was shut down during a government shutdown. I’d be terrified if it wasn’t so funny. Wait,
no I am terrified. These people run our nation.
Senator Ted Cruz (R) led the pack on the government shutdown, and is responsible for the idea of refusing
to pass a budget, against House Majority Leader and third-in-line for President (if Obama and Biden both
die or end up resigning for some reason) John Boehner’s (R) wishes. Due to this, the more moderate
members of the Republican Party have actually threw him under the bus and turning on him, including Fox
News personality Bill O’Reilly, Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R), Senator Kelly Ayotte (R), and Senator Ron Johnson (R).
However, that doesn’t let Boehner off the hook. Congress needed 17 Republicans to pass a continuing resolution to return to funding the government, with no strings attached. At one point, he said that he didn’t
have the votes to do that. However, 22 Republican Congressmen (and yes, they’re all men) went on record
stating that they would vote for it. For the mathematically impaired like myself and apparently Representative Boehner, that’s five more than needed.
So, Congress is inept, evil and stupid. To most Americans, that’s no surprise. But, for 5%, for 15 million Americans, that’s a shocking statement.
Perhaps they would change their tune if they knew the FDA was no longer
inspecting factories and plants because of the shutdown. With all the money lost, the damage to the stock market, and the damage to hundreds of
furloughed government employees’ lives, was it really worth it?
Page 21
Opinion
Why Do We Love Zombies?
By Robert Bedenaugh
Why do we love zombies? Why are zombies one of the most prevalent horror monsters in fiction right
now? The modern zombie is nothing like the classic mythological zombie, which was more of a voodoo
slave than an evil flesh-eating monster bent on ripping your brains from the can known as your skull. The
modern zombie is pretty much an invention of George A. Romero, with his film Night of The Living Dead.
So, why is it that Romero, who has been hit and miss with the sequels, managed to create something that
appeals to people so much that hundreds of thousands dress as them every year, do marathons and obstacle courses involving them, watch movies and shows full of them and buy games loaded with these
shambling corpses?
Perhaps the most obvious reason is that, although it has weakened with their oversaturation, they’re scary.
They’re a perversion of us. Zombies are the funhouse mirror version of human beings, with all our worst
traits made a thousand times worse. Humans could be said to have an unending hunger for everything,
from food to power to resources. We will tear into the world to harvest natural gas and oil, which is destroying our planet and therefore ourselves. We eat until it can kill us, and we always seek power. Zombies are
consumed by their own hunger. They only live to destroy and consume, with all virtues stripped out. Barring bad writing and some comedies, there’s no good zombies. In the original George A. Romero Dawn of
the Dead, the zombies swarm the mall purely on instinct, because as humans, that was what they did (that
said, it’s also a film with a good, vegetarian zombie). Strip away all that’s good from humans, and all you
have is an unending desire to consume.
Additionally, they make good villains. You see, zombies are pure evil (again, with exceptions depending on
the work). Zombies are one of those things where it’s perfectly acceptable to have a “kill em all” attitude.
Pretty much no other villains are so convenient. Werewolves and vampires are too human, with their personalities, that even if you say they’re all bad, people will never believe it. An army of werewolves or vampires are still people, with memories, personalities, fears, desires, hopes, dreams and families. That’s not
terrifying. That’s depressing. However, zombies have none of that. You can throw thousands at our heroes
and they can be slaughtered without worry. Zombie killing is moral. Heroes that want to wipe out other races look prejudiced, because people no longer accept that an all-evil species can exist in good writing.
Even works like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Supernatural began showing vampires and other monsters
with shades of gray, that at the beginning of their series, would have never been seen. Supernatural even
has a heroic demon, which in this work are souls that went to Hell and were then even further twisted and
corrupted, and are typically unrepentant and pure evil. It’s just hard to have pure evil villain species or races nowadays.
Also, zombies carry something that no other monster can: they have no goal. This means that they can
wipe out humanity but not prevent humanity from roaming free and getting in various situations. If vampires take over the world, we’re cattle. Same with werewolves. In fact, for most evil mythological beings, if
they took over, we’d be cattle. Zombies don’t think like that. Instead, they hand writers two separate things
to play with: the destruction of society without a replacement and a destructive enemy force. Other postapocalyptic works lack the force, and other monsters can build a society. This lets writers explore their
characters’ hidden depths. How does someone act when the rules are taken away, and the law is gone?
Who are they when nobody is looking? In Night of the Living Dead, racists use it as an excuse to get away
with killing the African-American hero of the film. In the original World War Z book (which is much different
Page 22
Opinion/Sports
from the movie), many people react and act differently, some abandoning morals, some not. The same
can be said for The Walking Dead.
So, perhaps, to understand zombies, we must understand ourselves. We must understand what humans
are like, and what they do, and zombies give us a dark reflection of humanity. However, they let us fight
back against it, and destroy what we hate. They’re the only acceptable pure evil group in the modern
world, because they have no will, and are basically human-eating animals. Finally, they give the writers an
amazing playground to mess with. You have the breakdown of society combined with the constant threat
of destruction, which prevents the heroes from ever getting a break. In any case, zombies aren’t going
away.
Fall Sports Wrap-Up
(Wins-Loses-Ties)
Girls’ Varsity Soccer
8-8-2 record
Currently playing in Sectionals
Girls’ JV Soccer
4-6-2 record
Varsity Boys’ Soccer
10-2-2 record
Currently playing in Sectionals
JV Boys’ Soccer
12-4 record
2nd place in Sports Weekend Soccer tournament
Girls’ Tennis
8 -9 record
Sectional runners-up after advancing to the
Section 2 Class
C/D final.
Girls’ Varsity Cross Country
20-2, Competing in Sectionals
Girls’ JV Cross Country
22-0
Boys’ Varsity Cross Country
21-1, Competing in Sectionals
Boys’ JV Cross Country
19-3
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball
14-4 record
Made it to the second round of Sectionals
Girls’ JV Volleyball
17-3 record
Page 23
Get to Know Your Coaches
Mr. Farrell, Boys’ & Girls’ Cross Country Coach
by Cameron Renslow
Each month, we will feature an interview with one of
the coaches. This month, the spotlight is on Mr. Farrell,
Cross Country Coach and Middle School
Social Studies Teacher.
Over his lifetime, Jim Farrell has
coached multiple sports, including Outdoor
Track and Field for fifteen years, modified
girls basketball for three years, and one season of soccer. But most of you know him as
the Varsity Cross Country Coach. Four
years ago, when our current seniors were
freshmen, Coach Farrell began coaching
Cross Country. In these four years, not
including invitational wins, Coach Farrell has
a record of 78 wins and 2 losses with the
Girls Varsity team, 80 wins and 0 losses
with the Girls JV team, 74 wins and 6 losses with the
Boys Varsity team, and 77 wins and 3 losses with the
Boys JV team. That is a combined total of 309 wins and
11 losses. He says the most rewarding thing
about being a coach is building a team out of a group of
individuals, and that over the past four years he has
seen our team support its members to achieve things
they never would have as an individual.
One of his proudest moments this season
was watching Jordan and Monica win as
many races as they did this season, but
he’s most proud of the moments when
the athletes are able to surprise themselves with a new PR, especially times
that the athletes didn’t even think they
were capable of. Luckily, he says, these
moments come every meet. Coming up
next Friday is the Section II Championship, and Coach Farrell says that his plan
for the meet is to take care of some lingering injuries, while having every healthy athlete work
on speed, strength, and pacing. Everyone is looking for
their best time of the season, and a few members
shou ld qu alify for the State
meet!
Keep current about school sports!
Follow @MH_Athletics on
Twitter!
Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team Raises Awareness for ALS
by Peter Aitken
Its not everyday that you hear of someone with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as
"Lou Gehrig's Disease." For those who are unaware,
ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that controls voluntary muscle movement,
which slowly shut down. When one of our own community members was diagnosed with this unforgiving
disease, the Maple Hill Varisty Boys’ Soccer Team
took it to heart. The soccer team purchased and wore
shirts to show their support and raise awareness
about ALS on Fall Sports Weekend. The proceeds
benefited the St. Peter's Hospital ALS program to help
find a cure. Great job, boys!
Page 24
Sports
End of Season Review: Girls’ Soccer
By Kerry Golden
When asked about the 2013 soccer season, Coach Sheila Golden just smiles. When the
year started they were not sure if there would be
one team or two, but without a junior varsity program last year, Coach Golden knew that it was
extremely important to try to rebuild that J.V. program this year.
With some hard work and dedication, the girls soccer program
was successful in maintaining a
team at all three levels. "It was
not easy," commented Coach
Golden, "very often the teams
played with only one or two
subs, causing many girls to run
80 minutes or more without a
break."
Coach Golden gives
credit to all the girls who stuck it out and worked
hard every day since mid-August. "It was sometimes difficult to run drills because I did not have
enough people to practice against one another. It seemed like we were either running offensive drills, or defensive drills, but struggled to run
both at the same time due to small numbers,"
explained Coach Golden, "but I am extremely
happy with the progress we have made as a
team. We have improved so much since last
year, and have learned to put the ball on the
ground, connect passes and accomplished more
than just banging the ball around". The team finishes the year with a 8-8-2 record, but many of
the losses were by just one goal, a big improvement since last year. "I think we will be much
stronger in sectionals with the addition of three
girls that moved up from the junior varsity team. It was evident
that the extra bodies were helpful because we defeated Taconic Hills 5-0. The extra bodies
gave everyone the rest they
needed, and we looked so much
faster than we did in previous
games." For the first round of
sectionals, the girls won against
Cambridge and avenged the
overtime loss they suffered in
the first round of the Fall Sports Weekend tournament. When asked about the end of the year,
Coach Golden replied, "I never like to think about
it, and I am never ready for it. The hardest part
about the season ending is that I miss the girls.
We have spend almost every day together since
mid-August, it takes some time getting used to
not seeing them all regularly." When asked
about her overall feelings about the season,
Coach Golden again grinned and said, "Nothing
but Pride."
Staying Fit This Winter
by Marcus Lounds
So you’ve finally fit into that bathing suit but your parents are closing the pool.
How can you stay fit and keep active this winter? Follow these simple instructions and learn how to lose
the weight and keep it off.
The winter time is approaching and let’s be real, everyones gaining weight over a long winter of being
inactive, and eating during all those holidays. So, it is important to keep active, and even if going outside
in the freezing cold isn't your thing, there are plenty of effective indoor exercises that you can perform at
home without any special equipment. Before you begin to exercise, try to stretch yourself out from head
to toe. By incorporating stretches into your workout before you exercise, you will get more out of your ...
(continued on p. 26)
Page 25
Staying Fit This Winter continued from p. 25
workout and decrease the chance of pulling muscles and becoming sore the next day.
A few exercises that will allow you to quickly build muscle
and get your heart pumping include modified versions of the
pushup, crunch, and squats. Inclined pushups can be challenging for some people because they are more difficult to perform
than a regular pushup. To perform and inclined push up, get into
the normal pushup position, put your feet onto a higher surface
rather than on the ground (bed, chair, table) and begin doing
push ups. These push ups focus on your chest and are an effective alternative to regular push ups.
Everyone wants abs and some people may have noticed crunches are not helping for visual results as fast as they desire, but this modified crunch could possibly help. Lie down on the floor. Lift legs so
that your thighs are perpendicular with the ground. Put your hands behind your head. Move your left elbow and right leg toward the body until they touch. Move your left elbow and right leg back to starting position. At the same time move your right elbow and left leg two the body until they touch, this is called a
bicycle crunch.
You might not know this, but squats are one of the best lower body exercises out there because
squats are multi-joint exercises that target all the muscles of the hips, glutes and thighs. Therefore, they
are something important to incorporate into your daily exercise routine.
Another way to stay thin is to watch what you eat, avoid junk food, and keep up with cardio. If
you're constantly working out but not eating healthy or doing cardio you might see the opposite effec. Rather than losing fat off your body and getting thinner, you may seem to be getting stocked or larger. This is
because you may be building muscle underneath the fat, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're burning
fat. Cardio is a great way to burn fat, so try running while you still can before snow fall (or inside on the
treadmill).
If following these instructions is easy for you, you might just be in better shape next summer than you
were last (and that bathing suit will hopefully still fit).
FALL SPORTS AT MAPLE HILL
Player Interviews
Interviews by Heather Hay
Player Interviews:
Boys Varsity Soccer
Player: Ryan Krupa
Position: Striker
How has your season been going so far?
We finished second in the patroon conference and are making our way through sectionals as the #2 seed. So it's been really fun and competitive.
Did you set any personal or team goals at the beginning of the
season? If so, have they been achieved yet?
We wanted to win over 10 games and we did, we wanted to get a top 5 seed in sectionals and we have, and we'd like to bring home a title.
(continued on p. 19)
Page 26
Sports
Volleyball
Volleyball
Girls’ Varsity Volleyball
Player: Morgan Herrle
Position: Setter
Girls Varsity Volleyball
Player: Lauren Olsen
Position: Outside Hitter/Back-row
How has your season been going so far?
Great! I think the Greenville game was our
highest point in the season. We really are a
family and probably the closest team I’ve been
on.
How has your season been going so far?
Pretty good. I feel like we’ve improved as a
team a lot since our first game.
How did your team
seed for Sectionals?
We seeded 4th and
we’re in Class D and I
kind of wish we were in
Class C again, but other
than that I think it’s a
good seed.
Did you set any personal or team goals at the beginning of the
season? Is so, have they been achieved
yet?
I wanted the team to beat Greenville and we
didn’t do that, but we still made Bacon really
proud the second time we played them so I feel
good about that. I also wanted all of us to work
better as a team and we did that.
When did you start playing volleyball?
Freshman year.
How did your team
seed for Sectionals?
We seeded 4th, so I
feel like we have a
good chance at the
Sectionals title depending on the effort
we put forth as a team.
Did you set any personal or team goals
at the beginning of the season? Is so,
have they been achieved yet?
One of my goals was for the team to win Patroons, but we lost it by a mere two points.
What is your favorite part about your
team?
The inside jokes we have with each other and
Bacon.
When did you start playing volleyball?
Sophomore year.
What made you want to play volleyball?
I wanted to play a sport and my cousin played
volleyball and it seemed like a lot of fun.
What made you want to play volleyball?
I didn’t want to play soccer anymore and my
older sister played so I thought it would be
fun.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of
volleyball?
I like to have a social life, play with my dogs,
and school… I don’t know, that’s pretty much
my life.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of
volleyball?
Be with my family and friends.
Page 27
FALL SPORTS AT MAPLE HILL
Player Interviews (Continued)
Interviews by Heather Hay
Player Interviews:
Boys Varsity Soccer
Player: Ryan Krupa (continued from p. 26)
What is your favorite part about your
team?
I really like celebrating a big win with my team.
When did you start playing soccer?
When I was really little, 5 years old!
What made you want to play soccer?
Well Judsen Hoffman actually told me about it, I
watched one game and I fell in love with it.
Girls Varsity Soccer
Player: Lindsay Mannion
Position: Sweeper
How has your
season been
going so far?
Our record
doesn't show
how good we've
actually been doing. Our record
looks ok but the
season itself has
been amazing
thanks to the
team and Goldie
Do you think the new hairstyle you guys
are sporting will give you an edge in Sec- Did you set any personal or team
tionals?
goals at the beginning of the season?
I think it shows we have faith in ourselves and that we
are dedicated to the idea of doing
really well in the playoffs.
If so, have they been achieved yet?
The main goal we had as a team was to
work hard and never give up and no matter our record or how far we get/ have
gotten that's something we did achieve
What is your favorite part about your
team?
How close we all are.
When did you start playing soccer?
First grade.
What made you want to play soccer?
It was kind of ust one of those things you
try out when you're younger just to see if
it's something you want to do.
Do you plan to play soccer in college?
I do not.
Page 28
Match up the teacher with the interesting fact
(that you probably didn’t know about them before!)
Mr. Ashby
1.) Played 4 years of college
basketball
Mrs. Naumovitz
2.) Is a former hockey coach
Mr. Ryan
3.) Is a talented quilter
Mrs. Wood
4.) Has traveled to 10-12 different
countries
Mrs. Weidman
5.) Made an appearance on
Dawson’s Creek
Ms. Flood
6.) Is married with 2 kids
Mrs. Austin
7.) Has a 26 year old daughter
Mr. Porter
Mrs. Strock
Mr. Hunter
8.) Traveled to Rome and Assisi in
College
9.) Finished a Half-Iron Man
Traithlon (1.2 mile swim, 56
mile bike, 13.1 mile run)
10.) Raises over 30+ chickens
Answers: 1. Mrs. Austin 2. Ryan 3. Wood 4. Hunter 5. Naumovitz 6.
Ashby 7. Weidman 8. Flood 9. Porter 10. Strock
Page 29